Thursday Schedule
The Arts Conference offers a variety of unique experiences all intended to give you the opportunity to customize your training and find exactly what you need. Most of these great experiences happen on Thursday, June 12, but some spread into Wednesday and Friday as well. You can move freely between categories, as you mix and match among all the options to design the day that best meets your needs.
Some elements you'll want to consider when designing your Thursday schedule are:
View entire conference schedule at a glance
Sessions A, B, C, D | 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Choose from among 120 skill-based breakouts to create your ideal experience.
- Creating Services
- Dance
- Drama
- Life Beyond Sunday
- Creativity in Action
- Teaching
- Visual Arts
- Worship and Music
- Tech - Audio
- Tech - Leadership
- Tech - Lighting
- Tech - Live Video
- Tech - Post Video
- Tech - Multi Site
- Tech - Scenic
| A Biblical Model for Worship and the Arts | ||
| A01 |
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Featured Breakout: What does a biblical model for worship and the arts look like? We'll examine how our theology impacts the foundation of our worship ministry and affects our freedom to experience God's presence. Learn important philosophical ideas and how to implement effective tools that strengthen relationship with God and each other, and help us enjoy a deeper expression of worship corporately and in the arts.
Ross Parsley
Ross is the worship pastor of New Life Church. He is also the founder and president of the New Life School of Worship, and committed to training and equipping young men and women to lead worship in local churches. Ross enjoys teaching on worship at conferences and seminars, and is also the worship leader on the Integrity Music recordings "My Savior Lives", "I Am Free", "More Than Life", "Around Your Throne", and "Lord of the Harvest". Ross and his wife, Aimee, were married in 1992, and they have five children: Zachary, Taylor, Grace, Ethan, and Owen.
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Brainstorm meetings. They should've named it "brain-sprinkle" meetings. On some days, they can overflow with innovation, and on others you feel like you¹d sooner have a root canal than one good idea. So, is there an actual strategy for getting the good ideas faster? Do toys at the meeting really help? Should you really be thinking out of the box in the first place? Join Tony Biaggne as he offers some tips on what you can do to cultivate the best ideas for your weekend services in a shorter amount of time.
Tony Biaggne
Church shouldn't be boring. That simple philosophy has kept Tony Biaggne busy for more than two years as Director of Creative Communications at Windsor Crossing http://www.wcrossing.org/index.html in St. Louis, Missouri. From overall church branding to experiential moments during its four weekend services, Tony caters to ideas that are deeply personal, profoundly relational, and totally un-boring. Prior to Windsor, Tony worked for seven years in advertising as a copywriter and creative strategist, producing campaigns for national brands including Miller Brewing, Sony Entertainment, Starbucks, and Energizer. Recently, Tony has been a contributor to Advent Conspiracy, an international movement designed to restore the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion instead of consumption. He has also written a feature-length animated screenplay, http://www.stitchedmovie.com/.
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| Pieces of the Presentation | ||
| A04 |
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What are the ingredients of an excellent sermon? How do we craft am introduction? What is a transition? How do we structure a strong closing? What is the place of illustrations and storytelling in the sermon? Farmer will address the disparate pieces of the sermon and how to pull them together in one's preaching.
Richard Allen Farmer
Richard Allen Farmer, born in New York City and having lived there most of his life, now resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Rosemary and son, Timothy. A graduate of Nyack College where he earned the Bachelor of Music degree (1975) and Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned the Master of Divinity degree (1980), The Reverend Farmer has been awarded the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Gordon College in 1986 and the honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree by Houghton College in 1999. An experienced pastor and college chaplain, Dr. Farmer has served as Senior Pastor of the Bethany Baptist Church in Pittsburgh (1980-1988) and as Dean of the Chapel at both Gordon College (1988-1992) and Taylor University (1999-2002). Very much committed to being a global person, Dr. Farmer has spoken, lectured or given concerts in England, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Peru, Chile, Cote d' lvoire, Kenya, Canada, the Philippines and most states of the United States. Dr. Farmer has spoken to thousands of people in conference, campus and religious settings. Last year more than 100 different groups benefitted from Farmer's wit, wisdom and musical gifts. Dr. Farmer spends most of his time offering inspirational, informational, verbal and musical presentations that clearly demonstrate passion and excellence.
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| Creating a Culture of Service | ||
| A05 |
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How can arts leaders coach fellow artists to serve happily as paid staff or as volunteers week after week, month after month and (for some) year after year? This breakout will supply you with a fresh understanding and practical tools for keeping those working in your organization committed and connected – with a servant's heart.
Marlinda Ireland
Marlinda Ireland is the co-founder, associate pastor and director of worship at Christ Church in Montclair, New Jersey, a thriving cross-cultural congregation representing 25 different nationalities. For twenty years she has focused on building the local church through worship and the creative arts. Under her leadership the Christ Church arts ministry has participated in religious and cultural events at Lincoln Center in New York City, New York, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center and produced Christmas musicals with a cast of 150 participants. In addition, Marlinda is passionate about seeing women reach their full potential in Christ and hosts a yearly women's conference, quarterly workshops and a women's mentoring program. She and her husband, David are the parents of two daughters, Danielle and Jessica.
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| Directing Action: Helping Actors Act | ||
| A06 |
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A director's job begins with his/her understanding of the life—or action—of the play. How does a director articulate that action to his actors? How does he help his actors discover their character's action? Are there ways to help an actor move beyond merely saying lines with respectable believability? How do we help them discover the exciting and surprising process of playing action? In this session, Jeff will explore the answers to these questions.
Jeff Berryman
Jeff Berryman is a writer, actor, director, and teacher who lives in Seattle, Washington. He taught theatre at Abilene Christian University from 1990 to 1996, and since then has been writing and performing, mostly one-man shows. He wrote a novel, Leaving Ruin, which he has adapted and performs as a solo work. Other solo shows include, "When Comes the Way", "Set Loose from the World", "The Little Guy", and "Postmodern Art". He is a frequent performer and teacher in the acting studio of Taproot Theatre and continues to teach a course each January at Abilene Christian University on The Intersection of Christianity and the Arts. He is currently working on his second novel.
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| Imitation to Innovation: Finding Your Unique Voice as a Worship Leader | ||
| A07 |
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In this session, you'll look at the development of a worship leader in the areas of theology, discipleship, art, and leadership. Discover how growing in each of those areas will prepare you for what you are uniquely gifted to do as a worship leader and how to unleash your own voice as a worship leader.
Matt Lundgren
Matt Lundgren likes long walks on the beach and curling up in front of a roaring fire. His spiritual gifts are super-spelling and the ability to tap only two aspirin out of a bottle at one time. After receiving his M.Div. from North Park Theological Seminary, Matt began at Willow Creek leading worship at Axis, Willow Creek's 20-something ministry and is now the worship leader for both weekend and New Community services. When he is not leading worship at Willow Creek, he is practicing his TiVo remote control skills – at which he feels he is in a class of his own.
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| Playing Guitar In a Rhythm Section | |||
| A08 |
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Do you know most of the common chords but need ideas of what to do with them? What sounds & effects are appropriate? What kinds of fills and when? "Arpeggios or open 5ths, double-stops or full chords, lots of rhythm or whole notes?" get the most out of your guitar and becoming a more versatile guitar player on your worship team.
Tom Vitacco
Tom Vitacco has been involved in music ministry at Willow Creek Church for almost 32 years and as a full-time music director for more than 20 years. He also plays professionally with several bands in the Chicago area and does recording sessions in both the Midwest and Canada. He received his education in music at Triton College and Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Chris Siebold
Chris Siebold has been playing guitar for 25 years, 14 years professionally. In the Chicago area, Chris has enjoyed playing and recording with a myriad of local and national acts. Some of these include: Howard Levy, Kick the Cat, The Renegades, Cathy Richardson, Patricia Barber, Vinnie Colaiuta, Michael Brecker, Paul McCartney, Victor Bailey, Anne Harris Band, Maggie Speaks, M13, Tributosaurus, Dave Easley, John McLean, Steve Rodby and Paul Wertico. Chris is also a first-call session guitarist for Pressure Point, CRC, Hinge, Scandal, The Sound Bank, and Transient Sound studios. Chris has been serving at WCCC and its regional campuses since December 2006. He also serves at Crossroads Community Church in Naperville, IL and Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst, IL
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| Putting Music Technology To Work (in your church) | ||
| A09 |
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Today's music technology is putting increasingly more powerful tools into the hands of worship leaders and church musicians. Yet this ever-changing landscape can be intimidating and hard to keep up with. In this breakout session, we'll look at instruments, software and techniques that will help increase productivity, musical quality, and inspire you to create new music. We'll explore tools commonly used in churches today as well as emerging music technology with an emphasis on the practical. Together we'll discover how to use loops, backing tracks, recording software, virtual instruments and MIDI technology in a way that will enhance your music, inspire your team and engage your congregation.
Steve Young
Steve Young is the Director of Creative Arts at Renaissance Church in Summit, NJ. Renaissance is an exciting, fast-growing, church plant in the suburbs of New York City that primarily consists of Wall Street professionals, Broadway actors, and studio musicians. As a church leader, he has served on both coasts, in a variety of church settings--including one church of over 5000, and two start-up churches – one with only a dozen people at its inception. As a musician, he has performed and recorded with internationally known recording artists, and remains active as a producer, keyboard player, and arranger in the NYC area. He is also the founder of Arts Impact, a creative coaching ministry that serves churches and other creative organizations in the area of worship and the arts.
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| An Actor's Process - Exploring Character Development | ||
| A10 |
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Characters in amateur theatre are often ill-defined and non-compelling. Actors frequently don't have the tools necessary to develop characters that are three-dimensional and grounded in reality. This breakout will focus on a series of practical questions designed to assist actors and directors in fleshing out well-defined, consistent, and interesting characters who will add depth and meaning to performances.
Rod Armentrout
Rod Armentrout is in his seventeenth year as a member of the Willow Creek Drama Team and has 25 combined years of acting experience in university, non-professional, and professional theater. He received his BA in theater from Iowa State University and his MFA in performance from Purdue University. As an Associate Drama Director in the Programming Department, Rod's responsibilities include acting, directing, and training.
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| Foundations of a Drama Ministry | ||
| A11 |
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Why is drama ministry a necessary element in today's church? What does drama do best? What should drama avoid trying to do? These and other questions will be discussed in this breakout which will present foundational values at the heart of effective drama ministry. If you have never attended a Willow drama breakout in the past, this is a great session for you to attend.
Steve Pederson
Steve Pederson became the Director of Drama at Willow Creek in 1986 after teaching on the college level for 14 years. He leads a drama team of approximately 25 lay people. Team members perform as part of Willow Creek's weekend services, and also frequently contribute to conferences both at home and abroad. Steve has traveled throughout North America and Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand, teaching and leading workshops for the Willow Creek Association on drama in the church. He has an M.A. in theatre from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Iowa and is the author of Drama Ministry.
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| Design Your Vocal Work-Out Plan | ||
| A12 |
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Every singer should know the confidence that comes from vocal strength and control... confidence that lets you experience the thrill of connecting your heart to your songs. In this hands-on workshop, we'll help you create your own work-out plan, tailored specifically to your voice, that will help you remove the areas of vocal tension that limit your strength and flexibility. A twenty minute commitment, three times a week, can make all the difference in unlocking the freedom of true vocal expression!
Tim Carson
Tim Carson is the founder of Vocal Artistry and the Vocal Artistry Training Series. He was on the music staff at Willow Creek Community Church for 12 years and taught at Wheaton College where he developed new curriculum for singing modern styles. Vocal Artistry has a full line of vocal training products and offers workshops all over North America.
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| Soul Searching: Catalyst for Transformation | ||
| A13 |
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In the business of everyday life many people—and artists—struggle to maintain a healthy connection to their core identity. But intentional times of soul-searching can help us connect authentically with God, powerfully aiding the process of spiritual formation. Some forms of soul searching explore our conscience, while others urge us to explore our awareness of God, or our consciousness. In either case, soul-searching involves an honest look inside, guided by the Holy Spirit. This breakout helps you experience the life-giving, soul-healing power of Examen: Soul Searching.
Mindy Caliguire
Mindy Caliguire is the founder
and president of Soul Care, a spiritual formation ministry. She was formerly on staff in the area of spiritual formation at Willow Creek Community Church and continues as a member there. Mindy is a frequent speaker and retreat leader, working with groups such as the Spiritual Formation Alliance. Her books include the new Soul Care Series: Discovering Soul Care, Spiritual Friendship, Soul Searching, and Simplicity, Faith Books & Spiritual Journaling (with Sharon Soneff) and Write for Your Soul: The Whys and Hows of Journaling (with Jeff Caliguire). Soul Care provides a compelling vision and practical next steps for increasing personal soul health and for building spiritually formative environments in small groups and ministries through resources, events, leadership development and consulting.
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| Forging a Script: Editing it into Something that Works | ||
| A14 |
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The effectiveness of drama ministry hinges upon the quality of the script. What are you looking for in a script? What do you want to avoid? How do you move a script from one with potential to one that can be executed? If you're a director or writer hoping to better understand that process, this breakout is for you. Walk through an actual editing process for a script here at Willow Creek. See the author's first draft and the rounds of changes, all the while making hands-on choices that move the piece toward a final, executable script.
Mark Demel
Mark Demel is a painter/actor/playwright/director/cartoonist and sand artist who hails from the midwest. He shared his gifts on Willow Creek's staff for fifteen years before becoming a free-lance creative consultant and traveling sand artist. He still is passionate about creating moments that help people in their spiritual journey, primarily by bringing home the truth about who we are and who God is. He makes his home in Elgin, Illinois, with his wife and three children.
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| Lyrical Worship Dance | ||
| A15 |
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You will explore communicating with God through music and the movement of your body. Together with other participants, you will experience worship in a unique and profound way. Please wear attire that allows you to freely move.
Lisa Jaskilka
Lisa Jaskilka has been one of the leaders of Mosaic's dance ministry and Urban Poets for the past couple of years, performing in shows and conferences nationally and internationally. She has been a professional dancer in Los Angeles since 2000 when she started assisting top choreographers and performing in various shows throughout the city. She has been seen on television in Gilmore Girls and Teen Choice Awards as well as performing at the Arrowhead Pond and Los Angeles Coliseum. Lisa has been a part of Word in Motion dance company, toured with Armor of Light and has taught at numerous dance studios and schools throughout the country.
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| Time Management for Artists: Structure Without Constriction | ||
| A16 |
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As artists in the church, we desperately need to manage our time so we can do what needs to be done. Yet many of us are wired up to prefer trips to the dentist over the idea of living in a structured way. In this session, we'll review several time management approaches, and help you pick and choose techniques that let you manage your life without squashing your soul.
Bob Gerard
Bob Gerard is the Worship Associate for Creative Communications at First Baptist Church of Geneva, Illinois, where he facilitates the programming team and leads the drama and media ministries. He also directs the Center for Learning Innovation for Accenture, where he has trained hundreds of business consultants around the world in time management techniques. Bob lives in picture-perfect Geneva, Illinois, with his wife Sherri, two boys, a cat, and a guest room that you're welcome to use.
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| Audio Systems - Design & Integration Panel | ||||||
| A17 |
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Come and hear from a panel of designers and technicians about the key factors involved in designing an audio system to best serve your church. Our panel of presenters from TC Furlong, Meyer Sound, Acoustic Dimensions, and Willow Creek's audio team, has a wide range of experience in designing systems for a variety of facilities including Willow Creek's new auditorium.
John Monitto
John Monitto relies on his extensive experience in the professional audio industry to head up Meyer Sound's ever-growing technical support department. Building on his BA in Broadcast Communications Arts (with an emphasis on audio production), Monitto worked as a project manager within Pro Media's (now Pro Media/Ultra Sound) fast-growing sound and audio/visual system installations division, as well as touring with artists including Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras. Corporate AV also falls within his experience, such as events produced by IBM, Apple Computer, Clorox and Motorola. Monitto is also a primary source of feedback from the field into product design and Meyer Sound educational program and has often been a trainer for Meyer Sound seminars.
Craig Jannesen
Craig Janssen, extraordinary talent in identifying technical and space challenges and developing solutions, has produced innovations in performance technologies, auditorium design and has impacted the way the industry approaches projects. Since forming the Dallas office of Acoustic Dimensions in 1991, Craig has worked with over 1,000 clients, and provides leadership for their talented staff. His background includes working as a technical director for Grace Church in St. Louis, MO. He worked with the Joiner-Rose Group for 3 years, combining his production talents with his engineering training, eventually serving as one of the lead designers and project mangers for the firm. Craig is regularly consulted by major ministries in the area of strategic facilities planning and by loudspeaker manufactures on the development of new products. He is the driving force behind the computer model which drives Strategic Dimensions facilities planning consulting.
Jeff Pelletier
Jeff serves as the Audio Systems Engineer for the main auditorium at Willow Creek Community Church. In this role, his responsibilities include systems design, sound system optimization, documentation, training and installation. He also serves as an engineer on call (EOC) for any of the multitude of services that Willow has, serving any technical issues that arise and need troubleshooting. Over 12 years ago, Jeff started his tenure as the technical director for Impact, the high school ministry and then the TD for Promiseland, the children's ministry. This was followed by years of serving monitor and FOH mix duties for both weekend and midweek services. Jeff studied live sound engineering at Columbia College of Chicago from 1993-1997, has attended Meyer Sound's SIM training and recently received BSS Soundweb certification. Also part musician, Jeff is passionate about music, combining both science and art, to bring excellence to further the Kingdom. Jeff lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his beautiful new wife, Kimberly.
Chris Gille
Chris Gille started mixing at eight years old and to this day looks for opportunities to work behind a console. Over the past 20 years he has held many positions in churches and theaters in the area of production and operations including audio engineer, technical director, and lighting director. He has owned and operated a production consulting company that served many churches. Chris has served in a variety of leadership roles on the Willow Creek staff for almost nine years and is currently the Audio and Systems Leader. He was at the heart of the new building project where he was hands-on with every phase of production systems design, including significant integration. Chris has passion for providing the church with a solid technical infrastructure, inventing solutions, system design, problem solving, and finding the next way to save money.
TC Furlong
TC Furlong began his career in audio in the early 1970's designing, manufacturing and installing professional loudspeakers and amplifiers for sound reinforcement. In the ensuing 35 years, TC founded TC Furlong Inc. a professional audio design, sales, rental and show systems supplier with offices in Lake Forest, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee. Credits include theatrical sound design for touring Broadway productions and repertory theatres as well as system design, equipment provision and alignment services for national television talk shows. TC is currently the audio systems designer for the PBS HD concert series Soundstage. TC is also a professional musician and music producer with more than 1000 recording sessions and 4000 live performances completed. TC is especially honored to serve on the music team at Willow Creek Community Church
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| Building Blocks of a Great Technical Ministry | ||
| A18 |
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Regardless of the size of your church or your production ministry, we all have essentially the same questions: How do we recruit volunteers? How do we get the equipment we need? What does technical excellence look like? How can I get along with the music director? The list could go on forever. In the session we are going to look at some foundational principles and some practical applications for building a healthy, thriving technical ministry at our churches.
Todd Elliott
Currently a Production Manager at Willow Creek, Todd Elliott developed his skills over the course of a 25 year run in the technical arts. He started as a volunteer audio engineer, then in 1993 he joined the staff of Kensington Community Church in Troy, Michigan to lead the tech volunteers, followed by video shooting/editing/directing, lighting, and set design. Now involved in leading other technical artists, Todd has had the wide range of experience that gives him the ability to lead and think strategically in the area of production.
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| Lighting 101: Lighting Basics | ||
| A19 |
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In this breakout we will evaluate the current situation of your church lighting and identify the next steps for improving your stage lighting system. We will examine the components of a basic lighting system: fixtures, placement, color and control. To help get you started, we will emphasize costs, tips and techniques.
John Weygandt
John has served as a scenic and lighting designer at Willow Creek since 1991. Prior to Willow, he taught theatre design at Pomona and Earlham Colleges for nine years. He has an MFA in Theatre Design from The University of Iowa, where he studied under Dr. David Thayer. John supervises, shepherds, and teaches the New Community volunteer lighting team and "HangTime" team as together they support and enhance Willow Creek worship services.
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| Live Video Directing 101 | ||||
| A20 |
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Come hear about the concepts and philosophies that helped to shape the foundation of the Willow Creek Live Video Ministry. Included in this session will be case studies that focus on framing concepts and directing styles for music (both performance and worship) and drama. Learn from the successes and failures as the ministry has grown over the last 20 years.
Scott Lambert
Scott started out at Willow as a volunteer member of the 16 person video team in 1988. He was then brought on staff in 1990 as the first person whose sole focus would be video. With a degree in Electronic Engineering, he was able to improve and maintain the video systems of Willow. The years of directing multi-camera events and services for the church groomed him into the director he is today. With an emphasis on team building, he now leads the Live Video Ministry which has grown to over 100 volunteers.
Darren Niesley
Darren is the live video director for Willow's weekend services. After volunteering on the video team, he began directing video in 1993 at Willow and other venues in the United States and Germany. His experience ranges from directing two cameras to 11 cameras, using a jib and track and dolly.
Greg Sanderson
Greg Sanderson: Graduating in 2002 with a degree in Communication Arts and Business, Greg decided to pursue the communication side of things and started working at a production company in the Chicagoland area. During his short time there, he was able to hone his skills as a director and mainly directed sport racing shows for Speed Channel and TNN. From there, he felt God nudging him into the church, never thinking he'd work for one. He left the broadcast industry and started working for a church in Naperville, IL as the Technical Director. There, he was able to build teams and learn how to use communication tools effectively in a church. After almost two years there, Greg came to Willow Creek in July of 2004 as a Video Director and has been leading the New Community video team since.
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Considered the Pioneers of the Video Venue concept - North Coast Church has tripled in size through the use of video venues. From on and offsite venue challenges to picking the right equipment and budget, hear the obstacles they faced and how they were able to overcame the challenges. Get practical advice on this multi-site model of church.
Dennis Choy
After joining the staff at North Coast Church in 1995, Dennis Choy created and developed the church's Technical and Production Ministry from the ground up. North Coast Church, located in Vista, California, is considered the pioneer of the Multi-site/Video Venue church concept and currently offers 21 worship options every weekend across four campuses. Having an efficient team of staff and volunteers managing sound, video, lighting, and visual technology is essential to making this happen. Dennis shares his knowledge at various conferences across the country and likes to give a real life perspective of "how things really work" in the church world. He resides in Oceanside, CA. with his Wife Michelle and 3 children. Dennis shares his knowledge at various conferences across the country and likes to give a real life perspective of "how things really work" in the church world. He resides in Oceanside, CA. with his wife Michelle and 3 children.
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| Video Field Production on an 'Indie' Budget | ||
| A22 |
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A small budget, either for capital purchase or a one-time rental, shouldn't impede your ability to produce good quality creative content. This hands-on breakout is designed for both artists and technicians looking for extremely low-cost video field production solutions where you'll contrast professional equipment and techniques to inexpensive DV cameras, lighting, and audio equipment.
Dave Schwarz
Dave Schwarz owns D A V Productions—a Las Vegas-based production company which produces live events as well as film and video for corporate and broadcast clients. He also began D A V Solutions as a consult/design/build company geared to partner with and serve the technical needs of churches and non-profit organizations. Dave serves in many different capacities for Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association, including several international production trips per year. He plays a role in the production of the Global Leadership Summit and is currently consulting with the WCA management team in a range of video production processes.
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| Behind the Scenes: The Process of Set Designing | ||
| A23 |
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Come explore the behind the scenes process of set design. Take a look at what worked and what didn't and walk through the steps from brainstorming through the completed scenic design. You'll discover how to make rough concepts, find references/research, work in scale, build a model, and make material construction choices in relation to set construction, rigging, and more. Learn about the adventure Willow Creek's stage team has been on and find out, "How did they do that?"
Don Krause
After attending the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Don started his career as an Art Director and Illustrator in the advertising industry. He spent over 25 years in advertising as an Art Director and Creative Director creating print and TV ads for many national brands. Don used his gifts as a volunteer at Willow for many years, designing and helping to build sets for Promiseland and the auditorium. He joined Willow as Scenic Designer in 2004 and now uses his talent as a conceptual thinker and visual artist to design, construct and rig sets for the main stage as well as leading a crew of wonderful volunteers. Don has a keen interest and passion for fine art and has participated in numerous juried art exhibitions in the community and at Willow Creek. His work has been shown in local galleries and can currently be seen around the Willow campus.
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| Hands On Visual Arts | ||
| A24 |
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This session will be an "all-in" guided art project in mixed media...Join us and see what happens when people worship by creating works of art inspired by scripture and music. This one will be fun and inspiring for anyone attending, not only visual artists. There is a $15 materials fee associated with this class.
Tracy Close
Tracy Close is the Associate Director of Arts Ministries for ROCK-HARBOR Church in Costa Mesa, California. She is passionate about all expressions of the Arts, but especially inspired through artists who have committed their lives and art to Jesus Christ. "When God communicates to humanity through an artist, He can speak uniquely to the hearts of those that otherwise may ignore His still small Voice." Tracy is a visual artist as well as "one of those theatre people."
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| Digital Audio | ||
| A26 |
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In this breakout you will gain fundamental knowledge of digital audio consoles from working hands-on with digital consoles. Learn about how to make the transition from analog to digital, and arm yourself with the right skill set so that no digital console will ever be a frightening sight again.
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee is a professional trainer who has been involved in audio for over 35 years--with a background as a pastor, musician, sound technician, broadcaster, contractor and consultant. He is also a speaker at major national conferences like NSCA (National Sound and Contractors Association), NAB (National Association for Broadcasters), InfoComm and Technologies for Worship Magazine.
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| Analog Audio | ||
| A27 |
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In this breakout you will sharpen your mixing skills through the study of fundamental audio components like equalization, compression, gating, reverb and other effects.
Lightning Atkinson
Lightning Atkinson is a live sound engineer, technology trainer, author, audio system designer and consultant who specializes in assisting houses of worship in refining both their sound systems and their technical ministries. This is Lightning's second year presenting at the Technical Arts Conference.
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| Hands-On Lighting for Video Shoots | ||
| A28 |
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Great lighting changes the overall impact of a video. From lighting the subject of the video to lighting the background, this breakout will look at the keys and fundamentals to great lighting for video. Whether you are producing "Man on the Street" videos or an interview with one person, using DVCPro 50 or VHS, this session will help take the look of your videos to the next level. There is a $15 materials fee to cover equipment brought in for this class.
Jim Sippel
As a two-time Emmy© Award winning lighting director at WCFC Channel 38 Chicago (TLN), Jim has 25 years experience in the entertainment industry. He has worked with many different clients including NBC Sports, MSNBC, WTTW (PBS) Chicago, National Geographic, and The Weather Channel show "Atmospheres". Jim is currently on staff as video operations manager at Willow. He joined Willow in 2000 to team-produce the Telly© award winning Promiseland Video Curriculum.
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| Learning Expo | ||
| A29 | ||
You can choose to spend time at the Learning Expo during any of the breakout time slots. Offered at the nearby Renaissance Hotel, you can roam through the Learning Expo to see the latest technology from vendors who specialize in providing technology for the worship setting. You'll find both technical and musical vendors who would love to show you their latest stuff and how it can make your worship experience better. Transportation to and from the Renaissance will be provided throughout the day on Thursday to allow you to customize your day however you like.
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| Photoshop and Idea Generation for Services: A Hands-on Experience | |||
| AB25 |
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How do you create on demand and still "be" creative? How do you use Photoshop to create awesome visuals for your church's worship services? Join us as we talk about Photoshop, foundational elements, tips & tricks, resources, and get some hands on experience from a couple guys who really get into it. Please bring your computer (Photoshop installed) as you will be creating graphics during the class.
This breakout spans both morning sessions, from 8:30am - 11:30am.
Joe Dascenzo
Joe, a partner at CHANGEffect, graduated from The Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology with a concentration in communication design. His 14 years of experience in communications includes exhibit design at The Field Museum of Natural History, interactive media design at Harper Collins and eight years of agency experience. He has creatively solved communication design challenges for many organizations including Willow Creek Association, Evangelical Free Church of America, The Worship Network, John G. Shedd Aquarium and a variety of non-profit, faith-based organizations. Joe offers a combination of hard work and a love for communicating that has produced award-winning projects.
Mark Wells
Mark's 8 years of professional experience spans working for Design Forum/Interbrand, to a large church in southern Ohio. In 2005, Mark started Antistatic Design which works with churches, ministries and non-profits to help bring clarity and creativity to their communications. Antistatic has been blessed to work with clients like the Southern Baptist Convention, International Mission Board, Gifts for Guns, Tooth & Nail Recording Artists, Food for the Hungry, Center for Parent Youth Understanding, Nehemiah Foundation and several others.
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| Snakes and Doves | ||
| B60 |
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Harmless as doves. Shrewd as snakes. The combination of dovelike authenticity and snakelike creativity is the key to leadership effectiveness. This breakout will challenge your motives. Are you doing the right things for the right reasons? And it will stretch your imagination. There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet! Come discover new ways of redeeming technology and culture to incarnate the gospel message.
Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, DC. NCC was recognized as one of the 25 Most Innovative Churches in America by Outreach Magazine in 2007. One church with eight services in four locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations. 73% of NCCers are single twenty-somethings and 70% come from an unchurched or dechurched background. The vision of NCC is to meet in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the metro DC area. NCC also owns and operates the largest coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. In 2007, Ebenezers was recognized as the #2 coffeehouse in the metro DC area by AOL CityGuide. Mark has two Masters Degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of a best-selling book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. And he is a daily blogger @ www.markbatterson.com. Mark is married to Lora and they live on Capitol Hill with their three children: Parker, Summer, and Josiah.
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| The Philosophy of Multigenerational Worship | ||
| B61 |
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Many churches desire to connect the generations of their church in worship. We instinctively know there is added value in combining the energy, enthusiasm and innovation of the younger generation with the wisdom and experience of the older generation. We can get nervous thinking about the potential relational dynamics and the practical applications. Learn how to build a multi-generational team and reap the joy of shared gifts, talents, and insights in your worship services!
Ross Parsley
Ross is the worship pastor of New Life Church. He is also the founder and president of the New Life School of Worship, and committed to training and equipping young men and women to lead worship in local churches. Ross enjoys teaching on worship at conferences and seminars, and is also the worship leader on the Integrity Music recordings "My Savior Lives", "I Am Free", "More Than Life", "Around Your Throne", and "Lord of the Harvest". Ross and his wife, Aimee, were married in 1992, and they have five children: Zachary, Taylor, Grace, Ethan, and Owen.
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| Hands-On Lighting for Video Shoots | ||
| B62 |
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Great lighting changes the overall impact of a video. From lighting the subject of the video to lighting the background, this breakout will look at the keys and fundamentals to great lighting for video. Whether you are producing "Man on the Street" videos or an interview with one person, using DVCPro 50 or VHS, this session will help take the look of your videos to the next level. There is a $15 materials fee to cover equipment brought in for this class.
Jim Sippel
As a two-time Emmy© Award winning lighting director at WCFC Channel 38 Chicago (TLN), Jim has 25 years experience in the entertainment industry. He has worked with many different clients including NBC Sports, MSNBC, WTTW (PBS) Chicago, National Geographic, and The Weather Channel show "Atmospheres". Jim is currently on staff as video operations manager at Willow. He joined Willow in 2000 to team-produce the Telly© award winning Promiseland Video Curriculum.
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| Less Pain, More Gain | ||
| B64 |
| |
There are 52 weekends in a year. They never stop - they just keep on coming. Are you fully prepared for all of them, or do you find yourself consistently behind in the planning and development of your service ideas? This session will deal with how to create high-impact services and events without killing your team. Come discover the planning strategies that Willow Creek Community Churches uses week in and week out and how you can apply them to your unique situations.
Stacy Brewer
Stacy Brewer serves as Programming Director at Willow Creek Community Church and currently oversees the development and execution of all services and special events. He graduated from Lee University in 1990 with a BME in Instrumental Music and has served at several churches in a variety of arts related ministry roles including Fine Arts Director, Music Director, Orchestra Director, Arts School Director, and Christian school Principal.
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| Mastering the Language | ||
| B65 |
| |
We want to hold the attention of a congregation for a specified period of time every week. How do we do that with words? Are we interesting? Riveting? Compelling? If not, why not? Farmer contends that part of the challenge is our handling of language. In this session, he will talk about how to become a polished, interesting presenter.
Richard Allen Farmer
Richard Allen Farmer, born in New York City and having lived there most of his life, now resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Rosemary and son, Timothy. A graduate of Nyack College where he earned the Bachelor of Music degree (1975) and Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned the Master of Divinity degree (1980), The Reverend Farmer has been awarded the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Gordon College in 1986 and the honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree by Houghton College in 1999. An experienced pastor and college chaplain, Dr. Farmer has served as Senior Pastor of the Bethany Baptist Church in Pittsburgh (1980-1988) and as Dean of the Chapel at both Gordon College (1988-1992) and Taylor University (1999-2002). Very much committed to being a global person, Dr. Farmer has spoken, lectured or given concerts in England, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Peru, Chile, Cote d' lvoire, Kenya, Canada, the Philippines and most states of the United States. Dr. Farmer has spoken to thousands of people in conference, campus and religious settings. Last year more than 100 different groups benefitted from Farmer's wit, wisdom and musical gifts. Dr. Farmer spends most of his time offering inspirational, informational, verbal and musical presentations that clearly demonstrate passion and excellence.
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| Come Together: Maximizing The Pastor / Worship Pastor Relationship | |||
| B66 |
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The key to effectiveness in planning life-transforming worship services every week is the relationship between the Pastor and Worship Pastor. In this practical, how-to seminar with Jason Hatley (Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey Church in New York City) and Nelson Searcy (Lead Pastor of The Journey Church) you will learn the secrets to what make the Pastor / Worship Pastor relationship a powerful part of your worship planning process, and how you can create the same type of relationship on your team that has made The Journey one of the most innovative churches in America.
Jason Hatley
In 2002, Jason was a part of the launch team of The Journey Church, overseeing the programming of their worship services. He serves as the pastor of worship arts and has built from scratch The Journey's worship arts team, a group of over 200 artists and technicians who develop and implement the creative and technical elements at weekly Sunday services. Jason has been a worship leader for 11 years. He invests in worship pastors around the country through interactive coaching networks and worship planning resources. He has been a featured break-out speaker at the Willow Creek Arts Conference, The Purpose Drive Worship Conference, as well as seminars around the country. He has a B.M. in Sacred Music Performance from Appalachian State University.
Nelson Searcy
In 2002, Nelson Searcy started The Journey Church of the City in New York, NY. The congregation has grown from a handful of people to over 1100 in 3 locations and over 1200 in small groups. The Journey is an innovative, multicultural church in Manhattan. An experienced strategist, coach and speaker, Nelson serves as a regular consultant to churches across America. He is the author 2 books (Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch, and Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church), over 20 articles, and 30 training resources on leadership, evangelism, church planting and church growth. Before coming to NYC, he served as the Director of The Purpose Driven Community at Saddleback Church.
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| Top Ten Tips for Directors | ||
| B67 |
| |
In a world where audiences are constantly exposed to the work of the finest actors and directors, we serve our churches best by moving our work toward the highest possible levels of quality. This session will outline ten immensely practical tips that you will be able to immediately apply, raising the level of quality and professionalism of any church production or worship sketch.
Jeff Berryman
Jeff Berryman is a writer, actor, director, and teacher who lives in Seattle, Washington. He taught theatre at Abilene Christian University from 1990 to 1996, and since then has been writing and performing, mostly one-man shows. He wrote a novel, Leaving Ruin, which he has adapted and performs as a solo work. Other solo shows include, "When Comes the Way", "Set Loose from the World", "The Little Guy", and "Postmodern Art". He is a frequent performer and teacher in the acting studio of Taproot Theatre and continues to teach a course each January at Abilene Christian University on The Intersection of Christianity and the Arts. He is currently working on his second novel.
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| Weekly Grind for me, myself | ||
| B68 |
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Planning weekend worship services is exciting and challenging but it can also be overwhelming, especially if your team is small. In this session we will talk about very practical ways small teams can approach the service planning process. We will look at best practices, as well as look at the many resources that are available to churches.
Amy Anderson
Amy Anderson is the Executive Director of Worship Ministries at Eagle Brook Church. She's a graduate of Bethel College, where she received a degree in Marketing. And, after spending 10 years working at 3M and Imation Corp, Amy made the shift and went into ministry at her local church, Eagle Brook. For the past seven years, Amy has been leading the teams that bring the weekend services together, including music, creative, technical and production teams. Today, Eagle Brook is a multi-site church with campuses in Lino Lakes, White Bear Lake and Spring Lake Park, Minnesota.
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| Bass and Drums: Groove, Harmony, Feel & Fit | ||||
| B69 |
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Calling all bass players and drummers! Your playing determines the groove, harmony, feel and more. Tips to take you to the next level - and beyond! Learn from two of Chicago's busiest players how to supercharge your technique and practice skills to get steady, measurable results. All levels are invited.
Steve Myers
SSteve has been a music director at Willow Creek Community Church for over seven years. His music education includes Indiana University (orchestral percussion), University of Miami, Coral Gables (music engineering) and DePaul University (jazz studies/arranging). Previous to joining the staff at Willow, Steve worked for 11 years as a composer/arranger/producer of music for radio, television, and corporate sponsored films at a Chicago area music production company. He continues to play drums for recording sessions and church services as well as composing sound design for Willow videos.
Sharay Reed
Sharay Reed is one of the most sought after bass players in the music industry. He has performed, toured and recorded with over 50 different talents, including Kanye West, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, Kirk Franklin, Cece Winans, BeBe Winans, Dave Hollister, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Earl Klugh, Dave Koz, Branford Marsalis, Arturo Sandoval, Rick Braun, Richard Smallwood, Kurt Carr, Average White Band, Clark Terry, Ramsey Lewis, Destiny's Child, Donnie McClurkin, Albertina Walker, John P. Kee, New Direction, Praise II, Chicago Mass Choir, Colorado Mass Choir, Bishop Paul S Morton, Winans Phase II, Youth Edition, The Tommies, Patty LaBelle, Boyz II Men, Virtue, Kim Burrell, Dorinda Clark Cole, Darwin Hobbs, Michelle Williams, Donald Lawrence, Oscar Lopez, Marvin Sapp, Chaka Khan, R Kelly, Rhymefest, Ghostface Killa of the WU Tang Clan, Stephanie Mills and many others.
Sharay has also used his gifts and abilities in ministry. He served as Musical Director and Choir Chaplain for New Direction. For four years he led a weekly Bible study for musicians throughout the Chicago land area. This group contributed their gifts to spiritual revivals, feeding the poor and birthed a CD project entitled, "Fast Food." This ministry CD featured Bible scriptures set to original music. It was created for people to listen to the word while they were on the go.2001-2003- Was the Musical Director for New Direction and was also the Choir's chaplain.
Michael Weatherspoon
Michael Weatherspoon is drummer at Sweet Holy Spirit Church, Bishop Larry D. Trotter, pastor and House of Hope Church, Rev. James T. Meeks, pastor. His education includes an AA from South Suburban College and a BA in Sociology from Northern Illinois University where he played drums for the gospel choir and performed with a jazz combo.
Michael's expertise is as a session drummer, clinician and producer. He is VP of Spoonfed Productions with his brother Daniel Weatherspoon. Over the past 20 years, Michael has played, produced and/or composed songs on over 90 gospel, R & B and instrumental records. For the past 3 years, Michael has served as Director of A & R for Kingdom Records and continues to perform on live and studio recording. Michael is the music director for Phil Tarver. Michael is a member of Valley Kingdom Ministries International Church in Oak Forest, Il Apostle H. Daniel Wilson, pastor.
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| Comedy: Serious Business | ||
| B71 |
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Playing comedy is much more difficult than people think. In this session we will look at the rules of comedy – in spite of the fact that rules are made to be broken. William Ball, author of A Sense of Direction, identifies some important rules of comedy that are helpful to any actor. During this session you'll have the opportunity to identify, and then put into action, some of these tried and true tenets.
Rod Armentrout
Rod Armentrout is in his seventeenth year as a member of the Willow Creek Drama Team and has 25 combined years of acting experience in university, non-professional, and professional theater. He received his BA in theater from Iowa State University and his MFA in performance from Purdue University. As an Associate Drama Director in the Programming Department, Rod's responsibilities include acting, directing, and training.
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| Fundamentals of Directing | ||
| B72 |
| |
Are you searching for a way to bring new life and vitality to your sketches? Do you feel stuck, not knowing how to take the next step in your directing? This breakout will present practical tools and principles for staging drama. You'll learn how to create effective movement on stage, discuss a number of directing pitfalls, and discover how to make a scene come alive for an audience.
Steve Pederson
Steve Pederson became the Director of Drama at Willow Creek in 1986 after teaching on the college level for 14 years. He leads a drama team of approximately 25 lay people. Team members perform as part of Willow Creek's weekend services, and also frequently contribute to conferences both at home and abroad. Steve has traveled throughout North America and Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand, teaching and leading workshops for the Willow Creek Association on drama in the church. He has an M.A. in theatre from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Iowa and is the author of Drama Ministry.
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| Extend Your Vocal Range | ||
| B73 |
| |
Do you feel like your upper range has hit the ceiling? Are you frustrated because your vocal range limits what your voice can do? In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn practical tools to help you develop the fullness of your vocal range.
Tim Carson
Tim Carson is the founder of Vocal Artistry and the Vocal Artistry Training Series. He was on the music staff at Willow Creek Community Church for 12 years and taught at Wheaton College where he developed new curriculum for singing modern styles. Vocal Artistry has a full line of vocal training products and offers workshops all over North America.
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| The Hidden Power of Preparation | ||
| B74 |
| |
It's been said that Jesus, the great teacher and healer, spent more time preparing for ministry than actually doing it. Yet, how does a twenty-first century artist consistently live out the kind of spiritual formation that renews the soul and prepares one to lead others in worship? This breakout will provide a short-term, workable road-map for simultaneously focusing on one's own devotion to God while preparing spiritually for arts ministry within the context of a team.
Marlinda Ireland
Marlinda Ireland is the co-founder, associate pastor and director of worship at Christ Church in Montclair, New Jersey, a thriving cross-cultural congregation representing 25 different nationalities. For twenty years she has focused on building the local church through worship and the creative arts. Under her leadership the Christ Church arts ministry has participated in religious and cultural events at Lincoln Center in New York City, New York, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center and produced Christmas musicals with a cast of 150 participants. In addition, Marlinda is passionate about seeing women reach their full potential in Christ and hosts a yearly women's conference, quarterly workshops and a women's mentoring program. She and her husband, David are the parents of two daughters, Danielle and Jessica.
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| Get Cultured: The Curse of the White Suburban Worship Leader | ||
| B75 |
| |
Ours is a multicultural nation. We worship as part of a global church in a world where walls of nationalism and ethnicity continue to be broken down. So why do today's worship leaders—and today's worship songs—lean toward white-bread acoustic suburban rock? Sandra Van Opstal shows you how to add ethnic flavor to your songs of praise. After all, isn't that what heaven will be like?
Sandra Van Opstal
Sandra Van Opstal is co-director of Chicago Urban Program with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She is a second generation Latina born in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Millikin University in 1996 with a degree in Music Business and is working towards her Masters of Divinity at Trinity International University. Sandra serves on the national leadership team for La Fe, InterVarsity's Latino Ministry. She has been ministering to college students through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for the past 9 years. In addition to her ministry on campus she has enjoyed leading worship at InterVarsity's Urbana Mission Convention and CHIC (Covenant Youth Convention) and her local Church, New Community Covenant.
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| Urban Dance in Ministry | ||
| B76 |
| |
Can hip hop and other "urban" style dance be used in dance ministry? In this breakout session, find out why the answer is "YES!" You will discover how urban dance has been used in Los Angeles to spread God's message. Also, put on your tennis shoes and learn some hip hop choreography. Please wear attire that allows you to freely move.
Alan Luu
Alan Luu is a dance director and choreographer of the Urban Poets Performing Arts Company, as well as the dance ministry at Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. His experience with the Urban Poets and Mosaic has included traveling and performing nationally and globally in shows, churches, and conferences, including Willow Creek's 2007 Arts Conference. His prior experience includes dancing and choreographing for organizations at UCLA; his own hip hop company, DVS; and a street dance ministry called EFX.
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| Voice for Actors | ||
| B77 |
| |
Breath is the source of sound and energy. It is key to the actor feeling relaxed, prepared, and connected to his character, both vocally and physically. In this breakout you will build an awareness of your breathing mechanism and then explore how to tap into the breath to free up the actor's voice.
Deanna Armentrout
Deanna's role in Promiseland has varied for the 14 years she has been on staff. She began in Promiseland as the teacher for 2nd & 3rd grade. Transitioning then to Drama Director for 10 years, she confidently passed that baton on to Brooke Sanford who now passionately leads the team. Deanna's new role is Artistic Development. Her focus is training staff and volunteers in the areas of upfront communication, acting, and directing. She has 17 combined years of acting experience in university, professional, children's, and improvisational theatre. She received her B.F.A. from the University of Detroit and her M.F.A. in performance from the University of Texas at Austin. During her graduate training, she taught both acting and training the speaking voice. Deanna and her husband, Rod, serve on the main stage drama team where they have volunteered for the past 17 years. She has led acting, directing, and voice workshops for Willow, as well as outside arts conferences. She is committed to developing people's gifts that creatively and effectively communicate truth which will prepare hearts to hear God's Word. The on-going production in her life is her wonderful son, Erik, and beautiful daughter, Anya!
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| Thriving @ the Front of House | |||
| B78 |
| ||
Join this panel discussion of skilled audio engineers as they discuss their experiences in the audio world. You'll hear about running FOH for artists like Toto, Rush and Tom Petty; the process of designing and integrating Willow Creek Community Church's audio and technical systems; and the once-in-a-lifetime journey to a FOH position in Rwanda and a soccer stadium filled with 30,000 people. Together, Robert and Scott will share their stories, learning's and experiences in a way that you can apply to your church and audio systems.
Robert Scovill
Robert Scovill is a noted concert sound and recording engineer with over 3,000 live event mixing credits. Throughout his 29 year career he has worked with Tom Petty, Matchbox Twenty, Prince, Rush and Def Leppard. He works as a producer for events in a variety of venues including churches. Robert has also served as a technical consultant for leading manufacturers such as Servo Drive, Neumann, Electrovoice, Audio Technica, and Alesis. He currently works as Market Manager for Live Sound Products for Digidesign. As the owner of Eldon's Boy Productions Inc. and MusiCanvas Recording in Scottsdale, AZ, he offers full service mixing facility and mobile recording services. Robert has served as producer and creative director for audio, lighting and media departments at the Mountain Valley Community Church also in Scottsdale
Scott Ragsdale
Scott has been serving as an Audio Engineer with the Willow Creek Community Church Audio Team for the past seven years. He has been involved in many different aspects of audio for 25+ years. Mix clients have included Joyce Meyer Ministries (10,000 + seating US arenas), Delirious?, Darlene Czech – Hillsong, CeCe Winans, Matt Redman, David Crowder Band, Lincoln Brewster & Charlie Hall. Last year Scott was invited to speak on the 2007 AES New York Panel - Live Sound Seminar / Digital Consoles, by Robert Scovill. Music is the only thing that made sense to him, and luckily it became his JOB!
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| Conducting an Effective Tech Rehearsal | |||
| B79 |
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For most weekend services, there is usually not enough time to rehearse everything fully, causing the people involved to be filled with anxiety. How do you manage this precious time effectively? How do you juggle schedules of staff and volunteers and how do you deal with the pressure of the approaching service? Your response to these situations can influence how well your team functions, both good and bad. In this breakout, learn methods to help you leverage each element of a rehearsal so that artists (both programming and production) feel confident and secure. When you lead an effective tech rehearsal, artists can concentrate on who God created them to be and freely participate in what he as called them to do.
Chuck Spong
Chuck leads the Willow Creek Content Development Team, a group of writers, directors, video editors and producers generating and developing ideas for weekends, conferences, and other ministries of the church. The CD Team's mission is to produce original creative content that opens hearts for spiritual transformation. Chuck also serves as one of the producers for the WCA Leadership Summit. Prior to coming to Willow in 2000, he helped plant a WCA church in Orlando, serving as the executive pastor and programming director. Chuck graduated from Evangel University with a bachelor's in music education and from the Hartt School of Music with a master's in music theory. He and his wife Sara have four kids (ages 10, 9, 5 and 3).
Todd Elliott
Currently a Production Manager at Willow Creek, Todd Elliott developed his skills over the course of a 25 year run in the technical arts. He started as a volunteer audio engineer, then in 1993 he joined the staff of Kensington Community Church in Troy, Michigan to lead the tech volunteers, followed by video shooting/editing/directing, lighting, and set design. Now involved in leading other technical artists, Todd has had the wide range of experience that gives him the ability to lead and think strategically in the area of production.
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| Lighting for Music | ||
| B80 |
| |
Lighting and music go very well together if done right. This breakout will examine how to enhance a musical performance and make it an experience. In this session you will work with an industry expert to explore skill development, song preparation, and execution. Learn how to "live with the music" in order to effectively light a musical element.
Seth Jackson
Seth Jackson's life can best be summed up in one word; journey. Growing up in a small suburb outside of St. Louis, it seemed impossible that his big dreams for the music business were even possible, but God had a plan. Today, Seth is an industry leader in the live concert industry. His award winning lighting and stage designs are all over the world with artists like Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith , Don Henley and Hilary Duff.
Ask Seth about his passion, however, and you will hear none of those names. His heartbeat is to see people, students in particular, live their lives as an act of worship. A passionate communicator and innovative teacher, Seth is one of the lead communicators of Eagle Point Community Church. He is the co-founder and director of Encounter Events, as well as Sixty Music, a record label created to serve as an outlet for the Enounter family of lead worshipers, and Visionering, Inc., a music and touring management company. He is a songwriter and the author of two books, Destiny: A Generation Seeking God, and Mercy Rains.
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| Live Video Directing 201 | ||||
| B81 |
| |||
As a follow up to Live Directing 101, ask questions of Willow Creek's Live Directors. Whether you have a question related to what was covered in the session, or something that you have been wanting to ask for the past year, this is the time to ask.
Scott Lambert
Scott started out at Willow as a volunteer member of the 16 person video team in 1988. He was then brought on staff in 1990 as the first person whose sole focus would be video. With a degree in Electronic Engineering, he was able to improve and maintain the video systems of Willow. The years of directing multi-camera events and services for the church groomed him into the director he is today. With an emphasis on team building, he now leads the Live Video Ministry which has grown to over 100 volunteers.
Darren Niesley
Darren is the live video director for Willow's weekend services. After volunteering on the video team, he began directing video in 1993 at Willow and other venues in the United States and Germany. His experience ranges from directing two cameras to 11 cameras, using a jib and track and dolly.
Greg Sanderson
Greg Sanderson: Graduating in 2002 with a degree in Communication Arts and Business, Greg decided to pursue the communication side of things and started working at a production company in the Chicagoland area. During his short time there, he was able to hone his skills as a director and mainly directed sport racing shows for Speed Channel and TNN. From there, he felt God nudging him into the church, never thinking he'd work for one. He left the broadcast industry and started working for a church in Naperville, IL as the Technical Director. There, he was able to build teams and learn how to use communication tools effectively in a church. After almost two years there, Greg came to Willow Creek in July of 2004 as a Video Director and has been leading the New Community video team since.
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| Building a Multi-Site/Multi-Venue from Scratch | ||
| B82 |
| |
The Multi-site/Multi-venue church model is happening all over the country. Churches of all sizes and denominations are using this strategy to grow in ways no one ever could imagine. Come hear what it takes in Technology, Staffing, Capital and Vision to make it a reality from the Church that pioneered the idea. Hear the basics of starting a new strategy of church.
Dennis Choy
After joining the staff at North Coast Church in 1995, Dennis Choy created and developed the church's Technical and Production Ministry from the ground up. North Coast Church, located in Vista, California, is considered the pioneer of the Multi-site/Video Venue church concept and currently offers 21 worship options every weekend across four campuses. Having an efficient team of staff and volunteers managing sound, video, lighting, and visual technology is essential to making this happen. Dennis shares his knowledge at various conferences across the country and likes to give a real life perspective of "how things really work" in the church world. He resides in Oceanside, CA. with his Wife Michelle and 3 children. Dennis shares his knowledge at various conferences across the country and likes to give a real life perspective of "how things really work" in the church world. He resides in Oceanside, CA. with his wife Michelle and 3 children.
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| The Essentials of Stage & Set Construction | ||
| B84 |
| |
This breakout is an introduction to all the fundamentals of stage and set construction. You will examine construction techniques used for several kinds of scenery: soft and hard flats, curve walls, stairs, ramps, door units, flying objects and more. In this session you will also examine scenic materials, hardware, and rigging techniques.
Glenn Davis
Glenn has over twenty years of design and construction experience in a wide variety of arenas. His knowledge, skill and experience has made a positive contribution wherever he has served. Glenn joined the Willow Creek Programming staff full time in 2005, where he serves as the prop and set construction manager.
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| Design on a Dime | ||
| B85 |
| |
During this session we will explore the importance of "atmospheric design" in a church setting. We will also explore "out of the box" inspiration and thinking and discuss innovative ideas as well as creative solutions for designing new "looks" for your church, no matter what the size, with a focus on being good stewards of your budget.
Tracy Close
Tracy Close is the Associate Director of Arts Ministries for ROCK-HARBOR Church in Costa Mesa, California. She is passionate about all expressions of the Arts, but especially inspired through artists who have committed their lives and art to Jesus Christ. "When God communicates to humanity through an artist, He can speak uniquely to the hearts of those that otherwise may ignore His still small Voice." Tracy is a visual artist as well as "one of those theatre people."
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| Digital Audio | ||
| B86 |
| |
In this breakout you will gain fundamental knowledge of digital audio consoles from working hands-on with digital consoles. Learn about how to make the transition from analog to digital, and arm yourself with the right skill set so that no digital console will ever be a frightening sight again.
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee is a professional trainer who has been involved in audio for over 35 years--with a background as a pastor, musician, sound technician, broadcaster, contractor and consultant. He is also a speaker at major national conferences like NSCA (National Sound and Contractors Association), NAB (National Association for Broadcasters), InfoComm and Technologies for Worship Magazine.