Tag Archive - Orange

Backstage at Orange

April 27, 2011 in Ministry with 0 Comments

Once again, the Orange Conference 2011 is bringing you back-stage access all week long, and the entire Opening Session is available online as well!  They will be broadcasting LIVE from The Orange Conference throughout the entire event. You’ll get to watch the opening session, meet our speakers, see some odd things that happen backstage, AND you’ll get in on some pretty cool offerings-just by watching the live stream.

So this week, if you’re not able to be in Atlanta for the Orange Conference check it all out at www.orangeleaders.com to see the what’s what.

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 (all times are Eastern Daylight Savings):
7:15 p.m. Welcome to The Orange Conference 2011 & Opening Session
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011 (all times are Eastern Daylight Savings):
11:00 a.m. Jeff Manion
11:15 a.m. To Be Announced
11:35 a.m. Taylor Royle
11:25 a.m. Yancy
12:00 p.m. Dan Webster
12:15 p.m. Jim Wideman
12:35 p.m. Joel Manby
12:45 p.m. Mark Matlock
1:00 p.m. Jeanne Stevens
1:15 p.m. Craig Jutila
1:35 p.m. Chuck Bomar
1:50 p.m. Ted Lowe
2:05 p.m. Adam Duckworth
2:20 p.m. Sue Miller
2:35 p.m. Greg Bradford
2:50 p.m. Gordon MacDonald
3:05 p.m. Jud Wilhite
3:20 p.m. Carey Nieuwhof
3:35 p.m. Christine Kreisher
3:50 p.m. Brian White
4:05 p.m. Nina Schmidgall
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011 (all times are Eastern Daylight Savings):
11:00 a.m. Kara Powell
11:15 a.m. Eric Draper
11:30 a.m. TBA
11:45 a.m. Tom Shefchunas
12:00 p.m. TBA
12:15 p.m. David Kinnaman
12:35 p.m. Julio Gonzolez
12:45 p.m. Amy Fenton Lee
1:00 p.m. Jeff Shinabarger
1:15 p.m. Bubba Thurman
1:35 p.m. Ronda Malin & Sarah Lee
1:50 p.m. Caz McCaslin
2:05 p.m. Doug Fields
2:20 p.m. Don Jacobson
2:35 p.m. Brad Lomenick
2:50 p.m. Scott Williams

What You Will See at Orange 2011

April 26, 2011 in Personal with 2 Comments

Tonight I’m here in Atlanta, and gearing up for a full-day of Pre-Conference breakouts all week long.  It’s going to be a blast all week long, and I’ll be bringing you updated throughout.  But after 3 years of attending here are a few things I can guarantee you that I will see this week.  If you’re here, keep your eyes peeled for the following:

  • Pasty skinned northerners laid out like beached whales soaking in the 75 degree Spring weather.  Every year, without fail there are 100′s of northerner’s that find themselves thawing out from there snowed in winters.  Welcome to warm weather my friends.  Take off those shoes and enjoy the warmness, but I warn you.  If you come back in 3 months it’ll be 105 degrees and you’ll melt.
  • The shock and horror in peoples eyes when they see how large Kenny Conley is.  He’s like a Jolly Orange giant.  I have proof, look at this picture of him towering over my tree back in Lubbock.  He’s a giant people, prepare yourself for it.
  • The anger those up north have towards Chik-Fil-A for not having stores up north.  It’s like they love their southern visit to the Christian Chicken, but still harbor bitterness that they can’t get that sweet tea in New York.
  • The shock in peoples eyes when they see how short Gina McClain is.  She’s like a Orange smurf.  But have no fear, she won’t bite your ankles.  Just go ahead and approach carefully, carrying a gift of coffee and your first meeting should go well.
  • Me sleeping in the Bloggers Lounge on Friday afternoon, after having tried unsuccessfully to keep up with Kenny Conley and Sam Luce all week long.  Those guys are un-human, and I struggle every year to keep their schedule.
  • Matt McKee will launch the next great business idea for Orange.  I’ve got my money on a Prayer Kittens app.  Something that allows you to prayer for a person while laying hands on a kitten, then mailing the kitten to that friend.  It’s still in development, but Matt will take this idea and make it awesome.  Wait and watch the magic!
  • Michael Bayne will drink his own body weight in Diet Mountain Dew.  I didn’t know there was such a drink until last year, but as the empty bottles piled up in the Bloggers Lounge I followed their waste trail to one Michael Bayne.
  • Dan Scott will climb some unforeseen structure somewhere in the Gwinnett Center and make like Spider-Man.  Hopefully he doesn’t try one of those upside down kisses with his wife.  That would be gross.  Not because it’s gross to kiss your wife, but because wouldn’t you be looking up their nose while kissing upside down?  Think about that one for a while Dan.

And last but not least…you will see dreams being birthed, plans being made, and ministries being inspired to reach the family with the Gospel of Jesus.

So did I forget something?  Anything else you expect to see while at the Orange Conference this year?

My Orange Story

April 25, 2011 in Ministry, Personal with 0 Comments

All week long I’ll be blogging from The Orange Conference, and I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of my own Orange story.  This year it will be my 4th Orange Conference to attend, and boy have I come a long way baby!

In April of 2008 I attended my first Orange Conference.  I had been at Trinity Church for almost one year, and had picked the Orange Conference because it looked different than most of the Children’s Ministry conferences.  I took a key volunteer with me as a travel buddy, and the two of us putted around all week thinking…”This will never work!” and “How could this happen at Trinity?” and generally trying not to be discouraged about where I was at and where I wanted to be.

But sometime between that first conference experience at Orange and the next 12 months I got a vision for what could be.  I knew my limitations, and what may not work; but I was unwilling to throw in the towel.  We started taking teeny, tiny Orange baby steps to connect our families with our Children’s Ministry.  Then little by little it started to happen.  Things that had for so long been church-only (YELLOW) events started to look more like church & family (ORANGE) happenings.  I attended the 2009 Orange Conference all by myself; but was able to meet up with some friends that encouraged where we were headed at Trinity and shared some of their own stories of change.  In 2010, I attended the Orange Conference for the 3rd time; but this time brought along my boss and saw him catch a unique vision for our church.  It was happening.

Then in 2010, we started to gather some big momentum as we shifted the ministry at Trinity to our children into a more relational-based small group model.  And here’s the kicker, it actually worked.  In a church that has struggled to get volunteers to work with children, we started to turn it around.  In a church that has struggled to get parents involved in the key life-decisions of their children, we started to see large amounts of parents respond to our baptism and salvation conversations.  Parents turned out in large numbers for a special Child Dedication experience, and our Nursery and Early Childhood areas started to have a spirit of excellence that had not existed previously.  It was happening for us.  Parents (RED) were responding to us at the church (YELLOW) and we were seeing the first hints of an ORANGE atmosphere.

In January of this year, my role has shifted and changed to taking some of these things we’ve had success with in Children’s Ministry to our Student Ministries and College-Age Ministries; and I could not be more excited.  I’m in the position now of being able to cast vision, and hold accountable an entire Next Generations Ministry team to reach our city, families, and church with the single, greatest hope given to us in history.  That Jesus can save the world!

The journey I’ve been on in the past 4 years, is just that.  It’s a journey.  It’s not yet completed, as there is progress to be made while still maintaining the ability to be flexible to the needs of our growing church.  As I look at my 2011 goal sheets, it’s Orange in color; but still bright Yellow and bright Red in places.  It’s a great journey and adventure to make the brightest yellows and the shiniest reds work together in a beautiful Orange shade.

Save Money

February 9, 2011 in Links, Ministry with 0 Comments

I like money.  I like spending it.  I like saving it when I can.  I like good deals.  I like saving money.  I like families.  I like student ministries and children’s ministries and all church ministries.  I like saving money. I like the color orange. I like Georgia.  I like friends.  I like saving money.  I like planning ahead.  I like The Orange Conference.

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, then you know that I often speak of Orange this and Orange that.  So you’re wondering what this is all about…but if you take the time to visit the Orange Webcast you can find out all you’d ever want to know in about 4 hours of a Webcast.  But if you want even more than that then it’s time that you start planning to attend The Orange Conference in Atlanta, GA.  I’ll be there.  I’ll be there with all of my favorite friends.

I mentioned earlier (a few time actually) that I really like saving money.  If you want to attend The Orange Conference and save $30 at the same time then get yourself registered before the February 17th.  And that’s not all.  If you register before the 17th, you also get  a $50 credit toward Orange curriculum. It’s a good deal.  I like good deals.

A New Orange

February 7, 2011 in Ministry with 1 Comment

So the Innovative minds at Orange have outdone themselves in 2011, and want to take time to give you a free glimpse into what the Orange Strategy is all about.  Introducing the ORANGE TOUR WEBCAST.

This is the perfect opportunity to get answers about the Orange Strategy, and how it could work for you at your church.  You have the chance to experience the same training and equipping event that has benefited thousands of leaders across the country. I know as a long-time attender of the Orange Conferences, that I wish something like this would have existed a few years ago.  This webcast is great because you can now share the Orange Tour experience with all the other leaders in your church. Now, whether you’re new to Orange or a seasoned veteran, you can hear from Reggie Joiner, Sue Miller and more as they unpack critical parts of the Orange Strategy.

Mark your calendar for February 15 and get your team ready to participate in the Orange Tour Webcast. It’s an online event that will feature critical sessions from the national tour.

Orange has designed this event so you can assemble a team and watch as a group, or just participate on your own. And it’s free.

SCHEDULE (Tentative) – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

1:00 p.m. Session 1 Reggie Joiner
2:15 p.m. Session 2 Reggie Joiner
Sue Miller
Stuart Hall
Carey Nieuwhof
3:45 p.m. Session 3 Reggie Joiner
5:00 p.m. Call It Quits!
* All times are Eastern Standard Time
SPEAKERS

REGGIE JOINER is the founder and CEO of Orange, a nonprofit organization providing resources and training to help churches maximize their influence on the spiritual growth of the next generation. Orange provides innovative curriculum, resources and training for leaders who work with preschoolers, children, families and students. They have partners throughout the United States and eight other countries. Orange is also the architect and primary sponsor of The Orange Conference and the Orange Tour which provide national training opportunities for senior pastors, church leaders, and ministry volunteers.

Reggie is also one of the founding pastors, along with Andy Stanley, of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. In his role as the executive director of Family Ministry, Reggie developed the concepts of ministry for preschoolers, children, students, and married adults over the course of his 11 years with the church. During his time with North Point Ministries, Reggie created KidStuf, a weekly environment where kids bring their parents to learn about God, as well as Grow Up, an international conference to encourage and equip churches to create relevant, effective environments for children, families and teenagers.

Reggie is the co-author of Seven Practices of Effective Ministries (Multnomah, with Lane Jones and Andy Stanley) and the author of Think Orange: Imagine the Impact When Church and Family Collide(David C. Cook). Think Orange encapsulates Joiner’s philosophy and practice of family ministry, combining the strengths of family and church to capture the hearts and minds of the next generation.

Reggie is a graduate of Georgia Southwestern College. Reggie and Debbie Joiner live in Cumming, Georgia, and have four grown children: Reggie Paul, Hannah, Sarah and Rebekah.
SUE MILLER joined Orange in 2005 after 17 years of leading Promiseland children’s ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Sue was instrumental in leading the change process that grew Promiseland into a cutting-edge ministry known around the world. The story of how all that happened is told in her book, Making Your Children’s Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid’s Week.

Sue travels extensively teaching and helping churches partner with parents. She mentors leaders, inspires volunteers, and serves as a consultant for churches who want to go Orange. And in her spare time, she leads the charge with the First Look curriculum team at Orange.
CAREY NIEUWHOF is the lead pastor of Connexus Community Church, a multi-campus church north of Toronto and strategic partner of North Point Community Church. Before starting Connexus in 2007, Carey served for 12 years within a mainline denomination, transitioning three small rural congregations into a new congregation that experienced significant growth. He speaks to church leaders across North America about change, leadership, parenting and the strategy behind Orange. Carey co-authored Parenting Beyond Your Capacity with Reggie Joiner. He and his wife, Toni, live near Barrie, Ontario, and have two teenage sons, Jordan and Sam. In his spare time, you can find him cycling his heart out on a back road somewhere.
STUART HALL is the director of training for XP3, the student division of Orange. He also leads DASH INC, an organization he founded in 2000 to develop spiritually influential students that engage culture. Stuart co-authoredThe Seven Checkpoints: Seven Principles Every Teenager Needs to Know,MAX Q: Developing Students of Influence with Andy Stanley, and the leadership edition of Wired: For a Life of Worship with Louie Giglio. One day he may write a book by himself. Stuart, his beautiful wife Kellee, and their three incredible children reside north of Atlanta.

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