The Western European Advancement Team has taken a closer look at what used to be Staff Conference and then became Connect. This big annual tradition has to serve many purposes: training, teaching, fun, international missionary relationship building, holiday/vacation, a time for supporters and board members to meet staff, in-house communication, inspiration and soul care, networking among nationals, recruiting new people to the CA “tribe”, kid and youth ministry — just to mention a few.
As we considered all of the purposes we are trying to fit into a single box, we quickly concluded one single event cannot serve every single purpose well. So, we challenged ourselves to think outside the box. And we began to imagine some possibilities.
What about a slimmer version of Connect that is simpler and cheaper with focus on intentional community, spirituality, and learning from each other? What if we allowed the growing annual Leadership Summit to cover some of the original purposes of Connect? What about a camp focused specifically on kids/youth? What about smaller, regional events that connect us to local leaders? What about local events that look like part festival, part Connect, and part Thinklings? What if we intentionally invited two leaders from other Communitas countries to a local event so we could learn from each other? What about churches creating partnerships and going on retreat together? Or conferences around specific relevant topics, such as immigration?
Our team has decided to not plan for a large, international Connect conference next year, so that we all have the space to explore ways to meet this variety of purposes. However, the main question to you is: What are your most important needs or expectations in order to ”CONNECT” well?
You are welcome to join our brainstorm! Give your ideas and feedback. And do not hesitate to contact your regional leader with thoughts and suggestions (by email or whatsapp).
As we considered all of the purposes we are trying to fit into a single box, we quickly concluded one single event cannot serve every single purpose well. So, we challenged ourselves to think outside the box. And we began to imagine some possibilities.
What about a slimmer version of Connect that is simpler and cheaper with focus on intentional community, spirituality, and learning from each other? What if we allowed the growing annual Leadership Summit to cover some of the original purposes of Connect? What about a camp focused specifically on kids/youth? What about smaller, regional events that connect us to local leaders? What about local events that look like part festival, part Connect, and part Thinklings? What if we intentionally invited two leaders from other Communitas countries to a local event so we could learn from each other? What about churches creating partnerships and going on retreat together? Or conferences around specific relevant topics, such as immigration?
Our team has decided to not plan for a large, international Connect conference next year, so that we all have the space to explore ways to meet this variety of purposes. However, the main question to you is: What are your most important needs or expectations in order to ”CONNECT” well?
You are welcome to join our brainstorm! Give your ideas and feedback. And do not hesitate to contact your regional leader with thoughts and suggestions (by email or whatsapp).
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