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ACP/EC Convention April 23-26

    Faith Communication: Local Impact, Global Reach

    April 23-26, Chicago

    More than 170 faith communicators gathered for the joint Associated Church Press/Episcopal Communicators convention. Workshops, worship, fellowship and fun.

     The Palmer House Hilton
    17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603, (312) 726-7500  (312) 726-7500
    Room Rate: $159 per night, single OR double, plus tax
    Reserve your hotel room online or call 1-877-865-5321   1-877-865-5321 using reference code CAC

    See the General Convention Schedule

    Check out the Workshops

    Keynote Speakers

    Download printable registration flyer

    Registration Costs:

    • ACP Members (Full Members) – $325.00
      ($375 after March 5th) (USD)
    • Non-Member –  $425.00 ($475 after March 5th) (USD)
    • Non Participating Guest (all meals, no program) – $300 (USD)
    • Wednesday only (with orientation, worship and reception) – $95 (USD)
    • Thursday only (with meals, breaks and workshops) – $175 (USD)
    • Friday only (with meals, breaks and workshops) – $195 (USD)
    • Friday awards banquet and program only  –  $95 (USD)
     Additional Event Registrations:

    Convention attendees must register individually. You can write one check with the total amount for all attendees.

    2014 Conference Schedule (tentative) & Program Guide


    Welcome to Chicago, to the Episcopal Communicators & Associated Church Press Conference!
     Attendees – If questions about the conference, send email to episcopalcommunicators@gmail.com or billrslocumb@gmail.com
    *Remember voting and election for Board of Directors will be online this year, questions go to Hannah Wilder at hwilder@edsd.org


    Wednesday, April 23 – Palmer House Hotel

    • 3:00 pm – Registration Open – 6th Floor Lobby

    • 4:30 pm – Newcomer’s Orientation – Adams Room, 6th Floor

    • 5:00 pm & 5:30 – Guided 25-30 minute 1.1 mile walks – meet in Hotel Lobby near Empire Room stairs
    5:15  – Guided 15 minute Subway ride/walks – meet in Hotel Lobby at Elevators

    To the St. James Episcopal Cathedral, 65 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611 (click images to enlarge map)

     & 

    • 6:00 pm – Welcome and Opening Worship Service, Homily/Keynote by Lillian Daniel, First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Glen Ellyn, IL.

    • 7:15 pm – Reception

    • 8:30 pm – First Guided return to the Palmer Hilton House

     

    Thursday, April 24


    • 7:30 am – Morning Prayer
    • 8:00 am – Breakfast & Announcements
    • 9:00 am – Workshops:

    – Baker’s Dozen: Communication Tools & Tips – Richelle Thompson, Forward Movement, Cincinnati, OH

    – Getting the Word Out: Using Public Relations to your Best Advantage – Neva Rae Fox, Episcopal Church Center, New York, NY– Why the prophets swore and why you should too: do’s and don’ts for Investigative Reporting – Robert Wildeboer,  WBEZ – Chicago Public Radio, Chicago, IL

    – Writing for the Internet – Jim Skillington, New Village Media, Columbia, MD


    • 10:15 am – Break
    • 10:45 am – Workshops:
    – Backpack Journalism: A guide to multi-platform story creation – The Rev. Gregg Brekke, SixView Studios, Portland, OR

    – Celebrating the Ordinary: How to tell your story – Janet Kawamoto, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA & Luke Blount, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, Houston, TX

    – Reviving and Rejuvenating Mature Businesses – Roger Lall , Department of Marketing, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
    – Thriving in today’s brave new magazine world: How editors need to adapt to new digital formats – Patti Wolter, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 


    • 12:00 pm – Exhibits Open
    • 12:30 pm – Lunch & Announcements
    • 1:30 pm – Keynote Plenary – Kathryn Mary Lohre, Director of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and National Council Churches, Past Chair
    • 3:00 pm – Break
    • 3:30 pm – Workshops:
    – Communicating within el Cuerpo de Cristo – Carmen Aguinanco, Hispanic Ministry Resource Center, Claretian Publications, Chicago, IL– Digital Ministry: Starting With and Sticking to Strategy – Meredith Gould, Communications Consulting and Digital Strategy, Baltimore, MD

    – How to Achieve your Goals with Email Promotions – Kara Araujo and Sylvestre Gug, Trinity Wall Street, New York, NY

    – The Reign of God is Like… : What Makes for Good Storytelling – Charles Whitaker, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
     
    • 4:45 pm – Free Time/Dinner in downtown Chicago (choice to have dinner with attendees at local places)
    • 9:00 pm – Compline/Evening Prayers

    Friday, April 25


    • 7:30 am – Morning Prayer
    • 8:00 am – Annual Business Meeting & Breakfast
    • 9:00 am – Exhibits open
    • 9:30 am – Break
    • 10:00 am – Keynote – Digital Ministry for the 21st Century: Stories About Lessons Learned –
     Meredith Gould, Communications Consulting and Digital Strategy, Baltimore, MD
    • 11:30 am – Lunch & Announcements
    • 1:00 pm – Panel Discussion – Social Media Best Practices:

    – Ms. Liz Bartenstein, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA– The Rev. Gregg Brekke, SixView Studios with United Church of Christ (UCC) background, Portland, OR- Mr. Brian Funk-Kinnaman, Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, Louisville, KY

    – Ms. Kim Maran, Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines and President of Society of Adventist Communicators, Silver Spring, MD

    – The Rt. Rev. Nick Knisely,

    Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, Providence, RI 

    • 2:15 pm – Break
    • 3:00 pm – Free Time
    • 6:00 pm – Banquet Dinner with return of the Polly Bond Communications Awards!
    • 9:30 pm – Closing Prayers

    Saturday, April 26


    • Check-out and Safe Travels

    • Conference Evaluation Link

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    Workshop Descriptions:

    Thursday, April 24th – 9:00 am


    – Baker’s Dozen: Communication Tools & Tips – Richelle Thompson, Forward Movement, Cincinnati, OH

    – Getting the Word Out: Using Public Relations to your Best Advantage – Neva Rae Fox, Episcopal Church Center, New York, NY

    – Why the prophets swore and why you should too: do’s and don’ts for Investigative Reporting – Robert Wildeboer,  WBEZ – Chicago Public Radio, Chicago, IL

    Why the Old Testament prophets swore in righteous anger, and why you should too – a session on how it’s time to get serious about our urgent concern for the poor. Includes practical tips on battling stone-walling officials, getting to the right people, reporting out difficult stories, pursuing your story with follow-up reporting, and other vagaries of social-justice reporting.

    – Writing for the Internet – Jim Skillington, New Village Media, Columbia, MD

    Visitors to your website, whether new or returning, are looking for something beneficial to them. Text and other content on your site should always focus on being useful and helpful. Sharp, clear writing is especially important for integrating social media and mobile devices into your online communications. Explore some straightforward strategies for writing for the Internet, including responsive web design and communicating on mobile devices, with Jim Skillington @jimskillington

     

    Thursday, April 24th – 10:45 am


    – Backpack Journalism: A guide to multi-platform story creation – The Rev. Gregg Brekke, SixView Studios, Portland, OR


    Journalists today are expected to possess an ever-increasing set of skills and call upon expertise in writing, editing, photography and video production to do their jobs. The revolution in digital media production and delivery allows for more news and information to be created and distributed than ever before. While the costs to produce such material has gone down drastically, revenues for traditional news media have also taken a dramatic plunge. To compensate for a growing demand for information, news outlets – print, television and online – increasingly are requiring their journalists to be skilled in multimedia news gathering and production. Relying on traditional journalistic principles, this workshop will introduce the necessary reporting and technical skill required to complete multi-media assignments without stress.

    – Celebrating the Ordinary: How to tell your story – Janet Kawamoto, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA & Luke Blount, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, Houston, TX

    – Reviving and Rejuvenating Mature Businesses – Roger Lall, Department of Marketing, DePaul University, Chicago, IL

    Managers can generate growth in revenue from mature products and services, such as publications, by carefully analyzing their target markets, and formulating innovative strategies. What causes the decline in revenue from products and services entering the mature stage? Can something be done to intercept the path of economic decline? These are important questions, and also will be the focus areas for this session. Participants will gain fresh insights about reviving, rejuvenating, and renewing growth in mature products and services. Emphasis will be placed on strategic thinking and value-creation strategies.

    – Thriving in today’s brave new magazine world: How editors need to adapt to new digital formats – Patti Wolter, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

    In a world where readers are tuning in online, on the go, on a tablet, and in print, editors need to rethink what makes a “magazine,” and what editorial thinking best serves multiple platform environments.  Patti Wolter teaches magazine journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, with specialties in narrative, health and science writing, and multimedia publishing platforms. 


    Thursday, April 24th – 3:30 pm


    – Communicating within el Cuerpo de Cristo – Carmen Aguinanco, Hispanic Ministry Resource Center, Claretian Publications, Chicago, IL

    This workshop will offer practical tools for engaging the Latino congregation undefined and allowing the Latino congregation to engage you. Key things you need to know about the diverse realities, gifts, and needs of the fast-growing Latino population in church and society, and how Latino/as are transforming parish life today.

    – Digital Ministry: Starting With and Sticking to Strategy – Meredith Gould, Communications Consulting and Digital Strategy, Baltimore, MD

    Like any other ministry, getting involved with digital ministry requires discernment. We’ll talk about why starting with strategy is essential, what it involves, how to develop tactics and then choose appropriate tools. We’ll also discuss why your current website might be a major barrier to reaching and/or engaging with your intended audience. You’ll be invited to share what’s especially challenging you these days so all participants may learn.

    – How to Achieve your Goals with Email Promotions – Kara Araujo and Sylvestre Gug, Trinity Wall Street, New York, NY

    – The Reign of God is Like… : What Makes for Good Storytelling – Charles Whitaker, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

    This interactive session will explore tools and techniques for crafting compelling feature stories for both print and digital presentation.

    Charles Whitaker, a former senior editor at Ebony magazine, is the Helen Gurley Brown Research Chair in Magazine Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

     


    Friday, April 25th – 1:00 pm – Social Media Best Practices – Panel Biographies



    – Ms. Liz Bartenstein, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA

    – The Rev. Gregg Brekke, SixView Studios with United Church of Christ (UCC) background, Portland, OR

    – Mr. Brian Funk-Kinnaman, Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, Louisville, KY

    – Ms. Kim Maran, Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines and President of Society of Adventist Communicators, Silver Spring, MD

    – The Rt. Rev. Nick Knisely, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, Providence, RI