3ABN's booth at GC

3ABN’s booth was very popular. If you were able to visit the booth, you got to see some of my department’s handiwork: the 25th anniversary blue bag, which went like hot cakes; the 3ABN and 3ABN Latino pens; the lapel pins, which were also extremely popular; the Origins DVD; the Latino DVD; the Catch the Vision magazine; the 3ABN World magazine; the Kitchen Favorites cookbook; the Day by Day devotional book; the door hangers and fliers; the coloring book; the Pillars CD and DVDs. These items were each designed partially or completely by my assistant Adam Dean and myself. All of the items were received very well, and we ran clear out of most by the end of the convention.

Working the booth was very tiring; the hours were long, and I’m not accustomed to standing all day, so my feet were a bit sore at the end of the day. But it was a good experience, just to see how much people liked 3ABN and the items we carry.

It was nice to see friends and family there, although I saw only a portion of the people I know who were there. In fact, my brother and his wife were working at a booth not 10 or 20 feet from the 3ABN booth, but I never saw them until the second day I was there, it was so busy!

I didn’t make it to many of the meetings. But the Sabbath morning sermon by Ted Wilson was extraordinary. (Sadly, the audio in my section was so bad, due to reverb or echoing, that it was very difficult to make out his words for the first portion of the sermon. I had to cover one ear, and this helped me concentrate on the sound from a particular set of speakers, which let me hear better. Thankfully the audio problem was fixed partway through the sermon, and after that everyone in my section could hear just fine.)

If you’d like to hear his message, you can watch it here:

You can also read a transcript of his sermon.

I wanted to attend the Parade of Nations, but decided to head home early. Unfortunately because of that, I missed the tribute to 3ABN and the performance of one of the songs from our Pillars of Our Faith album. 3ABN received scant official recognition during the event (to the point that recognition was notably absent, not only from our perspective, but also from our viewers and supporters), and in fact even the tribute to 3ABN was not carried by the Hope Channel who were doing all the taping and broadcasting of the main meetings, so even that was missed by the larger TV audience. But it was good that on the last day of the event, at this popular ceremony, 3ABN has honored before the attendees.

All in all, it was a good experience, although not something I would do for pleasure. I had hoped to also see the Georgia Aquarium while I was there, but I didn’t even find the time to do that. Still, for the sake of my role at 3ABN, I was glad I could be there. And I have high hopes for the administrative changes that occurred.

Coming soon: Generation of Youth for Christ, San Jose.

From the website: “This year, GYC 2008 will be held in San Jose, California, on the dates of December 17-21, 2008, and you’re invited! Hosting its seventh annual conference, GYC’s theme this year is “For This Purpose.” How do we find this purpose? By listening to, and studying God’s Word. Interesting speakers such as Justin Kim, Randy Skeete, Radim Passer, Chelsy Jourdan, Alistair Huong, Doug Batchelor, and more, will lead us in studying how we can reflect Christ’s character. This conference will change you! You will discover yourself thinking and planning differently — you will truly find purpose in your life. As of July 13, registration is open, so sign up now!  Please see the registration information and download the form below. For more information on how you can promote GYC in your church or to your friends, please send an email to info@gycweb.org or go to our resources tab and enter your information under the Sign up for PR packet section.”

]]> http://michaelprewitt.com/2008/09/generation-of-youth-for-christ-conference-668/feed/ 0 http://michaelprewitt.com/2008/09/3abn-homecoming-fall-camp-meeting-118/ http://michaelprewitt.com/2008/09/3abn-homecoming-fall-camp-meeting-118/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:37:06 +0000 Michael http://michaelprewitt.com/?p=118 Continue reading →]]>

Logo designed by my coworker Adam Dean.

3ABN Homecoming is this weekend, September 25-27. We’re looking forward to great messages and spending time with visitors who are joining us from all over. All the details are on 3ABN’s Camp Meeting website. This year’s featured speakers are T. Marshall Kelly, Jim Gilley, and C. A. Murray.

If you aren’t able to attend in person, you can also watch the live events on 3ABN. If 3ABN is not available on TV in your home, you can watch on 3ABN’s website.

Those who have attended past ASI conventions may remember 3ABN’s booth, which has remained virtually unchanged the previous eight conventions that have passed since I’ve been at 3ABN (and probably longer than that, but that is beyond my time). It was basically one and then later two traditional tradeshow displays, each with space for 3 or 4 backlit Plexiglas panels. The only difference year to year was the choice of panels used, and of course the handouts and the faces present at the booth.

For the past several years, some of us at 3ABN, such as Greg Morikone and myself, had been suggesting something different — something bigger, more immersive, and more professional. In fact, 3ABN already owned a larger and better looking tradeshow display, which we suggested could be used for parts in a new design. However, year after year our ideas had been turned down, mainly due to finances and not wanting to project an image of extravagence.

However, this year someone with more say-so than myself decided that 3ABN would be benefitted by a larger booth, and so this dream finally had a chance to move forward. It turned out to be a complicated process, since the idea for the booth included a space where on-location taping could be done. There were so many people involved in the planning, there was a lot of waiting; and because of that, there was a lot of last-minute rush to complete the project.

Ultimately the structure design fell on Jason Wilhelm, who works in our Program Development department. (Jason is a 3D whiz, which was certainly handy for this project.) The graphic design for the booth panels mostly fell on me.

Using SketchUp and Photoshop, we mocked up a number of designs. The final design that I created on a whim, taking cues from our 3ABN bag which is ubiqutous at such events, used large swatches of primary colors, reflecting the colors common on the flags of the world. Flags from many countries adorned the pillars on top. I was also inspired to decorate the pillars with words that would represent the “pillar” principles of 3ABN — although the actual choice of words would be decided at a later meeting.

The multicolored international theme turned out to be the overwhelming favorite. With our administration’s approval I finally got the go-ahead to finish the project. Unfortunately, at that stage we had about 2 or 3 weeks until the truck that would transport that booth would depart for Tampa. Not only that, but I also had my other projects such as a 3ABN World magazine to finish — a project that could eat up most of that time by itself.

The biggest frustration was that the Photoshop files we were working with were so large — up to multiple gigabytes in size — that just opening or saving the files took enough time for cookies and a nap (which I never got to do, unfortunately). It was also the first real project on our new wide-format printer (we produced everthing in-house). And at the outset we did not really have a clue how exactly we were going to mount these things on the trusses that made up the booth structure. Fortunately our truck crew helped solve many of the logistical problems. Needless to say, we finally finished it, and I must say it came together pretty well.

In Tampa, we had quite a crew working to assemble the thing, essentially for the first time. Between us and the “Church in a Day” exhibit adjacent to us, that part of the hall looked, smelled, and sounded like an assembly plant.

I’ve posted pictures from ASI on my Facebook page, including quite a few photos of the booth construction (most of which were taken by my friend and coworker Idalia Dinzey).

The globe in the center rotated, and we had three satellites orbitting it:

Another view from the front:

An astounding feature of this year’s ASI was the Sabbath donation by the several thousand people present: more than $8 million in gifts and pledges! This seemed to be largely in response to the new “Church in a Day” project that was pushed this year.

One of the most touching ministry reports was from a ministry reaching out to the poor, abused, and widowed/abandoned women of Peru. It was really amazing.

It was great to see many friends at ASI, and to meet some new ones. Although my brother and Heidi were not there this year, my mom was able to come; and she had a good time. Of course, the whole event passes too quickly.

PS: If you ever get the chance to eat at a Sweet Tomato restaurant, try it! It’s like the best all-you-can-eat salad bar ever!

Our ASI event on Facebook has taken on a life of its own, with other people inviting friends, beyond my circle of friends that I personally invited. Although the number of people who have indicated their intent to attend is relatively small, it is still good to see regular additions to the numbers just about every week. A frustrating aspect of Facebook is that you can’t simply invite fans to an event (or so it seems); the most you can do is send an update to the fans, and invite your personal friends.

There was a great turnout. I’ve put some photos on Facebook (link below), and then I’ve added a few other photos below that.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42845&id=12296170694

It was great to see long-time friend Staci (L), who was here visiting mutual friends Jill (pictured) and Greg Morikone.

We had a very good panel answering Bible questions on Wednesday night. L to R: Stephen Bohr, John Lomacang, Mike Tucker, Kenneth Cox, David Asscherick, C. A. Murray.

Many 3ABN staff, such as Larry McLucas, put in long hours. It was practically a marathon!

Eva doing what girls do best:

Ken Cox gave a great message on the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” If you missed it, you need to find a copy and learn the secret of why women outlive their husbands!

David Asscherick spoke on “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” He brought down the house!

Another friend from college days, David Shin, spoke on “Thou shalt not steal.” It included a powerful personal testimony.

If you missed it, I’ve heard that the DVDs should be shipping sometime in July. Eventually the programs with air again on 3ABN, as well. Check the program listings for times.

I arranged my own hotel through Priceline this year, and that saved me a little money (it was $60/night). The hotel I got was the Hyatt, right next to the convention center, and one of the main hotels other GYC attendees were using. My room was nice, with a king size bed, and a nice 15th-story view of downtown Minneapolis. For some reason the thermostat was a little flaky, and the wireless internet ($10 extra per night) was very poor — worse than dial-up. But I had a comfortable place to rest, and everything else worked well. Nothing I couldn’t live with.

All of the main meetings (plenary sessions) were very good. I especially enjoyed the testimony by Steve Kasperbauer, the 1888 panel discussion (since my bro was in it … and because the content was good ), and all the presentations by David Shin. Steve’s testimony was absolutely incredible. If you didn’t hear it, get it. I believe it will be available from the GYC website eventually.

The seminars were good, although not really the highlight for me. I enjoyed one of Mark Finley’s seminars (“The Shaking and the Sifting”), but it was so packed that I could not get in more than once. I attended two seminars by Nathan Renner (about friendship evangelism); I enjoyed hearing his testimony, and the other content was good, but a little too heavy on the theory of why, and a little too light on the subject of how, for my tastes. The surprise for me was two seminars by Bruce Ashton on the topic of music. I was expecting the usual “how to tell good music from bad” approach, but it wasn’t really that at all. If an attendee could look past the fact that Bruce read everything from notes, there were some really awesome concepts to glean. I would even dare say revolutionary concepts for the worship services at many medium to large churches. The main gem was a clear explanation of the purpose and nature of worship, and the consequential implications for what passes as worship at many churches. In a nutshell: Most churches fashion their worship services to please the congregation, or visitors, or “seekers”; but real worship, and all decisions about style and format and content, should be about pleasing God alone. In this light, much of the music labeled as “worship” music has nothing to do with worship at all, even if it is acceptable in a larger framework.

This year’s outreach was challenging on at least three fronts: Many people weren’t home (it was just before Christmas). Those that were home were often not interested (Minnesota is a hard area to witness in, as numerous GYC attendees noted). And it was freezing cold. If not for a block of apartments that we were able to enter, I wonder if I’d be nursing my second case of frostbite on my toes. Still, it was a good experience, especially in light of all that was accomplished by the group in total. My partner and I had a really nice talk with a woman who seemed genuinely interested, and I was able to pray with her. I hope that she will sign up for the studies.

3ABN’s booth was in a prime location this year, and although I was not there officially representing 3ABN, I pitched in at the booth a few times. Greg and Jill did a great job of manning the booth. We made observations that hopefully will help us be better prepared for these kinds of events in the future. The booth seemed to be quite popular, and it was great to hear all the positive feedback from attendees both young and old.

3ABN’s booth, with Greg and Jill, and our president, Jim Gilley:

GYC is always a great place to catch up with friends, and make new ones. Although I am probably one of the worst people for remembering names and facts about people, I gain some satisfaction from seeing familiar faces (even if for the life of me I can’t remember who they are or where I recognize them from). At last year’s GYC I learned that if I really, really try to remember, such as by utilizing various memory association tricks, I can actually remember new names pretty well. In fact, I still remember the names of the two persons from that conference that I tried this technique with. Ironically, I’ve never seen them again.

I saw so many friends at this year’s conference, I can’t really name them all. But it was a blessing to talk with them and learn what’s new in their lives.

Eugene and Heidi:

One of the beautiful churches in the area (note the low clouds/mist — the top third or so of the skyscraper in the background is completely hidden):

I’ll be back home on the 23rd, just in time for Christmas.

In December I am planning to attend the GYC conference, December 19-23. Just yesterday I finalized by airfare and hotel reservations. Glad to have all of that out of the way. I’m still not sure where I will actually spend Christmas, but there is a good chance it will be here at my home unless I have a new car before then. The same holds true for New Year’s Day. It will be the first time I’ve been here at my home for those holidays in a number of years, maybe five years or more.

I also had a great time visiting with Rob and Christine Neall, and Chuck and Christina Holtry. I joined Rob and Christine on a short walk at nearby Rend Lake with the youth and earliteen group they were supervising. Later we all met at the guest apartment where Chuck and Christina were staying. It was fun to catch up with them. It was the Holtrys’ first time to 3ABN (hopefully not last). On Sunday everyone came over to my place for breakfast. We had yummy scrambled tofu courtesy of Christina H., as well as fruit and cereal. I later kicked myself for not taking any photos the whole weekend.

It would be cool if 3ABN could host an event for young people, like one of the regional GYC-style meetings. This age group is definitely underrepresented at our camp meeting. There are certainly plenty of potential attendees around. The third largest city in the United States, Chicago, is only five hours away. And then there is St. Louis, Memphis, Evansville, Louisville, and Southern Adventist University, all within the same approximate radial perimeter.

PS: I learned a lesson this weekend: I don’t know anything about what’s going on around here. Okay, I admit that’s overstated. The point is, I had opinions about certain 3ABN-related things (mostly minor and unrelated to my work), which turned out to be groundless. Note to self: Memorize the phrases “I don’t know,” “I have no idea,” and “I forgot.”

One thing I’m looking forward to at this year’s camp meeting is seeing my friends Rob and Christine Neall, and Chuck and Christina Holtry. They will be helping with the youth and children’s programs.

If you are within driving distance of Thompsonville, Illinois, we’d love to see you there!

As could be expected, I saw many friends at ASI, as well as some family, including my brother and his wife, and my cousin James and his family. I met some new friends. I volunteered a little at 3ABN‘s booth, which is always fun (at least when one doesn’t have to do it!). And I volunteered a little at the Health Expo booth that was put together by my friends at LifeStyleTV.

Since this was the 60th anniversary of ASI, there was a strong emphasis on the history of ASI, especially its roots in the Madison school, and the ideals of E. A. Sutherland and Percy Megan. (The story is also vividly told in the book, Madison: God’s Beautiful Farm, which I highly recommend.) It was neat to hear this history repeated for the thousands of attendees, especially in light of the many parallels between their difficulties and what other ministries face today.

There were many inspirational testimonies of people sharing Christ “in the marketplace” (ASI-speak for “on the job”) as well as in innovative mission projects and other forms of evangelism. We also heard inspiring messages, and some awesome music. It was also interesting to see the new projects and products in the exhibit area, which is always a major highlight of ASI.

ASI is one of my favorite events of the year, the other being GYC. Both are events where God’s presence seems especially near, and the personal blessings are abundant. If you want to see where Seventh-day Adventist evangelism is headed, as well as hear powerful stories of ministries on the front lines, ASI is the place to be.

It was also a blessing to see friends visiting from long distances. We had a small reunion of Claus, Greg and Jill, Valerie, Becky, Lynn and Florinel, and myself, all having known each other since college. Several of the girls were roommates together. It’s interesting, the connections that last over the years.