2024
Birmingham, Alabama
Breakout Groups
MORNING SESSIONS
Engaging Urban Communities in Recovery
—Cheryl Luke
Celebrate Recovery® (CR) transforms lives! If you are looking for a program that can be used as a tool of healing and outreach to your community, we encourage you to join this interactive breakout. In this session for pastors and leaders—whether new to CR or seeking to renew their involvement—Cheryl explores how CR is designed for helping people navigate recovery, as well as for anyone with hurts, habits, or hang-ups. You will also learn how CR has developed an intentional approach to bringing restoration and creating safe spaces of healing within communities of color. Unlock the potential to strengthen your church and empower individuals on their journey to healing and wholeness.
Ministry Through Art
—Create: New Beginnings
What if a 10-week artistic journey could be a brand-new beginning for women in your community? Originally created for women in prison, Create: New Beginnings is a transformative small group study that empowers women to reflect, explore, and strengthen their relationship with God through creative expression. Recently published for use in churches and other contexts, Create: New Beginnings is now available for women everywhere. Join this session with artists and co-creators Martha Ackerman and Stephanie Logan Segel to hear how this unique study is impacting women across America—and how it will open doors for you to minister to women in your own community and congregation.
Prison Ministry Best Practices
Ministering in the context of prison presents unique challenges and opportunities. With nearly 50 years of experience in this space, Prison Fellowship will be offering essential training to serve and love the incarcerated well. Equip your teams so you can avoid common pitfalls and approach your ministry in a life-giving and transformative way. Prison Fellowship leaders will convene leading voices in this session and unveil exciting new training resources launching in the fall of 2024.
Establishing a Church Campus in Prison
—Church of the Highlands
Come learn from Church of the Highlands and get unique insight on how to chart your journey toward in-prison campuses. Correctional ministry leaders will share how they have effectively established in-prison campuses in more than 23 facilities throughout the state of Alabama. Attendees will gain valuable insight from this interactive experience and learn how prison campuses have turned into places of renewal. You will also learn how to provide pathways for congregants to engage and serve the incarcerated, infusing life and purpose back into their church.
Angel Tree Ministry Beyond Christmas
Did you know that Angel Tree can be a powerful launching pad for year-round ministry? Discover how other churches have transformed a Christmas service project into a restorative journey for local families in their communities. You will also learn how to create a unique roadmap to love and serve your community well. Hear from individuals whose lives have been eternally impacted by churches using the gift-giving experience as a catalyst for relationship and transformation. Churches across varying ministry contexts will be on hand to share their strategies and tactics.
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
The Dream Center's Journey of Community Transformation
—Matthew Barnett
The founder of the Los Angeles Dream Center as well as a best-selling author, Matthew Barnett will share powerful stories and practical advice on leading a community that embodies compassion, generosity, and faith. In this session, you will discover how he redefined success as obedience to his calling. With 30 years of hard-won experience, Pastor Barnett will share stories of hope and encouragement as well as how the Dream Center framework has expanded to over 150 cities and countries around the world, amplifying the impact of the local church.
Love Justice: National Community Church’s Blueprint for Holistic Restorative Ministry
—Pastor Lora Batterson and Dr. Carmelle Norice with Pastor Quovadis Marshall
Quovadis Marshall, lead pastor of Hope City Church, will guide the conversation as Lora and Carmelle share about NCC’s Love Justice initiative and cast vision for cultivating holistic ministry opportunities for those affected by crime and incarceration in their church and city. Since its inception, Love Justice has sought to provide wraparound support for local families navigating unique challenges. By tapping into resources in their church and community and leveraging church members’ passions and talents, Love Justice has quickly blossomed into a flourishing ministry dedicated to prayer, outreach, and advocacy. From year-round support of Angel Tree families to digital skills training for returning citizens to equipping Justice Ambassadors to advocate for policy change, Love Justice offers an exciting blueprint for what’s possible in your community. Come catch a glimpse and discover how your church can create a lasting impact in your own local context.
Transformational Groups: Creating an Atmosphere of Discipleship
—Ed Stetzer
Join Ed Stetzer, dean of the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, as he unpacks how small groups can lead to greater engagement and transformation. He will share brand-new research and best practices to help us understand how to leverage groups as a vessel for transformational discipleship. The data and firsthand examples will help you more effectively point people toward small groups and help people in small groups to live for others, ultimately drawing them towards Christ.
RESTORE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
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