North Alabama United Methodists invited to Breakaway Feb 15-17
Featured speaker Ron Martoia is a sought after speaker and consultant and calls himself a "transformational architect."
On Feb 15-17, 2008, North Alabama United Methodists will gather at Camp Springville to dream God’s dream during a weekend event called Breakaway. The event will feature Ron Martoia and North Alabama Bishop Will Willimon. Worship will be led by Crowe.
Working toward the North Alabama Conference priorities of empowering a new generation of Christians and effective leadership for the 21st century, the Breakaway event is planned with young adults in mind but is open to anyone.
The event is designed as an opportunity to breakaway from the tradition-bound leadership of the past and to seek God's direction for the future. It will help participants breakaway and connect with new people and to experience the joy of being in the community of United Methodists across North Alabama.
Featured speaker Ron Martoia is a sought after speaker and consultant and calls himself a “transformational architect.” This means he helps people and the organisms they serve, design and then journey through the experience of deep change. He consults with executive teams in corporate settings, but specializes in churches.
He is the author of numerous periodical articles, his first book project was entitled Morph! The Texture of Leadership for Tomorrow's Church, a volume helping leaders do good self leadership as they foster creative and compelling environments. His second book, published last year, called Static: Tuning out the "Christian Noise" to Experience the Real Message of Jesus, addresses how the words we use are containers, which engender or endanger genuine dialogue. The sequel to Static, set to be released later this year, Yearning: A New Starting Point for a New Conversation about Jesus, will look at the skyrocketing interest in spirituality in our culture and how to use those entry points so we can enter the arena of spiritual conversations.
Ron has a doctorate in the area of leadership and culture. He served as Lead Pastor at Westwinds Church in Jackson, Michigan, a church he planted. In addition to having served on adjunct faculty at several Universities, Ron has provided leadership training and organizational development in 12 countries of the world. He has also spoken at many leadership conferences such as the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. He is also the founder of www.velocityculture.com
One highlight of the schedule includes a conversation about 21st century ministry and leadership between Bishop Willimon and Ron Martoia on Friday evening. Throughout the weekend there will be times for individual church groups and campus ministries to gather, debrief and relate the weekend to their ministry. There will also be times for participants to meet others and make connections across the North Alabama Conference
“I personally think the event is going to rock,” says Breakaway planning team member Rev. Jonathan Herston. “Jesse and the guys at Crowe Band are awesome, and I'm really looking forward to Ron Martoia. I've been reading one of his books, and he's an amazingly creative, relevant, and brilliant guy. I think he and the Bishop's discussion on that Friday night is going to be huge. It's really going to set the tone not for the weekend.”
The Registration deadline is February 4, 2008. The registration cost is $50 per person plus lodging. In order to build community, each participant is encouraged to stay with the group at Camp Springville. You may register and pay online on the North Alabama Conference website at www.northalabamaumc.org/breakaway2008
Herston adds, “I hope, this will spark a big enough change to set into motion something larger that will catch across the United Methodist Church. But, I also have high hopes that this event will bring direction and clarity to myself personally as well as the ministry environments where I'm involved. So I'm really looking forward to the event.”