News

Orange Conference Details - In Case You Missed Our E-mail
4.23.08

We sent an email out to all of our conference attendees earlier this morning with some last minute details. In case you missed it, here it is for your reading pleasure...

Hi everyone!

This time next week, we’ll be knee-deep in Orange 2008. Our staff can’t believe that it’s already been a year since the first Orange Conference. We’re looking forward to hosting you at this year’s event and are very busy wrapping up final details, editing videos, packing trucks, and trying to think about ways that we can make your experience extraordinary. To ensure you are well prepared for Orange, here a few pointers that we hope you’ll find helpful:

TICKETS & CHECK-IN
When you were registered for Orange, you or your group contact received a confirmation email with tickets attached for each individual in your group. Each person will need to bring a print out of his or her specific ticket to the on-site registration area in order to check in at Orange. If you need to have your tickets emailed again, your group contact can log in to our registration system and have all the tickets resent electronically.

GO GWINNETT GLADIATORS!
Did you know that Gwinnett County has a semi-pro hockey team? And this year they happen to be playing really well in the playoffs. What does that have to do with Orange? Our conference is happening on top of their hockey rink. Yep. Don’t worry, you won’t need ice skates, but you may want to bring some type of light jacket or sweatshirt for the main sessions.

CHOW TIME
Don’t forget that all of the meals at Orange are your own responsibility. If you’re attending the preconference on Monday, you’ll need to visit one of the restaurants located in the area immediately around Gwinnett Center. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you’re also welcome to eat at a local restaurant, but we’ll also have concession stands with some really great food available inside Gwinnett Arena.

STAYING CONNECTED
Gwinnett Center offers wireless Internet throughout their facility. There is a fee of $7.95 for 24 hours of service which is payable by credit card when you access the Internet for the first time. In our opinion, staying connected is virtually priceless!

CHILDCARE
We’re able to offer a nursing room in each of the conference buildings at Orange for any moms who need to feed their kiddos. However, children (including babies) will not be permitted in the main sessions or breakouts at Orange and childcare will not be provided.

RAIN or SHINE
We have a fantastic facility for this year’s conference, and it includes two separate buildings located approximately 50 yards apart and connected via outdoor sidewalks. Please be prepared in case it rains (it’s currently not expected to rain) while you’re walking between buildings.

FILM CREW?
So you’re probably completely up to date with a phone that takes photos, records videos and practically makes breakfast every morning. And these gizmos can be rather fun when they’re used appropriately. Unfortunately, recording the sessions or breakouts on your phone or any other type of device doesn’t fall under the “appropriate” category and we request that you don’t do this at Orange.

BREAKOUT 411
You have already been signed up for specific breakouts throughout Orange, and you’ll be receiving tickets to each of your requested breakouts when you check in. If you would like to change your breakout selections, you may trade your ticket in for a ticket to your desired breakout ONLY if there is still space available. Once a breakout has reached maximum capacity, we aren’t able to allow more people to attend—even standing or sitting against the wall. This is because the Gwinnett County Fire Marshall wants to keep you safe, and he will be on site verifying that we are maintaining established room capacities.

AND FINALLY

GET READY!
We’re going to have a great event this year, and our team is looking forward to serving you and your team at Orange 2008!

Still have questions? Drop us an email at orangeconference@rethinkgroup.org.

See you soon!
The Orange Team

Conference Location:
Gwinnett Center
6400 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, GA 30097

Directions to Gwinnett Center are posted online at www.TheOrangeConference.com under the "Details" link.

A Story of Courage
3.31.08

The reThink staff received another incredible story last week that we wanted to pass along to you guys. Once again we were reminded that we have an incredible privilege to partner with churches all over the world so that kids can know for certain that God is huge and that He has some pretty incredible plans for each of us.

"Please pray for one of our church families. One of our 5th grade boys, Brandon, was hit by a car on Tuesday [March 25, 2008] morning. He was pronounced dead yesterday morning after being taken off life support. This has been a very difficult week, and we need a lot of wisdom from God on how to minister to not just the family, including his 7 year old sister, but to our church kids who knew and loved him so much and our leaders who are just heart broken.

One thing we know for sure is that Brandon is with Jesus. God gave me the awesome privilege of sitting in his small group on Palm Sunday. We, of course, were talking about COURAGE and the small group activity was to write their top ten fears. One of the kids wrote "death" and I asked the question, "What is there to fear about death?" That's when Brandon shared that he has no fear of death because he knows and loves the Lord and was living for him. Wow!! Looking back I know that was a gift from the Lord. I was able to stand at the foot of his hospital bed and tell his hurting mother about that day as I held her in my arms. It was also a gift for the kids in his small group. None of them have to question for one second whether or not their friend is in heaven. God is so good!

Please thank your writers for allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire them. That moment would not have happened if it weren't for them and for your vision of small groups...It's about building relationships and being able to hear the heart of God's precious children. What a gift! Thank you once again!"

Christine

Updates and Rave Reviews about XP3

3.18.08

XP3 is the student curriculum that completes the strategy for offering an integrated Family Ministry program in your organization. The reThink Group launched XP3 at Orange in 2007, and it has had great reviews from every church that has tried it out. Even we're pleasantly surprised! The 11th series plans were just uploaded for subscribers to have access to, and it's sure to be another hit. If you aren't familiar with XP3, we have a couple of options so that you can learn more and even do a trial run with your student ministry:

1 - Visit www.XP3Students.org and check out the samples

2 - Swing by the XP3 booth at Orange and talk to practitioners who use this at their own church as well as the writers and editor for this product

3 - Purchase a copy of the series "The Good Fight" to try out in your own ministry. We'll be offering this individual series through the online store at www.TheReThinkStore.com and at the Orange Conference beginning towards the end of April.

"I just wanted to let you know how our Parent XP went for The Good Fight Series. It was a very, very profitable time for the parents involved.  I went in with some pretty specific goals for it: 1. for parents to better learn to intentionally parent their kids & 2. for parents to get a chance to connect with one another.  I think both of these things were accomplished, but for us, we still have a long way to go.” -B.(from Albuquerque , NM)

A Leadership "Pick Me Up" from Andy Stanley

3.16.08

So we are a little biased about Andy's teaching, but somehow he seems to always hit homeruns. Several of the people who work for The reThink Group have worked with him, worked beside him, debated with him, been frustrated with him, been challenged by him, been grateful for him, and undoubtedly learned many valuable lessons about leadership from him. The series that is currently being taught at the Alpharetta campus of North Point is called "I Want to be Great," and it is FILLED with insight from Scripture about leading. Specifically, the second message in the series is something that every person who works with volunteers or leads any type of team should listen to on a regular basis. To watch the message for free, click here.

By the way, Clay Scroggins tag teams with Andy on this series. He's an incredible speaker, and you'll be able to hear from Clay during the preconference at Orange.

The Benefits of Drinking Coffee

3.09.08

At Orange 2008, you'll be able to meet and interact with a team of people that are doing something amazing for the people of Rwanda. They have figured out a unique way to live out the Orange philosophy. In a nutshell, their mission is to have people drink coffee and do good. To accomplish this, the team at Land of a Thousand Hills purchases high quality coffee beans directly from growers in Rwanda - paying over fair market value to the local farmers. When the beans arrive to their roasting house, they roast the beans and sell them through a variety of outlets. The proceeds from these sales go right back into Rwanda by funding micro-loans to widows who then start businesses to sustain themselves and provide for their families. How about that for taking two influences and combining them to create something more vibrant!?

Chances are that your church serves coffee somewhere either on Sundays or during other programming. How about considering switching to Rwandan coffee to help these widows learn about the love of Christ? Our own staff drinks this coffee and can vouch for the incredible quality of this product. To learn more, check out www.DrinkCoffeeDoGood.com.

By the way, the founders of Land of a Thousand Hills are also church planters who are in full-time ministry! Talk about being driven!

Great Story about the Influence of Orange

3.06.08

The staff at The reThink Group thrives on stories we receive from churches who have implemented the Orange strategy. Your stories encourage us as well as give us a great way to measure whether or not our resources are changing lives the way we hope they will. Here is a story that we received yesterday, March 5.

"My latest orange story happened a few weeks ago. I was in the middle of a lousy week. I'm a single dad of four kids and everyone in the house, including me, decided to get sick at the same time with one winter illness or another. So four sick, crabby kids and an equally sick, crabby dad sat down to eat dinner one night, and sensing that we really needed some God time, I pulled out that week's lesson on Orderliness from the Family Times Virtue Pack.

The story focused on a young boy whose best friend was moving away, and how he was coping with his sadness and loss. The bottom line of the lesson was "When God closes one door, He opens another."

My kids just lost their Mom to an extended illness a few months ago, and we've been learning how to cope with our own sadness and loss. Hearing those words that night, "When God closes one door, He opens another," truly changed the mood at the dinner table. Seeing God- induced hope in the faces of my own kids was a humbling experience, and one that I'm not soon to forget.

See, the great thing about living orange is that I don't have to always feel like I've got it all together. If I'm not feeling particularly spiritual, or hopeful, or energetic that day, the church has tools like Virtue Packs that I can use to keep myself and my kids focused on the eternal things of God.

That's why, for me, orange has become the only way to live. Thanks for the opportunity to share."

This is exactly why we do what we do here at The reThink Group and the Orange Conference. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. If you have a story you'd like to share, we would love to hear it. Just send an email to us at info@rethinkgroup.org.

Blog from Carey Nieuwhof is a Great Resource for Anyone in Ministry

3.04.08

Carey is one of our speakers at Orange 2008, and everyone on the reThink staff considershim part of our family. Carey has an incredibly unususal story - if you think you've had a difficult road in ministry, his story will make you feel better! His team has just opened two new churches in the province of Ontario, Canada. Both churches have a combination of live and video services and both churches offer full programming for every age-group. Carey has an incredible blog about the real issues of working for a church - he shares his frustrations, his challenges, his mistakes, and his insights in his entries, and they will be an encouragement to anyone who checks in regularly. You'll want to bookmark this one: www.CareyNieuwhof.com

Missions Strategy Breakout Added to the Lineup

3.03.08

Probably a lot of you guys don't know that Lanny Donoho has an enormous passion for the people in Africa. After traveling through Compassion International to Africa the first time, he decided he had to do something more for the people. That's when an organization called the 410 Bridge was founded. They have created a new strategy for missions that is personalized for churches and directly affects specific churches and people in Africa. Kurt Kandler, the director of the 410 Bridge is going to unpack this strategy in a breakout offered during Breakout B on Tuesday to give your organization a new way to impact the churches around the world.

New Offering in the Preconference

2.26.08

Todd Clark and Mike Clear are co-founders of Discovery Church in Simi Valley, California, and they are well-versed in building an Orange church from (almost) the ground up. In this newest addition to the line up for the preconference, Todd and Mike will be discussing a twist on the normal plan for programming that will get your church seeing Orange!

 

New Breakout from Craig & Mary Jutila

2.25.08

Craig and Mary Jutila will be offerring a new breakout during the Orange preconference on April 28. It's called "Burnout to Balance: Our Journey from Hectic to Healthy," and it will be a candid look at some pitfalls that can happen with families involved in full-time ministry. This is a very important topic to both Craig and Mary, and they're looking forward to having an impact with so many leaders through the Orange Conference. Be sure to sign up before this one fills up!

More Breakouts Being Added Soon

2.18.08

We're excited to announce several additional workshops you'll soon see during the Orange preconference. These include a workshop about marriage and ministry from Craig and Mary Jutila, an additional workshop for start up churches led by Todd Clark, and an overview of some of the most innovative ideas in ministry led by Norv Brown (2007 Orange Award winner) and Emily Meredith. We'll let you all know when these become available so that you can be sure to sign up for them. Keep checking back for more updates!

Jingle Jam - A Big Hit at Harborside Christian Church

1.25.08

The team at Harborside Christian Church in Safety Harbor, FL, hosted their first Jingle Jam event on December 23, 2007. The room was packed with over 900 parents and kids (and a snow machine for full effect)! For more information about Harborside's children's ministry, you can check out their website at www.SurfsideKids.org. If you're attending Orange, you'll be able to see a live demonstration of the Family Experience in a Box at the Jingle Jam showcase during the preconference. Hope to see you there! For pictures from the event at Harborside....CLICK HERE

Craig Jutila, Jim Wideman, Sue Miller, Reggie Joiner - Video Shoot Pics

1.21.08

These four giants have all gone through some major career changes recently. See pictures from their recent video shoot in Atlanta....CLICK HERE

HALF-WAY HOME

1.17.08

We had our first of two price increases go into effect on Tuesday, January 15.  That means that we had a mad-rush of registrations on Monday, January 14.  And now we are over half-way to being sold out for Orange 2008. We anticipate that we'll have a full house this year, so be sure to get your entire group registered as soon as possible!  

PRICE INCREASE AROUND THE CORNER

1.09.08

The registration price for Orange 2008 is movin' on up!  Be sure to register by the end of business on Monday, January 14, 2008, in order to take advantage of our "Great Rate" for registration.  Beginning on Tuesday, January 15, 2008, the price increase will be in effect.  So don't miss out...register now!  To see the complete pricing schedule, CLICK HERE.

Orange Speaker Opens 2 New Churches

12.19.07

Carey Nieuwhof opened not one, but two locations of the new congregation he's leading, Connexus Community Church.  Carey and his staff are running two portable churches in two movie theaters located about an hour apart.  Their first location in Barrie, Ontario, opened on Sunday, December 2, 2007.  The second location (a video venue) is in Orillia, Ontario, and opened the following week on Sunday, December 9, 2007. Reggie Joiner traveled up to the Barrie location on December 9 along with some of the staff from North Point Community Church to show their support for Carey, his staff, and his family.  To read more about the journey this team has been on for the past six months, check out their blog at http://connexuscommunity.typepad.com/blog/. 

To see pictures from Reggie's visit to Connexus Community Church, CLICK HERE.

David Kinnaman Added to Speaker Line Up

12.18.07

David Kinnaman is the current president of the Barna Group and has just agreed to join us at Orange 2008. David was recently on stage at the Catalyst Conference in October and shared an intriguing and challenging perspective on today's church and culture with the audience.  He is the author of the newly released book, unChristian, along with Gabe Lyons who will also be joining us at Orange.  You'll be able to hear more from David in "Unedited: reThinking Student Ministry" during Breakout B.

National Youth Workers Convention - Atlanta, 2007

11.19.07

Thanks to all the youth pastors and volunteers who stopped by the XP3 booth at the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta this past weekend. It was exciting to hear how XP3 is being used in student ministries across the country, and we enjoyed putting faces to names and email addresses.  Also thanks to everyone who attended Reggie's breakout on the missing piece of student ministry.  We hope that you guys walked away challenged and that we can continue the conversation about this topic at Orange 2008.

Now Recruiting Volunteers for Orange 2008
10.22.07

We need several hundred volunteers to pull off Orange 2008, and the process of recruiting this great team has started.  If you're interested in joining the Orange Team, simply click on the "Details" link in the upper left, then click on the "Volunteer" link in the lower left.  Be sure to read through the information in the FAQ's and then submit your application.  We look forward to working alongside you in April!

Pictures from Catalyst 2007

10.15.07

For those of you who got your photo taken at our booth at Catalyst, it's time to see your mug....CLICK HERE

On the Road to Scranton, PA

10.12.07

We have had two great Orange Leaders meetings to far - Redmond, WA and Grand Rapids, MI.  The third one is around the corner in Scranton, PA, on October 18.  Reggie left on Friday morning to make the drive up there with his motorcycle in tow.  Along the way, he's stopping in to visit with some of our partner churches.  Then he'll be taking a day or two on his bike to check out the area around Scranton for the Orange Tour happening in Pennsyvania in the Fall of 2008.  Be sure to check out his Facebook page for the pictures he'll be taking while he's on his bike.  If you didn't already know, Reggie is an incredible photograher and loves to load up on pics while he's on the road.

Registration Opens Friday, Oct. 5
10.2.07

Orange 2008 registration will be available beginning at 11:00 am Eastern time on Friday, October 5, 2007.  Be sure that you have the following information ready for each person in your group:

Name

Email Address

Breakout Selections (4)

Preconference Selections (3) if applicable

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE....you will need to decide which breakouts you want to attend at Orange 2008 BEFORE you register.  This information is required during the online registration process for each person in your group.  So print out the descriptions and make some decisions.  Don't worry...you'll be able to change your mind along the way as long as space is available in the class or breakout you'd like to attend.

Visit Us at Catalyst Conference
10.1.07

It's a busy week at reThink. Catalyst Conference is Thursday and Friday of this week with labs happening on Wednesday.  Reggie is speaking to over 600 people at a special prelab early on Wednesday, and we'll have several staff on site to meet any of you guys that may be there.  After the prelab, we'll be heading over to get our two booths in the arena set up for the opening of the conference on Thursday morning.

With nearly 11,000 people at the conference, we're looking forward to sharing the Orange strategy with as many people as possible in two days. If you're around, be sure to stop by and introduce yourself....we love putting faces with names (and email addresses).

Breakout Announcement
9.27.07

The breakout schedule for Orange 2008 is now available!  Just click on the "Details" link above followed by the "Conference Breakout Descriptions" link to the left to see what your options will be...

Also, we're excited to announce that our first ORANGE ACADEMY will be offered during the preconference at Orange 2008.  You'll be able to learn about specific skill related to the age group you work with and your ministry role.  The descriptions for all ORANGE ACADEMY classes are also available by clicking on the "Details" link above then the "Preconference Descriptions" link to the left.

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE....you will need to decide which breakouts you want to attend at Orange 2008 BEFORE you register.  This information is required during the online registration process for each person in your group.  So print out the descriptions and make some decisions.  Don't worry...you'll be able to change your mind along the way as long as space is available in the class or breakout you'd like to attend.

Another Great Name!
9.25.07

And ANOTHER speaker has agreed to join us at Orange 2008.  He's made a major impact in the world of children's ministry over the last decade....you may have been to his conference....or you may have heard him at some other conferences....or you may have visited his incredible environment in sunny California. Craig Jutila just said he'd love to be a part of the next Orange conference, and we're looking forward to hearing about his experiences creating one of the most innovative ministries for children in the world.   He was the idea guy behind All Star Kids at Saddleback Church for 13 years, and now travels around the country speaking and consulting to champion the next generation of leaders in children's ministry.

We still have some more surprises in store for those of you that work with middle school and high school students, so keep checking back. There are some pretty big guns out there who are trying to rearrange their schedules to make it to Orange...we hope to making more announcments very soon!

More Speakers!
9.14.07

Hey guys, we’re excited about our line up for Orange 2008! And today we added another name to the list: Jim Wideman. Yep, we’ve been able to host his daughter, Yancy, at a few events before, and we’ve gotten to know Jim along the way. Anyone who knows Jim knows he is a blast to be around. Jim has the mind of an administrator, the wit of a comedian, the soul of a musician and the heart of a pastor. He also has a lot of stories to tell about ministry. If you get to hang around Jim at orange this year – you will definitely leave as a better thinker. We have got even more surprises coming up from more of the premier children’s leaders and student leaders who will be joining us at our next Orange conference…more announcements soon!

Seattle Ride
9.13.07

We had a great meeting today in Seattle with about 75 staff members from churches in the Seattle area. Norv Brown hosted the pre-tour meeting at Overlake Christian Church. Norv is seasoned leader who has lot of wisdom about ministry and how to reach families. Yesterday was great weather in the area, so I was able to ride all day and check out locations for the upcoming Orange Tour in September of 2008. I also had a meeting with Mike McDonald who works with the Belmont Foundation, the non-profit organization started by Donald Miller to help find mentors for boys with absent fathers. You can definitely find out more about their work at Orange next spring.

Orange Breakouts – Making Progress
9.12.07

We made a lot of progress on our breakouts for the conference today. I wish that I could video the process of deciding what topics to cover, when to offer, what to call them, who should teach, what room to put them in….it’s quite a puzzle and our staff is very opinionated. It looks like between the Orange Academy (Preconference) and the conference breakouts, we’ll be offering a whopping 74 options! We’re probably about 75% of the way through this process and we look forward to posting information for you guys soon.