Stephen Proctor wrote this up; and since we are a part of this together (with others of course), I didn’t see any sense to re-write it!  My heart is exactly in line with what Stephen says in the first 4 paragraphs, so check it out!

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There are many factors that contribute to this journey of “visual worship” I’m on.  New software versions, cool loops with that latest edgy effect, creative “out of the box” (or “in the box“…haha) projection techniques, etc… these are all good and noteworthy things. But one thing contributes more than any of those combined, and that is community.

Thankfully, in this day we have social media that easily and freely connects us all, and if you know what you’re doing, you can quickly find your way into a tribe of like-minded people who share the same passion. In the past few years, i have met some of the most creative, passionate people ever through social media. But when it goes beyond 140 characters or the occasional blog comment, that’s where the real conversations start to take place.

That’s why i love events like Echo, Gurus & Dirt. Because these are gatherings that are designed to connect creative leaders passionate about media & worship in the Church. Any given day at one of these events is jam-packed with mind-blowing seminars, inspiring keynotes & eye-opening resources that will make your head spin. At one of these events, I met Bill Swaringim, a church tech director from St. Louis and a fellow twitter follower. He proposed an interesting idea to Camron Ware & me:  a whole event dedicated to “visual worship”.

This being a dream of ours for a year now, we jumped onboard immediately. Bill took the initiative and ran with the idea! So here are a few details for what i hope to be the first of many “Visual Worship Roundtables”.

- When is it? //  January 14th, 2010

- Where is it? //  St. Louis, MO @ Windsor Crossing Community Church

- Does it cost anything? //  Yes. And only $25.

- Where can I register & get more information? //   VisualWorship2010.com

- What can I expect to get out of this event? //   This is not a “conference”, so it won’t follow any format like one. Most of the day will be an open dialogue where all are invited to participate. There will be structure, but it will be informal and designed to flow freely. With a bunch of creative-techs in the room, i’m sure we’ll cover topics on technology and gear. But this isn’t a “tech” event…there aren’t going to be any training sessions on software (though we might be using/demonstrating certain softwares throughout the day). We will definitely talk about ways that all of us have implemented technology throughout the year, such as VJ-ing, Environmental Projection, creating atmosphere, new content ideas, etc. But in the midst of touching on the “whats” & “hows”, our priority will be on the “why“. We hope to get into some deep & possibly controversial conversations on our philosophies of visual worship, theology, current Church culture, building stronger relationships, and ways to be more effective visual worship leaders. Hopefully through this experience we will draw closer to each other & to Jesus, to whom this is all for in the first place.

Some other questions you might ask:

- Q. I love a philosophical discussion just like the next guy, but I still have some questions about “gear”. Will there be any time or place to have my questions answered? //  A. Yes! While we don’t claim to have all the answers, we most definitely want to help you along your journey. Since everyone’s questions & situations are unique, we probably won’t address these in the large group setting. But there will be time during the day for individual conversations, no matter the topic. And if that’s not enough, then you’ll leave with everyone’s contact info.

- Q. Whoa! This event is just around the corner! I would love to come but it’s too short of a notice. Will there be more gatherings like this in the future? //  A. Yes. But we don’t know when yet. Hopefully a few of these will take place in 2010, and not just in the St. Louis area either. Watch this blog & the Events page for upcoming Roundtables.

- Q. Will this be a large event? //  A. My guess is no. And we’re fine with that. In fact, a smaller, more intimate setting will allow for more voices to be heard and for more flexibility in our conversations. But the more, the merrier, too! Numbers aren’t our focus…growing deeper in our understanding of visual worship IS. This will be an epic day, even if there’s 8 of us (and there will be at least that many!)

- Q. I’d like to host a Visual Worship Roundtable in my city. Is this possible? //  A. You bet your bottom dollar it is. Just e-mail me  ( proctor@worshipVJ.com )  and let’s talk.

- Q. Will this event be live-streamed? //  A. Despite our failed attempts in the past, yes, we are going to try our best to live-stream this event …and do it right this time!  :)   So on that day, tune in to live.worshipVJ.com.  (but we may have to call in Brad Zimmerman for this!)

- Q. I have another question that you haven’t covered. //  A. That’s not a question…it’s a statement. But i know what you mean. Just ask your question in the comments section.

thanks!