If you’ve registered for one or both of the Songwriting Evaluation Seminars at WorshipGod08, you only have a few more weeks to get your songs in. If you’d like to have your song considered for evaluation at the conference, send an MP3 and a Word document with the lyrics to Chelsea at ckauflin@sovgracemin.org. You can also send a CD and lyrics to: “WorshipGOD08 Song Evaluation,” c/o Chelsea Kauflin, 7505 Muncaster Mill Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. These must be sent no later than Tuesday, July 15, to be considered. No more than two submissions per writer. Please understand that we won’t be able to return submissions or review every song submitted. Thanks!
I’m happy to let you know that Drew Shirley, lead guitarist for Switchfoot, and a member of the Sovereign Grace Church in San Diego, has confirmed that he’ll be able to join us for most of WorshipGod08 this year. In addition to playing for a couple main sessions, Drew will be teaching two seminars for guitarists, Thursday and Friday afternoons, from 4:15-5:30. Because this is a late addition to the schedule, no one needs to sign up in advance. Anyone at the conference will be able to attend either or both seminars.
Drew has been playing with Switchfoot for 6 years. He has written, played, produced, and toured in the music industry for over 15 years and brings a passion for music and worship. He is a member of Grace Church San Diego along with his expectant wife Jenna and 4 yr old daughter Lauren.
Drew also contributed to the Na Band’s recent project, Looked Upon. Looking forward to what he’ll add to WorshipGod08.
My wife, Julie, has agreed to teach a seminar at the WorshipGod conference that was called “Managing Motherhood and Ministry.” I’m grateful that she agreed because she’s had over thirty years of experience serving alongside me in various capacities and has a ton to share for women that is both biblical and helpful. She’s been a sound engineer, vocalist, designer, and pastor’s wife, and raised six children in the process, and she’s done an outstanding in all of them.
As we talked about her experiences, we thought she was going to be talking about more than just motherhood. To better reflect the content of what she’ll be sharing, her seminar is going to be called “Maintaining Priorities in and Around the Worship Team.” I know of few women who have done that better than my wife.
This Sunday, June 1, registration rates go up $25. Right now the cost is $100 for students, $125 for groups of 5 or more, and $150 for individuals.
Registration has topped 1200, but we still have room for about 300-400 more folks. Unfortunately, we have space limitations on some of the seminars so we’ve had to close a few as they’ve filled up. So the sooner you sign up, the more likely you’ll get to attend the seminars you most want to go to.
The other day I was adding up the number of people who had signed up for seminars. When I looked up at my calculator it read 943. I figured I must have punched in a wrong number. I added the numbers again, looked up, and it still read 943. I couldn’t believe it. We’re almost four months out from the conference and we’re already at 60% capacity. Seems most of it had to do with people wanting to save the $25 that was added to registration on April 1.
That’s good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re going to have a great time with a lot of folks. The bad news is that we’re already having to close some seminars. And we’re going to be advertising at Together for the Gospel in a couple weeks and at the New Attitude Conference at the end of May. We’re working on some solutions, like switching rooms for different seminars. But the fact is, we have space limitations and we just can’t increase the size of all the seminars. Most of them will be recorded, but it’s always nice to be there at the actual seminar. Once a seminar is full it won’t show up as an option on the registration page.
So if you’re interested at all in coming to the conference and want to have as many options as possible for the seminars, I’d sign up soon.
On the other hand, if you’re not as concerned about getting the seminars you want, take your time.
I didn’t think I’d be writing that four months before the conference began, but it’s true. Registration is at 1/3 capacity and already four seminars are 80% full and one has reached capacity. Now begins the fun process of determining whether we need to move the seminar locations around. We got creative this year, and are holding one workshop outside under a tent and another workshop in a large hallway. That’s given us more room, but we’re expecting more people to attend this year.
All that to say, the sooner you sign up, the better the chance that you’ll be able to go to the seminars you want. At some point soon, I’ll post which seminars are going to be recorded. We plan on recording as many as possible, but some don’t translate well due to a lot of interaction or visuals.
On April 1, the rates to attend WorshipGod08 for students, individuals, and groups all go up. But it’s not that bad…only $25 more starting in April. Still, you could save some money by registering this week.
Registration for WorshipGod08 has been moving along, but we’re still four and a half months away from the conference. If you’re planning on coming, I wanted to remind you that registration rates go up $25 each on April 1, and again on July 1.
But here’s a way you can come for free. We’re giving away a free registration to the person who sends in the best answer to this question:
What is the most awkward/embarrassing moment you’ve ever experienced as a worship leader or part of a team?
Here are the guidelines:
Answers have to be 150 words or less. Really.
Your answer must be something you personally experienced or were part of.
Answers should be sent to bob@worshipmatters.com.
You have to respond by midnight EST on Saturday, March 15.
If you’ve already registered, you can still play. Your registration cost will be refunded.
No one gives announcements like Mark Altrogge. Sure he can write amazing worship songs. Sure he’s a great dad and pastor. Sure he’s a fantastic artist. But his giftedness really shines when he steps up to give announcements. That’s why he’s been the go-to announcement giver at every WorshipGod conference. And why I made sure early on that he was set for WorshipGod08. Here’s a portion of the announcements he gave at WorshipGod06. He’s honoring those who serve on the tech team, but uses it as an opportunity to bust on me. His comments are only slightly exaggerated.
We had to work through a few bugs to get the registration open today. Thanks for your patience.
Now that it’s open, here are a few things to remember as you register:
You have to choose your five seminars at the time of registration (out of the 45 that are offered). Seminar descriptions can be downloaded at the “Who Should Attend” page and the registration form.
Groups can register individuals at the lowest price. So if you have a student who is part of your group, they can pay the student rate.
Bring as many people from your team as possible. That will enable you to attend more seminars, keep everyone on the same page, and enjoy some great fellowship.
Whenever possible, pastors should attend with their worship leaders, for the reasons I just cited in the previous point.
Set up this blog on your RSS feed to keep track of updates, interviews, and important information.
The cheapest time to register for the conference is before April 1. At that time all prices go up $25.
Administrative questions about the conference should be sent to worshipconference@sovgracemin.org.
Please let us know if you have any needs, questions, or comments. We look forward to interacting even before the conference starts.