The ICC Blog

This past week, the intern team had a chance to rest and prepare for the remaining conferences and MASTERS.

September 13 – 19, 2009

There’s No Place Like Home

Austin Luce

As the motorhome pulled into the Moons’ driveway, excited shouts of, “We’re home!” rang out. The Moons’ house has become the team’s home away from home. This past week, we went back to Tennessee for a couple of days to relax, do a little work, and restock the motorhome storage cabinets with book table materials (and restock the snack drawer with goodies .

I particularly enjoyed getting to sleep in as late as I wanted, getting a hair cut, and going on a supply run to the grocery store for eggs so that we could bake brownies!

The team started reading the book The Peacemaker together. The book has led to great discussions and will be sure to build the unity of our team.

We have also spent a lot of time this week working on the theme for next year. We’ve brainstormed ideas, had several discussions, and are nearly ready to unveil the theme that will be used this January at the MASTERS conference and through out the next year.

We had a great time time this week, but we’re itching to get back on the road to put on the next eight conferences. We’ll see you there!

Trust me

Katie Mullaney

The other day I jumped off a thirty foot pole. Blind-folded. The fact that I couldn’t see the pole (or the ladder, or the tiny platform at the top) actually made the jump a little bit easier.

Oh, did I forget to mention I was in a harness, connected to a rope, a Doe River Gorge staff member was belaying me below, and Tim Hardy was guiding me the whole way?

The ‘leap of faith’, as the Doe River staff calls the jump, was the dramatic conclusion to the team-building activities the interns participated in this Friday at Doe River Gorge (DRG). The very gracious DRG staff took several hours to lead the team through various activities that both strengthened our trust in each other, and bolstered our effectiveness as a team.

After we flipped over a potato sack/flying carpet, crawled in a line blindfolded through the mud, and partnered up for the leap of faith, we walked down by the river in the rain. As we settled in for dinner, I contemplated the allegorical imagery and powerful impression the exercises had left in my mind. The importance of trust and teamwork was highlighted by the intense experience we went through.

The rest of our time at the gorge on Saturday was spent swimming in, hanging around, and zip-lining into the lake, eating more delicious food, playing disc golf, riding horses, hiking, and whatever other adventurous activities we could get ourselves into.

The experience was unforgettable, the staff was wonderfully hospitable, the rest and relaxation were refreshing, and the lessons we learned will stay with us for the rest of tour and the rest of our lives.

Tags: Trips and Fun

Boston in the Fall

Kelsea Mort

While having a bit of time off, our team was blessed with the opportunity to spend a day in the beautiful city. I’m sure the twelve of us filing into the metro excited for an adventure filled day must have been quite the sight! Our destination? Boston! Our group of Josh, Kristen, Austin, and myself set out confidently, armed with a map and cameras. We followed the yellow brick road, or rather, the red brick road, known as The Freedom Trail, while singing “and now I’ve been to Boston in the fall!” The day was rich with history. Our fearless leader and history nut (Josh), lead us to the very top of the Bunker Hill memorial (all 375ish steps!), into the North Church (where we saw the pews of Theodore Roosevelt and General Gage), to multiple statues erected in founding father’s honor (such as Paul Revere), even to historic graveyards and beautiful parks. We even walked to the waters edge as ‘angry rebels’, throwing tea into the harbor, and were able to take a ferry around the outskirts of the city. We were able to experience some shopping downtown in the market and walk through the public gardens just as the sun was going down. Riding the metro back to the motor home, we all were able to reflect on the day and what a wonderful blessing it was to spend it in such enjoyable company. Farewell to our foundational city, good-bye Boston.

Tags: Trips and Fun

Lead the Escape

Timothy Hardy

Elation filled my spirit as I stood there in the dimly lit sanctuary at the conclusion of our Lead the Escape evening program in Hanover, Ma, listening to the audience’s enthusiastic clapping. I was touched by the words of thanks I received afterwards from the parents and students who attended. For many people, after they recieve a lot of “thank you’s”, they start to feel that each one means less. But tonight I could feel the joy and hope that the people shaking my hand were expressing. Through all of the trying times the team has had with developing the evening program I have been able to clearly see the Lord’s guiding hand. He has been the one to heal and hold us, giving us a reason and purpose for everything we do. It wasn’t us that the audience was clapping for at the program’s conclusion, it was Him.

Tags: Mid-Conference Updates

Mass Apps

Janie Little

The Massachusetts Apprentices have been absolutely amazing. This has been a more condensed conference than usual, so the Apprentices haven’t had as much time as usual to complete their tasks. Despite this fact, they’ve done everything they need to, plus some. It’ been great to work with them for this conference and I’m so proud of the work they’ve done!

Tags: Mid-Conference Updates

Public Forum

Joshua Craddock

The conference participants loved Public Forum debate this week! We started with a few fun activities that introduced the ideas of crossfire and the nature of persuasion, before jumping into the debates themselves. Even though some of the students were less experienced with debate, they enjoyed the opportunity to speak and every debater had their own passionate view on the issue of teen driving curfews.

Tags: Mid-Conference Updates

September 11 – 12, 2009

My Hanover Experience

Timothy Hardy

My Massachusetts conference experience was marked by the astounding energy of the participants, facility helpers, and host families that attended the event in Hanover. With their assistance, and that of our apprentice helpers, we were able to pull off an amazing conference. I had a wonderful time working through our revised schedule and exciting activities with the students and coaches. A couple of the students came up to me after the conference and expressed their appreciation for some of the classes I taught that they were in. They said that they had gained new ideas for how they could communicate with culture in an effective and purposeful way.

For me, I came away from this conference with a renewed vigor to teach my peers how they can walk out of their front door equipped with the skills of communication and impact the people around them with the joy and hope of our Lord.

Book Table Encounters

Phillip Rosenberger

It was the last day of the conference and we had just finished performing the evening program the night before. We were getting ready to close down the book table and start packing up. I was about to head off to general assembly when a coach came by for a last minute purchase. She told me which books she was interested in so I brought out the receipt and started adding up the total. I heard her try to speak but could tell she was having a hard time finding words.

When I finished writing my list I looked up. In her hands she held the Lead The Escape T-Shirt but in her eyes she held back tears as she tried to speak. Eventually, she regained her composure and started telling me about how impacted she was from the program the night before. She was buying a T-shirt so she would always remember the message. With tears in her eyes, she told me how easy it was to forget to love those around her. She wanted a reminder of the passion the evening program gave her so she would never forget the importance of leading the escape. Through this conversation, I was encouraged and motivated to keep helping others lead the escape in their own lives. I’m looking forward even more to sharing this message at conferences across the country!

Tags: CFC Conferences

Beginning Public Speaking

Phillip Rosenberger

A quote from BPSers playing a guessing game.

“Is it an animal?”

“Yes.”

“Is it pink?”

“How many animals do you know are pink?”

“A pink panther..”

“..No.. It’s not pink.”

Beginning Public Speakers…the most amazing group of kids younger than twelve you will ever meet in your entire life. So full of energy and eagerness, they always have the potential to impact your life. But one of my favorite parts about being the Assistant BPS Director is that you get to work one on one with the Apprentices that attend the conference. Kelsea and I get to meet with them and instruct them on how to lead the groups and some of the activities. Being able to travel across the country and meet these amazing Student Leaders and their eagerness to pass on their knowledge and take time to work with students younger than them has greatly blessed me. When it comes down to it…not only are the participants awesome, but the help we get along the way rocks.

Tags: Mid-Conference Updates

Sea of Faces

Josh Craddock

September 5 – 6, 2009

Our first stop on our two-day tour of New York City wasn’t even in New York. Ellis Island, where more than twelve million immigrants were processed through its facilities, is primarily located in the state of New Jersey! This was an especially exciting part of our tour for our team, since several of us had relatives who had immigrated to the United States through this very island. KatieMac found several of her relative’s names inscribed on the Wall of Honor. KatieAnne told the story of her great-grandfather who was marked with a chalk “X” (indicating that he was inadmissible to America for health reasons) and who turned his coat inside out to conceal the mark, allowing him to enter the country. I was even able to find one of my relatives who had come over from Germany in the record database!

Getting back on the ferry, we floated on over to Liberty Island – home of the famed Statue of Liberty. We climbed all one hundred and seventy-six steps to the observation deck so that we could look out on the expansive city across the harbor! The view was breathtaking.

We spent the next day in the city itself. Walking down the streets of New York City’s Manhattan borough, we managed to avoid being trampled by the masses and tasted the delicious experience that is the Big Apple! Our group started beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and worked our way on foot past Federal Hall, where on the steps of the first capital of the United States under the Constitution, George Washington took the Oath of Office.

Following Wall Street, we saw the New York Stock Exchange and Trinity Church, where Alexander Hamilton and William Bradford are buried (and where, more recently, the popular movie National Treasure was filmed). We finally reached Castle Clinton, an old fortress built for the War of 1812 and later turned into an immigration processing station.

Turning back to the North, we worked our way back past the World Trade Center ground zero. The empty hole in the New York skyline was chilling, but the unbreakable spirit of the American people was evident all around the site.

We were starting to get hungry, so we navigated our way through the masses towards Chinatown, an area rich with culture, new sights, sounds, and smells. After passing through Chinatown, we visited Little Italy and upon seeing an Italian grocery store, we decided to get fresh rolls, cheese, and salami and eat them in the park. What a great place for a picnic! Our stomachs having been satisfied, we jumped on the metro and got off at the Empire State Building and the world’s largest store – Macy’s!

Somehow we managed to pull the girls back to the Metro so that we could visit Grand Central Terminal (the largest train station in the world in terms of platforms). We finally took the Metro to Central Park – an urban jungle in the midst of the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan.

The entire team had dinner at a ‘50s diner before taking an evening walk through Times Square. Everyone enjoyed seeing the lights of the city against the night sky.

All in all, the team enjoyed the city tremendously. Most of us decided that we wouldn’t like to live there, but that it sure was a nice place to visit. I can’t wait for my next trip back!

Tags: Trips and Fun

There’s an App For That…

Rebecca Au

As an apprentice at the Metuchen CFC conference, I found my role straddling between the interns and the students. This allowed me to participate in some of the awesome activities, while gaining opportunities to lead and teach, and to see part of what it means to be a communications coach. As a student, I loved being part of Model UN. The challenge of using speed and strategy to push forward my country’s goals was exhilarating. I also appreciated learning more about speech and debate from the staff in their focused classes.

Most of my time, however, was spent assisting the staff. I led groups of Beginning Public speakers, and watched their excitement as they shared jokes and bible verses they had prepared. I guided introductory students to an understanding of the structure of a debate case, using M&M packages as an example. Plus, I had loads of fun preparing group presentations with the other apprentices.

I had approached the conference with the expectation that sometimes I’d be leading, the rest of the time I’d be learning as a student. But particularly because I was an apprentice, I saw that there is no difference between “on-platform” and “off-platform” time. As a leader, I was looked up to, regardless of the role I saw myself performing. I was always on call to discuss the Young Speakers Guild training series, to help those around me understand what was happening, or to give an example of respectful and authentic communication.

Who I was at the conference is the person I want to be. I want to be a servant leader, and I want to remember that I’m always communicating. Whether or not I’m leading a class, whether or not I’m wearing a CFC name-tag, I am a representative of Christ

Tags: CFC Conferences

We just finished our third conference from September 1 – 4, 2009. Now, read the posts by Kristen Au, Robin Scofield, and Hannah Ketring.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Kristen Au

I fondly call this past event “my conference.” During the last week, the touring team stopped in my local area and I was able to stay with my family for eight days in a row. It was a time of encouragement, renewal and bliss for me and I really enjoyed seeing God work in the lives of those around me.

This was the largest conference we have held so far and down time was something unheard of. The first day of the speech conference was particularly action-packed. I switched between running activities, working with beginning public speakers, and teaching workshops all day. My favorite part of all that was heading up an invigorating and almost always hilarious activity called Radio Broadcasting.

The students were instructed to create a news broadcast about some current events after reading materials I had given them. They worked in groups to present their own version of the evening news, covering the topics of health, technology, international news, weather, and conference news. After twenty-five minutes of preparation, each group had come up with a creative way of explaining each of their topics.

We all watched on the edge of our pews, as students put on accents and personalities to inform us about the latest number of swine flu victims, the inside story on the Apple’s Snow Leopard Operating System, and elections in Greece. Then we sat back and laughed about the fictional (and slightly loopy) weather predictions and the reports on the intern’s quirky habits.

Overall, I was very impressed at the student’s ability to take ordinary information and turn it into an enlightening and entertaining presentation, all in less than half an hour. Thinking back on that activity, I am reminded of the example which the men from the tribe of Issachar set for us in 1 Chronicles 12:32. Those men understood the times they lived in and knew what was right. The Radio Broadcasting activity showed me a group of young people who are ready to take on that same challenge.

Of Coffee, Chapters, and Conversations

Hannah Ketring

What do you get when you put a green garden gnome, 170+ students, at least three ninjas, and five skillful Apprentices in one building? Something close to the level of amazing-ness experienced at the Metuchen conference. As this was my first visit to New Jersey, a couple of things surprised me, including the beautiful weather, the intense recycling, and delicious health food. I loved working with the students and getting to be in a new part of the country. The day before the conference the intern team was treated to a beautiful lunch where we had the privilege of meeting the conference host team and several students who would be attending. It was a really special time and I so appreciated getting to hang out more with the incredible people here. New Jersey might be small in size, but it is large in heart, as two different New Jersey chapters were represented at the conference. I really enjoyed working with both Say What and City Gate, as well two Annapolis chapters, The Messengers and LOGOS and seeing their unique, creative, and informative chapters presentations. So overall, the New Jersey conference was kind of like a cup of coffee: energizing, intense, and beautiful. It also smelled nice.

How Metuchen

Robin Scofield

My first taste of New Jersey was stepping out of the Motor Home to feel cool fresh air hit my face. One of my first experiences at the church was being handed a chocolate from one of the Mothers from the local Chapter. This conference was off to a great start: cool weather, hospitable people, and chocolate. Throughout the rest of the days of the Metuchen conference my first impression was actually right! It was exciting to be able to share the framework of communication with the beginners, who were hearing the information for the first time. Seeing a light in their eyes when they “get it” is something I always look for when I am teaching a class, and I saw it frequently. The intermediate students became even more interactive and energetic as the days went on, which made teaching classes extremely fun. Not only did they ask questions of the instructors, but volunteered information from their own practice and background, which added an amazing element to each class.

Another portion of this conference that I particularly remember was that the parents involved were so appreciative. Whether it was after registration, or after leading a Coaches workshop, I would be stopped by a mother and after our conversation I would be thoroughly encouraged. Because of the opportunity to get to know the students as well as their parents, I am so very excited to see how all of the New Jersey clubs and chapters will continue to grow, and reach out in their area.

Tags: CFC Conferences