Originally from Manchester, Georgia, Alan Mitchell graduated from Mercer University with a double major in Music and Sociology. He received his formal Theological and Religious Education training at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He also completed a Master’s degree at Samford Baptist University. Alan has served churches in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas, including First Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia, where he was Minister of Music for 12 years.

Alan moved from the music ministry to the pastorate in 1991, and is currently Pastor of Community Church of Milledgeville, in Milledgeville, Georgia. He also works with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia with Reference and Referral, matching ministers seeking churches with churches seeking ministers. We are excited to have Alan share his musical talents with us as he sings and performs his piece, "The Tragic Tale of the Sunday School Pin."

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Alica Kirkpatrick-Bremer is the Associate Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Auburn. She received her Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Alica has served as a Minister of Youth and a Minister of Education. Among her many passions and talents, Alica has a passion for worship planning in the life of the church. 

We are excited to have Alica come and share her talk with us, "Being Responsible with our Senses in Worship." Worship is one of the most significant times that we gather as believers.  It is the essence of breathing in and breathing out. Alica shares with us ways we can intentionally craft this special time so that it is meaningful and relevant. Her passion is letting herself be loved by God and sharing that love with others.

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Bo Prosser, a native of Milledgeville, Georgia, is the Coordinator for Congregational Life for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. An Adult Educator for over 20 years, Dr. Prosser has been sharing his brand of love and laughter with churches, corporate clients, and adult learners all across the country. It is out of these expertise that Bo shares his talk, Whatever Happened to Christian Education? Bo shares with us his thoughts and observations on the state of Christian Education and Training in our world.

Bo holds two Masters degrees in Theology and in Christian Education from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY.  His Doctoral work is in the area of Adult Education from North Carolina State University. His dissertation focused on the use of humor to teach adults.

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Chris Gambill holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology and is an ordained Baptist minister. Chris has more than twenty-five years of combined ministry experience as a pastor, missionary, campus minister, consultant, and leadership development specialist. He is currently a Senior Consultant at the Center for Congregational Health® and has worked with the Center since it’s beginning in 1992. Chris has extensive experience in the areas of conflict management, emotional intelligence, strategic planning, staff development, and leadership coaching. Chris' talk is titled, Start With the Destination or End Up Where You Started. Organizations—like the people within them—are easily distracted and get off course. The beginning point for accomplishing what God is calling us to do is to give prayer and thought to the destination. Effective organizations, churches and individuals learn how to discover their God-given destination and create a roadmap to get there.

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Clarissa Strickland is a native of Atlanta, GA, and also a native of “Baptistville” – having been born at Georgia Baptist Hospital. She grew up swinging her legs off Baptist pews, under the tutelage of a mother who equated the importance of Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong with the Apostle Paul. She attended a Baptist university, supported a husband through a Baptist seminary and was a Baptist pastor’s wife for 32 years. For the last 18 years, she has worked for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and is their longest-tenured employee. She is currently the Networking Specialist for Leadership Development.

Clarissa was Baptist-born, Baptist-bred, and is fairly confident that, when she dies, she will be Baptist-dead. Clarissa shares her light hearted comedy with us through a routine called, What it’s Like Having Been a Baptist 400 Years.

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David Crocker is Executive Director of Operation Inasmuch, Inc., a ministry to equip congregations to mobilize their members in hands-on ministry to people in need in their community. 

It is out of this experience that David brings us his talk, "The Church Has Left the Building." Congregations are learning the value, even necessity, of being the hands and feet of Jesus in their community. His talk shows how the model of community ministry known as Operation Inasmuch has mobilized thousands of believers in just that way. The church is at her best when believers also behave like believers outside the church house.

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Frances Ford is the Executive Director of Sowing Seeds of Hope an entity of CBF’s Rural Poverty Initiative and it is out this experience that she will bring us the talk, Sowing Seeds of Hope in Black Belt. In this talk Frances shares how a faith-based organization can partner with local organizations to eliminate poverty and improve the quality of life.

Frances is a resident of Perry County, Alabama and a product of the Perry County public schools. She is a graduate of Judson College and Samford University. Frances is also a registered nurse and currently works as the Perry County Healthcare Coordinator.

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Harry Rowland is the CBF Director of Missional Church Ministries for Global Missions. Harry’s talk is titled: "A Right-Side Up Church in an Upside-Down World." In Acts 17:6, the church is accused of turning the world “upside down.” For the western church to not just survive, but rather thrive, it must embrace its founding missional call. This is not a call to do missions, but rather a call to be on mission in such a way that neither you, the church, or the world will ever be the same again.

Harry has a love and expertise for assisting local churches in making the transition from institution churches that do missions to missional churches whose DNA is missions.

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For more than 30 year, Mark McClintock, Coordinator for PASSPORTkids! has been putting words in people's mouths and laughter in people's hearts, aided by his 20 colorful and unique puppet sidekicks. 

He has been judged Best Ventriloquist of the Year at the International Ventriloquist Convention and has traveled throughout the USA and internationally to perform for churches, denominational events, business gatherings, colleges and schools, and a wide variety of other venues. 

In 2003, Mark joined the administrative staff of Passport, Inc. to create PASSPORTkids!, a missions-focused Christian camp for children.

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MaryAnn Walker serves as Pastor to the McAfee community and as Co-Pastor of Druid Hills Baptist Church. She is also Adjunct Professor of Religion with the Tift College of Education, Mercer University. She has received degrees from Florida State University (1978) and from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and is currently completing a Doctor of Theology degree from the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary in the area of ecological theology and pastoral care.

It is out of these expertises that MaryAnn brings a talk titled, "Creation Spirituality." She shares practices that keep us grounded and focus on our call to participate in bringing about the Kingdom of God on Earth.

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Pam Durso is the Associate Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, headquartered in Atlanta.  She is the author of several volumes on Baptist history, including The Story of Baptists in the United States, published by the BHHS in 2006.

Bruce Gourley is the Interim Director of the Center for Baptist Studies and Online Editor of Baptists Today.  He is the author of several volumes on Baptist history, including Leading the Way For 200 Years: The Story of the First Baptist Church of Huntsville, to be released in spring 2009. Bruce and Pam will deliver a talk called, A 400- Year Conversation.

This year, Baptists are celebrating 400 years of existence. Some of the same conversations taking place among Baptists of the early 17th century are taking place among today's Baptists.  This presentation pinpoints ways in which your congregation can more effectively participate in this 400-year conversation.

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Ronald E. King is the Executive Director/CEO at the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, Georgia. Ron is a native of Donalsonville, Georgia. Ron completed his masters and doctorate in counseling and psychology in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a Diplomat in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, an approved supervisor in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and is a certified executive coach.

Ron shares with us his talk, It’s Not Rocket Science, It’s Even Harder. The world’s greatest leadership principle is essential for all of us as we enter the 21st Century. Understanding and practicing Servant Leadership sounds so simple.  It’s not, because it involves understanding ourselves and empowering others.

(click "read more" to view the webcast).