Saturday Workshops

Because of our recent changes in personnel, we have been reorganizing our offerings for workshops on Saturday.  We are working hard at getting the workshop titles and descriptions posted as we get them from our new faculty members. 

To answer your workshop questions in a general sense, your teams will continue to receive a high level of training in these areas:

  • Media Team Workshops by Midnight Oil Productions
  • Rhythm Section Workshops by the Jason Lovins Band
  • Guitar Workshops by Karry Godwin
  • Vocal Workshops by Del Morgan
  • Small church ministry workshops by Sherri McKay and Marvin Copaus
  • Dance Ministry Workshops by Dawn Pruskowski
  • Audio Workshops
  • Children's Worship Resources
  • New Worship Resources

If you have registered for the conference, you will receive a complete list of workshops and the times they'll be offered before you arrive.

Big Events on Small Budgets

Workshop Leader: Sherrie McKay

Small churches with limited budgets can have a HUGE impact on their communities through special programs and events. Learn cost saving measures for planning, preparing and performing a Christmas Play, Easter Pageant or Children’s Musical.  Learn how to use your resources to their fullest with helpful tips, tools and resources for beginning or growing a production ministry.

Children and Worship

Workshop Leader: Susan Kitchin

Children are an asset to corporate worship because their childlike attributes give them a natural affinity towards God.  Most of us need to rediscover our childlikeness to be in awe of God.  Worship with children
should be a blessing not a distraction. Exploring this idea can lead to a paradigm shift in planning worship experiences.

Vocal Ensembles: Taking It To The Next Level

Workshop Leader: Del Morgan  (this is will be a continuous class offered in two sessions)

Whoever said "singing is a demanding sport" was right on target.  Singing demands hard work, commitment, and yes, sacrifice. Yet those who do it best make it look effortless.  No wonder we are confused! 

In our session we will identify and practice seven essential steps to creating an energized sound.  Seven is not a magic number and this is not an exhaustive list.  But without a doubt ensembles who pay attention to these seven principles will realize dramatic improvements immediately.  This workshop will be time well spent on your way to dynamic vocal performances.

Leading Worship With Guitar

Workshop Leader: Karry Godwin

The guitar is quite possibly the most popular instrument on the planet today. Let's look at some Do's and Don'ts that allow you to escape common pitfalls and can propel you to a new level of instrument proficiency. Then, we will investigate techniques that can provide confidence and assist you in welcoming your congregation into an atmosphere of worship. A "Q &A" period will also be provided at the end of our session.

Praying Through Your Instrument

Workshop Leader: Karry Godwin

The Hebrew word "Nagan" means to "strike with the fingers". This is the same word used to describe how David played before Saul and drove away the spirits that tormented the king. Let's see what the Bible has to say about "kingdom music".We will investigate the possibilities of playing/praying music that has power to move the spirit world and open men's hearts to the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Learn a Fully Choreographed Dance

Workshop Leader: Dawn Pruskowski

Won’t it be great to have a full dance that you can take back to your dance group? In this session, Dawn will be teaching you a dance that you will not only have fun doing, but will move you to rise up in praise.

Moving from Performance to the Presence

Workshop Leader: Dawn Pruskowski

God doesn’t say in the Bible that He is looking for dancers, but for worshipers. This will be a time to rededicate our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit and learn to move out of a heart of worship. We will discuss the topics of praise, worship, rejoicing and the physical aspects of those words. Moving past our fears and self-consciousness, we will dance to usher in the presence of God and communicate His heart to others.

The Heart of A Dancer

Workshop Leader: Dawn Pruskowski

In this class we will cover spiritual and practical keys that unlock the doors to a fruitful dance ministry. We will talk about positioning ourselves as worshipers who are relational, relevant and moving in the power and purpose of God. We will also cover topics that dancers often need help with such as choreography, using props, and what should I wear. Bring your note books because this will be a jam-packed class of knowledge for you to help maintain a successful ministry in dance.

The Adventure of Worship

Workshop Leader: Joel Goddard (offered in 2 sessions)

Bring your Bibles and prepare for departure as Joel guides you through a survey of worship throughout the Bible.  The destination of your adventure will be the original design God intended for each person as a worshiper.

The Elements of Adobe Photoshop Elements

Workshop Leader: Phil Graves

In this session we'll take a look at Adobe's economical graphic design program and show you how you can use it to enhance your church's worship service.

Taking Flight: Worship Design Teams that Work

Workshop Leaders: Jason & Len from Midnight Oil Productions

Many have attempted to design worship with a team of people, only to discover that it is difficult to form a team that actually works. We'll look at a series of obstacles that befall teams of sincere, hard working people, and explore through teaching and interactivity how to create worship design teams that take flight.

Media Shout Workshop

Workshop Leader: Phil Graves

MediaShout presentation software has been designed to help your church, youth group, Sunday School class, missions team, worship team, or Christian organization to share life's most important message as effectively as possible. Today we are surrounded by hundreds of media messages every day. Very few penetrate our minds and go straight to our heart. In this session we will show you how easy it can be to move beyond PowerPoint and incorporate this powerful software into your church.

Design Matters: Creating Powerful Imagery for Worship

Workshop Leaders: Jason & Len from Midnight Oil Productions

Creating powerful images for worship is not just for another congregation with more resources. Learn the basics for thinking in, and making, images, with our eight principles for design. Discover the power of creating, and customizing, images with our brief Adobe Photoshop demo.

Piano Techniques for Praise Band

Workshop Leaders: Kay Vaughn & Bryan Patrick

Be ready to take lots of notes in this information-packed workshop. Participants will learn techniques to help pianists groove with a rhythm section. Everything taught in this class has been road tested and congregation approved!

From Organist to Praise Band: A Classical Accompanist's Journey from Traditional to Contemporary Worship

Workshop Leaders: Kay Vaughn & Bryan Patrick

In this workshop, Accompanists and Worship Leaders will experience the journey of the worship transition at First Baptist Church of Laurel. Kay Vaughn and Bryan Patrick will lead a discussion that will give insight to the progression of the transition, things to look out for, and how the relationship stands today. It is highly suggested that Worship Leaders attend this session with their Accompanist(s).