Two Weeks Until Inspire!

Inspire 2022 will begin Aug. 4. This event, taking place in Tinley Park, Ill., is designed for anyone involved in a local CRC congregation – elders, deacons, pastors, administrators, worship leaders, Sunday school teachers, outreach coordinators, disability advocates, safe church teams, and more.

Four hundred people from across North America have already registered. It is not too late to join them. Learn more and register today.

Here are a few key things you need to know:

1. Communication – Inspire 2022 is using the popular Whova event app. In fact, people are already using it to connect with other attendees. Attendees simply install the app on their phone or tablet and then create an account using the same email address they used when registering. The app recognizes attendees as part of the Inspire 2022 event and unlocks all kinds of goodies to make the Inspire experience even better.
   
   With the Whova app, Inspire registrants are choosing workshops, seeing who else will be at Inspire, messaging people they know, meeting new friends, arranging ride-sharing from the airport, receiving announcements from the Inspire planning team, asking questions, and chatting with workshop leaders
   
   “I've answered questions in the app concerning dress code for the event, what the temperature is in Chicago in August, and several questions concerning how to register for workshops,” said Marianne Giebel, Inspire program assistant. She said people are also using the “Break the Ice” page to get to know each other before the event begins, and there is also interest in the ride-sharing page and in virtual meet-ups.
   
   “I'm happy to see presenters posting and interacting with attendees by using the app,” she said. Attendees can download the app to their phone or tablet.
2. Worship – Each day of Inspire will begin and end with times of worship led by Pastor Jeremy Simpson. Simpson and his wife, Erica, started the Pursuit Gathering in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 2020. We are “committed to helping people experience, express, and engage in multicultural worship,” he said. “Valuing diversity and inclusion, we want people of all ages and backgrounds to feel at home. We’re a community that moves with the Spirit, and we desire to experience that movement corporately at Inspire and beyond!”
   
   A singing group from South Africa had planned to participate at Inspire but were unable to get travel visas on time. The hope is to invite them to a future event.
3. Inspire Choir – After two years of pandemic restrictions, Inspire 2022 is offering participants an opportunity to sing together again. Attendees are invited to join the conference choir, led by Simpson, to sing two songs: Hallelujah, You're Worthy and My Help. If you have questions, contact Katie Roelofs at [email protected].
   
   Inspire registrants should use this form to indicate their interest by July 25. If there are not many sign-ups, the choir will be canceled.
4. Expo – A ministry expo with nearly 40 vendors will be available near the dining room at Inspire 2022. Each vendor will offer resources or programs that can support the work of local congregations. Many will have free items to give away and will have staff present to answer questions.
   
   “We’re providing lots of time for folks to visit the expo to meet exhibitors and ask ministry-related questions. It’s so exciting that everyone can return home truly ‘inspired’ with ideas and resources for their local context,” said Naomi Bula, a member of the expo team for Inspire.
5. Preconference and other events – Several preconference events have been organized for the day or two before Inspire. A few of these were canceled due to low registrations, but you can still sign up to attend a banquet and workshop commemorating 25 years of women’s ordination to church office, or a dinner commemorating 50 years of race relations ministry in the CRCNA. Calvin Theological Seminary is also offering a reception during Inspire for alumni. (Email Jen Settergren at [email protected] for more information.)
6. Workshops – Inspire is offering attendees the option to select five workshops from 63 offerings over the course of three days. These workshops promise to equip attendees in all sorts of ways. You can check many of them out on the Network for more information.

With Inspire just a few weeks away, it’s still not too late to be a part of all that this conference has to offer! Register today at crcna.org/Inspire.