Hundreds of South Carolina worship leaders came “Face to Face with God at the Summit” Aug. 21-22 as the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s Worship Summit sold out White Oak Conference Center for the second straight year.
Worship and music office director Mark Powers said he could not be more pleased with the response to this year’s gathering. “I think the number of classes we were able to offer was very comprehensive. I mean, we covered it all,” Powers said.
“We tried hard to balance the tremendous variety with a continuity of purpose that always led back to our theme, which was meeting God face to face in worship.”
The Worship Summit offered almost 70 classes, covering many aspects of worship. Classes were available for music ministers and worship leaders, praise band members and leaders, graded choir directors, pianists, organists and electronic keyboardists, and those in specialty areas such as handbell leadership and the use of technology in worship.
Class topics ranged from “Generations of Praise: Encouraging Worshippers of all Ages” to “Introduction to Digital Mixing.”
The technology track was especially helpful to one participant. “I learned so much about streaming video, and that’s something our church really wants to accomplish in the near future,” said Jason Whitaker of Green Hill Baptist in West Columbia. “I feel that now I can take that knowledge back and put it to use almost immediately,” he said.
The conference was taught by faculty members from across South Carolina, as well as from Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Louisiana. Participants were able to select classes offered during five separate time slots, stretching from Friday evening through mid-afternoon Saturday.
“There were so many classes I wanted to take. I just wish I had time to take them all,” said Tina Inabinette, Green Hill’s minister of music.
Anyone with an interest in next year’s event may contact the worship and music office at (800) 723-7242, ext. 2800.