Category: Leadership Planning Team 2013

Posted on

If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write

By CORNELIA BECKER SEIGNEUR

One of my favorite writing quotes is by Martin Luther: “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” I think I have always appreciated the power of the pen, the strength of story and the wonder of Words.

As we head into the weekend for Portland’s second Faith & Culture Writers Conference at Multnomah University, Friday-Saturday April 5-6, I am excited to lead a breakout session on “Freelance Writing in the Digital World.”

I love sharing the story of how God opened the door for me to freelance for The Oregonian newspaper beginning in 1996. I have had the honor of penning stories of doctors going to Africa, of kids raising money for orphans, of entire youth groups traveling to Mississippi rather than go to a summer camp for fun. After people read my stories, I receive emails or phone calls from folks saying they read my story and they decided to donate funds, or help someone, or go on a mission trip. Wow, that feeling of lives being changed through story is amazing.

My daughter Rach had written a teen column for The Oregonian while she was in high school and one of the things she wrote about once was how she did not want gifts for Christmas but instead she wanted money so she could go on a mission trip to Mississippi. She received a check in the mail for $ 100 from a reader who was so moved by her story. My Rachie said to me, “Mom, I did not realize how much writing can impact people.”

While I have specialized in stories of faith and culture, family and community for The Oregonian, I had also  dreamed of writing for Christianity Today, and am grateful for the opportunity that has opened up for me to do just that.  I have been able to pen stories about (the late) Richard Twiss and Lopez Lomong, whose story is that running — and writing — saved  his life.

I look forward to penning more stories. But first, our upcoming writers conference. And, speaking of Christianity Today, I asked my editor Katelyn Beaty to donate magazines, and they did. We have a few gift subscriptions as door prizes, and a box full of magazines to give away. Christy Tenant Krispin will be here representing CT and its This is Our City Project, which collects stories of folks reaching out and impacting culture locally.

Buzz is building for this weekend’s conference as people who have never been before are learning about it. It’s fun to see all the connections being made with old friends and new friendships forming. Twitter hashtag #faithculture2013 is active on our @WritersUniteNW Twitter page and our  Faith & Culture Writers Connection Facebook page can be found at:  Facebook Faith & Culture Writers

Registration at the door on Friday-Saturday April 5-6 is $ 75 and students are just $ 25. Visit: Faith & Culture Writers Conference

 

Posted on

Where God May Lead…

By Bethany Jackson

Our yearning to write can come at any point in our life. Young or old, experienced or beginner, at some point for us there comes a deep desire to pick up a pen and tell a story. I finally listened to the nudging after many years of busying myself with other activities and did not ignore it in 2010. I joined a group called the Writers Connection Group at Rolling Hills Community Church where I attend. There I found a group of writers from every genre, age group and level of experience in attendance.

Dusting off my keyboard and listening to the most fundamental advice, I began writing again. The group was not a class but something even more important for me, a springboard of encouragement to just do it. Just write and let God fill the pages with His inspiration… through our fingers to put those words on paper.

After some time had passed and I grew to know the director, Cornelia Becker Seigneur, I was invited to join the Leadership Team for the first Faith and Culture Writers Conference being held at Western Seminary in 2011. I must tell you that this was indeed a true honor for me. As I walked into the room where the meeting was being held, I was so thankful for being obedient to the nudging in my heart to follow God’s leading to that first meeting at Rolling Hills. I sat down amongst five other women of faith. When introduced, tears welled up in my eyes as I felt unworthy of the honor that this invitation held. I knew in my heart God had a plan for the women around the table and if we stayed in His will and let Him lead us, the conference would be all that He would want it to be.

Now two years later and being asked to be the Administrative Assistant for the second Faith and Culture Writers Conference, I know that being obedient to God’s “nudging” is the first step to being available for Him to work in our lives. Putting a conference together can certainly be a daunting task, but when we let God lead and direct, He somehow puts each task into manageable steps.

We hope that you will be a part of the conference. If you feel a nudging in your heart to come, don’t ignore it, as God may have a beautiful plan for you that day. It is in the small things that God leads us into bigger experiences with Him.

~ Bethany Jackson