You're invited to join Bobby Gross and Kathy Tuan-MacLean a day early at Staff Conference 2017 to gather with other GFM staff for encouragement, learning, and friendship. Interacting as a GFM team is a value that many identified as beneficial on the survey we conducted about our annual Mundelein staff conference. Coming a day early is optional.
In case you missed it, please be reminded that we will not hold our annual GFM Staff Conference in Mundelein, Illinois, in March of 2017 in light of SC17. We want to be good stewards of our individual and collective capacity in this busy academic year.
Day Ahead Programming
We want this time to be enjoyable and encouraging. It will not be "content heavy," but afford the opportunity for fellowship, reflection on the GFM mission and vision, mutual learning, spiritual preparation, and prayer.
Featured Guest: Dr. Sanford (Sandy) Shugart
President of Valencia College in Orlando
Dr. Shugart will be with us for a good portion of our time. Sandy is an InterVarsity alumnus and considered one of the most outstanding community college leaders in the country based on a remarkable set of accomplishments during his 15 years at Valencia. He is in much demand as a speaker and consultant to leaders in higher education. We are still finalizing details, but we will ask him to give a short talk/presentation and create a time of informal conversation with him. We also might persuade him to give a musical performance as he is a gifted singer, songwriter, and poet.
The other elements of our time will include opportunities to share stories about our work, rehearse our shared vision, and pray together.
Our meeting will begin with dinner and an evening session on Monday, January 2, then continue on Tuesday morning, January 3. Programming will end with lunch together on Tuesday so you have the afternoon off as other InterVarsity staff arrive. Official SC17 programming begins the evening of Tuesday, January 3, and ends after the evening session on Friday, January 7.
Cost
We estimate that the Day Ahead will cost approximately $130 if you share a room on Jan. 2. If your roommate doesn’t arrive until January 3, your cost will be approximately $185. These amounts cover housing, meals, and meeting costs, and will be transferred from your staff account after SC17.
Since our national GFM conference (Mundelein) won’t be held in March 2017, the amount included in your budget for Mundelein will more than cover your cost to attend the Day Ahead meeting.
Early Arrival Details
If you chose to come early, please choose a flight which lands in Orlando by 4 p.m. EST on Monday, January 2, in order to join us for dinner. Details about travel from the Orlando airport to the hotel will be sent as they become available.
As mentioned earlier, this Day Ahead gathering is truly optional. We realize that you may love the chance to get to the sunshine a day early and hang out with colleagues; or perhaps you're not able to do this because of family priorities or other preferences. If you choose to come, I think we will have a great beginning to SC17 together as a GFM community.
Check back here regularly—we'll post more details as they become available.
Register for SC17
