View Full Version : Proposal For New General Conference
A lot of talk has gone on about the increased cost of hosting General Conference each year. One step that has been taken to help contain that cost is to have GC in St. Louis each year so HQ staff planning and putting on the GC will not incur travel costs.
However I am thinking perhaps the UPCI ought to consider a radically different type of General Conference.
How about having GC at a large local church in St. Louis that would have minimal cost associated with renting it with the primary aim to stream a high quality video stream to every local UPC church where a it could be projected on a large video screen with either rented equipment or the existing video setup in some churches.
The audio mix could be done professionally for the video stream (unlike the terrible audio mix I have heard in recent years on GC webcasts) so chuches could run a high quality feed through their sound systems so people could enjoy the music, etc.
This would cut the cost of putting on a GC tremendously and allow UPC people whose budgets do not allow them to take off work and make the trip to GC a chance to enjoy it.
The local churches could make this a church event with potluck dinners or dessert socials before or after the services for fellowship.
Dedicated Mind
10-12-2011, 08:00 PM
too good of an idea to be adopted
Michael The Disciple
10-12-2011, 09:51 PM
too good of an idea to be adopted
Agreed.
Hoovie
10-12-2011, 11:14 PM
The UPC has no church large enough in ST Louis. Not even close.
houston
10-12-2011, 11:26 PM
I think GC should be for ministers only.
Amanah
10-13-2011, 03:52 AM
I think GC should be for ministers only.
I think this is probably right. It should be a time for ministers to encourage each other, find direction, and discuss possible changes.
Sarah
10-13-2011, 05:51 AM
A lot of talk has gone on about the increased cost of hosting General Conference each year. One step that has been taken to help contain that cost is to have GC in St. Louis each year so HQ staff planning and putting on the GC will not incur travel costs.
However I am thinking perhaps the UPCI ought to consider a radically different type of General Conference.
How about having GC at a large local church in St. Louis that would have minimal cost associated with renting it with the primary aim to stream a high quality video stream to every local UPC church where a it could be projected on a large video screen with either rented equipment or the existing video setup in some churches.
The audio mix could be done professionally for the video stream (unlike the terrible audio mix I have heard in recent years on GC webcasts) so chuches could run a high quality feed through their sound systems so people could enjoy the music, etc.
This would cut the cost of putting on a GC tremendously and allow UPC people whose budgets do not allow them to take off work and make the trip to GC a chance to enjoy it.
The local churches could make this a church event with potluck dinners or dessert socials before or after the services for fellowship.
We'll be sure and let Bro Bernard and his 'people' know about your plan, CC1...lol!
The UPC has no church large enough in ST Louis. Not even close.
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I am proposing abandoning the large physical conference with perhaps the live audience made up of a few thousand of area UPCer's, officials, etc. You could decide just how big you wanted to go and if you wanted a significant size you could always rent another denom church like I think they did for NAU's funeral. Maybe find a church holding 3-5,000 to rent.
I hope you did not think I thought there was a church in St. Louis that would hold 15,000 people! The whole idea was to downsize and go 21st century in webcasting it.
We'll be sure and let Bro Bernard and his 'people' know about your plan, CC1...lol!
Hey, the good GS and I lived in the same city for many years!:thumbsup
rgcraig
10-13-2011, 07:53 AM
CC1 - wouldn't work.
They wouldn't be able to sell books, CD's, DVD's to everyone there. That's a big money maker for them (or used to be).
CC1 - wouldn't work.
They wouldn't be able to sell books, CD's, DVD's to everyone there. That's a big money maker for them (or used to be).
I have a feeling the expense of putting on an almost week long conference at the major venue's it takes to house 15,000 people has outgrown any profit they make from video or book sales.
Just the travel expenses alone of all of the HQ staff they have to bring in both to plan and execute a GC has to be in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
*AQuietPlace*
10-13-2011, 10:23 AM
CC1 - wouldn't work.
They wouldn't be able to sell books, CD's, DVD's to everyone there. That's a big money maker for them (or used to be).
They could sell them online if they were dong webcasts.
Jack Shephard
10-13-2011, 10:30 AM
The Mormon Church does something very similar to this for their GC. They also have it broadcasted on national tv and their own BYU channel on Dish and Direct TV. But the idea is still the same.
Carpenter
10-13-2011, 10:31 AM
In my best deep preachified voice, "Gawd is a Gawd that will not change, and His organization will not become one dictated to by the evils of technology where people worship to what is goin on on a screen. We do not worship images, we do not worship to images and revival will not occur in His organization through a wire."
Hows that?
acjcpastor
10-13-2011, 10:56 AM
I think GC should be for ministers only.
:highfive
unitedpraise10
10-13-2011, 03:26 PM
The largest UPC in St. Louis will seat 1,500...which is no where big enough to host anything of this measure.
The largest UPC in St. Louis will seat 1,500...which is no where big enough to host anything of this measure.
Keep in mind we are not talking about it being what it is today as far as size. That is the whole idea! The size would be in the remote audiences in hundreds of churches across North America streaming a high quality video feed to big screens.
If 1,500 for the live audience isn't big enough for you then rent another denoms church like they did for Bro. Urshan's funeral.
Orthodoxy
10-14-2011, 08:09 AM
If 1,500 for the live audience isn't big enough for you then rent another denoms church like they did for Bro. Urshan's funeral.
Just to clarify, N. A. Urshan's funeral was held at Calvary Tabernacle in Indianapolis, a UPC church that seats about 2500 people.
LUKE2447
10-14-2011, 09:35 AM
GC is about fellowship and seeing each other. Webcasts don't do that.
Just to clarify, N. A. Urshan's funeral was held at Calvary Tabernacle in Indianapolis, a UPC church that seats about 2500 people.
Thanks for the clarificaton. For some reason I thought it was in St. Louis at some other denom's church. Maybe I was thinking of David Barnard's installation service. Anybody know where that was held?
OfInterest
10-15-2011, 12:18 AM
CC1, I think you are referring to Brother Kenney Haney's installation service held at Life Christian Center on Gravois. It would seat several thousand people. And the books sales are so poor that selling them online would probably allow them to lower the cost and still ship them. (They ship them home for you now if you don't wish to carry them around the conference halls.) General Conference is very expensive and the in-house finance guys have been trying to get them to do it every two years instead of annually, for a long time. I think the "social pull" is a strong reason they wouldn't do something like you're suggesting. But who knows, in a decade, they may be ready for something like that.
OfInterest
10-15-2011, 12:20 AM
Also, officials may not feel that they will do as well with offerings..less obligation or pressure.
CC1, I think you are referring to Brother Kenney Haney's installation service held at Life Christian Center on Gravois. It would seat several thousand people. And the books sales are so poor that selling them online would probably allow them to lower the cost and still ship them. (They ship them home for you now if you don't wish to carry them around the conference halls.) General Conference is very expensive and the in-house finance guys have been trying to get them to do it every two years instead of annually, for a long time. I think the "social pull" is a strong reason they wouldn't do something like you're suggesting. But who knows, in a decade, they may be ready for something like that.
You are probably right!
unitedpraise10
03-19-2015, 06:35 AM
Kenneth Haney's install service was at Life Christian Center (which now houses Faith Church St. Louis) in Sunset Hills, MO.
David B's install service was held at The Sanctuary UPC in Hazelhood, MO.
pilgram
03-19-2015, 05:12 PM
After hearing some of the messages from GC's decades ago they should just do away with it. The preaching has become watered down mush so all it's become is a glorified fashion show with slick entertainment.
whoiskaiser77
03-19-2015, 06:50 PM
After hearing some of the messages from GC's decades ago they should just do away with it. The preaching has become watered down mush so all it's become is a glorified fashion show with slick entertainment.
Now why on earth would you seriously make that kind of a suggestion? GC is a time of fellowship and renewal and you want to throw that away?
After hearing some of the messages from GC's decades ago they should just do away with it. The preaching has become watered down mush so all it's become is a glorified fashion show with slick entertainment.
I would disagree. I have not heard every GC sermon by any means but over the past 40 years I have attended a few and have made a point to listen to key sermons pretty much every year and to my ears they still are the same "hold the fort" "everything is evil" "don't ask questions just do what your Pastor says" sermons.
Now it is true I have not heard red shoes preached against or short sleeves and I know that is pretty important to some of you so in that regard perhaps you are right!:happydance
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