Thanks to Barbara who wrote such great notes about the Orange Tour in Atlanta.
I am a Preschool Minister in Tuscaloosa, AL and have been using First Look for two years now. I am in love with the curriculum and the strategy of Orange. I had the chance to come to the Orange Tour Atlanta this last week and so here are my insights from a great day with great leaders.
I have been to the Orange Conference for the past two years, but even walking up to this event in Atlanta there was a completely different feel. With the smaller atmosphere it was clear that there was going to be more intimate learning going on, compared to the feel of sitting with 3,000 other people listening to the someone speak in an arena. As I arrived, I was greeted warmly and shown where to go and register. The register process was easy and quick. As I stood in line to register, I noticed a lot going on.
– some where getting some coffee from the coffee station
– others played ping-pong or pool in the game area of the facility (we were in the Student facility at Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Ga)
– some people simply sat in chairs having community with others.
I grabbed my coffee and proceeded into the main room where the conference would take place. The feel when I entered was warm, intimate, and exactly what I needed for this. Music was playing in the background, the stage was set, and leaders were sitting around round tables conversating and ready for a great day.
I picked my seat close to the front to be able to engage with what was going on because there were some empty seats. I sat with a group of great leaders from around Georgia:
– Eduardo and Jessica from Augusta, Ga (Eduardo is a Children’s Pastor)
– Julie from Lawrenceville, Ga, and (is a Youth Director)
– Kay and Charlie from Grayson, Ga (Kay works with the Children, and Charlie is the Youth Minister)
Each of the leaders were so eager to learn and see what Orange was going to teach them for the day. I sat there doing the same.
Eduardo and Jessica have only been using the Orange curriculum for about 3 months. He started with First Look (he tried the FREE 3 month opportunity), and he had just started using 252 this week! He told me that he loved the feel of this event. He had never been to the Orange Conference, but was looking to learn more about the Orange strategy. He loved the ease of 252 and FL because it allowed him to “focus more on ministry”.
Julie works with the youth at her church and I asked her why she was at this event. Her response was, “I believe in the concept of Orange. I started using XP3 and the size of my group tripled.” She has seen a great increase in the spiritual growth of her group since using XP3.
Charlie is the youth minister at her church and she told me, “I already bleed Orange, but I am looking for the missing piece of partnering with parents.” Her church is located close to a school and so she gets a lot of students that simply walk to church, so she doesn’t know 90% of the parents. She is looking to figure out how to make this connection with parents.
Reggie Joiner started the event by giving a quick look at the Orange strategy, calling it a “mission and a cause for the church and home.”
