A History of WWCCR

Planning a Conference
  by Carolyn McNerney

First, we PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! for the Holy Spirit to inspire us and bless our efforts.

Second, we (the “Office”) can schedule meetings, provide the space to meet, make phone calls and prepare mailings, but you (the friends and supporters of WWCCR) are the charismatic renewal and you are the strength and support that bring about every event sponsored by WWCCR. Without you, your commitment, and your gifts of time, prayer, talents, and finances, there would be no Conference!

Ideally the steering committee is formed eighteen months ahead of the anticipated date. The committee has a variety of people—some may have been a conference volunteer before and some may not. The criteria for being on this committee is a willingness to participate in the process and have a schedule that will allow you to attend the meetings. Each person must be committed to the vision and mission (the very heart) of WWCCR and charismatic renewal.

It is the responsibility of the steering committee, first of all, to PRAY for the conference. Through multiple meetings, the committee determines the overall theme, any sub-themes, the pastoral goals for the conference (what do we want people to walk away with), and recommends possible speakers.

It is a wonderful process of prayer, brainstorming, and dialogue. I have participated in this process several times—through the Youth Ministry Team (YMT) Core Group and for conference steering committees—and always find it amazing. Decisions are not based on a “majority rules” vote. It is an extraordinary process of coming to consensus—a practice rarely encountered in other settings. As an example, when ideas are proposed for a title, one in particular may not stand out; there may be several that are dear to some people but not to others. If we come to an impasse, rather than taking a vote, we take a break and take time for prayer in the chapel, and then come back to the table. By the time the process of determining the theme, title, and pastoral plan is concluded, there is no question in my mind that God has been at work and we’ve done our best to cooperate with Him.

Then we request permission from our Archbishop to invite any speaker who resides outside our Archdiocese. We wait to set the conference date according to the availability of the approved speakers.

Once the speakers and dates are set, we pull out all the stops: find a facility that has the dates available and meets our needs; contact and schedule meetings with volunteers who are gifted and willing to be chairpersons for each ministry; prepare the brochure and other forms of publicity; prepare the mailings; contact priests for Mass and Reconciliation at the Conference; research hotels, restaurants, copyrights, and more.

If you have ever been responsible for planning a wedding, then you have an idea of the many details that must be planned—and surprises that must be handled—so that the focus stays on the subject. In our case, the focus is on Jesus, the Light of the World, and allowing Him to work in us so that each of us would become the reflection of His light.