Overview of the Gathering

December 29, 2005 through January 1, 2006
Renton, Washington
Hosted by Harambee Church and the Harambee Community Development Association (HCDA).

This once-a-year event is designed to equip and encourage the far-flung virtual staff of Hollywood Jesus—as well as others who support ministry through and to popular culture.

Cost:
  • Free for HJ staff members, spouses and children.
  • $50 for other fully registered attendees. See below for registration details.
  • Reduced rates for the HCDA and its partners, such as the Acts 29 churches.
All events will be held at the facilities of the HCDA, 316 South 3rd Street, in downtown Renton—just 15 minutes from Sea-Tac International Airport and less than half an hour from downtown Seattle.

Events

Thursday, 5-6 pm
Welcome and Opening Ceremonies
Open to the public. Featuring a keynote address by David Bruce, webmaster of HollywoodJesus.com, and introductions of HJ staffers.

Thursday through Saturday, 7-10 pm
Film, Culture and Spirituality
Open to the public. Screenings of selected films followed by discussion, led by Harambee's Bryan Zug, with HJ's staff on hand to participate.
Thursday, 7 PM The Sopranos
Friday, 7 PM Coin Toss: Napoleon Dynamite or Born into Brothels
Saturday, 7 PM Primer

Friday and Saturday, 9 am-noon & 2-5 pm
Panel Discussions and Lectures
Registered Attendees and HJAG Staffers only. 1.5 hour sessions, topics and presenters as follows (subject to change).
Friday 9 AM
"The God of Sex, Violence & Vulgarity," Bryan Zug
Friday 10:30
Panel Discussion: "The Horror Genre," Maurice Broaddus & Mike Furches
Friday 2 PM
"Film: A More Global Perspective," Kevin Miller
Friday 3:30
Panel Discussion: "Graphic Novels and Comics," Kevin Miller & Maurice Broaddus
Saturday 9 AM
Panel Discussion: "Race and the Cinema," Chris Utley & Mark Ezra Stokes
Saturday 10:30
"The Language of Film," Peter T. Chattaway
Saturday 2 PM
"Gospel and Culture," James Harleman
Saturday 3:30
Panel Discussion: "Peddling Influence," David Bruce, Greg Wright, Jenn Wright, Peter T. Chattaway

Saturday Night, 10 pm-2 am
New Year's Eve Party
Registered Attendees and HJAG Staffers only.

New Year's Day, 10 am
Worship with Harambee Church
Everybody welcome!

New Year's Day, 2-4 pm
Closing Session and Prayer
Registered Attendees and HJAG Staffers only.

Registration

Paid registration allows non-HJ staffers to attend the private panel discussions and training sessions held during the day on Friday and Saturday—and includes a copy of Hollywood Jesus Reviews 2004-2005 plus a ticket to the New Year's Eve party!

Harambee Community Development Association (HCDA) partners, such as the Acts 29 churches, are eligible for a reduced registration fee.

From December 29th onward, registration may be accomplished onsite only.

All registration fees collected go toward covering the cost of the event. The balance, if any, will be donated to the Harambee Community Development Association, hosts of the event. Please email Greg Wright with any specific inquiries.

Full Adult Registration: $50.00

Student/HCDA Registration: $25.00

Saturday Only, Adult: $30.00

Saturday, Student/HCDA: $15.00

Accomodation

We have arranged a special conference rate at the Renton Holiday Inn Select. The hotel offers complimentary transportation to and from the airport. We are encouraging out-of-town conference attendees to take advantage of the $69 per night rate at this convenient facility, just a mile or so from the conference site. We'll be able to arrange for transportation to and from the conference (within reason) so you won't need a rental car while you're here. Just call the hotel directly when making reservations (425-226-7700) and ask for the Hollywood Jesus Group Rate.

Confirmed Staff and Presenters

David Bruce, HJ Host
Keynote Speaker
David is a graduate of North Park University/Seminary in Chicago (MDiv, 1988) and has pastored several churches. Currently, David provides consulting to several emerging multimedia churches. He has worked in production and administration for NBC-TV and several radio stations, and has published several magazines. He began Hollywood Jesus in 1997.

Peter T. Chattaway
Special Guest
A resident of Vancouver, B.C., Peter has been on the staff of BC Christian News since '99. He also reviews films for Christianity Today's website and for ChristianWeek, and has been a semi-regular contributor to Books & Culture since '98. His award-winning articles have also appeared in Bible Review, Faith Today, The Vancouver Sun, and Beliefnet.com. He is also a member of the Faith and Film Critics Circle.

James Harleman, Mars Hill Church
Special Guest
James is a pastor at Ballard's Mars Hill Church, and oversees Mars Hill’s communications department. He provides the leadership for various ministries including Film and Theology, Vox Pop, information technology, and the Mars Hill resource center.

Bryan Zug, Harambee Church
Special Guest
Bryan is a pastor at Harambee Church in Renton, Washington, where he lives with his wife Jen and their children. He leads Film & Theology discussions at Harambee, and was part of crew that launched those discussions at Mars Hill Church many years ago. He speaks locally on film, and works in the technology sector.

Maurice Broaddus
Workshops and Panels
Maurice holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (with an undeclared major in English) from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. He works as an environmental toxicologist by day and is a horror writer by night. He is helping plant The Dwelling Place, a missional faith community. His areas of interests include religious studies, folklore, and myths.

Kevin Miller
Workshops and Panels
Kevin Miller is a freelance writer, screenwriter, editor and educator who has written, co-written and edited thirty-six books, both fiction and nonfiction. He has also co-written one produced film (After...), which will be released in 2006. A film reviewer for several years, Kevin, his wife Heidi, and their three children reside in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where they attend Fresh Wind Christian Fellowship.

Mike Furches
Workshops and Panels
Mike is the Senior Pastor at United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. Mike also speaks nationally on various topics, and is a freelance writer. In the arts, Mike has worked with top music artists such as Steppenwolf, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Kansas. He was also a member of the band Route 66.

Greg Wright
Workshops and Panels
Writer in Residence at Puget Sound Christian College in Everett, Washington, Greg is the author of Peter Jackson in Perspective: The Power Behind Cinema's The Lord of the Rings (Hollywood Jesus Books, 2004), as well as Tolkien in Perspective: Sifting the Gold from the Glitter (VMI, 2003). He is Senior Editor for Hollywood Jesus.

Jenn Wright
Workshops and Panels
Jenn is an editor and writer with degrees in Literature and Theology. She was a regular columnist for the online HJ journal After Eden until it ceased publication in 2005, and contributed to Two Roads Through Narnia (Hollywood Jesus Books, 2005). In her spare time, she is a unit secretary at Regional Hospital in Tukwila, Washington.

Chris Utley
Workshops and Panels
Chris received his BA in Theatre from Grambling State University in Louisiana. He is an IT Techie by day and an armchair film critic-analyst-lover by night. Upon coming to the Lord in 1994 and learning the Word, Chris developed an interest in Biblical principles as communicated in Hollywood movies.

Kathy Bledsoe
Kathy is a writer with a degree in Theology from Puget Sound Christian College in Everett, Washington, and contributed to Two Roads Through Narnia (Hollywood Jesus Books, 2005). She is also an office administrator for the Highline School District.

Jim Davis
Jim is the Director/Program Administrator of a Christian organization called “God’s Havens For Children�, San Luis Obispo, California. GHFC currently operates a licensed Foster Family Agency and a youth mentoring program. He received degrees in Organizational Communication (B.A.) and Public Administration (M.P.A.) from California State University, Stanislaus (Turlock, CA). A native San Franciscan, he now lives on the California Central Coast with his wife Eileen (employed as a teaching assistant for autistic children) and their 4 children. Jim appreciates an eclectic variety of music styles, and says that, “music has a considerable amount of influence on people of all ages and popular culture in general.�

Elisabeth Lietch
Elisabeth is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, with a BA in Literature-Writing. A person who has always loved movies, she never ceases to be amazed by the way movies impact viewers by both reflecting and asking questions about the culture and world in which we live. Currently, Elisabeth spends her days working in a local bookstore in northern New Mexico, writing for various sources, and seeking what God has in store for her future.

Ken Priebe
Ken earned his BFA from University of Michigan School of Art and Design, where he majored in Film and Animation. He has a Classical Animation Certificate from VanArts, where he currently works as a manager and instructor. Ken lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife Janet, who is also an artist. They are currently working on an animated short film, and are involved with graphic arts, outreach, and Bible studies at Cedar Park MB Church.

Michael Smith
Mike works in the shipping container industry, and serves as Prayer Deacon with his wife Sandy at Harambee Church in Renton, Washington.



Mark Ezra Stokes
Mark lives in Mt. Vernon—a tiny, peaceful town in southeast Georgia—where he teaches undergraduate drama classes at Brewton-Parker College. He is also a film critic for HIS Voice, a Christian newspaper in central Georgia. Mark recently received an MA in Screenwriting and Film Studies at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.

Why the Gathering?

Since its inception, Hollywood Jesus has functioned quite nicely as a virtual community. Few of the staffers have ever met each other, and intense spiritual and working relationships have developed without the need for face-to-face meetings. So why get together at all?

Well, frankly, we all could do ministry better. And the ministry we do at Hollywood Jesus is difficult and demanding. Once a year, hopefully, HJ's editorial staff will plan a series of panel discussions and lectures from others ministering and working in our field, sessions that will encourage us in our work and better equip us for this ministry. And hopefully, by doing this in a group setting, we'll grow together as a team even more.

We'll soon be able to associate faces with names, and get to know who we're supporting and praying for a little better. And we'll finally find out if David Bruce is a real person or not!