The Band of Bloggers gathering will be taking place in the Combs-Chandler Room of The Galt House.  It is located on the second floor just above the lobby area.  While the gathering begins at 11:00, you are welcome to come early to hang out and also allow us to check off registration in a more efficient manner.

As previously mentioned, we are sold out for this gathering.  That means we cannot take any registrations at the door (as much as we would like to) and will not be able to provide giveaways to those who have not already registered.

For those who are registered, you do not have to provide proof of your registration/payment at the door, but we will ask you to verify via email address and those who may have registered under you as well.  We did not send out registration confirmation other than what you received from Paypal for payment confirmation (again, bringing it will not be necessary).

The Galt House is located just two blocks north of the Convention Center and can be accessed either by skywalk or on the street.  Walking time is less than five minutes.  We will have you out in time so as to not miss the first session of T4G.  Parking is available in the (2) parking desks of The Galt House, although they tend to fill up fast.

After our four presenters give their talks, there will be opportunity for you to participate in the discussion by asking questions from the floor.  The discussion will be moderated by Owen Strachan who will gladly welcome your contributions to the discussion around this year’s theme.

Anyone willing to volunteer for this year’s gathering can email me at timmybrister[at]gmail[dot]com.  Thanks for registering, and we look to see you this Tuesday!

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Internet Idolatry and Gospel Fidelity.” With the advent of new media and the increasing influence of technology on our lives, it is important to address the relationship of the gospel to technology, especially the areas where we are tempted with idolatrous desire (power, identity, influence, acceptance, control, etc.).  While the internet, with all of its platforms (such as blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can be a powerful tool to leverage our lives for the gospel impact, we want to examine our hearts to bring to light the various ways in which the idol factory of our hearts challenges and subverts the very gospel which we long to embrace.

The format for this year’s gathering will be similar to last year.  We will begin with a catered lunch, listen to 4 speakers address a subtopic on the theme, and transition to a moderated panel discussion with questions fielded from attendees.  The guys I have asked to speak this year are: Justin Taylor, Jonathan McIntosh, Trevin Wax, and Jared Wilson. I am thrilled that these guys have agreed to lead the discussion, and I believe you will be blessed and challenged by their contributions to this important topic.

The meeting will take place at The Galt House (the Archibald Room) on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 from 11:00am-12:45pm.  The Galt House is located just two blocks away from the Louisville Convention Center and is connected to the Center via a skywalk.  Due to limited seating, we encourage you to register early as every BoB gathering to date has reached capacity prior to the event. Registration for this gathering is $25 and simply covers the cost of the catered lunch.  (Registration is now closed for the 2010 Band of Bloggers)

If you would like to help us get the word out, check out these blog buttons and banners to put on your website/blog.  We appreciate your partnership in the promotion of this gathering!  Here’s the details summary for this year:

“Internet Idolatry and Gospel Fidelity”
2010 Band of Bloggers Fellowship
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 :: 11:00am
The Galt House, Downtown Louisville, KY
(in conjunction with Together for the Gospel)

PROMOTE | BOB DIRECTORY

We have filled all remaining slots for this year’s Band of Bloggers. Thank you for inquiring, and we look forward to seeing you at future Band of Bloggers fellowships in the future!

From generation to generation, God has faithfully raised up and empowered His people to be servants of Christ and stewards of the Gospel.  What is unlike generations in the past is the ability through technology to literally impact the entire world.  For the past 5-10 years, the advent of blogging and social media has afforded followers of Christ to personally broadcast the good news of Jesus Christ while developing a web of relationships that has formed a gospel-centered community seeking to leverage whatever means possible to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere–both in person and on the web.

Band of Bloggers is an informal fellowship of gospel-committed writers seeking to encourage faithfulness in what is spoken of Christ while raising the standard of discourse to reflect the character of those called to blog worthy of the gospel to which we have been called.

This year, we are excited to announce that Band of Bloggers is partnering with The Gospel Coalition Conference to host the 3rd Band of Bloggers Fellowship in conjunction with their national conference in Chicago, IL.   On Wednesday, April 22, 2009, from 12:00-2:00 p.m., we will be hosting a lunch and fellowship at the Rosemont Conference Center. The theme of the conference is “Servants & Stewards” (building off of 1 Cor. 4:1), which expresses a two-pronged approach in faithfulness as servants and effectiveness as stewards.  As servants, we want to make much of our Savior in not just what we say but how we say it.  As stewards, we want to collectively labor to leverage all available means to propagate and publish the Gospel in our increasingly technologically-literate culture.

To do this, Band of Bloggers has sought the instruction and encouragement from well-known evangelical bloggers to addresses various issues.  Taking a slightly different approach than in years past, we are given each person one question to answer in 5-7 minutes and then diving into Q&A/discussion.  Here’s what we have in store for 2009:

_______________

1.  Servants and Stewards: Maximizing your blog in service to Christ (Timmy Brister)
2.  How can we blog for the glory of God? (Justin Taylor)
3.  Improving usability: How to write so people can read (Mike Anderson)
4.  How can you use your blog for the edification of the church? (Tim Challies)
5.  How can you make your site more accessible and visible? (Eric Johnson)
6.  Why should pastors blog? (Tullian Tchividjian)
7.  What is the place for art and culture in Christian blogging? (Steve McCoy)
8.  How can bloggers steward the teaching of the young, old, and the dead? (Tony Reinke)

______________

One of the highlights of Band of Blogger fellowship is the opportunity to meet people you may have encountered on the Internet and network together with people of kindred spirit who share a common passion for the glory of Christ and the advancement of His Gospel.  Together with The Gospel Coalition National Conference, this will be a week that you will not want to miss!

Registration for 2009 Band of Bloggers will open shortly.  Here are the details again in summary form to mark your calendars:

“Servants & Stewards”
2009 Band of Bloggers Fellowship
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 :: 12:00-2:00
Rosemont Conference Center :: Chicago, IL
(in conjunction with The Gospel Coalition Conference)

REGISTER :: PROMOTE :: BoB DIRECTORY

To begin this process, we are asking you to consider submitting your name and blog address for this directory.  Bear in mind, however, with this vision and trust comes accountability and a standard which we desire to maintain–that is, to blog in a manner worthy of the gospel.

If you would like to move forward with us and join us to spread a passion for the gospel in the blogosphere, please leave your first and last name along with your blog address in the comments section.  

In the coming weeks, we are going to redevelop this website to make this a hub and launching point for gospel-centered blogging.  Please stay in touch as we work together to keep Jesus Christ and him crucified front and center in our blogging.

Time: 11:30-1:30 (lunch will begin at 11:30, panel discussion at noon)

Place: Combs-Chandler Room (The Galt House, Suite Tower, 2nd Floor)

Your Questions: The last round of the panel discussion will be comprised of questions fielded from the audience, so be sure to join in the discussion with your thoughts!

Registration Payment: For those of you who were unable to pay via PayPal, please remember to bring the registration cost in cash.

* Once in the Galt House, there should be signs directing you to the second floor.

See you tomorrow!

General Info:

2008 Band of Bloggers
“The Gospel Trust”
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 :: (11:30 – 1:30)
The Galt House (Louisville, KY)
Combs-Chandler Ballroom
Tim Challies, Justin Taylor,
Thabiti Anyabwile, Phil Johnson, and Abraham Piper

We will begin serving lunch at 11:30 a.m. as you arrive. There will be greeters and volunteers who will help direct you to the Combs-Chandler room which is on the second floor of the Suite Tower of the Galt House. The panel discussion will begin at noon and will last one hour. We will conclude with a time of corporate prayer and fellowship before we conclude at 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be your choice of either turkey or ham sandwich in a boxed meal which also includes beverage.

Travel Info:

I have created a Google Map with directions from the airport to the Galt House, along with directions to the Kentucky Convention Center (which is only two blocks away). Let me encourage you who are traveling by air to pack an extra backpack or bag to tote your books back (as a second checked piece of luggage). Please arrive early if you can as we will be working with a relatively tight schedule!

Miscellaneous Info:

The last half of the panel discussion will be an opportunity for you to ask questions for our panelists on blogging and “The Gospel Trust.” Please take some time prior to the event to think about what you would like to ask to contribute to the conversation. We will also be asking for those who would like to contribute to Band of Bloggers in the future to sign up at the end of the meeting. Our desire is to foster gospel-centered community in the evangelical blogosphere to encourage one another in faithfulness to Christ His message to which we have been entrusted.

We are making plans to record the discussion and make it available to download in MP3 format. We are also looking to have video available in short YouTube clips from the discussion which we hope to add in the weeks following the fellowship.

The books we will be giving away will be given to you in a BoB Goodie Bag. If any of you are in the Louisville area and would like to help Tuesday morning in putting these goodie bags together, then please let us know either by emailing us or dropping a comment in the meta.

Questions?

If you have any questions yet to be answered, please send them on to thegospeltrust@gmail.com.