GAC09012
May 7, 2009

PCN Conference announces Plenary Speakers

Contact:
Susan Lindsey, (502) 569-5060

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Presbyterian Communicators’ Network is pleased to announce plenary speakers for its national conference being held June 11-13 in Atlanta, Ga. Communicators from any denomination are invited to attend the conference.

Karen L. Schmidt will speak on “Communications as a Ministry” on Friday afternoon, June 12. Schmidt is the Deputy Executive Director of Communications and Funds Development, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and an elder from the First Presbyterian Church in Glen Ellyn, Ill. She has also served as a deacon and ruling elder for membership ministry. Schmidt has more than 25 years of experience as a partner in marketing and selling consulting and information technology solutions, including stints at LandAmerica, BDO Seidman, Quantra, KMPG, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), System Software Associates and Xerox Computer Services.

Lynette Hawkins will speak on “Reaching the Un-Churched and De-Churched” on the morning of June 13. She is a Presbyterian elder based in Greensboro, N.C. Hawkins writes, speaks and presents seminars on effectively welcoming and communicating to the next generation. She is the lead consultant for Awesome Insight, a ministry resource of Beyond Marketing Group, Inc. Her work includes providing resources for churches and presbyteries nationally. She is an active blogger and writes a monthly e-newsletter that reaches more than 1,000 Christian leaders. Her articles have appeared in numerous Christian publications and on the ecumenical Evangelism Connections Web site.

Rev. Karl Travis will lead a panel on “Communicating with Different Generations” on the afternoon of June 13. Travis is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth. A native of Texas, he has lived, studied, and worked from California to Scotland, and from Michigan to New Mexico. He is an irreverent Generation X-er, a parish minister, and a disciple possessed of the idea that stewardship is the foundational concept for mature faith. Travis is a graduate of Trinity University and the University of Edinburgh.

For more information, visit the Comnet and Big Tent sites.