Retro 3D is the collision of red and blue. A simple concept that, when equipped with the right lens, results in seeing something amazing.

Our desire as believers and communicators is to use our tools of media to present the Gospel and see amazing life changes.

Come join other creative communicators at BCA Atlanta, April 27-30, and get ready to watch a collision of passions and skills as we laugh together, learn together, and then leave recharged to creatively engage our world for Christ.

We invite you to come to Atlanta - a place famous for creativity and innovation - and Southern hospitality! Creative collision here has resulted in such famous brands as Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-a, and CNN. (And did you know that you can buy a Coca-Cola from Chick-fil-a while visiting the CNN?)

Our annual workshop will officially kick off on Wednesday, April 27, at 6:00 p.m. with an opening dinner. Featured speakers that evening are Kevin Ezell, president, North American Mission Board and Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta and current president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Yet, there are a couple of opportunities during the day on Wednesday that you won't want to miss. Be sure to work these into your travel plans to Atlanta! First, you will want to be a part of our inaugural open judging event at the North American Mission Board beginning at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Take the opportunity to hear and learn from open and constructive evaluation of your work. Also that afternoon, you will be invited to participate in a local mission project to share Christ's love with those in need.

The workshop will conclude on Saturday, April 30, at 10:30 a.m. following our breakfast business meeting.

Pack your creativity and we'll collide with you in Atlanta!

LEARN MORE

Want a sneak peek at what's being planned for BCA 2011 Atlanta Workshop?

Immersion Workshops

This year BCA offers a unique opportunity to take your training and experience to the next level with immersion workshops designed to help you hone expertise in a specific area of your professional work. In addition to learning from an experienced leader, you'll participate in a hands-on project that will allow you to test new skills in a real-world setting. Plus, you'll be learning alongside your fellow BCA professionals!

Immersion workshop opportunities are planned for photography, writing and editing and public relations and marketing.

75-Minute Workshops

Also, numerous 75-minute workshops are planned to help you in your Baptist communications responsibility. Here is a sampling:

Integrating Web with Social Media
If your Web-site doesn't include social media, you may miss out on key communication! Plus, your site will look disconnected and outdated. Learn the most effective ways of integrating social media with your Web-site.

Going It Alone: Starting Your Own PR Firm
A tough economy might be the worst time to start your own communications practice - or the best. If you've considered striking out on your own, learn principles for survival and how to build a successful company.

Marketable Me
How do you make that potential next employer give you a second look? Even if you're not in the job market, learn how to position yourself using social media tools. Also discover online job searching tools and tips for getting a potential employer's attention.

How to Be Your Editor's Favorite Writer
Success in the relationship between writer and editor begins with writing good copy and meeting deadlines. Learn how to develop a working relationship so that you become the go-to writer for an editor.

An Editor's BFF's
Today's editor has frequent and competing distractions from what should be the primary focus of editorial content. Learn some techniques, tools and practices to help you keep editorial content your primary focus while juggling the other demands.

Shoot Like a Pro, Even if You Can't Afford One
Most of us would love to fill our pages with professional photos, but too often, budget dictates otherwise. Learn techniques to help you make your photos stand out and stretch your budget further.

Feeding Your Design Creativity
How can you keep the creative juices flowing even when you work in a dry, corporate environment? How can you keep the pressure of deadlines from killing your imagination? Learn how to stay out of the creativity desert!

Why You Need to Build an App
The Internet has gone mobile; more and more users are steering to information via an app built for a mobile device. Are you missing out? Learn how to build an app and how it can help you deliver your message.

Video on a Budget
Most of us are adding video to our web and social media presence. Learn how to produce, edit and post quality, affordable video for these media.

Brand Management
In a world of constantly colliding communication, how do you build a brand that stands out in the crowd? Learn how to identify your brand and then communicate and protect it in a way that sets it apart from everyone else.

The 2011 Wilmer C. Field Awards Competition is always a highlight of our year in BCA as we gather at the awards dinner to celebrate and applaud the efforts and giftedness of our fellow communicators.

One notable change in this year's competition is the introduction of open judging. Other professional organizations have found open judging to be an educational and eye-opening experience for those who venture forth to listen to and learn from open critique and evaluation of their work.

"All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners ... looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they're not learning, they're not growing ... not moving toward excellence," said motivational speaker and author Denis Waitley.

Take the opportunity to learn, grow and move toward excellence as you participate in BCA's inaugural open judging event at the North American Mission Board on Wednesday, April 27, beginning at 9 a.m. and extending into the late afternoon. That evening our annual workshop will kick off with its opening dinner. I am confident that your participation in this open judging event will be well worth your investment of time.

To help us plan more effectively, please let Margaret know if you can join us at the North American Mission Board for this special open judging experience.

BCA's mission project during the Atlanta workshop is the Refugee Sewing Society, a ministry in Clarkston, Ga., that serves women who have survived genocide around the world. Cathy Palmer, award-winning author of more than 40 Christian fiction books, now serves with her husband, Tim, as a Mission Service Corps volunteer in Clarkston, a United Nations designated refugee resettlement area. Tim Palmer is a former Word&Way managing editor in Missouri and a former BCA member.

The Palmers launched the Refugee Sewing Society in 2008 after hearing God's call to start a micro-enterprise refugee program. Cathy, who grew up as a missionary kid in Bangladesh and Kenya, started a small sewing class at the Clarkston Community Center, and it has grown to about 100 women who make all kinds of handcrafted items, such as tote bags, doll clothing, jewelry, scarves and baby blankets.

The women are from a variety of nations, including Sudan, Somalia, Bhutan, Iraq and Burundi. Their religious backgrounds and cultures may be different, but their stories of survival of unthinkable atrocities are similar--as are their challenges in adjusting to life in America. The Refugee Sewing Society offers them not only an opportunity to earn an income for their families, but also an opportunity to heal from trauma and rebuild their lives.

BCA members are invited to participate in this mission project in one of two ways:

1. Shop the ladies' market. Cathy and some of the refugee ladies will join us Friday morning through lunch during the workshop. Eighty percent of every sale goes to the refugee women, and twenty percent purchases materials and takes care of other expenses.
2. Give directly to the mission. Donations will be taken on Friday.

Read more about this ministry or browse their online market at http://refugeesewingsociety.webs.com.