As a fellow officer with Joanne, I can attest that our guests thoroughly enjoyed hearing from and meeting Christian authors in our area. We got great feedback!
Think about hosting an event like this in YOUR area in the future!
Cypress Church (Evangelical Free) of Cypress, California, was the hosting church for the first Fall Festival of Authors Luncheon on Saturday, October 17, 2009. (This photo shows most of the tables and the beverage refreshment area.) The luncheon was jointly sponsored by the Southern California Chapter of ECLA (Evangelical Church Library Association) and the Women's Ministry of Cypress Church. About 150 people attended, with over 50 different churches represented!
The luncheon featured three Christian authors as speakers: Kathi Macias, Athol Dickson, and Susan Titus Osborn. Most tables had a local (Southern Californian) Christian author as the table host. Among the author hosts were missionaries, university professors, and others. There were 16 local authors in addition to the three speakers. Several of the authors were also members of the Orange County Christian Writers' Fellowship.
ECLA organized the program, recruited the speakers and table host authors, and handled the publicity and ticket sales. The Women's Ministry organized and served all the food and provided beverages.
ECLA members arrived early Saturday morning to greet the authors, and assist them with transporting boxes of books from 9 - 9:30. At 9:30 doors opened to guests. A variety of home baked muffins, sweet breads, and morning beverages were enjoyed while the guests mingled casually with the authors. Just before 10:00, one of the authors, a gifted singer and playwriter, welcomed everyone with a specialized singing telegram!
After introductions and an invocation were given, the first speaker began. At 11:00, the speaker finished and guests had a fifteen minute break to stretch and pick up their fruit salad. At 11:15 the second speaker was introduced, followed by another break at noon for quiche. At 12:15 the third speaker began and at 12:45, the Women's Ministry served the dessert. At 1:00 another delightful Singing Telegram was shared, and instructions for clearing the room of chairs were given. Authors used this time to set up displays of their books for sale on the tables, and then guests visited different authors and purchased books. At 2:15 the luncheon concluded and clean-up ensued.
The luncheon went very smoothly due to lots of planning and plenty of prayer! Everyone enjoyed the day and look forward to the next luncheon!
Comments
Think about hosting an event like this in YOUR area in the future!
The luncheon featured three Christian authors as speakers: Kathi Macias, Athol Dickson, and Susan Titus Osborn. Most tables had a local (Southern Californian) Christian author as the table host. Among the author hosts were missionaries, university professors, and others. There were 16 local authors in addition to the three speakers. Several of the authors were also members of the Orange County Christian Writers' Fellowship.
ECLA organized the program, recruited the speakers and table host authors, and handled the publicity and ticket sales. The Women's Ministry organized and served all the food and provided beverages.
ECLA members arrived early Saturday morning to greet the authors, and assist them with transporting boxes of books from 9 - 9:30. At 9:30 doors opened to guests. A variety of home baked muffins, sweet breads, and morning beverages were enjoyed while the guests mingled casually with the authors. Just before 10:00, one of the authors, a gifted singer and playwriter, welcomed everyone with a specialized singing telegram!
After introductions and an invocation were given, the first speaker began. At 11:00, the speaker finished and guests had a fifteen minute break to stretch and pick up their fruit salad. At 11:15 the second speaker was introduced, followed by another break at noon for quiche. At 12:15 the third speaker began and at 12:45, the Women's Ministry served the dessert. At 1:00 another delightful Singing Telegram was shared, and instructions for clearing the room of chairs were given. Authors used this time to set up displays of their books for sale on the tables, and then guests visited different authors and purchased books. At 2:15 the luncheon concluded and clean-up ensued.
The luncheon went very smoothly due to lots of planning and plenty of prayer! Everyone enjoyed the day and look forward to the next luncheon!