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BCA 2015 - San Francisco, California

Speakers

RelevantKeynote Speakers

  • Gary Fong, Photojournalist and Principal of Genesis Photo Agency, San Francisco
  • Jeff Iorg, President, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, Cal.
  • Carlos Whittaker, Communicator, Blogger, Author, Musician, Nashville, Tenn.

Gary FongGary Fong

Photojournalist and Principal of Genesis Photo Agency, San Francisco
Relevant Photojournalism for Baptist Communicators

Gary Fong is the principal of Genesis Photo Agency in San Francisco. Genesis is a group of professional photographers with a dream of elevating the effectiveness of photography in evangelical and secular publications around the world. As such, Gary will address relevant photojournalism for Baptist communicators and their ministries.

Gary and those with whom he works understand the power of the image, how it can touch people emotionally, how it can transcend the essence of the story beyond the printed page. Genesis seeks to be used by the Lord, to speak for those, whose voices cannot be heard.

Gary is the former director of editorial graphics technology, director of photography, and staff photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle. As director of photography, Gary was responsible for the photographic direction and coordination of award winning photographers. He implemented the electronic picture desk, graphic archive server, electronic workflow, and brought digital photography with wireless transmission to the San Francisco Chronicle years before it became commonplace in newspapers across the country.

As a photographer, Gary has been awarded the San Francisco Bay Area Photographer of the Year five times, the California Press Photographer of the Year two times, the San Francisco Press Club Picture of the Year twice, and numerous awards with the National Press Photographers Association. His work have appeared in Time, Newsweek, Life, Moody Monthly, Life@Work, Decision, Associated Press, United Press International, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

He has served as judge for the Pulitzer Prize in Photography, the National Press Photographers Association POY, and a host other professional and collegiate photographic competitions across the country. He's been an instructor of photojournalism at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University.

Gary is the co-founder of Christians in Photojournalism and has been an integral part of the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference from its inception. The conference is coordinated by Southern Baptist photojournalists and hosted annually by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Jeff IorgJeff Iorg

President, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, Cal.
Relevant Theological Education: A Case Study

Jeff Iorg is president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and has led the school to relocate its main campus from Northern California to a new campus in Southern California. The seminary will maintain a presence in the Bay Area with a new campus in Fremont. During his address, Jeff will outline the obstacles of moving forward with the mission of the school while remaining at its Mill Valley campus and the opportunities to expand theological education for Southern Baptists in the West by moving.

Jeff teaches leadership, preaching, and church ministry courses at Golden Gate. He speaks frequently on these same subjects in conferences and other venues, including college campuses and leadership seminars. His publications include six books - The Painful Side of Leadership, The Character of Leadership, Is God Calling Me?, The Case for Antioch, Seasons of a Leader's Life and his latest, Unscripted - along with dozens of articles and curriculum materials. He maintains a leadership resources website at www.JeffIorg.com.

Prior to his service at the Golden Gate, Jeff was the executive director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost 10 years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, OR and has served churches in Missouri and Texas.

He is a graduate of Hardin Simmons University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Ann and has three adult children. His hobbies include umpiring baseball, reading, and searching for the world's best barbeque restaurant. He serves as chaplain to the San Francisco Giants baseball team and his personal ministry includes outreach to the professional baseball community in the Bay Area.

Carlos WhittakerCarlos Whittaker

Communicator, Blogger, Author, Musician, Nashville, Tenn.
Relevant Moment Making

Carlos Whittaker and his family, like all families, experience big and small moments which are woven together to create a unique tapestry. His book, Moment Maker: You can live your life or it will live you, is about living deliberately. Whittaker encourages readers to make the most of each moment personally. But, how does being a Moment Maker translate to the workplace? He will address becoming a Moment Maker at work through the stories we as Baptist communicators attempt to tell every day!

Carlos says he has learned "'Moment Making' has to be a conscious decision. There's a story in the book about meeting a group of soldiers who had just returned to America. I had a choice, to either go back to my hotel room or make a moment by sitting with and hearing their stories. It's experiences like this that have taught me life is full of beautiful surprises. You can start out thinking you're making a moment for somebody and end up getting a moment right back."

Carlos shows through his stories that in a world where ordinary has become a lifestyle, there is way out of the routine. Each decision in being a Moment Maker plays an integral part into our lives. And when we choose to take that leap, the possibilities are endless.

Carlos, who was raised in Georgia and California, doesn't have one profession or even move from one profession to another. When he acquires a skill, he simply adds it to his repertoire. He began his career as a music pastor at Sandals Church in Riverside, CA and as a staff member at the Buckhead campus of Northpoint Church in Atlanta, GA. He continues songwriting and performing, but also is a gifted communicator through his popular blog - Ragamuffin Soul and his book, "Moment Maker."

Additionally, you may know Carlos from the viral Beyonce "Single Ladies Devastation" video with more than 7 million hits on YouTube and also garnered a People's Choice Award. Or, maybe it was his segment on TLC's "LA Ink" featuring a sleeve tattoo depicting the conversion of Saul based on Acts 9.

Regardless, what you know about Carlos, he will challenge your thinking about being a "Relevant Moment Maker" by telling stories people will remember.