Convention 2019: Out with the old, in with the new? Christian journalism in Canada – past, present and future
If you’ve been working in communications over the past few years, you’ve already been living through major job changes. Your association, the Canadian Church Press (CCP), is ready to change with the times.
The CCP executive is proposing radical restructuring (see proposal and request for feedback) and a new name. We hope you can join us for a decisive discussion at the upcoming convention May 2 in Winnipeg! If you can’t make it, we’ll do our best to have a livestream of the discussion and decision, allowing you to email in your comments/votes.
As usual, the CCP is also accepting a limited number of applications for travel bursaries. Please contact cdnchurchpress@hotmail.com if you need help with the cost of your airfare.
This year’s convention also includes “The Canadian Church at the Turn of the Millennium: A ChristianWeek Symposium.” ChristianWeek today is a digital-only publication that was for many years the country’s leading Protestant weekly print periodical. It makes a great example for all communicators as we have wider discussions about the past, present and future of our work.
CCP Schedule of Events
Location:
Great Hall, Canadian Mennonite University, 500 Shaftesbury Boulevard, Winnipeg
5:00 p.m. – reception punch and appetizers
6:15 p.m. – CCP banquet to be followed by awards presentations.
You must order tickets in advance (for catering numbers) at https://www.catholicregister.org/ccp. You can also order tickets for spouses and guests. If you have special needs around food, there is room on the order form to note them. The banquet menu includes: Mediterranean chicken breast with capers and olives, herbed rice pilaf, hot vegetable medley, salad of bistro greens with house made dressing, fresh baked dinner rolls and butter, strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, Level Ground fair trade coffee and tea service.
Thurs., May 2
8:00 a.m. Breakfast at CMU’s Dining Hall can be included as part of symposium registration. Participants may also choose to arrange breakfast on their own.
Location:
CMU room 224 NS (in the castle)
9:00 a.m. AGM and discussion on the future of the CCP organization. In CMU room 244 NS. Includes coffee/tea and muffins. Will be streamed online so those who can’t attend can still participate.
Click here for login instructions to participate virtually
11:00 a.m. Presentation about a possible shared online platform opportunity by Crossroads (Lorna Dueck) and ChristianWeek (Brian Koldyk), continuing in CMU room 244 NS.
Noon. Lunch on your own. CMU’s Folio Café is available on site.
1:30 p.m. Carpools leave for optional visit to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights including a tour at 2 p.m. for 90 minutes (entry paid on your own $21, or $26 if you want to include the special exhibit).
When you fill out the form at https://www.catholicregister.org/ccp, there is a spot to note whether you will be going on the museum trip.
Note: If enough people opt out of the museum trip, we may organize a simultaneous workshop back at CMU. If you would like such a workshop during the museum trip, please email cdnchurchpress@hotmail.com to let us know your name and ideas for such a possible workshop.
5:30 p.m. Dinner on your own. Carpools will return museum visitors to CMU, where you may choose to dine at CMU’s Folio Café. It is nearby to the ensuing activities.
Location:
Laudamus Auditorium
7:00 p.m. Opening of “The Canadian Church at the Turn of the Millennium: A ChristianWeek Symposium.” Keynote by Lorna Dueck, broadcaster and commentator, CEO of Yes TV and host of Context with Lorna Dueck. Title: Legacies and Learnings: Considering the Past, Present, and Future of Faith-based Media in Canada.
Fri., May 3
8:00 a.m. Symposium registration can include breakfast in the CMU Dining Hall. Participants may also choose to arrange breakfast on their own.
Location:
Laudamus Auditorium
8:45 a.m. Symposium continues with presentation by Gerry Bowler, a former professor of history at the University of Manitoba and chronicler of the way Christianity intersects with popular culture. Title: “The Curious Case of ChristianWeek: A Brief History of a Medium that Mattered.” Panel discussion to follow.
Noon. Symposium registration includes lunch. (The CMU Symposium Registration form has an opportunity for you to note any special dietary requirements.)
2:00 p.m. Symposium continues with presentation by Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo and author, with Joel Thiessen, professor of sociology at Ambrose University in Calgary of the forthcoming book None of the Above: Having No Religion in the United States and Canada. Presentation title: None of the Above: Having No Religion in the United States and Canada. Panel discussion to follow.
4:00 p.m. Symposium ends. Some participants may wish to stay in Winnipeg beyond the end of the symposium. For example, the Anglican Editors Association are arranging their own post-symposium dinner and events Friday evening and Saturday morning. The symposium registration form allows for the option of staying the extra night and buying breakfast on Sat. morning.
Important: Most of your registration, food and accommodation needs can be taken care of at www.cmu.ca/commsconference/register.php. The cost is very affordable, perhaps $200 per person, depending on which options one chooses. In addition to registering there, please also register for CCP pre-symposium awards banquet and other activities at https://www.catholicregister.org/ccp (extra cost is only $55 each).
If you’d rather stay in a local hotel instead of at CMU dorms, here are two that are 10 minutes drive away:
Viscount Gort: $129 a night, https://www.viscount-gort.com/.
Clarion: $152 a night, https://www.clarionhotelwinnipeg.com/en-us.
There is an option on the CMU Symposium Registration form allowing you to register while also checking off “I do not need CMU accommodations.”