As I write this, Lisa is winging her way towards Kansas City for the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference. Of course, by the time I post this, she will have landed. I won’t be attending with her this year, for obvious reasons, but I’m participating in spirit, as well as Twitter, UStream, Skype, and any number of other social media avenues.
When Lisa and I started blogging two and half years ago, we struggled to define our sense of direction, our voice. She is the one who discovered the SQPN Catholic New Media Conference and enthusiastically talked me (and our mother) into attending with her. Though we started blogging in February 2009, the CNMC always feels like our true anniversary, since it was our experience at the 2009 San Antonio CNMC that really inspired us and guided our writing in a firm direction.
Over the past two years, we have strengthened our voice and our faith through the growing relationships with inspirational people we’ve met and come to know from our involvement with SQPN and the CNMC. People like Lisa Hendey-the Catholic Mom, Jeff Young-the Catholic Foodie, Matt Warner, Sarah Reinhard, Maria Johnson, and so many more. These people, this connection, has helped to guide us over the past two and a half years of writing, and in the process encouraged us to grow and develop a new knowledge and appreciation of our beautiful shared faith. The CNMC experience teaches us how to embrace each other, our faith, new ideas. It has opened doors and revealed new opportunities.
This year’s CNMC offers an expanded format that begins with a long half-day of Catholic Media Guild Workshops and a full Saturday of sessions and keynote speakers aimed at expanding our role of bringing the fullness of truth through the new media world. In addition, we gather for fellowship over meals, sharing Mass, special prayer time and adoration, and just coming together in communion with Christ and one another.
If you’d like to see what it’s all about, check out the CNMC schedule, follow #cnmc11 on Twitter, and watch for opportunities to listen in via the UStream channel. Keep those attending and those watching from home (like me) in your prayers, that we may feel the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding us.
