Month: March 2017

Just Announced! The 2017 Global Leadership Summit Faculty

Posted on March 2, 2017 by - News & Updates, The Global Leadership Summit

Leadership is influence. Everyone has influence. Everyone has the ability to create positive change and mark the people, places and things they touch. The Global Leadership Summit is a world-class event that will convene 400,000 influencers around the globe, aligned with one common vision: everyone wins when a leader gets better. As our leadership effectiveness improves, our impact is multiplied – in businesses and government, in police departments and prisons, in churches and hospitals and schools and family. The best leaders can learn from anyone. The Global Leadership Summit faculty represents a diverse cross-section of the world’s top leadership experts.

Watch the video below for more details about the faculty and the event:

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We believe that the faculty assembled for 2017 will have a meaningful impact on your leadership. Click on a speaker to learn more.

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Register today to attend the Summit at one of more than 600 Premier Host Sites across the United States!

 

Guest faculty members are invited to participate in The Global Leadership Summit based on proven leadership abilities in their field of expertise.  Their beliefs may not necessarily reflect those of Willow Creek Association and Willow Creek Community Church, and their presence at the Summit does not imply blanket endorsement of their views or affiliations.

An Authenticity Powerhouse in Austin

Posted on March 1, 2017 by - Articles, Character, Church & Faith-Based, Leading Organizations, Servant Leadership

We were in Austin, Texas scanning the internet, when the “Austin Powerhouse Church” stood out to us. The church met in a converted office space and by Texas standards, was not very large (less than 1000!). The slogan on the website was intriguing, “We are Family.” The story of Bishop Paul and Pastor Lilian Ojeda seemed authentic.

As soon as we walked in, we knew Powerhouse church would be different. We were greeted here more warmly than in any church we ever visited. We were escorted to our seats by people who seemed genuinely interested in us. The worship music was simple and powerful and Pastor Lilian exhorted us to love in a way that was quite surprising to us less demonstrative Yankees. Frankly, we were not sure we should stay.

Then a man rose to give the announcements and take an offering. He was obviously deeply touched and serious about his job and we were surprised when he talked about being in prison just six years ago. Now they had our attention!  Then we were asked to greet each other by looking people in the eye and saying, “You are my family.” The love was palpable. We were moved – nothing could get us to leave now!

Bishop Paul delivered a fine message. Near the end, he was transparent about his and Lilian’s struggle after suddenly losing their 20-year-old daughter just eight months before. The entire church was obviously grieving the loss, but the supernatural love we were experiencing was powerfully sustaining them. It was a defining moment.

After the service, I spoke to Bishop Paul. When I told him about the love we experienced, he said with great warmth and sincerity, “To those who have been forgiven so much, love should always be found.” He then shared that just over 20 years ago, after serving a prison sentence, he and Lilian met in a Christian drug rehab center. They first fell in love with Christ and with each other there and decided to give their lives to His service.

Reflections to consider:

Authenticity is Empowering

When leaders are authentic about their life and struggles, it empowers others to move forward through great challenges.

Love Never Goes Out of Style

Teaching and modeling genuine love between and among followers is central to developing any organization or movement. Love is always a grassroots initiative.

Forgiveness Never Loses Its Power

When re-starting a life, an organization, a business, or a church, the first step is forgiveness. Without forgiveness, the errors of the past will be a constant irritant to the future.

Melinda Gates’ Session Inspires Community Initiatives in Malawi

Posted on March 1, 2017 by - Africa, Because of the GLS, Stories

 

When the local team in Malawi began planning their GLS events, they realized Melinda Gates’ session could be a great opportunity to add further discussion around identifying issues in their community, and coming up with ways to address these needs.

Their prediction was right, because Gates’ session turned out to be the most engaging session at their four different sites around the country.

After Gates’ session and the discussion about how to address the needs in their communities, each site decided to raise money and execute four impact initiatives:

The building of a roof for an orphanage in Mzuzu

Business leaders from Telekom Networks Malawi (the second largest mobile network in the country) pitched a project to raise money and build a roof on an orphanage in their community. They felt compelled to protect and care for these orphans when they realized the orphanage was left without a roof after it had been blown off by a gusty wind. The company decided to match the money raised as part of their corporate social responsibility to complete the project.

On a sad note, the day after the GLS in Mzuzu, the attendee from TNM who presented the project died in a car crash. In the crash, he was identified by his GLS badge that he still had with him. The orphanage project will now be done in his memory. His passionate concern for the orphans will live on in Malawi GLS history.

The provision of bed nets to prevent Malaria in Blantyre

Attendees at the site in Blantyre voted to do something about the malaria epidemic in their community. The audience raised money toward the purchase of treated bed nets, and the donations were matched by one of the GLS participants. Palliative Care, a local health service organization that’s been participating in the GLS since it started in Blantyre in 2012, took on the project on behalf of the GLS community.

Palliative Care also committed to add to the amount so a minimum of 50 treated bed nets could be distributed to mothers and children from vulnerable households. Dr. Cornelius Huwa, the medical director of Palliative Care, received the check and expressed gratitude to the GLS community. The project will begin during the rainy season, when the malaria cases are at their highest.

The building of a latrine for the health center in Zomba to prevent the spread of disease

In Zomba, Malawi, the GLS audience decided to raise funds to build a latrine for the Mphupyu Health Centre located in the area where a ministry called Young Life is serving the community. The Young Life attendees pitched the project because they were concerned they did not have a latrine, paving the way to spread the very diseases they existed to prevent. Together with the GLS audience and the youth in the area, the Young Life team found the support they needed to complete the project.

The provision of bedding for a local maternity wing in Mzuzu

Attendees from the Northern Region Water Board team* pitched a project to provide linens, sheets and blankets for 25 beds at a local maternity wing, serving mothers and their new children in the community. Money was raised for the project during the GLS, and one attendee was compelled to match the funds raised.

 

These are just some of the projects that result from GLS leaders coming together to combat the issues of their community. At Willow Creek Association, we are excited about expanding the reach of the GLS in order to multiply this kind of impact, and share more stories about people taking action.

 

 

*Northern Region Water Board is wholly owned by the Government of Malawi and supplies water to individual households, institutions, commercial entities and communal water points in urban and peri-urban areas of the Northern Region of Malawi.