On Saturday afternoon, you may choose from three elective courses if you desire a more intensive workshop that will immerse you in the subject of your choice. These courses are taught by specialists and allow for interaction.

Bridging the Racial Divide

This workshop will focus on understanding the hidden forces behind ethnic and cultural conflicts. You will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to combat the cultural and diversity issues between race and class that exist in our world today.

Dr. Carl F. Ellis, Jr. is President of Project Joseph in Chattanooga, equipping Christians in diversity and cultural issues.

Rev. Ellis has served in a variety of capacities throughout his twenty years of ministry. He was on the faculty of the Cheasapeake Theological Seminary, has pastored churches, has been an instructor with Prison Fellowship and was Senior Campus Minister for Tom Skinner Associates in New York, NY.

Rev. Ellis holds a masters degree from Westminster Theological Seminary and is a D. Phil. Candidate at Oxford Graduate School. Books he has authored include The Changing Face of Islam in America (co-authored with Dr. Larry Poston), and Malcolm: The Man Behind the X. He is also a contributor to several periodicals, including "World Christian Magazine" and "Urban Family Magazine".

Cross Cultural Training

This session will focus on the issues of identifying personal power points in intercultural situations, and what that means in making relational connections in ministry. This relates to using Western finances in 2/3rds world settings.

Sarah A. Lanier, is an expert in the field of leadership and personnel development. She is also the well-known author of the short-term mission book, Foreign to Familiar. Sarah has worked interculturally for 11 years in the Netherlands, ten years in Israel and one year in Chile. She has also taught and lived in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and New Zealand, and is conversant in five languages.

Your Unique Leadership Style (and the Impact It Has on Your Teams)

Ever wondered why you connect with some leaders and not with others? Or why some team members are on the same page with you and others just can’t seem to get with the program? Maybe, this has more to do with styles of leadership than with personality flaws or immaturity (yours or theirs)! Given the intensity and complexity of a short term mission trip, knowing about your leadership styles and how to leverage them is a significant factor. This will be an very interactive session with exercises exploring leadership styles, one’s own spiritual journey and how these can dramatically affect your team experience.

Doug Calhoun has been leading and training leaders for groups for over 30 years. Learning how best to lead has been an ongoing study and discipline, with much thanks recently to the Leadership Network for its helpful material. He developed the short term mission program at Christ Church of Oak Brook, IL, and serves on the NSTMC Planning Team. Personal factoids: Doug is married to Adele, father to Nathaniel and Annaliese. For fun, he is a beekeeper, a racquetball player, a golfer, a scuba diver, and a chamber choir singer.