“Living in the world today involves technology; reaching out to people where they are at… being fluent in technology is really important for ministry.”
– Father David Webb, Nexus 2017 attendee
Nexus 2017 Marks 10 Years of Empowering Churches and Changing Lives
Empowering Churches. Changing lives. A bold mission for a software conference. When Jesus ascended he left three gifts: the Holy Spirit, the Eucharist, his disciples. All three were present at conference. As disciples, when we put our tools, talents, and treasures – including technology – at the service of his mission, are we still surprised when lives are changed and church is built?
Empowering Churches.
Foundational to ParishSOFT, and consequently our Nexus users’ conference, is the church – you. As workshop presenter Lisa Sliker reminded us, “Church is not only the pastor and the people, it is the people for and with the people.” We are the disciples; we are the church.
Place tools in the hands of disciples on fire for the mission of making the Gospel known, and creativity and innovation are boundless. But first, tools must be learned and explored, and strength drawn from lived experience and fellowship with each other.
At Nexus, it is the learning in service of ministry, data in service of mission, and people coming alongside each other on the journey that empowers individuals for mission and emboldens change so that we can be effective missionary disciples, for and with each other.
Changing Lives.
Simple enough. We could make the case that each morning we wake up different from the person we were the day before – our experiences are always shaping and changing us. Perhaps the questions we pose then are: How are we choosing to change? And what experiences are we allowing to shape us?
Conference attendees and ParishSOFT customers have both noted ParishSOFT’s integrated approach to technology and the mission empowering parishes and dioceses in their ministry. In our view, learning and professional development; tools and technology; networking and fellowship – integral experiences at Nexus – cannot be separated from the central mission of the Christ and our identity as Christians.
One of our 2017 Nexus keynotes, Al Kresta, observed, “The Gospel is not a new perspective on life; it’s a new lease on life.” The Gospel changes lives. We build tools, facilitate learning, and work in service of the people making this message known.
Nexus: What’s New, What’s Coming.
Nexus 2017 we celebrated 10 years of holistic, integrated conference experiences for our users. In 2018, ParishSOFT will be honored and grateful to celebrate 20 years of partnership with parishes and arch/dioceses in service of the Church. Our conference attendees often comment on the unforeseen impact that a “software” conference has had in not only inspiring and informing their work, but also rejuvenating them spiritually. We would like to make this unique conference experience accessible for more of our customers.
As a result, ParishSOFT will be hitting the road in 2018 for a series of regional and diocesan daylong events. The ParishSOFT Users’ Conference in its traditional three-day format will return in fall 2019. The location and date will be announced at a later date.
It is an honor to celebrate and support the parishes and arch/diocese that give ParishSOFT mission and purpose, and make our work possible. We thank all of our customers for allowing us to empower your mission of change lives by proclaiming the Gospel in your communities.
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