By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
More than 100 writers, musicians, artists and other creative people are expected to gather at Zeeland’s Community Reformed Church later this spring for a three-day conference designed to encourage their creative energies as well as their spiritual growth.
The Well Conference will take place April 30-May 2, featuring speakers, times of worship, breakout sessions and a celebration of the arts where conference participants will have the opportunity to share their creative gifts.
“We believe that we are all made in the image of God, who is the great Creator. We all have creativity in us,” conference director Victoria Chapin said. “The Well serves to equip and refresh creatives while they network and collaborate with others in the community.”
The conference offers five different creative tracks for participants – writing, speaking, art, music, and theatre/film. It also offers opportunities for participants to learn how to market their creative work, Chapin said.
In addition, attendees can grow in their personal lives and their faith.
“We have worship sets every day,” Chapin said. “We have two chaplains on staff who pray for people all year round, whether they’re coming to the conference or not. We take prayer requests on our website. There’s always a prayer chaplain in the prayer room at the conference.”
The Well Conference grew out of a 2018 retreat organized by local author and speaker Kathy Bruins that took place at the Geneva Camp & Retreat Center on Lake Michigan. Chapin was one of the attendees at that retreat, and offered to help Bruins organize future events. She is in her second year as the sole director of the conference.
The first Well Conference was to have been held in 2020, but was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has been held every year since. This year marks the first year the conference has been held at Community Reformed Church, after it had been held the past four years at Fair Haven Church in Hudsonville.
“The administrative people (at Community Reformed) have been over-the-top helpful. The facilities gal that I met with and the tech director … they have been over and above helpful, making us feel so welcome, this being our first year (there),” Chapin said.
Among the featured speakers at this year’s conference include Karen Porter, a Texas-based author, speaker and coach, and Bruce Martin, an Alabama-based speaker, author and outdoor adventure guide.
Porter is a former marketing executive for a major food company, owns two Christian publishing companies with her husband and has written 10 books. Martin is the founder of Born 2 Be Wild, an outdoor adventure company that takes people on transformational treks in the backcountry, leads a coaching and counseling practice with more than 300 clients, and is the author of the book “Desperate For Hope.”
Friday night, May 1, is the conference’s Celebration of Arts.
“Attendees sign up for it ahead of time, and we put almost a little variety show together. They get to, sometimes for the very first time, get up on stage and share the gift that God has entrusted them with,” Chapin said.
“Sometimes people sing, sometimes they act, sometimes they read poetry … whatever their gifting is,” she added.
Chapin said that one of the best parts of The Well Conference is the collaboration that takes place across creative disciplines.
“We have seen poems turned into songs, because a poet and a songwriter get together, and they make songs out of their two creative gifts,” Chapin said. “We have seen books turned into movies, because a writer meets up with a producer or screenplay writer. The collaboration piece is just beautiful, to see what God can do.”
Chapin sees a need for wholesome entertainment, and sees the conference as a launching pad for creatives to come together to meet that need.
“We are trying to create an awareness that God has given these gifts to people, and you can actually bring people to Jesus through your gifts ... Artists are starting to understand that they’re creating an experience where people can come into the presence of God through their creativity and through their art,” Chapin said.
Registration remains open for the Well Conference. Cost for the conference is $525. For more information about the conference and to register, visit seeyouatthewell.net.
Zeeland Record
More than 100 writers, musicians, artists and other creative people are expected to gather at Zeeland’s Community Reformed Church later this spring for a three-day conference designed to encourage their creative energies as well as their spiritual growth.
The Well Conference will take place April 30-May 2, featuring speakers, times of worship, breakout sessions and a celebration of the arts where conference participants will have the opportunity to share their creative gifts.
“We believe that we are all made in the image of God, who is the great Creator. We all have creativity in us,” conference director Victoria Chapin said. “The Well serves to equip and refresh creatives while they network and collaborate with others in the community.”
The conference offers five different creative tracks for participants – writing, speaking, art, music, and theatre/film. It also offers opportunities for participants to learn how to market their creative work, Chapin said.
In addition, attendees can grow in their personal lives and their faith.
“We have worship sets every day,” Chapin said. “We have two chaplains on staff who pray for people all year round, whether they’re coming to the conference or not. We take prayer requests on our website. There’s always a prayer chaplain in the prayer room at the conference.”
The Well Conference grew out of a 2018 retreat organized by local author and speaker Kathy Bruins that took place at the Geneva Camp & Retreat Center on Lake Michigan. Chapin was one of the attendees at that retreat, and offered to help Bruins organize future events. She is in her second year as the sole director of the conference.
The first Well Conference was to have been held in 2020, but was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has been held every year since. This year marks the first year the conference has been held at Community Reformed Church, after it had been held the past four years at Fair Haven Church in Hudsonville.
“The administrative people (at Community Reformed) have been over-the-top helpful. The facilities gal that I met with and the tech director … they have been over and above helpful, making us feel so welcome, this being our first year (there),” Chapin said.
Among the featured speakers at this year’s conference include Karen Porter, a Texas-based author, speaker and coach, and Bruce Martin, an Alabama-based speaker, author and outdoor adventure guide.
Porter is a former marketing executive for a major food company, owns two Christian publishing companies with her husband and has written 10 books. Martin is the founder of Born 2 Be Wild, an outdoor adventure company that takes people on transformational treks in the backcountry, leads a coaching and counseling practice with more than 300 clients, and is the author of the book “Desperate For Hope.”
Friday night, May 1, is the conference’s Celebration of Arts.
“Attendees sign up for it ahead of time, and we put almost a little variety show together. They get to, sometimes for the very first time, get up on stage and share the gift that God has entrusted them with,” Chapin said.
“Sometimes people sing, sometimes they act, sometimes they read poetry … whatever their gifting is,” she added.
Chapin said that one of the best parts of The Well Conference is the collaboration that takes place across creative disciplines.
“We have seen poems turned into songs, because a poet and a songwriter get together, and they make songs out of their two creative gifts,” Chapin said. “We have seen books turned into movies, because a writer meets up with a producer or screenplay writer. The collaboration piece is just beautiful, to see what God can do.”
Chapin sees a need for wholesome entertainment, and sees the conference as a launching pad for creatives to come together to meet that need.
“We are trying to create an awareness that God has given these gifts to people, and you can actually bring people to Jesus through your gifts ... Artists are starting to understand that they’re creating an experience where people can come into the presence of God through their creativity and through their art,” Chapin said.
Registration remains open for the Well Conference. Cost for the conference is $525. For more information about the conference and to register, visit seeyouatthewell.net.
