ACS Conference in Baltimore, MD ~ May 31-June 3, 2016
Although this was the 29th Annual Event, it was my first. Four of the others who went had attended previous conferences but our Pastor also had not.
ACS Technologies is the world’s leading provider of church management software and service solutions and our church, Pender United Methodist, uses several of their products. As the church webmaster, I set up event registration, so I got to go.
This annual ministry ideas and implementation event is one of the largest church management software gatherings in the country, with more than 1,000 church administrators, lay leaders and pastors in attendance from across North America and the world.
“We find that the Ideas to Impact Conference provides us with a tremendous opportunity to connect with ACS Technologies’ staff, developers, and support team,” said Glenn Wood, church administrator for Seacoast Church in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. “It’s also a great way to interact with other church staff and learn from their wisdom.”
The 2016 Ideas To Impact Conference features for the latest tools, ideas and resources to take back to their churches, schools and organizations. With more than 200 classes, organized in tracks, attendees can select the training that best meets their needs in order to help them gain new skills and ideas that are immediately implementable at their church.
“We are excited to announce the 2016 Ideas To Impact Conference will be held in Baltimore next year,” said Marvin Owen, President of ACS Technologies. “Baltimore is a great city and I can’t wait to eat blue crabs with our clients from all over the country. Meeting new clients and catching up with old clients is a highlight for me every year.”
I had a great time with our other church staff, meeting them for meals, wearing our matching outfits, attending some classes. We also all went out to dinner together at an Italian restaurant and took the Baltimore water taxi to an Orioles game.
On Friday, Tom was going to pick me up at the hotel because we were going to drive to Boston for his brother’s funeral.
While I was waiting, Tom called me and my phone played its usual ringtone of Scotland, the Great. The woman next to me told me that her father had played the pipes and had been a pipe major. Small world!
I may add more to this later but I’m playing catch up since there’s another trip next week!
To be continued in the next post…
San Francisco, Day One
First thing we did was go look at the fire escape we didn’t go down in the fire alarm last night. I’m glad we took the stairs by the front office instead, even though they would have been dicy in a real fire – all wood.
This one looks scary, though!
Inn at the Opera, 5th Floor Fire Escape
After this, we went to the very nice – and free – continental breakfast at Pläj, the Scandinavian restaurant here.
After breakfast, we gathered up our stuff and headed out for the Big Bus tour
While waiting, we got some pictures of City Hall and the Opera House.
We got on at Stop 7 and took a bunch of pictures, even though it was foggy. On the double decker bus we were pretty close to the trolly car lines!
Of course, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and took pictures both directions!
It was so cold and windy, we decided to get off somewhere to get a jacket, sweater, anything.
As it turned out, our bus didn’t take the normal route. It changes slightly on Sunday’s and the San Francisco Marathon had us rerouted somewhat.
On the way to the last stop, Fisherman’s Wharf, I also took these pictures:
On Fisherman’s Wharf. We had to get off here and the 7-11 had fleece jackets. I put mine on immediately!
From Fisherman’s Wharf, we decided to take a cable car. I was amazed that 3 men turned them around manually with a little turntable
After our ride, we had to get off that and board again. The line was very long and we could see that it would be at least 3 carloads before we could get back on so we decided to go find out bus again.
We walked up to Union Square…and ran into my endocrinologist from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore! Dr. Salvatori was there for the Endocrine Society Convention but there had been a gas leak and the convention had been evacuated.
Small world!
After chatting with him a little, we took the bus back home and got off at the other side of the City Hall and walked around to “our place”.
I took a little nap and Tom went out to Walgreens to get some aloe vera for his sunburn.
At about 4:30, I got up and got ready to meet Kelly, a Cushing’s patient and member of my message boards.
She had chosen a restaurant called Absinthe, which was within walking distance. We got our first table and decided to move because the sun was coming through the windows, then moved again to a corner table. Then a staff member told us that that table was reserved so we moved again. That party came very late and we probably could have finished before they got there. Oh well!
We had a very nice dinner, then, finally bedtime.
Related articles
- California, Here I Come… (maryoblog.com)
- Golden Gate Bridge (tctravelers.wordpress.com)
- Gas leak clears San Francisco convention center (fresnobee.com)