Beautiful weather, dynamic presentations and active fellowship characterized the 2005 Society of Adventist Communicators convention held Oct. 20–23 at the Gladstone Park Conference Center in Gladstone, Ore.

More than 130 registered attendees from North America, including students from several Adventist colleges and universities, had the opportunity to rub shoulders with veteran communication professionals and establish new connections during the weekend.

This year’s convention featured a special two-hour screening of recent SONscreen festival award winners—videos and workshops produced by people under 30—targeted at specific interest groups. Breakout sessions helped attendees deal with diverse issues such as Web sites, public media coverage, public relations strategies, and publication design, among others.

Many commented on the quality of the keynote presentations. Mara Woloshin, of Woloshin Communications based in Portland, Ore., challenged participants to avoid numbers-based marketing and concentrate instead on people-based values. Phil Cooke, president and CEO of Cooke Pictures in Santa Monica, Calif., covered six basic principles for Christians in media work. He asked all to consider whether “the things you’re living for are worth Jesus dying for?”

Those from beyond the Northwest especially enjoyed the Sabbath afternoon outing to Crown Point and Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River Gorge. Cameras came out and memories were made—some involving friendships and professional connections made for the first time at this convention.

The next SAC convention will be held in October of 2006 in Baltimore, Md., with the goal of equipping a growing group of Adventist communicators for the opportunities ahead.