OK, so you have decided to attend one of the remaining Promise Keepers events of 2006 or are looking to attend a conference in 2007. What next?

I want everyone to have the best possible experience at PK, so I jotted down a few suggestions in the order that you would most likely encounter them.

Registration/Getting ticket

If you are going with a small group, get your tickets before February of that year. You can get tickets for only $69 which is a $20 discount over regular price. Sometimes you can get extra tickets from a group that came up a few guys short if you like the gamble. If you are going with a larger group, check with Promise Keepers about group discounts. Last thing – they take forever to mail tickets, so don’t get stressed. They will also mail you stuff before then, so don’t get to casual with throwing away mail without reading. You may do what I did and end up throwing away your ticket. If that happens, you can just check in at will call…

Who you are Going With? (Group/Friends/Solo)

The conference is all about men connecting with the Lord, and with other men. Going with a group is the best way to go. The comraderie is excellent, and the Lord brings special blessings on corporate worship and prayer.

I went with my church last year, and we tailgated (grilled out) since it was in our hometown. I went by myself this year, and see guys going solo, but you want to avoid that if possible. Ask a friend, family member, member of your small group, or co-worker. If that isn’t feasible, call local churches to see if their men’s ministry is sending a group.

If you get stuck going by yourself for any reason, still go! I guarantee you won’t feel alone. Rather, you will meet all kinds of great guys. Who knows, you may even make new friends/ministry contacts/job contacts in a different town.

Hotel Room

• Get Your Room Early (if not going with a large group) – You can get great deals by getting a room well ahead of time. The PK conferences fill up the closest hotels pretty quickly, too. Be sure to:
  • try a couple hotel search engines to compare prices
  • check a hotel review site to get the lowdown on if it is a fleabag motel or a bargain
  • Check the hotel’s main site to see if they have a better deal than the online “discounter”. They often do.
• In-room Movies - Turn them off as soon as you arrive. You won’t really have time for movies after Friday’s activities if you want any sleep, and it avoids temptation. Yeah, most guys face temptation of sexual sins.
• Clean Up After Yourself - I know you already do, but maybe go the extra mile and pick up some stuff that you may not have messed up. The hotel staff will be watching. Much of the staff is usually foreign and may not be as familiar with Christianity. We could be a witness for Christ without even realizing it.

Transportation to Promise Keepers

This depends on the size of your group, but definitely take as few vehicles as possible. This splits up costs of gas and parking. If you live out west where your drive may be a bit longer, traveling with others may also save your sanity by breaking up the drive time.

Check out Speakers’ Bio and Body of Work Ahead of Time

I always like to know some about the speaker beforehand. That may be because I’m a big dork, but I think it is helpful. You can find the list by clicking on this link, and then picking whatever conference you will be attending. PK only has the 2006 events up right now.

For example, suppose they have a lisp, yell quite a bit, or seem critical. Instead of being distracted from the message because of their delivery, I can be more prepared if I check out their website for audio messages.

Understanding their background can give us more understanding if we disagree with their perspective on something. This isn’t really a problem though, as I find that there are very few controversial topics discussed here – that is unless you support being a lousy dad, husband, employee/employer, and member of your community.

Volunteering at Promise Keepers

If you have been to a couple PK events, you may want to consider helping out by volunteering a small piece of your time. Volunteering is very easy and quite rewarding. If you are a “jump in with both feet” kind of guy, you can help with parking, checking people in, ushering, etc. If it is your first time, just relax and immerse yourself in the Lord. You can volunteer next year.

There is also a very important volunteering position called the “evangelism team.” No, they don’t hit the streets preaching the word. On the first night, there is an altar call.

I’ll use the 2006 Jacksonville conference as an example. Over 600 guys accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior at that conference, and many of those came up for the altar call. Do you remember what becoming a Christian was like? It was great, but it can be a bit scary. The evangelism team just comes up and finds guys to pray with.

I participated in the evangelism team for the first time this year, and can tell you that it was great. I did an absolutely lousy job at it, but it was great. I found a guy and tried praying with him, but there were no words even though I prayed about it beforehand. Unfortunately, I looked around and saw all these powerful prayers and hugging, so I forced my way through the prayer. Oops! The result was a pretty dry, ineffective prayer that was definitely not lead by the Holy Spirit.

I changed tactics and asked the guy if there was anything specific that I could pray for and felt that he just wanted to work it out by himself. That may not be the best thing for most of us, but perhaps the Holy Spirit was trying to arrest me from speaking. I tried this approach the rest of the weekend. When I went up to the front to pray, I just let the Lord guide me to someone. I just came up quietly and put my hand on their shoulder as they were praying and prayed silently with them. This worked out much better. Everyone wants your prayer at PK, and the Lord will absolutely be present.

I guess what I’m saying is to follow the Lord, even if it doesn’t make sense. The approach is the same for everyone, but don’t be afraid to be bold for the Lord, even if it goes “poorly.” These guys are just finding Christ and definitely want the outstreched hand of another brother even if they may not seem like it. That’s just the “fortress mentality” that most of us guys slip into. I’ll be doing the Evangelism Team again next year, for sure.

Water Bottle

Email the venue ahead of time about their policy for bringing in water bottles. Since it’s a good bet that no one is sneaking in booze, they are usually quite lenient. They may require that you bring an empty bottle. Just fill it up at the water fountains, and you’ll probably save at least $10 in water. You’ll be in there for a while – drink up!

What Time to Arrive at the Conference

You want to be there when the doors open. This is usually 1 & 1/2 hours before the event, but you won’t be bored at all. This gives you time to get a good seat and avoid the traffic, but there is a more important reason. You can meet the guys around you, or check out the bookstore. Most everyone is so darn friendly, it is a treat to meet new people in Christ. I am not even a very social guy, and I loved it.

The schedule usually goes something like this.

Friday
Doors open @ 5:30
Evening session 7:00-10:00

Saturday
Doors open @ 7:30
Morning session 9:00-12:00
Lunch 12:00-1:00
Afternoon session 1:00-4:00

Pre-game Preparation

Have people you know pray that God will lead you and bring breakthrough in your life during the conference. Also, take time to pray beforehand. Listen to some good music or a message on the drive over, or in your hotel room. The goal is to get to a place where we can hear the Lord. The other 363 days of the year I tend to just ask, ask, ask. For these two days (and eventually the other 363 following it) it is all about listening for that still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Where to Sit

The best place is on the floor. Sure, the seats have a bit higher back up in the arena, but you really feel more a part of the action when in the floor seats. Hopefully you arrived early. There really isn’t too much of a battle, and if you are there when the doors open, you can be in the first 10 or 20 rows, no problem. When I was at the 2005 Charleston conference, there were guys actually running for seats. It was pretty funny, but I’m glad to see that guys can still be competitive in a loving fashion. No such race in 2006 Jacksonville…

Worship

The worship band plays throughout the conference, and they let people come up in the standing-room area in front of the stage for the worship time. Some guys go up to the front when the worship band starts – both young and old. I highly reccommend that you go up front even if you feel weird about it.

I went up there, even though I am a charter member of the rhythmless nation. Unlike secular concerts where I would try to still look cool in front of my wife; it’s all dudes – it doesn’t matter. Worship however you are moved (or kept stationary) The worship sessions are amazingly powerful whether a person is young or old. I saw guys up front ranging from around 8 years old to 70 or so. God’s presence can really be felt, and it’s nice to just lose yourself in God and praise him.

Moments of Prayer

Go up to the front for prayer whenever you can – even if you don’t feel like it. There is an altar call the first night of the Promise Keepers convention that is for those committing their life to Christ, and the evangelism team, but there are usually one or two other opportunities.

When I went to Jacksonville this year, the speaker spoke about releasing fear. I didn’t really think fear was a root of my current problems. I called it “uncertainty.” I’m a guy – are you surprised?

For some reason I went up to the front (altar) when they asked guys to come up if they wanted prayer about releasing fear. I was not sure why I was walking up. It was like I was on auto-pilot.

When I got up there, the reasons for me going became quite apparent. God revealed that fear was indeed at the root of many of my struggles. I left them there at the cross and silently prayed with a couple other guys for their struggles. The “silent” thing worked much better than my evangelism team experience the night before.

Leaving the Convention

It takes some time for the stadium to clear out, and Promise Keepers always accepts volunteers to help them fold up chairs. I admit that I didn’t do that this year, but helped them break down in 2005. It was nice to be able to give back something other than just money.

Have a Good Time

Last but not least, enjoy yourself. Just hang out with God and your brothers. If there is anything else I missed, contact Promise Keepers. They are always very helpful. If you have any other suggestions, add them in the comment section below.

Thanks for dropping by – have a blessed day!

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