Have you ever walked into a room full of people, yet still felt alone? Think of the first time you went to a writers conference. Were you by yourself? Did it take courage to step out in faith to travel to the conference? Attending a new writers conference can be intimidating, with an unfamiliar campus, new people, and a maze of class schedules.
From the earliest days of the St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference, there arose a concern for acclimating new writers into a conference setting. With this in mind, seasoned conference attendees began a program to mentor and welcome new conferees to the conference. This program became our unique Timothy Program, named for the friendship between the Apostle Paul and Timothy. Just as Paul mentored Timothy in his discipleship, we desire to encourage writers in their craft and in their first time at St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference.
Who were Paul and Timothy? The Apostle Paul was introduced to Timothy, a young Christian, and began to write to him, encouraging him in his new and growing faith. Paul became Timothy’s mentor, helping him to understand where to go, how to speak, and what to say. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he gave him instructions and advice, but also encouraged Timothy to set an example for other believers “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warned Timothy about the false teachers that he would encounter and told him to continue in the things he has learned because he knows the character of those from whom he learned them (2 Timothy 3:14–15).
At St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference, first-time attendees are matched up with experienced conferees, not as a teacher of writing, but as an informal contact whose job it is to:
- Make themselves available to answer questions by email before conference, and maybe tell you about their writing interests and ask about yours.
- Greet you as soon as possible after arriving and make sure you are getting settled in.
- Help you make sense of the class choices, as well as the logistics of getting around campus. (We will also send you some unofficial campus maps that may help more than the one on the website.)
It is our goal at St. Davids to help you feel comfortable and welcomed, so you can focus on learning more about writing while you explore your gifts as a writer. There are no strangers here, and we want you to succeed.
On the first evening of conference, we hold our Timothy/Paul meeting. Pauls are formally introduced to their Timothys and to each other. Directors of the program, Janyce Brawn and Anne Waterman Murphy, give important information to the newcomers and also provide a “survival packet” full of useful and fun items to help the new conferee through their week at conference and beyond. This meeting helps each new conferee to feel welcomed as well as to have several points of contact throughout the week should questions or problems arise.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…”
(1 Thess. 5:11 NIV)
It is our goal at St. Davids to ensure everyone has a fulfilling, encouraging, and memorable time and it starts for each new conferee with our Timothy Program.
“The conference helped me to know other first-timers and to improve my craft. The teachers and other conferees listened, guided, and encouraged me. The atmosphere of love and helpfulness nurtured and buoyed my spirits. I felt as if I walked on air. When I returned home, I floated with the memories lifting me up as I continued to write.”
~ Janyce Brawn, co-founder of the Timothy Program