Author Phyllis Tickle to Headline Emergent Conference
Phyllis Tickle, renowned sage, spiritual mentor and author of The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why, will unpack the contents of her book at a conference titled “The Great Emergence with Phyllis Tickle,” Dec. 5-6 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Tickle will present in four plenary sessions and lead thrice-daily prayers. Other presenters include Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, Pete Rollins, Lisa and Will Samson, and Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove. (Plus, blues and barbecue on Beale Street.) Conference admission is $149. Visit www.thegreatemergence.com for more information or to register.
Support Charities Painlessly Through Shopping, Search Engine
With the economy in the doldrums, many charities are bracing for a dip in donations; but the creators of GoodSearch and GoodShop feel they’ve created a new, innovative way for folks to help their favorite charities in these tough economic times.
Goodsearch.com is a Yahoo!-powered search engine that, whenever it is used, donates about a penny to the user’s selected charity (more than 60,000 participants have signed up so far). GoodShop.com, meanwhile, is an online shopping site where users can buy merchandise from such stores as Target, Apple, Best Buy, Orbitz and others. A portion of the money a buyer spends there will, in turn, be funneled to the charity.
Creators say these sites provide “philanthropy on a shoestring.”
“The response to this idea truly has been overwhelming,” said Ken Ramberg, co-founder of GoodSearch and former president of MonsterTRAK, the largest online career site for college students (now a division of Monster.com). “More than 100 new nonprofits and schools register daily, and GoodSearch and GoodShop are helping make a difference in communities across the country.”
For more information, go to www.goodsearch.com.
Citrustree Planted and Growing
A new faith-based boardriding company has sprung to existence in Chattanooga, Tenn., and the creators plan to donate 10 percent of all profits to Christian missions.
Citrustree Boardriding was founded by Chris Loizeaux and Jonathan Albanese, friends who had been skateboarding since 1996. Once the pair realized they weren’t going to turn professional anytime soon, they turned their collective attention to creating their own business.
“The concept was not to create just another skateboard company, but to develop a brand that has its roots firmly planted in their faith in God, cultivates creativity within the culture, and motivates the building of relationships within their local and global communities,” according to a press release from their organization.
Citrustree, which recently enlisted skateboarder Tyler Simmons as its team rider, sells boards and apparel—available at skate shops and on the Internet (www.citrustreeboardriding.com).
Christian Artist Giving Away Album
Christian musical artist Derek Webb is distributing his critically acclaimed album The Ringing Bell through the online distribution channel NoiseTrade. The service allows fans to download the full album under two conditions: One, they could pay any amount online—be it 20 bucks or 20 cents—through NoiseTrade; or two, if they tell three of their friends.
“If artists and fans realized how they could help each other and started making direct connections, without a middleman, the whole industry would change overnight,” Webb says. “It would start a revolution.”
