By KAREN WALKER
correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
BOALSBURG — The past couple of years have been unprecedented and intensely stressful for just about everyone. Dan Nold, lead pastor of Calvary Church in Boalsburg, believes that during these uncertain times, even the most experienced leaders are feeling depleted and struggling to inspire resiliency and hope.
In response, Calvary Church is inviting community leaders from business, education, nonprofits and other walks of life to take part in the annual Global Leadership Summit at its Harvest Fields location on Aug. 4 and 5.
The event features internationally known leaders whose talks are simulcast to thousands of participants at host locations across the country. Some of this year’s speakers include former Disney CEO Bob Iger; Lynsi Snyder, owner and president of In-N-Out Burger; Deb Liu, president and CEO of Ancestry; and New York Times best-selling author and leadership expert Jon Acuff. Some leading pastors, such as Andy Stanley of North Point Ministries and Judah Smith of Churchome, are also on the agenda, but Nold said the focus of the event is not faithbased.
“It’s very balanced. It’s not a ministry setting; it’s much broader than that,” he said.
“It’s for anybody who’s trying to further their leadership skills, wisdom, that type of thing. It’s for developing leadership in the workplace, the schools, even in the home for your family. My sense is the theme this year focuses on how do you be a resilient leader and how do you lead in times of uncertainty.”
Nold says that in between speakers, the program will feature discussion periods among the on-site participants.
Calvary Church has been a GLS host since 2015, but Nold feels like this year’s event is particularly relevant to community leaders.
“I think there’s never been a better time for hope-filled leaders to gather and look forward to what’s next. A lot of leaders I know have faced or are facing a season of burnout, questioning if they can keep going. Rubbing shoulders with other leaders in the community can add some hope and help,” he said.
“Good leaders are less about completing a task and more about building people. Building good leaders will serve our communities well.”
Sessions will take place on Thursday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and on Friday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets for the two-day event are $229, or $99 for student/faculty/military participants. A limited number of discounted tickets are also available on the Calvary website, www.calvarysc.org. A virtual streaming option is available for those who prefer to participate from home; the cost is the same.
