Tips on Attending a Joyce Meyer Free Conference

Have you ever been to a Joyce Meyer conference? If you watch her on television, you may have heard about them. I would like to share with you on what you may see at such an event and hopefully encourage you to attend one the next time you get the chance.

I have been watching Joyce Meyer passionately preaching on morning television for just over a year. Ever since I first started watching her at 6:30 in the morning while having my coffee, I have been drawn by her animated style, passion, and humor. Her bible messages are entertaining and relevant to me as a Christian. I like her and I am not alone as I noticed the huge audience she was preaching to in every paid-program showing of "Enjoying Everyday Life."

So when I heard she was coming to Phoenix this year, my husband and I made plans to make an over-night trip to the big city to attend one of her free conferences. We drove three hours to Phoenix, rented a motel room and after a nice dinner, upon my husband's advice, drove to the church a whole hour before the conference to find a good seat. I have to admit I thought arriving an hour early was ridiculous. Since when does one go a whole hour in advance to church? Well, my husband was right and wrong. He wanted us to get there early but an hour wasn't early enough.

As we entered the large parking lot to the Phoenix First Assembly church complex, flocks of people were steadily making their way up the sidewalks towards the large white sanctuary where the conference was taking place. We knew then that we should have arrived much earlier. If you do attend one of these conferences, try to get to the location at least two hours earlier if you want a decent seat. Since they are free and no tickets can be bought, it's "first come, first served." Parking attendants guided the cars into the massive parking lot and there were lines to concession stands selling food, beverages, books and souvenirs at the front of the church.

The sanctuary was crowded with people trying to find seats. Volunteers did their best to help everyone with information about event. Video screens around the complex gave visitors tips about the program and drinks/food were allowed in the sanctuary. I was amazed how many came to see her in person. I was so glad I brought a camera for this. If you do, make sure you can "force suppress" the flash as it will interfere with the filming taking place. Yes, there is usually a camera crew there to film Joyce's teachings for TV and camera techs do go up and down the aisles to get close-ups of attendees, so dress nice if you want to look good on TV.

When the fog machines started and the colorful lights around the stage filled the church, cheers from the congregation responded eagerly for the program to begin. I could see that all the seats were completely filled. I also saw a lot of men and boys at this event. Families, couples and singles of all ages were here. We learned that many had to go to an annex building to see the program for the sanctuary was filled to capacity.

Contemporary Christian music by Phil Wickham brought us to our feet and clapping hands. Lyrics to the songs were shown on huge screens so we could all sing along. It was loud, flashy and exciting to watch and I was so glad to be there.

After about 30 minutes of singing and music, we prayed together and sat down. Soon after that Joyce and her husband, Dave, stepped out onto the stage to welcome all of us to the event, speaking to us candidly as if we were sitting in their living room. After the greeting, "love offering" envelopes were handed out by the ushers. The offering was very organized and painless. No one pressured us to give, but we were glad to do it. When Dave took his seat, Joyce began the evening's bible lesson using her bible and some visual aids or assistants.

She moved from one end of the stage to the other, slowly and clearly talking to us in a relaxed and friendly manner. Her jokes and banter made us laugh and kept us interested while she educated us about attitude and how important it is to us Christians in today's world. Yes, she pitched her books and DVDs for a few minutes. As a fellow author, I would to! Her manner was professional, but also endearing. She was like a best friend sharing some helpful advice with me. She spoke for about an hour, but the whole event with the music was about two hours long.

The only bad part of going to such an event was trying to leave the church complex afterwards. But I have to admit it was orderly, with plenty of help from the local police and volunteers to keep the traffic moving steadily. It took us about 30 minutes, at the most, before we were back on the streets of Phoenix.

Each weekend has about 3 different programs of worship and teachings. If you enjoy listening to this charismatic and inspirational teacher, it's an event you will truly benefit from. She has a lot to offer not just in books and magazines, her website offers a plethora of information and help to anyone who needs it and some of it is absolutely free. My experience at the conference was motivating and beneficial. Even my husband enjoyed it. I highly recommend you experience one of these free conferences. You'll be glad you went.