(Formerly known as Incite)

Dates

June 17-21, 2024

Location

The Summit at Erie First Assembly
8160 Oliver Rd, Erie, PA 16509

Cost

$189/staff

Price increases $50 on May 14

Special Guests

Lyndsey Cherry, MA, LPC

Lyndsey is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Ozark, Missouri. She has been a practicing counselor since 2008, her clinical experience including a wide range of individuals, families, and couples. In 2014, she joined the Hope Restored team with Focus on the Family in Branson, MO, providing marriage intensives. She opened her own private practice in 2020. Lyndsey is also an Adjunct Professor at Evangel University.

She loves coming alongside individuals and couples in their journey of healing in their lives and relationships. She and her husband, Jeff, have been married since 2006 and have three children.

Lyndsey is part of a small team providing nationwide training to Chi Alpha staff on the topics of Healthy Spiritual Authority and Trauma-Informed Ministry with young adults.

Delyn Cole

Delyn grew up in Eugene, Oregon.  She actively participated in the life of her local church and youth sports.  In 1989, Delyn graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology minor.  Shortly after graduation she married Curtis Cole and moved to Montana to pioneer Chi Alpha at the University of Montana - Western.  For eighteen years, Delyn actively invested in the lives of Western’s students, staff, and faculty. 

Today, Delyn serves as the National Coaching and Support Raising Training Director for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, USA. She is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and an ACC Coach with the International Coach Federation. Her passion to see people grow in faith, godliness, ministry, and life motivates her daily to work alongside pastors and missionaries for their development and effectiveness.

She enjoys a great friendship with her husband Curtis, hosting friends in her home, traveling, mentoring, coaching and sitting on a beautiful beach. Delyn and Curtis have two adult sons, Christopher and Nicholas and a new daughter in law, Natalie.

Nick and Gina Fatato

Nick began his ministry on college campuses. For eighteen years he worked with Chi Alpha Campus Ministry on college campuses in Michigan, as a National field director in Springfield, Missouri and on college campuses in Boston. These years involved starting new campus ministries, training campus pastors and speaking at conferences and retreats.

After leaving college ministry, Nick served as the pastor of Boston Worship Center in downtown Boston. In 2006 he was asked to serve at the Southern New England Ministry Network as the Executive Director of Minister Development until 2019 when he was elected as Superintendent.

Gina worked with Chi Alpha as a student in South Texas. She also has worked together with Nick in their various assignments - giving time to working in ministry as raising of the children allowed. Most recently Gina is the Network Director for the Network of Women Ministers in SNE. She also gives direction to the Women Married to Ministers group and the Women Ministries groups in churches in Southern New England.

Nick and Gina have been married for almost 40 years. They have four children: Andrew, Aaron, Natalie and Alexander.

Belkis Lehmann

Born in Colombia to Cuban parents, Belkis grew up in Miami, FL where she learned to love all things diverse. Her spiritual journey began in the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall. After several years of God's pursuit, she submitted her life to Christ at the age of seventeen. She began college at Florida International University, where she started a campus ministry group as a student.

Belkis served as a Chi Alpha missionary at Eastern Michigan University for 14 years with her husband Steve, where she learned to think creatively about ministry structuring and gospel contextualization. She directed diversity and leadership development for the Great Lakes Area during Steve’s tenure as the Area Director. In 2017, she helped lead a pioneering team at a historically Black university in North Carolina. 

She has been serving as the National Diversity Director since 2015.  She drives diversity by helping to create initiatives that equip staff and student leaders, mobilize ethnic minorities, and reach Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She is driven by a passion for diversity based on the sacredness of humanity and the fullness of the kingdom of God. Her other passions include apologetics, discipleship, food, woodworking, and spending time with her husband and two kids: Sofia and Gabriel.

XA MK Program

There is no cost for children to participate in the XAMK experience, but please register them so we have their info. Children will be separated into five groups for individualized learning and play for age-appropriate activity:

  • Babies: Birth through 2.5 years

  • Preschool Group: Ages 2.5 through age 5

  • Elementary Group: Completed Kindergarten through entering 5th Grade (ages 6-9)

  • Middle School Group: Entering 6th Grade through Completed 8th Grade (ages 10-13)

  • Teenagers: Ages 14 and up.

The safety protocols for the XA MK Program are available here.

FAQs

  • Light is the annual training conference for all Chi Alpha staff serving in the Northeast (formerly known as Incite).

  • Mike Olejarz created the LIGHT acronym (leaders integrating growth and higher training) for an article he was asked to write in 1986 for Chi Alpha's Fellowscrip magazine on "a year in campus ministry" using acronyms. His next goal was meant to help XA balance SALT (student conferences around since the mid 70's), with LIGHT staff conferences that started to develop in the mid to late 80's. Up to that time time, SALTs were the primary place the few staff in each region gathered and hung out as friends.

    The Great Lakes (when Mike was regional rep) was the first to use LIGHT as the name for an actual staff conference in 1987+, with focus on actual staff development. Slowly from the late 80's into the later nineties/early to mid 2000's, regions started moving toward the use of LIGHT as the designation of their regional staff gatherings!

  • Yes! All XAMKs attend free. Just remember to register them.

    Our XA MK Program safety programs are available to read here.

  • Check-in runs from 2:00-5:30 pm on Monday, at The Summit.

    All departures should take place on Friday morning.

  • Mike Olejarz was able to obtain a grant that offset the difference as well as cost increases. We are so thankful!

  • Your registration will cover the cost of the conference, as well as housing and food, with the exception of dinner on Wednesday night.

    Please plan to leave a tip for the hotel cleaning staff at the Wingate. $2.00 a day is suggested.

  • Yes! You can add additional nights at the hotel before or after for $95/night.

  • Due to our room block at the hotel, we cannot accommodate solo rooms. Please be sure to indicate your roommate preference!

 Got questions?

General Info

Mike Olejarz
mikeolejarz@gmail.com
(617)-750-6334

XAMK Program

Lindsay Banton
lindsaybanton@gmail.com 
(804)-994-4099.

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