True Life: I’m a Conference Junkie

vlad

Conferences are a common occurrence in the Messianic movement and a great way to connect with other Messianics around the world, but what if you scheduled your entire life around them? On this episode of True Life, you’ll meet three young people who are struggling to balance real life while attending as many Messianic conferences as they can.

Stephanie Escalante, “21,” from Tampa, FL admits she is a conference junkie, but sees nothing wrong with it. She has attended everything from Messiah Conference to the UMJC international and 20s conferences to ARCH Leadership summit to AMF and everything in between. She even started a Twitter account dedicated to conference crushes. She is so addicted to attending conferences that The Messianic Meow wrote an article about her planning a fake conference and then she actually started planning it. “Even though I’m only ’21,’ I’ve been to enough conferences to know how to plan one. I don’t need help from anyone. I’ve got this. It’s my conference now.”

Amy Liantonio, 30, from Philadelphia, PA says she once went to three conferences in a month, all at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. She has made it her life’s goal to attend every conference at The Rosen, which could be as many as six per year. She is helping Stephanie plan the fake conference.

Vlad Horol, 27, from Chicago, IL considers himself now to be a recovering conference junkie. “I love conferences so much, that I became the UMJC Young Adult Liaison (YAL) as an excuse to attend conferences,” stated Horol. “But I’m married now and my wife, Rachel, told me it was unnecessary for me to attend so many conferences. As part of the recovery process, I stepped down as the YAL earlier this year and will try to limit my conferencing to two conferences per year.” “He’s fine,” Rachel chimed in. “Two conferences per year is more than enough. He’s just going to stick to our photography business, Yofi Photography, and he’ll be fine.”

There’s more to life than attending a conference every other month. If you or a friend spend all your time and money on Messianic conferences, please do not be afraid to ask for emotional support. The Messianic Meow is here for you.

UPDATE: We’ve just received word from AMF that they are not actually a conference, therefore Stephanie Escalante’s conference resume cannot include AMF.

New Non Partisan Messianic Conference for Those Who Like Attending Messianic Conferences to Take Place This Summer

RosenPlaza

Orlando, FL – A new Messianic conference will take place this summer for those who like attending Messianic Conferences. The aptly named “Conference Conference” will be an annual event the week prior to Messiah Conference.

“Messianic Judaism doesn’t have enough conferences, especially in the Orlando area,” stated Conference Conference Founder and Organizer, Stephanie Escalante. “This conference will be different than all the others, however. The workshops offered here will strictly be about how to choose the activities you participate in at the conferences you attend. We will go over the differences between all the Messianic conferences offered, how to choose which Rabbi you want to hear speak, how to choose between Davidic Dancing and Krav Maga, which kind of shofar or tambourine to bring to the evening sessions, how to choose a conference crush (CC) if you’re single, and we’ll even have a panel on how to choose your entree for the conference Shabbat meals. We’ll also be giving everyone a punch card…if you attend 10 other Messianic conferences between the 2017 Conference Conference and the 2018 Conference Conference, you will get half price admission for the 2018 Conference Conference! It can be any 10 Messianic conferences, including, but not limited to Messiah Conference, The UMJC International Conference, Daughters of Righteousness Conference, Meuchad Worship Conference, any YMJA Retreat, The ARCH Leadership Summit, Any MJAA Regional Conference, Muchan, any Jews for Jesus Ingathering, MLR, and even AMF 2.0!”

Conference Conference will take place June 22-25, 2017 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. Early bird registration starts at just $89 per person. Please call (605) 475-6968 to register.

 

UPDATE: We have just received word from AMF 2.0 that they are not actually a conference. Unfortunately, the Conference Conference punch cards will not be valid for said event afterall.