The Foundation Conferences

On January 3, 1987, Bob and his wife Linda lost their 24-year-old son (and only child) to a drowning accident. It was a tragic, painful time. Ross had been a fun-loving, energetic person, who had begun a promising career as an investment banker. In the mounds of paper he left behind was a paragraph from his journal that riveted them:

"I am on my way to Florida once again for the conference at Ocean Reef. Last year I left with a great feeling that seemed to supply the answers to some questions that I found difficult to answer on my own. It also brought me closer to the God whom I had neglected. Now we are one year older, that much more experienced, and that much further away from God. It's amazing what living with a bunch of pit bull terriers (description of his work environment) can do to a person. While my original intention was to have more of an effect on the pit than the pit had on me, the result proved to be the opposite. I look to this weekend as a turning point. Let's hope that this will be the case."

What had been an idea in the back of Bob's mind now became a passion. Several days after Ross' death, Bob met with a group of friends gathered in a hotel conference room in Atlanta. Their goal was to address questions being raised by very bright, inquisitive, aggressive people. These young people had gone through college or graduate school, made decisions regarding their vocations, and had then faced life on their own. But what had their attention were the questions regarding their Christian faith and its relevance to "real" life. Life as they were experiencing it, life as Ross experienced it. Life on the competitive demanding fast-track of "seeking one's fortune."

"Is it really possible for a person to take faith to the marketplace? Are there real people out there who think who lead, who win...who follow Christ and are committed to making a difference? Does a person's faith make a difference in the marketplace of micro-processors and LBO's? Or in a world of alternate lifestyles and starving Africans?"

There was no organization to back their efforts, no group to fund their search for answers. So Bob and Linda agreed to underwrite conferences designed to answer these questions and help people on their journey.

The first Foundation conference was held in Dallas and was the beginning of a partnership between Bob and Linda, Leadership Network and Willow Creek Community Church. Bob and Linda provided the vision and willingness to underwrite any shortfall. Bill Hybels and the music and drama team from Willow Creek provided expertise in designing messages that hit the heart through a very high quality blend of the spoken work, music and drama. Leadership Network provided the administrative portion. It was a very powerful conference.