Music By:

Brenton Brown

Bio:

His songs Lord reign in me, All who are thirsty and Humble King joined songs like Come now is the time, Be the centre and Hungry. It wasn't a bad start to a recording career! But though these were his first recordings as a solo artist, Brenton had been leading worship in his home town in South Africa for a number of years.

After finishing his studies in politics, philosophy and theology at Oxford university - and his recordings with Brian Doerksen, Brenton began work as the worship pastor for the local vineyard church in Oxford, accepting a worship leadership role for the Vineyard movement in the UK as well. Three records followed in as many years, Surrender (which included the Doerksen co-write, Your love is amazing), Holy and Doing the stuff (released as in the US).

Brown's future with the Vineyard movement in the UK seemed assured and laid out before him. But life took a dramatic turn. Brown fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was forced to leave his position as worship pastor and take a sabbatical in his South African home town. It was there that he married Jude - also ill with CFS. Faced with the career limitations his illness imposed on him, the decision to record a solo project with Survivor Records seemed a wise one. Two years later Everlasting God was released with Survivor and with Sparrow in the States. The co-writes Hosanna (Praise is rising) and Everlasting God seemed to strike a chord with the church. Following a ministry trip that a team from the Malibu Vineyard had made to Cape Town many years before, Brenton had visited California off and on ever since. Realizing that a change in pace and lifestyle might assist their recovery in 2005 the Browns reluctantly left London and their home church of Holy Trinity Brompton for California. Since then they have been welcomed into the Horizon family of churches and have travelled across the States and beyond leading worship in churches as far afield as Sweden and Korea. 2008 saw the arrival of a baby daughter called Bella, and Brenton's second solo project, 'Because of your love'. Brenton has been lucky enough to have his songs recorded by Chris Tomlin and Lincoln Brewster. He has 5 songs in CCLI's top 100.

Speaker:

Mark Matlock

Bio:

Mark Matlock is the PlanetWisdom culture, content and idea guy at Youth Specialties. A native Californian displaced in Dallas, TX, Mark has been involved in youth ministry for a long time but that does't mean he knows much of anything. Mark heads up the PlanetWisdom Student Conferences, Real World Parents seminars, and gives input and direction to other stuff we come up with. He has written several books for students and volunteers in his church youth ministry.

Mark and his wife Jade have been married for 16 years and have two kids Dax who is in middle school and Skye in fourth grade. The Matloc's enjoy travelling together and making things. Their favorite holiday (next to Christmas and Easter) is Halloween. Mark is a certified Life Planner by the Patterson Foundation and also serves as a board member to Wycliff's The Seed Company and The Imagine A Cure Foundation (supporting ethical research and helping families with type 1 diabetes). In his spare time he performs magic.