National Fellows
Conference
November 2-4, 2023
Washington DC Metro Area
Board Member
and Guest
Registration Page
Welcome to the TFI National Fellows Conference! We are excited for you to join with roughly 250 others from the TFI Fellows programs around the country. We pray that this will be a wonderful weekend for you to hear from our great speakers, to meet fellows in other programs, and to enjoy the Washington DC area. The TFI National Fellows Conference has been happening for 17 years!
IMPORTANT: This registration page is for TFI Board members and their conference guests only. TFI Board Members, please use the separate TFI Vision TFI Fellows and Program Leaders must use the main registration page.
Conference Schedule-at-a Glance
Wednesday November 1st
TIME TBD - TFI Board of Directors Dinner
Thursday, November 2nd
8:00–1:00pm TFI Board of Directors Meeting
5:00–5:30pm Registration and Check-in
5:30–6:00pm Meet & Greet Activities
6:00–7:00pm Dinner
7:00–10:00pm Evening Conference Program
Friday, November 3rd
9:00–9:15am Welcome
9:15–12:00 Morning Conference Program
12:00–2:00pm Directors Workshop with TFI Board of Directors
12:00–6:00pm Fellows explore the city/Free time
6:00–7:00pm Dinner
7:00–10:00pm Evening Conference Program
Saturday, November 4th
9:00–9:15am Welcome
9:15–12:00 Morning Conference Program
12:00–6:00pm Explore the City/Free Time
5:00–6:00 Fundraising Event Hosted by TFI Board of Directors
6:00–7:00pm Dinner
7:00–10:00pm Evening Conference Program
About the Venue
Fourth Presbyterian Church, home of the Fourth Fellows program, will be hosting the TFI National Fellows Conference this year. The main events, including all keynotes and scheduled meals, will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Breakout Sessions and Director Meetings will be held in other rooms in the church. A digital program guide will be provided when you arrive at the conference venue.
Thank you to David Frerichs, Tanya Klitsch, and Alaina Conley for making this site possible for the conference this year!
Fourth Presbyterian Church
5500 River Rd
Bethesda, MD 20816
TFI Alumni - Get Involved!
The TFI network of Fellows alumni grows every year. Including the class of 2023-24, there are more than 3,200 Fellows program alumni living, working, and serving around the world.
To stay connected with this community, please join the TFI Alumni Groups on social media. The TFI Alumni Group on LinkedIn is where we post job announcements, program announcements, and other topics of interest to the TFI community.
About the Area
The conference will be held this year at Fourth Presbyterian Church, which is in Bethesda, Maryland, part of the Greater Washington DC Metro area. The DC Metro area is home to 6.4M residents and spans the regions of Northern Virginia, Central Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Bethesda is a city in itself, but also a suburb of the larger DC area. Among other employers, Bethesda is home to the National Institutes of Health, the National Naval Medical Center, and Marriott International.
The two nearest Metro Stations are Bethesda and Tenleytown-American University. Unfortunately, neither of these stations are a short walk from the church. There are buses to get you around as well as Uber, Lift and taxis, which are commonly used in the DC area. Both the Bethesda and Tenleytown Metro Stations are on the Red Line of the DC Metro System. Once on the Red Line, you have access to the entire Metro System through easy connections at the Metro Center Station in the heart of DC. You can access the DC Metro System with your phone using the SmarTrip app.
Most people know the city of Washington because it is the nation's Capitol established by the Constitution as a "federal district". It is home to many federal government agencies, the seat of federal politics, as well as many nonprofits and think tanks. It is also home to many museums and green spaces such as the National Mall. We hope you take time to visit some of the sites while you are here! The Smithsonian Institution manages 18 individual museums and the National Zoo, all of which are free. There are more than 60 other museums and memorials in the city, although not all of these are free.
Need help navigating? Members of the three local Fellows programs - Capital Fellows, The Fellows at the Falls Church Anglican, and Fourth Fellows - are here to help you navigate the city if you have questions. Feel free to ask them for directions, tips, and advice.
Sunday Worship
If you are in town on Sunday after the conference (November 5th), the three TFI Fellows programs in the Washington DC area would love for you to join them for worship. There are multiple worship times available at each church. There is no specific dress code at any of these churches. "Smart casual" would definitely be OK at all of them. You will find people in jeans and others in suits and dresses.
The Falls Church Anglican (Falls Church Fellows)
6565 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22042
Worship options: Traditional - 9:00a, Contemporary - 11:00a
Fourth Presbyterian Church (Fourth Fellows)
5500 River Road, Bethesda, MD 22180
Worship options: 8:00a, 11:00a
McLean Presbyterian Church (Capital Fellows)
1020 Balls Hill Road, McLean, Virginia 22101
Worship options: 9:00a, 10:45a, 5:15p
Other Information
Dress Code
The dress code for the conference is smart casual. Jeans are fine, but please avoid sweat pants and athletic wear.
Staying Present
You will want to have your smart phones for information shared during the conference, including song lyrics for the worship times. But, please limit your time on your phones otherwise. Stay present physically and mentally through all of the conference events.
Communications
Schedule changes and other news will be announced during the main sessions. Other communications will happen through your program leaders.
Hotel Accommodations
TFI has arranged for blocks of rooms at two hotels in Bethesda. Please contact Aliyah Price for more details.
Transportation to/from Fourth Presbyterian Church
If you will be driving to the conference, there is plenty of free parking at the church. If you are flying to the conference, you will have a little more work to plan your transportation. There is not a Metro Station at the church. A shuttle will be provided for transportation between the church, the Tenleytown/AU Metro stop, and the hotels. There will be just one stop at the Embassy Suites each session. To keep the cost of the conference down, there is limited shuttle access. Please give priority to those programs that have to fly to attend the conference. Since the shuttle has limited seating available, it will need to make multiple trips between the sites. So, if you are driving to the conference, please use your vehicle to go between the church and the hotels as much as possible.