8th Annual BCF

Nov 2-3, 2021

Laramie County Events Center
3965 Archer Pkwy, Cheyenne, WY 82009

Preparations are underway for BCF 2021, and those plans include you! A special thanks to the High Prairie, WY and Pikes Peak, CO congregations for the invitation to Wyoming this year. The venue is a 2-hour drive north of the Denver, CO airport, offering very reasonably priced airfares from many parts of the country. Make your travel plans now! The program begins at 12:15 on Tuesday and continues through Tuesday evening. Wednesday is a full day of interactive training and workshops for network administrators, software geeks and tech committee members.


Seminars on Communications Technology

Full Day of Hands-on Training!

Tuesday, Nov 2

12:15 Registration and Seating

1:00 Welcome and Introductions

1:30 Devotional Inspiration - Nelson Torkelson,  Pueblo, CO

1:45  The First Three Years: Venturing into a Connected World
- James Martin, Versailles, MO

How do people navigate the new opportunities and liabilities of the internet when they first go online? What changes occur as the years move on and internet convenience becomes normal? How does the caution and conviction of the Plain community adapt to the demands of business? What types of safeguards seem sustainable?

2:15 Can You Keep a Secret? - Myron Eby, Athens, TN

In today’s world, we encounter log-in or authorization events dozens of times a day. We sign-in to online accounts for purchasing, messaging, and banking. We log into control systems for saws, grain elevators, and shop equipment. We use key-pad door locks to enter classroom, corridors and secure storage areas. We’ll discuss ways to efficiently manage those secrets for security and functionality. 


2:45  A Day in the Life of a Tech Committee Member
- Mark Wayne Yoder, Cumberland Furnace, TN

What does policy management and problem solving look like from the perspective of technology committees? Tech reps fill a vital role in meeting the daily needs of the brothers and sisters they serve. They are invaluable to our work at Compass Foundation. How can we support them as they support us?

3:15 Break 

3:30 Vision Phone Development - Dave Burkholder, Vineland, NJ

The Vision Phone project has been public for a year now – a year of intense development by our team. This project has brought new realities to light about how our customers purchase and administrate phones. We’ll review the work that’s been done and discuss plans for continued development. 

4:00 Life Without Windows - Marvin Martin, Hagerstown, MD

Imagine a world without Windows OS… Why do servers and government datacenters and email services not use the familiar Microsoft products? What is Linux? Why do we use Linux to run the filtering engines at Compass?  Why should the programmers among us develop for a Linux environment?

4:30  Intro to 5G and Cell Carrier Changes - Andy Balholm , Williams Valley, WA

Say goodbye to Sprint and hello to Dish. And the cell carriers want you to give an excited hello to 5G (especially if it means they can sell you a new phone). What does it mean to us?  

5:00 Supper

Evening Session

6:00 Registration and Seating

6:30 Who Controls "Free Speech"?  - Dave Burkholder, Vineland, NJ

Freedom of expression has long been a cornerstone of Western democracies, and the internet promised to be the ultimate platform for letting every voice be heard. Instead, that dream has turned into destructive excess. New questions have risen. “Who is responsible for this ‘free speech’?”  “Who owns the viewpoints--the messenger or the platform that carries the message?” “Shouldn’t someone control what is said?” We take those questions seriously. What will happen to “free speech” in our plain communities? How do such questions relate to the messaging platforms at Compass Foundation?

7:15 Accountable to God and Man  - James Zimmerman, Ewing, IL

God has placed us within circles of influence and responsibility, in the home, workplace, church, and community. The information age has brought new challenges to the Biblical tenant of being our “Brother’s Keeper”.  Can brotherhood guidelines strengthen personal convictions, or undermine them?  As an individual, are my convictions no longer relevant, or are they more important than ever?  What timeless principles support and enable proper accountability to God and our fellowmen?

8:00 Dismissal

Wednesday, Nov 3

8:00 Welcome and Orientation  - James Martin

The subjects below will be covered throughout the day, presented by various Compass staff members. Most of the subjects will be 30-45 minutes. As we get closer to the date, it will become clearer whether the attendees will be divided into two groups. If dividing, schedules will be made for each group.

 Managing Appstores: Vision Market and Cloudberry - Tim Byler

App management can be a time-consuming process for those who need to manage new app requests, app policies and such like. A key goal of the Vision Market is to streamline that work, while providing a higher level of flexibility than most other app management platforms provide.

Custom Polices for My Network / Devices   -  Myron Eby
Is there an easy way to customize the internet access at the Front Desk computer?  What about placing time constraints on my mobile devices?  We’ll discuss a variety of common options that account administrators can use in the Console.

Beacon MDM Agent and Console   -  Dave Burkholder
The MDM for Vision phones has undergone extensive development in the past year. It now enables authentication with the filter, viewing of profiles on the device, and more. The console enables both business owners and tech committees to self-administrate their devices.


Help Me Access This Page
  -  Aaron Zeiset
Oh no! I need to place this order with my vendor today and the page is blocking! How does AutoFix work? When should I submit a site for Human Review? And now this next situation requires accessing a video. Can that be done in a satisfactory manner?


What Can We Do for You?  - Kent Martin
A quick overview and update of our current Compass services and products.

Mary Bought a New Phone  - JD Martin
For local tech partners and tech committee members, what is involved in enrolling or replacing a device promptly and correctly? How can Compass techs and community techs work together to streamline the setup process and keep devices current?


In the Cloud or in Your Office?  - Marvin Martin
What are the advantages of installing an on-site DrawBridge appliance on your network? Are there limitations?  What’s right for my business? What if my laptop is sometimes connecting at the office and sometimes remotely?  Can I have filtered WiFi at my store?

Is That All? I Wanted to Hear About...   -  Dave Burkholder
We’ll address the questions that were submitted throughout the day, or any topic you want to ask Compass staff about.