'What's the Point' draws celebrities to area

Posted: Jan. 9, 2012

The weather may be warm for this time of year, but it's not every day that a future Hall of Fame pitcher and a big league manager descend on suburban Wisconsin in January.

But Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz, Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, and TV announcer Brian Anderson will be at Delafield's Westbrook Church on Jan. 16. They won't be here for an autograph session, a workout, a camp, or really anything baseball-related, for that matter.

Instead, they will visit to share their stories of success and discuss how they have reached great heights in their own professions. In the process, they hope to impart some wisdom and inspiration on those in attendance to better their own communities.

Anderson, a Lake Country resident, will host the evening along with Greg Marshall of Milwaukee. The two started an organization called What's the Point?

The two envisioned a group that highlights success in hopes of influencing people to find their purpose in their communities and social circles.

"We wanted to know how we could connect some of the churches or have an impact on the community, not necessarily in a way that feels like we're preaching to people, because we're not," said Anderson. "We're just serving a need, and we thought we would try to bring some people to town that could create some kind of community gathering and put some very interesting people in the same space … people who have had a lot of success."

Asked Marshall, "How do we essentially mobilize people in our churches and our communities to create these experiences and opportunities to help people flourish, whether that be in individual relationships or as a businessperson, or a school, or a nonprofit organization, or whatever part of society they work in."

He added, "We wanted to create experiences where people would be challenged and encouraged to think about that question of really, what's the point of what I'm doing? 'I'm a successful businessperson' or whatever their statement would be, but what's the point? What's the point of my success? What's the point of my influence? And how do I use what I am to help other people flourish?"

Anderson and Marshall hope to extend their efforts well beyond Southeastern Wisconsin. The Brewers' play-by-play man said that groups in Texas and Seattle have shown interest in holding their own events with What's the Point?

The event scheduled at Westbrook Church has already drawn serious interest from the local community. According to Anderson roughly 600 of the 1200 available seats at the church are spoken for. The event is free and open to the public, although attendees will need to provide a ticket at the door to get in.

The evening will include a musical performance by B. Reith, a Christian hip/hop singer and rapper who grew up in Milwaukee and eventually began recording in Nashville. Following the performance, Anderson will join Roenicke and Smoltz onstage for an in-depth question-and-answer discussion.

Each guest boasts an impressive resume. Besides serving as the play-by-play announcer for the Brewers, Anderson also announces Major League Baseball games for Turner Sports. Smoltz, who got to know Anderson by calling playoff games with him, pitched 21 seasons in the majors, 20 of which came in an Atlanta Braves uniform. He was an eight-time all-star, and the 1996 National League Cy Young Award winner. Meanwhile, Ron Roenicke played in parts of eight Major League seasons before becoming a coach and ultimately taking the reigns as the Brewers manager in 2011. In his first season, Roenicke led the Brewers to their first division title since 1982.

Marshall, who will facilitate the discussion, said he will pose questions about how each of these baseball personalities became so successful, and how they use their gifts to influence their teams and communities.

"I'll be trying to pull out some of those bigger concepts and ideas and get them talking about some stuff that you typically wouldn't hear them talking about," said Marshall in a recent interview.

He indicated that much of the conversation will occur in the context of faith, but he stressed the event is not intended to be a religious event.

"We really want anybody that comes to feel comfortable and yes, they will be sharing about their faith most likely, but it's not an evangelistic event where we're trying to get these people to become Christians."

Said Anderson, "Oftentimes I'm thinking about these guys when I'm talking with them or when we're in the conversation, and I say to myself, 'I'd love for more people to be able to hear this and digest this.' But they are celebrities and they're not all that accessible."

But all three had some time during baseball's offseason, and they decided Lake Country would be a good starting point to see where this event can go in the future.

"We really started without a business plan, and I'm not really sure we have a business plan at this point. It's not necessarily a busi ness. No one is making any money out of it. We're just trying to serve a need in the community and trying to encourage people to have influence in their circle. That's really the goal."

Because of the strong response from the local community, What's the Point? will likely only continue to expand. The group also organizes small, unpublicized workshops crafted specifically for different groups, such as authors or business leaders, but next week's event at Westbrook Church will be its first foray into an open, public event.

"I'm really excited. It will be a great way to serve for them and for us. Hopefully people will get a lot out of it and will want to carry the torch into their circles wherever that may be," Anderson said.

The event begins at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at Westbrook Church on Highway 83 in Delafield.

If you go

What: What's the Point, a motivational conversation with John Smoltz, Ron Roenicke and Brian Anderson

When: 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16

Where: Westbrook Church, 1100 Highway 83, Hartland

Cost: Free; for tickets, e-mail greg@whatsthepoint.net or visit the Garden of Readin' at Elmbrook Church, 777 S. Barker Road, Brookfield

Info: www.whatsthepoint.net