1 July 2015 | San Antonio, Texas, USA [Victor Hulbert, tedNEWS] There is a sense of expectation in the air around San Antonio. For some, it is literally ‘in the air’ as over the past couple of days 2,566 delegates along with exhibitors, administrative support teams, media, and thousands of interested Seventh-day Adventists have crowded airport terminals, queued for taxis or taken road-trips across the United States to make it to the sixtieth General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist church.
Delegates and staff from the Trans-European Division (TED) have equally chosen different routes. Pastor David Neal, Irish Mission president, flew to New York with his wife and then spent a week driving south towards the heat of a Texas summer. He even found time to browse in a second-hand book shop in Staunton, Virginia, an old town with mock Tudor architecture. He told me that “it was pure joy to find a bookshop – one of those bookshops where a receipt for purchase is written by hand.”
On the shelf, found the autobiography of Michael Green, probably, he claims, the best UK evangelist to university students in the 1980’s and ’90’s, and who devoted his life to helping congregations grow.” It is growing churches and congregations that excites Pastor Neal. Discussions on mission will engage him for the next ten days.
Worship is a vital element of the meetings. The TED Evangelism director, Janos Kovacs-Biro will lead the very first devotional on Thursday morning. From then on business will be interspersed with times for prayer, glorious music, evening worship periods and special Sabbath services.
At least six music groups or soloists from across TED will be performing. These include the world renowned Croydon SDA Gospel Choir, skilful musicians such as violinist Victoria Balan, young soloist Jeharna South, and singing groups, Advent Ambassadors, and the Levites.
That in itself is enough reason to come. There is one more reason. For Ken and Christine Burt it is their fourth GC Session. Christine is a delegate from England, but Ken comes too because, he says, “The reunions just keep happening.” He has already met one of his “fellow youth” from back in the day in Birmingham, England. He expects to meet many more, and a stroll through the exhibition area or past the registration desks may take a long time as people call out your name, greetings are shared, and memories rekindled. Perhaps, for Ken and many more, a GC Session is just a little taste of what heaven will be like.
Click here for more on GC Session 2015. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
119 St Peter’s Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ted-adventist.org
tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.
You are free to re-print any portion of the bulletin without need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify tedNEWS whenever you publish these materials.
