July 8, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri, United States …. [Victor Hulbert/ANN]
As the St. Louis experience heads toward a conclusion, delegates are already starting to look toward 2010. Those who want to book their accommodation early may want to check the substantial amount of hotel accommodation available in Atlanta, Georgia.
A city of 425,000 people, Atlanta is probably most famous as the home city for CNN and the world base for Coca Cola. With the Adventist emphasis on freedom and tolerance it is also the city that nurtured the young Martin Luther King Jr.
But why Atlanta for the 59th Business Session of the World Church? According to Mark Finley, vice president for evangelism at world church headquarters, three main criteria were used in searching for the right location.
1. Is there a good international airport allowing delegates to fly direct from across the world?
2. Are there good convention center facilities with meeting space and exhibition facilities in a convenient location?
3. Are there sufficient hotels?
Investigation of up to 20 cities across the United States led to a shortlist of three. The selection committee then applied two further criteria; cost and an Adventist base. With the Southern Union, or church region, of Adventists membership standing at more than 220,000 members, Atlanta came out as a winner.
And for 2015? Who knows? Australia seems to be on the shortlist. Some would like to return to Canada. No decision has yet been made. So if you live in a city that fits the above criteria, a country that has reasonable visa requirements for a broad range of nationalities and that can provide appropriate security for overseas delegates … who knows, in 2015 we could be visiting you.
Copyright © 2005 by Adventist News Network.
