October 10, 2006 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States …. [Mark A. Kellner/ANN]
One of the world's largest religious conventions, the 60th business session of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, will be in San Antonio, Texas, United States for 11 days in July 2015, leaders of the 15-million member denomination decided on Oct. 10.
This is the first time the General Conference Session will be held in San Antonio, and, by the time of the event, 35 years since the 1980 General Conference Session in Dallas, when the world church had 3.5 million members, barely more than one-fifth today's total. The city's convention and visitor's bureau won the vote over Indianapolis, Indiana, which had hosted the church's 1995 meeting. The 2005 session was held in St. Louis, Missouri, and the 2010 meetings are planned for Atlanta, Georgia.
“We are excited about having a city as warm and friendly as San Antonio to welcome the Adventist world family in 2015,” said John T.J. Banks, media relations director for the Adventist Church. “Adventist Christians seek to be good guests and good neighbors, and we shall try to do that in this dynamic and vibrant city.”
The session, held once every five years, is expected to draw as many as 100,000 people on the peak convention days, as well as approximately 3,500 voting delegates, their family members, church employees and others during the event, in which world leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are elected, policies are decided, and what is anticipated as the continuing rapid growth of the church will be celebrated.
A “Parade of Nations,” in which Adventists march in national costume, carrying their country's flags, is seen as a highlight of the meetings. These meetings also usually feature service projects in the local community, cultural and musical events for the public, as well as outreach programs offering educational services on health and other matters.
Combining business with a general celebration of Adventism, the 2015 convention will have both official business meetings and exhibits for Adventists and those interested in the church. It is anticipated that the convention will also operate, for the 11-day duration, as the largest vegetarian restaurant in North America, feeding tens of thousands of meat-free meals. The Adventist Church encourages a healthy lifestyle for its members, including a plant-based diet.
According to Don Baker, pastor of the Scenic Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in San Antonio, visitors to the historic city will find a lot to enjoy.
“I think it's wonderful, for the city and for the people,” Baker, a veteran pastor and church administrator in the Northeastern United States, said. “It's a place where thousands and thousands of people come for conventions. It's a clean town, a fun town and it'll be a place where people coming in for this great event will be able to look around and see things they have never seen before.”
Baker said there are 16 Adventist Churches in the San Antonio area, with a membership of approximately 6,000. Those in the area, as well as hundreds of thousands within driving distance, are expected to attend the Sabbath worships.
No official price tag has been assigned to the convention, but if previous events are any guide, the 2015 session will bring tens of millions dollars to the city.
Founded in the United States and formally organized in 1863, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has 15 million baptized members in 203 countries and territories around the world. A total of 25 million people are believed to attend Seventh-day Adventist worship services weekly. More information on the church can be found at http://www.adventist.org.
Copyright (c) 2006 by Adventist News Network.
