In this special episode, Pastor Ted Wilson is with Executive Secretary Erton Kohler and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Paul Douglas to welcome you to the 61st General Conference Session. It will be held at America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, Missouri, United States on June 6–11.
The first GC Session held in May 1863 was attended by 20 delegates in a small, wooden church in Battle Creek, Michigan. These delegates represented only a few thousand Sabbath-keeping Advent believers. But today, we are a worldwide family of more than 21 million members across over 200 countries. And the sessions are now held in large stadiums and convention centers.
But amid the growing population and changing locations, the commitment to Christ, His mission, the last-day message, and the hope of His soon return remains the constant focus of the church.
This hope is embodied in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which says, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord."
Although we come from diverse cultures, languages, and backgrounds, we are united together in the body of Christ through a higher calling, purpose, and biblical mandate which God has given to His remnant people to share His message of love. This mandate is to "let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).
While there are many aspects of this event, it is primarily a spiritual and business meeting of the world church. During this meeting, world leaders are elected and concerns affecting the church are discussed and decided upon by the representative delegates.
Since this upcoming GC Session will be a hybrid one, some of the delegates will be attending online. If you are one of them, you can watch the livestream at https://www.gcsession.org/live/.
Let us continue praying for the success of this upcoming GC Session and more importantly, for the outpouring of the latter rain as we anticipate the soon coming of Jesus Christ.