In the heart of the exhibit hall is the Journey Stage, a curated platform designed to offer bite-sized moments of inspiration and connection.

Throughout the week, delegates and attendees at the 62nd General Conference Session have gathered in this intimate setting for TED Talk–style presentations, musical performances, and conversations with GC directors, evangelists, members, and young people.

The goal? To help members see how the mission of the General Conference ties into their personal walk with Jesus.

“We wanted to emphasize our whole Christian journey and how the General Conference plays a part for each individual member on their Christian journey,” said Josue Pierre, GC associate treasurer and exhibit project manager. “We wanted to provide opportunities for our regular members, not just leaders, to learn more about the church and also find inspiration about all the different types of [ministry] activities we have.”

The format — short, engaging presentations — is intentional.

“We realized that a lot of times members hear sermons and lectures — sometimes it is too long,” Pierre said. “We wanted to do something that is relevant and modern.”

The foot traffic through the Journey Stage area has been steady throughout each day.

“We have people coming in all times of the day and getting really good information,” Pierre said. “The goal is to eventually do some production and turn it into a video podcast in the future.”

Surrounding the Journey Stage is The Christian Journey exhibit, which showcases the full portfolio of GC ministries. The Christian Journey exhibit is organized into four neighborhoods:

• Call — featuring ministries like children’s ministries, education, publishing, Sabbath School, and Hope Channel, where people are called into a relationship with Jesus

• Spiritual Growth — featuring ministries including health, stewardship, planned giving, women’s, family, and youth ministries that are designed to help nurture a relationship with Jesus

• Equip — featuring ministries like Biblical Research Institute (BRI), Ministerial Association, chaplaincy, digital evangelism, and many other ministries that prepare individuals to go out and share their faith

•  Commission — featuring ministries like Adventist Mission, VividFaith, volunteer services, and more that are all about reaching the world.

This integrated exhibit approach marks a change from previous sessions.

“I remember seeing these GC booths in different places before. You don’t necessarily make the connection,” said Amy Minett, an adult volunteer from Tyler, Texas. “This is a more unified approach to show what our General Conference does for us as a world church.”

“The reception has been great,” said Tia Brantley, GC corporate services representative and exhibit hall planning committee member. “We’ve had a constant flow of folks coming, learning, growing, equipping, and ready to go.”

A standout component of The Christian Journey experience has been the involvement of young people.

“We have quite a few high school students, college students, post-college students, moms and dads that are all volunteers,” Brantley said. “We have students from all across the world that’s volunteering with us from Maryland all the way to Egypt. I’m really excited to have them on board.”

The young volunteers welcome guests to exhibit neighborhoods, distributing themed passports, answering questions, translating, and even helping reconnect separated family members.

Others are behind the scenes, gaining hands-on experience with media production, whether managing the green room, assisting with audio-visual tasks, photographing speakers, filming presentations, and more.

Brantley, a mother of three teenagers herself, sees this investment in youth as essential.

“Getting them to understand what the General Conference does and how it relates to them is important,” Brantley said.

Her teenage daughter Jolie volunteered as the green room assistant, providing support to speakers before their presentations and assembling prize gifts for the audience.

“I'm glad that I was able to be a part of this experience because it's my first GC session, and I do enjoy it,” Jolie Brantley said. “I was able to talk with people like Mark Finley and Doug Batchelor and interact with them.”

Another teen volunteer is Mattias Sand, whose parents serve as missionaries in Egypt. His multilingual skills have proved valuable as guests came through the exhibit.

“I grew up in Argentina, so I’ve been using some of my Spanish skills to help people here,” Sand said. “For a while now, I’ve wanted to become a pastor and be a missionary. I don’t know where God will take me yet.”

Lisa Wa-Mbaleka, a senior health science pre-dentistry major at Walla Walla University, is coordinating The Christian Journey volunteer team and managing the schedules of more than 40 volunteers.

“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” Wa-Mbaleka said. “We have at least 40 volunteers that we’re working with. I’m working with everyone’s schedules to make sure our shifts are covered.”

Wa-Mbaleka envisions herself continuing in church ministry, particularly in music, and is grateful for this leadership opportunity.

After her experience — especially in interacting with the teen volunteers — Brantley’s heart is filled with optimism and hope.

“I’m so proud of their leadership and their abilities and their kindness and generosity,” she said. “We have a bright future as a church. Our young people are our future, and it’s looking great!”

For more coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session, including live updates, interviews, and delegate stories, visit adventist.news and follow ANN on social media.