A spectacular two-hour "Parade of Nations" concluded the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday evening July 9.
This parade has become a cherished tradition at these quinquennial business sessions, giving a tangible indication of the church’s relentless spread around the world, as well as providing great entertainment.
Hosts for the evening were Lena Nozizwe, who left Malawi to become a television presenter in the United States, and former BBC broadcaster John Smith. Together with narrator Lonnie Melashenko, they introduced the 13 world regions of the Adventist Church, each of which was allowed a two-minute video presentation before parading their representatives.
The video clips attempted to capture something of the flavor of each of the 13 regions and demonstrate their diverse cultures. Snapshots taken away by the audience will include: vibrant colors in East-Central Africa, historical buildings in Euro-Africa, national costumes in Euro-Asia, soaring vistas in Inter-America, the Statue of Liberty in North America, the distinctive architecture of Northern-Asia, rainforests in South America, red rock formations in the South Pacific region, coral reefs in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region, decorated elephants from Southern Asia, the faces of children in the Southern Asia-Pacific region, the wailing wall in the Trans-European region, and the Kente cloth of West-Central Africa.
At the conclusion of each video clip Melashenko introduced the countries of the region by name and representatives marched on to the stage carrying placards and national flags. While each country was welcomed warmly, audience reaction varied enormously. Naturally there was huge applause for the countries that were well represented at the event, such as Jamaica, Mexico, the Philippines, and North America. However there was also a strong expression of solidarity with countries such as Haiti, Cuba, Iraq and the Balkan countries, and also the United Kingdom, following the recent bomb attacks.
Particularly touching was the group representing Costa Rica, where a small boy waving a flag seemed mesmerized by the audience and the bright lights and had to be encouraged to follow the others off the stage, much to the disappointment of those watching.
As each country’s representatives left the stage they filed off to the right and continued walking clockwise around the massive auditorium, eventually forming a giant horseshoe around the edge of the floor area.
The evening’s music was as impressive audibly as the parade was visually. As a prelude to the parade, the New England Youth Ensemble, Columbia Collegiate Chorale, and soloist Kenniecia Grant, performed a variety of classical and gospel pieces. During the parade itself performers included operatic soprano Marjut Hakkinen, virtuoso violinist Jaime Jorge, and the incomparable Wintley Phipps whose interpretation of “Amazing Grace” concluded the program.
The “Parade of Nations” was educational as well as inspirational. There were certainly a number of countries represented that many in the audience had not heard of. Where, for example, are Tokelau and the Wallis and Futuna islands?
But this year’s parade was not completely self-congratulatory. As representatives from the final region left the stage and made their way down onto the floor, a group of young people took the stage and formed a circle around one individual—someone representing those regions where the Adventist Church does not have a presence. Throughout the audience, chemical light sticks, which had been distributed previously, came to light and their glow spread around the auditorium. Seventh-day Adventists will not be happy until their gospel witness has reached every country of this world.
In his closing prayer, secretary of the world church Matthew Bediako asked that all those present, as well as those they represented around the world, would be empowered by the Holy Spirit as they invited the whole world to come to Jesus.
The “Parade of Nations” was broadcast around the world by five satellite television networks, as well as live radio transmissions and simultaneous streaming on the Internet. A DVD will be available shortly.
