Over 6,000 Seventh-day Adventist K-12 educators and their families participated in the largest gathering of teachers in the church’s history in Dallas, Texas from August 13 to 16.

“Sometimes Adventist teachers feel like second class citizens,” said Dr. Richard Osborn, head of the Adventist educational system in North America, “but they left this convention feeling validated and empowered to do their work more effectively.”

Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist Church worldwide, gave the keynote address and encouraged teachers to stay committed to their careers. Pastor Don Schneider, newly-elected president of the church in North America, closed the convention with a plea for teachers to help their students know Jesus. Internationally renowned speakers at the convention included William Glasser, Harry Wong, and Leland Kaiser.

“One of the greatest values of the convention was the ability for teachers to see colleagues who work in other areas of the country,” Osborn said. But teachers could also choose from 300 breakout sessions presented by 210 speakers throughout the week.

The convention broke records for the Adam’s Mark Hotel of Dallas which served 5,400 people at a banquet in under an hour. The convention was also the largest at the hotel to date.

The Adventist Church in North America runs 1,014 elementary and secondary schools with 85,000 students, and employs over 7,000 teachers. It also supports 15 colleges.