The big show has come to town—in fact two big shows have come to town and your favored choice depends on which side of the wall you sit.

The wall of which I speak encases America’s Center and its big brother, the Edward Jones Dome, in St Louis. Between them they are playing host of the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

This monolith ranks with the Coliseum in Rome, the Busch Stadium (home to the St. Louis Cardinals just down the street) and would even give Joshua the St. Louis Blues!

As tens of thousands of Adventists gather in this vast complex for another eight days of prayer and praise, thousands and thousands more take to the streets for the other big show, the city’s 4th of July celebration called ‘Fair St. Louis.’

There will be a spectacular carnival processional, marching bands, teams of cheerleaders, aerobatic displays and attractions of every kind. There will also be food, food to sustain and food to push the waistline to its limits. As the sun goes down there will be a firework display to put the silver sparkle into, what will be, quite a party.

Quite a party—plenty of people and plenty of pop. Pop music and pop in bottles—the demon drink. Every silver lining has a cloud.

And, over this 4th of July weekend it will loosen tongues, loosen inhibitions, guarantee tomorrow’s hangover and lead, sadly, to many arrests—the St. Louis police drafting in hundreds of cops from surrounding districts over the next four days.

Drink and drugs, with all the problems they produce, along with smoking, lewd acts and loud music throughout the day and into the early hours of each morning.

It will be quite a party, in marked contrast to all that is taking place inside the walls of America’s Center on Washington Street. 

Numerous stands in the exhibition hall are designed to convince visitors that they should never touch alcohol again and Adventist anti-smoking activists are suitably active alongside those who strive to keep the eradication of drug abuse at the top of the church’s campaign agenda.

Adventists have always recognized health, education and caring as very high priorities in their mission and St. Louis offers a real challenge this weekend. 

Many may be torn, questioning whether they should be spending their Sabbath in prayer and praise inside the wall or taking their faith onto the streets—telling those that need to know of The Way, The Truth and The Light.

Editor’s Note: John Smith was a BBC producer and broadcaster for 14 years and part of the team that won a Sony Gold award for the radio coverage of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is serving as operations manager for the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s communication team at the St. Louis meeting.