The 73rd International General Assembly of the Church of God is scheduled for the end of this month and preparations are well underway.
The halls of the Leadership and Communications Center on the International Offices campus in Cleveland, Tennessee are lined with packets destined for the pre-registered delegates. Those who pre-registered will begin receiving their packets in the mail next week. The packets will include the agenda, explanatory notes and other related materials, including the official name badge which is required for entrance into Assembly events.
A few noticeable changes will take place at this Assembly. The Assembly officially begins on Tuesday morning, July 27 rather than Monday evening, however, registration and the exhibit areas will be open beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 26. In addition the first day of sessions (July 27) with the General Council will include an evening session as well to allow the body of ordained bishops time to elect and nominate leaders and get into the agenda of business slated for discussion and debate.
Wednesday evening, July 28 will be the first worship session and the special guest will be Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse international ministries. Rev. Tim Hill will be the featured speaker on Thursday evening, while the general overseer, who will be nominated earlier in the week but elected on Friday afternoon, will deliver his address as the final message to conclude the General Assembly. For the last several assemblies the general overseer’s address has taken place on Saturday morning.
A noticeable change this year will be the absence of Teen Talent competition during the week. Teen Talent has now been moved to the years between the general assembly with the first year of the “revamped” Teen Talent concept to take place in the summer of 2011 and be held at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. This new concept for Teen Talent has the potential to be much less expensive and obtrusive in the lives of the participants and allow for more focus on the training and nurturing of young people and their God-given talents.
All sessions of the Ordained Ministers General Council and evening services will be streamed on the Church of God web site. There will be daily news and video updates, as well as postings of the nominations and elections of leaders. Details will be posted on the GA2010 link as the event draws closer.
There will even be a change in publications at the General Assembly as the daily newspaper of the past will give way to a full-color 9 X 12 convention daily magazine. The new and improved General Assembly Today publication will be smaller and easier to carry and be printed on glossy paper rather than newsprint. General Assembly Today will be distributed free to all GA2010 attendees Tuesday through Friday.
Pre-registration for hotel accommodations will continue through Thursday, July 15. The most efficient method is on-line through the Housing Connection (click here) [1] or you can visit the Church of God Web site and click on the GA2010 graphic. Pre-registration for the General Assembly event is now closed, but will be available on-site beginning on Monday, July 26 at the Orange County Convention Center.