Convention; Day 7 (D.C.)

Things have started to slow down a bit and it’s a good thing because I’m starting to slow down. The fatigue is starting to catch up. We were able to break a little earlier last night than we had before and we showed up in the ballroom at 7am instead of 6am. We had another great worship session with the City Light band and a powerful presentation by John Mazariegos. After a brunch break, we heard some more worship from New Song and then a passionate purpose was delivered by Robert Stearns. Before he took the stage, we finally played the Israel promo video for next years convention. Some people got a good laugh.

The business meeting kicked off almost immediately after Mr. Stearns concluded and the CFO is presenting the treasurer’s report right now. It’s pretty dry material but we’re making it through because Kari was sweet enough to pick up California Pizza Kitchen to pick us up some snacks. SHE’S THE BEST EVER!!
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The rest of the day has gone by pretty fast. I’m back in our hotel room now, waiting for room service. We broke down the bullpen before the crowd had cleared the room. I helped fold up all the flags and then, we carted all our gear, on our office-type chairs, up the elevator and down the endless hallway to the convention office.

The evening program was really great. It included honoring international missions, sharing stories from inner city churches and hearing from the Chaplain of the Senate, Barry Black. He had an amazing voice; if he gets tired of political life, he could be the next James Earl Jones. Bishop Ken Ulmer wrapped up the evening and the week of excellent presenters following several honorary doctorates. I was really impressed to learn that Bishop Ulmer held church in the Great Western Forum. At first I wasn’t sure if he had skipped a line in his notes because he started repeating himself, but it soon became clear that certain repetitions and reiterations were injected for both comic and considerate impact. It was another late night, but the end is in sight.