This is the final weekend of the 59th General Conference session in Atlanta, GA. It has been a busy 10 days of business meetings dealing with the election of General Conference and division leaders. You can get updates on these votes and others at the General Conference website, sda.org

Along with the daily business sessions it has been a time of great inspiration. Powerful preaching and wonderful music has been a blessing to all who are in attendance. It has also been a real joy to see many of our Carolina family throughout the session. I have met folks from one end of our conference to the other. It is truly a time of grand reunion.

Let me share with you some of the observations I am leaving Atlanta with. First, is the clear fact that the Seventh-day Adventist church is a world-wide movement. With other 16 million members only one million come from the North American Division. As you attend the meetings and walk the hallways you it is quickly evident that God's people come from all parts of the globe. The church has seen the fulfillment of Ellen White's vision of streams of light encircling the earth. Tomorrow evening will be the parade of nations. If you have access to the Hope Channel I encourage you to watch. It is an extremely inspirational session you don't want to miss. You can also see it streamed on the Internet at the above address.

The second observation is that while we are a world wide church we are a united church in belief. On Wednesday a motion came to the floor to affirm our belief in a recent, literal six day creation. There are a few in the Adventist church who have implied that the church is changing its view on this issue. When it came to a vote of the 2,400 delegates as to whether we as a church still affirmed our belief in a creator God and that the world was created in six literal 24 hour days and that the age of the earth is approximately 6,000 years old this affirmation was voted virtually unanimously by the body of the Church. Regardless, perhaps, of a few who may question our belief it is clear that the elected representatives from around the world are united in our position on creation. It was also voted, virtually unanimously, to enable the officers of the General Conference to prepare a strengthened statement to be included in fundamental belief #6 of the church to present to the next General Conference Session.

Finally, my observation is that while we have become a relatively large church we are still family. As I walk through the Georgia Dome, and the exhibit hall I see people from all cultures and backgrounds greeting one another and simply enjoying the fellowship of like believers. For whether one is from Russia or Romania, Nicaragua or Nigeria, America or Albania we are all one in our faith and in our hope of a soon returning Savior.

As we prepare to gather for this final Sabbath it is expected that over 40,000 Seventh-day Adventists will gather. As we pray, sing and worship together there will be a choir of thousands of voices in dozens of languages. But all will be done to honor and worship Jesus Christ. It is He who is the Head of the church. It is faith in Him that binds our hearts together. It is Jesus that makes the Georgia dome reverberate with the joyful words, "We have this hope in the coming of the Lord." Truly our united prayer is, "Even so, come Lord Jesus."

Your friend,
Jim