The Scene of
General Conference 2008
By Tom Lambrecht
- The General
Conference will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. This beautiful facility is 4 blocks long by 2 blocks wide and is located in the heart of downtown Fort Worth. It received a $75 million renovation and expansion in 2003.
- The arena, where
the plenary sessions will be held, has a floor space of 24,000 square feet on
the main level alone. When the stadium seating is added in around the floor,
the arena can accommodate up to 13,500 people! (They will cut down on the area
for our meeting.)
- The Exhibit Hall
has 25-foot ceilings and 182,000 square feet of area that can be divided up
into six smaller rooms, possibly for legislative committees.
- The Ballroom has
28,000 square feet and 23-foot ceilings, divisible into three rooms, for
perhaps more legislative committees or for a display area.
- Another Exhibit
Annex contains 45,000 square feet of possible exhibit space.
- In addition, there
are 41 other meeting rooms equating to 60,000 square feet of meeting room
space.
- There is wireless
accessibility throughout the building, so we believe we can use laptops
anywhere in the building.
- The Forth Worth
Hilton is one block north of the Convention Center and will be the headquarters
hotel for the Renewal and Reform Coalition.
- This will be the
location of the Good News briefing breakfasts (more on that in a moment)
- This is also where
you can get hold of renewal leaders between sessions and in the evening
(however, it might be better to use our cell phones)
- The Hilton will
also house meeting and display space for the renewal groups
- Getting Around
- There is a city
bus stop right in front of the Convention Center, can easily get around the
downtown area.
- The Greyhound Bus
Terminal and the train station are two blocks east of the Convention Center
- The Trinity Trails
are more than 30 miles of hike and bike paths along the scenic Trinity River greenbelt – about a mile from the Convention Center
- What to See
- Downtown/Sundance
Square is 20 blocks of shopping, restaurants, office buildings, and apartments
running from the Hilton north – many restaurants in a variety of price ranges,
wide selection of stores
- Stockyards
National Historic District – located about 2-1/2 miles north of downtown – western
heritage area, restaurants, gift shops, and entertainment
- Cultural District
– located about 2-1/2 miles west of downtown, has museums, theaters, a zoo, and
the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
- What the Renewal
and Reform Coalition Offers
- Petitions and
Resolutions
- More than 40
petitions and resolutions have been submitted by individuals and churches who
are part of the Coalition, to advance the cause of renewal and reform
- We will identify
and promote additional petitions and resolutions that we will support or oppose
- We will be
available to work with delegates to modify wording in petitions and resolutions
to move them in the direction we would like to see
- Briefing
Breakfasts at the Hilton
- Our main public
event as a coalition
- Feed 350-500 people
a day, mostly delegates
- Provide a
spiritual lift to start the day with worship and prayer
- Comprehensive
report on the previous day’s activities, progress report on legislation that is
prominent (either because it is on our agenda, or because it is a major issue
being addressed by the General Conference)
- Help in
understanding the process, information on how delegates can affect the process,
suggestions and help writing motions
- Opportunities to
network with other delegates, particularly those in your legislative committee
- Resource for
delegates
- Provide
information on issues, advice on strategy
- Help get
like-minded delegates together to work on an issue of common interest
- Help in
communicating—either with other delegates or with the folks back home
- Help in meeting
other needs, whether physical or spiritual – a couple members of our team will
be designated as chaplains to provide prayer and counsel to people struggling
with issues during the General Conference
- Daily newsletter
- We distribute
copies of our newsletter every day on the sidewalk outside the Convention
Center – given to delegates, staff, and observers (everyone who wants one)
- Contains reports
on key issues, including reasons why we support certain positions on issues
- Information about
coalition events being held during the Conference
- A daily devotional
- Reason to come to
our Briefing Breakfast is to be first in line to get one of our newsletters!
- Luncheon Speakers
- i. Several days
during General Conference
- ii. Sponsored by
various groups within the coalition
- iii. Feature a free
lunch!
- iv. Prominent speakers
brought in to discuss issues that are under consideration – opportunity for
question and answer dialog
- Prayer Effort
- Both prior to and
during General Conference, we will be organizing our constituencies to pray for
General Conference
- Daily prayer
emails will go out, letting people know what to pray for and what important
issues or events need to be covered in prayer
- Emergency prayer
notices can enlist prayer for breaking events or for serious personal needs
- Last quadrennium,
thousands of people prayed daily to undergird the godly functioning of the
General Conference
Conclusion –
The Renewal and Reform Coalition exists to advocate for a Biblically-based,
Holy Spirit-empowered ministry. We want to see the fulfillment of God’s dream
for his church, making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the
world—one person at a time, one congregation at a time, one neighborhood at a
time, one community at a time. We invite you to prayerfully join with us in
this noble endeavor.
