The 84th General Conference of the UPCI begins tomorrow, and the Piedmont Triad area is buzzing with Pentecostals. (For the non-Tarheel 90&9 readers, the Triad is an area that consists of three smallish cities, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point, all within 20-25 miles of each other.) Board/committee meetings started Saturday and continue through tomorrow. The shopping centers are busy and the restaurants are starting to fill. It's an exciting time if you like seeing old friends, staying up till 2 am, and walking til your feet cry out in pain.
My name is Brenda, and I'll be blogging from my home, right here in beautiful Winston-Salem. My husband and I will be making the 30 minute commute every day to Greensboro to the Koury Convention Center and the Greensboro Coliseum. For those of you who have never been to Greensboro, although it's a wonderful city, it's not the most conference friendly place for a big group of Pentecostals who like to eat and visit with friends. The "headquarters" hotel is the Sheraton Hotel at Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center. It's huge. Miles and miles of hallways. Lots of meeting rooms and ballrooms and restaurants. It's also 2 miles from the Coliseum where we'll be having church. Free shuttle service is provided to some hotels, but if you want to eat somewhere other than your hotel or at the Coliseum, you'll need a taxi or a very sweet friend to grab a ride with.
There are more restaurants this time around, than in '98 when conference was last here. Hopefully restaurants will stay open late for us and I won't end up at Jake's Diner at 2 am after driving around for an hour. Did any of you experience Jake's when you were here in '98? They've moved to a new part of town and are three times bigger. Maybe we'll try them again.
Lots of rumors already swirling about the minister's business session on Thursday. There's the rumor that an encumbant secretary may resign for personal reasons. And who will be elected to fill the editor-in-chief spot left open by the untimely death of Bro. Robert Fuller? Shouldn't it be someone who's respected as a Theologian, but has writing and editing experience? Some surprising names are being tossed around. What about the FM secretary's position?
But the biggest rumor we're hearing is that Sarah Palin may make an appearance at conference Thursday night. We heard the rumor several weeks ago, but had no confirmation. We listened to the news, checked her travel schedule, but she was not scheduled to be here. Then late last night, I heard a breaking news report that she will be speaking at Elon University Thursday afternoon, just a few miles from Greensboro. So, it would work out to swing by the Coliseum Thursday evening, wouldn't it? Apostolic Report says a NC pastor announced to his congregation that she may be here. Hmmmmm. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I have 10,000 songs to learn for the songfest tomorrow night. So many behind-the-scene details to be worked out. Mass choir practice in Raleigh. Ushers & greeters meeting on Sunday morning. Make a run to Mrs. Hanes Cookie Factory to buy Moravian cookies for a NC gift bag to some committee members. Can we get some Krispy Kreme doughnuts delivered to a meeting at the Sheraton? (After all, this is the home of the original glazed doughnut!) Ensemble practice tonight at the Pentecostals of Greensboro Church, for the Ladies Day Service. Be on the platform tomorrow night at 6:15 for the PMA Songfest. Marriage counseling class with Cindy Miller tomorrow at 9:00 am. Drama practice from 3-5 Friday for the Home Missions service. Sound check at 3 pm Friday for the Media Missions service. Okay, that's enough. Somehow it'll all come together.
I'll try to keep you posted on the conference news, latest Pentecostal fashions and hairdos, and all the services. In the meantime, pray for the conference. We're expecting a huge crowd for the Holy Ghost crusade Sunday night. There are billboards all around the Triad advertising the crusade. We've been passing out postcards, tickets and flyers around our communities, and we're expecting hundreds to receive the Holy Ghost!
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