Besides the business of the 58th General Conference Session—elections of officers and departmental directors, discussions and voting—many sidebar moments took place. Here are just a few.
Church member Sir James Carlisle, governor general of Antigua and Barbuda, was recognized as a special guest at the session. During his short remarks, he related his experience of being knighted by Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace after his convictions about Sabbath sacredness had caused him to decline an earlier opportunity to be knighted. John Gratz, GC PARL director, introduced him to the delegates and guests. (GLEANER photo)
While long lines were the rule during meal times, the service was so well organized that about 8,000 people an hour could be fed. (Volker Henning)
Tom Evans (center), Mid-America treasurer, oversaees the collection of a portion of the offering on Sabbath morning. Rhonda Karr, treasurer of Iowa-Missouri Conference, and her husband, Ron, assist. Once it was collected in paper "buckets," the money was poured into a large trashcan and wheeled to an office for sorting and counting. (GLEANER photo)
Penny Shell's father, Norman Shell, president of Donco Steel and Erection, a division of MacDonald Construction Company, the general contractor for the project, was responsible for the inner steel structure of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Penny Shell, an attendee at the 58th General Conference Session from the Pacific Union, is the director of the Women's Resource Center at La Sierra University and the La Sierra University Church pastor for visitation. (GLEANER photo)
From left: Neil Wilson, retired Adventist world church president, has attended 15 Adventist church world sessions and every one since 1941. Kenneth Wood, retired Adventist Review editor, has attended 15 sessions since 1926. Bert Beach, retired religious liberty director, has attended 14 sessions. Roscoe S. Lowry, retired president of the Southern Asia region of the church, has attended 10 sessions beginning in 1936. Beach tells his friends that he was a page at the 1941 session. (GLEANER photo)
Eike Müeller and Rainer Wanitschek translate a session service into German. Professional translators from around the world translated every session meeting into 12 languages. Delegates could listen over earphones to the translation by tuning an FM radio to a specific frequency. (Volker Henning)
Chuck Sandefur, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) president, presents checks to representatives of St. Louis charitable organizations. This money was the profit from the sale of items at ADRA's commercial booth. From left, Sunny Schaefel of Operation Food Search accepts a check for $10,000. Operation Food Search distributes 1.5 million pounds of food and household items each month. She said that 12 percent of the population of St. Louis is food insecure. Jim Clakson, Sunshine Ministries executive director, received a check for $10,000. Sunshine Ministries is a shelter for homeless men. They plan to use the money to build a play school for disadvantaged children. Dawn Stringfield, Lydia's House executive director, received a check for $10,000. Lydia's House is a shelter for abused women. (GLEANER photo)
Once the Hope for the Big Cities offerings were collected during the two Sabbath worship hours, it took about 250 people hours to sort and count the money. Approximately $155,000 was given in more than 10 different major national currencies, and many less well-known currencies, to plant new churches in the great cities of the world. (Kelly Butler Coe)
