The Countdown to General Assembly and the NDI General Convention Continues!

For the next few moments, I want you to use your imagination to jump forward eight months.

It is 8 June 2023 and you have just landed at the Indianapolis International Airport. The anticipation of your time to gather with fellow Nazarenes is rising as you look forward to the next few days at the Indiana Convention Center.

After you grab your luggage, rental car, and anything else you may need, you start your 20-minute journey toward downtown. As you enter the city, you get yourself checked in and settled into your hotel. If you have time, maybe you head to Monument Circle to grab some coffee, maybe you take a walk in the Hudnut Commons to catch your breath, or maybe you then grab food at one of the many restaurants that are conveniently within walking distance of everything. Wherever you find yourself on 8 June, you know that the next few days are going to be full of good things!

Friday, 9 June has officially arrived and it is 8 a.m.; time for registration! You make your way to Capitol Ave. and Georgia St. where you see the grand entrance of the Indiana Convention Center! As you enter, you see the registration area for GA 2023, and not far from this area is your child’s registration area for World Quiz and GA Kids. As you receive all of your registration information and name badge, you start walking through halls of the Indiana Convention Center towards your first activity.
 

As you enter into the Exhibit Hall, you see how various ministries have made each of their booths to creatively show what they do and how you too can be involved. It is exciting to see just how many people are busy doing God’s work across the globe. This excitement is continued as you pick a workshop to attend.

As the afternoon quickly approaches, it is time to head to your first Local Church Ministry plenary. Whether you are a delegate or a guest, the knowledge to be gathered from these sessions is inspiring and life-giving. The stage has been set for a week of learning.

At this point of the day, you may have run into an old friend, or 10, with whom you connect and share about all of the major happenings of your lives and ministries. What a blessing to gather after so many years apart! This time of fellowship leads you right into the opening worship session in the main halls, where as a global church, you are able to witness firsthand the magnitude and impact the Church of the Nazarene has around the world.

As you finish the evening, you feel tired but in a good way. You thank God for the time to be with a group of fellow Nazarenes, after events in the world tried to keep you apart for far too long. You look forward to what the week ahead holds for not only the Church of the Nazarene but for your life as well! 

As you step back into the present, October 2022, we want to encourage you to not miss this opportunity to experience all that the 2023 General Assembly and Conventions has to offer. We are approaching registration openings to participate as well as serve in various capacities, including serving the city of Indianapolis though Love Your Neighbor! You can find more information about the service project and sign up here.

We again want to encourage you again to stay connected through NDI’s bi-monthly Journey newsletter, other Nazarene communications, and through the official General Assembly website to receive the latest news!