Photo by Glenn Riegel Public art in Cleveland includes this larger than life "FREE" stamp.

Photo by Ken Wenger A plaque commemorates the contributions of German immigrants to America, including Franz Daniel Pastorius, who went on to found Germantown, Pa.

Photo by Regina Roberts An On Earth Peace workshop on consensus decision making included cooperative creative work.

Quote of the Day

“It’s one thing to enter a church. It’s another thing to be welcomed.”
--Jeff Carter, pastor of Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren, preaching for opening worship

A Bit About Cleveland
Cleveland “is the 16th largest metro area and 15th largest consumer market in the US with 2.9 million residents in Greater Cleveland metro and nearly 500,000 in the City of Cleveland, making it the 30th largest city in the country.”
--From the website of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, www.travelcleveland.com

Overview of the Day
The 2007 Annual Conference officially started with worship this evening at the Cleveland Convention Center’s Public Auditorium.

Meetings that preceded the opening of the Conference included the Standing Committee of district delegates, the Church of the Brethren General Board, the Council of District Executives, an open house and members meeting of the Church of the Brethren Credit Union, a workshop on “Exloring Consensus Decision-Making” sponsored by On Earth Peace, and the Fellowship of Brethren Genealogists. A scheduled Ministers’ Association meeting was canceled.

The Exhibit Hall opened this afternoon, with booths and exhibits from a variety of Church of the Brethren agencies and organizations, along with a Brethren Press bookstore and a Greater Gift/SERRV store.

The evening included the Association of Brethren Caregivers Recognition Dinner, an International Welcome Dinner, a musical by the Inspiration Hills Junior Arts Camp, Bible studies, and mutual support groups.

Hearings took place on four items of business: the report of the Doing Church Business Study Committee, the report from the Intercultural Study Committee, the report from the Review and Evaluation Committee, and the recommendations on the Brethren Medical Plan.

Age-group activities and an ice cream social rounded out the day.

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