The finishing touches

If you've ever been to Annual Session you have, no doubt, seen the amount of work which goes on to make it a successful event. Unless you've been in the office as Annual Session looms large on the horizon, however, you haven't been privy to all the work which goes on behinds the scenes to make Annual Session a success. Materials have to be created, printed, and collated. Registrations have to be finalized and credentials printed out. Last minute hiccups have to be addressed, participants have to be given their what/when/how assignments, and visuals have to be finalized. Somewhere along the way, both staff and volunteers need to remember to eat.

Today, the Tuesday before Annual Session, the frantic pace has hit fever-pitch. As the final materials emerge from the office printer they are being stacked, organized, and transported into the conference room. This morning, some lovely folks arrived at the office in order to transform our piles of stuff into the packets which will be handed to each attendee on Saturday. Throughout the morning they have smiled and laughed as they have worked through the nearly 700 packets they've been charged to fill. In this hectic atmosphere they are a wonderful breath of calm.

Whether you are able to attend Annual Session this Saturday or not, spend a moment to thank all the people who work in the background assembling our finishing touches – they bless us all more than we could possibly realize.

Also thanks to our other volunteers:

• Malinda Medell, from FBC New Brunswick
• Debora Mills, from FBC Brodentown
• Maria Fe, attached to Rev. Elmo Familaran
• Elizabeth McNeil, from Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton
• Geneva Harris, from Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton
• Shirley Young, from Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton
• All the other wonderful people who arrived after the post went live