RICHMOND — Although pre-registration for the Connect:2007 BGAV annual meeting has now closed, there are still many opportunities to participate in this annual gathering of Virginia Baptists, Nov. 13-14 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
Churches that have not pre-registered all of their eligible messengers may register messengers onsite. Onsite registrants must bring an onsite registration form, completely filled out and signed by the church's clerk or moderator. Personalized onsite registration forms were mailed to each eligible church in August. Blank forms can also be downloaded from the Connect: 2007 website at www.bgavconnect.net. Messengers with incomplete or unsigned forms will be sent to the credentials table.
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People who are not representing churches as messengers may attend the BGAV annual meeting as visitors. No forms or other credentials are required to register onsite as a visitor. Although visitors have no voting rights during business sessions, they receive many of the same materials as messengers and may participate in all other aspects of Connect:2007, including general sessions, breakout sessions, and the ministry fair, as well as various special events being held in conjunction with the annual meeting.
Visitors are also encouraged to attend the Tuesday evening worship service, which will feature a memorial to victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, a time of worship and praise with singer/songwriter Ken Medema, and a message from Lance Watson, senior pastor of Saint Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond.
The theme for Connect:2007 is “Hope is On the Way.” Featuring more videos and other multi-media presentations, this year's program has been designed to provide motivational, informational and practical help to churches and individuals for reaching the 4.5 million people in Virginia who are lost and for improving their ministries to more effectively reach their church members and their communities.
This year's annual meeting also marks the fifth anniversary of Kingdom Advance, which was formally adopted at the 2002 BGAV annual meeting in Virginia Beach. A video retrospective on the Kingdom Advance vision and its implementation will be presented as part of the report of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
Hours for onsite registration of messengers and visitors, as well as for check-in of pre-registrants, are Monday, Nov. 12, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7:30 a.m.–10 a.m. Visitor registration is encouraged but not required.
Detailed information about Connect:2007 is available online at www.bgavconnect.net.