About 10,000 ministers, families and church leaders are in Orlando this week for the Church of God’s 80th International General Assembly, a five-day gathering at the Orange County Convention Center that blends worship services, leadership meetings and youth programming under one very large roof. Delegates are set to spend the week juggling fellowship with the formal business of the denomination before heading home Friday.
Organizers expect approximately 10,000 delegates and attendees representing 70 countries, according to WFTV. The station reports the assembly began Monday and runs through Friday at the convention center, a scale that reflects more than a century of growth for the denomination.
What’s On The Program
The official schedule lists nightly worship services, leadership gatherings, breakout sessions and an International Teen Talent competition highlighting music, drama and the creative arts, according to the General Assembly website. Guest speakers on tap this week include Samuel Rodriguez, Christine Caine and Jentezen Franklin, and exhibit hours and registration times are also posted there. Organizers note this marks the 80th time the Church of God has staged a General Assembly.
Israel Exhibit Welcomes Delegates
The Israel Ministry of Tourism opened an exhibit with a ribbon-cutting Monday, offering travel displays, Israeli products and chances to win trip packages. “We are honored to participate,” Lorin Maugery, the ministry’s U.S. Southern Region consul director, told WFTV. Ministry staff say the booth is designed to connect delegates with pilgrimage and cultural-tour options, and the exhibit will be staffed throughout the week of programming.
Why Orlando?
Organizers point to Orlando’s deep hotel inventory and the convention center’s contiguous exhibit halls when picking a host city for large faith gatherings. The OCCC West Building provides the meeting and exhibit footprint needed for worship services, teen showcases and a busy exhibitor hall, according to the Orange County Convention Center. That logistical fit keeps delegates within walking distance of dozens of hotels and near the airport, which helps smooth travel for international visitors.
The gathering traces its roots to a small 1906 meeting in North Carolina and has grown into a global forum where leaders exchange ministry plans and youth programming ideas, according to the General Assembly website. By Friday, delegates are expected to return to churches in more than 70 countries carrying partnerships and pilgrim plans forged in Orlando. For the city, it is a reminder that even in a tourist-saturated summer, Orlando remains a magnet for large-scale faith conventions.
