First, however, in the rush to leave, I never got to blog on going downtown Tuesday. It was an interesting evening. I had missed the previous Tuesday so it was good to be back. The "neighborhood" welcomes us wonderfully -- so much better than we deserve. The previous week a member had died over night of a heart attack -- no CNN coverage for him. He still had his medical braclet on -- having been just discharged from the hospital -- we are not sure why he was in. My guess is that he didn't have health insurance and so was discharged straight to the streets. He had been downtown in the past, but had not spent much time there lately. To add to the ambiguity, the word on the streets from one of his friends said that when he died, he had several hundreds of thousands of dollars of banknotes in his pocket. We have no way to confirm this. Next Wednesday when I get home, we will have a funeral for him on the backside of the the post office.

Second, as we passed out sandwiches on the streets, a stabbing took place about two blocks away -- I don't know if anyone that I know was involved. "Neighborhoods" have their own dynamics; even in close proximity, they radically change. By the time I got there, with Cody Ellis and my friend, Jonathan Tran, the police had pretty much cleared the area. The policeman said something like, "It was just some homeless guys settling a dispute like they do." We left. Again, the ambiguity and tragedy of the situation struck me deeply. Just presence of other persons there could have changed the dynamics so that the violence could have not occurred. Such is life and death among the poor in downtown San Diego.

Now to Orlando. As I listen to the NYI resolutions, it seems that most are just dealing with changing their polity to fit with the internationalization of the church. Now an interesting point has arisen: term limits for the officers. The resolution was to remove these; a person spoke against. The vote was taken and declared passed by the chair; it written vote was requested, however, and they are now in the process. At stake is the nature of NYI leadership -- does it pass on from one person to the next or does it become a "expert office" for efficient oversight and programming. Yes, 507; no 292 (?). Without a 2/3s vote, the resolution was defeated. Polity is hard to change.

Impressions about the site. I was looking for a "downtown" convention center. The site, however, is south of the city in a designed, self-contained "commercial" district. If I might guess, Orlando had several advantages: easy air access (and cheaper) from within North America and connecting flights from outside North America. Second, geographical proximity (relative) to Europe, South America, and Africa for delegates. Third, my guess is that it was also helped by church leaders that the location would encourage the middle- and upper-middle class members of the churches, and their clergy, (and the Kansas City workers) to come as part of a vacation package -- come to Disney World and throw in services at Nazarene General Assembly. Monday was initially to be an "off" day to allow this, but with the "Great Recession" it is now filled with business. Displays in the display area are much smaller and more modest than four years ago.

The convention center is absolutely massive and cavernous. At the registration desk supposedly 25,000 people have registered. Of course, these will come and go. It feels a lot like Comic-Con to me -- large room with lots of seats with screens to project the platform with a commerical/convention boothes close by, and small rooms for seminars interspersed. Perhaps it is just because it is Friday, but it feels a little like "overkill" -- much more facilities than is needed. It will be interesting to see how this works out on Sunday -- probably the highest point of attendance for the morning service. The "touristy" feel is all around.

Today the assembly delegates are all in their committees preparing for next week's sessions. Tonight there is a service. Tomorrow morning at 9:00 am there is a "multicultural service" -- begging the question why all worship services here are not "multicultural services" -- maybe they will be? There is a marked increase in the visibility of persons from outside the United States -- though it is still very white, middle class, midwestern/southern in cultural feel and majority on site. Amid $9.00 sandwiches in the convention center, I smiled when I walked in to find a middle-aged white man finding a place in an "information booth" to eat his peanut butter sandwich -- such is the economic and cultural background that has proved what I think is the strength of the Church of the Nazarene in the United States. Amid the attempted glitz and hype of the displays and the touristy feel of the setting, some still quietly attend to be part of the church -- not a convention. Financial resources are stretched that even in its promotion, undercut its "convention" feel. For such a witness, just when I entered the building, I give thanks.

Hopefully I'll be able to continue through next Tuesday, both from services, conversations, and then the first day and a half of the Assembly proper. While the world deals with the tragedy that was the life and death of Michael Jackson, the Church of the Nazarene gathers as part of its Methodist background in General Conference.