From Charlotte, North Carolina
I am spending this week in Charlotte, as a part of a binational conference. I have a few minutes, so I thought I would share some thoughts.

Politics - Nobody here is really talking about it, but this is the year that we were supposed to meet in Toronto, but because of resistance from various American groups, we are meeting in Charlotte this year instead. At the time, Canadians felt very snubbed, but either those people aren't here, or the sentiment has faded.

Division - I hate the mixed voices I'm hearing. Some people love the Spirit filled and lively worship, some people are suspicious and uncomfortable with having too many evangelicals amongst us and running the event. Some people are so excited to be around so many Mennonites, but I, at least, am very annoyed at the disconnect between what is being preached and sung in the worship hall and the behaviours and attitudes I am seeing in lines, on busses and in the streets from the very obvious other members of our group.

Disorganization - The average waiting time for food is around 20 minutes. It takes 10 minutes to get into the worship hall because of the long lines and the limited access to escalators. The regular shuttle service to and from my hotel is irregular at best. The credit card information I included on my hotel room reservation wasn't communicated to the hotel, which led to a number of unnecessary calls, a lot of unnecessary panic, and a lot of wasted time. Given the earlier political discussion, I gladly blame all my problems on the Americans, which is a very typical Canadian sentiment.

Otherwise we are having a great time, and the large majority of the people here are courteous and friendly. The sessions and worship times are very informative and meaningful. When I have more time, I'll write more about it in here.

   [ posted by William @ 6:52 PM ]