The 2023 World Conference concluded on Friday, 28 April. The week-long event was filled with the work of church business, learning, sharing, worship, and connecting with friends – both new and old. 

Since this was the first conference post-pandemic, the planning team consulted with a group of medical and public health professionals. Following their recommendations, multiple precautionary measures were taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other illnesses that can impact large group gatherings. These included having masks available throughout the complex, encouraging people to wear masks indoors, hand sanitizing stations, and providing double the normal allotted space for delegations to social distance.  

Once we learned of the first positive COVID case, the Conference was notified so people could make informed decisions for their own situation. Each day, the conference body was reminded to mask indoors and to stay home and test if they had symptoms or felt sick. Despite these precautions, we are aware of positive COVID cases. 

As COVID-19 and other viruses continue to be part of life around the world, we will make plans based on the most current information and best practices.