The 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is hosted by the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, and will meet at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, from Thursday, June 15 to Thursday, June 22, 2006.

General Assembly participants will include 534 commissioners; 220 advisory delegates; elected members, staff and volunteers from the GA agencies; staff and stated clerks from most of the presbyteries and synods; and others from across the denomination.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America will also hold their general assemblies in Birmingham this summer, beginning on Sunday, June 18; we will take advantage of this historic occasion with joint worship services, a shared exhibit hall, and other opportunities to celebrate our common heritage and cooperative ministries.

Planning to attend?

All of the information you need to make arrangements and register is here, including:

Assembly Schedule
Assembly Business and Les
Travel and Ground Transportation
Accommodations and Maps
Registration Instructions and Links
Dining in Birmingham
Special Assistance and Child Care
Help Thank Our Hosts
General Release

Assembly Schedule

Rooms are available for assembly participants at fifteen hotels in Birmingham (see hotel list and map). Reservations can be made when you register online.

Discounted rates at these hotels on the assembly shuttle route are available to all registered participants, including observers.

It is best to confirm your transportation arrangements to Birmingham before beginning the registration process. Your arrival and departure dates are needed to request accommodations.

There are two ways to register for the assembly. Online registration includes a way to request accommodations in one of the assembly hotels and order tickets to optional events. For those who prefer to register by mail, you may download registration and ticket order forms to complete and return by fax or mail.

Lunch and dinner will be served buffet style in the South Hall of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) for the specially negotiated price of $10 starting Thursday, June 15.

In addition to the buffet, concessions will be open in the same area, offering sandwiches, salads, etc. This dining area will be open to all assembly participants, and will accept cash and major credit cards.

Many of the optional events listed in the schedule of events include a meal. We recommend ordering tickets in advance for these events.

Most assembly hotels have restaurants; breakfast is included in the rate at some.

More information about dining options will be available soon.

Special Assistance and Child Care

Please provide information in advance to the GA Meeting Service if you will need special accommodations or assistance to participate in this assembly. See Step 2 of the online registration process under "services."

ACCESSIBLITY AND SERVICES FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES: The convention center and assembly hotels are accessible by wheelchair. The following services are available for those who request them in advance:

• Headsets for amplification during business meetings and opening worship
• Real-time captioning of business meetings
• Sign language interpretation during opening worship, daily worship, and business meetings
• Braille copies of worship services (available at those services)

SPANISH AND KOREAN INTERPRETATION: Volunteers will provide simultaneous Spanish and Korean interpretation during the business meetings.

SPECIAL DIETARY REQUESTS: If you have food allergies or other dietary requests please fill these in when you register, especially if you will be participating in any of the optional ticketed events that include meals.

CHILDCARE: The assembly is primarily a business meeting, with very long and busy days and few family-oriented activities. Childcare options in or near downtown Birmingham are very limited. Parents are encouraged to carefully consider whether to bring their children to the assembly, and to explore other arrangements with family or their usual childcare providers.

The Elizabeth Perry Ruston Child Development Center [www.eprcdc.com] at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Birmingham has agreed to accept children (age infant to 10 years) of assembly attendees in its summer program. The Center is located about 5 blocks from the convention center.

The Center's regular hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; fees are $30 per day per child for any part of a day, payable in advance.

Advance registration is required; space is limited. Download the pre-registration form and complete and return it as soon as possible if you are interested in these services. For additional information, contact Randy East at (205) 322-8310 or admin@eprcdc.com, and be sure to specify that you are inquiring about General Assembly child care.

Parents are responsible for determining the suitability of this or any other child care program for their children, for arranging any necessary transportation, and for paying the provider directly for the services.

NEED MORE INFORMATION? If you have a need for these or other services, or have a health condition relevant to your participation, please indicate this when you register. Contact the GA Meeting Service at (888) 728-7228, ext. 2417 regarding any special needs so that we may provide the necessary assistance. During the assembly, a Special Assistance counter will be located in the convention center lobby.

The Office of the General Assembly invites assembly attendees to thank our hosts in the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley by bringing a gift that will support two mission projects designated by the Committee on Local Arrangements.

Congo Partnership is the continuation of a long-standing relationship started by Alabama missionaries William and Lucy Sheppard and Samuel Lapsley, and a joint outreach of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley and the Presbyteries of Nganza and Tsibashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The partnership supports three mission projects:

• seminary scholarships to the University of Sheppard and Lapsley
• building or repairing church buildings within the bounds of the two presbyteries
• providing "seed money" for micro-enterprises to benefit women and children.

General Assembly attendees may bring monetary gifts to the assembly to support the Congo Partnership.

First Light is an outgrowth of an emergency night shelter that operated in the basement of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Birmingham. First Light provides temporary housing, food, life-skills programs, counseling, laundry and bathing facilities to homeless women and their children.

Support First Light by donating (new, and in unopened packages) of deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs and hairbrushes, feminine hygiene products, cold/sinus/allergy/cough medications, pain medications, and cough drops.

The General Assembly represents the bond of union, community and mission among Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations and governing bodies. As such, individual Presbyterians and many others are interested in the work and activities of the General Assembly.

As a participant or observer at the 217th General Assembly (2006), your image, name, and voice, as well as any presentation, speech, or written document submitted by you to the General Assembly or any of its committees, may be used, reproduced, distributed, and/or modified by the General Assembly and its related entities at any time in a variety of media for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to print, video, photographic, television and radio broadcasts, and sound recordings, all of which may be available on the Internet.

Questions?

Contact the GA Meeting Service at (888) 728-7228, ext. 2417.

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