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WHEREAS, The messengers to the 163rd session of the Southern Baptist Convention have come together for a time of worship, encouragement, and fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ for the first time since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19); and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 restrictions and protocol continued to provide challenges for large gatherings to meet in an efficient, effective, and safe manner; and
WHEREAS, The City of Nashville, the State of Tennessee, the local COVID task force, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation, the managements of the Music City Center, and the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, as well as others in the local hospitality industry, worked together tirelessly to ensure that the Southern Baptist Convention messengers could meet in Nashville in June 2021; and
WHEREAS, The people of Nashville, Tennessee have extended welcoming and warm hospitality to the messengers and guests of the Southern Baptist Convention; and
WHEREAS, Our local Southern Baptist churches, associational leaders, staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention committees, Southern Baptist Convention entities, and hundreds of volunteers from the Nashville area have worked so diligently to make our stay a pleasant and productive one; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 15-16, 2021, express our profound gratitude to the Lord, the city of Nashville, and to all those who have contributed to the enjoyment of our visit and the success of this 163rd annual session.