The 2013 General Assembly kicked off its first full-day with several breakfasts including a breakfast for CBF Mission Advocates, Peer Learning Group participants and Assembly newcomers.

Below is a post from Merianna Neelly, a divinity school student at Gardner-Webb University. She works as Editor-in-Chief of Harrelson Press in Columbia, S.C.

It was early, but the room was still packed for the Newcomer’s Breakfast.

At my table alone, there were people from Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Missouri. Newcomers included a combination of laity, seminary students and CBF personnel.

And that was the point: to make the experience of walking into a national conference have a personal face and a delicious Danish.

Connie McNeil coordinator of administrator for CBF national addressed the group saying:

“General Assembly can be daunting. You passed your first two tasks: find Pebble Beach without going outside. Don’t stress out when the first round of coffee runs out, so we know you’re going to be fine.”

With coffee and good food in their systems, the newcomers headed out to wind through the exhibits, experience business sessions and hopefully run into familiar faces that they met this morning.