On a delightfully warm summer late afternoon, members of the Grace Brethren International Missions corporation and guests were called to order by Dr. Sherwood Lingenfelter (on platform), chairman of the board of GBIM.
The guests were assembled in a tent that is situated on the site of the former 7,500-seat Billy Sunday Tabernacle. The grassy area is now called Tabernacle Field, and is the home field of an 1860s-era vintage base ball team called the Winona Blue Laws (see earlier blog post).
Dr. Lingenfelter skillfully guided delegates through a few necessary business items, and then the rest of the program centered on a celebration of the history of Grace Brethren missions and the commissioning of new missionaries about to go to the field.