Our church sent Barbara and I to the 41st Annual Sunday School Book Publishing Convention in Nashville, TN for a 3 day stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. This is the largest non-casino hotel & resort in North America. They have well over 2000 rooms. If you can pay the prices, you can come in, park and not move for the the length of your stay. There are greater than 10 eating places, stores, coffee shops and a variety of play-lands for the kids and adults, including a water-park. We got lost almost every time we left our room, going and coming back! Going down to our lecture area each day was an adventure.

The Trustee Board seminar was great. I learned a lot, including a few things that I found out our church is doing wrong. We also do a lot right that.

The class was taught by, Dr. Sheldon Murphy of Mount Gilda Missionary Baptist Church in Norfolk, VA. He has over 1000 members and just completed and paid off a $2.5M fellowship hall for their church. Our church gave up on building a $750K fellowship hall a few years ago.

Barbara and I did not get to see near as much as we had planned while in Nashville. You know the saying, “When In Rome…” Well, we wanted to go to see the Country Music Hall of Fame, Blake Sheldon’s “Ole Red” Bar & Grill, get some Bar-B-Que and many other things while we were there, but we could not find the time. Both of us were in class much longer than expected and our days were planned from 7:30am threw 7pm, unless you just cut out something. We stayed a few hours longer than planned and visited the Grand Ole Opry, which was right behind where we were staying. There was a Opryland Mills shopping mall back there also.

All in all, we had a very good time, learned a lot and we WILL go back in the not too distant future. It is only a 9 hour drive, unless you stop as much a two old people, then it is about 10.5 hours. Don’t take the Interstate around the South side (I-240s) of the city. Too much construction. The North Interstate Loop (I-240n)is much better. Interstate 40 is never a good place to be anyway. One of the most traveled routes in the USA.

I also wanted to see Fisk University, Tenn. State University, The University of Tenn. and a lot of the other educational attractions. The city of Nashville has over 10 colleges and universities in the city.