CIRCULAR LETTER
Dear brothers and sisters, elected delegates for the World Assembly 2023 in Peru,
May the peace of the Lord be with you. Greetings with the Word of God in Psalm 89:7:
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.”
We hope that you and your families are well and of good courage in the Lord. If you are an elected delegate, you are entitled to visit the next General Conference World Assembly in Peru 2023. If your Union or Field has their reorganization later than February 28, 2023, kindly note that your prior elected delegates will be considered because of the time required for processing their information and the possible need of visa. In addition, please consider carefully the following information:
Financing
Usually, every Union or Field sending delegates covers the travel expenses and salary of their delegates during the session. If any Field or Union does not have sufficient funds to finance their delegates, the General Conference traditionally will pay for one delegate or a portion of your delegation so that all countries may have their representation in the World Assembly. However, if you are seeking financial help from the General Conference, your Field or Union Board needs to appeal to their local Division, attaching to the appeal a copy of the financial statements and balance sheets for the last two years. We are doing our best to make it possible for the delegates to participate in the World Assembly.
Visa or entry into Peru
Whether or not you need a visa for Peru, you are required to have a passport valid for a minimum of six months after your returning date. If your passport expires sooner, please renew it prior to your trip.
Peru, as a country, has friendly relationships with most of the countries and non-visa agreements for all West European countries as well as North, Central and South America. When you as a delegate register on the registration page of the General Conference website (sda1844.org), you will receive the list of countries from which a visa is required. In order to obtain a visa, you need to apply with the Peruvian Embassy in your country or in the country assigned to serve your region, attaching all additional required documents. In order to provide an invitation and other documents necessary for your visa, we will need your personal information and a copy of the bio page of your passport. The deadline for sending your information for visa is March 31, 2023. The issuance of a visa is conditional and depends on the decision of the Embassy. If you send your information after the deadline, we do not guarantee that we may send all the necessary documentation for you to obtain a visa for Peru and be able to attend the World Assembly.
COVID-19
Because of the pandemic, many countries have imposed travel restrictions and/or mandatory proof of vaccination. As a denomination, we do not recommend vaccination and we do not advise to receive any of the COVID-19 vaccines. However, if a delegate considers that for his/her health benefit vaccination is preferable and he/she assumes the responsibility, he/she may do so. We do not know if, at the time of travel to Peru, such requirements will apply. Right now, the authorities in Peru require from all foreigners only the negative COVID test result. For the scenario that COVID vaccination becomes mandatory again, we kindly request that, in either case, you complete in your registration form the point concerning vaccination.
Health insurance
Before traveling, we kindly request that every delegate obtain a health insurance for international travel and stay in Peru. The Field, Union, or General Conference should finance this temporary insurance accordingly in order to prevent additional expenses if sickness or an accident occurs during the Assembly and/or related travel.
Travel tickets
The elected delegates should plan to arrive in Lima, Peru on Monday, July 10 or Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Please do not arrive earlier than the appointed dates because we will not have meet & assist and local transportation services at the airport out of this schedule. If the financing of your trip is sponsored by the General Conference or the Division, you need to have prior approval for your travel expense in written form.
The delegates meeting will be from July 11-30, 2023 in Huaral. On August 1, 2023 the delegates will travel from Huaral to Cajamarca. The Public Conference will be from August 2-5, 2023 in Cajamarca. On August 6, those not registered for subsequent activities should depart for their return trip. Delegates will be transported by airplane back to Lima, from where they may take their first available flight home. More details will be discussed once all other conditions have been met and only the flight ticket remains to be purchased.
Weather
During the month of July, Huaral has mildly cool dry season with average temperatures of 16-21 degrees Celsius (61-69 degrees Fahrenheit). In August, average temperatures in Cajamarca range between 9-24 degrees Celsius (48-75 degrees Fahrenheit). Please consider the clothes that you are taking to be adequate for the climate.
Preparation for the Assembly
Please consider that to be a delegate in the World Assembly means you must be prepared for long sessions of hard work and spiritual concentration. In order to be efficient as a delegate, we kindly request that you review and study all documents that will be sent to you prior to the assembly. This will include the draft of the proposals sent by different Fields and Unions, and other materials and reports that are related to the Agenda of the General Conference Assembly. We will send an additional form related to the possible proposals you may have.
Additional information that is not included in this letter will be provided to all delegates registered on the webpage. If you are a delegate and do not have a computer and/or internet, kindly ask the Field Secretary to fill out your forms on the web.
Let us pray that the Lord may bless this coming World Assembly and make it possible for us to take the necessary decisions related to the future work and development of the church of God.
Sincerely,
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Tzvetan Petkov
General Conference President
Resources:
Online Delegates Registration
Delegate Certification 2023 for offline use
Delegates for World Assembly 2023 - Circular (PDF)
