Officials of the Church of God in Christ will end a 101-year-old tradition by moving their annual convocation in 2010 from Memphis to St. Louis and bringing along with them millions of African-American tourist dollars.
The change occurred because Memphis would not make any changes or concessions to accommodate the large group, said Bishop Charles Blake Sr., adding that the convention brought $35 million annually to the city of Memphis.
Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, said one of her team members visited Memphis to gain perspective before they crafted a proposed package that “can’t be beat.”
“This is a city that knows how to coordinate a big event,” Ratcliffe said of St. Louis, adding that St. Louis “aggressively” worked for the contract to host the convocation. “We offered concessions that no other city offered.”
About 50,000 people are expected to attend the group’s Holy Week in St. Louis, Blake said at a news conference held in Mayor Francis G. Slay’s office in City Hall last week, surrounded by politicians, clergy and members from the visitors commission.
“We will minister to this city, not just spiritually but also materially,” Bishop Blake said. “We will fill your hotels, we will eat at your restaurants, visit your historic attractions.”
The denomination reports more than 6.5 million members worldwide. There are about 150 churches of that denomination in the St. Louis metropolitan area and there are about 25,000 members here.
The denomination will conduct its 2009 Holy Week Convocation in Memphis, which is the church’s headquarters, but then will move the 2010 event to St. Louis.
Blake said the church requested for cities nationwide to submit proposals that included what each city had to offer in terms of accommodations, meeting facilities and other concessions and discounts. About six cities submitted proposals. Blake would not name any of the other cities.
“St. Louis outpaced all of the other cities,” Blake said. “It was a clear indicator that we needed to make a move.”
Mayor Slay said the Church of God in Christ has conducted many smaller events in St. Louis, such as women’s and leadership conferences. Slay said he has met with church officials in the past and informally discussed the benefits of hosting events in St. Louis.
Slay said the decision for the convocation to move from Memphis to St. Louis says a lot about the confidence that church officials have in this city.
“We are no stranger to big events and big conventions,” Slay said. “This is an opportunity for us to really showcase our city.”
Blake said Memphis officials didn’t believe the church denomination would select a new location after more than 100 years. The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau said the convention is the largest annual meeting in that city.
Blake said he and his group are looking forward to their time in St. Louis. “We look forward to not only having a wonderful experience in St. Louis but also being a blessing to the people in the city of St. Louis,” he said.
Bishop William Scott of the Illinois Southeast Jurisdiction said he is honored that the convocation is coming to St. Louis.
“The whole community of faith is excited about this historic event,” Scott said, adding that he believes more people will attend than anticipated. “50,000 is the average number. We will probably exceed that.”
