Ananda Vrindavan Devi Dasi, Temple President of ISKCON of DC, gave class. She urged the devotees to take care of themselves to develop lasting friendships and warned her audience against burning out. In her concluding remarks, she asked the assembly, “Take a look around. Every single devotee is valuable. Let’s remind ourselves about that. As a basis, as a foundation. For care. For support. For appreciation. For just being happy to be with the devotees and seeing devotees.”
Devotees felt ISKCON must learn to walk the line between being a successful, world-wide organization and a caring community. At the conference, a hubbub of discussion was constantly underway. Devotees were eager to offer the public a taste of the Krishna Consciousness experience at their temples, farm communities, small centers, restaurants, storefronts, and at home gatherings. There was also discussion about new temples and new initiatives and projects under development. The numerous presentations at the conference included talks on Devotee Care, Child Protection, Youth Ministry, Communication, Retreats, Environmental Concerns, Book Distribution, Kirtana, the Accomplishments of This Year and Goals for Next Year, as well as the 3/35 Initiative – A Shared Vision for the Future of Krishna Consciousness in North America.