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================
Welcome to Connections!
Thank you for signing up to receive Connections, an e-newsletter from the Church of God of Prophecy International Offices. Here you will find the latest news and information on upcoming ministry events. We hope you enjoy all that you will read here. Send us your comments and thoughts by emailing connections@cogop.org
In this E-Mail. . .
1. From the Office of the General Overseer
2. October World Missions—Telling the Story of Missions
3. Ladies Retreat Update
4. Connect 07: College and Career Ministry Network
5. Transitions at the International Offices
6. To Unsubscribe
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Office of the General Overseer
The General Presbyters have just concluded their first weeklong meeting with new General Overseer Bishop Randy Howard. It is quite unique to consider that this body of men, coming from seven locations spread across the world, join together to bring inspirational leadership to the Church of God of Prophecy. That broad spread of international leaders ministering actively in so many continents would not be easy to find in organizational leadership circles today.
As they met last week it was obvious that the thousands participating in the 100 Days of Prayer were focusing on the General Presbyters. There was a great sense of intensity and inspiration as the group deliberated on the current leadership issues of the church. Obviously this was a significant meeting coming out of such a significant Assembly where the church had made a bold step to prioritize ministry and grace to the broken.
On Tuesday evening, the General Presbyters met with the ministry leaders of the International Offices in an old-fashioned prayer service. Each continental leader was prayed for, as the group prayed for Gods work to be multiplied over the nations. They were many tears and songs of praise as the group believed together that God wants men to pray and not to faint.
On Wednesday morning all of the International Office ministry leaders and department heads came together with the General Presbyters as the General Overseer shared his vision for the coming future of the International Offices. He stated that the passion of this church must be named as our priority as we structure to work more effectively in these last days.
The values the General Overseer mentioned as highest in his priority list were the harvest and leadership development. He referred to our data that shows we have grown so fast that literally in some locations we are now placing new converts in as pastors of the new churches being born. We must commit our energies to training and raising up new pastors for the harvest and our new born churches.
The week was filled with fellowship in leadership, and in the Spirit, as well as comradery among this mixed cultural group of leaders, and the ministry leaders of the International Offices.
100 Days of Prayer
Prayer Directives for the Next Two Weeks
Week Three: Church Wide Refreshings from God
10/15 Revival
10/16 Renewal
10/17 Awakening
10/18 Infusions of Spirit
10/19 Great Grace
10/20 Renewed Vision
10/21 Mobilization for Ministry
Week Four: Outreach
10/22 Evangelism, Gospel spread
10/23 Harvest, reaping
10/24 Missions, uttermost parts of the earth
10/25 Mobilize laborers
10/26 Target Receptive
10/27 Support Through Great Giving
10/28 Prayer for the Lost
For more information contact: connections@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October World Missions—Telling the Story of Missions
Stories can inform, enlighten, raise awareness, cast vision, touch hearts, change attitudes and behavior. Permeating your church with a missions mindset takes prayer, planning, and persistence. Telling the missions story is vital to deepening the commitment of the adults, children, teens and leaders of your church so they become missional in their thinking and practice.
Typhoon Hits the Philippines
The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in over a decade slammed into Manila on September 28, 2006. The National Capital Region (NCR), where our church office and national property is located, was badly affected by the powerful storm. Roger Justiniano, our national overseer, reports on the devastating impact of the typhoon, When I arrived home on September 29th, the majority of Luzon had a black-out and communication was damaged by toppled power lines, towers, trees and billboards. Since Thursday until today [October 2, 2006], large areas still have no power and water. We had to go to Marikina to take a bath for the Sunday service and work our way in darkness. I thought I was in a war aftermath when I saw our place the first time.
Headlines in national and international media become personal when people we know are directly affected. We are thankful that our church members are safe although we grieve for the 61 people who died, the 69 missing and 81 injured in the aftermath of this disaster.
Brother Justiniano shared that the national office and some of the vehicles sustained some damage. He relates that a huge mango tree from an adjacent property fell on their vehicles and damaged the water tank on the national property. I am always amazed at the resilience of our people when faced with such setbacks. However, they cannot recover and continue the work without our compassionate concern and intense prayers.
The Gospel—A Light to Israel
The land of our Lords birth is fraught with spiritual, social and geopolitical tensions. The recent conflict between Hezbollah [fundamentalist militia based in South Lebanon] and Israel that erupted in an undeclared war and threatened to ignite the entire Middle East is but another example of the entrenched problems plaguing this part of the world. In spite of the obstacles the Spirit of God is at work drawing people to the Messiah.
Michael Charalambous, national overseer of Cyprus and Israel, and his wife, Soula, flew into Tel Aviv on September 20 to encourage our workers in this war-weary land. He details the trip, We arrived at Tel Aviv airport at midnight and our faithful assistant Pastor Jule was there to receive us. It was such a joy to see him and hug him again. He and his wife insisted that we were going to stay with them in their home and they gave us their own room, their bed. Their hospitality is so wonderful.
Brother and Sister Charalambous were mightily used of the Lord in discipling and equipping the brethren. They taught vital ministry skills (homiletics) and doctrinal subjects (the Trinity) along with spending countless hours in sharing Gods word.
They were also able to visit Pastor Ian and his wife Lorna, a young couple ministering in the northern part of Israel. Despite many challenges, this ministry couple whom Brother Michael has befriended, secured a large eleven-bedroom house which they have renovated with the help of skilled volunteers and gracious donors. Brother Charalambous described the exciting ministry being done by this young couple: Brother Ian and Sister Lorna are doing a wonderful work by using it again as a hostel. They have young Jewish people who come from all the area with all kind of problems, spiritual, emotional, family, and stay there with them. They feed them and take care of their needs as the Lord leads them. They teach them the love of God and speak to them about Jesus. It was such a fantastic experience for us to see what was happening in that house. It is like a nursery producing new plants. All these young people are absorbing everything that is offered to them. Jesus is growing in them.
The multicultural nature of our work in Israel is evident as Brother Michael paints a picture of a church service on Saturday, attended by about 25 people. He preached in English and his message was then translated into Jewish, Arabic and Russian. What an incredible foretaste of heaven! On Sunday the children had Sunday school in the early afternoon and later on, they held another small church service for just the Arab-speaking people after which they shared a meal together. Thank God for what He is doing in the land of Israel.
Ways You Can Help
PRAY for the Philippines and Israel.
Help to support dedicated national leaders, church planters and evangelists.
Help to provide buildings for congregations.
Help to provide motor cycles and bicycles.
How to Send Help
Individual donors can contribute through the Helping Hands Ministry and churches may contribute through Harvest Partners Level Two (project) giving. Mission Marker Partners is also available for giving specifically for helping churches with buildings.
Please make all checks payable to Church of God of Prophecy and be sure to specify where you would like your offering to go by designating it as HP Level 2.
Send to:
Church of God of Prophecy
Philippines—Typhoon Relief or Israel Outreach.
P.O. Box 2910
Cleveland, TN 37320-2910
Note that all gifts are tax deductible and 100% of your gift is applied to the need you specify.
For more information contact: Retha Frankland, Global Outreach Secretary, retha@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ladies Retreats Update
Womens Ministries just finished the Southeast Regional Ladies Retreat at beautiful Ridgecrest, North Carolina. We had made preparations for 300 but to our surprise we had 420 ladies to register for this retreat. We were returning to one of the original sites for ladies retreats. It had been a long time since we were at Ridgecrest Conference Center and from the evaluations that we have read, we will be returning to this site. In the testimony time that was set-aside on Sunday morning, we were able to count many salvations, sanctifications, and Holy Ghost experiences. There were also many proclamations of healings and deliverances that were experienced. One of the evaluations that we read said, I was ready to give up, but now I have the direction from the Wind of His Spirit that He has a plan for me and my life, Praise God.
We are now getting things together for the Mid-America retreat in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ladies will begin arriving to the Renaissance Hotel on Friday October 27, 2006. We are looking for the same spirit to be there as He was in North Carolina. For those of you near Kentucky, we will see you November 10, 2006 and for those of you near Fort Walton Beach, Florida we will see you November 17, 2006. If you have not registered yet, just call the office at 423-559-5337 or you can go to our website at: http://ladiesretreat.cogop.org to register for the retreat of your choice.
For more information contact: John Payne, Womens Ministries Office, jpayne@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connect 07: College and Career Ministry Network
The Youth Ministries Department has been in dialogue with overseers, pastors, youth pastors and other adult youth workers regarding the alarming body-wide trend of students leaving the foundation of their faith when they transition from high school to college. Survey shows that the one sure way of helping students remain true to their faith during this transition is if they are connected immediately to other believers and/or churches when they move to a new area to attend college. We have been working to find ways build coalition and network to help students make this transition safely.
North Carolina Youth Ministries Director Kirk Rising leads a ministry called College and Career Ministry Network. They will be hosting an event for college and career young adults called Connect 07. The dates are January 19-21, 2007 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This is a great opportunity for you to connect college students in your area to this network. It is also a great opportunity for those interested in starting a college and career ministry in their local area to meet other leaders, find resources, build relationships and accountability.
Check out www.ccmnetwork.org for more information and to register for Connect 07.
For more information contact: Yvonne Hutchinson, Youth Ministries, Yvonne@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transitions at the International Offices. . .
The International Offices announces the following transitions during the month of October.
David Bryan, transitioning from Sunday School Ministries/CBL Instructor to Global Outreach Ministries Director
Dr. H.E. Cardin, transitioning from Georgia State Bishop to CBL Instructor and Tomlinson Center Director
Betty Fisher, leaving International Offices as Public Relations Coordinator to join Bishop Fisher in ministry and travels
Bishop Fred S. Fisher, Sr. retiring from Office of the General Overseer
Brittany Gillum, transitioning from Finance Department to Voice of Salvation Ministries as Administrative Assistant
Kay Horner, leaving Voice of Salvation Ministries as Administrator to Special Projects Coordinator at the Center for Spiritual Renewal
Bishop Randy Howard, transitioning from Global Outreach Director to General Overseer
Janice Miller, leaving Finance Department to relocate to the Nashville, Tennessee area
For more information contact: connections@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If You Enjoyed Connections. . .
If you enjoyed reading Connections, please take a moment to forward it to your friends and church family.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Unsubscribe from Connections
To unsubscribe from future mailings, go to http://www.cogop.org and click on Connections Newsletter. On the following page, select Remove me from the newsletter list from the drop down menu and enter your information.
================
Welcome to Connections!
Thank you for signing up to receive Connections, an e-newsletter from the Church of God of Prophecy International Offices. Here you will find the latest news and information on upcoming ministry events. We hope you enjoy all that you will read here. Send us your comments and thoughts by emailing connections@cogop.org
In this E-Mail. . .
1. From the Office of the General Overseer
2. October World Missions—Telling the Story of Missions
3. Ladies Retreat Update
4. Connect 07: College and Career Ministry Network
5. Transitions at the International Offices
6. To Unsubscribe
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Office of the General Overseer
The General Presbyters have just concluded their first weeklong meeting with new General Overseer Bishop Randy Howard. It is quite unique to consider that this body of men, coming from seven locations spread across the world, join together to bring inspirational leadership to the Church of God of Prophecy. That broad spread of international leaders ministering actively in so many continents would not be easy to find in organizational leadership circles today.
As they met last week it was obvious that the thousands participating in the 100 Days of Prayer were focusing on the General Presbyters. There was a great sense of intensity and inspiration as the group deliberated on the current leadership issues of the church. Obviously this was a significant meeting coming out of such a significant Assembly where the church had made a bold step to prioritize ministry and grace to the broken.
On Tuesday evening, the General Presbyters met with the ministry leaders of the International Offices in an old-fashioned prayer service. Each continental leader was prayed for, as the group prayed for Gods work to be multiplied over the nations. They were many tears and songs of praise as the group believed together that God wants men to pray and not to faint.
On Wednesday morning all of the International Office ministry leaders and department heads came together with the General Presbyters as the General Overseer shared his vision for the coming future of the International Offices. He stated that the passion of this church must be named as our priority as we structure to work more effectively in these last days.
The values the General Overseer mentioned as highest in his priority list were the harvest and leadership development. He referred to our data that shows we have grown so fast that literally in some locations we are now placing new converts in as pastors of the new churches being born. We must commit our energies to training and raising up new pastors for the harvest and our new born churches.
The week was filled with fellowship in leadership, and in the Spirit, as well as comradery among this mixed cultural group of leaders, and the ministry leaders of the International Offices.
100 Days of Prayer
Prayer Directives for the Next Two Weeks
Week Three: Church Wide Refreshings from God
10/15 Revival
10/16 Renewal
10/17 Awakening
10/18 Infusions of Spirit
10/19 Great Grace
10/20 Renewed Vision
10/21 Mobilization for Ministry
Week Four: Outreach
10/22 Evangelism, Gospel spread
10/23 Harvest, reaping
10/24 Missions, uttermost parts of the earth
10/25 Mobilize laborers
10/26 Target Receptive
10/27 Support Through Great Giving
10/28 Prayer for the Lost
For more information contact: connections@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October World Missions—Telling the Story of Missions
Stories can inform, enlighten, raise awareness, cast vision, touch hearts, change attitudes and behavior. Permeating your church with a missions mindset takes prayer, planning, and persistence. Telling the missions story is vital to deepening the commitment of the adults, children, teens and leaders of your church so they become missional in their thinking and practice.
Typhoon Hits the Philippines
The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in over a decade slammed into Manila on September 28, 2006. The National Capital Region (NCR), where our church office and national property is located, was badly affected by the powerful storm. Roger Justiniano, our national overseer, reports on the devastating impact of the typhoon, When I arrived home on September 29th, the majority of Luzon had a black-out and communication was damaged by toppled power lines, towers, trees and billboards. Since Thursday until today [October 2, 2006], large areas still have no power and water. We had to go to Marikina to take a bath for the Sunday service and work our way in darkness. I thought I was in a war aftermath when I saw our place the first time.
Headlines in national and international media become personal when people we know are directly affected. We are thankful that our church members are safe although we grieve for the 61 people who died, the 69 missing and 81 injured in the aftermath of this disaster.
Brother Justiniano shared that the national office and some of the vehicles sustained some damage. He relates that a huge mango tree from an adjacent property fell on their vehicles and damaged the water tank on the national property. I am always amazed at the resilience of our people when faced with such setbacks. However, they cannot recover and continue the work without our compassionate concern and intense prayers.
The Gospel—A Light to Israel
The land of our Lords birth is fraught with spiritual, social and geopolitical tensions. The recent conflict between Hezbollah [fundamentalist militia based in South Lebanon] and Israel that erupted in an undeclared war and threatened to ignite the entire Middle East is but another example of the entrenched problems plaguing this part of the world. In spite of the obstacles the Spirit of God is at work drawing people to the Messiah.
Michael Charalambous, national overseer of Cyprus and Israel, and his wife, Soula, flew into Tel Aviv on September 20 to encourage our workers in this war-weary land. He details the trip, We arrived at Tel Aviv airport at midnight and our faithful assistant Pastor Jule was there to receive us. It was such a joy to see him and hug him again. He and his wife insisted that we were going to stay with them in their home and they gave us their own room, their bed. Their hospitality is so wonderful.
Brother and Sister Charalambous were mightily used of the Lord in discipling and equipping the brethren. They taught vital ministry skills (homiletics) and doctrinal subjects (the Trinity) along with spending countless hours in sharing Gods word.
They were also able to visit Pastor Ian and his wife Lorna, a young couple ministering in the northern part of Israel. Despite many challenges, this ministry couple whom Brother Michael has befriended, secured a large eleven-bedroom house which they have renovated with the help of skilled volunteers and gracious donors. Brother Charalambous described the exciting ministry being done by this young couple: Brother Ian and Sister Lorna are doing a wonderful work by using it again as a hostel. They have young Jewish people who come from all the area with all kind of problems, spiritual, emotional, family, and stay there with them. They feed them and take care of their needs as the Lord leads them. They teach them the love of God and speak to them about Jesus. It was such a fantastic experience for us to see what was happening in that house. It is like a nursery producing new plants. All these young people are absorbing everything that is offered to them. Jesus is growing in them.
The multicultural nature of our work in Israel is evident as Brother Michael paints a picture of a church service on Saturday, attended by about 25 people. He preached in English and his message was then translated into Jewish, Arabic and Russian. What an incredible foretaste of heaven! On Sunday the children had Sunday school in the early afternoon and later on, they held another small church service for just the Arab-speaking people after which they shared a meal together. Thank God for what He is doing in the land of Israel.
Ways You Can Help
PRAY for the Philippines and Israel.
Help to support dedicated national leaders, church planters and evangelists.
Help to provide buildings for congregations.
Help to provide motor cycles and bicycles.
How to Send Help
Individual donors can contribute through the Helping Hands Ministry and churches may contribute through Harvest Partners Level Two (project) giving. Mission Marker Partners is also available for giving specifically for helping churches with buildings.
Please make all checks payable to Church of God of Prophecy and be sure to specify where you would like your offering to go by designating it as HP Level 2.
Send to:
Church of God of Prophecy
Philippines—Typhoon Relief or Israel Outreach.
P.O. Box 2910
Cleveland, TN 37320-2910
Note that all gifts are tax deductible and 100% of your gift is applied to the need you specify.
For more information contact: Retha Frankland, Global Outreach Secretary, retha@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ladies Retreats Update
Womens Ministries just finished the Southeast Regional Ladies Retreat at beautiful Ridgecrest, North Carolina. We had made preparations for 300 but to our surprise we had 420 ladies to register for this retreat. We were returning to one of the original sites for ladies retreats. It had been a long time since we were at Ridgecrest Conference Center and from the evaluations that we have read, we will be returning to this site. In the testimony time that was set-aside on Sunday morning, we were able to count many salvations, sanctifications, and Holy Ghost experiences. There were also many proclamations of healings and deliverances that were experienced. One of the evaluations that we read said, I was ready to give up, but now I have the direction from the Wind of His Spirit that He has a plan for me and my life, Praise God.
We are now getting things together for the Mid-America retreat in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ladies will begin arriving to the Renaissance Hotel on Friday October 27, 2006. We are looking for the same spirit to be there as He was in North Carolina. For those of you near Kentucky, we will see you November 10, 2006 and for those of you near Fort Walton Beach, Florida we will see you November 17, 2006. If you have not registered yet, just call the office at 423-559-5337 or you can go to our website at: http://ladiesretreat.cogop.org to register for the retreat of your choice.
For more information contact: John Payne, Womens Ministries Office, jpayne@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connect 07: College and Career Ministry Network
The Youth Ministries Department has been in dialogue with overseers, pastors, youth pastors and other adult youth workers regarding the alarming body-wide trend of students leaving the foundation of their faith when they transition from high school to college. Survey shows that the one sure way of helping students remain true to their faith during this transition is if they are connected immediately to other believers and/or churches when they move to a new area to attend college. We have been working to find ways build coalition and network to help students make this transition safely.
North Carolina Youth Ministries Director Kirk Rising leads a ministry called College and Career Ministry Network. They will be hosting an event for college and career young adults called Connect 07. The dates are January 19-21, 2007 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This is a great opportunity for you to connect college students in your area to this network. It is also a great opportunity for those interested in starting a college and career ministry in their local area to meet other leaders, find resources, build relationships and accountability.
Check out www.ccmnetwork.org for more information and to register for Connect 07.
For more information contact: Yvonne Hutchinson, Youth Ministries, Yvonne@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transitions at the International Offices. . .
The International Offices announces the following transitions during the month of October.
David Bryan, transitioning from Sunday School Ministries/CBL Instructor to Global Outreach Ministries Director
Dr. H.E. Cardin, transitioning from Georgia State Bishop to CBL Instructor and Tomlinson Center Director
Betty Fisher, leaving International Offices as Public Relations Coordinator to join Bishop Fisher in ministry and travels
Bishop Fred S. Fisher, Sr. retiring from Office of the General Overseer
Brittany Gillum, transitioning from Finance Department to Voice of Salvation Ministries as Administrative Assistant
Kay Horner, leaving Voice of Salvation Ministries as Administrator to Special Projects Coordinator at the Center for Spiritual Renewal
Bishop Randy Howard, transitioning from Global Outreach Director to General Overseer
Janice Miller, leaving Finance Department to relocate to the Nashville, Tennessee area
For more information contact: connections@cogop.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If You Enjoyed Connections. . .
If you enjoyed reading Connections, please take a moment to forward it to your friends and church family.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Unsubscribe from Connections
To unsubscribe from future mailings, go to http://www.cogop.org and click on Connections Newsletter. On the following page, select Remove me from the newsletter list from the drop down menu and enter your information.
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