Voice of Hope

Over this past weekend, the church at Greeneville had a fund raiser to try to pay of their fellowship hall debt. They still need $2,500 to get completely debt free. I am making this need known in the event that any of our readers or their local churches might be looking for a worthy mission project. This is a small church that has been faithful for a long, long time. Pastor Helen Hall has done an excellent job of leading this church, and did not make this request...but I did tell her that I was going to make this known. Any giving could be sent to my office marked for Greeneville: Church of God of Prophecy Tennessee State Office P.O. Box 2319 Hendersonville, TN 37077-2319 Be sure to mark you gift for HOME MISSIONS: GREENEVILLE

West Tennessee's First Women's Leadership Conference was held last Saturday, October 27th at the local Church of God of Prophecy in Paris. Seventy-two ladies came from area churches with anticipation in their hearts. It was a power-packed day, full of fun, fellowship, laughter, learning, worship, tears, and rejoicing. Hostess, Joann Winchester, began the day with a special devotional assisted by the Praise Team from the local church. The Women of Grace Advisory Council consisting of Kim Batson, Michelle Brooks-Young, Jill Mandrell, and Londa Richardson team taught throughout the day on various essentials of leadership. Debra McKinley shared on the "Value/Worth of a Woman". Pastor Cliff Winchester served as Chef for the day (assisted by his wife's expertise). Local ladies provided a variety of delicious desserts. Fellowship was sweet and delightful. We appreciate the opportunity to use the beautiful facilities at Paris. Saturday afternoon, there was an out...

Just a quick note to say thanks to all of you who have been praying for my recovery. When I returned from the mission trip to the Ukraine, I came down with a bug of some type that became pneumonia. When I went to the doctor, she told me that I was pretty much worn down which made it easier to get sick. The doctor ordered me to bed rest last week and I was "laid up" from late Tuesday night until returning to the office a partial day today. While I am still weak, and at times have difficulty getting a deep breath, I do know that I am recovering. So many of you called the office, house and cellphone, while others sent email wishes....I just wanted to leave a general thank you for your kindness and consideration, and appreciate your understanding as I try to "slow-down" for the next little while. It was so funny, but Bishop Weakley (our former State Overseer and my mentor) called and told me that Jesus said, "come apart," and that we have to do that every o...

Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your prayers for Sister Joyce Cowan who suffered a stroke earlier this week. Tonight, I called Bishop Eugene Weakley (former Tennessee overseer and brother-in-law to Joyce) and inquired about her progress. He informed me that Joyce has been released from Sumner Medical Center and that she is now at home resting. While she still needs our prayers, we are thankful for an improvement in her situation. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

CLICK THE POSTER ABOVE TO ENLARGE AND PRINT I am including the text of a letter we received from UPS concerning job opportunities. Normally, I don't post this type of material, but I thought there might be some in our state needing work: =========== 3205 Whites Creek Pike Nashville, TN 37207 1-800-PICK-UPS TO: Colleges/Universities, Community Based Organizations, Churches FROM: Meghan Oliver, Tricia Hanna and Kelley Luberecki UPS HR Representatives RE: Seasonal Positions with UPS We are looking for your help in staffing all of our facilities in middle Tennessee for our peak season. We are looking for seasonal package handlers and seasonal driver helpers. Package handlers will load and unload our trucks for four to five hours per day Monday thru Friday making $8.50 per hour. If they do a good job, they may be offered a permanent part-time package handler position at the first of next year where they are eligible for FREE medical benefits and $3,000 per year in tuition assista...

Joyce Cowan has served the Church of God of Prophecy for decades, most notably as the capable State Treasurer. Earlier this week, Joyce suffered a stroke and has been hospitalized in the Sumner Medical Center in Gallatin. Would you please join me in prayer for Joyce? I will give further information as I receive it.

It's almost here! Tennessee’s Second Women’s Leadership Conference is scheduled for next Saturday, October 27th at the Church of God of Prophecy in Paris. The church location is 4088 Highway 218 Highway By-Pass. You can expect six hours of inspiration, information, fellowship, worship, resources, and much more. It’s a great opportunity for Sunday School teachers, Small Group Leaders, Women’s Ministries Directors, Children’s Ministry Workers....any lady who wants to minister in the local church. Topics to be addressed include Time Management, Relationships, Group Building, Conflict Managements plus other ministry highlights. Cost is $20.00 which includes lunch on site. Groups of five or more from any church may attend for $15.00. The time frame is 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. If you have not already registered, please do so today @ www.tnwomenofgrace.com or phone 615-824-3563. We hope to see you there! Londa Richardson, State Director “Women of Grace” & Advisory Council

Today, Debra and I joined Shaun, Stephanie and Reagan (and about 600 others) for a rally and march in Cleveland, Tennessee to support helping unwed mothers. One of our members in Cleveland, Perry Horner serves as a board member of the pregnancy center. Shaun and Stephanie served on the steering committee for the event. It was a beautiful day as we shared the fellowship of others, and walked 1.3 miles.

It’s only one week away! Tennessee’s Second Women’s Leadership Conference is scheduled for next Saturday, October 27th at the Church of God of Prophecy in Paris. The church location is 4088 Highway 218 Highway By-Pass. You can expect six hours of inspiration, information, fellowship, worship, resources, and much more. It’s a great opportunity for Sunday School teachers, Small Group Leaders, Women’s Ministries Directors, Children’s Ministry Workers....any lady who wants to minister in the local church. Topics to be addressed include Time Management, Relationships, Group Building, Conflict Managements plus other ministry highlights. Cost is $20.00 which includes lunch on site. Groups of five or more from any church may attend for $15.00. The time frame is 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. If you have not already registered, please do so today @ www.tnwomenofgrace.com or phone 615-824-3563. We hope to see you there! Londa Richardson, State Director “Women of Grace” & Advisory Council

(Click on Photo Above to Enlarge) Tuesday, October 23, 2007 7:00 p.m. North Cleveland Church of God Bryant Fellowship Hall

We've all seen them, The Krystal Hamburger (made famous by Elvis) commercials featuring college students. Well, the next time you see one on television, pay close attention...you might just see members of our Hickory Valley (Chattanooga) Church. The Restaurant chain came to the Hickory Valley Gymnasium to shoot a commercial for the small screen, and our pastor's son, Michael Stone is featured as a basketball player in the commercial.

Reigniting Prayer and the Word Abundant Life Ministries Prayer Retreat 1660 Peavine Road Crossville, Tennessee 38572 October 26–28, 2007 Sessions begin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

During our travels to the Leadership Conference in Kiev, Ukraine we saw a lot of fascinating sights, among them churches that we're built up to 1,000-years-ago. As you can see, they are ornate wonders, and they draw a lot of curiosity from those of us from the West who are more accustomed to our more modern style. Also pictured here, are the greeters who met us a the Salvation Church in Kiev. Dressed in their traditional Ukrainian style, they are quite eye-catching with the multitude of colors and the difference of style we normally see. The final photo shown here was taken from the top of our bus as we entered the area of St. Andrew's church, a marvel of ancient architecture.

Huntingdon Church of God of Prophecy SIXTIETH (60th) Year Ministry Celebration: Sunday, October 28, 2007. Service will begin at 10:30 am. No Sunday School. Guest Speaker, Bishop Eugene Weakley, Guest Singers, Sisters in Grace. There will be "a pot-luck meal after the service approximately at 12:30-1:00 pm. No services that evening.

This is a video clip of the worship team at the Salvation Church, Kiev, Ukraine. Please be sure to give it time to download, as it may be a large file. I was impressed by the pagentry and the level of worship during the services. If you would like to save the file, you should be able to "right click" and "save as" to your computer, where you can play it at your convenience.

Lebanon COGOP will be hosting the Mark Trammell Trio this Friday night at 7Pm The church is located at 1001 West Spring St. For more info that can contact: Pastor Wallace 390-5550 Michelle Brooks-Young 426-0957

Dear Friends, Today is my first day back in the office since arriving home from the Ukraine. What a wonderful time it was for me personally and for all of the delegates from a multitude of nations. I will be writing more and sharing photos and video clips for those interested in the next few days. This first photo is from a part of our Tennessee delegation. This was taken after arriving at the Kiev, Ukraine airport. All of us had been up and traveling for up to 24 hours at this time. As you can see, it is my son, Shaun, his wife Stephanie, Annette Taylor from Global outreach and Michelle Brooks-Young from the Lebanon, TN church.

I wrote last week about traveling to Indiana to perform the wedding ceremony for my niece, Ginny. Just thought I'd put a picture up for those of you who know her. God bless.

The first Tennessee Women's Leadership Conference was held Saturday, October 6th at Pine Grove church. Testimonies from those attending included, "Wow, this was amazing!" "I never got bored. Just about the time I thought I knew what to expect next, you surprised me!" "THANK YOU. I needed this day to get motivated." "It was wonderful. God was here." Special thanks to Marilyn Ashley, hostess for the day, and the ladies from Pine Grove who prepared lunch. It was a great beginning and we look forward to God's plan for the second conference planned for October 27th at the Paris, TN Church of God of Prophecy. If you have not registered, TODAY would be a great day. Forms are available at: www.tnwomenofgrace.com Londa J. Richardson, Director Women of Grace (Advisory Council members: Kim Batson, Michelle Brooks-Young, and Jill Mandrell)

REALITY CHECK 2007 2 people...2 choices... 2 eternities Which one will you choose? Come be a part of this interactive walk through drama it is sure to change your life forever and offer you a reality check Dates: Wednesday October 24, 7 - 9 pm Thursday October 25, 7 - 9 pm Friday October 26 7 - 10:30pm Saturday, October 27 7-10:30pm No admission price Donations shall be accepted to help with the cost of the prodiuction. Reservations are not requred, but recommended for larger groups. To make reservation or for more infomation, please call 931 381 5811. ***some scenes may not be appropriate for small children. Parents should use discretion Located at the Church of God of Prophecy, 1425 Williamsport pike, Columbia, TN 38401 REALITY CHECK is a ministry of the columbia church of god of prophecy.

This last week saw a busy, but productive week in the lives of those around the state office. During the week, we finally got our internet issues solved with the replacement of equipment. Hopefully, before the end of the month, we will be completely at 100%. Yesterday, Debra and I made the trip to Bunker Hill, Indiana which is about an hour north of Indianapolis. We came up so that I could officiate the wedding of my youngest niece, Geneva today (Saturday). Many of you would probably know Ginny you saw her (I will try to put up a picture or two tomorrow or the next day) since she is active in youth conferences. Ginny's mother is my younger sister. My sister Mary and her husband Bishop Victor Pearson are pastors at the Kokomo, Indiana Church of God of Prophecy. The groom, Eric Barker is the son of Rich and Kathy Barker, pastors at the Sheridan, Indiana Church of God of Prophecy. As I said the wedding is today at 2:30 p.m., and almost immediately after the ceremony, we will be ...

I do hope you will help me to gain a better understanding of our readers, I have placed a poll on the right side of this page. I do hope you will vote!

Question: "If you made the decision, where would the next General Assembly be conducted?" Answers: Tennessee 39 votes (47%) East of the Mississippi 15 votes (18%) West of the Mississippi 15 votes (18%) Another nation 13 votes (15%) Thanks for your participation. Please be sure to vote in the next poll.

Folks, I've been having some real difficulty with the layout of the blog, you may have noticed. I AM working on it, and hopefully will repair it when I get back to the office. God bless.