Voice of Hope

I am continuing to share events taking place at our local churches here. Pastors should email the information to me at: ecmckinley@mac.com Hello Empowered Family, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. First, there will be a prayer rally in Ashland City this Saturday Dec. 5th @ 10am at the courthouse. This rally is being formed by the Cheatham County Ministerial Alliance to support the practice of religious freedom. The school system is being sued for: a planned prayer that took place at graduation last spring, the Gideons allowed to speak at school and distribute Bibles, a cross that hangs in a classroom and because a history teacher taught the United States is a "Christian Nation." I met with their ministers today and told them that the Christians in Dickson support their cause and we will get the word out. Also there is an exciting movement happening called the Mahattan Declaration. Over a 150 ministers have signed this document and pledged to stand by its st...

Here is an update from Dr. Freddie Harding, our District Presbyter for the Cumberland Plateau region. "Money was raised and a beautiful Gray Metal roof now dresses up the church at Pikeville. We need workers, teachers, musicians, and caring souls to help in the work here. Just set your GPS for 112 Birchwood Street Pikeville TN and meet with us Sunday Morning 10-12 Sincerely, "Freddie" Harding Cumberland Plateau District Presbyter"

It is approximately 4,700 words, and it is entitled the Manhattan Declaration - it is a manifesto signed 148 Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical leaders promoting Civil Disobedience. Some of the words are quoting the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. The document released in Washington, D.C. at a press conferences is compared to the "drawing of a line in the sand." There are three issues addressed; 1. The sanctity of human life. 2. Marriage is an institution of one man and one woman. 3. Christian conscience and liberty. I encourage you to read the document and decide for yourself whether your name will be added to the list that now has passed 150,000 in less than one week. To read the declaration, CLICK HERE

The sleep has barely left the eyes from the night before as millions of people across this great nation join the made rush of bargains galore. Some of our extended family didn't even go to sleep last night, but chose rather to go the the local Walmart at midnight to be sure to capture the best deals as they came available. Others of us chose rather to sleep just a little, and then head of in the mad dash for savings! At our house, we took a much more leisurely approach and still found plenty of savings. While at the local Walmart, I found one of our church members (who is an employee) working hard at opening boxes to give the eager shoppers something to put in their baskets. I asked what time he arrived at work, and with sleepy eyes he said, 4:00 a.m. Across America this annual pilgrimage has started, and the folks at Madison Avenue in New York have worked hard to market their plethora of products with commercials that range between zany and absurd. Wall Street also hopes tha...

This morning my eyes opened, and I breathed in fresh air, I could hear the television in the living room tuned into the Thanksgiving parade. My blood pressure was normal, I was well-rested and as my feet touched the floor, I realized that I am a blessed man. I have a wife who loves me without condition, and I have a son, daughter, and daughter-in-law who make me proud. I have two beautiful, bright-eyed granddaughters that cause me to smile with just a thought of them. I have an extended family of sisters, brother-in-laws, nieces and nephews who are all well-adjusted. Everything major holiday causes me to remember my parents. They died almost 20-years-ago, but I have the calm assurance they are in heaven. I have that assurance because of the blessed hope that all Christians possess. I confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord of all, He is the hope of mankind, and He is the answer to all of the problems of the world. As I close my eyes in prayer, I do so with confidence that He hear...

Today, I spent much of the afternoon putting up Christmas decorations at the state parsonage, to celebrate the season, but also to have it ready for when our two granddaughters and their parents Shaun and Stephanie come for a Thanksgiving visit. While trying to untangle the extension cords and figure out how to put a lighted sled together, I couldn’t help but find myself praying....yes, praying that I could get it figured out, but also that the Lord will bless my family, and help me to make righteous decisions. I am so thankful to know that God hears us and answers. As we prepare for the Thanksgiving visit from the kids, I am also stopping to have a thankful heart for so many other blessings...you are among them. Each day, people take time out of their busy lives to read our blog and share in the prayer requests and announcements. I know there are other places you could go, but to know that many of you see the posts is a blessing to me. I pray your weekend will be blessed, and that...

I am happy to report that in the last couple of months, the church at Big Sandy has added eight new members. We are so grateful to hear the good news from across Tennessee of the good things happening around us. God bless.

From Pastor Milton Gordon’s Facebook Page “We were blessed to serve Thanksgiving dinner to 16 ladies from the Hope Center and some of their family members and also two new families from the Waverly area. We give recognition to David and Peggy Stephenson and their two daughters (Shirley and Melissa) who worked very hard to get these ladies and families to this celebration and to all the Waverly members who worked and served. GOD IS GOOD! ALL THE TIME!”

I received a report from Senior Pastor Steve Wilson that this past Sunday, he received 19 new members into the local church. We thank God for growth! Pastors, please send me your good news, I would love to share it with our readers. God bless

The following is an email I received from Pastor Mike Jennette. I am sharing with all of you with his permission: Hello Bro. McKinley, We had a great Community Revival @ Empowered Nov. 22-24. Three different ministers and two different worship teams ministered to our congregation and our community. Many people received healings and a deeper call to follow Christ. The ministers were Bro. Reggie Ward - Methodist, Bro. JB Smith - Dickson Jail Chaplin, and Bro. John Weaver - Missionary to Afgahnistan. The worship teams were the Union Choir and Oak Grove FWB Church. It was a great feeling of unity coming together from different fellowships. We are trying to win our city for Christ. Thanks to our District Presbyter, Bishop Gary Riley for attending. We had a packed house each night.   In Christ, 

 Pastor Mike Jennette 
 Empowered Ministries Church 
 1415 Hwy. 70 East 
 Dickson, TN  37055 
 615-375-1364 
 www.empoweredministries.net

Last Sunday evening Debra and I returned home after a great Regional Ladies Retreat sponsored by the International Women’s Ministries Department of the Church of God of Prophecy. Tuesday and most of Wednesday was spent in meetings with pastors and other visionary leaders of our movement. On Wednesday evening, I made the trip to Cleveland for our Administrative Committee meeting for the month of November. I am always blessed to share in the times of conducting the normal corporate board business of the general church, but also to share vision and look forward to fulfilling the core values of our movement. By way of reminder, we are committed to: PRAYER HARVEST (Outreach/Church Planting/Youth Harvest) LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SPIRIT-FILLED (and directed) MINISTRY I am looking forward to the next International Assembly (in July 2010-Greensboro, NC) where these values will be on display to our constituency. At the end of our Thursday meeting, I made the trip to Camp Hickory Hills for the ...

I can't believe that its been one whole week since last posting on the blog. It has been a week filled with challenges and victory. In the next few days, I will be posting some great news by way of updates. Please be sure to check back each day. God bless!

I am asking you join me in prayer tonight for Larry Rea. Larry is the brother of Charlotte Adams, who serves alongside her husband, Bishop Billy Adams, the State Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy in Georgia. Larry has been in the hospital (in Mississippi) for eight weeks, and is in desperate need of prayer. Bishop Adams has requested our prayers for Larry and the entire family.

The first night of the Lake Barkley Ladies Retreat just ended, and was a great success. Cathy Payne and her staff have done a wonderful job of preparation, and Cathy's message tonight was timely and well-delivered. The retreat is being carried on live video feed. Go to the following link to watch the retreat as it continues at 9:00 a.m., Central time tomorrow. http://cogop.org/446329.ihtml

The following is from Pastor Terry Swaw of our Crab Orchard church. "Greetings everyone, I am excited about revival at Crab Orchard Church of God of Prophecy. Over the past three weeks we have seen three saved and Sunday night we baptized three. I believe it shows the good things that God is doing at our church. I would like to invite everyone to come out Friday night Nov. 13th at 6:30pm, Saturday night Nov. 14th and Sunday morning Nov.15 at 10:00am and 6:00pm. Please join with me in prayer for a mighty move of God for each service, and do not forget to pass this along to others and invite someone to come and see what God is doing at Crab Orchard Church of God of Prophecy.. In Christ Pastor Terry Swaw (931) 465-9781"

COGOP Member Wounded at Fort Hood, TX Massacre Justin Timothy Johnson, a member of the Punta Gorda, FL Church of God of Prophecy, was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas last week when shots rang out across the military base killing and injuring a number of military personnel. At the time of the shootings, Justin was on the telephone with his mother Jeannie also a member at Punta Gorda. While on the telephone with her son, Jeannie heard the shots being fired. Fear overcame her as silence crossed the phone lines. Justin had been shot twice by the attacker. Despite being shot in his foot and chest, Justin sprang into action attempting to help the many wounded and frightened people around him. Thanks to the prayers of his family, church, and saddened nation, as well as the care of his doctors, Justin's healing has progressed rapidly. He has been removed from a ventilator and will soon be released from the Critical Care unit. Through the care and generosity of his local church family, ...

This past week, Debra and I attended the North American General Presbyter's meeting in Murfreesboro. This meeting was conducted at the same location that hosted our State convention. All but three of the North American State/Regional Overseers were in attendance, and Bishop Clements did an excellent job of bringing together diverse group to discuss the direction of the Church of God of Prophecy in North America. Three presenters were with us, one dealing with church building/loan packaging for local churches, the second dealt with church planting, and the third presented on security/background check services. On the last day of the meeting, Bishop Randall Howard, our General Overseer addressed the leaders concerning our core values and the future direction of our movement. After one day home, we left for Cleveland to attend a training/technical event hosted by our Pennsylvania overseer, Bishop Jay Croyle with all of the departments and two overseers. This is a morning meeting, a...

Chris Weir is a member of the Peerless Road Church in Cleveland. This event was carried on all Chattanooga Television Stations tonight.

January 14-17, 2010 Embassy Suites Murfreesboro, TN Registration is open for Youth Harvest Training. All levels of youth and camping ministries are invited to attend this intensive training weekend, including state/regional youth and camp directors, youth pastors, camp directors, senior pastors, camp board directors, cabin leaders, youth workers, parents and volunteers. The conference begins with early bird intensives on Thursday, January 14 @ 1:00 p.m. Sample intensives include, but are not limited to: Re-envisioning Camping Ministries The Profession of Youth Ministries The Dynamic Duo: Youth and Camping Ministries Implementing Operation Omega The first general session begins on Friday morning @ 8:30 a.m. The conference will end at noon on Sunday. If you are planning to attend on Thursday night and need a room at the hotel, please be sure to check that off on your registration form. We'll let you know the total cost depending on the number of persons in ...

The following note is from our State Evangelist/Youth Director Dear Pastor, I am currently scheduling revivals, youth revivals, and community crusades from January thru May. My schedule is already beginning to fill up, but there are plenty of good dates still available. Whether you’ve already had me for a revival or if this would be my first visit, I believe God can use me to be a blessing at your church. I am open to what ever length of event you may need. If you are interested in scheduling a date, please contact me at pastortimfarmer@hotmail.com or by my cell phone at 931-200-1548. I look forward to hearing from you and serving your church. May God bless. Tim Farmer Tennessee State Evangelist Tennessee State Youth Director

  Friends, I am sending the following letter for your review, and consideration.  This is an opportunity for you or your church to extend your sphere of influence to another continent.  I believe Kim has a heart for children, and she loves our Lord with all of her heart.  My wife and I are going to give the first $100 dollars to this project, and I hope many of you (or your church) will join us.  God bless. E.C. McKinley     October 30, 2009 Dear Friend, I have been given an awesome opportunity. In February 2010, I have been asked to teach in an International Institute of Children’s Ministry in Egypt. We will have the opportunity to train 120 Sunday School Teachers in Cairo and Assuit in two weeks. We feel we have challenges in the United States. They minister to hundreds of children each week with very limited space and resources. What an opportunity to be able to pour into them and lift them up! We will have a day in eac...