Voice of Hope

Yesterday, Debra, Lindsey and I had a great day with the people of the Springplace church in Cleveland. Pastor Paul and Barbara Holt gave us such a warm and cordial welcome that it made us feel special. For several months, we have had yesterday's meetings scheduled that included giving me the opportunity to preach in the morning and the evening services. The crowds were large and the worship was great. During the afternoon, we had the opportunity for a nice meal with the Holt family and as always, the fellowship was rich. Special thanks to the Springplace church for giving us a great day! May the Lord bless you.

At about 11:00 am this morning, my daughter-Lindsey was involved in a car accident. She was on her way to visit a friend in the Atlanta area and swerved to miss a large recap on the road. She lost control of the car (my 2000 Ford Explorer) just south of Calhoun, Georgia and hit a guard rail while traveling at about 70 MPH. She then crossed three lanes and came to a stop just off the emergency lane on the right side of the road. It just so happened that I was in Chattanooga (about 5O miles away) and was able to get to her immediately. The Georgia State Trooper told me that he had seen people killed with less of a crash. Lindsey was wearing her seatbelt and was bruised and is sore but I thank God that He spared her life. Since it just happened today, I don't know how bad the damage will be (in dollars). It appeared to me that the front axle was broken, and maybe the frame too. Please help me pray for Lindsey and at the same time praise God for His goodness.

On Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of meeting with our pastor at the Green Hills church in Cleveland. While there, I also met Pastor Sixto Ramirez and some of the members of the Church of God of Prophecy (Spanish) church meeting in the same building. The church there is in real need of some work done on the building, and the parsonage, and a part of my visit was to survey the damage to the building. Please join me in prayer for Pastor Keith Minter and his congregation, as well as Pastor Sixto Ramirez. While there, I learned that Pastor Rameriz's grand son had just passed away. Let's be in prayer for the whole family. God bless

It's a little after 1:00 a.m., (EST)on Wednesday and I am in Cleveland just now winding down from a long day. I left the State office at about noon and made my way to Knoxville to meet with the pastors of District 1, 2, and 3. Bishop Robert Ledford arranged the meeting so that we could discuss upcoming issues at the General Assembly. It was a great time of fellowship and food. If I counted correctly, there were 17 pastors in attendance. At the same time that I was meeting, Bishop F. Leon Graves was meeting with pastors from Districts 9 and 10 at the Westmoreland church. As of now, I don't have the total number of pastors present, but I know that he was expecting a good turnout. Earlier this month, Bishop Richard Neal met with Districts 11, 12 and 13 at the Crossroads church with the same topics of discussion. We are bless to have great leaders in our churches in Tennessee, and I am thankful to have been associated with them for the past two years. May God bless you.

Here is some exciting news from India: 2 years ago we had: 1 orphanage in Rajahmundry Now we have: 5 orphanages: Rajahmundry, Orissa, Amritsar, Balaghat, and Delhi 2 years ago we had: No schools Now we have: 5 schools: 3 in Jharkhand, 2 in Delhi Two years ago we had: Churches in 3 states: Now we have: Churches in 14 states Two years ago we had: 171 Ministers Now we have: 560 +

Bro. Michael Willingham is now available for revivals or weekend meetings in across the state of TN. He has many years of successful ministry experience, served as a pastor here in the state and also served the soverseer of Illinois and Wisconsin. He feels at this time in his ministry that God has called him to be a full time evangelist, so he is seeking out opportunities minister where he is led. Bro. Willingham is an anointed minister, a gifted speaker, and will be blessing you and your church. If you wish to have Bro. Willigham conduct a revival in your local church please contact him at (502)962-8964 or at (502)797-1130.

Last week, I wrote to the pastors and state staff informing them of the approach we are taking to a portion of the business session at the General Assembly next month in Nashville. I have received some telephone calls from people inquiring about the other items of business that are listed on the website. Hopefully, I can explain this on this blog in order to help clarify exactly what will be happening. 1. At the last General Assembly, a proxy system was passed and to be implemented. There was a terrible amount of confusion concerning the system and the implementation thereof. Our General Overseer made the decision to use this General Assembly to put the test to a practical application that would deal with only one issue. This would be a non-binding action, again trying to see how it will work. 2. The other items of business will be discussed and dealt with in our historical matter of debate and expression. 3. Each local church is to answer the question, "considering the gl...