Riley urges believers to embrace suffering
By Richard Willowby

The closing service of the North American Convention began with musical celebration, including an enthusiastic children’s choir from Kid’s Place and a moving offertory via video by the East African Radio Choir. Ronald V. Duncan, general director of Church of God Ministries, announced record offerings, including more than $31,000 given by the General Assembly. Women of the Church of God were also honored for the more then $50 million dollars raised by Christ’s Birthday Offerings since it began in 1950.

Having fun in their own way
By Richard Winford

Mention the words “Camp Meeting” or “North American Convention” to any young person who has grown up in the Church of God and immediately images of a hot, stuffy, crowded auditorium set in the 1920s pop into their heads. This past week while the “grown-ups” were enjoying speakers like Andy Stephenson, Milton Grannum, and Don Riley, and reflecting upon the past one hundred years of missions, the youth were able to have fun in their own way. Every night following the main services, the youth had opportunities to reflect and connect with one another.

Leaders and congregations called to become worshipers
By Vivian Atkins

The Society for Church of God Worship met on Wednesday to fellowship, worship, and hear from God’s Word regarding their ministry and purpose. Joanie Frymire leads this group of people, striving to connect via Web ministry and share with other worship pastors in the Church of God congregations across America. Todd Braschler led the group in worship; he appropriately asked them to put aside their responsibilities and stresses of convention and take time to picture the face of Jesus. He asked them to speak about the most magnificent thing that had happened in their ministry this past year. Participants recalled experiencing the unity of believers, leading a person to Christ, hearing timid members testifying about God’s work in their lives, and worshiping on days other than Sunday. Together, they sang the words to “How Great is our God”—the sound filled not only the room in the basement of Church of God Ministries building where they gathered but also the hallways where international guests were resting between conferences.

Conference for senior adults emphasizes passing love along
Jerry C. Grubbs

As I began my preparation for this conference for Senior Adults, I realized that the title given me was “miss worded.” By that I mean that sharing and receiving were out of order. As I thought about this topic, it seemed to me that receiving comes first. The old adage is that we cannot give that which we do not possess. So it is with love. If we have not learned to be recipients of God’s love, then we cannot share it with others.

Peace Fellowship honors Colombian couple
By Kay Shively

Imagine being kidnapped repeatedly, threatened with death, persecuted for preaching conversion to Christ and for speaking against the international drug trade, and having members of your church killed. This is the real life of Angel and Jeanneth Pinto, 2009 recipients of the Peace Fellowship’s Peacemaker of the Year award.

Budget issues a major focus at GA
By Joseph D. Allison

The ninety-first General Assembly of the Church of God concluded on Wednesday morning, July 1, with a sense of renewed commitment to supporting the global work of the church. A total of 681 delegates registered for Tuesday’s opening session, and GA chairman Robert Moss observed that they decided “the Holy Spirit’s agenda is more important than Robert’s Rules of Order.”

Hatch reports progress in supporting ministry
By David Farlow

The Church of God Foundation has helped congregations, individuals, and agencies of the church learn about the benefits that planned giving can have on ministry—that was the report given to the Foundation’s board members during their annual meeting Saturday. In spite of the negative effects of the troubled economy, progress is being made in helping churches and individuals leave a lasting legacy for ministry through the support offered by the Foundation.

Conference focuses on enhancing oneness in a society of individuals
By Melissa Pratt

What comes to your mind when you hear the word community?” What comes to mind when you hear the words Christian community? What kinds of things do you think get in the way of genuine Christian community? These were the topics explored in a conference titled “Building Community in Worship,” led by Rev. Melissa Pratt on Tuesday during the North American Convention.

Ann Smith shares her stories
By Kathy Henderson

A collector of eighty-four years’ worth of knowledge, from chunks of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in the original English to admonitions from her own grandmother, Ann Smith still chooses to share what God is saying to her today.

People trickled into the room, wondering if they were late when they saw seats already filling thirty minutes before the Wednesday event.

“I want to say thank you, Church of God!”
By Sam Collins

It’s not every night that a North American church service features hymns played to a driving Caribbean beat on a xylophone and steel drums. But that’s what was heard by those who gathered for the Tuesday evening service of the 2009 North American Convention of the Church of God. Judging from the response of the crowd—smiling faces, swaying bodies—the people liked what they heard.