By Susan Kane, Church Multiplication

The following is an interview with Cindy Mugford, a member of the pastoral team at The Bridge Church, in Laveen, Arizona. The Bridge was launched on March 30, 2007.

Can you describe the circumstances that led to the launch of The Bridge?

In December 2006, Jeff and I left Portland, Oregon, where we had been for less than two years and came back to the Phoenix area to plant. We love the desert, the Southwest, and Arizona. We had some friends who agreed to help us start the church, and one family even moved out here just to support us. We had our first gathering on December 23, 2006, and cast a vision for the type of church we wanted to plant. We went to work on marketing and finding out what Laveen had to offer. We had planned to meet in the Trailside Point School, a new school that was being built in the area that was due to open in January, 2007. Within a month we found out that the opening had to be postponed until March, so we went looking for a starter place until our school was ready. We ended up meeting in the outdoor courtyard of Bougainvillea Golf Club for four weeks, and then we moved into the school on April 22, 2007. We’ve been riding the church planting wave ever since.

Dr. Andrea Cook was unanimously selected as the 7th president of Warner Pacific College by the Board of Trustees on November 14, 2008. An experienced university administrator, Dr. Cook came to WPC in 2005 as Vice President for Advancement and has been serving in the role of interim president since June 2008.

She earned a Masters of Science in Educational Policy and Management and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy and Management at the University of Oregon. She gained her strong leadership experience while serving at Judson Baptist College, University of Oregon, George Fox University and Goshen College prior to her role at Warner Pacific.

Church of God Ministries (CGM) has released eight current employees in an effort to reduce overall expenses to within projected income.  The staff reductions are among numerous steps CGM is taking to ensure compliance with the Ministries Council’s Ends Policy, which specifies that Church of God Ministries have a balanced budget.

The terminations are effective November 28, 2008. The elimination of these positions, combined with seven other full-time and four part-time positions that have been vacated and not filled, represents a reduction in the CGM workforce of approximately 25 percent.

“These are agonizing times for the staff and leadership of Church of God Ministries, and especially for those we have had to let go,” said Dr. Ronald V. Duncan, general director.  “Those losing their jobs are valued employees who have dedicated their work to the service of the Lord and the collective ministries of the church.”

By Gary Bistritan

A lot of exciting things are happening on the island of Yap, in Micronesia. Starting a Christian school in the church was a big step of faith. First, we promised parents that we would provide the best education possible on the island, and secondly, we made this promise with the full understanding that we would have to grow and expand to keep such a promise.

For the past four years, the church has been meeting in a rented building; however, this year the landlord refused to renew the lease as a friend of his is hoping to start a business there sometime in the future.

Global Missions is pleased to announce the new assignment for career missionary Don Deena Johnson. In this new position Don Deena will serve alongside Church of God leaders in the United Kingdom to develop an ongoing strategy for leadership and discipleship training in that country and to participate in training and mentoring leaders. She will also share in congregational ministry as a part of the body of Christ. The two-year assignment will begin in January 2009.

By John Walters

This is an especially exciting time for the ministries of Christians Broadcasting Hope (CBH). We thank God for the privilege of sharing in the ministry of spreading the hope of Jesus through broadcasting. As the end of the year approaches, we at CBH join with you in reflecting upon the blessings of God over the past year. We have accomplished much through His strength and generous provisions, and we look forward with great anticipation to the continued growth and impact of the CBH ministry.

By Susan Kane, Church Multiplication

St. Louis, Missouri—Connecting with the community is one of the most important ways a church can grow, whether it is new to the area or has been a part of the community for many years. Community Christ Fellowship, in St. Louis, Missouri, has found that community outreach events are excellent ways to do this.

Community Christ Fellowship began in 1953 in a small neighborhood, and by the early 1980s, more than 250 called the church home. However, by 2003, that number dwindled to less than twenty. It was at that time in the life of the church that Pastor Randy Butler was called to be the senior pastor of the small struggling congregation.

The December 23, 1950 Gospel Trumpet recorded the words of the Woman's Missionary Society President Ocie Perry, "For some time there has been a feeling on the part of  many Christians that the Christmas festivities were not Christ-centered...we have forgotten the Christ whose birthday we are celebrating."

The women of Ocie Perry's day, in cooperation with the Church of God World Service, pledged themselves to underwrite the World Service Budget for 200 hours with prayer and money in the first year of the Christ's Birthday Observance.  Fifty-eight years later, Women of the Church of God carries on the work of the former Woman's Missionary Society in developing, promoting, and conducting the Christ's Birthday Observance.  The initial goals are the same:

By Rev. Jeremy Morton, First Church of God Hoopeston, IL

Our church recently offered Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, and it has had a tremendous impact on all participants, leading them towards financial peace.

About forty-five people (singles and couples) participated. Each Sunday, we watched an hour-long video in the morning during the Sunday school hour, and then we met in two small groups in the evening for discussion and accountability.

As reported by Rev. Jeff White

Very early Monday morning one of our congregations in the Indianapolis area, Bells Chapel, was destroyed by fire.  The cause is uncertain at this time. The building was insured, but to what extent is unknown. The church was the home of a daycare that ministered to over 100 children of low income families in the surrounding area.  The ministry to these families by Pastor Adrienne Holmes and her congregation has been immeasurable in that area of Indianapolis.