Sheila Walsh Announced
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THE CHURCH OF GOD YEARBOOK CELEBRATES ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR. LOOK FOR A NEW-AND-IMPROVED VERSION IN 2015! April 2015 In this issue CHOG Convention 2015: CHOG Convention 2015: Sheila Walsh Announced ..........................1 Sheila Walsh Announced Update: Church of God Yearbook ...........2 Six Pastors Weigh On ‘Jesus is the Subject’ ..3 By Carl Stagner Invitation to Prayer, Fasting for CHOG Convention 2015 ......................5 deeply personal struggle. A loving to Jesus Christ and her family. Suffering CHOG Convention 2015: Sandi Patty, Redeemer. A life once battered in the throes of depression, this breakout Larnelle Harris Announced .......................6 and scarred by depression—now contemporary Christian singer of the 1980s Areclaimed in Jesus’ name! This is the story and ’90s found herself alone, confused, and It Takes a Team: An Interview with CHOG Ministries’ Anissa Hilligoss ...........6 of Sheila Walsh, Scottish-born singer- ostracized—even by some in the Chris- Women’s Luncheon to Feed speaker-author noted for her four million tian community. Though on the outside Body and Soul at CHOG Convention ......7 books sold and her appearances on the she appeared to have it all together, on the Luncheon for Young Lead Pastors Women of Faith tour. Out of her story inside, an unrelenting war was waging. Returns to CHOG Convention ..................8 flows honest reflections on God’s uncon- Looking back on her journey through A.D. 2015: Oklahoma Church Makes 2015 the Year of Jesus ..................9 ditional love and mercy. It is with great Indiana Church Awarded excitement that Church of God Ministries Community Partner of the Year............ 10 announces Sheila Walsh as a speaker Missionary Announcement: for Church of God Convention 2015, Bob and Jan Edwards ............................. 11 topping off a list of incredibly gifted Missionary Announcement: speakers, including Francis Chan, Deborah Hunnicutt ................................. 11 Anita Renfroe, Andy Thompson, Gil- Ohio Begins Search for New lian Grannum, Steve Rennick, Steve Director of State Ministries .................... 12 Southards, and Jim Lyon. Subscribe Sheila Walsh comes to Church of To subscribe to this e-newsletter, please go to God Convention for the first time, with www.chog.org/chognews-subscribe great anticipation for the Holy Spirit’s Your news ministry through her teaching. Her passion for the reclamation and trans- To submit news items regarding your church, district, state/regional formation of lost and struggling souls is assembly, or organization for only matched by her personal dedication possible use in CHOGnews, send an e-mail to [email protected] along with a short summary, including contact information. For the most up-to-date news, go to www.chognews.org. C MYK / .ai CHOGnews 1 April 2015 Update: Church of God Yearbook • For more than one hundred years, it’s been one of the key connections in the ministry life of the Church of God. • It provides mission-critical information for our church body: how we are organized and where we can go for answers, assistance, and direction. • It tells a story: about who we are as a fellowship and about the partnerships that unite us in ministry. Sheila Walsh is a powerful Bible teacher and best-selling author from Scotland. Sheila Walsh Announced • In recent years, we have been producing a Yearbook that is not credible. Dates, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses were out of date; only 50 percent continued from page 1 of those included were registered; and data had not been verified or scrubbed the valley, Sheila recognizes the ever- for years. present hand of a loving heavenly Father. • In a time when Christians are being increasingly persecuted because of their Her ministry, often exercised in packed faith, Church of God Ministries must do everything in our power to help houses at Women of Faith events, has ensure the safety and security of our pastors and congregations. This includes been shaped by her long journey and protecting your information. her genuine encounter with grace. The Church of God will no doubt be blessed WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE DELAY? by her profound words of soul-deep origin. Hear Sheila Walsh on Tuesday, June • We acknowledge that the 2015 Yearbook has been long delayed, and for that 23, during the evening service which will we apologize. begin at 7:00 pm. For more information • We are rebirthing the Yearbook to make sure that it is what you believe it is. about Church of God Convention 2015, online registration, and downloadable • We are committed to making it a secure, accurate, living document that will be promotional material, visit www.chog- a useful, value-added tool for the church. convention.org. • We are in the process of finalizing a re-imagined Yearbook designed to deliver real-time information–that you control–in a convenient, mobile format. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO? To help us collect and report the most secure, accurate information possible, please create an account at CHOG24-7.org. Through this portal, you can update your contact information at any time, control what information we disperse to our membership, and ensure that the Yearbook tells our story accurately and in real time, both now and for years to come. For more information, or to ask a question, please contact “You know what? Lori Kinnett at 800-848-2464, ext. 2170. I love our small group!” ©2015 Kevin Spear - http://kevinspear.com [email protected] CHOGnews 2 April 2015 Six Pastors Weigh In On ‘Jesus is the Subject’ By Carl Stagner For this moment in history. For all it-feels-right” mentality, and make Jesus and leaning on the empowerment of time. “Jesus is the Subject” is more than the subject. the Holy Spirit, they made Jesus their a catch phrase—it’s new life breathed Stephanie: The emphasis “Jesus is the focus at the expense of their very lives. into our very existence. It has already Subject” is crucial for the Church of God I believe that ISIS and its diabolical reinvigorated ministries across the at this point in history. Throughout the activities will challenge and force the movement, inspiring the Church of history of the movement, we’ve focused Christian church worldwide to return God back to its foundation, its pur- our time, energy, and money on many to “Jesus is the Subject.” pose, its core—Jesus Christ our Savior things that have been good, but may not Steve: I believe we have come to a and Lord. Six Church of God pastors, have kept Jesus the subject. It is critical place in the history of the Church of including Tom Dougherty, Stephanie that we shift our focus again to what we God of staleness or, as Scripture puts it, Collins, Milton Grannum, Steve Nel- know it should have always been: keep- lukewarmness. This is the result of con- son, Mitchell Burch, and Mark Fast, ing Jesus the subject of all things. If we gregations and individuals making all have each weighed in on what “Jesus is ever lose sight of keeping Jesus the sub- kinds of other things (and some of them the Subject” means to them. Here’s what ject, we’ve failed as Christ-followers and very good things) the subject. We have they said: as a movement. This motto is the right been in desperate need of a truly unify- Why do you believe that “Jesus is emphasis for what we’re doing because ing purpose for decades, and only Jesus the Subject” is the right emphasis it is more than a cute hashtag—it is the is that purpose. for the Church of God at this biblical truth that we must be commit- Mitch: Organizational focus and critical juncture in the movement’s ted to if we are to receive God’s blessings re-focus is imperative in the church history? and anointing in the Church of God. because it re-ignites the leadership and Tom: Christianity has drifted slowly Milton: I am personally and excit- constituents to move toward its mission to a place of spiritual complacency and ingly impressed with the recognition and ministry vision. It is the “Nehemiah tolerance for sin. We have slowly begun that Jesus is indeed the church’s subject. Principle” which is the “re-statement” of to justify everything we do, and have The critical juncture of our movement the vision every twenty-six days. “Jesus fallen ever-so-slowly into giving in to today, and the critical juncture of the is the Subject” is a powerful statement sin. This is a critical time in the Church entire world today, can scarcely be com- that speaks to the very heartbeat of the of God. We must preach “Jesus is the pared to the life-challenging nature of church and its ministry purpose. Subject” and teach people to recognize the world in which the church came into Mark: We must make sure we’re it has always been about Jesus. The being, and the issues and political sys- focused on the essential things. It’s not Church of God must stand up, and not tems that threaten the very lives of the about petty differences or personal pref- let Jesus be diminished because of what early apostles and Christians. Yet they erences, but rather on proclaiming Jesus! the world thinks. We must stop the “if- understood their divine assignment, continued on page 4 is the CHOGnews 3 April 2015 Six Pastors Weigh In On ‘Jesus is the Subject’ continued from page 3 What does “Jesus is the Subject” meaningless. If Jesus is the subject, how- word—his love in action—to those who mean to you, personally? What does it ever, everything we do will further the are far from God, in order to help them mean for your church? kingdom.