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GENERAL ASSEMBLY TODAY JULY 30—AUGUST 3, 2018 GA ORLANDO, FLORIDA 77TH CHURCH OF GOD INTERNATIONALToday GENERAL ASSEMBLY TUESDAY | JULY 31, 2018 TUESDAY, JULY 31 LEAD Kicks Off GA18 Tuesday Events By David White Intercessory Prayer More than 2,000 Church of God pas- 9:00 a.m.—7:00 p.m., 204 ABC tors and leaders came together for an International General Council inspiring start to International General 8:30—11:30 a.m.; 1:30—4:30 p.m. Assembly week with four hours of inten- Hall AB sive training at the LEAD Conference in Prayer Ministries Luncheon the Chapin Theater on Monday. 12:00 noon, 307 A The pre-Assembly leadership training Kids Day Camp featured four dynamic guest speakers Chand 1:00—5:00 p.m., 205, 206 ABC from all walks of ministry to give the Fontaine International Junior Talent room-capacity crowd a well-rounded 1:00 p.m., Chapin Theater view of ministry leadership within and Children’s Church without the church. 7:00 p.m., 206 ABC “What an amazing afternoon,” said Kids Church General Overseer Tim Hill, describing 7:00 p.m., 205 ABC the event as the “premier training con- New York State Office ference for Church of God ministers 9:30 p.m., 307 A and laity.” PT Seminary Reception “Discovering, Developing, and Orozco Madu 9:30—11:30 p.m., 209 ABC Delivering Your Life’s Message” was Youth & Discipleship Celebration the central thread that connected the guru, Sam Chand; and dynamic preach- 9:30—11:30 p.m., 202 ABC four keynote speakers—contemporary er, Robert Madu; with leadership coach, spiritual pastor, Leon Fontaine; multi- Dave Martin facilitating a roundtable En Español ................ 16 cultural pastor, Rae Orozco; leadership discussion. —continued on page 3 A “Different” Peter Thomas Council Agenda By Lance Colkmire Presented “The 77th General Assembly agenda ‘Order of the is different,” reads a line in the agenda’s Statement of Purpose. Its very name— Towel’ By Cameron Fisher Doug Small, second from right, presents the the FINISH Commitment Agenda— Order of the Towel to Peter Thomas. Looking reflects that difference, highlighting Rev. Peter Thomas was inducted into on is David Griffis, left, and Tim Hill. the denomination’s determination to the ‘Order of the Towel’ during the In the decade in which Peter Thomas be part of Christ’s body helping to ful- World Missions banquet held Monday has served as the Church of God field fill the Great Commission. The agenda night in the Valencia Ballroom. director for much of Africa, 43 nations is “conceived and contextualized on The recognition was presented by have felt the temperate passion of a man the declared Mission and Vision of the Doug Small, director of Church of God who has given himself to a continent. Church of God,” the purpose statement Prayer Ministries. The honor is bestowed For more than two decades, he served continues. “in recognition of servant leadership and as the education director, forging rela- Something else that distinguishes this the creation of an ethos of character in tionships, pressing the character of the year’s agenda from most of the previ- leadership.” church deeper, creating a continent-wide ous Assemblies is the limited number —continued on page 5 —continued on page 9 2 TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 • Chand laid out an architectural plan LEAD Kicks Off to let the “S.Q.U.I.R.R.E.L.” loose in your —continued from page 1 church growth plan. The eight-point GA18 acronym encouraged pastors and leaders • Fontaine kicked off the afternoon to value commodities such as questions, session with an emphasis on reaching incremental increase, relationships, risks, people through a Spirit-filled, contem- eruptions, and leadership. porary ministry. “If you’re going to share “One of your goals as a leader is to Jesus with people, do it in a way that is create an environment in which things relevant or ‘Spirit Contemporary,®” happen,” said Chand, a change strategist said Fontaine, CEO of Canada’s only named to the Top 30 Global Leadership 24/7 Christian family network and pas- Gurus list. “Take some risks. Don’t die tor of one of the country’s largest inter- with ‘coulda-shoulda’-woulda’.” denominational churches. Dave Martin served as facilitator of the • Madu closed the training with Fontaine emphasized the need to LEAD conference. a unique deliverance that included be led by the Holy Spirit and teaching oversized green glasses with “But Me” new disciples to do the same. “When Orozco pastors Grace to the Nations, over the plastic lens—exhorting the you open your mouth, we must equip a multicultural megachurch in Tucson, audience to look outward more than them with principles, but we must Arizona. inward, and to do so without playing also teach them to be led by the Holy She challenged the audience to cross- the comparison game. “If you could Spirit,” Fontaine said. “We have to have cultural borders and to deny prejudice just get your eyes off yourself, you an awakening in our churches that the a place in the church, describing mul- could see what Jesus wants you to do. Holy Spirit is not for the pastor and a ticultural ministry as a “Pentecostal Your ‘But me’ glasses are blinding you few inside the church. He is there for imperative.” “The kingdom of God from the vision.” u every believer.” has always been counter-cultural,” she • Orozco continued the theme of said. “The Kingdom culture transcends sharing the Gospel outside the church all other cultures. Consider yourself an building, using Acts 2 as the blueprint ambassador of Christ. Go and make for the church. disciples of all nations!” GAGENERALToday ASSEMBLY TODAY General Assembly Today is produced in the interest of delegates to the 77th Church of God International General Assembly. It is published daily, Monday through Friday, July 30 – August 3, 2018. Produced under the auspices of the General Assembly Cabinet: John Childers, chair, Ken Bell, David Blair, Kevin Brooks, Raymond Hodge, Anthony Pelt, David Ray, Art Rhodes, Yvette Santana, Dennis Watkins, H. W. “Dusty” Wilson. Editor Cameron Fisher GA Today/News Media Committee Cameron Fisher, chair, Lance Colkmire, Deborah Ortiz, B. Randall Parris, Art Rhodes, David White. Anthony Pelt, cabinet liaison. Layout and Design Michael McDonald Photographers Beau Moffett, Daisy Moffett, Gary Walker Offices are located in Room 207B on Level II (the exhibit and convention hall level) of the Orange County Convention Center. Printed daily at Designer’s Press, Inc. 6305 Chancellor Drive, Orlando, Fla., 32809. Comments or inquiries about General Assembly Today are welcomed and can be emailed to the editor, Cameron Fisher, ([email protected]). TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 3 COMM_9x12.indd 1 7/16/18 11:55 AM 4 TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 with an agenda of making all of Africa such a man. “Too often our ideas are ‘Order of the Muslim, the Firewall Project has been clouded by images of strong and domi- established, not as a defensive mecha- nant personalities. The apostle Paul, on Towel’ —continued from page 1 nism, but as a good-news evangelism the other hand, often spoke of being network committed to the complete and church-planting initiative. In four weak and gentle among the churches. evangelization of African peoples, and short years, 3,837 churches planted have He forged forward meeting rejection and establishing a self-sustaining movement. been in the 10/40 window/Sahel zone. acceptance.” These are Muslim-dominated territories In Africa’s leadership conferences, “Along his journey, Peter Thomas has where there was only one struggling Peter Thomas can often be seen sitting been taken hostage and virtually left for church or there were diaspora churches quietly on the sidelines. He leads by dead,” Small concluded. “He has been that spoke a foreign tongue and were serving. He directs by sharing authority turned out of countries, injured and not culturally, effectively evangelizing and influence. He guides with affirma- wounded, falsely accused and arrested, the indigenous locals. In Niger, there tion and, when necessary, clear, dispas- and in peril that threatened his life. was one church. Now there are 27 new sionate principled engagement. Nevertheless, he has quietly persisted churches planted through the Firewall in a mission to see an entire continent “In 2008, 1,798 churches with 424,227 initiative—all indigenous, evangelizing set ablaze in the glory of God. Youthful members were reported” stated Doug congregations. In Chad, 197 churches Africa, with an average age of 19, is the Small. “The figures proved to be inflated, have been planted, one a week, through rising continent. It is the harvest that and were adjusted, by as much as 25 per- the Firewall initiative. All are indigenous. could change the world.” cent, for accuracy. Still, after a decade, Togo—struggling with 13 churches, and with more credibility in statistics, the a national bent toward animism, ances- Some of the previous recipients of number of churches reported total 6,524, tor worship, and voodoo—has seen 127 the Order of the Towel Award have with 817,150 members. Conservatively, new churches planted. been Dr. Robert Fisher; Dr. Horace Ward; the net gain is 4,726 new churches and Missionary Margaret Gaines; Former “There are few people among us who 393,923 new members.” Attorney General, John Ashcroft; and rightly deserve the appellation of ‘apos- Times Square pastor, Carter Conlon. u Where Islam has been pushing south, tolic,’” Small stated. Peter Thomas is Special Orders of the Day Begin Wednesday Morning By Cameron Fisher “Special Orders of the Day” will take place starting tomorrow dur- ing the morning sessions of General Council.