God is using Church of God Ministries in some powerful ways.

• Nearly 4,700 youth attended the International Youth Convention in Orlando, Florida this summer. Of that number, 550 expressed feeling a call to full-time vocational ministry.


• The North American Convention of the Church of God saw attendance slightly down from 2009, but online participation (watching live streaming video) set new records!


• 100+ ministry leaders, including area administrators, credentialling personnel, pastors, etc. attended the Credentials Congress just over a month ago. God moved in a mighty way.


• The CHOG Ministry Connector (chogministryconnector.com) was created this year and very practically assists churches needing pastors and pastors seeking churches.


• Disaster Relief continues in Haiti after the devastating earthquake: $755,000 has been donated so far to the effort and 140 homes have been constructed by more than 30 work teams from local churches across the country.


• SHAPE (Sustaining Health and Pastoral Excellence) are benefitting pastors and their families like never before. Eleven regions currently use this program and three more will be added soon.


• The Church of God Foundation is leaving a legacy on future ministry and disbursed funds to Church of God colleges and universities this summer.


• Focus 40, forty days of prayer and fasting leading up to Easter 2011 (March 16-April 24), will provide an opportunity for churches and invididuals to unite in transformative prayer and fasting. Let's see what God will do!

And there's so much more! Keep praying for Church of God Ministries and the entire Reformation Movement! God will bring transformation!

The picture shows the Korean Choir, which performed at Camp Meeting in 1994.

There is a new page on Facebook. It's the official fan page of The North American Convention of the Church of God. This is not the "event" page for the 2011 NAC; it's just the page that fans of Camp Meeting can "like." There are about 150 photos and counting! Some are from many years ago.

The next world conference of the Church of God is going to be in June of 2013. It's now called the Global Gathering, and it's going to be a huge deal. The theme: Standing Together: Being the Body of Christ in a Changing World. Plan WAY ahead to attend this event. There will be at least one representative from every single nation on the planet in which there is a Church of God presence. That means represenatives from about 90 countries! The event will take place AS the NAC of 2013, so it won't look like a normal NAC. But this is just fine, because it's going to be something unique and powerful and big that does not happen very often. There will be massive worship services, discussions on world issues that effect the whole church, high-profile speakers, and on Sunday during the event there will be twelve hours straight of different language worship services! This will be a gathering of the saints of God like never before! The Church of God will demonstrate to the world unity at its best in Jesus Christ!

The NAC ChoGger (that's me, whoever I am), has worked tirelessly the past two days to make the Church of God more efficient in its use of funds. Yes, he has sorted through mailings of Communion Together that have returned undeliverable (which costs the Church of God money) and has corrected outdated addresses and other information. Now, many who have not been receiving Communion Together (a great ministry resource, by the way), but should have been, will begin receiving them again! And the Church of God will be charged for fewer undeliverable periodicals. Hooray! :)

The Church of God in Chelybinsk, Russia (leaders pictured above), launched a new site on 10-10-10. Many churches have used October 10 and its rare "abbreviation" to market exciting happenings. Over a million people inhabit this city, and the ministry is being blessed by God. Pastor Kolekov says, "Thank you for your prayers! Everything went wonderful! Praise the Lord!"

At least one person got saved in the service, and new people visited. Please keep the mission work of the Church of God in your prayers. Amen!

Meetings of the NAC Task Force and one of the Transformation Teams are being held this week in Anderson. The theme for the 125th (yes, 125 years of Camp Meeting!) North American Convention is going to be Permeate! Engaging every individual, church, and agency in the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37-39). It is Strategic Value Two of the Church of God. Through the Five Strategic Values, the Church of God seeks to transform the culture by being the body of Christ!

The other Strategic Values are as follows:

Ignite! Revitalizing the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) in the life of every individual, church, and agency.

Free! Committing to stewardship principles (Matt. 6:33) leading to a flexible ministry future and the management of debt (debt-free as the goal) for every individual, church, and agency.

Cultivate! Nurturing the spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:1-7) of every individual, church, and agency.

Refresh! Renewing our efforts toward relational connectivity and identity (John 17:21-22) for every individual, church, and agency of the Church of God.

Transformation cannot take place without an emphasis on these values. God will bless the Church of God, but transformation and revival must begin on a personal level. Just imagine what God can and will do when His people commit to these values spelled out throughout His holy Word!

The NAC Task Force will be meeting along with the Transformation Teams in Anderson next week. This week, Church of God Ministries staff reviewed NAC 2010 and discussed what went well and what didn't go so well. In this manner, Church of God Ministries is continually seeking improvement of the Camp Meeting experience.

There are exciting things planned for this upcoming NAC, as well as NAC 2012. In 2013, you should also plan ahead to attend the Global Gathering of the Church of God in June. The theme is Standing Together! (to transform the culture). It will be very exciting and we look forward to seeing God do some miraculous things among the people who attend and who either tune in via the Internet or participate in simultaneous worship services around the world. Much has yet to be finalized, but this will be a World Conference unlike any other.

God can do wonderful things through the Church of God, even into the future. We must stand together. We must be united against our spiritual enemies and united for Christ and each other. It may sound like an old Church of God doctrine, but there is no question that the Church is stronger when without division. Let's unite!

Click here to watch Curt Ferrell (South Memorial Church of God, New Castle, Indiana) sing a song about the power of God unleashed among a united church. Folks, we have got to unite! It's not going to be easy, but it's a must if we want to see God transform the culture and the Church of God! Catch the spirit, and let's see this transformation come to fruition! It's called "One Body, One Spirit, One Lord." This YouTube video is a performance at the North American Convention of the Church of God in 2008.

Photo: Camp Meeting in Warner Auditorium. Candlelighting Service. 1988.

This week I have begun to receive assignments from PCS (Publishing and Creative Services) at Church of God Ministries. So now I do administrative work for the Executive Office, Communications, and PCS. I'm also available to help with administrative duties for ITS (Information Technology Services). Beyond that, I get to do what I love--communications! Writing, proofreading, editing, research, interviewing, promotion, and attempting to market Church of God Ministries services as best as I can.

Silent Blessings, a free-standing ministry organization run by Church of God people, is holding classes for the public to learn American Sign Language. From October 12 through December 14, on Tuesday evenings at the Silent Blessings offices, they will hold two hour evening classes for a small registration and book fee. For more information, contact judy@silentblessings.org. The deadline to register is October 5.

Silent Blessings is located one floor below Church of God Ministries. They are an incredible ministry to the deaf. They do many things, but I want to point out that they produce a television program for deaf children--and all the speaking is also signed. It's called Dr. Wonder's Workshop, and I accidentally stumbled upon it on one of the Christian television networks a couple weeks ago. I was inspired and touched to see that deaf kids could enjoy, hear about Jesus, and ministered to through this program. The characters are colorful and exhibit lots of humor, which is important for keeping kids' attention. I'm glad that they are reaching out to the deaf, and I'm thankful that God has blessed this ministry.