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. 

The Church of God Foundation welcomes Dr. Jay A. Barber, Jr., president emeritus of Warner Pacific College as the newest member of the Foundation’s team. Capitalizing on his unique relationship across the movement and tremendous expertise in the area of gift planning, Barber will join the Foundation as senior consultant for stewardship services.

Harry Hoehne, a firefighter and Church of God layman from Hamilton, Ontario, spearheaded an effort to donate a sea-freight container of gospel literature to the Church of God in Uganda last year. The container held 2,200 copies of the songbook Camp Meeting Favorites along with thousands of pieces of surplus Sunday school curriculum and other books. Church of God Ministries (CGM) and Warner Press made the items available for this effort at deep discounts or at no charge.

More than $13,000 was raised through the generous donations of individuals and congregations as part of the special Fifth-Sunday Offering conducted on Sunday, August 31, 2008. Sixteen congregations responded to the call during this special time of giving in support of the World Ministries Budget of the Church of God. Of those, nine were churches that previously did not give in support of the Basic Budget.

“The gifts and supportive prayers were a blessing to receive and reflected the very heart of those congregations expressing their love and support for the collective ministries of the Church of God,” said Dr. Ronald V. Duncan, general director of Church of God Ministries.

Every plant begins with a seed. Courtyard Church (Tulsa, OK) began four years ago as a dream in the heart of Melissa Smith. Through her prayers and the prayers of her family, this seed was nurtured and began to grow. Rachelle Nelson, wife of Courtyard’s preaching pastor, Todd Nelson, shares her thoughts about how this church plant began as a seed in 2005 and continues to thrive today:

Todd and Doug and Melissa Smith became acquainted at a church planters boot camp at Southpark Community Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2005. It was during this boot camp that God began to knit together the hearts of these families and the dreams God had given them for his kingdom.

On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008, which extended an excellent charitable planning opportunity for both 2008 and 2009. The IRA rollover provides an excellent means for individuals to support any of the ministries they love, for example, their local church, state, or national ministries, missions, Women of the Church of God.

Lake Wales, FL (October 28, 2008) – Warner Southern College, the Christian liberal arts college founded in 1968 on the western shore of Crooked Lake, is now Warner University. “The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change the name effective October 28, 2008,” President Greg Hall said. “The change comes at a pivotal time in our history. We have been a four-year college for 40 years, have offered master degree programs since 2001 and have greatly expanded campus facilities over the past 15 years. The name change broadens the institution’s image to more accurately reflect the quality and diversity of our people and programs.”