General Assembly 2014 Theme Announced
Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams has announced the theme for the 2014 International General Assembly, which will be held next summer, July 29 – August 1, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Williams has announced the single word theme, “ONE,” which, “arises out of a clear sense of God’s call to our Church,” according to Williams. “The Church of God now finds expression in 179 countries of the world. We come from different backgrounds, speak different languages, and identify with different generations. Yet, if we are to lay hold upon that for which Christ has laid hold upon us we must be one.”
The theme was announced today on www.churchofgod.org, along with a logo and abbreviated schedule. An interactive website with options for delegate registration and housing, as well as other details about the 75th biennial meeting, will be launched at the beginning of the year.
Williams went on to further explain the theme by stating, “culturally diverse and contextually unique, each Church of God congregation remains committed to a Declaration of Faith with prayer, Pentecostal worship, world evangelization, church planting, leadership development, and care at its core, living out this faith and mission in an interdependent connectedness to the larger Body of Christ.”
“The Church of God today is global, but also local,” the general overseer continued. “It is centralized but not without delegated autonomy. It is multiethnic and multilingual, yet united in mission and service. It is firmly established in the deep soil of Scripture but aggressively seeking new and fresh ways to communicate a first century Christ to a 21st Century world. It reveres its fathers and mothers, but seeks to intentionally embrace a new generation of sons and daughters, affirm them and release them into Kingdom service.”
Williams concluded his remarks by saying, “Whether we worship in Churches with multi-site campuses or gather in rented hotel rooms; whether we meet in secret under threat of persecution or we gather in public stadiums for national and international conventions; whether we pastor bi-vocationally or are considered full time as it relates to our vocational calling; whether we sing Gaither homecoming songs or Hillsong and Jesus Culture lyrics; young or old; rich or poor; clergy or laity – we are the Church of God and we are ONE …. With One Lord, One Faith, One Mission.”
