Momentum is building for national “Back To Church Sunday,” slated for Sept. 12. Already more than 1,500 churches across the country have committed to inviting people who once attended church – but who don’t anymore – to special worship services.
Lutheran World Relief has received a grant from the Australian Government Aid Program in support of an innovative peace-building program in Mindanao, the Philippines.
Pre-registration figures for the Church of God International General Assembly have topped 7,000, a level which has not been reached in several years according to General Assembly officials. Hundreds more delegates are expected to register on-site at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The 73rd General Assembly will be held there next week July 27-30.
“This is a tremendous amount of delegates who have pre-registered,” stated T. Scot Carter, chairman of the General Assembly cabinet, the planning group for the event. “We are pleased by this amount and it is an indicator of the expectation of what God has in store for us in Orlando. For those who missed the pre-registration deadline, we will have plenty of staff to handle registration at the convention center.”
The 7,000+ figure represents delegates from 91 countries and every continent making the General Assembly truly an international event. Other than the United States, the countries with the most delegates pre-registered are Canada, Cayman Islands, Bahamas and other Caribbean countries. The United Kingdom, Brazil, Ghana, Argentina, Mexico and the Philippines were also in the Top 20 of pre-registered delegate nations.
Registration and packet pick-up will be held on the main level of the Orange County Convention Center South Concourse beginning on Monday, July 26 at 9:00 a.m. Registration is required for entrance into all General Council sessions, but night services are open to the public. Headlining the opening evening session on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. will be international evangelist Franklin Graham, followed by Rev. Tim Hill, assistant general overseer on Thursday. The Friday evening closing session will be keynoted by an address from the general overseer. Israel Houghton and New Breed will lead music on Wednesday evening. Thursday evening will be a world missions emphasis with focus on the Children of the World endeavor.
The Church of God General Assembly will convene with an opening General Council session on Tuesday morning at 8:30. Several pre-Assembly gatherings are taking place the weekend leading up to the event, including an educators conference and chaplains conference.
America’s 234th birthday, its day of declared independence observed on July 4, was celebrated across the nation with parades, fireworks, and neighborhood picnics. The stark reality is that America remains in a dire physical and spiritual crisis.
