Dedication of a memorial marker honoring the first ministers of the Church of God outside the United States will highlight a weekend of events commemorating Black Ministries Celebration Week in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Sponsored by Church of God Black Ministries in cooperation with the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland, the two-days of events begins on Thursday, February 6 at the seminary and concludes with a worship service and reception at the Living Stones Ministry Church of God on Benton Drive in Chattanooga on Friday night.
The theme for the celebration is “Lord Make Us ONE” taken from the scriptures John 17: 20, 21.
[1]Clark
Thursday’s events will take place at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, located at 900 Walker Street in Cleveland. Kicking off the celebration will be Dr. Clifton Clarke, professor and executive director of Global Mission at Regent University who will address students and special guests at the seminary’s chapel service at 11:00 a.m.
The service will be followed by a luncheon in the Knight Conference Hall and a lecture on “Identity and Pentecostalism” delivered by Dr. Michael Reynolds, senior pastor New Life Celebration Church of God and executive director and associate dean at Trinity International University. The lecture will also include a panel discussion. Friday’s events will conclude with a social event in the conference hall.
On Friday, February 7, activities move to the Leadership and Communications Center on the campus of the Church of God International Offices on Keith Street. Dr. David Roebuck, director of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, will deliver a historic lecture entitled, “The World(s) of Edmond and Rebecca Barr.” The Barrs are credited as the first ministers of African descent credentialed in the Church of God, which traces its roots back to 1886. The Barrs are also key in the history of the Church of God in that they are recognized as the first Church of God ministers to “carry the gospel outside the United States” when they ventured to Edmond Barr’s native country of the Bahamas in 1909.
An 11:30 luncheon will be held in the Leadership and Communications Center will feature former Church of God General Overseer Dr. Lamar Vest from the Center for Spiritual Leadership and Lifelong Learning. At 1:00 p.m., Dr. Kenneth L. Hill, coordinator of Black Ministries for the Church of God will address the topic, “State of Black Ministries.”
[2]Reynolds
At 2:30 p.m., a memorial marker will be placed and dedicated by Dr. Wallace J. Sibley, third assistant general overseer for the Church of God. The ceremony will be staged at the Church of God International Offices Prayer Plaza, and will honor Revs. Edmond and Rebecca Barr for their historical contributions to the Church of God denomination.
The concluding celebration service will take place with a worship and reception at Living Stones Ministry Church of God, 4230 Benton Drive in Chattanooga. Speaker will be Bishop Philip Bonaparte of the New Hope Church of God in New Jersey.
“We are thankful to the International Executive Committee and the Historical Commission for recognizing people of African descent who have made contributions to the Church of God for over 105 years,” said Kenneth Hill. “The marker dedicated to Reverends Edmond and Rebecca Barr will become a permanent historical representation for all to see when visiting the International Prayer Plaza.” Hill went on to say that the Church of God denomination recognizes the second Sunday of February as “Church of God Black Ministries Awareness Sunday.”
To learn more about Black Ministries Awareness Sunday, click here [3].