General Assembly Program Schedule Released
Thousands of delegates have pre-registered to attend the Church of God International General Assembly, which will be held this year in the beautiful city of San Antonio, Texas, from August 4-9.
The General Assembly is held every two years for conducting official business of the denomination and to provide a venue for activities of all ages. This year’s theme is “Walking in the Spirit,” with the scripture reference from Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The most prominent order of business is the bi-ennial gathering of the General Council, which consists of all ordained bishops in attendance at the Assembly. Eight sessions of the General Council are scheduled beginning with three sessions on Tuesday, August 5. During these sessions, the body of ministers will nominate the Executive Committee of the Church of God, including a new general overseer. Due to tenure limitations, current general overseer G. Dennis McGuire is not eligible to be re-elected. The General Council will also nominate the directors and assistant directors for the departments of Youth and Christian Education, Evangelism and Home Missions and World Missions. A full agenda of business will follow nominations. The complete agenda is available for viewing on the Church of God Web site at the General Assembly link.
An anticipated portion of the General Assembly is the evening worship sessions, which will be held this year in the Alamodome. There will be a total of four, beginning Monday August 4 with the opening address by General Overseer McGuire. His theme will be Maintaining Our Identity. Two nights later on Wednesday, August 6, Bishop Sean Teal, pastor of the Friendship Central Community Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., will deliver a message entitled, “Planting Life-Giving Churches.” Thursday night, Angel Marcial, administrative bishop for the Southeast Hispanic region of the Church of God, will speak to the General Assembly on the theme, “Reaching the Unreached.” A final keynote sermon will be delivered on Friday, August 8 by Barry Clardy on “Challenging Our Youth.” Clardy is senior pastor of the Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio. The Friday night service will be followed by the Teen Talent Awards festival.
Earlier on Friday, the General Assembly Business Meeting will be conducted from 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. Here, all registered delegates 16 years of age and older will have the opportunity to discuss the agenda which was acted upon earlier that week, including the nomination of church officials. Votes taken at the General Assembly confirm or modify the action of the General Council.
The final event of the General Assembly will be a Saturday morning Commissioning Service for the newly-elected denominational leaders. Keynote address will be delivered by the new General Overseer.
In between Council sessions and worship services will be an abundance of special events, exhibits, and Teen Talent competition. Details of these events and registration packet pick-up will be released next month.
For more information on the General Assembly, including how to register on-line, please visit www.churchofgod.org and click on the General Assembly graphic. On-line registration remains open through June 30. On-site registration in San Antonio will be available.
