First Events of 2011 Announced
There are a number of special days and exciting events coming up in the first quarter of the new year 2011.
On January 2, the first Sunday of the New Year, will be Declaration of Faith Sunday. This day was established five years ago in the Church of God to remind us of one of our most important documents in the Church of God. Declaration of Faith Sunday can be celebrated by utilizing resources available through Pathway Press. Pathway has many options for displaying and proclaiming the Declaration of Faith, including flyers, cloth banners, desktop displays, framed reproductions. Items can be ordered by calling 1-800-553-8506 or visiting pathwaybookstore.com.
The following week, in conjunction with a denomination-wide district overseers conference, the Great Commission Church Planting Mandate conference will be held in Cleveland, Tennessee. This will be January 13 and 14 at the North Cleveland church in partnership with the Billion Souls Network. Many speakers who are known around the world for their church planting success – some who have planted thousands of churches in their ministry careers – will be part of the schedule. The challenging topics will cover mothering, maximizing, multiplying and modeling church planters.
At that meeting will be the unveiling the The Great Commission Connection. This resource on the Great Commission features 42 Church of God authors who have contributed to the more than 700-page volume. In it there will be six distinct sections offering perspectives from the pastoral, discipling, theological, evangelism, empowering and caring viewpoints. The book is designed for personal study, group sessions, state meetings and regional seminars.
Also in January, General Overseer Dr. Raymond Culpepper, and his wife, Peggy, invite everyone to join them as they seek to read the entire Bible through in 2011. There is a new resource called God’s Guidance for Today where readers can engage the missional mandate and go forward together by uniting in prayer and daily Bible reading. Included in this resource is 365 personal devotions to go along with a daily Bible reading guide. God’s Guidance for Today is available now through Pathway Press by calling 1-800-553-8506 or visiting pathwaybookstore.com.
From January 10-31, a denomination-wide call to fasting will be conducted. A program of fasting in the month of January has become a popular and meaningful way to focus ministry and personal vision for the new year.
A couple of months later, a 40-day call to prayer will be initiated across the denomination. From March 9 through April 17, everyone is invited to participate in the “Seek God for the City” prayer evangelism initiative. During this period there will be eight state-wide prayer rallies leading to the culmination of the effort on Palm Sunday. More information is forthcoming on the Church of God Web site under the Prayer Initiative graphic.
“As we approach 2011, it is a busy and exciting time in the Church of God,” stated Scot Carter, director of communications for the Church of God. “We invite everyone to be on board and participate in these initiatives as we move forward together for the Kingdom of God.”
A video with further details about these events will be available on the Church of God Web site home page, at churchofgod.org.
