On June 17, 2016, local Church of God pastoral leaders received an important email from General Overseer Mark Williams. Attached to the correspondence was a survey designed to help determine the personal financial health of local Church of God pastoral leaders.

Freedom From Chains (www.FreedomFromChains.org) will join believers in prayer and worship on the National Mall to exalt the name of Jesus at an event called “Together 2016.” The free event will take place on July 16th and will feature 40+ well-known speakers, recording artists, authors and leaders from various backgrounds for a day of unified prayer and worship.

The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) is joining forces with the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem (BLMJ) to host Christian groups visiting Israel by providing an innovative interactive biblical experience that fuses the Land of the Bible with G-d’s Word. “To truly appreciate the journey Abraham took when G-d asked him to leave it all behind in Genesis 12 and its eventual influence on Western civilization, one must comprehend the life and culture shaping humankind at that time,” commented David Nekrutman, CJCUC’s Executive Director. He added that the “Main Exhibition of the BLMJ, with its authentic priceless collection of ancient art and archaeological findings provides visitors with a visual panoramic view of life between the lines of the Bible.”

Bill Donohue comments on yesterday’s congressional hearings on the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA):

More than 80 exhibitors will highlight the 76th International General Assembly (GA16), which takes place next week at the Music City Center in Nashville, July 19-22, 2016.

Late on the afternoon of July 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation against terrorism and extremism. An amendment in this law prohibits freedom of religion in a way that is considered the most restrictive measure in post-Soviet history.

Besides the Bible, To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book in the world—and the movie version is my favorite film. That’s partly because I’m a Southerner who appreciates this painfully probing look at Southern racism. I also love the novel because no one has ever made fictional characters come to life better than author Harper Lee.

The premier conference of leadership training for worship leaders, worship teams, and pastors will be in San Antonio, TX, July 27-28 with a mission of championing prayer in worship.

This year, the Midlands Region of the Church of God and Ministry to the Military (MTTM) used video conferences to conduct their Ministerial Internship Program (MIP) seminars that were under the direction of the Church of God Division of Education.