Millions of children who participate in competitive youth sports can meet the greatest coach they will ever know and discover the key to improved performance, joy and contentment in the new guidebook, “Good News for Young Athletes: Winning Strategies for Sports and Life.” Filled with scripture-based, field-tested advice and suggested activities, the book can help children, and parents, navigate the sometimes tumultuous waters of youth sports from a faith perspective. It is the founding document of the new website, www.hiddenrocksports.com, which is dedicated to building the bridge between faith and youth sports.

Sevierville, TN–For many years the months of October and November have been designated as Fall Harvest Festival months—a time for local Church of God congregations to give an offering for the Church of God Smoky Mountain Children’s Home. This has been done through monetary contributions and/or gifts in kind. The Fall Harvest Festival offering helps to provide food, clothing, shelter, and education for less fortunate, troubled, and abused youth in our care.

1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month feeling burnout, irrelevancy… North Central Theological Seminary has aligned with Favorfloat Corporation to encourage Christians to honor, appreciate, and show gratitude to their pastors this Christmas through the Gratitude Award, instead of just sending Christmas greeting cards with pre-written messages that don’t come from the heart.

The music worship wars lasted 30 years. To be sure, they are still taking place in some churches, but the full effects of these battles waned several years ago. They left in their wake disgruntled members, lost focus and numerous church splits.

Does it ever seem like the speaking voices of the church have become vanquished because of how prejudiced most of the world is? It has become a pressing issue in America within the past century; people get beaten, raped, murdered, arrested and abandoned due to issues on freedom of speech and religion. Now director Harold Cronk asks the world, “What’s really at risk here?”

Cleveland, TN–November 5, 2015–The Museum Center at 5ive Points, a regional history museum located in Cleveland, Tennessee, formally unveiled a permanent exhibit on the history of the iconic Church Hymnal, commonly known as the “Red Back” hymnal.

When I approach November 6 each year, I pause to reflect upon the extraordinary missions influence of L. Howard Juillerat. On November 6, 1918, the young life of this visionary missions mobilizer in the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) was cut short by the global influenza pandemic of 1918. It is estimated that 70 million people worldwide died in that horrible plague. Those seventy million, and countless millions more of his generation, were carried constantly on his compassionate heart.

One of the best ways for a church to respond to a donor’s gift is to be sure the written acknowledgment of it meets IRS requirements so that the donation is tax deductible. Items such as clothing, jewelry, and cars may be given to a church, but church treasurers should be aware of the IRS requirements for certain values and types.

Regardless of what anyone says, no one likes change but a baby. But successful leaders know change is not only a constant reality, it is necessary for continued success.