In the recent meeting of the Board of Directors of the Church of God Benefits Board, the entity charged with managing the Ministers’ Retirement Plan, much discussion centered on encouraging new members, especially younger ministers, to join the retirement plan.

Republican Greg Abbott was sworn in as the new governor of Texas on Tuesday, pledging to fight the Obama administration over border security and grow the state’s $1.4 trillion a year economy.

When Air Asia Flight 8501 crashed into the ocean late last year, hundreds of families and friends suffered dear losses—but none so acutely as Mawar Sharon Church (Rose of Sharon), in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The Christian community in Niger says it is in shock in the wake of weekend violence that has claimed the lives of 10 people and led to the destruction of dozens of places of worship and Christian homes.
The protest, which started in the country’s second city, Zinder, on Friday, Jan. 16, quickly spread to surrounding areas before reaching the capital Niamey on Saturday.

To assist the local church in their children’s ministry, Church of God Youth and Discipleship has some exciting plans for the coming months. To recognize children’s workers who have served long term in children’s ministry, a Shepherd’s Cup award is presented annually at the FOCUS Children’s Ministry Conference, this year convening in Knoxville, Tennessee on March 5-7.

“The recent attacks in Paris and Nigeria remind us again that religious freedom and religious engagement need to be central pillars of U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy—we ignore this fact at our peril,” said Cong. Chris Smith, (NJ-04) Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights.

All season, Scott Frost, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Oregon, has been leading and mentoring a group of five quarterbacks, including Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, to ready them for last week’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Though he’s 96, Billy Graham still has his wits about him, his son told NBC recently.

In December, the Church of God Division of Education launched its newly developed Mobilize specialization on Marriage and Family. Administrative Bishop Fred Abbott invited the division to present the Mobilize Local Leadership Development program at the Hawaii Ministers Meeting and Christmas Fellowship. This is the first time the Marriage and Family specialization has been introduced and explained in a pubic venue.