DALLAS, Texas—The WCG announced that the next new pastors training class will take place in Dallas, beginning Saturday morning, Aug. 30, and ending Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 2, about 3 p.m.

The training coincides with Labor Day weekend so bi-vocational pastors won’t need to take much time off work. The training will be completed in the pastor’s home area, and this year’s session will be open to a limited number of church members.

The church has developed a 24-lesson program that provides training in the most important facets of pastoral service. The first lessons will be taught in Dallas by headquarters staff, including President Joseph Tkach; Mike Feazell, National Publications director; Dan Rogers, superintendent of ministers; and Church Administration staff. Then, the remaining classes will be taught by the district superintendent in the class participant’s home area.

Based on class size, in addition to the pastors, up to 15 members may be accepted to the class. Although the church will pay the pastors’ expenses, members will have to pay for their own travel, housing and meals while at the class.

The cost of housing and meals will be $325 for an individual and $450 for a couple. This includes four breakfasts (continental), four lunches and four nights lodging. Handouts and other items will be supplied by the church. A certificate of training will be given to participating members.

Although the members attending will not be installed as pastors, it is felt that the training will be beneficial to them as they serve in their congregations. Those who desire to attend need to complete an application form and have their pastor recommend them.

This series of new pastor training classes has been beneficial to the Worldwide Church of God. The first class was conducted in December 1996 at church headquarters in Pasadena, as an eight-day class. Since then, 325 pastoral candidates have received training. When spouses who attended with them are considered, the number is more than 500.

This number includes both bi-vocational and full-time employed pastors for the United States ministry and about 25 from international areas. Gerald Schnarrenberger.

BATAVIA, New York—Batavia Christian Fellowship of the WCG was host for a full day seminar March 29 on "The Practical Art of Forgiveness," presented by Richard and Diane Gross of Lifehouse Beacons Foundation, Inc.

The seminar was offered to the community as a service to those who might benefit from the healing power of forgiveness, which Mr. and Mrs. Gross referred to as one of God’s greatest gifts to his children.

During the workshop the benefits of forgiveness were explored, as well as the cost of unforgiveness. They discussed what keeps people from forgiving others and strategies for how to forgive. This workshop was transformational and life-changing for many of the 39 people who attended. Judi Piscitello.

FORGIVENESS SEMINAR—Richard
and Diane Gross conduct a one day
seminar March 29 at the Batavia,
New York, Christian Fellowship church.
[Photo by Judi Piscitello]

CLARKSBURG, West Virginia—The Clarksburg congregation will conduct its 30th anniversary celebration Sunday, June 29, with a picnic at Veterans Memorial Park in Clarksburg.

Warren & Lorraine Wilson

For more information please contact Pastor Warren D. Wilson at 1-304-622-9725 or send e-mail to Warren.Wilson@wcg.org

AZLE, Texas—Azle Christian Fellowship welcomed Mayor Leck Heflin, who accepted an invitation from Pastor Tom Pickett and his wife, Adrienne, to give the sermon. In addition to being mayor of Azle, Mr. Heflin is a devoted Christian and minister of Jesus Christ.

On April 24, Mayor Heflin spoke on the subject of Servant Leadership. He expounded Jeremiah 29:7, Matthew 5:13-16 and Mark 10:42-45, stressing the importance of service and of starting where we are to serve the community. As we serve, we not only start a domino effect, but we also make ourselves available to opportunities for greater service.
Tom & Adrienne Pickett

Mayor Heflin practices what he preaches. He started by volunteering his services to the city zoning commission, from where one opportunity after another opened before him, to the point of him being a mayor who encourages churches to work with the rest of the community to bring about positive change based on Christian principles.

At one point during his sermon, as the mayor spoke on the subject of humble service, he choked with deep emotion as he said, "There are no little people." James Welshans.

BIG SANDY, Texas—New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, the WCG Big Sandy congregation, will celebrate its 50th anniversary July 4 to 6.

On Friday, July 4, you are invited to attend the City of Big Sandy parade, community events and Explosion in the Park fireworks. After the fireworks you can attend an evening Meet and Greet at the New Beginnings church building.

Saturday’s schedule includes a worship service followed by a Share the Fare potluck. In the evening a "Ya’ll Come Barn Dance" will take place.

Sunday activities will include a worship service and an Old Fashioned Barbecue in the Park. Throughout the weekend, several individuals will be acknowledged who have been instrumental in the development of the Big Sandy congregation.

All who would like to come and celebrate are invited to attend. Feel free to drop in on any or all of the activities. If you are planning on attending the Barbecue in the Park, we are asking for a donation of $5 per person to cover the costs.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Rex Morgan, office manager and pastor in Auckland, conducted a pastoral trip to members in Vanuatu March 26 to April 2. More than 70 people attended meetings on the three islands.

On Thursday, March 27, 14 members gathered for a Bible study in the capital, Port Vila.

"They enjoyed it so much they decided to book the hall again for another meeting, including a potluck dinner and blessing of children service, after my return from Malekula the following Monday," Mr. Morgan said. Three children were blessed at that meeting, attended by 14 people. Several others were unable to be there because of sickness, and the following evening two more children (who had been sick the previous day) were blessed.

Three women in Port Vila are involved in various ministries and service opportunities. Christina Haruel was selected as vice secretary of the Port Vila Inter Church Women’s Fellowship. Evelyn Kanas is on the executive committee of the South Pacific Prayer Assembly, and has been given the responsibility of arranging accommodations for 1,000 delegates coming to Vanuatu for an assembly later in the year. Leias Cullwick is the president of both the Port Vila Council of Women and the Vanuatu National Council of Women, as well as the chief executive officer for the Vanuatu Red Cross Society.

Mr. Morgan visited members in the Rory congregation on the island of Malekula, March 28 to 30. When he arrived they asked him to conduct a ceremony of blessing the firstfruits of the yam harvest. This happens annually in most of the Vanuatu villages, on a date chosen by the chief of each area.

Billy Taren, the Rory chief and a deacon in the Rory congregation, had delayed the event until Mr. Morgan arrived. Fifty people attended a worship service the next day, followed by a meal of laplap, a mixture of grated yam in coconut sauce wrapped in taro leaves and cooked on hot stones.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—Forty-eight new believers were baptized Sunday, April 13, from an outreach Bible study initiated by AC Ministry, founded by Alfredo R. Cacanando, a longtime WCG member. This ministry brings the gospel to the unchurched.

This outreach project has been conducted with the support of WCG volunteers, mainly Roman Saynes, Luz Pangilinan, Mario Natividad and Joe Noel Bayle. Juliet Cruz.

HYDERABAD, India—Danny Zachariah, WCG pastor in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, was asked by St. George’s Anglican Church in Hyderabad, to be a guest speaker at a retreat March 8.

St. George’s is one of the largest congregations of the Anglican Church in Hyderabad and is part of the Church of South India.

Mr. Zachariah was asked to present messages on the subject of repentance and walking with God.

Their pastoral committee followed up by inviting Mr. Zachariah to speak at their main church service March 23, which has an attendance of around 240.

Mr. Zachariah mentioned that this opportunity came up just when the WCG congregation in Secunderabad had started praying that they would become a blessing to others!

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia—The Barranquilla congregation conducted its first Sunday service Nov. 2, and attendance increased dramatically, as 33 adults and several children attended the worship service.

The congregation had been meeting on Saturday afternoons since 1999.

"Some asked why we did not have services on Sundays, because on Saturday afternoons they, or their relatives whom they invited to attend with them, were working," said Sonia Orozco, deaconess.

"Almost three years went by, and even when we saw the change to Sunday of the worship service in Bogota, we continued to meet on Saturday," Mrs. Orozco said.

"God, who is the one who determines all things anyway, started working with our group," she said, "and from June last year started to call to our attention the fact that our attendance on Saturdays kept dropping."

The members told God, "We have everything, the hall, the seats, the sound system, the lectern and supplies, and we are keeping to ourselves, preaching to ourselves."

Last September they agreed to meet on Sundays as well as Saturdays to pray, asking the lead of the Holy Spirit so that God would show them what he wanted to do with their group and to see if they had to change the day they met.

Pastor Hector Barrero in Bogota encouraged them to take the step if that is what they felt. Sonia Orozco.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana—The New Orleans church will be host for its second Inner City Mission in New Orleans, July 21 to 27.

The cost for the week is $245 per person. Teens (13 and older) and men and women of all ages are welcome.

A deposit of $50 per person is due by June 15. After June 15, the deposit is nonrefundable. Final payment is due July 15.

The hands-on mission work will take participants to housing projects, the French Quarter, soup kitchens, the New Orleans Mission, homeless shelters, prayer walking, painting and repair projects, a youth detention center, day camps and perhaps a sports camp.

Each morning begins with chapel for praise and worship. Participants will learn from missionaries the how and why of Jesus’ commandment to go into all the world with the gospel.

Included in the costs are housing for six nights, three meals a day, snacks, daily bottled water, mission coordination, group meeting space, a T-shirt and Bible. Discounts are available for more than one from a congregation.

New Orleans attractions include Six Flags of New Orleans theme park, Audubon Zoo, D-Day Museum, the Aquarium of the Americas and IMAX Theater and Mississippi River boat cruises.

"New Orleans is much more like a foreign mission field than a typical city in the Deep South of the United States," said Pastor Mike Horchak.

"It is one of our own nation’s most strategic mission laboratories. This mission trip is a catalyst for life change."

Please contact Mr. Horchak for an information packet. Telephone 1-985-386-6168; e-mail michael.horchak@wcg.org

PASADENA—In April there was a special printing of the book Sabbath, Circumcision, and Tithing: Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today?, by Michael Morrison. The first edition of the book retails for $21.95, but the new edition is available for $9, plus $2 for shipping.

The new book is the same size as the original: 6 x 9 inches, but there are slightly fewer pages (270), and it now has a glue binding. The main text is the same, but the original Appendix 1 has been replaced with "Brief Answers for Questions About the Sabbath." Most of the text is available for free on the church’s website (see www.wcg.org/lit/law ), but it is published in book form for those who want all the materials gathered into one presentation.

For further information about the book, see the author’s website (http://mm91007.tripod.com ).

SAYRE, Oklahoma—Two black Baptist churches met with the Circle of Love Fellowship on April 5 for a celebration of unity.

John Adams, pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma, gave a sermon on "Jesus Is the Way," and Jeremiah Booth, pastor of the Texola, Oklahoma, Baptist Church, spoke on "Jesus Sure Does Pay Good." Both ministers sang as part of their sermons.

Sarah Perry of the Texola church sang an old hymn about heaven. Three sisters, Annette Fitzgerald, Debra Owen and Jackie Caldwell, of the Oklahoma City New Beginnings Church, sang the "New Twenty-third Psalm."

Lenita O’Neil of the Erick Baptist Church was guest pianist and played several hymns for congregational singing.

After the service, the group enjoyed a potluck meal.

The guests were given a basket of goodies in appreciation of their attendance.

"We plan to keep in touch with these churches and their members and perhaps have an annual get-together," said Ben West, pastor of the Sayre church. Shirley West.

PASADENA—Church Administration announced the following ministerial ordinations.

Arlano Aquino, Quezon City, Philippines.

Anthony Castro, Kansas City, Missouri, Northland.

Stephen Cole, Fox Valley, Wisconsin.

Javier Font, Barcelona, Spain.

Thomas Friedrich, Loudon, New Hampshire.

Burton Harrington, Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Robert Holloway, San Jose, California.

Frank Howard, Newark, New Jersey.

John Howard, Topeka, Kansas.

Bobby Jones II, Lexington, Kentucky.

Dana Loter, Davenport, Iowa.

Willie Lee Morrison Jr., Lexington, Kentucky.

Takalani Musekwa, Cyrildene South Africa.

Larry Pate, Tacoma, Washington.

Stuart Rising, Ada, Oklahoma.

Elmar Roberg, Krugersdorp, South Africa.

Richard Roberts, San Francisco, California, house church.

Rodney Schuler, San Antonio, Texas.

Johan van Greunen, Klerksdorp, South Africa.

Mark Villers, Coos Bay, Oregon.

MIDDLETOWN, New York—On March 23, member Bernadette Underwood prepared an after-service meal for Family of Faith Lutheran Church, where the Middletown congregation meets.

Family of Faith was having a special service to raise money for its building fund. In addition to a concert that evening, they invited women from the Walter Hoving Home to give their testimonies at their morning service.

"About half our congregation came to worship and serve the meal in typical WCG style," said Pastor Jeff Broadnax. "I was such a proud pastor! Watching our members lovingly serve this congregation and their guests was beautiful. The only thing that made it better was the spiritual food the Lord provided through the lives of the women from the Walter Hoving Home. These women shared testimonies of recovery from addiction to heroin, crack, alcoholism, abusive relationships and broken lives, all through the power of God."

CONCORD, New Hampshire—At a prayer breakfast on the National Day of Prayer, May 1, Pastor Ron Stoddart and his wife, Gail, met Governor Craig Benson. "He is a Christian and was gracious when he spoke to us for a few minutes," Mr. Stoddart said.

Ron Stoddart

Speakers were Richard Swett, ambassador to Denmark, former Congressman Robert McEwen from Ohio, as well as the governor. All gave testimonies about Jesus. Then Mr. Stoddart went to the hospital and led prayer for 13 people for one hour. After that at the State House he was asked to lead the first prayer at an outdoor public gathering.

"The other pastors I know are thrilled at the changes they see in our part of the WCG and seem to want to honor and encourage me at this time," Mr. Stoddart said. "So I tend to be given these opportunities. They all love our new name—Sonlight Christian Fellowship."

The area Christian radio station played a free promo for Ross Jutsum’s visit on May 10, mainly because the chairman of the radio board is supportive of what the church is trying to do.

"I look at the few faithful and loving members we have left and see such a good spirit," Mr. Stoddart said. "Oh that we had the 300 or so members who once attended so we could make a bigger difference more quickly. But, then we might have been too confident in our own strength."

BIG SANDY, Texas—Lee Pettijohn, a retired employee of Ambassador Television now living in Big Sandy, and his wife, Vivian, were chosen as the Big Sandy Chamber of Commerce’s first Yard of the Month recipients in 2003, receiving the award in early March.

At that time, their yard displayed sculptured shrubs and manicured lawns accented with winding walks and trellised archways. Later in the season, flowers appeared, adding splashes of color.

Their brick home faces the railroad in Big Sandy, fulfilling one of Mr. Pettijohn’s lifelong dreams. He is fascinated with trains. Because of that fascination, television station KETK in Tyler, Texas, interviewed the Pettijohns about their home by the railroad, and his large model railroad that covers the entire upstairs of their home.

Mr. and Mrs. Pettijohn attend New Beginnings Christian Fellowship and are active in the community. Their fine example helps make our town such a nice place to live. Donna Jones.

SALEM, Oregon—The 50th anniversary of the Living Hope Church in Salem will be postponed until 2005 because we miscalculated our beginning date. There will not be a reception on June 8, 2003, but we welcome you to attend our worship service at 11 a.m. at Walker Middle School as announced in the last WN.

SAYRE, Oklahoma—Wee Work for Jesus children’s class of the Circle of Love Fellowship had a kids night out March 14. They brought sleeping bags and pillows and had a sleepover at the church building.

After a dinner of pizza, Joe and Chance Comer and Kristina Hughes recited Bible memory verses and their guest, Logan Smith, sang a song about walking with Jesus every day. Their teacher, Carolyn Comer, gave each child a prize for participating.

Then the children presented stories, songs and poems for guests, Pastor Ben West and his wife, Shirley.

After a rousing game of keep-away, the group settled down to watch a Veggie Tales movie about Jonah. The next morning the group met with the Wests and went out to breakfast at a restaurant. Then it was back to church for a lesson about planting seeds for Jesus. Each child planted a seed in a pot, and they will watch them grow, just as the seeds Jesus plants grow in their hearts. The children cleaned up the church, making it ready for the worship service.

NEW MEMBERS—The Pikeville, Kentucky,
church welcomed three new members into
its congregation April 27. From left are Orrin
Beighel and Danny and Myrtle Deitz.
[Photo by Debby Bailey]

Tucson has annual spring dinner dance

TUCSON, Arizona—The Tucson congregation was host for its annual spring dinner-dance April 19 at the Viscount Suite Hotel in Tucson. Services were conducted at the hotel with a message given by Curtis May, district superintendent.

After the service, members enjoyed a buffet dinner, and then continued the festivities with a dance for young and old. More than 100 people attended the dinner-dance, many from other churches in the Tucson area. Paul Pronze.

 

Copyright © Grace Communion International, 2003