Riley urges believers to embrace suffering
By Richard Willowby

The closing service of the North American Convention began with musical celebration, including an enthusiastic children’s choir from Kid’s Place and a moving offertory via video by the East African Radio Choir. Ronald V. Duncan, general director of Church of God Ministries, announced record offerings, including more than $31,000 given by the General Assembly. Women of the Church of God were also honored for the more then $50 million dollars raised by Christ’s Birthday Offerings since it began in 1950.

“I want to say thank you, Church of God!”
By Sam Collins

It’s not every night that a North American church service features hymns played to a driving Caribbean beat on a xylophone and steel drums. But that’s what was heard by those who gathered for the Tuesday evening service of the 2009 North American Convention of the Church of God. Judging from the response of the crowd—smiling faces, swaying bodies—the people liked what they heard.

Annual Kid’s Place event provides a taste of 100 years
By Vivian Atkins

Whether we call this gathering camp meeting or North American Convention, when Kid’s Place is mentioned, everyone knows what it means! Children have gathered each year for more than twenty years now to learn about our missionaries’ assignments: their geography, culture, food, sports, language, and, most importantly, how men, women, and children are told about the love of Christ.

This year, 165 children, from three-year-olds to fifth-grade graduates, were introduced to “Missions Then and Now” to support the missions centennial celebration. Terence and Christy (Snowden) Van Dam, former missionaries to Japan, wrote the curriculum, which allowed students to experience the following learning center activities:

Thursday event to focus on international partnership in leadership development
By Donald D. Johnson

On Thursday, July 2, 2009, the day following the conclusion of the North American Convention, an International Conversation will take place in the Fellowship Room at Park Place Church of God. The Conversation will begin at 9:00 am and conclude at 3:00 pm.

This conversation is one of the most important events in terms of our mutually interdependent partnership around the world. The theme will center on the continuing need for leadership development. Variations on the theme include present leadership needs and concerns; equipping leaders for the Church of God; current educational models; deterrents to traditional models; nonnegotiables for leadership; and working partnership efforts in leadership training.

Global service of Communion and baptism brings the body together
By Sam Collins

God has authorized his church to be on mission in the world—and the Church of God is responding by going around the globe with the love of Jesus Christ. That was the message that came through loud and clear during the Sunday evening worship service of the 2009 North American Convention of the Church of God.

Reflecting on 100 Years of Missions
By Cheryl Johnson Barton

There is truth in the wise old saying that declares, “It’s easier to get older than wiser.” However, as the Church of God celebrates a century of organized cross-cultural missions during NAC 2009, reflecting upon lessons that can be learned from the past and considering the challenges that confront the church for the future may provide the venue for getting older and wiser—at the same time.

This was certainly the hope of Donald D. Johnson and Cheryl Johnson Barton in presenting “Lessons from the Past, Challenges for the Future,” a conference at Madison Park Church on Saturday morning, June 27, delivered to an overflow crowd of several hundred people. Presentation material was drawn from Into All the World, a book published in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the launch of the Missionary Board (now Global Missions).

COP welcomes international program directors
By Paul Maxfield

Children of Promise is enjoying the first-ever gathering of its program directors from around the world.  Directors and representatives from twenty-three countries gathered last week in Anderson for a five-day training and development conference, “Sponsorship to the Max.” They are participating in the convention this week.

Stephenson challenges us to let God use our lives
By Susan Kane

The words of the Great Commission opened Saturday night’s service as voices in seven languages simultaneously echoed the scripture from Matthew 28 throughout the Madison Park Church of God auditorium. This moving experience continued the centennial celebration of organized missions with the night’s spotlight on Europe and the Middle East. Prayer focus was also given to the five Global Missions regions. Rev. Mick Gilliam, pastor of worship and prayer ministries at East Side Church of God, Anderson, Indiana, prayed for the particular needs of each region, and invited those from these areas to stand with him as he did so.

Celebrating and singing the heritage music of the church
By Robert A. Nicholson

Tonight at 9:15 pm we will gather to celebrate the Tenth Annual Heritage Hymn Sing-a-Long at Madison Park Church of God. (Note the change in venue from previous years.) Paul Yerden, Dean Schield and Bob Nicholson will be leading again this year.

Imagine what it would be like to walk down the main street of different towns from around the world. Imagine the young and the young at heart being able to experience the town market,  bookstore, cinema, bank and park from far away places, hearing the many different languages of our world. Suppose you could actually talk with people and hear the stories about life in other countries?