General Overseer Gives Updates on Initiatives
January 24, 2013–Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams recently updated the International Executive Council on the progress of five ministry initiatives. The initiatives were first conceived by the general overseer, then ratified and adopted by the Executive Committee as emphases for the 2012-2016 period.
Late last year, the first of the initiatives was unveiled with a Bible emphasis under the title R.E.A.D. According to Williams, the goal is to, “renew our commitment to the centrality of Scripture by mobilizing 100,000 people within the Church of God to make a commitment to read the Bible every day.” Since the announcement, a website was established to allow individuals to go online and register through email or social media. As of today, 127,243 individuals have signed the R.E.A.D. pledge with over 7,000 receiving each day’s reading by email. Even at nearly a month into the reading, it is not too late to sign up on the website www.churchofgod.org.
Williams also reported on the success of a second component of the R.E.A.D. initiative, which was to challenge congregations to set aside the first seven days of January to not only pray but to participate in the public reading of Scripture.
“Sanctuaries were transformed into Bible reading stations by allowing people, one by one, to read the Word of God aloud verse by verse, and chapter by chapter,” Williams told the Council. “The International Offices led the way. Beginning at 6:00 a.m. on January 1 and continuing for 15 hours per day, every day, for seven days, the Word of God was read aloud from the studio of the Leadership and Communications Center and broadcast through our intercom system into the halls of every building and web-streamed live around the world. For 105 hours during the first seven days of January, leader after leader, employee after employee, students, children, in languages of English, sometimes Spanish, sometimes Chinese, read the Word of God into the atmosphere. Some 26,792 people from 122 countries of the world tuned in to watch and listen to people reading God’s Word. Not only so, but 252 congregations that we are aware of joined us by reading line upon line, precept upon precept in their sanctuaries. And, oh, the testimonies that I am receiving! I believe this commitment to Scripture can position the Church of God for a global spiritual awakening.”
Williams continued his update with a report on the second initiative, Students.
“Those of us who live in the United States sat in shock as news began to spread of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut,” Williams said. “Twenty children – twelve girls and eight boys – and six adults were murdered…In the aftermath of this tragedy we have heard much of the need to consider reasonable restrictions on certain firearms and to aggressively respond to those who suffer or care for those plagued with mental illness. These discussions are right and necessary. However, we also need to have a discussion on the reality of evil, and what seems to be a targeted assault on the least and most vulnerable among us – our children.” Williams reported that he and International Youth and Discipleship director Gary Lewis have begun discussions on customizing a youth discipleship initiative in conjunction with Winterfests and summer camps to equip churches and youth leaders to, “aggressively evangelize this generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A new discipleship curriculum will be debuted that truly speaks the language of the day and challenges students to be radical followers of Jesus Christ.”
#3: Shepherds. In an attempt to demonstrate accountability and to build trust with pastors and laity, the International Executive Committee released the most recent financial audit, including salaries, and posted it online. To date, 1,090 ministers and 254 treasurers have logged in to review the financial report. Additionally, in an attempt to better resource pastors and provide a new vehicle for connectivity, the International Executive Committee debuted on January 3 a new social media site called, “OURCOG.” WWW.OURCOG.com is a new social platform centered around conversations within the Church of God movement. By logging on, pastors, members and visitors can explore information on leadership, tenets of faith and history. The “learn” platform contains articles, videos and other relevant resources for ministry and culture. The “discuss” platform features topics and conversations ranging from current events and church practices to sports chatter.
“With 800 million users of Facebook, 40 million Instagrams posted each day, and 140 million users of Twitter tweeting out 340 million tweets each day, we feel that social media can provide a fantastic opportunity for the Church of God stay connected and be resourced,” Williams stated.
#4: Cities. Williams reported that a large portion of the implementation of this initiative has been entrusted to Church of God World Missions, which has been developing a global strategy for church planting. An outline of the strategy was presented to the Executive Council, touching all regions of the globe, including a newly-proclaimed sixth region, the U.S. and Canada.
#5: Social Justice. Women’s Discipleship is mobilizing the women of the Church of God to raise funds for Restavek Freedom. More than 300,000 children are living in slavery in Haiti.
“Restavek is a form of modern-day slavery that persists in Haiti, affecting one in every 15 children,” Williams stated. “Typically born into poor rural families, restavek children are often given to relatives or strangers. In their new homes, they become domestic slaves, performing menial tasks for no pay.” In the Creole language, “restavek” means “to stay with.” Yet for the children who are called restavek, that definition is incomplete and includes humiliation, abuse, hunger and neglect.
“The reasons that the restavek practice persists in Haiti are complex,” Williams concluded. “They range from harsh economic conditions to the cultural attitudes toward children. But every morning another child wakes up to begin his or her life of hardship, it becomes all the more urgent that this practice be stopped.”
