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To mark the 118th year of The Whole Truth, the Church of God in Christ is saluting its members who unassumingly standout as “Voices of Inspiration” for all.

These voices are the ushers, deacons, choir members, secretaries, bishops, pastors and elders of the church; anyone that you feel is making a difference in their own church or community, and inspiring others to do the same. At The Whole Truth we want to know the “inspirers” of the church and introduce them to our readers.

The UNSUNG HERO

Awarded to an individual who is a jack of all trades. This person can be found volunteering for the difficult, unpopular tasks that most are unwilling to do.

The GOOD SAMARITAN

Awarded to an individual who, whenever assigned a task, goes “above and beyond” the call of duty to get the job done well.

The COGIC KID

Awarded to a youth between the ages of 12-16 who is making a difference in his/her local church, district or jurisdiction.

The MOST INSPIRING SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER

Awarded in recognition of innovative teaching that inspires attendance, participation, and biblical growth in Sunday School.

The SEASONED SAINT

Awarded to a senior saint in the local, district or jurisdictional level who best exemplifies holiness and inspires younger saints to live a life of holiness and actively work in their church and community. Must be at least fifty years of age.

The JEREMIAH AWARD

Awarded to a person who, in spite of individual crisis and hardship, has dedicated his/herself to the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ, laboring unselfishly and in obscurity within his/her church and community.

MASTER OF MOTIVATION

Awarded to an individual who possesses the ability to get any and all tasks done with ease, ensuring cooperation of those in their auxiliary or group at the local, district or jurisdictional level.

GRAND GUARDIAN(S)

Awarded to the parent(s) who has made personal sacrifices in his/her own life to ensure the training and nurturing of their child or children.

The GREAT COMMISSIONER

Award given for outstanding and noteworthy community outreach efforts by an individual serving as a representative of his/her local church.

S.E. MITCHELL EVANGELISTIC AWARD

Awarded to an individual who preaches the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ at every chance and opportunity.

PRESIDING BISHOP C. E. BLAKE, SR. LEADERSHIP AWARD

The Presiding Bishop C. E. Blake, Sr. Leadership Award is presented annually by the Presiding Bishop, to a person or group of persons who:

• exemplify loyalty, dedication and commitment to God, His Church and their assignment in the Church Of God In Christ,
• consistently serve to ensure that the Presiding Bishop’s Vision for COGIC is carried out ina most excellent way,
• regularly exhibit enthusiasm and grace to every assignment and interaction with people within and outside

ELIGIBLITY:

Demonstrates a life that exemplifies the fruit of the spirit and a witness for Christ.
Has shown dedication to the auxiliary, office, position, and/or church group (e.g. choir, ushers, etc.) that he or she serves or participates in. Has outwardly demonstrated a genuine love for the Lord.
Loyal, dedicated, obedient and supportive member of their local Church of God in Christ (COGIC) congregation.
Adheres to the teaching of holiness.
Open to members of COGIC churches worldwide.

ENTRY DETAILS:

All entries must be received in the The Whole Truth mailbox at thewholetruth@cogic.org by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Saturday, August 31, 2013. An entry must be a completely original work and not previously published or submitted in any other publication. By submitting an entry, entrant acknowledges that he/she has obtained the consent of all third parties whose persons or property are identified in his/her story.

JUDGING DETAILS:

A selection committee comprised of the writers, editors and staff of the COGIC Public Relations Department will select from the 500 word or less essays you present that describe why your nominee should be selected as a true voice of inspiration. Individual results will not be released. All decisions by the judges are final. In the July issue of The Whole Truth, we will devote the entire magazine to the inspirers of our church. We will honor these individu­als by sharing their detailed profiles and introducing them to our readers as

CLICK HERE TO PRINT FLYER

In the house that the Late Presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson built, there was a sense of excitement and anticipation about what great and marvelous things God has in store for His Church. More than 3,000 people

Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. Bishop C.E. Blake, Sr. – see the photo gallery below.

Bishop Lemuel Thuston of Kansas, Vice Chairman of the General Assembly, served as the worship leader. From the beginning, he appeared determined to usher those present into a sincere time of celebration with his opening statement, “We have come from all across America, and even across the world, for this celebration. So since we have come, let’s take the time to praise the Lord.”

The anthem, “O Give Thanks to the Lord” was sung by the mass choir, under the direction of our International Music President, Dr. Judith McAllister, assisted by Vice Presidents Barbara Jackson Sago, Rickey Payton and Kim Burrell. The choir was at its usual best. The selection was a powerful adaptation of the scripture found in Psalms. The band and orchestra did a phenomenal job as well.

Elder Reginald C. Witherspoon took those present to the very throne room of God with his invocation. “In the life-changing, supernatural name of Jesus, we have come to bless, magnify and exalt Your holy man. In Jesus’ name, move in this place, tabernacle with us.” Next, the scriptures were read by Elder Emmanuel John and Supervisor Lee Van Zandt.  Both read the selected scriptures in both English and French.

After acknowledging the widows of our former Presiding Bishops, we were blessed by greetings from our International Supervisor of the Department of Women, Mother Willie Mae Rivers. The saints were rejoicing over the fact that Mother Rivers was present after having a knee replacement surgery just 6 weeks earlier.  She encouraged the women present to support the vision of our Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle as we go to the next level in God.

Bishop Thuston inserted some encouraging nuggets to the saints as the night progressed. At one point he said, “I want you to do like they do in California. Clap your hands as if the devil’s head was between them.” The sound that ensued was very intimidating and exhilarating at the same time.

Dr. David Allan Hall of the Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction was appointed by the General Assembly Chairman, Superintendent James W. Hunt, to chair this year’s Installation and Inaugural Celebration. Dr. Hall introduced the homilist for the evening, Dr. Alonzo Johnson of South Carolina. The choir prepared the saints with the Richard Smallwood selection, “Trust Me.”

Since 1986, Dr. Johnson has been the senior pastor of Bowman Temple (now known as Universal Outreach) Church of God in Christ in Bowman, SC. Dr. Johnson was born and reared in Goose Creek, SC, the son of Bishop and Mother Johnny Johnson. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claflin University. He also has earned a Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Theology, Master of Philosophy, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Dr. Johnson’s scriptural text came from our national theme scripture, Ephesians 3:7-14, with the topic, “The High Cost of Knowing Christ.” His very first point was to emphasize the importance of every church actively participating in the Presiding Bishop’s Urban Initiatives which he said, “Points the way in every local community, the way to Jesus. The devil has pitched his tent in America to destroy the economic, moral and spiritual soul of America. We must speak the truth of God’s Word in our culture and communities.”

Dr. Johnson also encouraged the saints and leaders present to not be asleep on the job so that we will not be robbed of our moral and spiritual power received from God. We are needed if our communities are to be places of hope and enlightenment.

Dr. Johnson wanted those present to continue to take an active role in their communities but warned those present to never leave Jesus behind. This world says to the church, “You can come, but leave Jesus behind.” It will take more than a desire for a position or a seat. The devil wants to wipe out every reference to God in our communities. The answer is to get back to the Bible, know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. “What keeps us going, praying and studying is the fact that we are always learning more about Jesus. The more I learn about Jesus, the more I learn that I do not know about Him.”

Bishop Christopher Milton of California led us in a time of prayer and invitation. The Chairman of the General Assembly then came to conduct the installation of the General Officers, the General Board and the Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle, the Most Reverend Charles Edward Blake, the seventh leader of our church in succession.

The night was simply glorious and was a reminder to those present that for 106 years, the Lord has had His hands on the Church Of God In Christ. As a matter of fact, I saw us in our future and we indeed looked much better than we have ever looked before. To God Be the Glory!  

By David-George Newsome

 Administrative Assistant Superintendent
Michael Eaddy

INAUGURAL EVENT

CHAIRMAN GENERAL COUNCIL OF PASTORS AND ELDERS

March 25, 2013

Guest Speaker:

Bishop J. Drew Sheard
Detroit, MI
General Board Member

Freedom Temple Church Of God In Christ
1459 W. 74th Street
Chicago, IL 60636

SCHEDULE:

6:00pm
Gala Reception | Heavy Hor d'oeurves

7:30pm
Inaugural Worship Service

HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS:

Oak Lawn Hilton
9333 South Cicero Avenue
Oak Lawn, Ill 60453-2517
(708) 425-7800

Inaugural Gala Chairman
Warren Dorris
Vice Chairman

Co-Chairman
Destry Bell
Vice Chairman

ALL NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY AND CONNECTICUT BISHOPS AND PASTORS

You are invited to participate in a special event to receive information that will assist our members.

Free financial services are available from Operation HOPE:

• Creating a Disaster Recovery Budget
• Deferring Mortgage Payments on a Destroyed Home
• Home Inspections and Repair Contracts
• Assistance with Working with Your Creditors
• Referrals to Government and Private Agencies
• Assistance with Obtaining Copies of Documents
• Insurance Claims Assistance                               
• Recovery Seminars and Financial Case Management

For more information contact us at 516-623-9466 or email us at fowhite@zioncathedral.org

General Board Secretary
Bishop Roy L. Winbush

General Board Assistant Secretary
Bishop Frank O. White

General Supervisor of Women

Department of Women
Mother Willie Mae Rivers

Asst. General Supervisor
Chair of Executive Business Affairs
Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis

General Counsel
Elder Uleses Henderson, Esq.

Auxiliaries In Ministry (AIM)
Superintendent Linwood Dillard, Chairman

Vice Chairman
Pastor Carl Pierce

Music Department President
Dr. Judith Christie-McAllister

Department of Evangelism
Pastor Elijah Hankerson, President

Evangelism Elect Ladies
Evangelist Rita Womack, Elect Lady
Evangelist Dorinda Clark Cole, Assistant Elect Lady

Scholastic Motivation
Supt. David Todd Whittley

Department of Sunday School
Bishop Alton Gatlin, Superintendent

1^st Vice Superintendent
Rodney Atkins

2^nd Vice Superintendent
Darrack Scurles

3^rd  Vice Superintendent
Althea Sims

Sunday School Chairlady
Evangelist Cleolia Penix

President, Department of Missions
Bishop Carlis Moody, President

President, Youth Department
Pastor Benjamin Stephens, President

Chairlady
Evangelist Joyce Rodgers

President, Men’s Conference
Bishop Darrell Hines, President

Adjutant General
Bishop Matthew Williams

Deputy Adjutant General
Clarence Lewis

Deputy Adjutant General
Robert Perry

Dean of the Adjutancy Academy
Guy Glimp

Adjutant Mother
 Mother Geraldine Miller

Deputy Adjutant Mother
 Mother Connie Smith

Adjutant Apostolic
Elder Lawrence Champion Blake, Sr.

Sexual Abuse & Misconduct Committee
Pastor Gerald Harris, Chairman

Security Commission
Pastor William McMillan, Commissioner

Deputy of Executive Security
Pastor Kurt Thompson
Deputy Commissioner
Convention Venues
Pastor William McMillan

Deputy of World Headquarters
Major Charles Moore
Deputy Commissioner

Commission on Education
Dr. David Daniels
Chairman

COGIC SIMUL Conference
 Bishop Darrell Hines, Chair
Men’s Conference
Pastors & Elders (2014)
C.H. Mason Seminary
Church Growth
COGIC Urban Initiatives
Prison Ministry
Military Chaplaincy
Intercessory Prayer Ministry
COGIC Health Initiative

Intercessory Prayer Ministry
Mother Francis Kelly, Coordinator

Church Growth & Development
 Pastor Roderick Hennings

 Presiding Bishop’s Office

Liaison to Board of Bishops
Bishop Charles McClellan

National Usher Board
Sister Dorothy Holmes, President

COGIC Urban Ministries
Bishop Edwin Bass

National Prison Ministry
Dr. Milton Rochford

C.H. Mason Historical Society
Dr. Mack Mason, President

Publishing Board
Marc Ellis, Chairman

Attorney Uleses Henderson
Vice Chair

President
Dr. David Hall

Members of the Board
Sandra Jones
Supt. Tony Campbell
Charles Conner
Stephen Savage
Reggie Witherspoon
Grace Davis Harris
Bishop Meadows
Joe Chase, Jr.
Welton Lawrence
Philip Jackson

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