|
|
 |
| | APRIL EVENTS | |
April 1st - 9:00 am
1st Sunday Pastoral Prayer
April 1st - 11:00 AM
Palm Sunday
April 2nd - 7:00 PM
State Fellowship Meeting
@ Living Gospel COGIC
1515 Dundee Avenue
Elgin, IL
2nd Admin. Asst.
Supt. Walter Blalark, Host
April 6th - 11:00 AM
State Good Friday Service
@ St. John COGIC
7527 S. Cottage Grove
Chicago, Il
Admin. Asst.
Supt. Isaiah C. Grover, Host
April 6th - 7:00 pm
Emanuel Good Friday Service
Sunday, April 8th- 11:00 AM
EASTER
April 9th-12th
National Spring Call Meeting
(Memphis, TN)
Saturday, April 14th - 9:00 AM
State Evangelist Department Symposium
@ St. Paul COGIC
4526 S. Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL
Sunday, April 15th - 5:00 PM
D. A. Reed Sr. District Fellowship Meeting
@ Zion Temple COGIC
1414 S. Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL
(Emanuel is the host church)
April 21st - 5:00 PM
D. A. Reed Sr. District AIM Skating Event
@ Tinley Park Roller Rink
17658 S. Oak Park Ave.
Tinley Park, IL
Monday, April 23rd- 7:00 PM
State AIM Training
Tabernacle Ministries
1233 W. 109th Place
Chicago, Illinois
Bishop Ocie Booker, Host
Wednesday, April 25th & Thursday, April 26th
7:00 PM Nightly
Jurisdictional Men's Conference
@ Pickens Memorial COGIC
5659 South Union
Chicago, IL
1st Admin. Asst.
Supt. Van W. Wells, Host
|
|
|
|
The Resurrection
It's A Pretty Big Deal
 1 Cor 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. KJV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (Eph 1:3). I trust that you and your family are doing well and that God's choice blessings are rich in your lives. As we enter the month of April, our ministry theme is Resurrection. Though the subject of the Resurrection is very popular in the Christian church, often times we fail to promote it with the attention and enthusiasm that it deserves. I was impressed by a commercial campaign that aired sometime ago by Ford Motor Company that advertised their 2011 Fiesta. As the commercial opens a couple is sitting in the new 2011 Ford Fiesta, which is positioned in the middle of the street. The young lady sitting on the passenger's side of the car after noticing that the man sitting behind the steering wheel has no keys, looks at him and ask a brief question..No Keys? And the driver says - no - watch this. He pushes the button to the ignition and at an instant; in the background celebratory music begins to play. People acrobatically began jumping down from the tops of buildings, fire escapes and porches and running into the streets in celebration. Simultaneously airplanes flying overhead with men parachuting and sky diving from the air into the streets also joined in the celebration. Trucks were parked in strategic places with signs and banners that advertise the new features of the car. Streamers were draped across the street that bore the message that the "New Fiesta is Here". Men and women on unicycles also joined in the celebration by riding in the streets with umbrellas that had an alphabet printed on top of each umbrella that collectively spelled out "Hands Free Sync" short for Synchronization. By this time the men parachuting and sky diving at the beginning of the commercial have finally landed, and their parachutes strategically draped across the tops of the buildings and into the street and they also had words printed on the tops of their parachutes that collectively bore another message that simply read "The New Ford Fiesta". Suddenly manhole covers in the streets began ejecting into the air followed by people jumping out of them into the streets to join in the celebration. As the camera panned back onto the couple in the car, the man who was the proud driver of this new celebrated driving machine responds with four simple but profound words that described the essence of the moment, He said "it's a pretty big deal". When I think of the Resurrection and all of the benefits and privileges that it provides, I can also say that the Resurrection is a pretty big deal! When we gather in our churches this Easter there may not be any planes flying over our heads, but I can say without reservation that the Resurrection is a pretty big deal! There may not be anybody acrobatically jumping from roof tops, fire escapes, landings and porches, but it's still pretty big deal! There may not be any trucks, streamers, or parachutes that bear signs to advertise what is in the center of the celebration, but it's still a pretty a big deal! There may not be any people riding unicycles and carrying umbrellas bearing messages about our Lord and His finished work on the cross, but you can believe that the Resurrection is a pretty big deal! There may not be any manhole covers being ejected from the streets followed by people jumping out of them, but this Easter Sunday morning, we will be coming from under our covers entering into his gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise and we will be leaping and rejoicing in unrestrained celebration, because the Resurrection is unequivocally a pretty big deal! It's bigger than the Easter Bunny, Easter Basket, Easter egg and the Easter Dinner. It's bigger than a new hat, new suit, new dress or new shoes. It's bigger than the Easter crowd or ..... CLICK TO READ MORE. |
|
|
|
|
|
 First Things First
Tennessee Central Jurisdiction 2012 Women's Convention
 | |
State Supervisor Ida M. Porter.
|
Once again I was blessed to attend the Tennessee Central Jurisdiction 2012 State Women's Conventionunder the leadership of Bishop Brandon Porter, Jurisdictional Prelate and Mother Ida M. Porter, Supervisor of Women. The convention convened March 20th through March 23rd in Piperton, Tennessee at the Cornerstone Church of God in Christ. What a powerful and awesome meeting it was. The theme was "Celebrating a Glorious Past, Embracing a Promising Future" (Phil. 1:3-6 & Jer. 29:11). I was able to attend both the morning Workshop Empowerment sessions and the night worship services. During the Workshop Empowerment sessions they focused on the following topics: Time Management - how to identify your personal time robbers, how to eliminate time robbers, how to set priorities and avoid the activity trap and how to stay on a schedule. Successful Communication Skills - The importance of communication, the communication process, the role listening plays in the communication process and how to improve listening skills. Stress Management for Women in Ministry - Beating burnout before it beats you, the four stages of stress, a checklist for burnout, and how to get out of the overload ditch. Financial Freedom - The power is within you - The dollar Dilemma, some myths ....CLICK TO READ MORE |
|
2012 State Workers Meeting
Theme: FAITH - The Right Plan
  The First Jurisdiction Illinois Annual Ministers and Workers Meeting convened Monday, March 12 through Friday, March16th. The theme of the meeting, taken from Matthew 4:1-4, was "Faith - The Right Plan". Each night the saints came from far and near with great expectations for what God was going to do in our presence. On Monday Night, the meeting opened in Evanston, IL at the Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, where the honorable Bishop Carlis Moody is pastor. The highlight of the evening as always was the word of God. This year the Lord placed District Missionary Caberia Showers on the heart of our prelate, Bishop Ocie Booker to open our Ministers and Workers Meeting. Missionary Caberia Showers who is the District Missionary of the Bishop Shepard Little District delivered an awe inspiring word entitled "I've Made My Choice and I  am Staying on Course". Her text was taken from Philippians 3:13-14 where Paul declares " Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Missionary Showers opened her message by referencing the recent story of the Costa Concordia Cruise Ship that overturned due to the caption getting off course. Using this tragic accident as a teaching point, she shared with us many examples of how getting off course can cost you significantly. Like the captain of the ship, Missionary Showers informed us that we all have...CLICK TO READ MORE. |
 Monthly Inspiration
Submitted by Sis. Latoya Gipson
 In this the month of Resurrection we celebrate what is arguably the greatest day in Christendom, Easter. Juxtaposed only against the Christmas Holiday, Easter is the ultimate fulfillment of God's greatest promise. God promised to send us a Savior and that He did; but it wasn't until that Savior sacrificed His life and the promise through death was brought to life. We now have access to life and that more abundantly and ready access to eternal life! God has given us so many promises both spiritual and natural. Things that we have longed for in our lives, our hearts' desires, our dreams have all been realized but many are yet to come to fruition. What is the missing piece of the puzzle? Why are our dreams and goals sleeping in their graves when God has spoken life to them? I urge you to realize that your dreams are not too far gone. Whatever your heart's desire, it can still come to pass. In Ezekiel 37 the Lord asked Ezekiel the question, "Can these dry bones live?" Then He instructed Ezekiel to prophesy that the bones would live! Ezekiel's name means that God will strengthen. A prophecy is simply a word from God that something will come to pass. In short, we all need to realize that God has strengthened us to call those things that are not as though they are, as faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The missing component in resurrecting our dreams is our belief! We have got to step.... CLICK TO READ MORE. |
| We wish to thank you for taking the time to read our monthly newsletter. We have received favorable feedback from many who have expressed how they enjoy the newsletter and how they have been blessed by this ministry. This feedback has been most encouraging and certainly most appreciated. Please help us to expand our reading audience by forwarding this newsletter to a family member or a friend who you feel will also be blessed by this ministry by clicking on the link below. If you are not on our direct email distribution list and would like to receive our newsletter on a monthly basis, please forward us your email address. We will gladly add you to our list. To add your name to our list please email us at emanuelcogic@sbcglobal.net.
| | Sis. Keeya Thomas, Newsletter Editor |
|
|
