Hugh's News & Commentary

It was my privilege to serve as the presiding officer for the ALPHA QUADRENNIAL CONFERENCE Session, July 9 & 10, 2010.

The Conference was hosted at DESTINY CHRISTIAN CENTER, Prattville, AL. DESTINY CHRISTIAN CENTER is pastored by JOEY and MELANIE ELSKY. DESTINY CHRISTIAN CENTER had a composite growth rate of 337% [not a miss-print] over the past quadrennium, 2005-2009. They now have a membership of 2,572 and averaged 1,202 in weekly attendance in 2009. They could not have made us feel more welcome or at home!

When the Quadrennial Business Sessions convened on Saturday we had a peak registration of 142 delegates in addition to visitors in attendance.

The Conference in session elected the following persons as Executive Council members:

* BISHOP MICHAEL P. GRAY, Conference Superintendent [By Acclamation]
* REV. MICHAEL MCRAE, Assistant Conference Superintendent
* REV. JOEY ELSKY, Member-at-Large
* REV. WESLEY ALVAREZ, Member-at-Large
* REV. RON MORRISON, Member-at-Large

Ministerial Credentials were issued as follows:

Ordination (7) –

* REV. MARILYN CHAPMAN
* REV. MARK GIBBS
* REV. MARCUS GLASGOW
* REV. WAYNE MARSHALL
* REV. MICHAEL PICKETT
* REV. JONATHAN SHIREY [son of Dr. Lou and Becky Shirey, grandson of the late Rev. E. L. Shirey. Jonathan is a “third generation” IPHC credentialed minister of the gospel – a first for the Alpha Conference]
* REV. CORRIE SHIREY [Wife of Jonathan Shirey]

License (4)

* REV. KENNY GRAY [Son of Bishop and Mrs. Gray]
* REV. GUY HANNUM
* REV. JOE PIERCE
* REV. JOHN PURCELL

It was an honor as the Presiding Officer to recognize the following Conference attendees:

* DR. MICHAEL and PAM STEWART, President, Emmanuel College
* CHAPLAIN, LT. COLONEL, DR. HUGH, MELVINE, GREG and STEPHANIE MORGAN, Director of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC
* REV. JOEY and MELANIE ELSKY, member of the General Communications Board as well as Bishop’s Millennium Initiative Cabinet Member
* REV. WESLEY and CYNTHIA ALVAREZ, member of the General Mission 25 Ministry Board
* REV. HAROLD and KATHLEEN PRESLEY, Regional Ministry Coordinator for Northwest Europe, WMM
* DR. LOU and BECKY SHIREY, Retired Army Chaplain, Colonel
* REV. RUSSELL and DAPHNE GUNTER, Retired Navy Chaplain, Captain US Navy
* DR. OWEN and LYNETTE WESTON, former Director of Church Planting, Church Growth and Revitalization, IPHC
* REV. MIKE and KAREN GRAY, Chief of Staff, GMC IPHC
* REV. JOHNNY UPTON, Vice-President, IPHC Extension Loan Fund, Inc.
* DR. ORREN SIMPSON, Planned Giving Officer, IPHC Foundation

This Conference marked the conclusion of the service and tenure of Bishop David and Theresa Stephens as Conference Superintendent. They had collectively decided that they would officially retire from full-time ministry service after having served as Conference Superintendent for the past twenty [20] years. Bishop Stephens has served as a credentialed minister with the Alpha Conference, IPHC since 1962 – 48 years.

On Friday evening, Bishop Stephens preached his farewell message to a packed house. His message centered on the theme, “Torch Bearer!” A Torch Bearer he said is defined as “someone who is in the forefront of a campaign, crusade or movement.” David spoke passionately about four Flashpoints [A ‘Flashpoint’ being defined as – “ideas or events that cause dormant passions to burst into flames, ideas to spontaneously ignite, and everything within our circle of influence is changed”] that have marked his tenure of leadership as Superintendent.

1. Flashpoints of Paradigm Change. An interesting side note to this Flashpoint is that Bishop Underwood and I traveled to Alpha to conduct some TARGET 2000 training – upon arriving in Alpha we saw that David had renamed the new Conference Office Complex – the Alpha Conference Resource and Development Center. This set Bishop Underwood’s wheels in motion and the rest is history as he lead the denomination through one of the most strategic and spiritual re-positionings [Paradigm shifts] that the IPHC had undertaken to-date.

2. Flashpoints of Supernatural Release

3. Flashpoints of Leadership

4. Flashpoints for the Future

It was a powerful message that should be published and made to be required reading for any person involved in leadership.

One of David’s many legacies will be the priority that he placed on Leadership Development. In 1996 he instituted the Caleb Connection – through the Caleb Connection, Alpha has offered intensive training for personal growth and practical training for every aspect of pastoring, leadership and ministry. More than 300 different leaders have participated in some part of over 100 sessions of the Caleb Connection training.

Since 1990 Alpha has offered over 400 venues for training on the conference, district and local levels with more than 600 people taking advantage of these opportunities.

He stated that “as he prayed for leaders, trained leaders, and created an environment where leaders can flourish, God brought an outstanding crop of young leaders into this conference. We have a ‘deep bench’ of leadership to draw from to carry the ministries of this conference forward.”

In his final State of the Conference Report, Bishop Stephens shared the following statistics with those of us in attendance at the Quadrennial Conference session:

· “In 2005, Alpha had 4,464 members and averaged 3,102 in weekly attendance

· At the end of 2009, Alpha Conference churches had reached 8,508 in total membership and averaged 5,258 in weekly attendance

· 2009 was the fourth consecutive year of record setting growth. They had a 21.5% increase in membership and a 22.3% increase in average weekly attendance for a composite growth rate of 22% for the year.

· More than 40% of Alpha churches showed an increase during 2009

· A fourth of Alpha churches had a composite increase of 10% or more for the year

· Alpha reported a total of 2,212 people coming to Christ or making a re-dedication during the year

· The fastest growing churches for the quadrennium were Destiny Christian Center in Prattville with a composite growth rate of 337%. My Father’s Vineyard in Pensacola, with a 1,000% composite growth rate, and an average weekly attendance of over 400. Day Star Christian Center in Gadsden, AL and Harvest Christian Center in Cantonment, FL - both achieved double digit percentage growth and are now averaging around 250-350 in weekly attendance. Chelsea Community Church in Chelsea, AL was planted two years ago and with phenomenal growth is now averaging over 300 in attendance. These five churches were responsible for 2,900 new members and a weekly average attendance increase of 1,700.
We have had 15 new church plants or adoptions in the past four years. These fifteen churches have added 1,200 new members and over 1,100 people in average attendance.”

On Saturday, following my charge to the new members of the Conference Executive Council. David symbolically passed a torch to his successor and spiritual son, Bishop Michael P. Gray. It was a very poignant moment.

May God’s GRACE saturate this next season of service for David and Theresa and may they be able to celebrate their ministry legacy together for many years - they are special, special gifts – not only to those that they have served faithfully in the Alpha Conference but to their extended IPHC family as well!

David’s ministry legacy will live on for generations to come in the hearts, minds and spirits of the men and women he has poured his life into - his spiritual offspring!

[Editor's Note: Our family, Melvine, Greg, Stephanie and I were able to motor over to Prattville, AL, for the last service of the Alpha (Alabama) Conference Camp Meeting and to hear Bishop David Stephens make his last presentation as the superintendent of the Alpha Conference. It was well-planned and executed with passion and precision. Greg and Stephanie grew up with the Stephens' boys, Ashley and Jay. They used to babysit Leigh Ann and Kenny, children of Mike and Karen Gray.  We are so very proud of these two outstanding families and to know that they are all Christians and serving the Lord.

Alabama is my home of record. In fact, I was born in Birmingham on December 15, 1932. My father was an ordained minister in the Alabama Conference and a bi-vocational pastor. My mother was ordained as well and a former missionary to China, 1920-29. My first pastorate was at the Brownville P. H. Church near Evergreen, AL, in Conecuh. It was from that church that I was asked by Bishop J. A. Synan to go into the Air Force Chaplains to fill the vacancy left when Chaplain, Colonel Eugene Myers was killed in a military transport plane over Manila, Philippines in April 1964. I had to resign my commission as an Army Reserve chaplain to take the oath of office to be an officer a  chaplain in the Air Force. I did not plan that, it was all of God and my life has been a spiritually guided tour by the Holy Spirit.

I pastored the Birmingham church called Good Shepherd formerly the First Pentecostal Holiness Church for 9 years, 1977-1986. Most of the people that were at the camp meeting and conference were new to us, so, I had to introduce myself as one of them when I spoke on behalf of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC.

The Alabama Conference now Alpha Conference has produced more military chaplains for the IPHC than any other conference. Chaplain Russell Gunter, US Navy, served at the highest level in the Pentagon as the executive director for the Armed Forces Chaplains Board. He worked for an Under Secretary of the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and the three Chiefs of Chaplains of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Three of the four directors of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC have been members of the Alpha Conference:

Chaplain (Colonel) Ervin L. Shirey, Sr. US Army Retired

Chaplain (Colonel) Freeman Mashburn, US Army Retired

Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Hugh H. Morgan, US Air Force Retired

In addition to the presence of Navy Chaplain Russell Gunter, US Navy retired, was retired Army Chaplain (Colonel) Ervin L. "Lou" Shirey, Jr.

We were blessed by being present for the ordination service for Jonathan and Corrie Shirey, the son of Lou and Becky Shirey. Becky prayed a gentle but powerfully anointed prayer for her daughter-in-law, Corrie; and Lou prayed an anointed prayer of blessing over Jonathan. I could not help but think of Ervin L. and Miss Millie Shirey who would have loved to be present to see their grandson and his wife ordained for the ministry. Jonathan and Corrie will be IPHC missionaries and will be attending the School of Missions at Ridgecrest Conference in a few days.

Ervin L. Shirey, Sr. and Ervin L. "Lou" Shirey, Jr. were the first father/son chaplain team. They both served with honor and distinction as Army chaplains and both rose to the rank of full colonel. We salute the Shirey family, and blessed them all in the Name of Jesus.]