"There are many different kinds of costumes on Halloween, but when the candy comes out, everyone's a'gobblin'!"
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"Every Little Bit Helps" Author: Shirley Spencer Over the years, Hugh's News has been a lifeline that has kept us connected to happenings in the church at large. I appreciate the balanced mixture of news, humor, inspiration, and encouragement featured in the publication. Without it, many people, especially senior adults (including me), would feel disconnected from the church we love. It's vital that we support this online communication source and its faithful editor, Dr. Hugh Morgan, with our prayers and financially. Like me, many readers are on fixed incomes and unable to make sizeable contributions; however, we should give as we can to keep this important lifeline coming our way. You've heard it before, but I say it again: "Every little bit helps." And I believe the Lord will bless you in return. You may Click Here on this hyperlink to find out how you can give either by Credit Card or by Check. [Shirley G. Spencer, former executive director of publications for the IPHC, including the Advocate, Experience, The Issachar File, etc. She continues to write for the General Superintendent of the IPHC, e. g. The IPHC Remembers . . . . I am grateful for Shirley's friendship over the years and her willingness to help me in inspiring our readers to give to help me continue to produce Hugh's News. We are dependent upon you for our financial support and prayers. Thank you in advance for your generosity in giving.] Bishop Tommy McGhee and Discipleship Ministries are pleased to announce Kristi Cain as the new Director of IPHC Kids’ Ministries. Click Here to view the video interview that Bishop Tommy McGhee did with Kristi Cain. You must go to the bottom of this link to view this exciting interview with Kristi Cain. Kristi Cain has served in a broad range of discipleship capacities since she graduated from Emmanuel College in 1997. She was formerly the Executive Editor of Curriculum for the IPHC and has also enjoyed being on the staff of two churches where she directed student and children’s ministry programs. Through the years she has taught and worked on the campuses of Emmanuel College and Wheaton College as well as a Christian secondary school (Oak Hill Classical) near Atlanta, Georgia, where she currently resides with her family. Kristi first sensed a call to full-time ministry as a teenager at the Cornerstone Conference youth camp, but she became captivated with the specific work of discipleship as a student in the Psychology department at Emmanuel. She then went on to receive her MA in Christian Formation and Ministry at Wheaton College. Her desire is to spend her life serving Christ by building up and supporting his most treasured possession: the Church. She is married to her best friend, Jamie, and together they have three children. "I'm grateful for this new opportunity to serve the denomination and ministry that was so influential in my life. While it is a sobering task and one I do not take lightly, I am also excited about the possibilities of partnering with those who disciple children throughout our denomination. Together, I hope we can help lay foundations of truth that God will use to forever change the lives of kids." - Kristi Cain Arise in Hope #2The IPHC will host its second Arise in Hope service online this Sunday at 8pm Eastern.
Pastor Anthony Craver of Upward Christian Fellowship in Flat Rock, NC, will be the guest speaker. “Pastor Anthony Craver is an outstanding pastor and leader in the IPHC,” said Presiding Bishop Doug Beacham, who planned the series. “When the executive committee considered someone to speak to IPHC pastors, he was at the top of the list. Susan and I look forward to his ministry this Sunday night, and the encouraging Word of the Lord that Pastor Craver will bring.” The session will also feature music from One Voice, a vocal group from Southwestern Christian University. The Council of Bishops, chaired by Bishop Beacham, conceived Arise in Hope to have “preachers preach to preachers.” It came about as the COB considered the struggles ministers have faced in 2020. “For many IPHC ministers—pastors, evangelists, those who serve in a variety of ministry roles—this has been a very difficult season,” Bishop Beacham said in the first session, which featured Dr. Mark Rutland of Global Servants. Dr. Beacham chose the series title—Arise in Hope—purposefully. “We are orienting much of what we do as a movement around the theme of Isaiah 60:1—‘Arise, shine, for your light has come,’” Beacham said. “And that includes Arise 2033.” The IPHC’s Arise 2033 vision looks ahead to the 2000th commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus and the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. “By 2033, we are praying that God will use the IPHC to reach 150 nations around the world,” he continued. “And that we’ll see an IPHC presence in 75% of the counties in the United States.” Achieving that goal would more than triple the denomination’s US presence, currently at 20% of counties—a very ambitious goal. Dr. Beacham agrees, smiling: “It is a big goal, but God can do big things.” Arise in Hope, then, aims to encourage pastors to trust God for big things. That He is building His church. That He is with them as they make disciples in their communities. That the Holy Spirit still empowers Christians to live in a kingdom that is presently available. Pastors may feel insignificant, Mark Rutland said in his first message, but God says differently. Pastors can have hope though they “live in a fearful world, the Lamb is our elder brother.” Arise in Hope will stream live at IPHC.org/live, on the General Superintendent’s Facebook page (facebook.com/iphcgso) and at YouTube.com/IPHCommunications. More information about Arise 2033 is available at iphc.org/arise. Edit: The first version of this article did not include the information about One Voice. You Are On God’s Mind Author: Anne Graham Lotz "I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands"(Isaiah 49:15-16, NKJV). Noah was totally helpless to change his situation. There was nothing he could do except to stay on the ark and tend to the needs of his family and those of the animals until God in some way brought deliverance. He had to keep his faith in God while simply waiting out the silence that followed the storm. Although He had been silent, God had not forgotten Noah. In fact, since Noah and his family were the only living persons on the face of the earth, we can be sure they had God’s total, undivided attention every moment. Do you think God’s silence in your life means He has forgotten you? Oh, no! God says He has engraved your name on the palms of His hands. He says that a mother could forget her nursing baby at mealtime before He could forget you! You are in God’s heart and on His mind every moment. He is fully informed of your circumstances and will bring about change when He knows the time is right. Blessings, Anne Graham Lotz Copyright © 2014 Anne Graham Lotz (AnGeL Ministries) Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved www.annegrahamlotz.org. Isaiah 64:4
4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, Who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. NIV +++++ Isaiah 64:4 4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. NKJV +++++ Isaiah 64:4 4 For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God as ours, Who works for those who wait for Him! TLB +++++ Isaiah 64:4 4 Since before time began no one has ever imagined, No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like You Who works for those who wait for Him. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.) "I hope you didn’t take it personally, Pastor" an embarrassed woman said after a church service, "when my husband walked out during your sermon."
"I did find it rather disconcerting," the pastor replied. "It’s not a reflection on you, Pastor" insisted the church goer. "Carl has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child. "Every Little Bit Helps" Author: Shirley Spencer Over the years, Hugh's News has been a lifeline that has kept us connected to happenings in the church at large. I appreciate the balanced mixture of news, humor, inspiration, and encouragement featured in the publication. Without it, many people, especially senior adults (including me), would feel disconnected from the church we love. It's vital that we support this online communication source and its faithful editor, Dr. Hugh Morgan, with our prayers and financially. Like me, many readers are on fixed incomes and unable to make sizeable contributions; however, we should give as we can to keep this important lifeline coming our way. You've heard it before, but I say it again: "Every little bit helps." And I believe the Lord will bless you in return. You may Click Here on this hyperlink to find out how you can give either by Credit Card or by Check. [Shirley G. Spencer, former executive director of publications for the IPHC, including the Advocate, Experience, The Issachar File, etc. She continues to write for the General Superintendent of the IPHC, e. g. The IPHC Remembers . . . . I am grateful for Shirley's friendship over the years and her willingness to help me in inspiring our readers to give to help me continue to produce Hugh's News. We are dependent upon you for our financial support and prayers. Thank you in advance for your generosity in giving.] New Book Celebrates the History of the IPHC Author: A. D. Beacham, Jr. (From the Introduction to Remembering for the Future: A Commentary on the IPHC Centennial Covenant. See the bottom of this post to download this new book from Bishop Doug Beacham.) In July 2009, at the 26th General Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) in Greensboro, North Carolina, Dr. Ronald Carpenter, Sr., was elected general superintendent and presiding bishop. In that same conference, I was reelected as executive director of IPHC World Missions Ministries and elected vice chairman of the IPHC. In the months that followed, Bishop Carpenter and I met often, discussing a wide range of issues. These included our mutual awareness that in January 2011, the IPHC would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the merger of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church and the Pentecostal Holiness Church of North Carolina. That merger formed the basis of the IPHC as it is known today. Our conversation soon included the IPHC Executive Committee and the IPHC Council of Bishops. All sensed that the Holy Spirit was calling our movement to gather in a holy convocation to hear God’s voice for the future. Preparing for the 2011 Centennial, we remembered two significant events in the recent history of the IPHC. The first was a meeting in August 1996 at Northwood Temple Pentecostal Holiness Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where denominational leaders met in a Solemn Assembly to pray, confess, and repent of seven sins: spiritual pride, a judgmental attitude, a controlling spirit, racism, male domination, the elder brother syndrome, and greed. Led by the late Bishop B.E. Underwood, this twenty-four-hour time of humbling ourselves before the Lord was an important step in preparing us for what the Holy Spirit would require of us in the future. This important spiritual event related to the denominational vision titled Target 2000 (see Chapter 6, “An Unfolding Mission”). The second significant event was the 1998 celebration of the founding of the the Fire- Baptized Holiness Church and the Holiness Church of North Carolina, the two holiness denominations that merged to form the IPHC. Bishop James D. Leggett led the IPHC in this historic event, held in “The First” Pentecostal Holiness Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Bishop Leggett had a deep sense of the IPHC crossing from one millennium to the next. The “Target” of the year 2000 evolved to a greater focus on the “Mission” into which we would be pressing in the 21st century. Bishop Leggett’s profound concern for the glory of God, and how the IPHC would serve in such a way as to glorify God, was part of the Holy Spirit’s work in preparing the church for the present time. In our personal conversations, Bishop Carpenter and I sensed that it was time for the IPHC to follow up on the spiritual impact of those two events. The idea of a covenant renewal ceremony held in conjunction with the 2011 centennial began to take shape. We took as our spiritual model the covenant renewal ceremony at Shechem described in Joshua 24:1-28. Following Israel’s early steps of inheriting the promise God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Joshua called Israel together to confirm these covenant promises for the future. The IPHC seemed to be entering a similar time to renew our covenant with Jesus Christ and one another. We shared these thoughts with the newly constituted Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops and then with the Council of Bishops. These leaders recognized the opportunity and wholeheartedly supported it.2 As we discussed the covenant renewal aspect of this event, I was asked to draft a covenant renewal document to be read aloud and signed by the leaders of the IPHC. The draft went through several edits and revisions. I am grateful to the members of the IPHC Executive Committee and Council of Bishops who added to the accuracy, dignity, and spiritual impact of the final document. The leadership of the denomination gathered in Falcon, North Carolina, on January 31, 2011, to celebrate the centennial of the merger. (Watch the video of this service.) The Centennial Covenant document was read publicly in the Octagon Tabernacle, the site of the original merger meeting in 1911. The centennial event was streamed live around the world, the fulfillment of a dream of Bishop Carpenter’s. The Holy Spirit met with the more than 100 people who crowded into the Tabernacle in 2011. In the video of the Octagon service, one can still sense the spiritual unity and presence of the Holy Spirit. Though the document was signed originally by the bishops of the United States conferences, as World Missions executive director I took a copy around the world from 2011 and into 2012 to allow national leaders from across the globe to sign it as well. The original now hangs in the lobby of the Global Ministries Center of the IPHC in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After the 2013 General Conference, the Centennial Covenant document was included in the IPHC Manual as one of our significant historical documents. For several years it has been on my heart to write a brief commentary on the paragraphs of this document for the benefit of the IPHC family. This book is that effort. As you read the document and this commentary, you will see that it serves as an historical, theological, and missional statement of the IPHC. Download Remembering for the Future as a pdf. (Requires Adobe Acrobat or other pdf reader.) Download Remembering for the Future as a .mobi (Kindle) file. (View instructions for adding this file to your Kindle.) Download Remembering for the Future as an .epub (iOS devices) file. Share Post: Buena Vista PHC Celebrates 100 Years Bishop Tommy McGhee and IPHC Discipleship Ministries are excited to announce their 2021 emphasis on Worship. “Over the past several years, we have been trying to address the varied portfolio that falls under the responsibilities of Discipleship Ministries,” said Bishop McGhee. “For 2021, we have chosen an emphasis on worship. We are excited to work with Dr. Wes Tuttle and Trés Ward, who will serve as co-consultants for this emphasis. These men are highly skilled and deeply committed to the advancement of worship in the IPHC.” Discipleship Ministries is working to accomplish two goals with this worship emphasis in 2021. First, a Gathering for Older Adults is in the works. This will be a time to gather and fellowship in worship, singing the songs that have played a vibrant part in this generation’s life with God. Plans are being made to host the first Gathering March 12th. Be on the lookout for more details. Second, training events for music and worship leaders from local IPHC churches are being planned. The purpose of these events is to expand the network of IPHC worship leaders, provide training and resourcing to these leaders, as well as to offer opportunities for songwriting. Dr. Tuttle believes that there are songs ready to come out of the IPHC. These worship leaders’ gatherings will provide a venue for collaboration and songwriting. Dr. Tuttle is thankful for the opportunity to serve the IPHC: “I am a product of the IPHC. I came to know the Lord and experienced the beginnings of my understanding of worship in a local church in the IPHC. I am very excited to now work with Discipleship Ministries in this particular emphasis on worship. I look forward to growing together in our understanding of what it means to worship the Lord in spirit and truth.” Trés Ward looks forward to developing this initiative, “As Jesus told the woman at the well, the Father is seeking worshipers, and I believe there are many to be found among the congregations of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church! It is such a tremendous honor to serve the church in this capacity, and I look forward to what the Lord will do as we strive to faithfully steward the gifts and resources He has given us to worship Him.” **Discipleship Ministries understands the complexities of scheduling that exists around COVID-19 and the effects it continues to have on planning, but we look forward to formally announcing these events in the future. Dr. Wes Tuttle is an accomplished worship leader, musician, and songwriter. Dr. Tuttle’s songs have been recorded by influential worship leaders like Don Moen, Paul Wilbur, Bob Fitts, John Chisum, Aline Barros, Robin Mark, Juanita Bynum and Judy Jacobs. Wes is an ordained minister and holds an A.A. in Music and a B.A. in Religion from Emmanuel College. He holds an M.A. in Counseling from Liberty University and a M.A.R. with a concentration in Cross-cultural studies from Liberty Theological Seminary. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Liberty Theological Seminary. Trés Ward serves as the Assistant to the President, Director of Worship and Arts Ministries, and an adjunct faculty member at Emmanuel College. He teaches courses in Worship Ministry and Music Education and directs the Emmanuel Singers, The Voices of Emmanuel, and the Chapel Worship teams. Trés received the Bachelor of Music Education from Appalachian State University and is completing the Master of Divinity at Liberty University with an emphasis in Worship Studies. A credentialed minister with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Trés has served the local church and at conference and general denominational events as a choir director, worship leader, and Fine Arts adjudicator as well as an itinerant preacher, evangelist, youth camp speaker, and missions team leader. A Tribute to Rev. Elizabeth S. Rogers March 5, 1942 – October 4, 2020 Elizabeth Gayle Shaw Rogers was born March 5, 1942, in Columbus, Georgia. She went to be with her Lord and Savior on October 4, 2020. Her mother, father, and stepmother preceded her in death. She has two beloved sisters Billye and Jeanne. Elizabeth was the proud mother of William Rogers and grandmother to Gage and Britnee. Her newest treasure is her great-granddaughter, Olivia Elizabeth Rogers, who is her namesake. Sister Rogers attended Jordan Vocational High School. Following her conversion in 1978, the Lord led her into a teaching ministry. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Valdosta State College and began a doctoral program at the University of Georgia. However, the Lord soon moved her to Louisiana. Elizabeth worked at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries from 1985 to 1991. There, she taught two years in their Family Christian Academy high school. In the next four years, she served as an assistant professor of English in the Bible College. During those years, she was able to attend Jimmy Swaggart Theological Seminary (JSM) in addition to her teaching duties. While working at JSM, Elizabeth answered the Lord’s call not only to preach His Word but also to serve as a missionary with the IPHC. She joined the New Life Worship Center Pentecostal Holiness Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and became a Licensed Minister in the Mid-South Conference in June of 1990. She served on the pastoral staff of New Life while assisting the conference superintendent and others in planting a new church in Denham Springs, Louisiana. Toward the end of 1990, Elizabeth met with the World Missions Board and was approved as a career missionary. In July of 1991, she received her ministerial ordination and was also ordained as a missionary in August of that same year. Sister Rogers moved to North Carolina and joined the North Carolina Conference in May 1992, where she finished her itineration. She arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, in February 1993. She was 50 years old at the time and had never been out of the United States. However, as soon as she placed her feet on African soil, the Lord instantly gave her a great love for Africa and its people, and that love has never waned. For the first seven years of her missionary service, Elizabeth was based in South Africa. From there, she, along with two colleagues, traveled each year into six African countries to teach in the ADVANCE Ministerial and Leadership Training Program. In addition to her work in ADVANCE, Elizabeth (in 1973) was asked to begin a W.I.N (World Intercessions Network) Program in Southern Africa. Elizabeth and her missionary colleague Althea Meyer co-founded the “W.I.N.-Africa Kids Net.” Their desire was to allow the children also to become prayer warriors for the world. Elizabeth served as the W.I.N director for Africa for ten years. In 2000, Rev. Meyer and Rev. Rogers were asked to move to the small Central African country of Malawi to help re-establish and re-open our Bible school, which had been closed for a number of years. In June of 2001, Guthrie Bible Training Center opened its doors to the first class of students. Rev. Rogers served as director of Guthrie Bible Training Center for eight years. At the time she left, the student body was once again at capacity, and there was a waiting list of over 30 people hoping to be admitted. After 15 years in Africa, Rev. Rogers encountered a health problem and was unable to remain on the field. In May 2008, Elizabeth retired from active overseas missionary service and resided in Dunn, North Carolina. Sister Rogers said, “I believe I would have to describe my ministry thus far as a marvelous adventure in learning to know Jesus personally, in learning to love Him, to trust Him, to worship Him, and to serve Him with my whole heart. Moreover, I will be eternally grateful for so many wonderful opportunities to help make Him known, both in America and in seven African countries halfway around the world. And now, my prayer is that ‘I may finish my course with joy and the ministry I have received of the Lord Jesus—to testify the gospel of God’s grace’ (Acts 20:24b)". Since Reverend Rogers' retirement from Missions, she has served in many capacities in local churches and assisted when needed at the North Carolina Conference. Rev. Elizabeth Rogers served as missions director, a board member of Deborah's Daughters, and assistant to the director in the school of ministry. A highlight in her life was also filling pulpits from time to time. She felt most fulfilled preaching, teaching, and serving the elements of communion. In March 2016, she made a short-term missions trip to the Dominican Republic, where she preached, taught, and renewed her passion for world evangelism. Rev. Elizabeth Rogers loved her church and loved serving it. She faithfully attended Culbreth Memorial. She was often in attendance whenever the doors were open. She felt dearly loved by her church family. Rev. Betty Rogers, who was an ordained clergy member of the North Carolina Conference, was approved on March 8, 1991, by the World Missions Ministries (WMM) Board to serve as an IPHC Career Missionary in South Africa and Malawi. However, her ministry with WMM began in 1989. Rev. Rogers arrived in South Africa in February 1993 and was assigned to teach in the World Harvest Theological College. She was also asked to help establish and coordinate the World Intercession Network (WIN) program in South Africa at that time. However, "before she had time to settle, Florine Duncan, the African director of Advance [the successor name for TEE], had surgery and could not lead a team to Botswana as planned. John and Geraleen Talmage and Betty stepped in and did the Botswana Advance together. Rogers decided in her first class that she wanted to partner in the ministry of Advance. Then, when Florine Duncan retired in 1995, Betty was asked to be the director. She continued to serve in that role through the end of the century” (Frank Tunstall's Simultaneous Principle). Betty later served as the director of the John Guthrie Bible School in Malawi. We are grateful for Betty’s ministry that carried on the kingdom work of those who came before her and helped pave the way for those who would come after. Eternity will fully reveal the kingdom impact that missionaries, like Rev. Rogers, have made. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Rev. Rogers. May the peace of the Holy Spirit bring you comfort now and in the days to come. I also want to extend my personal thanks to Bishop Danny Nelson, Rev. Doug Bartlett, Rev. Joe and Elsie Arthur, Rev. Bonnie Clowers, Rev. Rose Boyd, Rev. Althea Meyer, Rev. Ron and Phyllis Roy, and pastor Casey Strickland and the members of Culbreth Memorial PHC, in Falcon, North Carolina, for the love and tender care that they gave to Betty during the concluding years of her life. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Bishop J. Talmadge Gardner Executive Director, IPHC World Missions Ministries Military Chaplains Association Executive Director's Newsgram
This week’s column is primarily breaking news from a virtual meeting of the US Army Chaplain Corps Regimental Association (USACCRA) this afternoon with Chaplain Tom Solhjem, Army Chief of Chaplains. While I will not go into too much detail, there are a lot of things happening with Army chaplaincy. First, Chaplain Solhjem had just come from a meeting with all of the Army Four Star Generals which focused on the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. This program focuses on the integration of body, mind, physical and spiritual fitness. All the Four Stars are very committed to the role of chaplaincy in the program and understand how critical it is for Soldiers and Families. The next breaking news is that the Army will be creating a Center of Excellence at Fort Jackson under the purview of chaplaincy. The center be positioned in the Chaplain Center complex and will initially focus on suicide prevention, sexual harassment, sexual assault, racism, and the effects of isolation on Soldiers and Families because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The geographical focus will be Ft. Irwin, CA, Ft. Polk, LA and those stationed in Alaska. The next major announcement is that Army Chaplaincy recruiting for years has been nested under the Army Medical Brigade at Ft. Knox. Going forward it be a standalone team reporting directly to the Chief of Chaplains instead of going through another layer of non-chaplaincy bureaucracy. The major piece of good news is that the Army Chaplain School and chaplain activities at Ft. Jackson will be getting a completely new name and focus, The US Army Institute for Religious Leadership. The school will be rebranded as the US Army Religious Leaders’ Academy and will also roll the NCO professional military education into it. Instructors and courses will be relocated from Ft. Knox, KY, and will include the Graduate School for Chaplain Development, which will include the Family Life program and clinical pastoral education. In one final note, Chaplain Solhjem noted that the new Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Army Reserve, Chaplain Andrew Harewood, had just been confirmed as a Brigadier General on Tuesday, 27 October. He will be on active duty starting 1 November for his three-year tenure. To say that it was an engaging meeting is an understatement. Kudos to the President of USACCRA, Chaplain Gil Pingel, for setting up the video call. Well done, Gil! Fr. Razz Waff, D.Min, BCC, Executive Director of MCA [Editor's comment: I became a Life Member of the MCA (Military Chaplains Association) when retired Navy Chaplain Gary Pollitt, Captain (06) was the executive director of MCA.] Suffering Is Not Wasted Author: Anne Graham Lotz "Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV). Is the Potter molding — or remolding — you, using . . . pressure or problems? stress or suffering? hurt or heartache? illness or injustice? Has He now placed you in the fire so that circumstances are heating up with intensity in your life? Then would you just trust the Potter to know exactly what He is doing? For the child of God, suffering is not wasted. It’s not an end in itself. Scripture reminds us, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” The spiritual principle is that in some way God uses suffering to transform ordinary, dust-clay people into . . . vessels that are strong in faith . . . vessels that are fit for His use . . . vessels that display His glory to the watching world. So don’t waste your sorrow. Trust God! Blessings, Anne Graham Lotz Copyright © 2014 Anne Graham Lotz (AnGeL Ministries) Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved www.annegrahamlotz.org. How I'm Praying for Justice Amy Coney Barrett Barrett-Reuters-FIMB (Reuters) Author: J. Lee Grady Posted in Fire in My Bones After watching the tense confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, we learned that 1) she is a devoted mother of seven children; 2) she and her husband shared homeschooling duties during the pandemic; 3) she can explain constitutional law and legal precedent without the aid of notes; and 4) she can remain calm while politicians try to dissect her with loaded questions. She's brilliant, poised, dignified, articulate and able to maintain her composure under pressure. And yet she's been called a "racist" and a "colonizer" because she and her husband adopted two children from Haiti, and "dangerous" because she has attended pro-life events. She was also described as a "nut" on Sept. 25 by atheist commentator Bill Mayer—because Barrett is a charismatic Catholic who believes in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Mayer's rude comment (it was accompanied by the worst profanity) proves that the media elite and the political establishment believe Christians should be automatically disqualified from holding office or a judicial appointment. It also reveals the kind of vicious animosity that is aimed at people of faith who dare to step into the public arena today. Now that Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed to Supreme Court, she needs our prayers. Here's how I'm praying: 1. Pray for protection for her family. Barrett and her husband of 20 years, Jesse, decided early in their marriage to have a large family. Their children are Emma, 19; Tess and Vivian, both 16; John Peter, 13; Liam, 11; Juliet, 9; and Benjamin, 8. Vivian and John Peter were adopted from Haiti, and Benjamin has Down Syndrome. Barrett had said in past interviews that she believes raising children is the best way she can make a significant impact on the world. Barrett is the first sitting Supreme Court justice to have school-age children, which means she is wading into uncharted territory. In late September a professor at Boston University accused Barrett of racism, calling her a "white colonizer" who uses her Haitian kids as "props." Pray for a shield of protection around the Barrett children so they won't be traumatized by their mother's critics. 2. Pray that her faith will remain strong. Barrett's father, Mike Coney, is a strong Catholic who attended a Life in the Spirit seminar during the early days of the Catholic charismatic movement. He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. He told the National Catholic Register about that day: "I was filled with an insatiable appetite for reading Scripture and spiritual books. Making time for personal prayer became important. I sensed a call from the Lord to serve." Coney raised his seven children (Amy is the oldest) in a Catholic charismatic community called People of Praise. Today, Barrett still holds to her charismatic Catholic faith, even after attending law school at Notre Dame and becoming a federal judge in 2017. She has recently served as a women's leader in her church. Critics have attacked Barrett because the Christian school her children attend in South Bend, Indiana, has a policy that doesn't allow LGTBQ teachers on its staff. That policy, of course, is legal in this country because churches and religious organizations can't be forced to hire people who don't agree with their teachings. But the Supreme Court will likely confront this crucial issue again soon. Pray that Barrett will always uphold religious freedom, and that she will rely on God's wisdom to judge difficult cases. 3. Pray that she will defend unborn life. Amy Coney Barrett is only the fifth woman in U.S. history to sit on the Supreme Court. You would think everybody would be celebrating that landmark, but many feminists have opposed Barrett since President Trump nominated her because they expect her to jeopardize access to abortion. It's fascinating that a mother of young children now sits on the bench—and not only a mother of her own biological children but also a mother of adopted children and of a son with special needs. In some countries, pregnancies are automatically terminated if a woman is pregnant with a Down Syndrome child. Is America headed in that direction? Or could Barrett help us navigate a new path that respects both the rights of women and their unborn children? Perhaps Barrett has been uniquely positioned to demonstrate Christian compassion for those unborn citizens who are not considered "worthy" of life. Perhaps she will help our nation look at the issue of abortion from the perspective of a selfless mother—and not from that of an abortion clinic that harvests body parts for profit. Perhaps Barrett will help us reframe the abortion debate, making it less about a woman's body and more about the unborn child who cannot stand on a street corner to protest injustice. Pray that our newest member of the Supreme Court will have the courage of Esther to defend those who have no voice. [This article by J. Lee Grady has his permission to be copied and pasted in Hugh's News. He is a fellow minister friend of mine. He is an ordained minister of the Gospel in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. He is currently the executive editor of Encourage online digital monthly magazine published by the IPHC.] Billy Graham: Delusion or Deliverance? Author: Billy Graham Everywhere we look today, we see the propensity for delusion. We see this capacity for delusion in politics. When we witness the maneuvering, the use of power, the conniving and the policy of expediency in our political arena, it is no wonder someone has said, “We have the best politicians that money can buy.” The Apostle Paul said that the people of his day had “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Thus, they became “wise” in doing evil and fell so deep in sin that they began to call evil good. What a candid picture of modern man: deceived by the promises of demagogues, yet indifferent to the voice of God. Millions are living as though this were the only life that counted. They have completely lost sight of eternity. Would to God that we would learn to live each day with eternity’s values in view. We are apparently living in the time described by Paul: “In the last days perilous times will come: For men shall be lovers of themselves … lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-2, 4). This modern age holds more glittering allurements than any other age in history. Yet we find responsible people trying to gloss over these evils. This is not a time to gloss over, rationalize and explain away, but it is a time to oppose evil, lest our society becomes totally corrupt. The Bible plainly teaches that one of the characteristics of the end of this age is that people will develop a capacity for delusion rather than the truth. Today, sin is explained away by psychological terminology. God is portrayed as a sentimental creature who never lets His wrath fall on anyone. Thousands of Americans are deluded by philosophies that are destroying the strength of the nation and threatening our security. Surely we are living in the day of which the Apostle Paul warned when he wrote: “And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). What a mysterious and striking statement Paul makes, “For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” And yet what a candid picture of modern man: deceived by the mouthings of demagogues, yet indifferent to the voice of God. Driven by some diabolical, compulsive force, we rush toward the precipice of global destruction. The Bible indicates that because we have rejected the truth, we are victims of a gigantic delusion. Paul had said earlier to the Romans that the people of his day had “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator.” And “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions” (Romans 1:25-26). Three times in the first chapter of Romans the Scripture says, “God gave them up” because of their sins. Everywhere we look today, we see the propensity for delusion. We see it in our gullibility for false advertising. Madison Avenue has built a gigantic business on the principle that modern man has the capacity for deception. We see this capacity for delusion in politics. Political platforms, like the platforms of trains, are for the sole purpose of getting a man aboard. When we witness the maneuvering, the use of power, the conniving and the policy of expediency in our political arena, it is no wonder someone has said, “We have the best politicians that money can buy.” The Scripture teaches that the more sins we commit, the easier it becomes to sin. It lies in the nature of God’s moral government and in the moral constitution of man that sin indulged weakens the strength of resistance, and so invites and prepares the way for more frequent and violent assaults of temptation. Thus, yielding to sin receives part of its punishment in the slavery to sin. All men and women must believe something; if not the truth, then the lie of the devil. Paul says that the unbelievers in Thessalonica had their pleasure in evil. Thus, they became “wise” in doing evil and fell so deep in sin that they began to call evil good. Where a person has deviated from the eternal rules of God and morality, there is darkness. And while in darkness, he begins to pass false judgments upon most things of vital import. You, too, can reach such a state in your sinfulness that you can no longer tell the difference between good and evil. This passage indicates that God sends this delusion upon sinners. The Scriptures and experience suggest that there comes a point when God gives men and women up in their sins. He can do this by withdrawing His enlightening influence from their understanding. It is never possible to understand the happenings in our times unless God gives us spiritual illumination. Because our sins have become so heinous in His sight, He withdraws this spiritual illumination and we stumble on in our blindness into the deeper darkness. Even the church is in danger of being led astray and deluded by false teachers and pastors. Jeremiah cried out: “’Woe to the shepherds [pastors] who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!’’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:1). God warned the people of Jerusalem in that ancient day, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:16). God warned that they say, “You shall have peace,” when there is no peace; that they say, “No evil shall come upon you” (Jeremiah 23:17) when destruction is about to fall. God accused the prophets of that day of having perverted the words of the living God, and God warned, “I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten” (Jeremiah 23:40). The Scripture teaches that Satan sometimes fashions himself into an angel of light. When the devil approaches to tempt, he does not carry a warning sign saying, “I am the devil.” He comes in a thousand subtle forms, with delusions and lying wonders. First he brings the delusion that sin will bring fullness to your life. This was the first delusion that the devil ever brought to the human race. Though it is worn and threadbare, he is still repeating it today. To Adam and Eve he said, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). I have a friend who was one of the nation’s youngest golf “pros” at the age of 17. He had high ideals as a young man, but he fell prey to the same delusion when his pals insisted that he conform to their way of life. Because he wanted to fit in, he began to do the things the gang did until he became an alcoholic and a bum. He fell a victim to the age-old delusion that the way to a full life is to break God’s law. Sin pays—but it pays off in remorse, regret and failure. Many of you think that real fun is found in conforming to this world, living a life of unrestrained appetite and pleasure. Yet the Scriptures warn that “the way of the unfaithful is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). I wish you could look over my shoulder and read some of the letters which I receive telling of broken hearts, broken homes and shattered futures. The writers believed a lie rather than the truth. Second, Satan tries to get us to believe that the soul is of much less importance than the body. Jesus brushed this delusion aside when He asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The Scripture says there is a time to be born and a time to die. The Scripture warns that life is like grass that withers or a flower that fades. In other words, life is surprisingly short. Yet millions are living as though this were the only life that counted. They have completely lost sight of eternity. Would to God that we would learn to live each day with eternity’s values in view. Nowhere has the biblical question, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3) ever been successfully answered, except in the Scriptures. The answer is: There is no escape from God. Yet thousands of people think that they can escape from the realities of time and eternity. Men and women are trying to escape through imagination, pleasure, false security or self-sufficiency, but the Bible warns there is no such escape. However, there is good news for all of you who are seeking a way out. There is one way of escape. There is one way of deliverance. Following the frightening words, “How shall we escape,” we are told about God’s way of escape. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone … and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:9, 15). He is the way of escape that God provided. The Bible declares, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). The Scripture teaches that He is the embodiment of all truth. Come to Him in simple, childlike faith, and He will be your way of escape. He brings you to Himself, to send you back into the world as His witness. Finally, many are deceived by Satan into thinking that there is plenty of time to get right with God. Amos the prophet said to the people of his day, “Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12). But the people refused to prepare, and judgment came. I am certain that almost all those people planned to make their peace with God sometime. We neglect our relationship with God because we are deluded into thinking that the Christian faith is just a cosmic fire insurance policy to save us from hell. It does more than that. It saves us from hell on earth. The older we grow, the dimmer the faculty of hearing becomes. Just so does our capacity to hear the voice of God diminish with age. You will never find it easier to accept Christ than at this moment. To delay one moment is to find it harder. “Now is the accepted time,” says the Bible. “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). It is a delusion to think that tomorrow will be better than today. Faith in tomorrow, rather than faith in Christ, is a delusion that will cause you to be finally and eternally lost. ©1960 BGEA Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version. TODAY’S PRAYER Heavenly Father, please open my eyes to the blinding and enslaving effect of any sin in my life so that I may seek Your forgiveness. Grant me Your wisdom and discernment to resist Satan’s deceptive temptation to call evil good. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 2 Chronicles 16:9
9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. NIV +++++ 2 Chronicles 16:9 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. NKJV +++++ 2 Chronicles 16:9 9 For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward Him, so that He can show His great power in helping them. TLB +++++ 2 Chronicles 16:9 9 God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.) An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years ago:
A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing in front of a shoe store on the sidewalk, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, "My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!" "I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, you will be more comfortable now." As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her, "Are you God's wife?" New Book Celebrates the History of the IPHC Author: A. D. Beacham, Jr. (From the Introduction to Remembering for the Future: A Commentary on the IPHC Centennial Covenant. See the bottom of this post to download this new book from Bishop Doug Beacham.) In July 2009, at the 26th General Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) in Greensboro, North Carolina, Dr. Ronald Carpenter, Sr., was elected general superintendent and presiding bishop. In that same conference, I was reelected as executive director of IPHC World Missions Ministries and elected vice chairman of the IPHC. In the months that followed, Bishop Carpenter and I met often, discussing a wide range of issues. These included our mutual awareness that in January 2011, the IPHC would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the merger of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church and the Pentecostal Holiness Church of North Carolina. That merger formed the basis of the IPHC as it is known today. Our conversation soon included the IPHC Executive Committee and the IPHC Council of Bishops. All sensed that the Holy Spirit was calling our movement to gather in a holy convocation to hear God’s voice for the future. Preparing for the 2011 Centennial, we remembered two significant events in the recent history of the IPHC. The first was a meeting in August 1996 at Northwood Temple Pentecostal Holiness Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where denominational leaders met in a Solemn Assembly to pray, confess, and repent of seven sins: spiritual pride, a judgmental attitude, a controlling spirit, racism, male domination, the elder brother syndrome, and greed. Led by the late Bishop B.E. Underwood, this twenty-four-hour time of humbling ourselves before the Lord was an important step in preparing us for what the Holy Spirit would require of us in the future. This important spiritual event related to the denominational vision titled Target 2000 (see Chapter 6, “An Unfolding Mission”). The second significant event was the 1998 celebration of the founding of the the Fire- Baptized Holiness Church and the Holiness Church of North Carolina, the two holiness denominations that merged to form the IPHC. Bishop James D. Leggett led the IPHC in this historic event, held in “The First” Pentecostal Holiness Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Bishop Leggett had a deep sense of the IPHC crossing from one millennium to the next. The “Target” of the year 2000 evolved to a greater focus on the “Mission” into which we would be pressing in the 21st century. Bishop Leggett’s profound concern for the glory of God, and how the IPHC would serve in such a way as to glorify God, was part of the Holy Spirit’s work in preparing the church for the present time. In our personal conversations, Bishop Carpenter and I sensed that it was time for the IPHC to follow up on the spiritual impact of those two events. The idea of a covenant renewal ceremony held in conjunction with the 2011 centennial began to take shape. We took as our spiritual model the covenant renewal ceremony at Shechem described in Joshua 24:1-28. Following Israel’s early steps of inheriting the promise God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Joshua called Israel together to confirm these covenant promises for the future. The IPHC seemed to be entering a similar time to renew our covenant with Jesus Christ and one another. We shared these thoughts with the newly constituted Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops and then with the Council of Bishops. These leaders recognized the opportunity and wholeheartedly supported it.2 As we discussed the covenant renewal aspect of this event, I was asked to draft a covenant renewal document to be read aloud and signed by the leaders of the IPHC. The draft went through several edits and revisions. I am grateful to the members of the IPHC Executive Committee and Council of Bishops who added to the accuracy, dignity, and spiritual impact of the final document. The leadership of the denomination gathered in Falcon, North Carolina, on January 31, 2011, to celebrate the centennial of the merger. (Watch the video of this service.) The Centennial Covenant document was read publicly in the Octagon Tabernacle, the site of the original merger meeting in 1911. The centennial event was streamed live around the world, the fulfillment of a dream of Bishop Carpenter’s. The Holy Spirit met with the more than 100 people who crowded into the Tabernacle in 2011. In the video of the Octagon service, one can still sense the spiritual unity and presence of the Holy Spirit. Though the document was signed originally by the bishops of the United States conferences, as World Missions executive director I took a copy around the world from 2011 and into 2012 to allow national leaders from across the globe to sign it as well. The original now hangs in the lobby of the Global Ministries Center of the IPHC in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After the 2013 General Conference, the Centennial Covenant document was included in the IPHC Manual as one of our significant historical documents. For several years it has been on my heart to write a brief commentary on the paragraphs of this document for the benefit of the IPHC family. This book is that effort. As you read the document and this commentary, you will see that it serves as an historical, theological, and missional statement of the IPHC. Download Remembering for the Future as a pdf. (Requires Adobe Acrobat or other pdf reader.) Download Remembering for the Future as a .mobi (Kindle) file. (View instructions for adding this file to your Kindle.) Download Remembering for the Future as an .epub (iOS devices) file. Share Post: Buena Vista PHC Celebrates 100 Years A short history of Julia Payne Morgan’s service in Hong Kong and China
After their graduation from Holmes Bible and Missionary Institute in 1920, Pearl Loftin, Mary Andrews and Julia Payne were recruited to Hong Kong by Miss Anna Deane Cole, the co-founder of Hong Kong P.H. Church. They all worked in Hong Kong for four to five years before they left for the mainland China. The purchase of 8 acres of land by Mr. William Turner in Pakhoi in 1923 marked a milestone for IPHC’s missions in China. The joint effort of mission fields in Hong Kong and Pakhoi made the establishment of a new conference possible, and the China Conference was set up in April 1923. Julia Payne went to Pakhoi in 1924 and worked there till 1929 to help Mr. Turner build the mainland missions. Laura Mae Hylton, from Roanoke, Virginia, was also called to be a missionary to China. Under the capable leadership of Rev. William H. Turner he took Julia Payne and Laura Mae Hylton to Pakhoi to plant a church there. They both learned the Chinese language to be able to lead in Bible studies, singing, and worship. Laura wrote a very interesting book about her life entitled, An Orphan As A Missionary, published by the Publishing House, Pentecostal Holiness Church, Franklin Springs, GA in 1952. I am grateful to Walter Lee Wood for giving me an extra copy of this book. Years after these two lady missionaries planted this church in Pakhoi, I got a call one day from Princeton Cates, the supervisor in Hong Kong, telling me that after the Bamboo Curtain came down, Chinese leaders in Hong Kong traveled to Pakhoi, China, to see if the church had survived Communism. To their amazement and delight they discovered that this Pentecostal Holiness Church in Pakhoi had not only survived Communism, it had thrived. They found some 500 Pentecostal Holiness Chinese Christians who were members of this thriving church. I know that Julia Payne and Laura Mae Hylton would greatly rejoice to hear that good news. It is little wonder that the Apostle Paul declared, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith" (Rom 1:16-17, NIV). |