Over the weekend of July 15 -16, ministers and wives gathered in Denver, Colorado for a ministerial conference. It was an inspiring time of unity and cooperation as we discussed a range of topics including the Gospel, financial, ministerial and administrative matters.
Present were Marshall and Joyce Stiver, Bill and Linda Hutchison, Bill and Kathy Welch, Matt King, Brian and Gillian Orchard, Mike and Margie McKinney, Cliff and Connie Veal.
Sabbath services on the 15th of July were held at the usual Denver meeting location and were followed by a potluck that allowed for a relaxed environment for everyone to engage in conversation and fellowship.
On Sunday morning, the conference began early. Considerable time was devoted to a discussion on the preaching and the content of the Gospel. The Gospel message is a topic the ministry has discussed frequently and is central to an understanding of who we are as a people, but also points to what we need to be engaged in as we follow God. We have with some messages been communicating the need to expand the way we should think about the Gospel. All or most Church of God groups accept and embrace the need to preach the Gospel. However, some have come to see the preaching of the Gospel as a validation – they are “doing the Work” therefore they are the true Church.
What has become clear over time — based on these and many other prayerful discussions — is that the Gospel message needs to be understood from a broader perspective, that includes a light shining in a dark world to show our Father’s greatness and also the heavy personal responsibility to be transformed into the image of our Father. Our discussions of the work ahead of us were exciting and encouraging when you begin to see the richness and expanse of the Gospel message.
We are preparing materials to begin to convey this perspective over the coming weeks and months. The Gospel message is critical for us, as part of The Father’s Call, but also for the Church as a whole to fully understand the work set before us.
A financial report from Bill Welch, our Treasurer, followed. During this segment, many house-keeping and financial matters were discussed. The main point of the report, though, was that we are in sound financial shape. Comments were made about the faithfulness of God’s people and how thankful we are for that.
After the financial report, we spent quite some time discussing the opportunities to develop and enhance the skills and capabilities of those who are speaking. We discussed the need to continue to develop the ability to more effectively teach and communicate the message of hope and change that we have been entrusted with.
The Feast of Tabernacles was also a subject of discussion. Speaking assignments, hall arrangements, activities and several other aspects of the upcoming Feast were reviewed and planned.
Several comments were made about the energy, as well as the spirit of cooperation, present during the weekend and the discussions that took place. It was clear that God’s Holy Spirit was at work and that was exciting for us all. Several “action items” were set up and we are looking forward with renewed enthusiasm to accomplishing more in our service to God’s people.
Council of Elders/Administration Committee
