Connect - Hawaii Church of God strives to connect the churches to each other, the church with the community and the community to Christ
|
|
 |
Bishop Rob and Candie Taylor
Most of the Christian world has followed the happenings at various college campuses, churches, and other venues over the last several weeks. Many have attempted to label what these experiences are, while others have tried to dissect, explain, or dismiss them.
I, too, have watched the social media reports with piqued interest. Rather than talk about the particulars of any of the specific happenings, I want to focus on one common factor seemingly present in all the gatherings. That common factor is a hunger for and seeking after God. In each of the firsthand testimonies I have read, or heard on video, the person testifying speaks of the hunger for God expressed in prayers of seeking after him, and of worship expressed to him that preceded the outpouring of God’s presence.
In Jeremiah 29:13-14a the prophet records these words from God, 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord…
Take a few moments and read those words again. God is speaking to his people. He had just said he is for their good not their destruction (See Jeremiah 29:11-12). He followed that by the promise we read in verses 13 and 14. God promised that he will be found by those who sincerely seek him. God strongly desires to be present with his people. When we are obedient to humble ourselves, seek his face, and turn from our wicked ways, God is true to his word. He will be present. He will forgive, cleanse, heal, reconcile…
As I think about the reported outpourings of God’s presence around the world, I rejoice. As I rejoice, I also sense a stirring deep within. I am hungry. I want to personally experience God’s presence in a tangible and life-changing way. I am hungry. I want Hawaii to experience God in life-changing ways. As we work through March preparing ourselves and our churches for Easter Sunday in April, let’s focus our prayers on repentance and ask God to simply be present with us in whatever way he chooses. In his presence we will receive all we need in such abundance that we will be able to share with other hungry souls.
|
Bishop Rob
Administrative Bishop
Church of God in Hawaii
|
|
|
|
Bishop Brian and Zara Whitelock
Aloha, from the Hawaii Youth & Discipleship Department.
The other day I was driving home when one of my contacts started to bother me. After rubbing on it, I decided to pull it out. Unfortunately it had a tear in it which means no rubbing was going to solve this problem. So, I had to drive home with one contact while the other eye was watering and extremely blurry.
2 Corinthians 5:7
[7] for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Psalm 6:7
[7] My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
Question – has your life ever felt out of focus?
It is totally understandable to find people in the church whose lives are out of focus? They come to church because they HAVE to, not because they WANT to.
They join you in praise and worship because they NEED to do it and not because they LOVE to do it.
They even pray because they SHOULD do it, rather than they WOULD do it.
Christian life is not a BLESSING in that case, rather it becomes a BURDEN.
Are you ENJOYING your Christian life, or simply ENDURING it? If that is your life, then your life is OUT OF FOCUS. You need to have a life that is AUTO FOCUS!
One of many things that impresses me about the ministry of Jesus was His focus. He never lost sight of the reason why he had come.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the great scholar Karate Kid. “Your Focus needs more Focus!” We all know what a good focus should be but there come times in our lives we need to Re-Focus
We must Re-focus:
From Worry to Worship
From the Past to the Present
From Fear to Faith
From the Negative to the Positive
From the Temporal to the Eternal
And finally, the cross must come back into focus for Christians. We must get our attention off the problem and refocus on the promises of God.The focus should move from us, me, mine to Christ!
Take the time to refocus your life because being part of the Kingdom of God isn’t a burden, but a blessing.
Pastor Brian
Brian Whitelock
Youth and Discipleship Director
Church of God in Hawaii
|
|
|
|
Opportunities to Connect
Be sure to check our website often for updates and more information. We are working hard to make it a valuable resource. HawaiiCOG.Org
|
|
The 2023 Church of God Women's Conference is in the books. We were excited to come together to celebrate the goodness of God and our Church of God Ohana. We learned through our speaker, Amy McGlamery, that we are still in process to be the vessels God wants us to be. We made anointing oil with Charletta Wilson, because we are the vessels of His anointing to the world; we are the aroma and fragrance of Christ. We worshiped. We prayed. We honored. We rejoiced. We wept as we gave to help rebuild the orphanages in Ukraine. We will never be the same.
Mahalo to everyone involved. Your attendance, your giving, and your service made the difference for a great conference. We celebrate that we gave $2,000 to the Ukraine project and we gave $1,000 to the Church of God Smoky Mountain Children's Home.
|
|
|
Order your copy of The Most Important Question Ever Asked
|
|
Women's Online Book Study Success |
February 9, 2023 concluded Hawaii Women's Ministries online book study of The Most Important Question Ever Asked by Rhonda Holland. The study was lead by the women on different islands. We began on Oahu and concluded on Molokai. Individuals joined by zoom, there were watch parties and Facebook participation, as well. We are looking forward to our next online book study. Details will be out soon.
|
|
Keep calm. Kauwela is coming!
|
|
Affirm - Hawaii CoG affirms every individual & his or her calling.
|
|
Are you between the ages of 16 and 116 and feel the call of God on your life to commit to be a minister of the Gospel? We are here to help you. Click on the New Minsiter/CAMS application and begin the process of walking in your calling for Christ.
Are you ready to advance to the next rank in ministry for the Church of God? We are here to help you. The next testing date is May 20, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
|
|
|
Continue to pray for our current ministerial candidates as they participate in the CAMS program. Plan to join with us to celebrate their graduation at Camp Meeting. You will not want to miss it. |
|
|
|
We are looking forward to the next CAMS cohort. The call of God on your life is to be celebrated and . Your obedience to the call is not limited by yourself. It is unlimited by your God. What are you waiting for? |
|
|
|
We Celebrate
March Birthdays
1 Estrelita Andres
1 June Guevarra
4 Gordon Kekahuna
5 Margaret Tioaquin
13 Zara Whitelock
25 Lourdes Franco
March 27 Reagan Daniels
|
|
Resourcing - Hawaii CoG Resources the Minister & the Local Church
|
|
|
Making Every Easter Better | Life.Church Open Network
Life.Church Oklahoma City Campus Pastor Chis Beall sat down with Open Network for a conversation about Easter. Pastor Chris discusses how to prepare your staff for Easter, how to keep your newcomers engaged, and much more! For more Easter...
Read more
open.life.church
|
|
|
|
|
|
LifeChurch and Highlands have collaborated to offer free Easter resources for churches as they prepare for services. Among them you will find editable
- Water Bottle Labels
- Invite Cards
- Online Service Promotions
- Response Cards
Also, they are sharing their creative property with churches, so they can have royalty free graphics available to use. There are free music MP4s and YouTube videos available to be used to enhance your Easter Service. Included in the Open Network are materials for students and children. This is a ministry sharing resource from the people who brought you the Bible App.
|
Free Easter Video Element to download and share. The free MP4 is available for you here. |
|
Free Easter Resources You Can Modify with Your Churches Information
|
Launch Your Online Ministry for Free | Church Online...
The Church Online Platform is a free tool to help you launch an engaging online ministry. Explore features built by the Church, for the Church to help you engage your attenders and lead to next steps.
Read more
churchonlineplatform.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leading With Stewardship | Life.Church Open Network
In this keynote address from the Stewardship Conference, financial expert and best-selling author Dave Ramsey asks and answers one crucial question: How can we as leaders make the most of what God has given to us? This video is part of the...
Read more
open.life.church
|
|
|
|
|
|
My life's vision is helping others succeed.
– Sam Chand
Sam Chand is a leadership architect and consultant, author, change strategist, speaker - also known as dream releaser
|
|
Sam Chand Leadership Institute - Pay What You Can
Today, continuous learning forms a necessary part in acquiring critical thinking skills and discovering new ways of relating to people from different cultures. To live a life without continuous learning is unthinkable. Right now we will let you...
Read more
pages.samchand.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special hotel pricing available for registrants. |
|
Evangelize - Hawaii CoG Evangelizes to Win Souls for the Kingdom
|
|
|
|
What if talking about your faith felt as natural as discussing your family, your work, or your hobbies?
Evangelism doesn't have to be uncomfortable. You're under no pressure to prove anything. It really just amounts to having a conversation, and almost any context provides the opportunity for evangelism. You can spot these opportunities when you listen, because people talk about what's important to them. So think of evangelism as building a relationship with someone and intentionally planning to share Jesus as a part of everyday living.
Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Second Edition is not a comprehensive theology of evangelism or the methods by which that theological message is communicated. The goal of the book is simply to show what evangelism looks like when it’s part of ordinary, everyday conversations. Sharing Jesus with others isn't a mystery, and it can be as natural as working a job, practicing a favorite hobby, or engaging in any other kind of daily activity. The authors show how anyone can make sharing the gospel a commonplace part of their lifestyle. Without all the freaking out part.
|
|
Simply Sharing Jesus
God's Word calls us to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15, NIV) - especially in these days of uncertainty.
Read more
lp.billygraham.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
Serve - Hawaii CoG Exists to Serve One Another, Our Communities, Hawaii & Our World
|
|
As you pray for Hawaii, Partner with Bishop Taylor.
Ask Jehovah for:
- Stratagies
- Connections & Favor
- Resources
...that we need to complete the kingdom work.
|
Pastor Evan & Lucy Palmer-Serving through prayer. Submit prayer needs to the Palmers by clicking on their photo.
Pastors, watch your email for the prayer slides for the month.
|
|
|
|
Church of God World Missions |
|
This year, Church of God in Hawaii has named the month of May MISSIONS MONTH.
We are asking each of our pastors to choose one of the weekends during the month of May to receive a special missions offering for our State Mission project - Golden Triangle. You may send in your missions offering or bring it with you to our Summer Conference - Camp Meeting.
We look forward to what God has in store and are hoping to have 100% participation among our churches and membership. I am counting on your support
Together, we celebrate what God will do through us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
