Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”

Once upon a time there was one member in the Church that I had to address on a number of occasions. This person was always meddling in things that did not concern them. They took it upon themselves to be the champion for every other member who they felt had a just cause. After various admonitions God eventually moved the person out of the way. The Lord showed them that they were not as important as they thought they were and the Church could get along without them.

Josiah, the boy king was one of the greatest kings of Judah. He came to the throne at the age of eight and led the nation back to God. He kept the Passover like no king before or after him, but he died needlessly. He meddled in affairs that were none of his concern: “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.”
(2 Chronicles 35:20-24)

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

Nebuchadnezzar was king of the greatest empire that has ever existed but God had to humble him. God did this to show Nebuchadnezzar that it is He who reigns supreme and not him. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great tree whose leaves were fair and bore much fruit. The tree provided food and shelter for all the animals and birds, but it was cut down to the ground. This tree represented Nebuchadnezzar because he was lifted up with pride and did not give the glory to God. Daniel interpreted the dream thus: “This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king: that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” (Daniel 4:24-25)

Sometimes God gives messages and warnings but people fail to pay attention. This is what happened to Nebuchadnezzar and the prophecy was fulfilled upon him. For seven years he was driven from men and lived as a wild beast until he learnt his lesson. He was then able to write: “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” (Daniel 4:37)

Page 2

From the Overseer’s Desk

The last few months have been a very busy and stressful time for me and the church here in England. Following some problems in London, I have appointed Sister Angela Clarke as the Acting Pastor for the church in London. The new location for the church is:

The Chestnut Community & Arts Centre
280 St. Ann’s Road
Tottenham
London
N15 5BN

The local church in Long Lane moved into their new building on Sunday 28th March 2010. Thank God, since then we have been blessed with some wonderful services and a number of visitors.

Long Lane Church’s Dedication Service on Saturday 29th May 2010 was a great blessing to all who attended. We were privileged to have the Deputy Mayor Elect and the Deputy Mayor Elect Consort from Dudley, as well as other officials, family and friends in attendance. We pray that God will continue to open doors for the church in this locality.

Please remember to keep the National Convention before the Lord in prayer. This will be held from Friday 9th July to Sunday 11th July 2010 at Long Lane. Our General Headquarters Representative will be Sister Jackie Zimmerman, the General Assembly Band Movement Co-ordinator who will be accompanied by Sister Vicki Smith, the wife of our General Overseer. The theme for the Convention will be “...for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)

Let us also pray for our General Overseer and for the upcoming General Assembly that God will give clear directions to the last days Church of God.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragements throughout this turbulent time.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
(Galatians 6:9)

God bless you all.

Page 4

CPMA/BTI BOOST

Ray Prince – Acting National CPMA/BTI Co-ordinator

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”
(Isaiah 60:1)

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus.

How good it is to have light as opposed to darkness. This year will be our 107th Arise Shine celebration this side of the dark ages. This is a very momentous and exciting time for The Church of God to remember how God revealed His Church to the late Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson on 13th June 1903.

Arise Shine is by no means to glorify A.J. Tomlinson, but to acknowledge and give God thanks for providing such a humble man who was obedient to be used of God, so that you and I can be a part of the wonderful Church that Jesus organised.

It is the responsibility of the CPMA department to keep the vision of The Church of God clear in the hearts and minds of our people and to also teach those who do not know about the Church.

Let us take the opportunity to celebrate Arise Shine. Invite family and friends to our services. The prophet Isaiah also states the following in verses 2 and 3 of Isaiah 60:

“For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

We do not know how God will and can work during an Arise Shine service. We are the light in this dark world of sin. These scriptures are being fulfilled. Let us seek God so that He will have His way in our services.

Page 5

Page 7

This edition of The Chronicle will be issued near the time of one of the most significant events in The Church of God’s calendar - The Arise Shine! In tribute, I thought it would be good for us to brush up on the history of the wonderful Victory Leaders Band and to learn some interesting facts…

The Victory Leaders Band was adopted as an auxiliary for The Church of God at the 23rd General Assembly in 1928.

At the 47th General Assembly in 1952, the Questions and Subjects Committee recommended that membership of the band be confined to people between the ages of 12 and 35.

The first youth camp was conducted in Wyoming, USA in 1951. Summer youth camps were endorsed by the Questions and Subjects Committee at the 47th General Assembly in 1952.

The Gleaner Band was approved by the 43rd General Assembly in 1948 to be a ministry for our children.

The current General VLB
Co-ordinator, Bro. Dustin Hays is the 12th person to fill the post since the VLB department began.

According to the Minutes of the 38th Annual Assembly, 1943, the VLBs throughout the church gave gifts of quilts to every governor in the United States and to the President of the United States.

Youth Life was a VLB magazine published from January 1964 to December of 1968. Youth Life Teams were established at the 64th General Assembly in 1969.

The first VLB song, “Victory Leaders, Hurrah” was sung in the 28th Assembly in 1933 and was dedicated to the first General Secretary.

The purpose of the VLB department is to train up young people for Christian service and to raise funds for the printing of the Gospel.

You do not have to be a member of The Church of God to join the VLB department but what a wonderful way to introduce your friends to the great Church of God, by inviting them to a VLB service!

Submitted by Sister Claudine Brown

Our last service held at St. Christopher’s church hall,
New Street, Frankley as Northfield church

Sunday 21st March 2010 was to be Northfield church’s last Sunday service held at St. Christopher’s church hall after 13 years. We thank the Lord for two visitors who were present. They were Sister Betty and Sister Iris from St. Christopher’s church congregation. Pastor Bennett read a farewell card received from the congregation at St. Christopher’s church and thanked the sisters for coming to share in the service.

Sister Angela Clarke led the devotion and the Scripture reading was Psalm 111.  Sister Angela spoke of how the Lord had led us thus far through our time in the area and for us to look to the future with the Lord still leading.  She drew reference to how God made a covenant with Israel and provided for them as they entered into the Promised Land. Likewise, God made a covenant with us and has blessed us with a place of our own where He will continue to provide.

We were then encouraged by the local auxiliary leaders and band leaders to praise God for the way He has made. The WMB Leader, Sister Wilhelmina Brown sang a special song “All the way my Saviour leads me” and encouraged us on holy living from the scriptures (Ephesians 4:29-32 and 1 Thessalonians 4).

Brother Stuart Brown, CPMA Leader spoke of the period spent at this location as being a life changing time “from boyhood to manhood.” He spoke of how God has kept and will continue to keep us. Brother Stuart went on to state that we must maintain the identity of the Church. The scripture used was 2 Peter 1:3-11.  His final encouragement was for the Church to continue in the way God has set for us and to let God use us.

We sang “Send the Light” before Pastor Bennett spoke of us leaving for the new location. We were encouraged not to just settle down but to work and fulfill our purpose.

Sister Jennifer Thompson, Sunday school Superintendent sang “The last move.” She went on to thank God for His provision and blessings in the Sunday school department during our time in this area. She thanked God for the souls which came and received the Word over the years and have continued. Sister Jennifer stated that “God has blessed us in our time here and I am looking to God for His continued blessings.”  The scripture used to encourage us was Psalm 27:4.

Sister Claudine Brown, VLB Leader sang “Take me back” and talked of feeling a need to return to the love and excitement we first felt when we met God. Sister Claudine stated this will be needed to do the work ahead of us.  She spoke of God’s powerful working during the time in the area; that the tears and prayers of the saints was not limited to these walls of the building here but due to God’s Word written on the tables of our hearts.  She stated “We are moving with the Holy Ghost to a place God has provided.” The scripture used to encourage us was Psalm 37:4-5, 23-24.

Pastor Bennett was our final speaker and spoke of all the places Northfield local congregation had moved to over the years. He felt this could be the last move for the local church.  He read a text entitled “Opportunities” and spoke of hope for the future and the need to recognize and thank God for His benefits towards us.  We were encouraged to go forward into the work and look forward with anticipation.  The scripture used to encourage us was Isaiah 55:8-9.

We sang “Go Ye into All the World.” This is the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the Church. May the Lord help us to win souls for Him.

Sister Jenetta Hurst – Reporter

Page 9

What’s happening in

Long Lane Church?

“Ask, and it shall be given you...” St. Matthew 7:7
Final CPMA service at St. Christopher’s church hall

As the time approached to make our move following many weeks of toil and teamwork from the members of the Church in England, we were once more blessed with a special service led by Deacon Clement Edmeade. It was to be our final CPMA service at St. Christopher’s church hall in Frankley.

Members from St. Christopher’s church joined us in our final service as the moderator took favourite songs from each member of the congregation.  The evening proceeded in prayer and the presence of God could most certainly be felt as the saints worshipped together. We praised God for His goodness towards us and fellowshipped in unity!  Praise the Lord!  Funds were raised to cover all CPMA expenses and a sweet spirit was present as we made preparation to go into pastures new.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” St. Luke 1:37
First midday service at Long Lane, Halesowen

The Church of God in England has truly been blessed with a wonderful new home at Long Lane, Halesowen. Sunday 28th March 2010 saw our first midday service at The Church of God, Long Lane.  How wonderful, how sweet, what a blessing from the Lord!

As members and visitors turned out in anticipation, the morning began with an impromptu praise and worship session.  Sister Jennifer Thompson led the service in a devotion which focused on the events of Palm Sunday (St. Matthew 21:1-11).  We prayed together and sang in worship to God, before being sobered by the thought that the very same people that hailed “Praise Him” in adoration of Jesus Christ turned against Him chanting “Away with Him.”

With minds of sincerity and devotion to our Lord and Saviour, we worshipped together and sang a lively chorus of ‘Praise Him, Praise Him, He’s Worthy to be Praised.’

“…yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
Psalm 37:25

We are thankful to our God for providing this new place to reside in and call home. Pastor Philip C. Bennett rightly acknowledged the work that God has done for His children.  The work and contributions of the members were duly noted.

Sister Wilhelmina Brown’s message focused on the topic ‘God will use whom He will.’ She stated that God’s sacrifice for us was sending Christ to die for our sins.  We gained freedom as a result of this and must make ourselves available for God to use us.  She encouraged us to maintain humility before God and among one another. We were asked to make our hearts open to God. “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and children, and lands with persecution: and in the world to come eternal life.” (St. Mark 10:29-30)

Sister Brown encouraged us further by stating that we should not allow anything or anyone to hinder us, as when it comes to God it’s One on one.  She said that Jesus chose to use a colt (donkey) to make His humble entrance into Jerusalem.  In St. Mark 11 we read that Jesus sent forth two of His disciples to find the colt tied and to loose him, and bring him.  The disciples may not have known the purpose of the mission they had been sent on but were required to be obedient and carry out the Master’s instructions.

In closing, the Church was encouraged that when God tells us to “go” we should not question Him.  “God is a loving God, sympathising and merciful but will also be our Judge.”

Sister Jenetta Hurst - Reporter

What’s happening in
Druids Heath Church?

Victory Leaders Band Service and Children’s Church - Sunday 21st March 2010

Each third Sunday morning, the Children’s Church/Gleaner Band at Druids Heath have their service and are led by the Children’s Church/Gleaner Band leader. This service is separate to the main service and the children present what they have learnt to the congregation in Victory Leaders Band services.

The VLB leaders designated a segment of the Victory Leaders Band service to Gleaner Band time. The Gleaners have been observing the general VLB theme of ‘The Potter’s Vessel’ in their services. They gave some feedback to the Church about what they had learnt.

The children had to give a definition of a potter. They were asked “what is a potter?” They came up with their own ideas as follows:

• A potter makes/creates/moulds objects from clay like vases.
• The clay is: obedient, stretches, flexible, able to bend, be shaped and squeezed.

The children were then asked “what is God’s role (job) as the Potter?” They said:

• God should mould us
• We are His clay
• God made us.

The National Victory Leaders Band Co-ordinator, Sister Claudine Brown was present in this VLB service and brought to our attention a message about “The Forbidden Fruit.” The scripture references were Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:2. She mentioned that God is weighing up the spirits to see if it is the right spirit. We should go back to basics.

Sister Claudine spoke about the disobedience of man found in Genesis 2:8-9. She mentioned how crafty Satan was when he reasoned with Eve in the garden and encouraged Adam to eat the forbidden fruit.  Sister Claudine said God always provides a means of escape for us during temptation and it is up to us to take it. Sister Claudine encouraged us not to partake of the forbidden fruit.

During the message from Sister Claudine, a gentleman walked into our service from off the street and asked for prayer. All the members started to pray earnestly for this gentleman who requested immediate prayer. The service was concluded and the male members of the church sought to encourage the gentleman.

Praise the Lord!

The Church of God (England)

Annual National Convention

Friday 9th - Sunday 11th July, 2010

Our theme is:

“…for such a time as this.”
(Esther 4:14)
 
Our Special Guest Speaker will be Evangelist Jackie Zimmerman - General Assembly Band Movement Co-ordinator who will be accompanied by Sister Vicki Smith, (Cleveland, Tennessee, USA).

Location:
The Church of God, Long Lane, Halesowen, B62 9LL.

Don’t miss the blessings that God has prepared especially for you! See you there!