The saints of the Church Of God In Christ are engaged in the spiritual struggle to bring an agenda of hope and empowerment where indifference, poverty, disease and human suffering are pandemic. The inevitability of continued militaristic conflict, deprivation of whole areas of the world’s population due to disease and poverty will only worsen. World’s population is in jeopardy of succumbing to the vicissitudes of despair as governments, communities and religious organizations search for the ability to gauge and apply a moral response to modern day situations.
It is against this back drop the Church Of God In Christ must provide answers and hope. The Church Of God In Christ is active on the world’s stage. It witnesses numerous confrontations that are both politically divisive and morally outrageous. As a result there is a conscious reality of hopelessness in various quarters of society, and the implications are great! The Church belongs there and should act in a credible way. It is utterly fascinating that continued challenges are reduced to rhetorical issues. Our authentic loving voice delivers a message of hope to people in every walk in life and we seek to persuade anyone who would listen, that God is yet in charge.
There is a lack of a moral compass in the leadership of nations and among the captains of industry. Though technology has made the world smaller, the interaction of nations has resulted in greater confusion, conflict and pain. Too often, circumstances have caused humankind to lack the essential godliness and character of the creator. When we deny our heritage in the Lord we become hopeless. The social conscience of nations and communities around the world has become too self centered. The realities of Xenophobic behavior have widened the gaps of human relationships and reduced humane treatment of the weak. Fear has created puzzlement among those who should be above the petty, selfish and ruthless ambition of personal advantage. Some people no longer find strength in diversity but only want to criticize and challenge those who are different.
The world is on the verge of a greater moral crisis fueled by the futility of nationalistic bias. Religious leaders must speak to and preach about values that transcend our immediate background. The Church Of God In Christ is concerned and we are framing the ethical and faith building arguments that deliver the inscrutable riches of God’s love to those in need. We are bringing hope to a world of need through our ten thousand congregations worldwide that believe implicitly in education and personal uplift.
The Church Of God In Christ is a religious organization unwilling to compromise its values and the holiness/sanctification message that has shaped our reality. We are encouraged that our Pentecostal legacy is vital to increasing the spiritual fervency that despair seeks to quiet. We hate sin and the predominate destructive conditions it produces in families and the whole of society. Rather than accommodate hopelessness, we are prepared to advance through preaching a message of hope, utilizing our resources, training and educating people through our auxiliary and ancillary ministries, and will share our witness with anyone who will listen. Jesus said, “I came that you might have life and that more abundantly.”
Hope is found through the preaching, teaching, and healing ministries of the Church Of God In Christ. Hope is offered by the bishops, pastors, elders, missionaries and the saints, who are filled with faith and the Pentecostal fervency. Whether in the confines of a West Angeles COGIC or a congregation under a tent in Ivory Park Township, South Africa, an airbase in Japan or a village in Latin America; the Church Of God In Christ is engaged. We have a legitimate word for those in need of salvation, education, and securing a better life. The Church Of God In Christ is bringing hope and defeating the foes of human dignity and moral living. We are pragmatic because we understand hunger and disease must be confronted. Beyond that we recognize that the spirit of humankind needs the love and empowerment of the creator.
Jesus Christ is that Hope! Through the leadership of Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake and the General Board of Bishops, Board of Bishops, the thousands of pastors, other clergy and missionaries, the Church Of God In Christ is implementing programming and faith, bringing hope to the world. It is through the voice of Pentecost and the expressions of our Lord’s Words that we embrace the need and challenge all opposition to human dignity. Whether in the prisons, on the urban streets, or in the homes of local communities, we are there bringing the salvific power of God.
Finally, there is hope for those crushed by nuclear fear, increased incidence of wars, or natural catastrophes. There is hope for those frustrated by divorce, struggling with troubled teens, seeking to handle shifting trends or accomplish social interaction. There is hope for those in spite of sexual promiscuity and homosexual immorality. There is hope for the incarcerated youth, hope for pregnant teens, and those who never had an opportunity hope is eternal. The Church Of God In Christ yet speaks with biblical authority and for a life of sanctification. Certainly, Presiding Bishop Charles Blake is optimistic as he proclaims, “I see you in the future and you look better.”
