The Alabama Messenger May 2016

THE

ALABAMA MESSENGER

May/June 2016

Volume 30/ Number 3

EDWARD WILSON

DISTRICT SECRETARY‐TREASURER

ewilson@adcag.org

Focus – Inward

Several years ago I regularly began receiving newsletters from a minister many considered a modern‐day prophet. His messages in the newsletter consisted of Old Testament scriptures and judgment comments. I questioned his motive. I considered his comments negative and condemning. But the messages kept coming and I still had my concerns. The newsletters quit coming and the man of God died in an automobile accident. Now it seems we have a void of pro‐ phetic messages of warning.

The truth is, we are warned in scripture of a soon judgment, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?” (I Peter 4:17, 18) This is a sobering thought.

Paul admonishes us to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith. (II Cor. 13:5) Paul also warns us to examine our‐ selves when we are partaking of the bread and wine at the Lord’s table. (I Cor. 11:28) It seems we are to take regular inventory of where we are in our relationship with the Lord.

If we judge ourselves, we will work toward purifying ourselves. James 4:7‐10 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he shall flee from you. Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your heart, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

Titus instructs us, “Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar peo‐ ple, zealous to good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

An examination of the modern‐day church may reveal a departure from these scriptures. Today we are encouraged to feel good about ourselves regardless of how we live. After all, we live under the grace of God. I would ask you to take a look at your own spiritual condition with these scriptures and others in mind, and see if you have bought into a fal‐ lacy of self‐serving living or if you are really living a life pleasing to God.

There are two reasons for us to judge ourselves. First, we must build God’s church on His holiness and righteousness.

We must live for others who have chosen to walk with us. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially to the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:10) My personal goal is to leave this earth letting my children, grandchildren, and all others in the church know there is a need to please God.

Secondly, I want to live in such a way that those who are not saved will see by my example a better way; a way that leads to eternal life. For me to fail would mean others would doubt or even worse, never believe.

Look again at I Peter 4: 17, 18. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God…….And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the sinner and the ungodly appear?”

We again need voices crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His path straight.”

Ken Draughon ALABAMA DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT ds@adcag.org

Spiritual Leadership 101 Someone wrote that true spiritual leaders were an endangered species. There is a difference between a cooperate leader and a church leader. One leads a cooperation while the other leads a church. One is about leading the company to accomplish the “bottom line” while the other is leading the church to “walk the line” (Gal. 5:25). !

Glenn Wagner wrote in Escape from Church, Inc. (p. 101): “Good and faithful shepherds look after their sheep, tend to their injuries, search for the lost, and bring them all to good pasture. Generals, kings, and CEOs are more concerned about the bottom line and ultimate results than they are about lost or hurting sheep.” !

The trouble with the future is that it is no longer what it used to be. There is a great vacuum of true spiritual leadership. Barna quoted in his book, Today’s Pastors, “only 6% of senior pastors believe they have they have the gift of leadership.” If this is true, then Maxwell’s statement in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, which he calls the “law of the lid”, should concern all of us. The law of the lid says that if your ability to lead is at a 4 out of a possible 10 being tops—then, those that follow you will be no more than 3’s. !

In order to build people—you must be able to have them follow you. In your preaching, teaching, and ever other facet of pastoral ministry. One of the easiest tests to see if you’re really a leader is go somewhere and look behind you—if people are following you—you are a leader. Leadership is simply getting people to follow you. !

You will be successful at leadership when—you have people follow you—that will only happen when people think they are making a difference, feel they are contributing, and know that their efforts are recognized and their needs are being met. You will be successful at spiritual leadership when you show people how to follow God. !

Someone once said, Here’s what leaders do: 1) They talk about what’s important around here; 2) They talk about where we are headed; 3) They talk about what we stand for; 4) They talk about falling in love with risk. And, 5) They learn to motivate people. !

I deeply believe we need more excellence in the church. We also need to keep learning leadership skills, but not at the expense of divine presence. We do need corporate skills in the church, but we need pastoral skills even more. Keep learning and always be teachable. Yesterday’s manner won’t feed today’s hungry people—keep seeking God for a fresh supply of spiritual food for those that will pull up to the table. Be a true spiritual leader!

Don’t be an endangered species.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION .

Michael D. Sharp, D. Min. Christian Education Director

SATURDAY, August 20, 2016 FIVE LOCATIONS Tennessee Valley - Hartselle First AG Birmingham - LifeChurch Birmingham, Trussville Montgomery - Safe Harbor Outreach Center, Prattville Dothan - Dothan First AG Mobile - Fountain of Life, Saraland MORE INFORMATION COMING TO YOU SOON! TOP TWENTY BGMC GIVING 2015 Dothan First A/G Clearwater AG Montgomery First AG Orchard AG Phenix City First AG Jackson First AG Ozark First AG LifeChurch of the AG Excel First AG Lomax AG Moffett Road AG Garywood AG Eufaula First AG Thompson Chapel AG Clanton First AG The Crossing Harper’s Joy AG Abundant Life AG (Dothan) Saugahatchee AG Fountain of Life AG

$36,978.00 22,649.50 17,738.47 17,345.58 10,000.00 6,242.19 5,287.71 5,247.37 5,200.00 5,000.00 4,932.91 4,663.03 4,400.00 3,805.92 3,776.33 3,593.00 3,150.00 3,000.00 2,572.62 2,376.24

Sunday School Tithes January - March 2016 Evangel Church Harper’s Joy AG Clanton First AG Clayton First AG Friendly AG Kingwood AG Life Church of the AG Montgomery First AG The Crossing Holloway Tabernacle

$225.00 225.00 175.07 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 133.33

BGMC Giving Jan - March 2016 Dothan First AG Orchard AG Clearwater AG Phenix City First AG Harper’s Joy AG Thompson Chapel AG Montgomery First AG Praise Family Church LifeChurch Birmingham Holloway Tabernacle

$16,080.00 3,818.75 2,825.99 2,400.00 1,922.95 1,297.42 1,071.86 809.00 726.82 711.42

Beyond

. . . . . a ministry to all ages Missionary Chris Duncan - Medan, Indonesia BGMC Funds needed to purchase a video projector and sound equipment for the Kids Ministry Facility they are building which is connected to the International Church they are planting.

Missionary Joil Marbut - Sucua, Ecuador BGMC Funds needed to purchase a portable recording studio for use in training primary oral learners, and ICI material for training pastors.

Missionary Tom McLane - Senegal, Africa BGMC Funds needed to continue the launch of the Community Health Evangelism Micro-Enterprise for Women initiative in West Africa with the Senegal Assemblies of God.

ABOVE

Missionary Jason Smock - Sensitive Area BGMC Funds needed to purchase MP3 players containing scripture and various other religious material like books, cartoons, etc. also $1 which will buy 5lbs. of rice on the black market, and helium balloons to deliver packages into the country.

Missionary Joel Temple – Paris, France BGMC Funds needed to purchase two video projectors and a Portable Puppet Stage Performance Bag including a Tourguide Translation System.

DISTRICT DIRECTOR

ALABAMA DISTRICT MISSIONS & MEN’S MINISTRIES DAVID STRAHAN email: dstrahan@adcag.org

us & world missions

church planting & development

men’s ministry

PR OVIDE assistance for our Alabama missionaries

PRmissions OMOTE in the Alabama District

2

Make a monthly faith promise

Please send your Faith Promises to:

The Alabama District Missions Department Please make checks payable to:

The Alabama District Missions Department

1

Bring a generous offering to the District Missions Service

lftl

Men’s Encounter 2016 Allen Griffin

HOSTED BY SUPERINTENDENT KEN DRAUGHON & MISSIONS AND MEN’S MINISTRIES DIRECTOR, DAVID STRAHAN

Thursday, May 12th 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bridge of Life, Montgomery This event is offered to you at NO COST! Lunch will be served onsite for $10 per person.

To register, please email ssowers@adcag.org with the name of your church and the number of people who will be attending.

Please register by Monday, May 9th so that we may have an accurate count for lunch.

David Strahan

September 15-17 Cost is $99 BE WATCHFUL; STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH

ACT LIKE MEN; BE STRONG

LET ALL THAT YOU DO BE DONE IN LOVE I CORINTHIanS 16:13-14

Dr. Oss served as the founding pastor of Capital Church, Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1997-2004. He also taught for 10 years on the faculty of Central Bible College (1988-1997; 2004-05), and for four years on the faculty of Valley Forge Christian College (1984-88). He Dr. Doug Oss, Ph.D. has planted two churches, two university Professor of Biblical ministries and has served in pastoral ministry Theology and New Testament Interpretation for a total of 18 years. In addition to his practical ministry, Dr. Oss has been an active scholar in the areas of hermeneutics and biblical theology.

“I believe the pulpits of our churches determine the future path of our fellowship.

Expository preaching provides the main course for a healthy future.” — Doug Oss

Thank you to all those who are faithful in your support of our missionaries!

Below are the top three churches in giving according to the World Missions Department in Springfield.

2015 WORLD MISSIONS PER CAPITA GIVING

2015 WORLD MINISTRIES GIVING

2015 CP&D GIVING

2015 LFTL GIVING

2015 WORLD MISSIONS GIVING

FIRST PLACE First Assembly of God Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Greg Kelley $1,185.98 per person

FIRST PLACE First Assembly of God Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Greg Kelley $717,766.29

FIRST PLACE First Assembly of God Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Greg Kelley $31,000.00

FIRST PLACE Excel Assembly of God Excel, Alabama Pastor: Keith Brumbalow $22,500.00

FIRST PLACE First Assembly of God Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Greg Kelley $564,524.29

SECOND PLACE Evangel Assembly of God Dothan, Alabama Pastor: Robert Hamilton $713.00 per person

SECOND PLACE Alabaster, Alabama Pastor: Jay West $437,089.57

SECOND PLACE Evangel Church Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Mike Rippy $18,000.00

SECOND PLACE First Assembly of God Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Greg Kelley $20,930.00

SECOND PLACE First Assembly of God Phenix City, Alabama Pastor: Barry Danner $243,090.60

THIRD PLACE First Assembly of God Dothan, Alabama Pastor: Murray Kelley $651.32 per person

THIRD PLACE First Assembly of God Dothan, Alabama Pastor: Murray Kelley $371,858.75

THIRD PLACE First Assembly of God Phenix City, Alabama Pastor: Barry Danner $15,500.00

THIRD PLACE Evangel Church Montgomery, Alabama Pastor: Mike Rippy 18,542.66

THIRD PLACE First Assembly of God Dothan, Alabama Pastor: Murray Kelley $237,081.75

Kingwood Assembly of God

Alabama Women’s Ministries Director: Cyndi Draughon

for every woman...

Calling all ladies! Start spreading the word about Fall Breakaway. This is THE GREATEST EVENT OF THE YEAR for our women. Let me encourage you to begin making plans now to attend. Space is limited and we will fill up quickly!

fall Breakaway SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2016

OUR GREATEST EVENT OF THE YEAR! AT SPRINGVILLE CAMP & CONFERENCE CENTER REGISTRATION BEGINS JULY 1ST PRE-REGISTRATION DEPOSIT: $35 PER PERSON (DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE)

I da M ay C ul pe pp er GUEST OF HONOR

$85 BALANCE DUE AT CHECK-IN

Martha Tennison

THURSDAY EVEnING SPEAKER

Susanne Cox FRIDAY EVEnING SPEAKER

G REG WOODALL

& FLORENCE FIRST AG WILL BE LEADING WORSHIP

LODGES ARE GIVEN ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS

P

Alabama Girls Ministries Coordinator: Kristi Norris

her heart... her world... His purpose

JULY 19-22, 2016 CAMP REGISTRATION PACKETS WILL BE MAILED THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY PRE-REGISTRATION DEPOSIT: $30 PER PERSON (DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE)

$70 BALANCE DUE AT CHECK-IN

Mpact Speakers:

Mark & Stephanie Sasser

Teen Girls Speaker:

Terra Russell

FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL kristi@orchardassembly.com OR CALL KRISTI AT 251-680-3381

PLEASE BE SURE TO USE the STREET ADDRESS WHEN SENDING MAIL TO THE district Office!

5919 Carmichael Road ~ Montgomery, AL 36117

Congratulations Tanner Williams on Your Thriving Girls Ministries Program!

We are so excited about what God is doing at Tanner Williams Assembly of God in Wilmer, Alabama!

Previously in the Girls Ministries at Tanner Williams, there were around eleven to fourteen girls coming regularly on Wednesday nights. They were able to meet in one room, and only had two sponsors at that time.

In February, the Girls Ministries began praying for the Lord to stir the hearts of more women, so there could be separate classes for each club meeting.

They sat on the floor, bowed their heads and hearts and prayed and believed.

The girls were also asked to pray daily for more women to come forward.

Praise the Lord, because they now have ten sponsors! There is a separate club meeting for Sunlight Kids, Rainbows, Daisies, Prims, Stars, and Friends! They hope to have a Girls Only Club soon.

Pastors Ronnie and Kim Wareham have been very supportive.

This club has almost tripled in size since that original prayer meeting in February!

They are well on our way to earning their first badges. We give God all the glory, honor, and praise for how He is working in this program!

Alabama School of Ministry 2016 Class Schedule Class Date

May 7 May 7 May 14

August 6 August 6 August 13

Level 1 Courses (Certified)

Prison Epistles

Level 2 Courses (License)

Introduction to Homiletics

Level 3 Courses (Ordination)

Preaching in the Contemporary World

Introduction to Hermeneutics

Eschatology

Church Administration, Finance and Law

The Local Church in Evangelism

Effective Leadership

Pastoral Ministry

September 10 September 10 September 10

October 15 October 15 October 22

Relationships and Ethics in Ministry

Conflict Management for Church Leaders

Introduction to AG Missions

November 19 November 19 November 19

(Black denotes North) Mt Olive (Blue denotes Southeast) Newton (Red denotes South Campus) Evergreen

You may contact Edward Wilson for more information.

(334) 279‐7172 or ewilson@adcag.org

Enrollment form may be found at www.adcag.org

The ALSOM course, Assemblies of God History, Missions, and Governance, will be taught July 16, 2016 at the district office, 5919 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36117, at 9:00 a.m.

You may enroll by using the provided forms at www.adcag.org, or by calling the district office at 334‐279‐7172 ext. 2. This course is required for anyone seeking credentials with the Assemblies of God or coming from another denomination. As always, if you have questions about this or any other course, please call our office.

Dr. Robert E. Carter, Jr drcarter@mon‐cre.net

Christian and Addicted to Porn If you are a Christian, you must begin with the realization that ANY addiction, by its very nature, is an idol. The addiction controls you. It doesn't matter whether that addiction is to some kind of drug, nicotine, alcohol or pornography. It is something you have placed before God. I think the lack of this realization may be the greatest hindrance to getting past any behavior associated with the addiction. Realization, confession and repentance of the sin needs to come first. If you are REALLY serious about getting free, everything written here will be helpful in conquering any addiction.

(1) Tell someone you trust about the addiction. The power of sin is in its darkness.

When sin is brought out into the light, it loses a lot of steam. The Word of God tells us that we need to confess our sins not just to the Lord, but to each other. If you are married, you need to make confession to your spouse. If you are a minor, you need to confess to your parents.

(2) Pornography is not victimless. The addict is the first victim. Spouses are victims. Family is a victim. By participating in the activity it helps enable those who make porn continue their sinful activity, and many of the women and girls in those magazines or videos are continuing to be victimized.

(3) Pornography is pure selfishness. It's all about you, about what excites or feels good. It places lust and desire above God, your family, your spouse, and anyone else. You take unimaginable risks to satisfy a lust that cannot be satisfied.

(4) The problem is not in your hormones or your body, but the enemy struggling for control of your mind. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Church in Rome, made a statement that is little heeded in our pleasure oriented, self‐centered world. He said, "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your MIND." Transformation requires something out of you. Notice that the key to transformation is in changing your MIND. You see, this particular problem stems from the fact that you are able to view women (or men) as objects of your pleasure. Transformation comes by changing your mind on this. The problem is in your viewpoint.

(5) You are not just an animal. You are not, at the mercy of your hormones and physical sensations. God has instilled in us the ability to think and to reason; to choose to do the right thing.

(6) You must realize that this is a PROCESS. Like in dealing with any other addiction, it will take time. I have seen some quit an addiction cold turkey with God's help, but God doesn't always work that way. Sometimes He wants you to learn why you did it and new ways to keep it from happening again. I recommend you get counseling either way to learn how to be a stronger person after the addiction.

(7)If your spouse or child is a porn user, insist on counseling. It is your spousal right to expect faithfulness, and it is your spousal responsibility not to allow your spouse to be caught up into such sin without great attempts at intervention. Make sure with your child it is dealt with ASAP.

(8) There are some steps you can take to help prevent future incidents. (1) Have the home computer in a public place (2) Frequently check the computer for spyware/adware/malware by installing an anti‐spyware program. Many don't know that porn sites routinely place this stuff into computers. (3) Use a password system so that a child can't be on by themselves (4) Use a monitoring program (with the full knowledge of the addict) (5) Be careful of what gets watched on TV (partial nudity and sex scenes could certainly trigger a desire to return to porn) and make sure that any literature with sexual stories and partial nudity are not in the house. Protecting your loved ones means cleaning your house and your mind.

DATA CHANGES BLAKNEY, DOUGLAS A. (L) (SALLY) 3550 WATERMELON RD NORTHPORT, AL 35473 205-662-3466 RALEY, DAVID MAIL: PO BX 14114 SPRINGFIELD, MO 65814 NEW MINISTERS CARNLEY, JANICE (CM) 213 HATTAWAY RD OPP, AL 3667 COCHRAN, BOYD PHONE 334-614-4713 KELLEY, MARTHA (L) (MURRAY) 106 TRENTON CT DOTHAN, AL 36305 334-793-3933 KEY, JEFFREY (CM) 715 BLACKWELL DAIRY RD JASPER, AL 35504 MANSFIELD, WILLIAM (CM) 975 LONNIE WATSON RD NEWTON, AL 36352 MCKNIGHT, RAINA (CM) PO BX 173 PINCKARD, AL 36371 334-718-9384

MOSS, WILLIAM CALEB (CM) 54195 CHAFIN RD BAY MINETTE, AL 36507 251-605-5442

MIMS, JUSTIN (C) 1405 MEADOWOOD DR CLANTON, AL 35045 205-217-1380

RICHBURG, HALLIE (CM) (JONATHAN) 309 SMITH ST ANDALUSIA, AL 36420 334-343-8180

SHEPARD, JOHNNY (O) (CAROL) 606 CAROL ST HARTFORD, AL 36344 334-223-2513 FROM THE W. FL. DISTRICT

SPRINKLE, ANDREA (CM) 9695 RANCH RD IRVINGTON, AL 36544 STANLEY, WESLEY (CM) 218 CHLOE CT DOTHAN, AL 36303

TERRY, LYNN (O) (VICKI) 1320 CO RD 448 MT HOPE, AL 35651 270-254-6354 FROM THE KENTUCKY DISTRICT

TILLMAN, HALEY (CM) 5152 SANTOS DR W MOBILE, AL 36619

MINISTERS UPGRADED GRIGGS, CODY (L)

WILSON, EDNA (L) (EDWARD) 48 CANTABURY LANE MILLBROOK, AL 46054 334-467-3627 MINISTERS TRANSFERRED IN HERNANDEZ, JEREMY B. (CM) (NICOLE) 9154 MCFARLAND CT MOBILE, AL 36619 251-610-0113

JACKSON, RICHARD HEATH (L)

ALABAMA DISTRICT COUNCIL OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Kenneth Draughon, District Superintendent John A. Loper, Jr., Assistant Superintendent Edward Wilson, District Secretary-Treasurer

GENERAL PRESBYETERS Kenneth Draughon Johnny E. Jones Murray Kelley

DISTRICT PRESBYTERS Robert Angles George Arnett Barry Danner Scottie Fulcher Jerry Jenkins Keith Jones Charles Lenn Eddie Littlefield Lomax Lunsford Michael Lynn Randall Reid George Sawyer James F. Smith, Sr. Ronald O. Thompson David Wooten

DISTRICT WORLD MISSIONS DIRECTOR

MINISTER REINSTATED BAKER, RICHARD ALAN (O) (HEATHER) 1300 HENDERSON HWY TROY, AL 36079 919-771-4891

David Strahan

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION DIRECTOR Michael Sharp

YOUTH MINISTRIES DIRECTOR Steven Mason

WOMEN'S MINISTRIES DIRECTOR Cynthia Draughon

In Loving Memory Rev. Charles Littlefield of Taylor, Alabama, went home to be with the Lord April 1, 2016, at the age of 65. Fu‐ neral services were held at Taylor Assembly of God April 3, 2016, with Dr. Chalen Campbell, Dr. Max McKinney, and Rev. Greg Doss officiating.

Brother Littlefield was granted a Certificate of Ministry in 1987, License in 1989, and Ordination in 1991.

His ministry included serving as pastor of Fadette Assembly of God, Taylor Assembly of God, and Faith Christian Center, Ozark. He also faithfully served as presbyter of the Dothan section and assistant presbyter of the En‐ terprise section.

Brother Littlefield is survived by his wife, Patricia, one daughter, and one son.

Alabama District Council Assemblies of God P. O. Box 235014 Montgomery, Alabama 36123-5014

Periodical Postage Paid Montgomery, Alabama

I love woodworking. I’m not as good at it as I would like to be and I don’t get much time to do the finer types of craftsmanship, so maybe I should say I enjoy working with wood. When we are building something here at SCCC using wood, one thing is a given – the wood will have knots. But not all knots are a structural problem and sometimes you even want some knots if you are doing finish work that you will stain later. I don’t know how many times I have heard, “The knots add character.” I think the knots in wood are like things that happen to us in our life. Sometimes they are weak places that need extra strength. Sometimes they are just hard spots that the nail won’t go through. Sometimes they are even things that add beauty and ex‐ tra value to the finished work.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” As we approach the summer camp season, we know that we will encounter many young people with “knots”. It is our pur‐ pose for these summer months to help create an atmosphere where God can do the workman‐ ship in their lives so that they can find that purpose that God created them for. Please pray with us for all the young people that will step onto our campus this season.

Our fall retreats are booking now. If we can be of assistance to your church in planning a re‐ treat, please give us a call.

Many Blessings, Rev. Kevin Pierson Executive Director Springville Camp and Conference Center