Empowering

Community Rooted in the significance of Luke 4:16-21, the Chapter 4 Institute is an immersive, cohort-based leadership experience that creates passion for spiritual and social renewal. It challenges leaders to reimagine how the church might earn its place as an essential ally – alongside local government, community-based organizations, businesses, and others – to change the story in their communities.

Children playing in the childcare program hosted at Hope Community Church.

Cohort 3 15 LEADERS

6 CONGREGATIONS

6 WOMEN

1 NONNACOG

9 MEN

5 NACOG

Good Church volunteers ready to put love in action.

5 STATES

FLORIDA • MISSOURI • NEBRASKA • NORTH CAROLINA • KANSAS 4

Basketball program at Monroe City First Church of God.

Changing the Story, One Community at a Time CLARKSBURG YARD

Beth Wolff, Cohort 2 • Clarksburg, Maryland

The Clarksburg Yard was developed in response to the lack of community gathering spaces available in our community. We envisioned it as an outdoor venue and cafe for the 43,000 (current and future) residents and neighbors of Clarksburg to come together for social interaction and to promote community identity.

It would consist of an outdoor space, approx 3/4 of an acre along the 355 bike path, and a café located in the lower level of the retrofitted building already on the property that offered refreshments, indoor space, and a bathroom.

The concept was launched with overwhelming support from the community and we were awarded a landscaping/ place-making design grant from an organization called Nature Sacred. We were also awarded Maryland State

Bond Bill Funding in the amount of $150,000 toward the project, with the expectation that Montgomery County will match the additional $150,000.

We broke ground in July with a hopeful completion date of late 2023. The idea has caught fire with the community, and several businesses and organizations have already requested to make use of the pre-developed space. Additionally, it has given birth to some other advocacy projects including a Toy Library, a Student Gaming Club, and Local County Library.

Thank you for investing in Chapter 4.

Without your guidance in developing a dream into a concept, The Clarksburg Yard might not have become a reality.

TOV CAFE CELEBRATES 1 YEAR! Matthew Stone, Cohort 2 • Greenville, Michigan

Scan the QR code to watch the story

See how a local church is bringing the community together, one cup of kindness at a time.

MAKE A TODAY

5

Leaders Over the past 7 years, LEADERSHIP FOCUS has stood out as a consistent, unifying factor within the Church of God movement. It ensures that every candidate who seeks ordination has been through an equitable, standardized process that provides credentials committees with essential information about their candidates.

It is an extremely valuable conduit for passing our theological heritage to those who come from both within and outside of the movement.

CANDIDATES in the Spring 2023 session

4

Candidates a first for 2023!

6

341

in the Fall

2023 session

TRACK for pastors transferring credentials from other denominations.

93

in 2023, ready to be considered for ordination by their local credentialing assemblies

4

GRADUATES

Local Credentials Committees Training Program Leadership Focus is engaged in the initial work of developing a comprehensive training program for local credentials committees, in collaboration with the Committee on Credentialing (COC) and the CGM Credentialing office. This training program, coming in 2024, will provide up-to-date training and equipping in the areas of credentialing both candidates and local congregations.

Atlas Integration Leadership Focus implemented the use of Atlas in 2023 for the purpose of tracking and connecting with candidates throughout their journey in the program. Credentials committees have also begun to utilize Atlas/Dynamics to follow the progress of their candidates and move them forward in the program. This has been a huge undertaking in partnership with the CGM Atlas team, and we are excited about how Atlas will serve the Movement and help pastors and congregations connect in deeper and meaningful ways.

“I wish I hadn’t waited so long to go through a program like this. I was always afraid of failure, but this has been a really great experience so far. I appreciate that I will be able to use the resources as needed in ministry.”

“Leadership Focus has helped me understand God's calling on my life and has given me the confidence to trust Him in the process. Without Leadership Focus, my ministry would have been lacking the foundation it needs to survive!”

MAKE A TODAY

7

the future CARE coaching is more like “CARE pastoring” for many early career Church of God pastors.

Conversations typically begin with “Tell me about your calling” or “How are you doing today?” and end with prayer over the pastor and the pastor’s circumstances.

By pastoring our pastors, CARE attempts to remove a measure of fatigue associated with pastor aloneness and financial bewilderment.

Persephoni Fuller, CARE PASTOR

82

64%

MAKE A 8

TODAY

and other CARE pastors’ stories

36%

Watch Persephoni’s

40%

27 States

60%

ADVOCATING FOR PASTOR WELL-BEING