Accent -- January 2025

SOUTH GEORGIA CHURCH OF GOD

ACCENT

WINTER 2025 EDITION “THIS IS ABOUT GENERATIONS” GENERAL OVERSEER GARY LEWIS JOINS OVER 1,000 TO DEDICATE THE NEW TABERNACLE IN TIFTON

WWW.SGACOG.ORG

ACCENT

A SOUTH GEORGIA CHURCH OF GOD PUBLICATION JANUARY 2025 Administrative Bishop DR. TONY COOPER Women’s Ministries President KATHY COOPER State Ministries Director BISHOP WAYNE HUGHES Youth & Discipleship Director BISHOP DAVID WHITE Girl’s Ministries Coordinator MARIA WHITE State Council JOHN HARRIS MIKE SANES BRITT PEAVY RYAN OGDEN ALTON CARTER CALVIN ANDERSON WOODY JARRETT AARON COWART KEVIN DAWSON SEAN FAIRCLOTH LARRY DAUGHTRY GWIN JARRIEL

FROM THE EDITOR New Year, new look, still the South Georgia Accent!

On behalf of Administrative Bishop Dr. Tony Cooper, we are so excited to reintroduce you to the quarterly publication of the South Georgia Church Of God! These pages will celebrate the amazing things God is doing, and what is in store next, throughout His church!

If we’ve learned anything in the past few years, it is that we are better together. The mission of this magazine is to keep us connected and informed. It’s an opportunity for our state leadership to share their hearts and vision for our region, and to keep the church informed of all the events coming up on the state calendar.We are here to serve you, and come alongside you as co-labourers in Christ, and this is just one of the many ways we will be connected in 2025 and beyond.

Thank you so much for your faithful service to the Kingdom, and to the Church of God movement. May the sound of the Accent hitting your inbox or mailbox be a sweet sound to your ears once again!

South Georgia Ministry Team

State Treasurer TERESSA PURVIS Admin. Assistant to the AB RENAE FOSKEY BUTLER Ministries Dept. Assistant APRIL SCHLUCKEBIER Credentialing Secretary WENDY DOWD

TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM THE BISHOP’S DESK

THE TABERNACLE’S BACK

Office Receptionist MARY HENDERSON

Dr. Tony Cooper offers a New Year’s Challenge, p. 3

More than 1,000 were welcomed home sweet home p. 4

State Office Assistant CHERYL HUGHES

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

YOUTH/STATE MINISTRIES

The annual Women’s Conference is just around the corner, p. 10

Great things are coming to our state ministries, p. 15-18

GIRLS’ MINISTRIES

STATE STATISTICS

Campus Caretakers CHAD PURVIS BRAULIO ESTRADA

Girls’ Weekend Out, p. 19

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

Church reports, p. 22-27

FROM THE BISHOP’S DESK DR. TONY COOPER ADMINISTRATIVE BISHOP

Dear Pastors and Ministers, What an exciting and wonderful five months we have experienced here in South Georgia. It began in the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Helene, where our churches ministered to thousands of families for weeks on end. It continued with the dedication of the new Tabernacle, where more than 1,000 worshippers gathered to celebrate a new beginning in the wake of the 2022 fire. From the Tabernacle in Tifton to our local fellowship halls, the South Georgia Church of God proved they are more than a building: we are a beacon of hope positioned to serve the harvest for generations to come.

The fellowship we experienced at our Tabernacle Dedication was heartwarming, bringing us back under one roof again. The Spirit of unity we felt at our State Minister’s Meeting was powerful, setting a strong foundation for the year ahead as we elected new boards and appointed new committees.

As we step into the New Year 2025, we reflect on the significance of January. Named after the Greek goddess Janus, January symbolizes looking back at the past year while also looking forward to new beginnings. This month brings excitement as the days begin to lengthen, and we embrace the opportunities that lie ahead. As you and your congregations begin this year, possibly with fasting and consecrated prayer, please remember the need of a great awakening in our nation. Reaching the least, the last and the lost remains our number one priority!

We have much to look forward to in this new year. South Georgia is poised to become a fivestar state, and we are hopeful that by the end of this month, we will see the fruits of our labor.

We are currently less than 150 souls away from our 50,000th member. Let’s keep adding to the church daily as God sees fit. Reports of revival are coming in weekly, and it is evident that God is doing great things here in South Georgia!

Kathy and I want you to know how much we love you and how excited we are for this new year. We are praying for you and your families, believing that 2025 will be your best year ever.

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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TABERNACLE DEDICATION

As Administrative Bishop, Dr. Gary Lewis once watched helplessly as the South Georgia Church of God Tabernacle burned to the ground in April 2022.

On December 5th, 2024, Dr. Lewis returned to Tifton as the General Overseer, this time preaching powerfully from the stage of the newly built Tabernacle at its much-anticipated Dedication Service.

Dr. Lewis was joined by the International Executive Committee and new Administrative Bishop Dr. Tony Cooper as they celebrated this monumental moment with an estimated crowd of 1,000 pastors, laity and state leaders.

Accent | South Georgia Church Of God

“I AM BELIEVING FOR GREATER THINGS FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN ...

GOD IS GOING TO DO AGAIN IN THIS PLACE WHAT HE DID IN THE LAST PLACE” DR. GARY LEWIS The 1,800-seat worship center features a state-of-the-art sanctuary with three giant LED walls, a second-floor media center and a spacious lobby. It replaces a historic Tabernacle that was built in 1972, but was lost to a tragic fire on April 21, 2022.

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South Georgia is fewer than 150 members away from being 50,000 strong and becoming a Five-Star rated region in the Church of God for the first time!

Administrative Bishop Dr. Tony Cooper is asking our churches to add new members in the next five weeks -that’s five weeks to five stars! -- to grow the Church and reach this historic goal!

Accent | South Georgia Church Of God

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STATE MINISTER’S MEETING Hundreds of ministers and leaders gathered for our biennial State Minister’s Meeting, electing boards, receiving vision and addressing the needs of the church in the newly-opened Tabernacle.

Congratulations to all those elected by their peers, and special thanks to our hard-working staff and volunteers!

STATE COUNCIL FRONT ROW (l-r): Aaron Cowart, Woody Jarrett, John Harris (Chair), Administrative Bishop Dr. Tony Cooper, Calvin Anderson, Ryan Ogden.

BACK ROW: Gwin Jarriel, Sean Faircloth, Britt Peavy, Alton Carter, Mike Sanes, Kevin Dawson, Larry Daughtry.

YOUTH & DISCIPLESHIP BOARD FRONT ROW (l-r): Matthew Peavy, Thadd Peavy, YD Director David White, Ryan Carnes, Zac Case.

BACK ROW: Buddy Crenshaw, Brad Gleeson, J.D. Quinn, Andrew Flowers, Javaris Wright, Steven Toole (not pictured: Aaron Moncrief, Aaron Jarriel).

STATE MINISTRIES BOARD FRONT ROW (l-r): Matthew Schluckebier, State Ministries Director Wayne Hughes, Dewain Joiner, Wayne Merritt.

BACK ROW: Hugh Anderson, Patrick Ford, Lamar Lee, Clayton Dowd, Todd Garner (not pictured: Brett Jarriel).

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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COMING UP IN 2025 JANUARY 18

FEBRUARY 6-7

YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

PRAYER CONFERENCE

YD Director David White leads a free day of vision casting and team building for all student ministry leaders/volunteers

Dr. Bryan Cutshall and Dr. Raymond Burch are the keynote speakers for our annual winter gathering.

FEBRUARY 8

FEBRUARY 28MARCH 1

TOOLS CONFERENCE

WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

Training is offered for a variety of ministry areas, from pastors to lay leaders.

An anointed ministry lineup includes speaker Theresa Arwood and singer Kaci Stewart.

APRIL 4-5

VARIOUS DATES

GIRLS WEEKEND OUT

R3 RALLIES

Girls ages 6-to-18 are invited to “Go Girl!” -- go PRAY, go READ, go SHINE, go TELL!

Sites across the region will gather for worship and investing in the Kingdom of God.

APRIL 25-26

APRIL 29MAY 1

TEEN TALENT

SMOKY MTN GATHERING

Students ages 12-19 can showcase their gifts and talents for God!

Seniors are invited to this annual gathering in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Accent | South Georgia Church Of God

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SIS. KATHY COOPER WOMEN’S MINISTRIES DIRECTOR

Hello January 2025 ! But where is the snow? It has been 40+ years since we lived in an area where snow is not expected November through March, or any other time during the year. It is a very nice change with the warmer temps! Thanks to social media, I can enjoy the beautiful snow without the cold!

It is hard to believe we have lived in Tifton, Georgia for over five months! What a very busy time it has been and continues to be. I have enjoyed getting to see many new faces, and connect for a quick hello! Whether it has been visiting a church service, helping with disaster relief, attending district gatherings, or events on the state campgrounds, we have experienced lots of warm southern hospitality. South Georgia Church of God, you have made Bishop Tony and I feel so welcome!

I hope you are making plans to attend “Joy in the Journey” Women’s Conference! Details are included in this publication. How blessed we are to have Kaci Stewart and Theresa Arwood as our special guest speakers. I am confident you will be blessed by their ministry.

Several have already registered. Feel free to call the state office or send an email to wdpres@sgacog.org if you have any questions or need more information. Once you have registered, occasional updates regarding the conference will be sent via email.

James 1 :2-4 – My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

SCAN HERE

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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YOUTH AND DISCIPLESHIP “RAISING SONS & DAUGHTERS” BISHOP DAVID WHITE YOUTH & DISCIPLESHIP DIRECTOR

MINISTRY EXPERIENCE:

We don’t know who, and we don’t know where, but somewhere on this

KENTUCKY YD 2021-24

Generation Beta was born.

CALIFORNIA/ NEVADA YD 2014-2021 SENIOR PASTOR PORTERVILLE CA

2009-2021 SENIOR PASTOR POPLAR IGLESIA DE DIOS (CA) 2018-21

planet, shortly after midnight on January 1st, the charter member of Think about it: Gen Z is still in our youth group, Gen Alpha just turned 13, and now a third generation is about to hit our church nursery. Wow! We have an opportunity to raise three generations of sons and daughters at a single time. What we need is a plan -- and that’s what we will be unveiling Saturday, January 18th at our inaugural Youth Leadership Summit.

This is my chance to share the vision and mission of our movement to our student and children’s pastors We’re going to create mentoring groups, provide localized training, and prayerfully forge a path to connect students to Christ, Church and Community.

I hope you’ll send your team to this free event. You can register today at sgacog.live/youthleadersummit Don’t have a team? Pastors are welcome, too. We all have to start somewhere, and what better time than now and what better place than here?.

R EG IS T R A T IO N O PEN S JA N U A R Y 20

Accent | South Georgia Church Of God

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GOING LIVE IN 2025.

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YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

TEEN TALENT

Youth/Children’s pastors and volunteers can

Register at sgacog.org/youth-amp-discipleship ...

register free at sgacog.live/youthleadersummit

Download FREE manuals at cogyd.org/teentalent

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SMOKY MTN WINTERFEST

RIDE & RUN FOR MISSIONS

Let’s pack the house in Pigeon Forge for a

Email ydsga@sgacog.org to join our 5k run or

weekend of revival and refreshing!

bike ride to raise missions money for Zambia

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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SOUTH GEORGIA STATE MINISTRIES BISHOP WAYNE HUGHES STATE MINISTRIES DIRECTOR

In John 4:35, Jesus told His disciples, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’. Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.”

Jesus had just had an encounter with a sinful Samaritan at the well of Jacob outside the city of Sychar. When Jesus revealed who He was to her, she ran into the city and told everyone that He must be the Christ. The people of the city hastened to see this man. While the people approached the well, Jesus told His disciples to lift up their eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white and ripe for harvest.”

Jesus had come to Samaria intentionally to see this sinful woman (John 4:4) and to share the gospel with the people of Sychar. He did so with urgency. He recognized the time was NOW. The harvest was ready, and He impressed upon His disciples the urgency of the mission to reach the harvest of people who were lost and held captive by the power of sin.

There is a great harvest all around us. Time is short. People are passing into eternity without Jesus every day. We must see the need clearly. We must be intentional. We must do all we can to reach the harvest NOW. “Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.”

(II Corinthians 6:2). Let us stand with a clear voice and declare the gospel of Jesus Christ to a world in crisis. The harvest is ready. The time is NOW.

Accent | South Georgia Church Of God

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS. 1

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SMOKY MTN GATHERING

CAMP MEETING BANQUET

Register today for this

great weekend of

fellowship and a Talent Show.

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Register at sgacog.org/youth-amp-discipleship ...

Download FREE manuals at cogyd.org/teentalent

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SENIOR ADULT CELEBRATION

SENIOR TRIP

This annual event returns to The Tabernacle

Our annual seniors trip is scheduled to visit

for the first time since 2021.

Charleston, S.C.

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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SIS. MARIA WHITE GIRL’S MINISTRIES COORDINATOR

Hard to believe we have lived here for nearly 6 months already! Time has flown by since we made our move from Kentucky to South Georgia. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind start with hurricane relief efforts, meet-n-greets and building dedications.

During this time, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you all. I hope that through time I can get to know more of you and get to know you better. Maybe that will happen during our Girls Weekend Out. Speaking of, here’s a little taste of what I envision for that weekend.

Go Pray! Go Read! Go Shine! Go Tell! Go Girl!

Go Pray! A godly girl has a devoted prayer life. Go Read! A godly girl reads the bible daily.

Go Shine! A godly girl shines the light of Christ wherever she goes exemplifying Christ in all that she says and does so that lastly she can effectively tell others about Christ.

On April 4-5th we have our Girls Weekend Out entitled Go Girl!, during that time we will emphasize all of the above with hopes that every girl will not leave the same way they came.

My prayer is that our girls are blessed by guest speaker Tricia Mayer, along with friends including Brooke Flowers, Annason Campbell, Kyla Parvin and Christian podcaster Shanda Fullbright. This weekend will not only be a time for girls ages 3-18, but also a time for their moms, grandmas and leaders to learn how to guide the girls in their daily walk with Christ.

Please make plans to attend as we go and grow in Christ together!

Register here sgacog.live/girlsweekend Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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CHURCH STATISTICS SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2024 Three-month averages as reported to State Office

Top Attendance

Top Tithe

New Members

Tithe Breakers 22

CHURCH STATISTICS SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2024 Three-month averages as reported to State Office

CHURCH STATISTICS SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2024 Three-month averages as reported to State Office

CHURCH STATISTICS SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2024 Three-month averages as reported to State Office

CHURCH STATISTICS SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2024 Three-month averages as reported to State Office

CHURCH STATISTICS SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2024 Three-month averages as reported to State Office

Accent | South Georgia Church of God

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SOUTH GEORGIA CHURCH OF GOD ACCENT

EXECUTIVE STATE OFFICES 42 Kell Road, Tifton GA 31793 P.O. Box 1370 (229) 386-2967

WWW.SGACOG.ORG