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
Dr Tony Cooper offers a New Year’s Challenge, p 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
More than 1,000 were welcomed home sweet home p 4
The annual Women’s Conference is just around the corner, p 10
Great things are coming to our state ministries, p 15-18
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.
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.
“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.
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!
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!
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 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.
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).
COMING UP IN 2025
APRIL 25-26
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TALENT
FEBRUARY 6-7
SHIP PRAYER CONFERENCE
d White leads on casting and r all student /volunteers
Dr. Bryan Cutshall and Dr. Raymond Burch are the keynote speakers for our annual winter gathering.
FEBRUARY 28MARCH 1
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
d for a variety , from pastors An anointed ministry lineup includes speaker Theresa Arwood and singer Kaci Stewart.
VARIOUS DATES
8 are invited to PRAY, go , go TELL!
Sites across the region will gather for worship and investing in the Kingdom of God
APRIL 29MAY 1
SMOKY
Students ages 12-19 can showcase their gifts and talents for God!
Seniors are invited to this annual gathering in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
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.
YOUTH AND DISCIPLESHIP
“RAISING SONS & DAUGHTERS”
BISHOP DAVID WHITE YOUTH & DISCIPLESHIP DIRECTOR
MINISTRY EXPERIENCE:
KENTUCKY YD 2021-24
CALIFORNIA/ NEVADA YD 2014-2021
SENIOR PASTOR PORTERVILLE CA 2009-2021
SENIOR PASTOR POPLAR IGLESIA DE DIOS (CA) 2018-21
We don’t know who, and we don’t know where, but somewhere on this planet, shortly after midnight on January 1st, the charter member of Generation Beta was born
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?.
GOING LIVE IN 2025.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Youth/Children’s pastors and volunteers can register free at sgacog.live/youthleadersummit
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TEEN TALENT
Register at sgacog org/youth-amp-discipleship Download FREE manuals at cogyd.org/teentalent SMOKY MTN WINTERFEST
Let’s pack the house in Pigeon Forge for a weekend of revival and refreshing!
RIDE & RUN FOR MISSIONS
Email
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.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS.
SMOKY MTN GATHERING
Register today for this great weekend of fellowship and a Talent Show.
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CAMP MEETING BANQUET
Register at sgacog org/youth-amp-discipleship
Download FREE manuals at cogyd.org/teentalent SENIOR
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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!
