By David Farlow

The idea was birthed in the small teepee-shaped red church building on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. It came from a realization that traditional church services had limited appeal to the Lakota Indian youth living in the area. It was a bold question. Why, it had never been done before. But that didn’t stop Julie Hollow Horn and others at the Church of God in Wounded Knee from praying and petitioning God. Why not send our youth to the International Youth Convention in San Antonio? And there began the journey.

Emergency funds have been sent to church leaders in Orissa, India, to help those affected by the recent violence and persecution against Christians. Church of God Ministries (CGM) staff have been in frequent contact with church leader and Christians Broadcasting Hope (CBH) director Asim Das, and sent the money following his recent report on the situation there.

Das reported that recent attacks against Christians forced families to flee into the jungle for protection after their homes were burned and lives threatened. Seven families have been located and are receiving temporary care while the search for others continues. Das also informed CGM staff that three of our church facilities have been destroyed.

Pendleton, OR -- Kevin Sumerlin and his two sons, 5-year-old Cody and 7-year-old Justin, weren't sure what they were going to do Sunday. Sumerlin said the boys had four quarters and they decided to check out downtown Pendleton to see if there were some Round-Up festivities they could put those quarters toward.

They soon found themselves at Roy Raley Park for the annual Round-Up Sunday Community Worship Celebration.

"God gave us the quarters and brought us here," Sumerlin said.

Warner Press, Inc., is pleased to release a mini-encyclopedia of Church of God beliefs and practices compiled by Barry L. Callen. Following Our Lord is a ready reference for pastors and lay leaders who have questions about a variety of issues. Topics range from traditional doctrinal subjects, such as church membership and the ordinances, to behavioral issues, such as the use of tobacco and alcohol, a Christian’s manner of dress, and sexual orientation.

By Bob Edwards

Let me tell you a wonderful story of a visit that I made to a house church just outside of Lalmanirhat, Bangladesh. For me, it was a significant visit in that the young evangelist is working in the village with the leaders of the predominant religious group of this area.

As the group I was traveling with entered a young man’s house just after the noon meal, we found the small mud hut full of elders from the community. To the right was a large raised wooden bed covered with a locally woven mat on which about ten elders sat cross-legged in two rows.

Indiana Ministries announces they have extended a call to Dr. Doug Talley to become their new executive state minister. If ratified by the state assembly, Talley would fill the position previously held by Rev. Bob Moss, who recently accepted the call to be the senior pastor at the Salem Church of God in Clayton, Ohio.

“Following the resignation of Moss, the board of directors organized into a search team to secure new leadership that would keep the momentum rolling that has begun these past couple of years,” said Jerry Yoder, chair of the board of directors. “We communicated nationally our process, received resumes and many recommendations, prayerfully reviewed all of this information…”

Lake Wales, FL—According to the results of Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) recently received from the Council for Aid to Education, “Warner Southern College contributes more to the learning gains made by students than 79% (or 134) of the 176 four-year undergraduate institutions participating in the 2007-08 CLA. Warner Southern College performed above the expected level.”

Warner Press, Inc., introduces God’s Campground, a five-session resource for teaching children about giving God our best. Written by Tina Houser, minister of children at First Church of God in Kokomo, Indiana, this series of sessions teaches children to be good stewards of daily decisions, natural resources, time, money, and personal skills.

Lake Wales, FL—U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges for 2009 has once again recognized Warner Southern College as leader in the south region. The college is ranked 5th in the Ethnic Diversity of its student population. Warner Southern, a Tier 3 institution, has also consistently been recognized for its low student to faculty ratio, which is 16:1. The ranking is found in the category of Baccalaureate Colleges in the South.

The rankings, available in the September issue of the magazine and on-line at http://www.usnews.com/sections/rankings/  offer an opportunity for parents and potential students to compare the nation’s colleges and universities on the basis of various statistics such as SAT scores, class size, retention, acceptance rates, alumni contribution rates, and other such information that is important in determining an institution of choice. Factors that are considered in determining rankings include peer assessment, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and graduation rate.