“I want to say thank you, Church of God!”
By Sam Collins

It’s not every night that a North American church service features hymns played to a driving Caribbean beat on a xylophone and steel drums. But that’s what was heard by those who gathered for the Tuesday evening service of the 2009 North American Convention of the Church of God. Judging from the response of the crowd—smiling faces, swaying bodies—the people liked what they heard.

The stirring music continued as Eddie Cumberbatch, who grew up in Trinidad and graduated from Anderson University, brought the worshipers to their feet as his powerful tenor voice soared in praise to God. Cumberbatch, whose parents were Church of God leaders in the West Indies, has won prestigious music competitions and performed for such global leaders as Prince Charles of Great Britain.

The speaker for the evening was Dr. Milton Grannum, pastor of New Covenant Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Grannum is a widely recognized religious leader in Philadelphia and has served on several national boards of the Church of God.

In his sermon, Grannum shared powerfully and personally of the ways that Church of God missionary investment changed his life. “I have one, single point tonight,” Grannum said, “The Lord supports us in our mission through the Holy Spirit and the people he places in our lives.”
Grannum spoke of growing up in a house that was smaller than his current dining room. “I was ten years old,” he said, “when Church of God missionaries came into my world.”

One of the missionaries was Rev. Herman Smith, a man who stood six feet, seven inches, and weighed three hundred pounds. Beaten and eventually thrown out of his household by his family, Grannum found a lasting spiritual home through the love and acceptance of Church of God missionaries. “I want to say thank you, Church of God, to all of you who have given money and supported missionaries over the years.” Grannum said with emotion, “I will always be grateful.”

A version of this article appears in the Wednesday, July 1, 2009, edition of the NAC roundup/09 newsletter.  To view the newsletter in its entirety, click here (2.64 MB). The document is in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat in order to read and/or print it. If you do not have Acrobat installed on your computer, you can download a free copy of Acrobat Reader here.