Religion, Pure and Undefiled
When you think of all the different ministries a church could have, the list is as varied and diverse as the churches themselves. From cowboy churches to hip hop churches and everything in between, there are endless possibilities of ministries you could have. However, I want to share with you about a ministry you must...
Strong in Fellowship: Reflections from a Military Chaplain
“Guard This Man” (1 Kings 20:39) is the Men’s Ministries theme for 2019. The “man” we are to guard, for the sake of application, is one’s self. Philippians 4:7 states, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”1 This verse echoes that whatever is in the heart comes out. It...
Search Launched for International Pentecostal Holiness Foundation Executive Director
The International Pentecostal Holiness Foundation (IPHF) is seeking a skilled philanthropic leader with a demonstrated passion for the stewardship of God’s gifts and service to God’s people. The Foundation’s next executive director will serve as “relationship-builder in chief” of the IPHF as it seeks to realize a bold new vision and strategic direction in support...
The Inconvenient Truth About Virtual Church
There is no doubt that twenty-first century Christianity is different. The technological advances over the last 100 years have literally given us instant access to the entire world. Preaching the gospel to the ends of the Earth is no longer as difficult of a task as it once seemed. If there were enough evangelists, modern...
God's Justice in Action Through Foster Care
For nearly 25 years, my wife and I have served as pastors of Church of Living Water, in Fresno, California. When we first started attending as associate pastors, we found that there were several families in the church that had adopted children or were foster parents. We valued and appreciated their work but thought little...
Beacham Delivers Centennial Commencement Address
Approximately 150 students walked across the stage on May 4, 2019, at the John W. Swails Center with 132 earning a bachelor’s degree and another 18 earning their associate degrees. Co-valedictorians Jack Fitzpatrick and Kylah-Maxwell Brown addressed the graduating class. Fitzpatrick began by sharing how God intervened through a chance meeting with the late Bob...
"Power" in Power Chicks
In my more than fifty years of local ministry to girls, Power Chicks is THE event that really puts POWER in action in the girls. I saw this at the very first Power Chicks in 2007 when I took a group of girls from Holly Hill Church to Ridgecrest near Asheville, NC. Even though we...
The Impact of God's Justice on the Nations
Justice and injustice are more than individual acts. Justice and injustice are manifested in the mores and laws of people groups, communities and nations. Whether it applies to people groups, cities or nations, God’s concern for justice is expressed throughout the Bible. God’s justice addresses the totality of people groups, cultures, languages, and how they...
La justicia de Dios y las naciones
La justicia e injusticia son más que hechos individuales; se manifiestan en las costumbres y leyes de grupos de personas, comunidades, y naciones. Bien sea para grupos de personas, ciudades, o naciones, la inquietud de Dios por la justicia está expresada a través de la Biblia. Su justicia cubre la totalidad de grupos de personas,...
Recommended Resource: Fellowship of Differents
Fellowship of Differents Scot McKnight Friends, this is a book to be read and re-read, a book that should be wrestled with and courageously applied to our local church life. Scot McKnight’s Fellowship of Differents calls us to think of the church as God’s world-changing social experiment, a place of difference and differents. As we,...
Strength Through Unity with Jesus
From the late Rev. E. A. Hoffman’s song entitled “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” I want to take two lines from the first verse and one line from the chorus: “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, When we consider the words strong and fellowship, let us look at what they entail...
Love One Another: 2019 National Day of Prayer
“Love One Another,” echoing the words of Jesus in John 13:34, marked the theme of the 68th observance of the National Day of Prayer (NDP). The May 2, 2019, gathering of several hundred people from across the prayer community took place in Statuary Hall, in the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. Dr. Ronnie Floyd,...
New Believers Banned from Well
New Believers Banned from Well “I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink...” Matthew 25:35 The gospel is being shared with great signs and amazing miracles throughout a village in India. Five families have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Because of their new-found faith, the village leaders have ordered that they can no...
Second Regional Prayer Conference Focuses on Youth
New Hope Church in Columbia, Maryland, hosted the second IPHC Regional Prayer Conference for 2019. More than 300 people attended the Friday night and Saturday morning gathering on April 26 and 27. Although most of the people present were from New Hope Church, there were others present from ten IPHC churches in the area. New...
Recommended Resource: Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“If a Christian is in the fellowship of confession with a brother, he will never be alone again, anywhere.”1 German pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church, Dietrich Bonhoeffer presents a brief but rich treatise on Christian community in his classic work, Life Together, his inspiring account of a unique...
4 Key Practices for Healthy Christian Communities Pt. 2
This article is part 2 of a two-part series on healthy community. Read part 1 here. What if someone told you that church people are fake and judgmental? Would you be offended? These overgeneralizations hurt the reputation of the Church, yet, mainstream culture feels justified in holding Christians to a higher standard - and rightfully...
Justice: Bill Schwartz
My Perspective of Justice How would one define biblical or divine justice? Justice can simply be defined as “what should be.” Therefore, as we add the term “biblical” or “divine” as modifiers, we are indicating that God and His Word are the standards to what should be. As we journey through the entire counsel of...
Recommended Resource: The Gospel Comes with a House Key
In her book, The Gospel Comes with a House Key, Rosaria Butterfield challenges believers to practice discipleship through “radically ordinary hospitality.” She defines this as “using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors and neighbors family of God.” Those who put radically ordinary hospitality into practice see their homes...
Mrema Newsletter: May 2019
Dear Mission Partner, I greet you in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope all is well with you and your family as you read this letter. Appreciation I want to thank you so very much for your continual prayers and financial support. My transition, as a whole, and with...
IPHC General Superintendent Dr. Doug Beacham to Release New Podcast
IPHC General Superintendent Doug Beacham will launch a new podcast on Thursday, May 2, 2019. “Thoughts with Dr. Doug Beacham” focuses on Christian life, ministry, and leadership, as well as the IPHC and Arise 2033. In the first episode, Bishop Beacham challenges us to remember that “God has called us to know who we are—a...
Talent VS. Team
Have you ever seen how, in the moment of adversity or difficulty, people quickly forget the blessing and provision of God and try to return to the familiar old life– the old way. The way of sin and rebellion. The place of oppression and bondage. For those of us who’ve been in pastoral ministry for...
Church Collapse in South Africa
We have received somber news from our IPHC brothers and sisters in South Africa: While hosting a Good Friday Conference our church family in KwaZulu-Natal, was hit by a horrific storm. Regretfully, a wall in the auditorium collapsed upon impact resulting in 13 deaths and 29 hospitalizations. As People to People Ministries, our heart is...
River of Life Conference Report
I want to express my appreciation to Bishop Dale Adams for his understanding that I was not able to fulfill my duty of presiding at the River of Life Annual Conference. I was recovering from the flu and pneumonia. Many thanks to Bishop Preston Mathena who stepped in on short notice. Below is his report:...
Mississippi Annual Conference Report
I was blessed to serve as the presiding officer for the Mississippi Conference for their Annual Conference session. It was a privilege to bring the message Friday evening to a responsive congregation. I enjoyed working with Bishop David Moore, his wife Jane, and their leadership team. Pastor Darrell Blankenship and the Springs of Praise Church served...
Williams Newsletter: April 2019
Blessings in The Name of Jesus; the King of His great Kingdom! Judith and I are praying for you, and are grateful that you have a part in making this ministry in Nepal and India possible. We believe in God’s reward for each of you, as you so faithfully partner with us. During January, we...
Why Don’t We See More Women in Our Pulpits?
When I was a young woman, I had an unsettling experience after being invited to another church to sing. Before my solo, I began sharing thoughts about the song. Suddenly, a man came up behind me, placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me to the side. I thought this man was trying to...
Tenemos más trabajo que hacer para TERMINAR EL RACISMO
La 25aconmemoración del milagro histórico de Memphis ocurrió el mes pasado. Líderes de la IPHC se unieron a los casi doscientos delegados de las iglesias pentecostales y carismáticas de Norteamérica (PCCNA) para agradecerle a Dios por el coraje y la humildad demostradas en 1994. Uno de los líderes clave de dicho evento histórico fue el...
From the Ashes: The Prophetic Rebirth of a Church
The congregants at Light House Covenant thought their church was dying, but God had other plans. The empty, crumbling building looked like a lost cause to the Pampa, Texas, community. The ceiling had caved in, the central heat and air no longer worked, and the moldy roof had collapsed in the foyer. Sound equipment, church...
Salley Newsletter: April 2019
Punggur Gets a Well! Punggur is a very poor community in Batam, Indonesia. One of our churches is based in this area. Life essentials like water, plumbing, and electricity are hard to come by in Punggur. We decided that it was not right that this body of believers had to trek to a drying up...
West Newsletter: April 2019
Dear Friends, We so appreciate your prayers, and want you to know that we think of you often and long for your friendship and fellowship! A fellow missionary recently articulated clearly how so many of us feel: "In the immediate days after I send out a prayer update, I feel a tangible difference,” [missionary Kevin]...
Roy Newsletter: April 2019
WE ARE THERE As the prophet, Daniel (Daniel 12:4), wrote long ago; "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." With an insightful look into the end days, I believe we are not...
Justice: Kevin Sneed
By missionary, Kevin Sneed In John 18:38 Pilate asks, “What is truth?” Like many today, Pilate was expressing skepticism in objective truth. Jesus had just brought up the concept of truth, but Pilate would not engage the conversation. With his rhetorical question, he dismissed the truth that Jesus wished to convey. Your truth is not...
Delport Newsletter: April 2019
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When we are in the center of God’s will, we are able to accomplish more than what we can in our own strength and power. Without God being the center of our lives and ministry as missionaries, for the past 30 years,...
National Day of Prayer 2019
Bishop Garry Bryant and Evangelism USA are joining with WIN Prayer Ministry to call the IPHC to participate in the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 2, 2019. "The United States of America is in great need of God’s help. Prayer is heaven’s answer to our desperate condition," says Bishop Bryant. This year's theme...
In the Know
Friends, if you haven’t noticed, they are here! Help has arrived! Back up has rushed to the scene! All over the United States, IPHC churches and conferences are rising up from complacent methods and outdated strategies, or lack thereof. Bishops are rising above real challenges and roadblocks. Pastors are rising beyond victim mentalities and thoughts...
Gonzales Newsletter: March 2019
Greetings in the precious name of Jesus! It is a joy to be with partners and friends to thank them personally for their continued prayers and unwavering support. We have been itinerating in the U.S. since December 6, 2018, from California to South and North Carolina. God is good! He always provides us a place...
Helland Newsletter: March 2019
Our Sabbatical From December 2018 through February 2019, our family took a three-month sabbatical to the U.S.A., Mexico, and Chile. Femke was asked to be a speaker at the IPHC Global Assembly in Santiago, Chile in February. Matthew was born in Chile so this seemed to be a chance of a lifetime to take the...
Taking the Gospel to the Most Churched City in the Nation
Dallas has more churches than any other U.S. metroplex, but a significant population is still overlooked and undeserved. We’re here to change that. THE MISSION We loaded the truck on the hottest day of the year. The sun beat mercilessly down on our backs as we lugged mattresses, furniture, and box after box down three...
Oramos por una nueva generación de MUJERES PREDICADORAS
La primera mujer predicadora que recuerdo es la hermana Katie Campbell. Por lo general, todos los años ella venía a la iglesia de mi padre ubicada en South Norfolk, Virginia, para dar avivamientos. Venía tan frecuentemente, que pasóa ser mi tía Katie. En aquellos tiempos, el evangelista se hospedaba en casa del pastor anfitrión…conocida por...
Prosperando como gente de promesa
El tercer y último día de la 6aAsamblea Global de la IPHC en Santiago, Chile, viernes 22 de febrero, 2019, comenzó con un tiempo en movimiento de alabanza y adoración en seis diferentes idiomas. Durante el transcurso del día, el Espíritu Santo llamó a la IPHC a crecer como gente de promesa. El obispo Garry...
La IPHC como un sitio de esperanza
El segundo día de la 6a Asamblea Global comenzó la mañana del jueves 21 de febrero, 2019, con alabanza y un discurso de apertura del director ejecutivo de los ministerios de misiones mundiales (WMM) obispo Talmadge Gardner; compartió la visión discernida por una reestructuración estratégica de WMM para alcanzar las metas globales de “Arise 2033” las cuales...
Examine Yourself: Is There Racism in Your Heart?
As the IPHC focuses this year on one of our core values, “We Prayerfully Value Justice,” it is critically important to begin by acknowledging that racism is alive in some of the churches we lead. We cannot remain silent about this. I’m not an expert in this area, although I’ve been a catalyst for racial change. Racism has many tentacles, and this article...