6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9 NIV
On November 4 and 5, over 225 people gathered at the Crowne Plaza West in Lansing for our Annual General Assembly Meeting. It was a great time of worship, fellowship, fun, food, and working though the business of The Church of God in Michigan. Special thanks go out to Becky Adams and Goldie Kurtzhals for the incredible amount of work they put in to make the event happen in such a wonderful way. Thanks also to Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski from Christian Women Connection, Rev. Geremy Dixon from the City of Hope in LA, Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes and the Worship Team from the Arlington Church of God in Akron, OH, and Allen Swoope for his excellent musical gifts.
Thanks to Sheila Granger, our Assembly Chair, and Rev. Tad Mellish, our Assembly Vice-Chair, for your work during this year to bring this Assembly to a successful completion. Thanks to Rev. Jake Seaton and Rev. Jim Blake for once again doing such a wonderful job with the Audio-Visual components of the Assembly. Thanks to the team of servants who did child care for us during the event. Thanks for those partners whose displays and ministries helped to underwrite some of the cost of the assembly and who shared great information with our people.
During the Assembly Meetings, we overwhelmingly approved our budget for 2023 and the candidates who are serving on our teams in 2023. We also approved our three Ordination Candidates, Jaime Cervantes, Andy Thompson, and Veronica Roesly. Thank you to the Assembly for your trust in us as your leaders. Our time together was truly wonderful and worthy of giving thanks to the Lord. He met us there. The events of the Assembly are available for you to view, if you were unable to be with us.
Rev. Mark K. Richardson
Friday Morning Message
Pastor Geremy Dixon
Friday Evening Message
Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski
Saturday Morning Message
General Assembly Meeting Slideshow
photos taken by Sis. Sharon Richardson, First Lady of the Church of God in Michigan and Scot Bale, Camp Director at Warner Camp
Friday Morning Business Session
Saturday Morning Business Session
Ordainee Candidate Videos
Jaime Cervantes
Campus Pastor, First Church of God, Benton Heights
Veronica Roesly
Co-Pastor, Barryton Church of God, Barryton
Andrew Thompson
Chaplain, Compass Hospice with Beacon Memorial Hospital, South Bend, Indiana
The 102nd General Assembly of the Church of God in Michigan is Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5, 2022. We are planning to meet again at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West. Our theme is “Reinvigorating Our Roots to Grow Richer Fruit. The focus scripture is Luke 13:6-9. We will be focusing on who we are as The Church of God, our roots and distinctives, and how we can build on that with fresh expressions of ministry to reach the culture going forward for Jesus Christ. We want to make sure that we honor the things we hold precious in our heritage like unity and holiness.
The Crowne Plaza Lansing West, as you have seen in previous General Assembly gatherings, is a beautiful venue for our gathering. It has a state-of-the-art exercise room, pool, game room, and indoor basketball court. We believe your time at the General Assembly will be exciting and inspiring. It will also offer you an opportunity to refresh and recharge while spending quality time with your brothers and sisters from across the Church of God in Michigan. As we have in the past, we are handling both the General Assembly Meeting registration and the hotel accommodations. We will be underwriting the additional costs and eliminating your sales tax. Be sure to register for your hotel room(s) through the online registration process. If you register directly with the hotel you will not get the room discounts. We have negotiated a great price for the hotel accommodations. Even though we have a large number of rooms reserved, we expect them to be taken quickly. Please register with us and get your room(s) reserved before October 16, 2022. Your registration fee includes accommodations, a continental breakfast upon arrival, lunch Friday, and a continental breakfast on Saturday. There are significant discounts if you register early. Register online with the link listed below.
Our assembly time this year will be one of celebration, education, and inspiration. We are excited that two of the key leaders of the Church of God Reformation Movement, Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski, Executive Director of Christian Women Connection and former Professor at Anderson School of Theology, and Rev. Geremy Dixon, Senior Pastor of the Center of Hope in Inglewood, California, one of our largest congregations in the movement will be our main speakers. In each of our worship services, we will be blessed by the Music and Worship Ministry of Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker-Barnes from the Arlington Church of God in Akron, Ohio. She is well known across our movement, and has been very successful in the mentoring and development of young people and many others in the areas of music, worship, and life.
State Pastor Rev. Mark K. Richardson will speak on Friday morning, Rev. Geremy Dixon will speak on Friday night, and Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski will speak on Saturday morning. On Friday afternoon, Rev. Dixon and Dr. Majeski will hold a seminar on the theme Reinvigorating Our Roots to Grow Richer Fruit. Following that seminar, Dr. Parker-Barnes will host a Music and Worship Workshop for our Worship Leaders across the state. After our Friday night worship service we will have a dessert reception to encourage our fellowship together.
During the General Assembly Sessions, we will conduct our normal General Assembly activities of honoring those who have served well among us, sharing our ratification ballot for new leaders, presenting ordination candidates, presenting our financial report and presenting our 2023 budget request. We will also have a time of consecration for those candidates who are approved for ordination.
If you have new resolutions or business for the Assembly, please direct them to our Business Committee Chair, Rev. Mike Potter, through the State Office at 517-393-7020 or micog@micog.org for email. We are a delegated Assembly, and below are the prescriptions for who may represent your congregation. It is vital for all of our churches to be fully represented.
One layperson chosen as an official representative of each Michigan Church of God congregation with an average weekly attendance to 100; two laypersons from each congregation with and average weekly attendance of 101-500; three laypersons from each congregation with an average weekly attendance of 501-1000; and four laypersons from each congregation with an average weekly attendance of 1001 and above. All licensed and ordained ministers are also voting members of the Assembly.
We look forward to a great celebration of ministry and growing closer together in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, please register early, as we hope for a great turnout for our 102nd General Assembly! I look forward to seeing you and spending time together.Thank you to all who served, prepared for, attended and participated in the 2021 General Assembly Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West in Lansing on November 5 and 6. Congratulations to all those who were approved to serve on our State Leadership Teams. Congratulations to our Ordination and Licensing Candidates who were approved. Thank you for approving our Operating Budget for 2022. You are making an investment in going forward for success with the Lord. We want to say thank you also to Rev. Jim Lyon and Bishop Timothy Clarke, two of the key leaders of the Church of God Reformation Movement, for sharing so richly with us on Pursuing Christ and Demonstrating Unity. They helped us to see that the pursuit of Christ must be done on the road of unity. God works through unity and not division. Their messages and teaching were very timely.
Yours in Christ, Rev. Mark K. Richardson, State Pastor
2022 General Assembly Speakers
Rev. Mark K. Richardson
Rev. Mark Kevin Richardson was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. He is the son of Harrison and Josephine Richardson. He is a first-generation Church of God member, and minister, having grown up in the Catholic Church. He was educated in Akron through graduation from Archbishop Hoban High School. He attended Mount Union College, in Alliance, Ohio, graduating in 1979, with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, with a minor in Communications. Upon graduation, he worked for the IBM Corporation, from 1979 through 1983. While working in the computer industry from 1985 through 1996, Rev. Richardson developed as a lay minister under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Fowler in Akron. When his job required relocation to Maryland, from 1989 through 1991, he continued to develop as a lay minister under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Marc Farmer, of the Oakland Mills Church of God in Columbia, Maryland. Upon his relocation back to Akron in 1992, he resumed his development under Rev. Fowler. Rev, Richardson was ordained in 1994, at the Arlington Church of God.
He came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ under the ministry of Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Fowler, of the Arlington Church of God, in Akron, Ohio, in 1981. He experienced the call on his life for Pastoral Ministry in late 1983, and began the process of preparation for ministry immediately. After a brief time of study at the Anderson University School of Theology, Rev. Mark returned to Akron to develop in ministry while returning to work in the computer industry for Digital Equipment Corporation.
In 1996 he answered the call to his first pastorate, the Lincoln Avenue Church of God in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was the Senior Pastor until July 2002. from 2002 until September 2019, Rev. Richardson served as the founding Senior Pastor of the New Life Church of God, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a thriving congregation reaching into Pittsburgh and its eastern suburbs. During his time in Western Pennsylvania, he served in the state ministry, as a member and chair of the Credentialing Services Team, and as Team Leader of the Church Health Team. Rev. Richardson also served as a member of the Ministries Council of Western Pennsylvania Ministries. For nearly two years from June 2012 through January 2014, Rev. Richardson served as a Co-Director of Leadership Development and Church Multiplication with Church of God Ministries in Anderson, Indiana, working for the General Director of Church of God Ministries. From October 2016 through August 2019, Rev. Richardson served as the Chair of the General Assembly of WPA Ministries of the Church of God and Chair of the Ministries Council. Beginning in September 2019, and continuing currently, Rev. Richardson is the State Pastor for the Church of God in Michigan. He currently serves as the Secretary of the Trustee Board of the Servant Solutions Pension Board of the Church of God. In addition, Rev. Richardson is a board member of the Church of God Foundation and Vice-Chair of the Regional Pastors Association of the Church of God.
Pastor Geremy Dixon
Pastor Geremy Dixon has served as an associate and now Lead Pastor for over 20 years at the Center of Hope in Inglewood, California. Known for his approachable demeanor, and common sense approach to Kingdom living he has the unique ability to connect with individuals from all walks of life.
Pastor Geremy’s particular blend of humor, inspiration and sound biblical grounding has opened doors for him to be a guest facilitator and a sought after speaker for churches, conferences, and conventions both nationally and internationally. Articulate, passionate, and driven; Geremy is one of the emerging voices proclaiming God’s desire to establish His Kingdom in the market place.
Married to Adrienne Dixon, they have the joy of parenting four wonderful children, Kennedy, Micah, Roman and Jordyn.
Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski
Dr. Kimberly Majeski has been in full-time preaching ministry for more than twenty years. She is an ordained pastor in the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. After nearly two decades as a professor of Biblical Studies, Kimberly now serves as the Executive Director of Christian Women Connection, leading women around the globe to serve the church and build up the kingdom. Kimberly's scholarship is featured on the History Channel, A&E, and in many books, articles, and publications. She lives at the heart of the justice movement as an activist and the founder of Stripped Love, non-profit serving victims of sex trafficking.
A widely sought-after preacher, in 2019, Kimberly launched the Preacher Girl School, a dynamic online women's preaching clinic. She now convenes the Arise Academy with the same charisma and enthusiasm. Kimberly is married to Kevin and mama to Max; she loves to golf, shop, and laugh until she cries.
Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes
Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes is a native of Akron, Ohio. She graduated from Akron Public Schools and continued her education at Bowling Green State University. After receiving an Associate Degree in Applied Business she furthered her education at the McCreary Center for Black Religious Studies receiving a diploma in Black Religious Studies. She then went on to obtain a Master of Divinity degree from Ashland Theological Seminary and received her Doctorate in Worship from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies in June of 2017.
Leslie Parker Barnes, Founder and Executive Director of Youth Excellence Performing Arts Workshop, has been with YEPAW since 1990, encouraging youth, through the arts, to pursue lifestyles of excellence. In 2006, she was the recipient of The Akron Beacon Journal's Extraordinary Woman Crystal Award in recognition of her service to youth. She is a graduate of the 2008 class of Leadership Akron. In 2010, she was recognized by the Women's Endowment Fund for her extraordinary commitment to social justice through her service to thousands of youth. In 2012 she received the Margaret Clark Morgan Impact Award for Imagination in her service with youth. In 2014 she received the Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award for Social Action.
Dr. Barnes is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and serves as the Minister of Praise & Worship Arts at Arlington Church of God in Akron. Leslie is married to Ted Barnes and they have four children, Rochelle, Rachel, Theo, Kimberly and a grandson, Trey Immanuel Barnes.
Schedule
Friday - November 4, 2022
9:00 a.m. Worship/Message
Worship: Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes
Message: Rev. Mark Richardson
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
10:45 a.m. Ladies Tea
Reo Room
10:45 a.m. Call to Order First Business Session
First Business Session
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
12:15 p.m. Lunch
Sponsored by Servant Solutions - Rev. Jim O'Bold
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
1:15 p.m. Conference
"Reinvigorated Roots…Rich Fruits for Ministry" - Rev. Geremy Dixon and Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
3:30 p.m. Conference
"Worship" - Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
5:00 p.m. Free Time - Dinner on your own
7:00 p.m. Worship/Message
Worship: Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes
Message: Rev. Geremy Dixon
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
Dessert Time Meet and Greet Fellowship
- Sponsored by Wesleyan Alliance Fund Rev. Dr. Rolland Daniels
Saturday - November 5, 2022
8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
8:30 a.m. Second Business Session
Church Health Minister Report, Rev. Jerry Lyon
Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Service Award; 15 years at the same church
In Tribute Recognition - Rev. Joshua Brandt, Credentials Ministry Chair
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
10:00 a.m. Worship/Message
Worship: Rev. Dr. Leslie Parker Barnes
Message: Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski
Ballrooms B, C, D, E, and F
11.45 a.m. Dismissal
Registration
If not registering from one of our Michigan churches, please select '-Guest' under the church list, thank you.
