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17JUNE 2015BODY OF CHRIST NEWS Last month Superintendent Booker McMillon Mansfield District Superintendent and Pastor of Keathchie Church of God in Christ COGIC in Keathchie Louisiana was in Denver for his youngest son Minister Ron McMillon who was releasing his first CD Talking About Jesus which is in the style of Christian Jazz. Superintendent McMillon is also a musicianself- taught with his own style and is glad to see his son glorifying Jesus Christ in many ways including through music. Many will remember Superintendent McMillon from his 20 years as the Pastor of Bethel COGIC in Denver. He has seen some changes in the ministry one being that meetings have changed dramatically in their approach to timeliness in todays services. The Jurisdiction Prelate of Colorado Bishop Roosevelt Dunn is a man of vision and insight that is a bit different from the norm states Superintendent McMillon His aim with so many different Superintendents in Colorado was with the idea of expansion and to give the newly appointed Superintendents a chance to grow their districts and their ministry in the district. When I was a District Superintendent in Colorado there were 12 churches in my district and we had a ball doing ministry together and we enjoyed what we were doing. I would like to say to all of the ministers in Colorado that you have our prayers. We definitely thank those that come and meet us and welcome us when we come back and minister in Colorado. Superintendent McMillon says The COGIC National Bishop and the Board of Bishops has written a new curriculum concerning where Church of God in Christ stands on the issue of homosexuality. We still stand against the activity of homosexuality. We do believe and know that Christ in our life changes our life and the Word says if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. So we believe that if any person has accepted Christ as their personal savior then just like the habits of alcohol or smoking or any other habit a person may have even the lifestyle of homosexuality can be changed into a life of Christ. We believe our ministers ought to have some area of expertise to deal with people who have that problem because it is a problem it is a sicknessa sin- sickness and we must understand that all unrighteousness is sin and so is homosexuality. If our gospel is for real we cannot separate our gospel from the homosexuals or the alcoholic. They all need the message of Jesus Christ to change their life. Superintendent Booker McMillon Attends Sons CD Release resources in the community on a grassroots level. If the White House can come up with The White House Faith-Based Initiative why cant city and state gov- ernment to the same Our young people getting killed in the streets of our city is a major issue and must be taken serious by the Church as well as the leadership of this great city and state. The priority of this social problem needs to be front and center. We are grateful for the efforts of the Citys Director of Community Affairs Mrs. Shawn Deberry Johnson and her team in getting behind this issue of violence in our city but the need for resources are critical. She has worked hard in bringing people together to deal with these issues but she knows that she cant do it without the church. Brother Jeff has said if the Church cant deal with this issue then we are lost because no one can deal with it. This is a Call to ACTION for Denvers Churches to network and come together. The key to all of these efforts is the willingness to move our faith into the streets. Neither big steeple churches nor storefront congregations can afford to wait on young people to come in their doors. We must go to them. If you are a pastor and reading this article it is you that God is calling forth to be prophetic and make this social problem of gang violence a priority in your church this summer. Maybe your church could participate in Pray Walks perhaps your church could be a Safe Haven for our youth. We need to come together and let our leaders know that we are concern and want to create a better future for our children and their children. It begins with us. In the face of escalating urban violence in Denver we begin with the work of prayer and the fervent conviction that our children are worth fighting for. As hopeless as things may seem and as helpless as we may feel we must claim the sight that comes by faith in believing that our kids are not a lost cause that violence and jail will not have the last word and that as the Bible asserts death will have no dominion over our children. If you are interested in being a part of this Ten Point plan to mobilize Churches this summer to act on behalf of our young people. You can get involved by contacting Mrs. Shawn DeBerry Johnson at 720-865-99052 Brother Jeff at 720-219-9710 and Pastor Terrance Hughesemail- bigthughesgmail. com or Pastor Jason email- jasonjanzgmail.com or Pastor Downing email - Eugene.downinghewhope- church.org The Secret to Your Success After hearing the Pew Research Report state the Christian Church is dying due to dropping num- bers I went to the new and fastest-growing church in the Metro Denver area to find out the secret to their success Heritage Christian Center. I stopped by for Happy Hour on Tuesday night. After the service I spent a few minutes talking with Pastor Dwhich is what most of the Heritage congregation from years past call himhe says hes been called a few other names but well leave that one alone. Heres what he shared with me Randy first and foremost Michele and I have been overwhelmed with the amount of love thats been shown to us. I cant thank the many people in the community especially the church community that have reached out and warmly welcomed us back home. The many cards flowers and words of encouragement have meant the world to us. The mission of Heritage Christian Center has always been to meet the needs of the people in every way possible. The food ministry is up and running and weekly teams are once again going into the prisons and hitting the street with outreaches. Our MIX360 youth ministry is really exploding the young people that God is bringing to us are amazing kids on fire for Jesus. Theres nothing more powerful than a group of teenagers who are on fire for Jesus Christ and it is really spectacular to watch these young people love and serve the Lord. Pastor Tarell Martin is our Music Pastor and he has put together an unbelievable music team. We believe gospel music is the most powerful of all the music and we are building a tremendous team of gospel musicians and singers. So God is really moving in our ministry. We are seeing tremendous salvations and healing miracles. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and in His Presence is fullness of joy. We are seeing a tremendous amount of joy being resurrected in our ministry and in our own personal lives as well as in the church. So we are very excited about what God is doing. June is our grand opening month at Heritage beginning with a church dedication service on Sunday May 31st with my good friend Bishop Lester Love. There will also be an official ribbon cutting ceremony on June 16th at 630 PM with Auroras Mayor Steve Hogan and members of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. And a grand opening wouldnt be the same with- out the hardest working woman in the Gospel Music World none other than our good friend Vickie Winans. I cant say enough about Vickie we love her shes been a friend to the Heritage family for years and we are thrilled that she is our first music guest at the new Heritage Christian Center on Sunday June 7th. My wife is one of those who loves to hang out with her girlfriends and use up her 24000 words a day at a coffee shop. So with her and the womens ministry in mind we are opening a Starbucks Caf in our grand foyer. It will be a great atmosphere for Christians to just hang out with friends. Theres free wi-fi well be playing great Christian music videos and for the guys as soon as the NFL season kicks off there will be Monday night football as well. Our goal is simply to create a place where people can get together in a Godly environment make friends and connect. Its about getting the family back together. Randy I believe the Bible tells us that in the last days people would go to church less and less and that is why I believe the Bible tells us in the Book of Hebrews that we are to assemble more and more in the last days says Bishop Leonard and there is no doubt that church attendance has fallen off in the past years nationwide. According to the Hartford Institute of Religion Research more than 40 percent of Americans say they go to church weekly. As it turns out however less than 20 percent are actually in church. In other words more than 80 percent of Americans are finding more fulfilling things to do on weekends. Bishop Leonard notes that physically he is growing stronger and stronger. He says God is with me and coming back has been very challenging and we have had to make tremendous sacrifices in order to accomplish what God has called us to do. But as we work with and touch the people it helps us. Body of Christ News asked Pastor D what is the secret to your success Pastor D replied Jesus said give and it shall be given back to you. And the more I do to help others the more God does for me and the more I do to bless others the more God blesses me. So its just a simple matter of give and it shall be given back to you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over. So as I sow my life into blessing other people God is just strengthening me in a tremendous way. So has Bishop Leonard come back to Denver to build a large church He says God doesnt call us to build big churches but rather to build individuals and families with His Word within the Kingdom of God. If I am concerned with meeting the needs of the people then God will take care of us. When you touch people and meet their needs they will tell others about it and that is when your church grows. If you keep your eyes on Jesus and take care of Gods business he will take care of yours. That is your secret to success. Bishop Leonard is grateful to be able to come back to Colorado and to bless as many people as possible. He says Colorado is our home its the land that we love its the people that we love. My life was not complete until I came back because my ministry is here my calling is here and the people that I love are here. And I would say to every pastor Keep your head up and be encouraged. His Presence is with us. Do everything you can to help people and to minister to their needs and God will help you.o minister to their needs and God will help you. We believe gospel music is the most powerful of all the music and we are building a tremendous team. MOBILIZE ... from page 16 Booker McMillon INTERVIEW By Randy M. McCowan Publisher