The General Conference has three organizational layers: congregational, district, and Conference, each with its ministries, services, and responsibilities. This makes for a simple organizational chart, but think of the many people, and teams of people, represented by that chart.

The GC is a team consisting of our members. Because that large team cannot always be assembled, it selects a smaller team — the GC board of directors — to represent it most of the time. Because our board cannot always be assembled, it selects an even smaller team — the president and executive director — to lead the day-to-day work of our church.

Because that work is greater than any one or two leaders could handle alone, many more teams have been created. Helped by the executive director, the president directs and supports the district superintendents, Ministries directors, and department directors. These leaders direct and support teams of their own — in some cases, teams of teams of teams.

Not only is this division of our work among many teams and team members efficient and effective, it’s also biblical! When Jethro saw Moses trying to do everything himself, Jethro counseled him, in effect, “Create teams!” (Exodus 18:19-23).

When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He built a team. He called a small group of men to learn His ministry and carry it on. Christ’s teambuilding continued even after His return to heaven: “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11, 12, NASB throughout). One of those apostles, Paul, instructed his teammate, Timothy, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). In other words, “Build teams!”

Effective efforts require effective teams. Effective teams require faithful members. Which team or teams are you serving on?

— Loren Stacy

GC President

Meet Jazmin Novak, our new web administrator for the General Conference. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Jazmin earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science from Northeastern Illinois University. With more than six years of experience in IT, she is excited to contribute her skills to the kingdom of God.

Jazmin resides in Clarksville, Tennessee, with her husband, Jonathon. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the flute and guitar.

The Lord of Sabaoth is still busily reaping souls for the kingdom of heaven. This was abundantly clear on June 2 when nine members and friends in the Calgary CoG7 publicly declared their allegiance to the kingdom of God through baptism. The church was filled to capacity!

The churches in Eastern Canada gathered May 17-19 in Kingston, Ontario. It was their first in-person meeting since 2019, when the pandemic prevented churches from meeting. Through technical know-how, the district did have two successful virtual gatherings during the shut-down time.

The service started on Friday night with some great testimonies. Folks highlighted the joy of being together again, especially with the apt theme “Unity in the Faith.”

The Sabbath message was delivered by guest speaker Loren Stacy, who was accompanied by his wife, Karen.

We also enjoyed presentations by Pastor Samuel Holland on “United Men of God” and by sister D. Palmer on “United Women of God.” Both were also well received.

We hope the next district conference will be bigger and better, with more brethren joining the Church through evangelism and, subsequently, the district conference — in person.

The superintendent and district board greatly appreciate the efforts of all participants, including musicians, praise teams, technical engineers, speakers, and teachers. Their collaboration helped us have a fabulous weekend praising God.

We look forward to the next conference in 2026!

West Coast District Women’s Ministries hosted a women’s retreat May 17-19 at a private retreat center in Oakhurst, California. More than 100 women attended. This year’s theme was “Experiencing God — Knowing and Doing the Will of God,” with featured speakers Aracely Robles, Jennifer Stucker, and their daughters, Genesis Robles and Nicole Stucker. Jamin Teran, General Conference Communications director, also gave a wonderful presentation.

Worship services were led by SWORD members from the Coachella Valley Church in Riverside, California. Session themes focused on seven realities of God that included God pursuing a personal love relationship with us; God inviting us to become involved with Him in His work; and God speaking to us to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. We come to know God as we obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through us.

Attendees prayed for each other concerning our struggles and spiritual growth. During an evening bonfire service, women shared powerful testimonies of how God is working in their lives. We received biblical instruction and enjoyed the sweet fellowship as part of the body of Christ. We also experienced spiritual refreshment and encouragement to continue serving God according to His good purpose.

Women donated Spanish study Bibles that will be distributed to pastors’ wives in the Dominican Republic. As part of women’s ministries, these church leaders will use the Bibles to disciple and teach other women in their communities about God’s Word.

— Jennifer Stucker

Women’s Ministry Director

Comments from participants

“What an experience — so grateful to God for this amazing WCD women’s retreat! Every part of it was so beautiful and spiritually enriching.”

“Enjoyed seeing so many young girls giving their hearts to our Lord Jesus. It was a beautiful retreat!”

“It was a wonderful time to connect with God and our sisters in Christ. Thank you to everyone who helped this weekend to be a blessing.”

“Thank you to the whole team, whom the Lord used, to bless our socks off this past weekend at WCD Retreat. God is good!”

The Eugene congregation participated in their second annual family camp May 24-27 at the Sis-Q Meadows facility in southern Oregon. Sixty-two attended. Morning and evening devotions were led by Harold Ogren, Carl Cory, and Patrick Chalus, and the church praise team led the singing. Throughout the weekend, we also played some icebreaker games to get to know our church family better.

We were blessed to help the camp facility gear up for summer camps. We set up teepees, worked on the irrigation system, cleared trails, washed windows, and cleaned buildings.

God blessed us with beautiful days and wonderful company. Thank you to Sis-Q Meadows and their awesome caretakers, Calvin and Shelly Jenkins, for hosting us. We’ll be back!

— Kurt Lang

“Ethics and Integrity of the Man of God” was the theme of this year´s men’s retreat, held May 26-28 in Oakhurst, CA. Surrounded by the impressive nature created by God, participants listened to the message prepared by David Villanueva. Worship was led by groups from various churches, creating an atmosphere of deep worship and unity. A total of 120 men from various states on the West Coast attended the retreat. 

Eduardo Villalba and his wife, Socorro, directors of the couples ministry at the El Paso, TX church, sponsored a couples retreat May 17-19, in Bonita Park, NM. Guest speakers were Efrain Perez and his wife, Ana Delia. Several couples learned new ways to strengthen their relationship and enjoyed spending time with one another. Let’s pray that God continues to bless them and keep them strong in their faith.

Attendees representing four states gathered for the seniors retreat, held April 26-28 near Joplin, Missouri. “The Amazing Race” was a time of renewal. Among other things, it changed our understanding that “Old things are still useful things” and that we have “the power to participate in this amazing race.”

Wanda Taylor, Ed Crawford, and Karen and Dale Hendershott were on the praise team. Time was well spent singing, sharing, playing, and challenging our teammates in Bible-based games.

Speakers Andy Hassen, Dale Hendershott, Mike Vlad, and Tom Orr challenged us to get involved with whatever we can do. This challenge is more than just a personal thing but can be carried out within our church, our families, and our communities. There is much that we still can do.

Where do we go from here? Each story will be different. Stay active. Fight a good fight so you have a story to tell. Don’t be content to just sit in a rocking chair. Let’s make the rest of our story count! Let’s use our retreat time as a catalyst for inspiring a rebirth in our way of life and for running the race set before us.

We all desire that when we finish our course, we wil hear it said of us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

— Wanda Lewis

The men’s revival meeting was held June 30 at the Zion church in Chicago. Miguel Mendez from the Phoenix CoG7 spoke on leadership, emphasizing that leadership starts in the home — your first ministry.

Four new members were baptized June 16 at the Damen CoG7 in Chicago. Participating were Superintendent Ronald Rousseau and Juan Carlos Sotelo, leader of the Damen congregation.

The United CoG7 congregation in Lynbrook, NY, went on a prayer walk to the Lynbrook Village Hall on Sabbath, May 11. The mayor was invited to join them, but he couldn’t due to a schedule conflict. Every first Thursday of the month, Pastor Gregory Crayton prays with firefighters at the firehouse when they have their company meeting.

On May 25, the Lafayette Street church in Fort Wayne, IN, reached out to its community with the message “Introducing Jesus Christ and His Church.” The experience exceeded all expectations! Everything was free, but the ultimate reward was hearing everyone share the love of Jesus. Some asked for prayer, and others were grateful to be blessed with some necessities. From the smallest to the oldest, the entire congregation came together organizing, sorting, and introducing the church by distributing service schedules and salvation tracts. Seeing the entire congregation, from the oldest to the youngest, sharing the message filled our hearts with great joy. Well done, Lafayette!

Historic Moments

Some 120 participants showed up for the Zone 1 Virtual Gathering on Sunday, May 5. The time was devoted to answering questions concerning the recent change from the International Ministerial Congress to the International Federation at CoG7’s international level. This event was hosted by Whaid Rose, Zone 1 lead rep and Artios Center dean. He answered three questions in his opening presentation: Why the change? How will this impact CoG7’s global efforts? What does this mean for me and my local church and national Conference?

The time allotted for Q&A was insufficient to answer all the questions, a good indicator of the relevance of this topic. The Federation board will address unanswered questions.

The meeting was recorded and is available at https://center.artioscollege.org/webinar-resource-list or by accessing the QR code on this page. The quarterly virtual event ended with prayer for Federation President Robert Crawford (UK), who could not attend due to health challenges. Whaid Rose’s closing reminder that “historic things are hard to build” was a way of inviting everyone to seize this historic moment for God’s glory.

Center Webinar:

‘23 Convention Workshops

If you missed the encouragement you get from convention during this off year, Artios can help! We sponsored three different workshops at the 2023 General Conference Convention, and the video recordings are available for your edification at https://center.artioscollege.org/webinar-resource-list or by accessing the QR code on this page.

Anxiety and Depression: What Can I Do? (David Lozano)

The Equipping Mission of the Church (Brian Franks)

Enriching the Sabbath School Experience (Whaid Rose and Panel)

Early Spring Graduate

Juan Olguin Jr., Associate of Christian Leadership (Pastoral Ministry)**

** Magna Cum Laude

Calendar Events

September 9 – Early fall registration closes

September 15 – Early fall classes begin

Early Fall Classes

COM 121 Written Communication for Leadership

FAM 301 Family Ministry

LEA 301 Spiritual Formation and Leadership

PAM 301 Pastoral Ministry

PHI 311 Worldviews

Register at https://my.artioscollege.org/en/courses or by accessing the QR code below.

Registration:

Why would someone want to take a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah? I’m so glad you asked! We ran the numbers and did some exploring, and we came up with a list of reasons for you to consider.

1. The General Conference Convention is going to be held there June 30-July 5, 2025. Make sure you pick this week to come!

2. God commanded us to. Well OK, that’s a stretch. But Hebrews 10:24, 25 tells us not to forsake meeting together and encouraging one another. This applies not only to your local church but also to the greater body of the CoG7. We need each other!

3. Family reunions are the best! This is the perfect opportunity for your family, who may live all over the country, to spend a vacation together. And don’t forget about the friends you know who want to see you as well. They are waiting for you!

4. Speaking of family, there is a Family Search Library just down the street from the convention center, and it’s free! Within a short time, you will be able to trace your ancestors, identify famous relatives, and find your country of origin. Bring any family info you might have to begin the search, and see how many generations you can find.

5. There’s plenty of excitement for city folks and country dwellers! If you like city life, it’s a free ride on the UTA-Trax train around the downtown area. The train can even bring you to the hotel from the airport for just a couple bucks per person. The City Creek Mall (huge outdoor mall, spanning blocks) is just across the street from the convention center, with many restaurants to choose from. Purchase a CONNECT pass (one-day, two-day, or year) and get free admission to eighteen venues for a great price.

You like zoos? There’s a great one in Salt Lake City! Wanna get out of town? Park City, where the 2002 Olympics were held, is within an hour’s drive. You can ride a bobsled, or maybe the beauty and fun activities of Thanksgiving Point are more your style. Perhaps you’d enjoy floating on the great Salt Lake.

If you missed national parks at the Albuquerque Convention in 2019, Utah is home to several famous national parks: Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and more. The views there are stunning! God’s grandeur is on display here. Definitely a must-see!

Have we provided a reason to lure you to Convention ’25 yet? It’s less than a year away, so it’s high time to get that excitement built up and the planning made. Yeah, we know everyone says, “You don’t want to miss this one!” I guess you’ll have to come find out if it’s true. Hope to see you there!

1959 – 2024

Born December 6, 1959, in Mocksville, North Carolina, to William Calvin Ijames and Vertie-Mae Coulter, Marjolene was the last of three siblings. She attended William R. Davie Elementary and graduated from Davie High School (1978). She worked as a dental assistant throughout high school and after graduation, earned a nursing degree from Forsyth Technical College (1985).

Marjolene later married Whaid Guscott Rose and joined him in pastoral ministry in New York City. She quickly adapted to the “Big City,” where both of their children — Arvella Elizabeth and William Nathaniel Simpson (Nathan) — were born.

After returning briefly to North Carolina (1990 – 1994) to lead the Newton Church, Marjolene and her husband answered a call to serve the church in Colorado. For a combined 23 years, they served both the local church and the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day), with ministry to churches around the world. Marjolene’s favorite niche was her children’s church ministry.

Marjolene described her Colorado years as the most fulfilling and meaningful chapter of her life. She practiced hospital and school nursing there, working for eleven years at a charter school within the Adams County School System.

Since returning to North Carolina in 2017, Marjolene devoted herself to caring for her parents, serving the church alongside her husband, and making her house a home to everyone. She did all of this while relishing the sweetness of God’s Word through her passionate involvement with Bible Study Fellowship.

Marjolene was incredibly talented. While most widely known for her angelic voice, she also enjoyed playing the piano. She was a devoted teacher of the Word (particularly to children at church) and an avid gardener. Marjolene loved cooking, crocheting, sewing, cross-stitching, biking, and almost anything that involved nature.

Despite the pain and loss, we celebrate Marjolene’s life of 64+ years. She leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, and a sweet spirit that drew everyone to her.

Marjolene’s recent passing ended her fourteen-month battle with breast cancer. She was preceded in death by her oldest brother (Jeffrey), her grandparents (Ivan and Marjorie Ijames), a nephew (Matthew), and her father (Calvin).

Marjolene is survived by her husband of 38 years (Whaid), daughter (Arvella), and son (Nathan), whose wife (Monica) will soon give birth to Marjolene’s first grandchild. She also leaves behind her 89-year-old mother (Vertie Mae), who was precious to her; a brother, Steve (Rachel); parental in-laws (Esban and Mavis Rose); sister-in-law, Oveta (Oral); brother-in-law, Norval; nieces, nephews, and many other relatives.

Marjolene passed from this life peacefully at Novant Medical Center in Huntersville just before sunset on Sunday evening, July 21, surrounded by much outpouring of love and affection and a beautiful rainbow in the sky above the hospital! She was loved and appreciated by so many here at home and around the world, but Jesus loved her most. So He gave her a great big “rainbow smile” as she slipped into His presence where “there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Artios Christian College through the Church of God Seventh Day at P.O. Box 33677, Denver, CO 80233 or to the American Cancer Society.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Unity Presbyterian Church at 8210 Unity Church Road, Denver, NC 28037 on Thursday, August 1 at 2:00 pm (EST). A livestream recording of the service will be provided on the Newton Church of God Seventh Day YouTube Channel.

1926 – 2024

Loretta Ruby Bullard was born December 30, 1926, in Oklahoma to William Alfred Midgley and Eva Alnita Green Midgley. She passed away May 22, 2024, at age 97.

The seventh of ten children, Loretta lived through fifteen presidents and was on the sixteenth when she died. She lived through the Depression, recessions, and five wars: World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Though Loretta finished only the eighth grade, she attended an adult education program and received her GED when she was 65.

Loretta raised children and grandchildren along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was a caretaker by nature and lived for her family. The biggest accomplishment of her life was showing her family how to be a true, faithful servant of our Lord.

Loretta lived her life for God, the church, and her family. She was a mentor to so many in the Church of God (Seventh Day) in Wister, Oklahoma, and served as a trustee there for several years. Loretta made and sold many fried pies and held numerous garage sales, and she donated quilts for fundraisers for the church. Loretta was an inspiration to the young and the old. She will be missed.

Loretta was preceded in death by her parents; husband Herman; sons Curtis and David, and J.D. Delap; sisters Vina, Opal, Margaret, Ann; brothers Charlie, William, Moss, and Dee.

She is survived by daughters Eva Alexander, Bonnie Prigmore, Lynn and Alan Shelbourne; daughter-in-law Sandy Bullard; brother Maurice Midgley; grandchildren Jennifer, David, Curtis, Dee, Charlie, Jeremy, Dustin, Katie, Jessie, and Davey; great-children Mackenzie, Gracie, Haylee, Kasen, Kobi, Taylor, Ava, Kabella, Kamden, Ronni Belle, and Callen; great-great grandchild Charlie; special friends Donna Bush, Linda Delap, and Frances Nelson, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

1924 – 2024

Donna Wiley Carpenter was born April 19, 1924, in Bakersfield, California. Like her husband, she reached the age of 100, then passed away soon after on May 11, 2024.

Soon after her birth, Donna was adopted by loving parents in Eagle Rock, California, a community of Los Angeles. She came into the Church of God (Seventh Day) after meeting and marrying Andy Carpenter. They were married in 1947, and Donna was baptized into Jesus Christ around that time.

In 1966, Andy and Donna helped establish the Ontario Church of God (Seventh Day). She was an active member, involved in children’s ministry, the women’s group, and various projects.

Donna was known for her hospitality — always ready to have people over to her home. She enjoyed writing poems and short articles about her walk with God. She was published in WAND magazine, as well as the Ontario church newsletter.

Andy passed away in 2012, but Donna was present for the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Ontario church in 2016. She is survived by her son, Larry (Sandy) Carpenter, daughter Colleen O’Brien, daughter Gena (Mike) McKibbin, daughter Grace (Jim) Eggebeen, and son Paul (Georgia) Carpenter. She also leaves behind ten grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.

LEA 111 Essentials of Vibrant Leadership is a flexible online course that lasts just five weeks and is designed to increase your influence as a Christian in your home, church, workplace, and community.

Find out more at https://my.artioscollege.org/en/courses/LEA111 

I write this article as one who has earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California and secondary education teaching credentials from the State of California and the State of Oregon. I have taught students within three public school districts. Both my parents were public schoolteachers, as were one of my brothers and my wife. Despite that involvement, I am delighted that each of my three children and their spouses are homeschooling their children.

In some school districts within the United States, children are taught traditional values and subjects, but far too many of our schools have become indoctrination centers of our increasingly anti-God society. The news has shown student demonstrations on college campuses against Jewish people, and supporting terrorists who wish to exterminate them. Online videos reveal university students unable to answer basic questions about the geography and government of their own country. They violently protest in favor of issues and ideologies they know even less about.

Many families within our General Conference have decided that their children are far too valuable and vulnerable to entrust to public schools. They have concluded that “Caesar’s” schools are designed to produce students who share Caesar’s values that often contradict biblical values. Therefore, parents have removed their children from public schools and enrolled them in private schools, or have chosen to educate them at home. Cooperatives of homeschoolers are springing up everywhere as parents and Christian educators band together to provide educational opportunities in line with Christian values and classical methods and subjects.

Other GC leaders and I support these parents and others who desire to follow their example. We hope to build a repository of information, available to anyone, of homeschool organizations, materials, and methodologies. If you are a homeschooler interested in helping us build this, please email your information to contact@cog7.org.

— Loren Stacy

GC President