Visit to the Region by Stephen Smith

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Regional Report for The Church of God

Concerning the recent visit from the Interim

General Overseer of The Church of God,

Bishop Stephen Smith

Brother Smith Goes to Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio

For those interested in receiving a DVD Copy of our Regional Meeting with

Stephen Smith which took place on August 12, 2006, please contact

the Regional Office for more information.

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Copyright (c) Bishop Danny L. Carter & The Church of God in IN, KY, OH | Created & Maintained by Chad D. Carter & OnCoursePublishing.com

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S.T.R.S. - IN/KY/OH
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La Iglesia de Dios

Bishop Danny Carter and the Region of

IN/KY/OH pray for Bishop & Sister Smith

On Saturday, August 12, 2006 Brother Stephen Smith, interim General Overseer of The Church of God, and Brother Ray Dupre, Field Secretary, came to Franklin, Indiana for the purpose of meeting with the portion of the Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio region who have taken a stand against the attacks that have been waged against the theocratic government that we of The Church of God hold so dear to our hearts.

To begin with, The Region would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to both Brother Smith and Brother Dupre for taking the time to visit our region and for giving us the opportunity to be heard (something that has not been afforded to us until this time).

On Friday evening the ministry of The Region came together for a time of prayer, worship and discussion. The meeting opened at 8:00 PM on Friday with prayer and scripture reading from Ephesians 2:14, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us”.

We were also blessed by the reading of Psalms 37: 3 – 11,

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Sister Missy Wilcox led the congregation in singing, “I Am Determined To Hold Out To The End”. That is one thing that each and every member within The Region has in common. We are committed to do that which is right and to hold out to the end; and when this life is over, whether things ever get fixed within The Church of God or not, with joy we’ll go up singing, “We’ve held out to the end”.

Following another time of prayer Brother Carter opened up the meeting for any questions or comments that anyone wanted to discuss. What a glorious time we had! We enjoyed such a wonderful spirit of unity and peace throughout the entire evening. Of course this is nothing new for The Region. Words can not express the unity and peace that has been so prevalent throughout The Region for the past 11 months.

The Holy Ghost blessed us with His sweet presence throughout the entire evening. There were two messages and interpretations given.

The first message and interpretation said, “Yea, Yea, I say; I say, lean on me. Yea, my arm is strong. Yea, my yoke is easy. Oh, I say to thee, I have the understanding. I have what is necessary for this to be what I desire. So lean on me, and I shall bring it to pass, saith the Lord."

The second interpretation said, “Now I say also unto thee; in my time, in my time, I shall work all things to my will. Yea, understand what I say unto thee. Yea, ye have walked; ye have been steady. I tell thee, yea, keep standing firm for the faith that was delivered to the saints, and yea, ye shall reap the reward”.

Oh, how the Holy Ghost knows how to comfort and encourage God’s people. No matter what man does, or does not do, we can rest and trust in the Lord, and know that we can lean on him, and that “in his time” all things will be worked to his will. He recognizes that we have stood firm for him, for his bride, and for his government.

It is so overwhelming to think that, as insignificant as we are, he sees us; he knows our struggles; he knows our hearts; and he will bring everything around to his will, in his time. Praise the Lord!

What a precursor to the Saturday meeting with Brother Smith. We know that we are going into this with God, and we know that he will not leave us on our own. The meeting on Saturday began at 1:00 PM with Brother Carter welcoming everyone to The Church of God at Franklin, Indiana. Brother Stephen Smith, Brother Ray Dupre, Brother Danny Carter, and Brother Earl Hazel occupied the rostrum.

The Region would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Brother and Sister Daniel who were also in attendance at this meeting. They have been such tremendous friends and such a wonderful source of encouragement to everyone in The Region ever since this thing began. We could never completely express our full appreciation to them, but we hope they know how much we do love them, and how much we appreciate everything they have done on our behalf.

Brother Carter opened the meeting with introductions and prayer followed by a scripture reading by the local pastor, Brother Chris Newport, who read Psalms 122.

1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

The congregation, which consisted of individuals from both sides of this issue, went to their knees in a prayer of peace for The Church of God. What a wonderful spirit of worship that fell over the entire congregation during this prayer!

Sister Benningfield led the congregation in singing “Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace, Coming down from the Father above; Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray, in fathomless billows of love”. What a sweet, sweet spirit of peace that rained down upon the entire house where we were meeting. While Sister Benningfield was leading the congregation in song, Brother Carter asked that we all go to someone and greet them. Once again such a spirit of unity and love was felt by everyone.

Sister Regina Goodin blessed us with a wonderful singing of “In the Presence of Jehovah”. Again, the Holy Ghost fell in a way that defies description. You felt such a divine presence during and following the singing of this song; people worshipping and praising the Lord, crying, and laughing all at the same time.

Then the Holy Ghost spoke to the congregation in two more messages and interpretations. The first interpretation said, “Yea I say unto thee my people this day; I say, why do you look? Oh I say, I have the answers for thee. Oh, don’t look in your own hearts. Oh, don’t look in your own hearts. I have the answers for thee. Oh, I will heal this healing. I will bring it to pass. Yea, I say, I am with thee. I will take care of thee. I am leading thee. I am guiding thee. Yea, I say, I am with thee My people. Oh, trust not in thy self, but trust in me. I am with thee. (further utterances) I am here. I am here. Oh, I am here. Worship me. I say, I am here. Worship me”.

The second interpretation said, “Ye have come to this place. Yea, not of your own accord. Yea, I have brought this gathering. Understand me. I speak. Yea, you have heard it said already, I am in the midst of thee. I know mine, and am known of mine. Yea, hear my voice. I plead with hearts today to do the right; and yea, to shun the wrong. I call upon thee to surrender thyselves unto me. Thou art mine. Yea, I tell thee; thou art mine. I shall be with thee, when thou walkest before me with a true heart”.

Once again, the Holy Ghost knows exactly what to say to lift up his people. We felt so encouraged and so loved by God that all we could do was praise and magnify his name.

Brother Smith and Brother Dupre each addressed the congregation. Basically the message was that we need to return to our prayer closets and find out what God would have us to do. That is exactly where the good people of The Region have been without ceasing for the past 11 months. During this time we have prayed and fasted more than many have in a very long time. The Holy Ghost made it very clear in his message to us that he is leading and guiding us, and we are relying completely on his direction.

Brother Carter made some opening comments to begin the discussion portion of the meeting. He pointed out that God used individuals from both sides of the issue to bring about the messages and interpretations, and how this seems to be God’s way of showing us that reconciliation is possible. He then opened the floor for anyone who had questions or comments for Brother Smith or Brother Dupre. It would be impossible to record everything that everyone said throughout the course of this portion of the meeting but the DVD of the meeting is being made available to anyone who wants a copy at no cost to you. The Region will pay for all recording costs as well as the shipping and handling expenses.

We are so proud of our people today. Each and every one that went to the microphone exhibited such a good and meek spirit when they addressed Brother Smith and Brother Dupre. I wish that it could be reported that everyone received good answers to their questions, but unfortunately most returned to their seats disappointed. Brother Smith did make it very clear to us however, that, in his opinion, those of us who have been “turned out” of the church, howbeit by a corrupt government, are nonetheless “outside” of the church, and that certain things will have to be accomplished before reconciliation can take place. No further details were given than that during the meeting. In spite of this it does not seem as though the Holy Ghost bears witness to this assessment of the situation. We feel in our spirit just as much a part of the bride today as we ever have.

We were also told that we must submit to those over us in the Lord, even though they are corrupt, evil, and living in sin themselves. How can someone who is corrupt, evil, or living in sin be over anyone “In the Lord”?

The example of Diotrephes was used to show how the church of the bible followed a corrupt leader who wrongfully turned out members of the church.

9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

However, it was pointed out that if you read the very next verse you find that the word makes it very clear that we are not to follow that which is evil, but rather, that which is good.

11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Even in the message and interpretation the Holy Ghost pleaded with us to do the right and to shun the wrong. That is all that the folks of The Region have done for the past 11 months; shun the wrong; and much wrong has been exposed.

It would be great if we could include everything that everyone said at this meeting in this report, but it simply is not possible. One sister from Raceland, Kentucky did have a very interesting question for the interim General Overseer. Her church has not been disbanded as most of the churches within The Region have, and none of the members have been turned out. However, their pastor is not a member and he has had his license revoked. She simply asked how this problem was going to be fixed. No answer was forthcoming.

She also mentioned how the church in Raceland had been told that those of The Region who had taken their stand against corrupt leadership and the attack against theocratic government were all Achans and sinners. She said that she had known too many of them for too long to believe for one minute that this could be true. Besides, why would God honor such Achans and sinners with such peace, harmony, and unity?

Brother Carter closed the meeting by having everyone that would to come around and anoint and pray for Brother and Sister Smith and Brother Dupre. What a wonderful feeling of love that was poured out upon our guests. We may not agree on every point, but by God’s grace we are still able to love each other. It was such a blessing to watch as nearly every sister in the congregation lined up and extended their love to Sister Smith following this prayer.

I do not believe that it would be possible for anyone to have departed this meeting without knowing that we had certainly been “In the Presence of Jehovah”. The Holy Ghost ministered in ways that only he can. We will continue to follow his leading and guidance.

If you are reading this we ask that you stop right now and offer up a prayer for the interim General Overseer and his Field Secretary. In times like these they will need all of the discernment and wisdom that God can give them. Many people think this is all about reinstating the memberships and licenses of The Region. In fact that is probably the least of what needs to be done, and certainly not the first thing that needs to be done. True theocratic government must be restored to The Church of God.

Pray, Pray, Pray for the upcoming General Assembly. The Church of God needs a definite move of God during this Assembly.

We are so thankful that The Region is able to offer free DVD recordings of this meeting. They are available simply for the asking. Contact Jeff Wilcox or Ryan Carter to order your free DVD. In addition to that we are so thankful that we were able to broadcast this meeting live over the internet. Many people outside of The Region were able to join in.

We were also able to broadcast the Sunday Morning service of The Church of God at Franklin, Indiana live over the internet the following morning. Brother Daniel truly blessed us with a wonderful message on the seed, the body, and the bride.

God bless each and every one who reads this report. We ask that you pray for The Region and know that we are praying for you.

In His Loving Care,

Chris Newport (Reporter for The Region)