Worship is central to every General Assembly.
WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP
Louis F. Morgan
FOR MORE THAN a century, delegates attending General Assembly worship services and fellowship activities have received encouragement, inspiration, affirmation, and confirmation by focusing on Christ and His mission for the Church. Of that first Assembly, A.J. Tomlinson recorded, “The meeting on the whole was noticeable for the love to one another and the unity. Sunday we observed the Sacrament, washing of feet, and this meeting was freighted with the power and presence of the Holy Ghost. Everyone who engaged and most of those who were spectators were bathed in tears showing the sacredness of the occasion” (Diary, January 30, 1906).
Worship and fellowship are dynamic aspects of the General Assembly. Songs, prayers, sermons, testimonies, hugs, and handshakes elicit joyful response to God’s Spirit. “Waves of glory” occur as worshipers respond to the preached Word, anointing singing, and power of the Holy Spirit. Some have responded by running to the altar, while others have shouted and danced in the presence of God. Many will remember Bob Snoderly from Georgia dancing unashamedly in praise. A few may recall when delegates broke out into spontaneous waving of handkerchiefs. It is common for called and spontaneous prayer to fill the auditorium as delegates petition and offer praise to God. Also of importance, meals, receptions, afterglows, early morning coffees, and late night conversations build love and unity among the Church.
Reverend Nora Chambers’ description of the 1932 General Assembly reflects a distinctive of the Church of God—our emphasis on Spirit-filled worship and fellowship: “From the very first service the Lord blessed and His presence, glory and power was with us until the closing of this great gathering. Wave after wave of glory swept over the great congregation, which made us to feel and know that God was with us. There was much shouting and wonderful demonstrations of the Spirit in the praise service…. [S]uch love, unity, harmony and sweet fellowship prevailed” (Evangel, October 22, 1932, p. 1).
In such an atmosphere of worship and fellowship, God does marvelous things. For instance, during the 1919 Assembly, a man came forward who had been unable to walk for 10 years without the aid of crutches, having suffered a broken back and two broken legs. According to the Assembly Minutes, “When they prayed for him the mighty power of God came down upon him, and he was healed, and left his crutches and ran out of the church house and around outside praising God, and the people following him and looking on at the mighty work of God” (A. 1919, p. 44). Often there is special prayer for the sick, and sometimes handkerchiefs have been sent to the Assembly to be prayed over and then returned to the sick. It is expected that people will be healed or receive salvation, sanctification, and the baptism with the Holy Spirit during Assembly services.
Worship and fellowship are dynamic aspects of the General Assembly. Songs, prayers, sermons, testimonies, hugs, and handshakes elicit joyful response to God’s Spirit. “Waves of glory” occur as worshipers respond to the preached Word, anointing singing, and power of the Holy Spirit. Some have responded by running to the altar, while others have shouted and danced in the presence of God. Many will remember Bob Snoderly from Georgia dancing unashamedly in praise. A few may recall when delegates broke out into spontaneous waving of handkerchiefs. It is common for called and spontaneous prayer to fill the auditorium as delegates petition and offer praise to God. Also of importance, meals, receptions, afterglows, early morning coffees, and late night conversations build love and unity among the Church.
Reverend Nora Chambers’ description of the 1932 General Assembly reflects a distinctive of the Church of God—our emphasis on Spirit-filled worship and fellowship: “From the very first service the Lord blessed and His presence, glory and power was with us until the closing of this great gathering. Wave after wave of glory swept over the great congregation, which made us to feel and know that God was with us. There was much shouting and wonderful demonstrations of the Spirit in the praise service…. [S]uch love, unity, harmony and sweet fellowship prevailed” (Evangel, October 22, 1932, p. 1).
In such an atmosphere of worship and fellowship, God does marvelous things. For instance, during the 1919 Assembly, a man came forward who had been unable to walk for 10 years without the aid of crutches, having suffered a broken back and two broken legs. According to the Assembly Minutes, “When they prayed for him the mighty power of God came down upon him, and he was healed, and left his crutches and ran out of the church house and around outside praising God, and the people following him and looking on at the mighty work of God” (A. 1919, p. 44). Often there is special prayer for the sick, and sometimes handkerchiefs have been sent to the Assembly to be prayed over and then returned to the sick. It is expected that people will be healed or receive salvation, sanctification, and the baptism with the Holy Spirit during Assembly services.
Presenting the orphanage ministry to the General Assembly (ca. 1921), General Overseer A.J. Tomlinson (left) and Orphanage Matron Lillian
Kinsey (right) invite orphans to the Assembly Auditorium stage
Worship in Music
Music is a distinguishing component of Church of God worship and fellowship. We are a singing church, and the Assembly is a time when we can experience a breadth of talent and styles. Our early Assembly music was brought out of the churches from which the Church of God emerged, and the singing of the Doxology often was incorporated. By the 1920s, we were incorporating songs our own musicians had written. Solos, duets, trios, quartets, and choirs are interspersed throughout the week’s program to provide a worship atmosphere in which our hearts can be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as we endeavored to conduct the business of the Church.
Such worship has provided inspiration for preparing sermons and composing songs. While attending the 1956 Assembly in Memphis, Tennessee, C.S. Grogan completed writing the noted anthem of our Church, “Like a Mighty Army,” which was inspired by Charles W. Conn’s historical account. Grogan, who was pastoring at Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, reported, “In my prayer room one day, while meditating on the Church and its great program, I began to sing the words that came to be the first stanza of the song…. It seemed quite a coincidence that I finished the song while the General Assembly was in session” (Evangel, February 1, 1960, p. 7). Grogan credited Vep Ellis for encouraging the song’s completion and Edward Williams for arranging the harmony. Under the direction of A.T. Humphries, a group of young men debuted the song during youth night at the 1956 Assembly. Since then, it has been sung in many congregations throughout the world.
Music is a distinguishing component of Church of God worship and fellowship. We are a singing church, and the Assembly is a time when we can experience a breadth of talent and styles. Our early Assembly music was brought out of the churches from which the Church of God emerged, and the singing of the Doxology often was incorporated. By the 1920s, we were incorporating songs our own musicians had written. Solos, duets, trios, quartets, and choirs are interspersed throughout the week’s program to provide a worship atmosphere in which our hearts can be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as we endeavored to conduct the business of the Church.
Such worship has provided inspiration for preparing sermons and composing songs. While attending the 1956 Assembly in Memphis, Tennessee, C.S. Grogan completed writing the noted anthem of our Church, “Like a Mighty Army,” which was inspired by Charles W. Conn’s historical account. Grogan, who was pastoring at Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, reported, “In my prayer room one day, while meditating on the Church and its great program, I began to sing the words that came to be the first stanza of the song…. It seemed quite a coincidence that I finished the song while the General Assembly was in session” (Evangel, February 1, 1960, p. 7). Grogan credited Vep Ellis for encouraging the song’s completion and Edward Williams for arranging the harmony. Under the direction of A.T. Humphries, a group of young men debuted the song during youth night at the 1956 Assembly. Since then, it has been sung in many congregations throughout the world.
|
|
 Many Church of God children and youth have had significant spiritual experiences at the General Assembly. Celebrating Ministries
As Church ministries evolved through the years, programs have been added or removed from the Assembly schedule to highlight particular departments and ministries. Often their inclusion on the schedule began with reading a report and providing an update, and they sometimes became integrated as a corporate worship experience for the celebration of ministry accomplishments. These special emphasis services have highlighted Women’s Ministries, educational institutions, the Chaplains Commission, Ministry to the Military, Evangelism and Home Missions, Communications and Media Ministries, and retired ministers. Typically, these services included singing, prayers, testimonies, and sermons. Yet, over time many of these programs shifted to preconferences, luncheons, banquets, and other times of fellowship and enrichment opportunities. An orphanage emphasis service was a prominent program at many Assemblies through 1966. Evolving out of an activities report, the orphanage service featured talks from ministers, orphanage matrons, and church administrators, affirming the necessity of the benevolence work and appealing for continued financial support. Beginning with the 1921 Assembly, orphans participated by singing and reciting scriptures. A program featuring Bible Training School students was first introduced in 1925. This service typically included comments from the superintendent/president of the school and testimonies, songs, prayers, Scripture reading, and sermons by current and former students. Over time, this educational emphasis included other Bible schools as well. Beginning in 1966, this program transitioned into an evening reception for Lee University alumni. Today, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary hosts a reception, and other alumni receptions are scheduled for former academic institutions, including West Coast Bible College, Northwest Bible College, East Coast Bible College, and Patten University. In 1924, the Assembly incorporated a youth service into the schedule when General Overseer F.J. Lee invited Reverend Lettie Cross to preach the sermon for young people. A youth program for the church was formally organized in 1929 as the Young People’s Endeavor (YPE), and in 1931 a special YPE program was incorporated into the Assembly schedule. Youth services were planned to be relevant and encouraging, and many young people have surrendered their lives to Christ, received the Holy Spirit baptism, and accepted a call to ministry. These services incorporated young people to read Scripture, pray, or offer testimonies. After 1962, Teen Talent winners were announced and some of their gifts and abilities showcased during the youth service. Often, hundreds of Teen Talent participants would march into the auditorium behind their respective state banners to the affirmative applause of Assembly delegates. This special emphasis continued until the Assembly of 2008. In 2010, the number of days for the Assembly was decreased and Teen Talent moved to an alternative schedule. Beginning in 1919, the Church of God’s black constituency offered testimonies, songs, prayers, and sermons in a designated service on the General Assembly schedule. This format continued through 1964, as the Church integrated our ministries in 1966. Presently, a Black Ministries luncheon provides a time of fellowship and special recognition for members of African descent. While today’s General Assembly includes a variety of events throughout the week, only a limited number of programs are conducted from the Assembly platform. In addition to the formal business meetings, three emphases continue to be incorporated into the evening services. Those include a sermon by the general overseer (or general overseer-elect), a memorial service to honor deceased ministers, and a missions service. Since 1925, a formal memorial service honors the memory of recently deceased ministers and provides an opportunity for the Church to praise God for their faithfulness. J.S. Llewellyn led the first memorial service. Before reading the names of those who had “fought the battles bravely, but crossed over and are now walking the streets of gold,” Llewellyn reminded the Assembly delegates: “[T]hey have laid their armor down and joined the ranks of the redeemed. Life's conflicts will soon be over, then we too will trail this Milky Way to meet those who have already gone on, and when we reach that wonderful place called Heaven we will greatly rejoice because we remained true to the Lord and to His Church. Wonderful will it be when we meet our Master, and hear Him say, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord’” (A. 1925, p. 12). When the Church had fewer credentialed ministers and met annually, designated individuals who knew them best made specific comments about recently deceased ministers. The programs often incorporated retired ministers into the service, sometimes comprising a special choir. Today a media tribute is on display as part of a “Wall of Remembrance” and is presented at the beginning of an evening service, during which family members of the deceased are recognized and given a rose. One of the most anticipated events of every Assembly is the World Missions Service. In 1911, the Assembly received a missions offering totaling $21 for the work in the Bahamas. The following year, the delegates heard a letter read from R.M. Evans, missionary to the Bahamas. Assembly Minutes report: “After the letter was read the assembled saints kneeled down and prayed for the Bahama Islands. The Spirit manifested Himself in a mighty way, and on all sides through the groans and cries could be heard, ‘If it is Thy will, O God, send me.’ When they arose from their knees the Spirit seemed to reveal to each one that prayer without works was useless, and without any request being made $22.55 was laid on the table for the Bahama Islands” (A. 1912, p. 10). In 1915, the Assembly schedule gave greater attention to the Church’s missionary work, including a report of funds raised, a letter written to the Assembly by Lillian Trasher, missionary to Egypt, and prayers offered for Trasher and other missionaries serving in distant lands. By 1917, a missions program became a regular event, and eventually the Assembly devoted a full evening service to celebrate world missions. One highlight of these services is the Parade of Nations, when missionaries and leaders from various countries march in bearing their countries’ flags and often attired in the clothing of the regions they serve. The program is inspiring with testimonies, multicultural music, and video presentations honoring ministries throughout the world. Services include a presentation encouraging delegates’ participation in world evangelism and an opportunity to support World Missions. |
“In making up the program for the Assembly, I thought it would be well to have something concerning the young people…. The subject has come to my mind in the form of a question, ‘Should Young People Be Sober-minded?’ My thought is to try to get Christian young people out of so much foolishness and frivolity.”
General Overseer F.J. Lee to Reverend Lettie Cross 
Missionaries carry flags representing nations where
they serve during the 1998 World Missions Service. THE DIVIDING CORD
 The cord that divided the races was pulled to the floor while Bishop J.H. Curry danced in the Spirit. ALTHOUGH BLACK members and ministers of the Church of God were always welcome to attend all General Assembly services, Jim Crow laws demanded separate seating in public facilities, including the Church of God Assembly Auditorium in Cleveland, Tennessee. In order to accommodate this unjust law, a cord separated seats designated for “colored” attendees from the remaining seating. According to oral tradition, an event which likely took place in the 1930s illustrates the indignity of the situation.
According to Mother Evelyn Gooden, who related that her father witnessed and reported the episode, Bishop John Henry Curry was dancing in the Spirit during a General Assembly worship service. Curry was an immigrant from the Bahamas and a significant leader in his time. During his ministry, he served as pastor of the prominent Fifth Avenue Church of God in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was national overseer of the “Church of God (Colored Work)” from 1928 to 1939, and served on the Executive Council from 1932 to 1938. “Overshadowed” by the power of the Holy Spirit, Curry was dancing and shouting as was common during Church of God worship. While he was dancing, his extended arm caught the dividing cord of segregation, and it fell to the floor. For many observers, this event signified the Spirit tearing down that tangible and symbolic barrier that separated the races. Yet, it would be another three decades before civil and ecclesial laws and structures caught up with the work God did that day. 
In 1968, Foreign Missions Field Representative James L. Slay
preached a message on “The Nearness of His Coming.” |
A Korean Choir leads worship at the 1976 General Assembly in Dallas, Texas.
Louis F. Morgan, Ph.D., is professor and director of Library Services at Lee University.