The Praise Report. Happy Birthday Bishop! A church in the community for the community. January March Inside this issue:

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1 A church in the community for the community January March 2018 Happy Birthday Bishop! Inside this issue: Celebrating Black History Month 2 Congratulations to the winners of Prom Pastor Michael Hooks Kids Grow Here Focus on the Grace of God Ministry Awards A night to remember Guarding your heart Bishop Craig W. Johnson Bishop Craig W. Johnson, Lady D, Chystal Rucker, Bishop Cortez Vaughn What a Celebration it was! On Sunday, March 4, 2018 Cathedral of Praise celebrated our pastor, Bishop Craig Ward Johnson's 54th birthday. We also celebrated 22 years as the pastor of Cathedral of Praise International Ministries, and 41 years of ministry. Our guest for the 8:00 am services none other than Bishop John Guns, Senior Pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. He preached a powerful message on, "How Do You Like me Now!" The scripture reading was Genesis 42:8. What a word for the house. The 11:00 am service was a Praise Party for Bishop, the COPIM Way! Bishop Cortez Vaughn and songstress Chrystal Rucker rocked the house. Songs of praise went forth from oldies and goodies! Everyone was blessed, but most of all Bishop left happy. We love you Bishop and appreciate you for everything you do. Young Mothers Ministry 5

2 Page 2 Celebrating Black History Month Congratulations to the winners of Prom 2018 Did you know that Black History Month started out as Negro History Week? This was started by Carter G. Woodson an established historian, publisher, educator and scholar. It only became a month-long celebration in It should not surprise you to know that true facts about African people are still emerging today. Did you know: 1. Did you know that before there was Rosa Parks there was, Claudette Colvin. In fact, there were several women whom refused to give up their seat. It was March 2 nd, 1955 when the 15-yr old refused to stand up on the bus. This was 9 months before Rosa s stand that launched the Montgomery Boycott. 2. Inoculation was introduced to America by a slave Onesimus. Few facts are known about this man, but it is assumed he was born in Africa in the late 17 th century before landing in Boston. Onesimus was a gift to the puritan church minister in Of the 12.5 million Africans shipped to the new world during the transatlantic slave trade, fewer than 388,000 arrived in the United States. The transatlantic slave trade was underway from , shipping more than 12 million slaves, but only 10.7 million survived the dreaded middle passage. When the United States became active in the slave trade it had been underway for two hundred years. The majority of its 388,000 slaves arrived between 1700 and One in four cowboys was BLACK, despite stories told in popular books and movies. In fact, it is believed the real Lone Ranger was inspired by an African American man named Bass Reeves. Reeves was born a slave but escaped west during the civil war where he lived in what was known as Indian Territory. He became a Deputy U.S., marshal amongst other careers. He rode a silver horse and had a Native American companion. 5. Betty Boop was Black - A woman named Ester Jones known as Baby Ester who was a Jazz singer in Harlem was the real Betty Boop. Baby Ester often performed in the world-famous Cotton Club during the 1920s. Introduced by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, the caricature of the jazz singer was the first and most famous symbol of femininity in animation. Betty Boop is best known for her dress and signature vocals. The Young Adult Ministry has done it again, marking the 3rd year of recognizing young adults with a Prom experience they ll never forget The Young Adult Ministry, along with the help of several other countless contributors, have been able to sponsor prom formal attire to well deserving Seniors from our church! Congratulations to Erica Holloman and Elijah Franklin. These individuals have completed the application process in its entirety, providing two letters of recommendation and exceeding the minimum GPA requirements. They both provided a well written word essay reflecting on Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This scripture strongly influenced their senior year. The winners received a personal stylist that will have them carpet ready from head to toe! From the suit, dress, accessories and personal hair stylist, they will be ready for an evening in style. Let s celebrate these phenomenal young adults as they celebrate their Senior Prom! Congratulations on a job well done.

3 Page 3 Pastor Michael Hooks Kids Grow Here Have you noticed the growth of the children and youth ministry? If you haven t taken the time to notice let me share with you that our children s ministry has definitely grown. Under the leadership change of Pastor Michael Hooks the children appear to be extremely happy and spiritually focused. Pastor Hooks has been a new light to the children as well as the youth and continues to work diligently to improve and upgrade this ministry. He is always looking for new approaches to keep our children spiritually fed and to develop the next generation for kingdom work. As a young man and a father, he feels that he can relate to struggles that our children face today. We truly applauded his efforts in leading this ministry, when you see him slap him a high five and say thank you for the awesome job he is doing. Focus on the Grace of God The Women's Ministry of COPIM started the year off focusing on the grace of God to meet all of their heart s desires. The call came from Women s Ministry Coordinator, La Rhonda Chocolate Murray, during the first of a series of pep talks to encourage the women of COPIM. We must keep our eyes on what God can do to overcome various obstacles and storms in life," said Chocolate. As women, our spirituality is our influence into our qualities that define our uniqueness. Therefore, the women of COPIM were encouraged to make personal sacrifices and to show compassion and human kindness towards others. God s goodness and mercy should be the center of attention as we ask for spiritual healing in the midst of trials and tribulations. We should seek God s face in everything that we do, encourage one another and be ready to be of assistance to our sisters in Christ. There was also a raffle drawing that placed a gift in the hands of winners and everyone went home blessed. We look to God for answers to our issues, we are over comers. COPIM Women s Ministry meets every third Sunday of the month in the Fellowship Hall following the 8am service. Come out and join the Women s Ministry of COPIM!

4 Page 4 Ministry Awards - A night to remember The 4 th Annual Celebration of Ministry was a night to remember. This was a event to honor those who have faithfully labored in ministry in Each year, every ministry sets yearly goals that are evaluated quarterly. Currently, there are more than 40 ministries at COPIM that were considered, and some were nominated to receive a 2018 award. While many ministries have done outstanding work, the decision was narrowed down into categories that showcased the phenomenal ministries and the actions of selected individuals: Winners are bolded in purple Award Categories: Award Categories: Most Improved Ministry Children s Dance Intercessors Youth Most Consistent Ministry Bereavement/Visitation Deacons Marriage Encounters Mother s Most Adaptable Ministry Assimilation Bookstore Music Security Ministry of the Year Health Helping Hands Intercessor s Women New Leader of the Year Jessie Montoya-Rodriguez Kelvin Ward Derrius Whitehead Maria Whitehead Ministry Coordinator of the Year Jessie Montoya-Rodriguez LaRhonda Chocolate Murray Nina Whiteside Loria Willoughby Staff Member of the Year Reginna Criswell Michael Hooks Laska Jones Terry Rosebrough Elder of the Year Earl Bonner Reginna Criswell Carey Willoughby Loria Willoughby Beyond the Walls Evangelism Men Protocol Women Bishop s Award Armor Bearers Health Helping Hands Children s/youth Ministry Stream Coordinator of the Year Taisha Bomar Michael Hooks Carmen Tuppence Carey Willoughby

5 Page 5 Guarding your heart Valentine s Day is typically set aside to celebrate love. However, the Women s Ministry of COPIM took a different approach this year. The message was for women to Guard their Hearts under lock and key. As women, we can be vulnerable at times. Unfortunately, the heart is involved and can become broken. This can lead to an emotional breakdown depending on the severity of the action. Proverbs 23:7b says, Eat and drink, but his heart is not with you. The time has come where women need to guard their hearts and weigh out all of their options. Gone are the days when we simply meet people and open the gates of our hearts to anyone and everyone. We need to proceed with caution, ask questions, and open up to those who are trustworthy of sharing our hearts with. In the New King James Version of the Bible, Proverbs 4:23 tells us; Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. This also means that apart from monitoring those you allow into your heart, it is the seat of power in our lives. Whatever we say or do comes from the heart and we should keep it with all diligence because everything we do springs from it. Instead of looking solely at cupid, roses and chocolates associated with Valentine s Day, we have a reason to look beyond the surface of the event and guard our hearts. Most importantly, love the Lord with all your heart! Young Mothers Ministry The Young Mothers Ministry welcomes mothers between and ages of 16 and 35 who want to belong to a ministry that support parental guidance, encourage a closer walk and spiritual relationship with God. If you are a young mother and are interested in joining this ministry contact youngmothers@copim.org

6 Page 6 CATHEDRAL OF PRAISE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES 3030 N. Del Rosa Ave. San Bernardino CA, Phone: Fax: info@copim.org We re on the web at Newsletter team members Executive Pastor Reginna Criswell Ministry Coordinator, Pasha Fruman Windy Brewer Gina Day Ashley Howell Pat Ogiamien Yolanda Richardson Desiree Thomas If you are interested in joining our team, please send an to: Newsletter@copim.org. We want to hear from you Do you have news, photos or accomplishments you would like to share in The Praise Report? Please send the information in a short paragraph and your contact information to newsletter@copim.org and we will take care of the rest. Calling all business owners Are you a business owner? Do you want more exposure for your business? The newsletter is offering advertisement space to business owners. If you are interested and want more information please Newsletter@copim.org.

7 Page 7 Our Vision The vision of Cathedral of Praise International Ministries was stated by our founder, Jesus the Christ, and recorded in Luke 4: This is a ministry of reconciliation ordained to assist the poor, to heal the hurting, to deliver the captive, to restore sagacity to the spiritually blind, to set free the oppressed, and to preach and teach the truth of the Gospel. We have been commissioned to focus on people rather than programs, to create a spiritual atmosphere where true worshippers can praise Him in the freedom of the Spirit, and to break down the walls of tradition that make the Word of God of none effect. We are commanded to edify the people of God by demonstrating unconditional love, by developing a community of believers who give of themselves so that no one is lacking anything, and by sowing the Word of God in our lives that a harvest of spiritual fruit might blossom forth. COPIM is a Non-denominational Christian Church. Our spiritual covering is provided by Bishop Neil C. Ellis, Nassau, Bahamas. We consider it a privilege that you have taken time to discover who we are and sincerely hope you receive a blessing from this experience. Grief Support Class The Grief Support class has begun studying from "Grief Share - Your Journey from Mourning to Joy." If you are someone who has experienced the loss of a loved one please join us every 4th Sunday in the youth annex with Tanya Powell, facilitator. For more information call the church office at or bereavement@copim.org