IDCCEA NEWSLETTER. CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CHAIR: Sis. Carolyn Butler

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1 Illinois District Council Christian Education Association of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. IDCCEA Vision Statement The purpose of the Christian Education Dept. is to SUPPORT as many people as possible in the search for a Christian lifestyle and to EDUCATE them about Christ so they may in turn EDUCATE others. IDCCEA NEWSLETTER Giving is one of life's best relationship builders. CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CHAIR: Sis. Carolyn Butler VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 July 11, 2009 Each One Reach One IDC 2009 Theme Dr. Charles E. Davis Diocesan Dr. Charles Reid III, Council Chairman & Auxiliary Director Sister Carolyn Butler Chairperson Sister Doris Ross Vice-Chairperson Sister Viola Walker Secretary Sister Fai Lowe Assistant Secretary Sister Cynthia Young Financial Secretary Sister Delores Terry Treasurer Pastor Dennis Broom Director of Christian Education Inside this edition: From the DCE Pg 2 God Prepares Hearts Pg 2 IDCCEA Scholarship Highlights Pg 3 Scholarship Opportunity Pg 3 Word Search Pg 4 Bible Bowl 2009 Pg 4 Health and Wellness Pg 5 Today s Events Pg 6 Upcoming Events Pg 6 Praise the Lord My Fellow Co-Workers in Christ: Let me begin with the words of a song: It s a New Season, It s a New Day. A fresh Anointing is Coming My Way. It s a Season of power and prosperity. It s a New Season Coming to Me! In my first letter as IDCCEA Chairperson, I expressed my heartfelt gratitude for being given the honor of serving as Illinois leader of the Christian Education Dept. As I prepare to leave this esteemed position I reemphasize my gratitude for the time God gave me to complete my assignment with the IDC. God continues to remind me that my accomplishments are like a stone cast into the pool of time, that though they disappear; I pray that the ripples will extend to eternity. Over the past two and half years, I have learned some powerful spiritual lessons. The greatest of which I must admit is to know that it is not our trust that keeps us faithful but the God in whom we trust that keeps us faithful. It was and still is my desire to emphasize the need for the IDC Body to manifest the truth that we are all members of one body the Body of Christ. Each of the IDCCEA staff members had a charge to Reach someone else through our display of true dedication to the service of the Lord. I acted upon my instructions from God found in Colossians 3:23 whatsoever I did, I did it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto me. These instructions were passed on with a Holy Ghost intensity to all those I interacted with. God was faithful to His promise found in Nehemiah 2:20a the God of heaven did prosper us, we arose and we did build. The IDCCEA met with a great number of challenges during my tenure as Chairperson but we never threw away our confidence. We KNEW that God s strength would be made perfect in our weaknesses. Our faith in an all-powerful God was not compromised, believing that God was not only willing but well-able to help us be more than conquerors in any battle we were facing. In closing, I am thoroughly convinced that God is the ultimate team-builder. He places people in the positions He knows they will excel in. The team members God gave me are of the best quality. Their integrity, determination, creativity and most of all their love of God is to be commended. We operated as one unified body glued together by the blood of Jesus. I will be forever grateful to God for allowing me to be in the company of such great people. We all had a job to do and we all did it heartily! Thank you again for your prayers, your encouragement and most of all your support. I am glad that God is not going to judge me on my successes but on my faithfulness. I wait to hear Him say, Well done, my good and faithful servant and have no doubt He will never say, Well done, my good and successful servant. In my next endeavors, pray that I will continue to do it heartily as unto the Lord! Your Comrade in Christ, Sis. Carolyn Butler, IDCCEA Chairperson

2 FROM THE DESK OF THE DCE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 JULY 11, 2009 Pg 2 We Did It, Heartily to the Lord. Col. 3:2-25 As I looked over the past 3 years of this administration, looking back to that October session of 2006, who knew that there, would be a changing of the guards; our Auxiliary Director went home to glory, Suff. Bishop. John H. McCall. Then our Diocesan Bishop A.M. Brazier retiring and a transition of leadership as our new Diocesan Bishop Charles E. Davis and our new director assigned to us D/E Charles Reid, would take over the helm. And we continued to do it heartily to the Lord under our Chairlady's leadership. I saw this spark in her eyes, and of course you can hear it in her voice, and her passion for giving and her spirit of excellence! She instilled it in us all! She required it from each one of her staff members. She projected to all of the Pastors, superintendents, teachers and students who came to each session of the IDCCEA. Evangelist Carolyn Butler (better known as C.B.) is the heart of the letter that the Apostle Paul transcribed to the church at Colosse. These were directions for the people of God to live by to make their spiritual and their natural lifestyles better. Paul called on their affections to be Christ-like (Col. 3:2), to make a change in their lifestyle: to mortify (vs. 5) live godly, to change the old man (vss. 9-10) and to put on holiness and to be forgiving (vss ). All of these are qualities of the teacher that does it "heartily as to the Lord" which has been her battle cry each time we come to the Council. Paul says that and what we do; that we should always do it for the glory of God. For we are the instruments that he demonstrates His good, acceptable and perfect will in our lives ( Rom 12:2) Paul concludes the chapter in Colossians that God is no respecter of person (vs. 25) So as this tenure comes to a close, it is in all ways left with a compass to direct our next leaders to continue to compel the teachers and leaders to get up, get into it and to get involved into Christian Education the Golden Rule---Sunday School--- the greatest classroom on Earth, yours! "I was glad when she said unto me: I want you to serve the Lord with me D.B." As she (C.B.) was determined to foresee my future (now as the Assistant DCE of Region V) she intertwined it with this great council that we call the IDCCEA. I leave this final chapter in my footnotes to this great July body to continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, our new DCE will also bring new direction from our new leader's visions and dreams as they come to pass. It has been a privilege to serve with C.B. over these last 3 years and I know that I will be watching service along with each one of you to continue to do it "heartily as to the Lord" for Illinois! Blessings, The Master's Servant, Pastor Dennis Broom God Prepares Hearts God not only sets things in place to give us opportunities to share His gospel with those who need it, He also prepares the hearts of those He places before us. When God prepares hearts, he prepares them to receive the type of gardening needed at the time. We don t always get to harvest. Sometimes we need to plant seeds, water, cultivate, fertilize, etc. Jesus blessed His apostles by allowing them to participate in the harvest. (John 4:35-38). An example of people whose hearts were prepared to receive witnessing at various points in their journey to Christ occurred when Paul first reached Ephesus. How did God specially prepare the hearts of these men to receive Paul s witness? (Acts 19:1-7) Another example of God s preparations can be found when God pushed the early Christians beyond witnessing only to Jews so they would also reach out to Gentiles (non-jews). How did God prepare the heart of a Roman soldier from Italy to receive the gospel? (Acts 10:1-2) How did God go further to prepare the opportunity for Peter to witness to Cornelius? (Acts 10:3-8) Our Response: - To respond to an opportunity to witness is to collect a harvest, even if the person is not ripe. - We can trust God even when our efforts at witnessing seem to be failures; that He may be providing the exact cultivation that the person may need at that time. Lord, You know the hearts of all people. Make me aware of ways that You have prepared the hearts of people around me who need You. Help me to be satisfied that You will use my efforts to impact lives even when I am unable to detect an effect. In Jesus Name, Amen.

3 IDCCEA Scholarship Highlights IDCCEA 2009 Scholarship Brunch VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 JULY 1, 2009 Pg Recipients: (Left to right) Walter Clemons-Award for Potential Excellence Sis. Brianna Hicks Dixmoor Apostolic House of Prayer This year s Scholarship Brunch will be a memorable occasion for the outgoing staff for the IDCCEA. Hazel Crest Assembly where the Pastor is Suff. Bishop Eddie Richards once again did an outstanding job of hosting this event. The distinguished guests featured our Diocesan Bishop Charles E. Davis and First Davis, Council Chairman and Auxiliary Director, Dr. Charles Reid, III and First Lady Barbara Reid. Herbert C. Moore-Award for Adult Continuing Education Sis. Bridgette Gray Bethesda Worship Center Evang. Carolyn Butler, IDCCEA Chairperson John S. Holly-Award for Academic Excellence Bro. Julian Washington Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ Val Johnson-Award for Potential Excellence Sis. Alecia Jenkins Hazel Crest Assembly Pastor, Henry L. Bolden, II of the Pentecostal Church of Jesus, left our souls stirred as he preached this body into dreams and visions God has in store for us all. He challenged us to Let the Dreamers Come Forth Nina Carpenter - Award for Adult Continuing Christian Education Min. Marvin Porter Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ Josephine Dominick - Award for Continuing Education for adults over age 50 Sis. Lily Flores-Patzke-Grace & Glory (not pictured)

4 WORD SEARCH VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 JULY 11, 2009 Pg 4 Devotional You have the ability, with your words, to make a person stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their body. Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you. Scripture of the Day: "Let not corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29 Point to Ponder: When I speak, are my words encouraging or damaging? Prayer for the day: "Father, use me as a vessel.. fill my mouth with words of encouragement so I may speak to those who are in need of hearing them. " Bible Blow PAW 2009 Summer Convention August 8 th 115 th Atlanta, GA Leviticus Study Guides Adults Chapters 1 27 Juniors Chapters PAW Kids Chapters 1 14 Competition Opportunities Bible Bowl Oral, Written, Spelling Fine Arts, Creative Writing For more information: Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

5 HEALTH AND WELLNESS VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 JULY 11, 2009 Pg 5 John 21:18, Jesus speaking to Peter: Verily, verily, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked wherever you would; but when you shall be old you shall stretch out your hands, and another shall gird you and carry you wherever you would not want to go. Like age, arthritis has a way of creeping up on you until one morning, that occasional stiffness in the knee or soreness in the hands turns into "That hurts!" type of pain. Prolonged physical activity only prolongs the soreness. What is Arthritis? Arthritis literally means joint inflammation. But the term is often used to refer to any of the more than 100 diseases that affect the joints where two or more bones meet to allow movement. Currently, there are 46 million people diagnosed with arthritis in the United States. The most common types of arthritis are: Osteoarthritis a condition in which the joint cartilage the tough, smooth, shock-absorbing tissue that covers the ends of the bones where they meet breaks down, causing pain and stiffness. Rheumatoid arthritis a condition in which the body s immune system attacks the thin membrane (synovium) that lines the joints, causing pain, swelling, inflammation, redness, heat and, if not stopped, joint destruction. Juvenile arthritis (JA) refers to any form of arthritis or an arthritis-related condition that develops in children or teenagers who are less than 18 years of age. Approximately 294,000 children under the age of 18 are affected by pediatric arthritis and rheumatologic conditions Arthritis and related conditions can affect anyone, no matter what their race. Osteoarthritis, the common form of arthritis in African Americans, affects all races in similar frequency. However, gout and lupus affect more African Americans than people of other races. Gout is a painful condition caused by uric acid crystals in one or more joints (often the base of the big toe). Uric acid is a substance that forms when the body breaks down waste products called purines. Uric acid is usually dissolved in the blood and passes through the kidneys into the urine. Symptoms of gout include: Sudden joint pain and swelling, often in the big toe. Shiny red or purple skin around the joint. Tenderness around the joint The good news is that gout can be treated and attacks of gout can be prevented. Gout is usually treated with medication and changes in diet and medication prescribed for gout help treat attacks, reduce uric acid production, or help rid uric acid from the body. Certain foods may raise your uric acid level. You may need to reduce the amount you eat of the following foods: Sardines and anchovies Broths and gravies Organ meats (liver, kidneys, etc.) Legumes (dried beans, soybeans, peas) Lupus affects women more often than men. African- American women are more likely to have lupus than Caucasian women Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body's immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs. Lupus typically begins between ages 18 and 45. Signs and symptoms of lupus include: A rash across the cheeks and the bridge of the nose Scaly, disk-shaped rash on the face, neck, ears, scalp and/or chest Sensitivity to sunlight Sores on the tongue, inside the mouth and/or in the nose Arthritis (pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints) Pain in the chest or side Kidney problems Brain problems Blood problems Antinuclear antibodies (a common lab test market of disease) Lupus is usually treated with a combination of medications, rest, exercise and a healthful, balanced diet. Source:

6 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 JULY 11, 2009 Pg 6 Pray One for Another 12:00 PM To 2:00 PM HIGHLIGHTS OF TODAY S EVENTS Call to Order Selection by Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Youth Choir Christian Education General Business Session Sis. Carolyn Butler, Presiding - Performance by Alpha & Omega Step Group - Performance by Grace Apostolic Faith Church IHS Dancers 12:15 PM Arts & Crafts To 2:00 PM (Children s 10 years old & under) 2:00 PM To 3:50 PM Church Rally Time Our Spiritual Leaders - Bishop Horace E. Smith, M.D. and family; Presiding Bishop at the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Bishop Charles E. Davis and family; Diocesan of the 6th Episcopal District of the PAW, District Elder Charles L. Reid, III-DD and family; Chairperson and Auxiliary Director of the Illinois District Council Chair Bishops, Suffragan Bishops, Pastors, District Elders, Ministers, Evangelists IDC Auxiliary Leaders Government Leaders at All Levels - President Barack Obama and newly elected cabinet. Military Personnel Sick, shut-in, prison bond, elderly, handicapped, homeless, single parents Seminar Bugs in the Church Minister Richard Sparks Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church Video Praise Sis. Mona Grace & Glory APC 3:50 PM To 4:00 PM Banner Award Presentations/Closing 4:00 PM Dinner Sunday School is the GLUE that holds the Church Together! Sunday School Is Marching (IDC State Song) IDCCEA s Upcoming Events/Announcements: 2009 PAW Inc. Summer Convention Aug. 8 Aug 15, 2009 Atlanta, Georgia Marriott Atlanta Marquis Hotel Mark your Calendar Christian Worker s Conference Nov. 14, 2009 Sunday School is Marching, Growing Everyday, Building up God s Kingdom with such as should be saved. Go out into the vineyard; compel them to come in, To Sunday School in Illinois, bring a neighbor and a friend Teachers there await you, their knowledge to impart, The wisdom of their learning to some broken contrite heart. Fill my heart in Sunday School, with God s word divine, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday School, Get me there on time! Bible Class on Tuesday, Thursday preach the word, The choir sings on Saturday, preparing songs of Praise, But Sunday School in Illinois is where you need to be, Sunday School on Sunday, Oh, won t you come with ME.