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For the second time in the 102 years of the Church Of God In Christ’s Holy Convocation, the Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake met collectively with the pastors, elders and bishops to discuss the current agenda of the collective body. During his meeting on November 7th at the Cannon Center, Bishop Blake laid out his plans for 2010 and his reflections on 2009 to over 1,000 church leaders.
Bishop Blake revealed the COGIC’s theme for next year as he kicked off the Presiding Bishop’s Forum. The theme for 2010 is Great God, Great Vision, Great Accomplishments. He then went on to discuss the Church’s official stance against sexual misconduct. Over the course of the last year, Bishop Blake has hand-picked a strong team of clergy and legal professionals familiar with addressing sexual misconduct to develop a document that details the responsibility of clergy over the protection of all members and reaffirm the official stance of the church concerning this heinous type of sexual victimization. This document was distributed to delegates for review and consideration.
During the Forum, General Board Member Bishop Sedgwick Daniels reported exciting new movements for the Historic Mason Temple site and the Church Of God In Christ Headquarters. He and his team have over $100,000 committed from the capital campaign committee and over $152,000 from the general board and presiding bishop to begin the task of renovating and expanding the headquarter location. During the Forum, some of the clergy present committed thousands of dollars to the project with thousands more expected from many more. The capital campaign goal is to raise about $2 million.
The Publishing House plays a significant role in the lives of most Church Of God In Christ members as it is responsible for disseminating the bible school literature, The Whole Truth and many other publications special to the denomination. Now, it has new leadership under Attorney John Daniels, Jr., one of Milwaukee’s leading legal minds and African-American leaders. Presiding Bishop Blake announced that Daniels will serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Publishing House.
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Daniels comes with a world of experience as a lawyer with one of the largest law firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Quarles & Brady), a lifetime member of the Church Of God In Christ and a seasoned board member of several outstanding institutions, Harvard Law Graduate, a pillar of the Wisconsin community. Daniels’ experience is stellar as one of the largest minority entrepreneurs in the country and is a nationally recognized real estate attorney who has led transactions for Fortune 500 corporations throughout the U.S. At the Forum, Daniels said of the publishing house materials, “We are no longer in the business of selling Buicks at a Toyota Dealership.” As he referred to the Sunday School materials that the Church produces. “We want to see our own materials in every Church across the country, because we have the best materials in the country.” Attorney Daniels replaces General Board Member Roy L. Winbush, who has served as the Chairman of the Publishing Board for over 40 years.
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Bishop Blake has been focused on the domestic agenda since he was first elected, identifying those areas that need to be strengthened throughout the country in our communities and our families. As part of his proactive response to the many needs of people, he developed the Urban Initiatives. Recently he appointed Pastor Edwin Bass as President of the Urban Initiatives in an effort to provide transparency and proactive movement with all of the agenda items which include: education, economic development, crime, family and financial literacy. The goal of the project is build healthy individuals, families and communities for a successful future. “My dream is to make the Presiding Bishop’s vision a reality,” said Bass.
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Bishop also confirmed the continued efforts focused on social issues through the Social Justice Theology Council, which consists of organizations under the Church’s umbrella of social programs like: the COGIC Scholars, COGIC Prison Ministries, COGIC Health and Wellness and COGIC Economic Development that will each be highlighted individually on the COGIC.com web site over the next few months.
Bass also confirmed the continued efforts focused on social issues through the Social Justice Theology Council, which consists of organizations under the Church’s umbrella of social justice programs like: the COGIC Scholars, COGIC Prison Ministries, COGIC Health and Wellness and COGIC Economic Development that will each be highlighted individually on the COGIC.com web site over the next few months.
