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IOWA CHURCH OF GOD CHALLENGER
IOWA STATE
MINISTRIES UNITED TO PLANT SALVATION, HOLINESS,
UNITYOUR PURPOSE, AS THE IOWA STATE ASSEMBLY
OF THE CHURCH OF GOD ...to promote and
coordinate Christian ministries...
from Constitution and By-Laws, adopted in 2007

• May 2009

Ellis Park Church of God, Cedar Rapids As
Pastor Ernie and Lori prepare for full-time
missions service in Kenya, our Leadership Team
faces challenges regarding the resources to
continue ministry through this time of
transition. We see God at work, however. When the
parsonage sold in early May, we needed a place
for Pastor and Lori to continue until their
ministry here is completed in October. A casual
conversation with a pastor in our Serve the City
network led to a connection with a pastor in the
neighboring community of Robins, where a sister
STC congregation maintains three houses for full
time missions workers and one of those fully
furnished houses has now been made available for
Pastor and Lori for the cost of the utilities!
Praise God! We continue with Coaching Cluster
work. At our meeting in Des Moines Saturday, May
16, we engaged in a values exercise and found,
first, it was extremely difficult for the health
team to eliminate values choices. Is that why we
have trouble narrowing our focus? And as we
looked at the four values we felt were most
important, we found they were not reflected in
the way we have been going about our ministry. We
have work ahead of us, but as we commit to
saturating our ministry with prayer (the result
of conviction from watching Jim Cymbalas video,
My House Shall Be Called a House of Prayer), we
will be better able to hear Gods voice as we
seek His leadership.


Counselors, Cooks and Nurse Needed for Camps
Contact Jessica Willis, Christian Education Chair
(515 554-3138 or jwynnelk_at_hotmail.com) to help
with Primary-Junior Camp July 6-11 or Youth Camp
July 27-August 2. We must have the staff to
support the number of campers we hope to have on
the grounds this year. PJ Camp Director is
Jeania Fisher. The theme is Godly Friendships.
Youth Camp Director is Jessica Willis. The theme
is I Am(What Defines Me?) Counselors and
Counselors in Training must attend the Counselor
Training Retreat June 6-7. Please help as a
volunteer and please help as a prayer supporter.
Coaching Cluster Meeting Health teams from Des
Moines First Church of God, Zion Community Church
of God in Ottumwa, Mystic Community Church,
Chapel Hill Retreat, and Ellis Park Church of God
in Cedar Rapids met for a fourth Coaching Cluster
Session at First Church of God in Des Moines on
Saturday, May 16. John Boedeker led the session.
Beginning with reminders of our identity in
Christ, we reviewed plans to address minimum
factors. Then we identified values and worked
with mission and vision statements. Dr. Boedeker
presented a resource on ministry health, called
Diagnosing the Lethal Poisons in the Body of
Christ by Mac Brunson and Ergun Caner. He closed
the session with an exercise to help us face our
impossibilities with faith in the power and
resources of God. Participants Des Moines
Charles and Judy Hundley, Cliff Carey, Don
Burgan, Jessica Willis, Marnie Miller. Zion
Jesse Elkins, Dean Harter, David Strong. Chapel
Hill Retreat Bob, Billie and Robb Beery.
Mystic Shawn and Holly Oden. Cedar Rapids
Ernie and Lori Nicholas, PJ Tippy, Judith
Thompson, Susan Hester, Denise Richards, Mel and
Pat Hill.
Calendar June 6-7 Counselor Training
Retreat June 12-14 Healing the Heartland
Festival, Cedar Rapids (David Phelps, Barlow
Girl and Newsboys concert June 12) June 14 Mark
Shultz in concert, Cedar Falls July 6-11
Primary-Junior Camp July 27-Aug. 2 Youth
Camp July 31-Aug 2 Family Camp August
29 Coaching Cluster, Des Moines Sept. 5-7 Youth
Camp Reunion
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Need some encouragement? Gary Brooks, now
pastoring in Baxter, Tennessee, has sent a number
of email forwards to encourage anyone in any form
of Christian ministry. Ask him to send you ACLU
vs US Marines, 4 Rules for Us, or Scripture Tree.
Contact him at gary_brooks_at_Baxterfcog.org.
Heres one from November, which we could adapt
to say NO MATTER WHAT TOP 10 PREDICTIONS NO
MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION 1. The Bible will
still have all the answers. 2. Prayer will still
work. 3. The Holy Spirit will still move. 4.
God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed teaching and
healing. 6. There will still be singing of
praise to God. 7. God will still pour out
blessings upon His people. 8. There will still
be room at the Cross. 9. Jesus will still love
you. 10. Jesus will still save the lost. ISN'T
IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL?!!!!
Iowa 2020 Vision 10 new congregations 10
revitalized congregations by the year
2020 rediscover our roots rededicate our
lives reconnect our churches redirect our passion
As our State Assembly resolves to rediscover our
roots in the Church of God, excerpts from
reformation movement literature will be included
in this and future issues of The Challenger.

The salvation of the Lord which qualifies us
for heaven makes us one on earth. A religion of
divisions will deceive the soul. The chief object
of Gods ministers is to perfect the saints.
And when perfected in love and holiness, they
come into the unity of the faith once delivered
unto the saints. The blood of Christ not only
purifies from all sin and all
unright-eousness, but also sweeps away all
erroneous doctrines. The Comforter guides into
all truth, which involves the removal of all
error. It is true that cleansing from error is
not as instantaneous as cleansing from sin. But
the pure in heart have perfect fellowship even
though all previously conceived errors have not
yet disappeared. There is therefore no real cause
of division but sin All efforts of union but
that of Gods holiness is as pounding cold,
crooked pieces of iron against each other to make
them fit togetherPut them into a furnace of
white heat and they will lose their cold, stiff,
crooked individuality, and flow into one mass.
That is Gods way of uniting his people in the
fire of the Holy Spirit Bible salvation is
all that is needed. This obtained, both union of
heart and soul and harmony in outward worship and
life will follow as a result or fruit of the
Spirit One may have been led into all truth
the other not. This does not interrupt
fellowship. Nevertheless it is the duty of such
as know the truth in meekness to instruct
others who do not. Ignorance of some truth does
not destroy fellowship, but resisting the truth
does because it forfeits salvation. We must not
sanction peoples errors, but if they are saved
we must show our love and fellowship to them so
long as we do not get the evidence that their
wrong doctrines have become willful, or they have
in some way lost salvation. Then fellowship ends,
but love and kindness still continue in faithful
efforts for their salvation. To ignore fellowship
simply because of some doctrinal error is
bigotry. To know the truth is our privilege,
to teach the truth, our duty. But to have
fellowship with the pure and upright of heart is
an involuntary and spontaneous fact. Sects are
the result of carnality nothing but perfect
holiness destroys carnality and thus removes both
sectism and its cause. D. S. Warner, The
Experience of Oneness, excerpted from The Church
of God, or What the Church is and What It Is Not
(Gospel Trumpet Company, 1885)

Congratulations! Stella Caselton shares with
pride that her granddaughter, Amanda Rheuport,
received the Specialized Ministries Award from
Mid America Christian University at her
graduation this month. This is the highest award
MACU gives out. Were proud, too! Additional
congratulations is in order to Amanda, at her
marriage to Bryan Storie May 17.

We are looking for the home movie documenting
excavation of Lake Lawson and construction of the
Dining Hall at Inspiration Acres. Does anyone
know where it is? And we have found VBS home
movies from the Madrid congregation from the
l960s. Does anyone want them?
Available for Pulpit Supply - Keith Simmons
Reach him by phone at [phone]. email
Sharky2061_at_mchsi.com Rev. Keith D. Simmons 47
Amber Lane Iowa City, Iowa 52240 "
Send Challenger news to Pat Hill, 861 17th St.
SE, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52403-2665
pkhill_at_ImOnMail.com 319 362-3904