The Heartland Region Update 9/24/2010

From this point on, in addition to other things, I will be using this space to give regular updates of activities within the new Heartland Region of The Church of God. This seven state area consists of IA/IL/IN/KY/OH/MI/WI. I am thrilled to have been called upon to do the work of Regional Overseer of this great area and am already enjoying working with the great people here!
To this point I have been blessed to have visited several churches. In addition to working in the local church at E'town of which I am pastor, I have visited Sellersburg, IN; Greenup, KY; attended REVIVAL at Lexington, KY. I have also had many great conversations with ministers from around the region. I can feel in my heart that God is about to do something great for us here in the Heartland! Thank you LORD!
On Tuesday Brother Terry Flora and I traveled to Indiana to check out sites for Minister's Convention and Men's Retreat. Sister Amy Dyer had already found the retreat sight and recommended it for Men's Retreat, so we went to take a look. It is a fantastic place, and I believe it will serve the purpose nicely. Located in Montgomery, IN it is called the Gastof Amish Village. I will post some pictures soon so everyone can check it out.
We also went to Franklin, IN to see the auditorium we plan to use for our Fall Convention and Minister's Meetings. It is on the campus of Franklin College, and is a very beautiful place.
The dates for the convention are October 15-17. As soon as I get confirmation from our guest speaker I will let you know who it is, and publish the convention program.
This year our theme for convention is "Reconciliation...Restoration...REVIVAL!!!"
After enjoying a great CPMA service Wednesday evening in Elizabethtown, I was able to travel with Brother Terry Flora to Greenup, kY to visit the church there on Thursday evening. Brother Charles Clark and his wife Sister Lois went along and we had some great conversation and fellowship. The Clark's are old friends and have been in the ministry around Kentucky for many years. The service was great and well attended. I really enjoyed being there. I was the pastor in that area for three years and love the folks there very much.
Following are some pictures from this week...


These pictures are of the building which houses the auditorium for Minister's Convention. It is called Stott Hall. Starting from the left, the first is an outdoor view. It is a very pretty older building. Second shows a view from the right side. I really like the windows and the natural light that shows through. Third is taken from the stage. Lastly you see a view of the stage from the balcony.



So, here are the pictures from Gastof Amish Village, where our retreats will be held next spring.
The first picture shows an outside shot from the front of the main building which houses the restaurant. We will have a private room here for fellowship while dining on wonderful Amish cooking. The second picture shows a gazebo out back with a view of a small lake. The third picture is the outside view of the building where the services will be held, and finally in the fourth pic is the inside of the same building. I believe this will be a perfect place for both our retreats.
So, that is the update for now. More soon. God bless...