A Word of Thanks for Our Missionaries from the General Director

I saw this remarkable picture of Paul and Silas portraying the story found in Acts 16 of that night in Phillipi.  When these two missionaries were set free from prison by an earthquake sent from God, occurring while they were praying and singing praises to God, though beaten, forsaken, and in stocks.

The jailer and his family would be their first converts on that memorable night of Divine intervention. 

It was then….that I thought about you and all of our precious Church of God missionaries. You are among the ranks of God’s truly elite. You have joined the army of such notable servants of God as Paul, Silas, Luke the Physician, Apollos, Timothy, Phoebe, Pricilla, and Aquila, and a host of saints, both ancient and in recent centuries.

In our church, you are numbered with giants of the faith like J. H. Ingram, Paul C. Pitt, Maria Atkinson, Margaret Gaines, Herman Lauster, Edmond, and Pearl Stark, William Evans and Edmond Barr. It is not vain flattery to number you to…it is absolute truth.

You are so busy and committed to working for our Master, maybe…just maybe you don’t even realize sometimes just how much you are loved and prayed for, but it’s true. You represent the very best of us. You are who we admire, and we are so grateful to God for your very special calling.

World Missions Administration for 185 countries, over 6 1/2 million members, over 40,000 ministers, 102 Bible Colleges and schools, and so many multiple ministries is enormous, both in scope and responsibility, but none of it could happen without you…. the God called missionary.

As I reflected on Paul and Silas today, I realized that were it not for Paul the missionary, we would not have almost half the New Testament, and were it not for a missionary helper and 

Physician named Luke, we would have no Gospel of Luke nor Book of Acts. We owe so much to our missionaries. 

I just wanted you to know….you are loved and prayed for. You are admired more than you could ever possibly realize. 

May the God of Heaven and earth, Who upholds all things by the Word of His power, bless and keep our Church of God missionaries.

Church of God World Missions General Director

Dr. David M. Griffis