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True story: My dad passed away June 21 and I…

4 years ago • January 30, 2023 • by ourCOG

True story: My dad passed away June 21 and I opt to stay with my mom the following week including two Sundays. My wife went back to Memphis. I took her to COG Sunday and the Holy Spirit moved in an old fashion way. The altars were fill with seekers and the pastor was laying hands on people.

I went forward to stand in for someone. The power of God was there and soon mom in her walker was at the altar and she was prayed for. I grabbed the walker and dance with all my might and mom took off down the isle with her walker to the back of the sanctuary and back to the altar. It was a wonderful service and the pastor didn’t get a chance to preach.

The next Sunday my mom didn’t want me to go to church. She kept telling me I didn’t have to go because of her. I could go visit another church which I was accustomed to do when back home.

I took her to church, sit in her regular bench. My brother came and sat between us. The pastor was on a short vacation and a lady filled in for the pastor. A special worship leader from the Nashville area led the worship. It was contemporary music in the style of Todd Bentley. There was no congregational participation. My mother kept her head down and fumbled with her church bulletin.

I was politely informed before the service that the camera would record anything I would do in the service. I did not get the hint. A good friend a few years older than me pulled me aside and attempted to tell me what would be going on in the service and he said he himself would be leaving after Sunday School. I still didn’t get the hint.

The old people are dying out. My dad is now gone and out of the way, soon my mom will follow. Last week an 85 year old church man died.

I did keep quiet during the service. I made no disturbance. Everybody expected me to do something. They expected it.

That Sunday I knew the COG at Locust Street, McMinnville was gone. Doubtfully I will never go back.

This is a sad story! My dad is in heaven and the Church will keep on going waiting for everyone else to die.

Categories: #ourCOG

Discussion

12 comments

  1. Melvin Harter says:
    August 14, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    It is a sad realization.

    Reply
  2. Jimmy Gaston says:
    August 14, 2017 at 3:17 pm

    This is norm bro

    Reply
  3. Robert Borders says:
    August 14, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    I was raised in the oldest Assembly of God church in Indiana and the COG in my hometown was also one of the oldest. I never visited a COG meeting until 1973 when invited by a college friend who had gotten saved in a COG. I fell in love with the little church and the lively altar services and transferred to Lee College less than two years later. Things have sure changed in the past 40 years.

    Reply
  4. Joan Montgomery says:
    August 14, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    That is so sad that some of the churches don’t want us old folks I have been in the COG all my life

    Reply
  5. Jackson Vaughn Plant says:
    August 14, 2017 at 4:21 pm

    If you hear the Holy Spirit say move you should have moved never bow down to pressure.

    Reply
  6. Pat Fretwell says:
    August 14, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    Why would it change so drastically from one service to the other? Noise does not equate the Holy Spirit always. R u saying the new leader didn’t want it?

    Reply
  7. Sylvia Hatfield-Carpenter says:
    August 14, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    Sad…

    Reply
  8. Bobbi Marie Goff Klein says:
    August 14, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    I hope I word this right. I have used this word before you are hampered. You can feel the spirit move in you, but there is forces against you, you can feel where there are coming from. If I didn’t make myself clear. Just ask questions.

    Reply
  9. Charles Page says:
    August 14, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    The friend who was telling me what was going on, I ask him if this was just his personal view or a view of the congregation. He assured me it was the feeling of the church. He is not a trouble maker at all; he loves his church.

    This is a problem in many, many Church of God congregations.

    Reply
  10. Charles Page says:
    August 14, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    My mom knew I was in for a disappointment. She did her best to get me not to go that Sunday. She would have stayed home herself and not gone.

    The older folks know what is going on and they know that God is not in what the new COG is trying to accomplish. They go out of habit and tradition.

    Reply
  11. Scotty Searan says:
    August 14, 2017 at 11:37 pm

    Bro. Charles Page I realize this is a forum centering around the COG.
    In my lifetime I have been members of COG and AOG.
    Allow me to share s story.
    I attend an AOG now.
    Two Friday nights back our little church had a young people’s lockin night.
    Leading up to the service our church had been involved in short sectional revival services of four nights
    We had young people from other churches participating.
    Our pastor opened the service with prayer and informed the young people of the rules and then turned it over to the Praise and Worship team.
    I was sincerely trying to get into the music, but I couldn’t feel it.
    One of the team was speaking. She was saying the right words, and it sounded like it was anointed.
    I even notice my pastor about to go to sleep.
    I mentioned revival, though she is a member of the Praise and Worship she didn’t attend one service of the revival.
    Though 2 of the others attended every night.
    She gave an altar call to the young people and no one responded.
    But then all of a sudden she knelt down with her legs folded up under her and she leaned forward with her face cupped In her hands on the floor she said. “Lord I’ve done all i can do to get the people to respond. Get me out of the way.” And she began to sob.
    The pastor all of a sudden became alert and the Holy Ghost spoke and the pastor interpreted the message. He gave the altar call and less than two minutes the altar was full of young people.
    May I say that our pastor, as well as myself we are not giving up on our young people.
    In
    Our church average between 40 and 50 in attendance. We are a small country church that blends the music together and worships together and the Holy Ghost moves.
    The Following Sunday they sang one of the worship songs they had sung on Friday night and there was no preaching because the Holy Ghost changed the service.
    In the last month we have 12 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.
    Our pastor preached Sunday Night on STANDING FAST AND HOLDING TO TRADITIONS GIVEN BY PAUL
    Don’t it sound like good sound Biblical doctrine?

    Reply
  12. True story: My dad passed away June 21 and I… #ourCOG – ourcog says:
    January 30, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    […] True story: My dad passed away June 21 and I… […]

    Reply

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