fotia journal 1.2
The May 2011 issue of fotia journal is now available online. There are some great articles in here. Fotia is an online journal that addresses topics of interest and challenges that church leaders face in the twenty-first century. Its primary audience is within the conservative holiness movement. www.fotiajournal.com
STANDARD // February 2011
The February 2011 issue of the God’s Missionary Standard is available to download and view as a PDF file [here]. You can also access hundreds of archived issues of the Standard [here].
more about fotia
As we look forward to the inaugural launch of Fotia Journal in the fall, I wanted to introduce you to two of the contributing editors. The are rather famous in their own right in the world of blogging 
Joel Byer of “Byer’s Basic Blog”
Jon Earls of “A Young Pastor’s Perspective”
Looking forward to the contributions that these two young pastors will bring to Fotia.
fotia journal
announcement # 3
I am excited to announce fotia journal. Fotia journal is geared toward church leaders and students in the conservative holiness movement. This will be a fulfillment of a dream of some as well as boost an area of need.
The publication will be exclusively online. It will be published online twice a year. It will feature articles on pastoral leadership, Old and New Testaments, theology, culture, media, book reviews and more. It is intended to engage the church leader’s body, soul and mind.
The inaugural issue will launch in November. More details will be released in the coming weeks.
God’s Missionary Church – 75 years
On July 25, 2010, God’s Missionary Church celebrated 75 years. You can see the video of the service online as well as order the DVD at www.GodsMissionaryChurch.org.
remembering Rev. H. E. Schmul
As a child, I never knew H. E. Schmul was the director of the Inter-Church Holiness Convention, I only knew him as the platform chairman of Clinton Camp Meeting and the one who always encouraged people to read books. It was through his prompting that I picked up multiple classics by Holiness writers and read them. I never knew how important and essential he was to the Holiness movement until I was in my late teens. But I knew that he was a man of God exhibiting Holiness, love, and compassion.
I remember him standing on the platform of Clinton Camp worshiping God. I remember him stopping by my grandparents cabin and chatting with them. He seemed genuinely concerned about people. That was attractive to me. I was able to hear the last message that he ever preached.
One of the photos I treasure the most was taken by the Victory Trip. They were the youth workers that year and we as a youth group gave all of our offerings to some project for the camp (I forget what the project was). The Trio had me present the money to Rev. Schmul and Rev. Hobbs. I still remember standing on that platform almost twenty years ago.
Rev. H.E. Schmul pictured on the left, and Rev. Walter Hobbs pictured on the right.
What is your favorite memory of Rev. Schmul?
remembering Rev. H. E. Darnell
As a child who attended camp meetings during the summer months, the evangelist that scared me the most was Rev. H. E. Darnell. I will never forget sitting about half-way back in the tabernacle of Clinton Camp and hearing the most penetrating sermon on hell that I had ever heard. Actually make that I have ever heard. He painted the scenes of hell so vividly that night, that I was forever changed.
His preaching so impacted the teenagers at Clinton Camp one year, that it was the teens who where instrumental in helping to bring spiritual renewal to camp that year. I remember as a teenager praying all night at prayer meetings that were led by teens. Believe me, that was unusual for the teens who attended Clinton Camp.
What do you remember about H. E. Darnell?
sacred spaces
Yesterday I was driving along Route 72 towards Lancaster and I saw something sad. A favorite patch of woods is being taken down. Here is why this patch of woods is special to me.
I am sure when people drive by this section of woods just north of Manheim, they don’t even realize what happened here. But in July of 1868, some 25,000 gathered at this location for the second installment of what was called the National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Holiness. Men such as Inskip, Fowler and MacDonald preached there. People came from all of the eastern section of the United States to experience what they called “Pentecost”.
Every time I drive past there, I wonder what it was like to witness 25,000 listening to multiple preachers at one time. I wonder how the presence of God was manifested. I have driven back into the woods on occasion and tried to imagine what it must have been like. It is a sacred space to me.
Sadly, this sacred space of mine is being removed and replaced with urban sprawl.
May it be said of us
I started but never finished a planned series of blog posts called “May if be said of us”. Here is part one if you are interested. The reason I never finished it is because I turned it into an editorial for the Standard. Here is the text of that editorial. You can also download the June issue of the Standard [here].
May it be said of us
I was six-years-old when I attended my first God’s Missionary Church and camp meeting in 1984. After my father died in 1982, my mother and I went down to Florida for a few weeks each winter with my grandparents. It was there that I was first introduced to the men and women who would forever shape my future. I remember the worship services and the preaching and meeting the people of God’s Missionary Church.
It was at Orange City Camp where my mother, LaVerne Booth, met her future husband, Paul Gagnon. He had been saved at Fort Myers Rescue Mission years before that and was working as a Chaplain in a Florida State prison. He was also licensed with God’s Missionary Church. They later were married and we moved to Florida where we attended and visited God’s Missionary Churches.
I remember telling Rev. Paul Miller that I was called to preach and, when I was teenager, I received my local preachers license and preached my first sermon at Lakeland God’s Missionary Church. It lasted all of six minutes.
I tell you all of this because I am thankful for all of the memories and the impact that God’s Missionary Church has had on my family. Our denomination is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. And it is exactly that: celebrating God’s faithfulness. Throughout our history, God has moved and settled among us, and we have never been the same. As I have read dozens of old issues of the Standard, listened to individuals talk about our history and future, I have sensed some common themes that have stemmed from our founders to our current leaders of today.
May it be said of us that we are people of God. Unashamedly, may we lift the banner that tells our communities that we are different. Not just for the sake of being different, but that we are children of the most high King.
May it be said of us that we love our families. After our relationship with God, our families are the most important thing we have. Too many times you and I both have heard horror stories of families being left in the wake of ministry and work. May that never be said of us.
May it be said of us that we love and serve our communities. Our communities and neighbors are crying out for hope, love and redemption. The generations before us loved their communities to Jesus. May we do the same.
May it be said of us, that we are grounded in Scripture. May you and I be students of God’s word and pass that love for Scripture on to the generations following us.
May it be said of us that we were known to be a people that prayed. I remember the cottage prayer meetings, the fervent prayers before service, the all nighters. May we reclaim the power of prayer.
May it be said of us that we still believe in the doctrine of Holiness. The message of Holiness still needs to proclaimed and lived. May it be said of us that we both taught and lived holiness.
We are thankful for the Heritage that we share. May God help us to be church that He wants us to be.
Inter-Church Holiness Convention
The 2010 Inter-Church Holiness Convention (IHC) is going on this week. We weren’t able to make it this year, but have caught a couple of the archived services. I just listened to an incredible message by John Manley. To access the video archives of the 2010 IHC, go [here].
