Who Deserves The Namesake At Lee University?

I just finished my class at Tomlinson Memorial before heading to the Payne Center for some lunch. Then I'll be at the Platt Building for a group meeting before going back to Jernigan Hall.

Doesn't sound familiar?

Perhaps you don't recognize the names because they're the only Lee University presidents not to have anything on campus named after them.

A.J. Tomlinson, T.S. Payne, John C. Jernigan and R. L. Platt put a combined total of 14 years in to serving the Lee community and today they're mostly forgotten remnants of history.

In fact, F.J. Lee, the institution's second president, only served as president for one year. So why does Flavius Josephus get the honor of having the entire school named after him?

Well, Lee was an early pastor at what is now North Cleveland Church of God, second general overseer of the denomination and authored ten books.

So second general overseer and second university president.

Who was the first and why isn't Lee named after him?

The first general overseer of the Church of God, the founding pastor of North Cleveland Church of God, and Lee's first president was Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson. He served the college for four years.

So why skip over the founding father of the whole shebang?

Perhaps because he was impeached from his position due to financial mismanagement and went on to form the Church of God of Prophecy.

Here's the history:

Through his work with Cashwell, Tomlinson became the general moderator of a new ministry known as the Church of God. Tomlinson's success in the Church of God was unparalleled. By 1914, Tomlinson had been granted the power to appoint pastors. Further, the church conferred upon him the position of general overseer for life. Unfortunately, Tomlinson was stripped of this position in 1923, when allegations of financial mismanagement surfaced. After being impeached from the church, Tomlinson moved on to form another group, known as the Church of the God of Prophecy.

The impeachment was the result of lax financial bookkeeping on Tomlinson's part. One explanation often cited for financial discrepancies was that Tomlinson may have used church funds to support struggling pastors and churches and had, on many occasions, reappropriated money from otherwise-designated funds, causing shortfalls. Although there was no indication that Tomlinson used church funds for himself, there were many within the organization who felt that this type of imprudence was an indicator of serious flaws within the organizational structure of the church.

So if Tomlinson gets the boot because he couldn't hire a financial adviser, who's next in line?

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

What say you? (Click on "comments" below.)

[From The Editor's Weblog: Who deserves the namesake? By Lee Clarion]

Day 6 of a 21-Day Fast

Sometimes we need renewal in our spiritual lives. Fasting is one of the ways that you can cleanse your body and aid the process of communicating with the Father.On your sixth day of fasting, remember:
- Drink lots of water
- Rest to conserve energy
- Utilize your personal prayer time and prayer place
- Journal your experience
- Concentrate on prolonged times of meditation and listening
- Sugar free mints

Physical Effects:
- Senses begin to heighten
- Cravings can occur, especially with pictures and smells
- Weight loss continues
- Bad breath

Today’s Quote: “Our forefathers knew, it seems, how to communicate with the Almighty … but do we? We must learn anew to think deeply, to worship meaningfully, to meditate unhurriedly.” (Charles Swindoll - Intimacy with the Almighty)

Thoughts for your Journal:
- How is experiencing fasting as a private discipline bringing you closer to God?
- Has God revealed anything to you since the Fast has begun?

Today's Prayer

I praise you, O Lord, for your awesome and holy being. I thank you for the life you have given me. I appreciate the beautiful blessings you have provided in the earth around me and the simple, but important, things of life. Thank you for family -- my birth family, my extended family, my family of the church.

Please forgive me for taking them for granted sometimes, and help me to always show my appreciation and love to them.

Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for answering my prayers in the way that you know is best. Thank you for always being here for me.

With all my love, in the name of Jesus I pray, amen/

Keep Your Church Vibrant

Place a premium on children's ministry. When I say premium I mean top dollars, top staff and top energy to the kids. Without this you are absolutely capping your ability to reach your community.

You don't have to be experts on children's ministry. There are dozens of outstanding resources available to you today. You need not be paralyzed because you don't know what to do or how to do it. There are people who have paved the way for you and are more than happy to help you resource your ministry. Your job is to find people in your church who love kids and offer them a compelling vision so they will help you create an environment that kids love and can't wait to be part of.

Please don't confuse relevant ministry to children with childcare. They aren't the same. In order to reach kids you need to keep up with the world they live in. That world is fast-paced and built around technology. When you add to that mix loving adult leaders who truly care about the kids, you create a winning program that the kids will love.

"Get Motivated" Seminar

(Click on image to enlarge it.)

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This is a great way to start a new year and be successful in your business, church, and life.

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Black Ministers Rally Behind Blagojevich Pick, Burris

Just days before a high-stakes showdown in the nation's capital, the man selected to take President-elect Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat sought spiritual and political support on Sunday at a South Side Chicago church.

Warm words of support and prayers for Roland Burris contrasted with the frigid reactions from Senate leaders, many of whom say his appointment by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is so badly stained that Burris shouldn't be seated when the new Congress convenes this week.
Burris took the stage at New Covenant Church on Sunday evening to a crescendo of drums, organ music and applause from hundreds of supporters, including black leaders and ministers.
"The appointment is legal," he said, thanking those gathered at the prayer service. "That is all there is. I don't know what all the confusion is about."

Before the service, Burris supporter U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush and about 60 ministers condemned Senate Democratic leaders for rejecting Burris.

Rush, a Chicago Democrat, called the Senate "the last bastion of plantation politics."

"We are just faced with a hard-headed room of people in the Senate who want to keep an African-American out of the Senate," Rush said.

The Senate's top two Democrats defended their right to deny the seat to Burris, while refusing to rule out a deal as Congress and its new members begin work this week.

Democrats say Burris' appointment is tainted because it was made by Blagojevich, who is accused by federal authorities of offering to sell the vacancy to the highest bidder. Burris, a former state attorney general, says the appointment is legal and the governor had the authority to do it. He has threatened to sue Senate Democrats if they refuse to swear him in as the chamber's only black member.

"Anything can happen," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. But he described the chances of Burris joining the Senate as "very difficult."

The second-ranking Democrat, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, acknowledged that his governor has the state constitutional authority to fill the vacancy. "The Senate of the United States has the U.S. constitutional responsibility to decide if Mr. Burris was chosen in a proper manner and that is what we're going to do," Durbin said.

Burris said he is scheduled to meet with Durbin on Wednesday and possibly could meet with Reid the same day.

Obama has said he agrees with Senate Democrats. But Burris told AP Radio on Sunday that he feels support from Obama.

"He's gotten some advice from other individuals and its not correct advice," Burris said.

While the Burris furor dominated public discussion, Illinois lawmakers quietly continued work that could lead to Blagojevich being removed from office.

Members of the Illinois House impeachment committee reviewed a 54-page draft summary of the allegations against the Democratic governor. Lawmakers said the summary did not include any recommendations on whether Blagojevich should be impeached. That will come after the panel finishes its fact-finding — perhaps by the middle of this week.

The impeachment committee hopes to learn Monday whether it will be given access to some of the federal government's recordings of Blagojevich. It also wants Burris to testify about his conversations with the governor that led to the Senate appointment.

Burris intended to depart for Washington on Monday.

Reid said he expected to meet with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Monday evening in hopes "we can solve this issue on a bipartisan basis."

Democratic leaders, however, plan to afford Burris few, if any, privileges even if he were to come to the Capitol with the proper credentials. Senate officials have said a Democrat will object to Burris being duly sworn with the rest of his class Tuesday and will propose that his credentials be reviewed for a time by the Senate Rules Committee. That would give Burris the status of a senator-elect and buy some time as Democrats hope Blagojevich will be removed from office before the committee completes its investigation.

Also Sunday, Reid denied a published report that he told Blagojevich in early December that he opposed the appointments of Democratic Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis to the Senate seat out of fear they would lose the seat to a Republican in the 2010 general election. Reid also allegedly opposed Emil Jones, the powerful black leader of the Illinois Senate, on the same grounds.

"I didn't tell him who not to appoint. He's making all this up to divert attention," Reid said. "Anyone who suggests anything racial is part of the Blagojevich spin to take (attention) away from the corruption." The Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday that in an early December call to the governor, Reid urged Blagojevich to appoint either Illinois Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Reid appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," while Durbin and McConnell were on "This Week" on ABC.

[from The Christian Post RSS Feed by Associated Press Writer]

FREE Resource on Retirement

You are never too young to think biblically about retirement. As a ministry leader, how do you view retirement? What do you teach your congregation about it?

Thank you John for this helpful and free resource:

Click here for the free PDF.

Click here for a hard copy.

[from Ministry Best Practices by Bill Reichart]

Fasting - A Duty

According to the Bible, there are three duties of every Christian: give, pray and fast.

Fasting takes a lot of discipline and strength – strength which you can only receive from God. Your private discipline will bring you rewards in Heaven, says Matthew 6.

When you give God your first through fasting, prayer and giving at the beginning of the year, you set the course for the entire year.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, So many needs have come before me today. So many people are standing in the need of prayer.

Please intervene, heal, comfort, provide, have mercy upon all those who are sick, sick and tired of being sick and tired, unemployed, heartbroken, in bondage to addiction of any kind, tormented by emotional problems or mental illness, lonely, just up out of the pit of sin and walking in the light, in need of courage and strength, grieving, traveling, moving, going through changes, needing direction and wisdom, and so much more.

Thank you, God, for your tender mercies, your everlasting love, your everpresence, and for hearing our heart cries. Help me to help others. Help me to remain faithful. Help me to make the right decisions and do the right things. Please help me that I will glorify you.

In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Economic Recovery Does Not Look Good

The idea that the U.S. economy is going to recover in the next six months is given little credence at a gathering of top academic economists over the weekend.

A pickup sometime after June is still the Federal Reserve's quasi-official forecast. And leading institutional forecasters surveyed by the Blue Chip Economic Indicators are optimistic.

But that forecast seemed woefully out of touch to many experts who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Economics Association.

One expert said he was worried that current programs are simply keeping the financial sector on life support and did not seem to curing the underlying problems.

READ MORE ...

[from MarketWatch.com - Top Stories – Sponsored by: CyberTrader]

Central Church Ownership - Two Edged Sword

Tomorrow the California Supreme Court will render its decision on a series of cases regarding the secession of several parishes from the Episcopal Church. Needless to say, it’s a nail-biter for everyone.

Anglican Cumudgeon has been covering this saga in detail (he doesn’t do it any other way). You will find an interesting comment from the Anglican blogger Baby Blue, who has had front row seats to the so-far successful secession of parishes in Virginia:

"The other problem that the remaining parishes in The Episcopal Church have if this ruling goes in favor of the Diocese is that no lay person in their right mind is going to invest in a parish that the laity have no control over. If the bishop 'owns' the church, what’s the sense in investing in the property? Tell the bishop to take care of it, and when children get hit by cars in the parking lot on Sunday morning, let the bishop get sued instead."

The blogger goes on to say, "There’s a lot of responsibility that goes with owning property and these bishops - thinking it’s a political action - have no idea what a hornets nest they are stirring up. So, if the People lose this ruling, the The Episcopla Church bishops have far more of a problem on their hands than parishes departing over heretical doctrine. Send all the bills to the bishop - the properties are now his problem."

What do you think? Is central ownership of property a two-edged sword for the central church?

In a broad sense, any central church is a final destination for the liabilities of its parishes/local churches when the property is held centrally. Those liabilities include tort/personal injury liabilities such as Baby Blue mentions, but they also include any indebtedness that the church holds. In most cases those liabilities are dispensed with at the local level, but sometimes they move “up the line.”

Those who give and are conscious of a lack of control at the local level will reduce their giving accordingly. The best way to avoid that problem is to have healthy “give and take” between the denomination and its local churches. But that’s what’s broken down in The Episcopal Church, spectacularly so.

The wise central church must take a “know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em” mentality. For example, it may be expedient for a large local church with a high debt load and insufficient cash flow to be “cut loose” from the central church.

Irrespective of how this decision comes out, The Episcopal Church’s demographics fortell of a world with empty parishes and reduced income. Under those circumstances, they’ll wish they had the money they wasted on litigation.

What say you? (Click "comments" below.)

[from Positive Infinity]

The Security Role of Church Ushers & Greeters

Church leaders, no matter what the size or location of the church, have a responsiblity to develop plans and processes that help ensure the safety and security of members, visitors and church property. This is made more challenging by the fact that criminals and those who are intent upon violence may target church buildings, congregations and individual church members.

In addition, church buildings have the same risks as other buildings about safety and security problems related to natural disasters, fires, mechanical and electrical failures and safety hazards.

One of the key components of a church security program is observant and responsive greeters, ushers and deacons. These frontline roles are often the first people to see or hear problems, and often have access to all parts of the building before, during and after the service. But sadly, many greeters and ushers receieve little or no training related to the role they can play in observing, getting help quickly and providing leadership in an emergency situation.

Church Security Concerns: The Role of Greeters and Ushers is a free, 24 page PDF document, which can be copied for use in church security training. It provides a well-balanced, realistic approach that can help the meeters and greeters of churches feel more confident and be more effective in situations of concern as well as in emergencies. This document has been useful for pastors, church security teams and greeter/usher teams, as well as being a great resource for distribution by law enforcement organizations.

Topics:
- The role of greeters and ushers in the area of church security (with or without a formal security team).
- Awareness and response
- Potential security concerns and options for action
- A security self-evaluation checklist

This security information is a great addition to your church manual and should be part of the orientation training for all greeters, ushers, deacons and church leadership.

CLICK HERE to request your FREE PDF copy.

Wisconsin Congregation Breaks With Episcopal Church

A Wisconsin congregation has decided to leave the Episcopal Church to join a more conservative branch of the world Anglican Communion.

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church of Elm Grove is joining the new Anglican Church in North America. Milwaukee's Episcopal Bishop Steven Miller says he is disappointed by the announcement. He adds that members can leave a parish, but parishes cannot leave the diocese. That makes the future of St. Edmund's uncertain, since Miller says the diocese owns the church property.

St. Edmund's spokeswoman Marsha Ohlgart says the 125-member congregation is aware of the conflict. She says it owns the land and rectory but is uncertain about the church.

[Associated Press]

Fasting - Your Vision

God has given you a vision, a divine dream for your life. When you fast, you open up the blessings and opportunities He has provided for you to pursue that dream. As you fast, pray for God's direction and guidance. Focus your faith on your dream and God will show you how you can turn your vision into a reality. Begin pursuing your divine dream today and make the rewards of fasting part of your lifestyle.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, what a mighty and awesome creation you have made.

As I sit here and hear the wind blow, I am reminded of your power. Like the wind gently ushers refreshing breezes, so you refresh my spirit. Like stormy winds blow hard, clearing the air and drying the puddles after the rain, so rushes in your comfort, drying my tears and clearing my mind. Like the strong winds of a hurricane command my attention, so your Spirit convicts my heart when I am thinking or doing the wrong thing. Like a brisk wind invigorates my senses, so your Holy Spirit revives and inspires my soul.

Thank you, God, for all you have given, all you do, and for your great love for me. You truly are awesome and I look up to you, my Heavenly Father and Creator, from whence cometh my help.

In Jesus name I offer my praise to you. Amen.