By D. W. Holmes

An ambitious program of “wholeness gospel” – bringing evangelism, economic stability, jobs initiatives, health care and crime-prevention models to his Jurisdiction — tops the list of goals outlined by Trinidad’s newest Bishop Alton Gatlin.

In a recent communication, the Southwest Louisiana pastor revealed part of his vision for the jurisdictional ministry in Trinidad and Tobago. His multi-faceted plan is clearly not the faint of heart. Right now, he is laying out the fundament infrastructure that involves a holistic approach to the gospel. It includes the establishment of a school of ministry, medical clinics for general health and eye care, including children vaccinations; and cross-cultural ministries between U.S. and Trinidad pastors. As a result of his early survey of the general area several months ago, assessing the spiritual, cultural, social, and economic needs of the people, Bishop Gatlin indicated that the ministry – according to his vision — could not be only about preaching. So, his plans call for aggressive programs aimed at economic development through targeted vocational programs, job training, and agricultural initiatives for pastors with congregations in rural areas. He is working out the basic details to come up with the personnel, financial resources, hardware, and training that will eventually bring the vision to reality.

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

“My greatest challenge, at this time,” said Bishop Gatlin, “is to develop a stable economy for the jurisdictional leaders of poor and struggling congregations, securing affordable healthcare for them, and beating back the trend of rising crime and poverty.” Although the two-island country is rich in oil, natural gas, and a few other vital commodities, somehow, that abundance of natural resources has not translated into any measure of wealth for the people in that part of the country.

In terms of what he sees as his greatest need, the Bishop identified four: prayerful support, financial support, leadership, and communication.

The bishop pointed out that it is a bit too early to tell how much assistance will be forthcoming from government, private, or other entities; but he is sure that he has, at leaast, the prayers and support of the International Sunday School and the saints of his home state, Louisiana.

Although COGIC ministries have been ongoing in Trinidad since back in the late ‘70s, with Elder Reuel Stanley, a native Trinidadian, the work of Gatlin’s jurisdiction is in its infancy; and for everyone involved, it is, as the bishop puts it, “a new beginning.” Because the work there is so new and the needs so great, the bishop explained, it is not convenient to identify a specific number of churches that are associated with his Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. Presently, several churches are starting out with Bishop Gatlin and embracing the work. And he said that there are encouraging indicators that others – especially those not under the umbrella of COGIC – may be on the way.

MASTER PLANTER

It is no exaggeration to peg Bishop Gatlin as a “Master Planter of Churches.” Besides serving as a double-pastor — one in Lafayette and another in Crowley, he (and his wife, Vanessa) have planted (started from “scratch) about six or seven other churches in Louisiana. Bringing his “evangelistic flair” to unchartered areas, he and his wife have “preached-out” churches, trained the leaders, and set them over the work that, even today, continues to flourish. And that same “evangelistic thrust” that inspired Bishop Carlis L. Moody to recommend Superintendent Gatlin for the Bishop promotion is what the new bishop brings to Trinidad.

“My idea is to have a great team of Sunday School people who are called to plant and evangelize,” the Bishop revealed. We hope to work with them and the pastors in Trinidad to grow and support churches that are already established; and then we will begin planting ministries in areas that have not been evangelized and where there is “non witness,” encouraging those without denominational covering to come with us. Our overall plan is to bring the best-trained planters from the U.S. to Trinidad and help us unify the scattered saints throughout the island. But the Bishop emphasized that, at the present time, he is not engaged in any talks with other “non-COGIC” affiliations in the area, with the idea to bring them in the COGIC system. His focus is on unclaimed souls and guiding individuals who are seeking a place to worship.

NEW FIELD OF MINISTRY

With regard to his selection of a Jurisdictional Supervisor (of the Women Department), Bishop Gatlin said he is not ready to tackle that task just yet. The Bishop said that before he makes that appointment, he wants to do a total evaluation of what the work will require and make sure that the Jurisdiction can provide support for it. “The supervisor’s job can be costly,” the Bishop admitted, “and it would not be fair to place someone there with out knowing all the facts and hardships that may be involved.”

Bishop Gatlin estimates that his goals and vision demand that he visits the islands several times a years – especially since, as he says, “This is a new field for ministry. And right now, we’re going through a “transition period.” But, he concluded, “I believe my friendship with leaders already in Trinidad shall make this an easy transition.”

Bishop Gatlin pointed out that one of the unique qualities about the people of Trinidad is that they have have a zealous love for God and the Gospel, despite the presence of a number of other religious systems. The COGIC there is among the “Pentecostals” in the catalog of about 15 other religions that make up some 52% of all faiths in the area; the two dominant religions there are Catholicism (26%) and Hinduism (22%).

The fact that there is already one other COGIC Jurisdiction operating in Trinidad – the First Ecclesiastical, under Bishop H. Joseph Griffith, poses no problem whatsoever. The “field” is big enough and fertile enough for both.

By Superintendent Daniel W. Holmes

In special services of pageantry and solemn ceremony, church officials and members – some from as far away as Liberia, West Africa, gathered in Lafayette, Louisiana to celebrate the elevation of The Reverend Alton Ervin Gatlin to a Bishop in the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC). The event on the evening of April 28 was highlighted by the presence of the Bishop Charles E. Blake, The Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ (worldwide).

Bishop Gatlin had been officially consecrated to the highest ecclesiastical office of this denomination last November in elaborate ceremonies held during the 100^th year Holy Convocation in Memphis, Tennessee. That recent coronation of Bishop Gatlin makes him the chief ecclesiastical prelate of the newly-established Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Trinidad and Tobago.

Bishop Gatlin was officially recommended for the promotion and the assignment by COGIC Missions chief leader, Bishop Carlis L. Moody. “I felt that Superintendent Gatlin was the best person to lead the second Jurisdiction of that area,” said Bishop Moody. “With the kind of spiritual energy that his ministry has, with its evangelistic thrust, I feel that he will be a great blessing to our work there (in Trinidad and Tobago).” Bishop Moody, who has led the COGIC’s International Missions Department for some 34 years, pointed out that the two-island country is a fertile place for the ministry of the Church Of God In Christ. He said that Bishop Gatlin has an energetic outreach that he feels confident will capture a significant segment of Trinidad’s large population attracted to the gospel. Bishop gatlin is also the COGIC Superintendent of the International Sunday School Department.

The special celebration was televised by way of the internet to millions, including viewers in the Caribbean Trinidad and Tobago, as well as part of the Middle East. The event was held at the very beautiful and sprawling complex of the Gethsemane Church Of God In Christ, in Lafayette, Louisiana, where General Board Member, Bishop Roy L. H. Winbush is pastor.

The celebration that night was an ecclesiastically star-studded event that drew nearly a thousand persons, including high-ranking religious and civic leaders and supporters from several states to “the country” to witness the high-spirited and sacred unfolding of history. “The country” is how Bishop Gatlin often lighted-heartedly and affectionately refers to the local geographical area, as compared to “the city.”

(PHOTO Below, Mother Mae Winbush (left) and California First Jurisdictional Sunday School Superintendent Althea Sims, in the Inauguration Celebration Services).

Bishop Gatlin and his wife, Vanessa, tendered wholesome remarks of gratitude and shared part of their vision for their new Jurisdiction. And Presiding Bishop Blake closed out the event with a spiritually-blazing sermon about Jacob — and Gatlin. Bishop Blake preached from the subject, “The Evolution of a Prince.” In homiletic prowess at its best, Bishop Blake masterfully drew an inspirational correlation of how Divine Providence weaved all the various roles of Bishop Gatlin’s life that would eventually end up making him an ecclesiastical “prince,” while still a humble servant of the Gospel.

Trinidad and Tobago are the two main islands covering some 1,979 square miles populated by nearly 1.5 million islanders. Tobago, the smaller of the two islands, constitutes only about 4 percent of the population and about 6 percent of the total area. With the creation of Bishop Gatlin’s Jurisdiction, the Trinbagonians – as the people of both islands are informally called, collectively — now have two COGIC jurisdictions to meet the missionary and spiritual needs of the people. The other is the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction headed by Bishop H. Joseph Griffith.

Those attending the inaugural got a “triple-decker treatment”: They participated in history in the making, they witnessed the inspirational message of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God In Christ, and they were treated to a scrumptious Southern meal of the finest culinary delight.

(PHOTO below, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake preaching at Inaugural Celebrations services. Here, Bishop Black is in “high gear” in the sermon, entitled, “The Evolution of a Prince.”)

By D. W. Holmes

We all should be alarmed that 60% of young people involved in some local youth ministry leave the local church after high school. And that’s only the most favorable statistic. The more widely accepted statistic states that 95% of our young folks involved in a local youth ministry leave the local church after high school.

In either of the statistics, this is troubling.

And so adults, preachers, pastors, missionaries, and Sunday School teachers, the very next time you attend a high school graduation ceremony, start crying. You know why.

The Lord Jesus is just about on His way back; the day is far spent; the night is at hand — and alot of our young people are not saved yet! Believe me — there is enough blame to go around and last until the kingdom comes. It is now too late to talk about blame. But there is time to look at causation and, perhaps, what we can now do to get back on track with the salvation of young people. Simply because young people might not have attained the “legal age” of adulthood — by our (arbitrary) standard — does not automatically grant them an unchallenged pass to Glory. Young people , en mass, stand in the danger of eternal condemnation and hellfire because of the element of conscious rebellion. They have become saturated with sin and modern idolatry, practicing all its exquisite rituals — from the ornate, outrageous, and nasty dress codes, the unsavory mindset-defining tattoos, to the spiritually-damaging lyrics and musics, all laced with demonic suggestions and dark motivations.

There is a congregation of the unblessed — and a culture of the underworld — living and functioning right here among us! And millions of our “church-raised” children have defected to the enemy’s camp. They have been covertly, secretly, and quietly recruited from our pews to the dens of iniquity and malignant enclaves of perdition, trapped in a subculture that is doomed for eternal hell.

Sure, we have a number of young people “hanging around” the church — not really in the church — and most of them just waiting until they turn 18 or so years old, and then impolitely make their exit to “the other side.” It is sad when the best idea that many of our children have about the church is that it is a place to “go to have fun.” And they know virtually nothing about Jesus Christ, especially in a personal, convicting way! They know even less about salvation.

The question is, How did they get there? How did we allow the Devil to “kidnap” and “hijack” our children to the outer limits of carnality, immorality and lostness? And, “What was going on in our churches, in our sacred assemblies, in our sermons and seminars, and in our conventions and convocations? Perhaps too much of the mundane and the inexpedient and not enough of good old-fashioned Holiness! Perhaps the more poignant question is, “What was not going on in those venues of massive deliberation?”

Perhaps the answer might be found in three simple words: The Naked Truth!

The Formula for Soul Winning & Kingdom Building. The office of Apostle has been left out of the polity of many church organizations. The desire to serve and plant churches is an art that needs to rekindled in the body of Christ. Part of the problem may be that 8 of 10 churches fail in the first five years. However, the will to begin new ministries must be nurtured.
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