roundup 12 - Church of God

Speaker in Focus
Nueva vida means “new life.” It’s
the name of the church Hector
Gonzalez planted and has
pastored for thirty-four years. It’s also
what drives him to keep serving the
Lord through changing seasons and circumstances.
His relationship with Christ
and his ministry
experiences have
shaped him into a
dynamic Christian
leader whom God
has used to reach
souls beyond cultural
and ethnic
boundaries. Glean
from the wisdom of this pastor from
Glendale, Arizona, at 7:00 pm edt on
Sunday, June 24, at NAC.
Hector Gonzalez grew up attending
the Spanish-speaking Church of God
in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was there
that he first met Susan, the girl who
would later become his wife. In 1978,
he planted Nueva Vida Church of God,
now a flourishing oasis in the heart of
the Phoenix suburb.
Hector Gonzalez is scheduled to
address the theme “Refreshing Our
Relationship with Christ.” As he looks
forward to delivering the Sunday evening
message, he hopes “to convey that
Jesus wants to have a relationship with
us, not just to make us nice Christian
people, but to transform us and empower
us for his honor and glory.” Gonzalez
continues, “As we refresh our relationship
with Christ, we will also renew our
Pastor Hector Gonzalez challenges us
to refresh relationship with Christ
By Carl Stagner
relationship and our identity as brothers
and sisters in Christ and as members
responsible for one another in the body
of Christ. We will no longer focus on
ourselves and what we want, but we will
once again remember our mission and
place our eyes on the world around us.”
Gonzalez is happy to return to NAC
this year. “I have not been able to attend
as often as I would like, but the times
I’ve attended have been some of the
highlights of my life. Just the sheer
sense of being in a place where almost
everyone you see or meet is a part of
the very same Church of God. And in
a very real sense, you become aware of
the greatness and the beauty of being a
part of something that is bigger than the
whole world.”
Give the Cup
By Paul Maxfield
Join Children of Promise for lunch
and learn about new sponsorship programs
Give the Cup” is the focus for
Children of Promise (COP) during
2012. Nearly 4,300 children
in twenty-seven countries are receiving
the cups of nutrition, education, health
care, and spiritual nurture through individual
sponsorships. COP will host a
special “Give the Cup” luncheon on Monday,
June 25, from 11:30 to 12:50 pm, in the
Church of God Ministries Auditorium.
The cost is $10 per person, payable at the
door (we need to know you are coming
so we can have lunch ready for you).
We are pleased to announce the opening
of sponsorship in Bangladesh. The
first children are ready to begin receiving
their first cups of benefit. Featured
at the Monday luncheon will be Skype
interviews with the director of the new
Bangladesh program, as well as with the
directors of three other new programs:
Kenya, the Dominican Republic, and
12 NACroundup • Sunday Issue, June 24, 2012
Argentina. Come hear how the children’s
circumstances, living conditions,
hopes, dreams, and challenges are being
met through the Children of Promise
ministry in these countries.
Across the globe, the Children of
Promise sponsorship ministry is helping
children to develop into adults who
will lead lives characterized by
• Christ-centered living,
• appreciation for, and pursuit of, lifelong
learning,
• physical and emotional health,
• leadership and exemplary service in
the Church of God and their communities,
and
• commitment to leading and providing
for their families.
This goal is being realized in the
lives of many young adults across the
COP - sponsored child
globe—teachers, nurses, doctors, pastors,
ministry leaders, church planters,
evangelists, veterinarians, business
people, and accountants—all carried and
nurtured from very humble, destitute
conditions to lives of productivity and
Christian service.
Stop by our display in the tent—and
why not join us on Monday for lunch?
(Please let us know by 8:30 am on Monday
morning, if you have not yet notified
us.) Learn how you can offer the cup to a
child in need and how your sponsorship
makes an eternal difference.