COGOP TTMessenger (November 2018)

November 2018
From the
Desk of the
Overseer
Bishop Dr Maurice Jones
LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO!
At the beginning of ‘Book Five’ of the Psalms,
we find the familiar expression: Oh, give
thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His
mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1. If anyone
knows that the Lord is good, it is the redeemed.
If anyone ought to give God thanks,
it’s the redeemed. So, come on, child of God:
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom
He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
Psalm 107:2. To “say so” speaks of thanksgiving,
but also of testifying.
The Israelites experienced redemption in dramatic
ways in the past, and their most profound
is expected to take place in the future
when Christ returns. In the present, however,
we can give both thanks and testimony
in agreement with 1 Peter 1:18-19 Knowing
that [we] were not redeemed with corruptible
things like silver and gold …but with the precious
blood of Christ!
The Harvest is at the heart of all our plans and
projections for 2019. The spirit of evangelism
is even now being stirred in the Church of God
of Prophecy, Trinidad and Tobago. The National
Evangelism Team (NET) is praying and
prepping for big things in 2019, God willing.
New team members are being recruited. Do
you feel the pull? Do you hear the call? District
overseers, ministry directors and pastors
are challenged to focus much more sharply on
soul-winning efforts. Believers are encouraged
to share their testimonies. Yes, let the
redeemed of the Lord say so!
On a personal note, 2018 is not yet over, but
I can only describe it as a bitter-sweet year. I
continue to be grateful to Almighty God and
to brethren, friends and family for their love
and support. I am especially thankful to our
loving Lord for bringing me a wonderful wife.
To Debra, suffice it to say my heart is full of
appreciation and gratitude for your care, companionship,
thoughtfulness, resourcefulness
and generous spirit.
God Bless
Bishop Dr Maurice A. Jones
We say a heartfelt “thank –you” and send
greetings to all our valued Harvest Partners
(HP). It was a joy to fellowship with several
HP Pastors at the General Assembly.
Following the Assembly, I was blessed to
be the guest of Bishop Lloyd Phipps and
wife and Brother Arthur Robinson and his
wonderful family in the Atlanta area. It was
my honour and privilege to minister at the
Covington Road Church on the morning of
Sunday July 29, and at a District Fellowship
in the afternoon. Let me also thank ‘Trinis’
Minister Prem Sankar and wife Kashmatie
for their fellowship and demonstration of
love.
With the support of you, our Harvest
Partners, renovation works continue at
the COGOPTT Multi-Purpose Centre.
We welcome your continued prayers and
financial support.
Contributions can be made to Church of God
of Prophecy at:
Republic Bank Limited
480523530201 (TTD Account)
000213098701 (USD Account)
Contact the COGOPTT National Office at
cogoptt@gmail.com | 868-288-4495 or
868-775-3291 for more information on ongoing
projects and other sowing opportunities
Bishop Dr Maurice Jones –
National Overseer COGOPTT
THANK YOU
For your contributions to the relief
efforts after the flooding disaster in
Trinidad (Oct 20 - 23, 2018)
CORE VALUES: PRAYER, THE HARVEST, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & DISCIPLESHIP AND STEWARDSHIP
THE T&T MESSENGER
is published by the
Church of God of Prophecy,
Trinidad & Tobago.
NATIONAL OVERSEER
Bishop Dr Maurice A. Jones
Tel: 868-775-3291
Tel: 868-288-4495
Email: cogoptt@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL OFFICES
Cleveland, Tennessee, USA.
GENERAL OVERSEER
Bishop Sam Clements

Local Church
Updates
Fresh Anointing
at a Fresh Venue
Unity Tabernacle, COGOP.
The Unity Tabernacle Annual Women’s
Conference is a local church event that
has the kind of national buy-in that CO-
GOP-TT can be proud of. This year the
event outgrew the capacity of the Unity
Tabernacle’s auditorium and 300 women
decked in black and white flocked to the
Oasis Garden Terrace in San Fernando on
October 06, 2018 to attend the conference
themed ‘Clothed in the Fresh Anointing’.
The flow of the anointing was undeniable
from the first worship song to the
last word spoken. Guest ministers Pastors
Anthony and Sherry Derry-Joseph and
Pastor Liz Mendez delivered stirring ministry
of the word and worship Ministers
Axia Nation and Blessed Messenger were
well received. From miraculous access to
the new venue to attendees hailing from
across Christian denominations, the Unity
Tabernacle gives thanks to God for the
anointing that makes the difference.
Jesus Kidz in Focus
St James, COGOP
Conflict Resolution
and Communication
Chaguanas, COGOP
Life skills took centre stage when COGOP Changuanas partnered with
experts from the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and
the Arts’ Community Mediation Services Division to host seminars on
Conflict Resolution and Communication on September 06th and 15th
respectively. Presenters shared practical steps for resolving conflict
The St. James church hosted its annual Jesus Kidz Vacation Bible
School from the August 20 to 24, 2018 under the theme ‘Fearfully
and Wonderfully Made’. The kids were treated to sessions that helped
them understand that God made each person wonderful and special,
and that we are loved by our Creator and Heavenly Father. Special
awards were given to the most outstanding boy and girl for the week.
More than 50 children from St James, Diego Martin and Laventille, including
some high risk communities attended with 26 children making
confessions of faith!
namely; identify the issue, remain calm, restore order, hear the other’s
story, listen carefully, generate solutions, agree on a solution and test
for satisfaction. On the topic of effective communication, the conversation
surrounded types of communication, barriers to communication
and the importance of feedback. There was lively class involvement
by all at both presentations and the learnings can indeed contribute to
a healthier church.

Activate Church
History was made on October
28, 2018 at the Greens, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
when the first regional chapter
of Mended Men Ministry was
launched. A team from Mended
Men’s Ministry – the National
Men’s Ministry of Church
of God of Prophecy, Trinidad
and Tobago led by Minister
Randall Rodney, Mended Director
- Trinidad, journeyed to
the beautiful St Vincent and
the Grenadines for strategic
and significant Kingdom work
including the launch of Mended
Men’s Ministry SVG and a
Support Ministry and Leadership
Seminar.
The trip was the first of many
to come and the initiative to
take Mended Men to the region
promises to introduce the
Caribbean to a unique way to
reach and impact men for God.
Minister Rodney shared on
the importance of ministry to
men with a gathering of men
and women. He challenged
those present to beware of the
man with the sifter (Satan)
who wants to sift our men like
wheat, yet, like Jesus, we must
pray that our men’s faith would
not fail.
On the agenda for Mended
SVG are live programs to engage
men in the near future.
The TT contingent joined the
SVG hosts in visits to the NBC
Radio Station, engaged in hospital
evangelism, a clean-up
exercise at the Greens and even
conducted one of the Mended
Men’s popular Barbershop sessions
at Que’s Barbershop in
Kingstown. The visit also saw
ministry to seven local churches
in SVG and with the visiting
team well equipped and
pleased to share the word.
The SVG churches reported
that they were truly impacted
by the Support Ministry and
Leadership Seminar delivered
by Bishop Dr. Richard Jeremiah.
Several leaders who participated
in the session indicated
that it was rich and timely for
the church membership and
leaders.
Reflecting on the trip Minister
Randall Rodney had this
to say “It was a power-packed
weekend and we are excited to
see the growth of the Mended
Men’s ministry to the place
where we now have a regional
presence. The team worked
well together and I believe that
God was truly pleased by the
fellowship, ministry and compassion.”
The Mended Men’s
Ministry Director took the opportunity
to publicly thank the
team whose giftings and abilities
made the trip worthwhile,
extended heartfelt thanks to the
Bishops and Pastors from SVG
for warmly hosting and Cheryl-ann
Dublin for initiating the
regional initiative. “…the seed
is in the ground, now it’s time to
water it” he said to St Vincent
and the Grenadines.
As the Lord leads Mended
Men’s Ministry will be visiting
other Caribbean islands
soon and remain excited about
opportunities for extending
the network geared toward reclaiming
and impacting men
for the Kingdom.
Mended Men Launches
St. Vincent Chapter
The COGOPTT team which visited
St Vincent and the Grenadines was:
Mim. Randall Rodney,
Ps. Emmanuel Goberdhan,
Julien Athanase representing the
Mended Men’s Ministry along
with Bp Dr. Richard Jeremiah,
Bp Dr Anslin Serrette, Ps. Gerald
Dardaine, Prophet Andrew Simon,
Deaconess Carolann Wallace,
Minister Nicole Squires, Rondell
George and Kathleen Mendoza.
SOUND THE
TRUMPET!
Tune in to ISAAC 98.1fm
as voices from COGOPTT
sound the alarm over
Trinidad and Tobago
Aired every 2nd,
3rd and 4th Monday
from 2:15pm - 2:30pm

Kingdom Scholars &
Professionals
Get to know our
best and brightest,
their accomplishments and
contributions. Our future is in
safe hands!
Nikita Sarahai Singh always wanted to
work in the medical field and with prayer
and hard work is living her dream. The 18
year old alumna of Parvati Girls’ Hindu
College and ASJA Girls’ College San Fernando
will commence her studies in 2019
reading for a Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at The University
of the West Indies.
It’s amazing when the favour of God is
so rich upon the lives of Kingdom citizens
that the world has no choice but to
acknowledge it. This is exactly what happened
when Nikita was awarded an Additional
Scholarship for Natural Sciences
by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
recognizing her outstanding academic
performance at Caribbean Advanced
Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). The
scholar has always been an excellent academic
performer; she received five distinctions
when she attained her Caribbean
Examinations Council Secondary Education
Certificate (CSEC) in 2016 and was
also awarded a Certificate of Academic
Excellence in Chemistry at her school. It
was still however one of her happiest moments
ever to learn that she was awarded
a prestigious national scholarship.
Nikita admitted that it was sometimes a
struggle to balance study time, Church
commitments and family time – she was
able however to strike the right balance
with prayer and proper guidance for
which she credits to her parents; Sheryl
Harrypersad and Christopher Singh and
grand-parents. We asked Nikita how she
saw her career impacting the Kingdom:
“God gave me the ability and opportunity
to study medicine so I intend to use what
I learn to help as many people as I can.
Right now, I hope to encourage someone
to really believe that we can achieve anything
with God and prayer.”
Nikita who is the grand-daughter of Bro.
and Sis. Chadee Harrypersad attends of
the Church of God of Prophecy, Rambert
under the leadership of Pastor Ramnarace
Ramlogan and Minister Sharon
Ramlogan. The entire church celebrates
her achievement and presented her with
a commemorative trophy on October 30,
2018.

Too few people are bold enough
to pursue their purpose when it
means a complete career change.
Not Donna Andrews-Alexander
though; she’s one of the brave few
who took the ‘bull by the horns’.
This Kingdom woman has found
her niche in the area of Clinical
Psychology this year graduating
from The University of the West
Indies (UWI) with a Master in
Clinical Psychology.
Donna had built a long career in the
Administrative field, twenty-two
years to be exact but after working
with and counseling a battered
woman and a drug addict she found
herself drawn to the field. 2007 saw
her begin her academic training
with a Certificate in Psychology,
she then went on to attain a BSc in
Psychology (2012) both from The
UWI.
“I took a break from studies
after my Bachelors’ but I was
still yearning to make the change
that would see me working in
the field I had a passion for and
simultaneously become more active
in ministry. I first immersed myself
in ministry and with a nudge from
my Pastor in 2015 I enrolled at
Hagion Ethnos Institute to pursue
Ministry credentials via Ministry
International Institute.” What
Donna would see later was that
certainly the Lord adds all things
when we seek first the Kingdom.
Subsequently she was accepted to
read for graduate certification in
Clinical Psychology at The UWI.
Donna ended the season of
training not only with a Bachelor
in Ministry but also a Master of
Clinical Psychology. Reflecting on
her ministry and career path Donna
said “My desire is to make a vast
difference in society, with God at
the centre of any service I provide.”
Donna fellowships at Church of
God of Prophecy, Gasparillo and
acknowledges her Pastor, Bishop
Dr Anslim Serrette for inspiring her
with his passion for Jesus Christ
and knowledge of God’s word. She
is also grateful to her husband of
25 years Anthony Alexander and
her two children Donna-Marie and
Antonio for supporting her on the
journey to this predestined place.
Know of another COGOPTT
scholar or professional that we
should feature? Email us at cogoptt.
messenger@gmail.com.
.
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National Minsitry
Highlights
COGOP
100th Assembly
a home-going!
The historic 100th International General
Assembly of the Church of God of Prophecy
was celebrated from July 18 - 22,
2018. This assembly saw over 10,000 believers
and members of COGOP churches
worldwide gathering in Chattanooga,
Tennessee for a time of worship, transformation
and encouragement. Trindad and
Tobago was well represented wit total of
twenty-one persons from across our local
churches attending what was described
as a homegoing, returning to the closest
point from where the church began in a
humble one-bedroom cabin one hundred
assemblies ago.
Anyone who attended will agree that the
assembly experience was a special one.
It saw the celebration of our past but the
theme “Cover the Earth” reminded all
that there is still a great work to be done.
The week of celebrations began with a
pre-Assembly service at Fields of the
Wood in Murphy, North Carolina. Thousands
gathered at the church’s historical
Bible based theme park for a time of
prayer, fellowship and the word which
was delivered by church stalwart Bishop
Adrian Valark. The next day the general
assembly was declared open and a series
of workshops, activities targeting all Ministries
and powerful services followed.
God used this grand homegoing event as
a catalyst for vision casting, conducting
the business of the church, unifying us in
fellowship and providing opportunities
for many to see the church outside of our
local congregations and ourselves.
Making Heaven Happy:
A National Transition Team leads the charge for Change
Usually mentions of transition in the
Church conjures up images of having
freedoms curtailed and in some cases the
imposition of additional burdens on the
believer – this is precisely what the National
Overseer of COGOPTT, Bishop Dr
Maurice Jones wants to change.
In August 2018 Bishop Dr Jones announced
his desire to see the organization
achieve several goals by 2024 when
marks its 70th anniversary. This was the
official casting of the national church’s
VISION 70 which seeks to see COGOPTT
motivate, multiply and maximize its membership
and ministries by 70. To ensure
that the milestones on the way to Vision
70 are effectively met effectively, the
national overseer established a special
change management committee to administrate
the process.
The National Transition Team (NTT)
comprises seven members selected from
various local assemblies with the requisite
skills to make Vision 70 an implemented
reality. Under the leadership of Bishop Dr
Richard Jeremiah, Director and Dr Lionel
Harvey, Deputy Director the team also
includes Pastor Ramnarace Ramlogan,
Secretary; Sis Sadia Glasgow, Communication
Officer, Sis. Denise Jattan-Alves,
Marketing and Finance Officer; Bro. Julien
Athanase, Technical Officer and Sis.
Kernika Wells Legal Advisor and Assistant
Secretary.
The NTT commenced its work promptly
with visits to the local assemblies aimed
at promoting interaction and fellowship;
facilitating a soft assessment of the church
and allowing the opportunity for churches
to gain clarity on and contribute to Vision
70. The visits are on-going and thus
far have been very successful. The NTT
has gained valuable insight and clarity on
some of the unaddressed and silent issues
that concern the COGOPTT membership.
According to one of COGOPTT’s longest
serving members in the newly formed
Central District of COGOPTT “I have
been in this organization for more than
sixty years and I am really delighted to
hear about change coming. This is how
it is supposed to be!” This is the kind of
sentiment that change is being met with
and COGOPTT has every reason to be
expectant.
The NTT is focused on creating structures
that are congruent with best practice and
order. After all, God is not a God of disorder.
Going forward COGOP-TT will
operate with a revised organizational
structure comprised of a National Executive
Committee (NEC), a National Administrative
Committee (NAC), District
Overseers and Deputy District Overseers.
This new governance structure will see
COGOPTT moving into its rightful position
amongst its counterparts within the
body of Christ as a mature, relevant and
attractive organization, with a focus on
strategically merging our core values into
every aspect of Vision 70 through motivation,
multiplication and maximization of
our membership and ministries.
The work of the NTT continues and as
such, cooperation is required from each
member to make the process a complete
success for kingdom advancement. NTT
Director and Central District Overseer,
Bishop Dr. Richard Jeremiah had this to
say “we were established for such a time
like this when COGOPTT is poised for
greatness. For it is that one lost sheep,
coin or son that God is interested in.”
This is what truly makes heaven happy.

National Ministry
Highlights
National Camp Summit 2018
-Seekers encounter the Supernatural
SUPERNATURAL! No other word can describe the experience
at National Camp Summit (NCS) 2018. As the
theme for this year was Seeker, extracted from Hebrews
11:6, campers sought to have a deeper encounter with God
and desired a closer relationship with Him.
With campers from inside and outside of the COGOPTT
family everyone was filled with excitement and anticipation
from the start of NCS generated by a series of Facebook
Live episodes titled D’ NCS Countdown and hosted
by two of our young, avid campers, Jonathan Antoine and
Kadisha Patrick.
NCS 2018 encouraged a fine balance and featured a mix of
existing and new activities such as: its first ever art competition,
the Contenders Debate, pool time, sports day, lifeskills
and spiritual workshops and the well-received Dining
with the Ministers a combination event of the annual
Banquet with a rising ministers talent search.
As seven is the number that signifies completion, the camp ended with
seven young persons following the Lord in water Baptism. Glory be
to God!
The National Youth Ministry is thankful to God for His manifest presence
throughout the camp, and to all volunteers, intercessors, sponsors,
campers and everyone who contributed valuably to the resounding success
of NCS 2018. We look forward to an even greater move of God
that will show forth miracles and breakthroughs at NCS 2019!
NCS 2018 culminated with a supernatural encounter of angels
at FYA (Fuel Your Anointing) Movement #9 on the
final night with several campers attested to hearing angels
singing. One of our young campers, Dajanel McKenzie
stated that “Pastor Adrian stated that there were angels
in the room…I heard the song ‘Reckless Love’ in my spirit,
then heard a female voice singing. I wondered who was
singing as only the keyboard was playing at that time.”
Our Technical Director, Miguel Sirju corroborated that “I
got a signal from a microphone that had no power because
the battery was dead…there was no source as to where it
came from but it was just there.” This was truly the supernatural
presence of God!

National Minsitry
Highlights
Vision
with a Mission
& Passion!
Republished from the White Wing Messenger
“In the past, we heard some say if you
want to hide knowledge from certain
Christians, write it in a book. They won’t
read it.” This quote was proven obsolete
by Dr Sonia Martin, as 70 plus students in
Trinidad and Tobago, experienced
her engaging teaching style during
the 3-day training of the Centre for
Biblical Leadership’s module ‘Become
a Church with Impact’
The module explained the importance
of a biblically defined vision
and introduced leaders to the ten
characteristics of a healthy church
which can be influential in generally
making a difference.
The interactive gathering, included breakout
sessions, where groups were randomly
formed to discuss pertinent topics, with
one of the more significant ones being
The introduction to Take your Church’s
Pulse Tool (TYCP). This is a tool that that
can help diagnose an assembly’s health
by evaluating key areas of church life.
Held at the Christian Fellowship Ministries
– Church of God of Prophecy, Palmiste,
Trinidad, from September 20 – 22,
2018, the event was executed under the
auspices of National Overseer, Bishop Dr
Maurice A. Jones. He was supported by
the Leadership Development & Discipleship
Committee, under the
leading of Bp Dr. Anslim
Serrette along with a support
team.
Dr Sonia was ably supported
by her husband, Bishop
Dr Clayton Martin, General
Presbyter (Caribbean), both
recent graduates of Doctors
of Ministry, Accredited
Ministry Development
(AMD)
Bouncing Babies
CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE NEWLYWEDS:
• A warm congratulations to our own
Layout Editor, the talented Anthony McLeod
and his beautiful wife Karissa who wed on
July 14, 2018. Best wishes for a happy
and purpose-filled life together.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT COGOPTT
NOVEMBER
18th National Gathering with General Overseer
22nd & 29th COGOP Ministry Policy Training
23rd & 25th Strategic Leadership Retreat (CANCELLED)
DECEMBER
1st District Leaders Dinner
9th National Overseer’s Dinner
6th COGOP Ministry Policy Training
JANUARY (2019)
23rd – 26th Caribbean Leadership
Conference
CREDITS
Editor/Production Editor:
Bishop Dr Maurice Jones
Copy Editors:
Min. Joy Sampson
Min. Terri-Ann Thompson
Contributor:
Min. Kimline Clement
Layout Editor:
Anthony McLeod, Cinzoe Media
Read this issue online at: www.yumpu.com/cogoptt
Join our team today at cogoptt.messenger@gmail.com