G reetings in the precious name of our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ who has blessed us and kept us in his abiding presence, provision and power. I trust that you are doing well and that the blessings of the Lord forever rest upon you.

Our ministry theme for the month of June is Worship. Worship is simply defined as reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary worship is defined as reverent devotion and allegiance pledged to God; the rituals or ceremonies by which this reverence is expressed. The English word worship comes from the Old English word worthship, a word which denotes the worthiness of the one receiving the special honor or devotion.

Worship is important to God, so much so that out of the 10 commandments, the very first one deals with the subject of worship.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. In Exodus chapter 34, the commandments are re-instated and God says in verse 14: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: The insinuation here is that while we do not worship other gods, there is One God who is to be worshipped.

When you read the Old Testament, you cannot help but see the importance of worship in the lives of the people of God.

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“ A C A L L T O W O R S H I P ”

I n s i d e t h i s

i s s u e :

First Things First 3

Annual District

Meeting 4-5

Money Matters 6

Emanuel’s Spotlight 7

Calendar of Events 8

Emanuel ExpressNews

June 2013 Edition

Pastor Michael & First Lady Anastasia Richardson

Celebrating 9 years of Pastoral Ministry

3058 West Van Buren Ave ▪ Chicago, IL 60612 ▪ 773-722-8391 ph ▪ www.emanuelcogic.com

Pastor Michael & First Lady

Anastasia Richardson

Abraham worshipped (Gen. 22:5), Jacob worshipped (Heb. 11:21), Moses worshipped (Exodus 34:8), Joshua worshipped (Joshua 5:14), and of course David the king worshipped (2 Samuel 12:20).

We find in the New Testament that worship was still important. Jesus told the woman at the well that God is seeking for worshippers. John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall wor-ship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. The Greek word used here for seek means to seek for, desire, or to demand. God is looking for and demanding true, sincere wor-ship. The disciples worshipped the Lord (Matthew 28:9), the New Testament church worshipped (Philippians 3:3) and at the end, when God wraps up this world in the completion of His redemption plan, worship will still be important. We read in Revelation 4:10 that worship is not only confined to the earth but worship will be present in Heaven. For John writes that the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him.

Our highest priority as Christians is to give glory to God, to exalt Him by giving Him worship. I know that we are a sophisticated and educated generation and some may feel that worship and all that is involved with it is not important. You may feel that it is too emotional or temperamental and not productive and beneficial. You may feel that it’s unnecessary and you may suggest removing it from our services so that we can have more time and energy to do other things on the Lord’s day. But allow me to serve notice on my sophisticated, educated, time sensitive church attendees that wor-ship is not a waste of time. In fact, true worship is the best use of your time, because during worship something phenomenal takes place.

First of all, true worship brings real satisfaction and fulfillment. Waren W. Wiersbe in his book “The Integrity Crisis” writes that true biblical worship so satisfies our total personality that we don’t have to shop around for man-made substitutes. William Temple made this clear in his masterful defi-nition of worship: “For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of con-science by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”

Pastor and author Eugene Peterson wrote “worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appe-tite. Our need for God is not taken care of by engaging in worship—it deepens. It overflows the hour and per-meates the week.” One day David thought about all of the phenomenal benefits of worship and declared that I will blessed the Lord and all times and His praises shall continually be in my mouth. David was con-vinced that worship was not a waste of time, but the best of times.

During this month of Worship, let us answer the call to worship. Let us enter into his gates with thanksgiv-ing and into His Courts with Praise, Be thankful and bless His name for the Lord in Good, His mercy is ever-lasting and His truth endureth until all generations!

Pastor Michael Richardson

P a g e 2

Continued from page 1

E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s

F i r s t T h i n g s F i r s t With Msny. Anastasia Richardson

P a g e 3 J u n e — W O R S H I P

T he Women’s Department of First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Illinois Church of God in Christ came together Saturday, May 11th for their 18

th

Annual Woman of the Year Luncheon and Award Ceremony. This luncheon was instituted by the late Bishop Shephard Little fulfilling his desire to give recognition to de-serving women in the Jurisdiction. Bishop Booker has allowed the women’s department the op-portunity to continue with this valued tra-dition.

The place was packed to capacity and excitement permeated the atmosphere. This year’s honoree was Missionary Ethola Holifield who is a member of King of Glory Church of God in Christ and Vice President of First Jurisdiction Illinois Usher’s Board. Msny. Holifield was praised and celebrated for serving with distinction in many positions within her local church and jurisdiction. Many came forward with accolades for this most dili-gent servant of God.

The torch was passed from the Woman of the Year 2012, Mother Betty Stripling, who stated that it was an honor to be chosen and to serve in this capacity. Missionary Holifield was crowned with the tiara and a medallion was placed around her neck. She also was presented with a beautiful plague and she was blessed with a monetary donation from First Jurisdiction State Supervisor, Mother Charlotte Eades. It was a great time of fellowship.

STATE MINISTERS WIVES ALLIANCE

S aturday, May 18th our church was honored to host the

State Ministers Wives Alliance under the leadership of Mother Jean Booker. Mother Booker is a dynamic leader and example for this vital department. She always brings wisdom, wit, encouragement and something new to share with us to help us in our role as Pastors & Ministers Wives. Mother Ro-sa Edwards, who is a long time member of the Minister Wives Alliance was in our midst. Mother Edwards was celebrating her 90

th birthday!! Mother Booker had Mother Edwards along

with Mother Elvie Owens (who will be 91 this year) to share some of their wisdom and advice with the ladies. After our meeting we were blessed to dine and enjoy the fellowship of one another.

P a g e 4 E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s

T he 2013 District Meeting for the David A. Reed

Senior District convened on Monday May 13,

thru Friday May 17th, at Victory Temple Church of

God in Christ where Supt Remon Jackson is pastor.

Monday night was the pre- musical, which was abso-

lutely phenomenal. Our District Choir under the capa-

ble leadership of Sister Tammy Reed and her assis-

tant Evangelist Klista Hill raised the roof with a mix

of selections that were most inspiring and celebratory.

Various churches were represented and many talents

were highlighted including a Mime presentation from Emanuel’s own Phillip Brooks Jr. and Alfonz

McGowan (Jordan) based on the theme of the meeting “Drive and Go Forward”.

Tuesday night was facilitated by Pastor Kurt Swan and our 1st Assis-

tant Superintendent Pastor Tyrone Gaston was the keynote speaker.

Speaking from Exodus 14:1-14, Pastor Gaston shared with the district

with a very powerful messaged entitled “Trust God”. Pastor Gaston

was simply at his best. He admonished us to put our trust in God in

spite of how difficult the journey may be. He climaxed his message

with an illustration of praise.

The night concluded with

Pastor Clifton Johnson pray-

ing for the families gathered

on the altar.

The women were in charge

for Wednesday night and

our own 1st Lady; Assistant District Missionary Anastasia

Richardson did a fantastic job facilitating the service. Our cele-

brated District Missionary Mother Maggie Booker was the

speaker for the evening. She delivered a powerful and fiery

message from Ps 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times: his

praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Mother Booker en-

couraged us to put God first in our lives by loving Him, bless-

ing Him, honoring Him, magnifying Him, glorifying Him, adoring Him, trusting Him, obeying Him,

and depending on Him. After the message, Elect Lady Lundy prayed for all of the women, with special

emphasis on widows and single mothers. Msny. Val Walton, organized a thought-provoking skit featur-

ing various first ladies entitled, APRONS. Afterwards, Dr. Sherelene Harris, President of the Pastors

and Ministers wives, presented a tribute to the Founders wives, Mother Elvie Owens from Emanuel and

Mother Elaine Reed from Reed’s Temple. The First Lady of the District, Sister Iris Reed showered Dis-

trict Missionary Booker with blessings. Starting with the Women’s Convention Red Card and climaxing

with a trip for two to Las Vegas, NV.

P a g e 5 J u n e — W O R S H I P

On Thursday night, we were blessed to have our Jurisdictional Prelate, Bish-

op Ocie Booker as our special guest and keynote speaker for the evening.

Prior to presenting our prelate, Superintendent Reed expressed his apprecia-

tion for the Bishop with a special tribute read in his honor. After the tribute

a special award was presented to Pastor Robert Booker for his exemplary

support and work in our District. The award was named in honor of Bishop

Ocie Booker who was the First District Superintendent of the D.A. Reed Sr.

District. Bishop Booker blessed us with his wit and wisdom as he spoke to

us about the necessity of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. He closed his mes-

sage by sharing four things that prevents the Holy Ghost from working and

operating in our lives. They were pride, prayerlessness, unforgiveness, and

disobedience. Bishop spoke extensively on each of these hindrances and admonished us to guard our-

selves from their destructive influences. After the message, the men filled the altar as our Jurisdictional

leader prayed and ministered to them. After the prayer, the house went into uncontrollable, combustible,

spontaneous praise. The Holy Ghost had the

last word!

The meeting culminated on Friday night with

Superintendent David Reed bringing the offi-

cial message based on our theme from 2 Kings

4:24 “Drive and Go Forward”. After a soul

stirring sermonic selection from Sister Yolanda

Bateman, our leader blessed us with an on time

word that was just what we needed to close out

the meeting. Superintendent Reed informed us

that the first step of moving forward is to make

up your mind that you are not going to stop in

the middle

of the road.

He also told us that we can never go forward looking back. He went

further to admonish us not to allow our past to dictate our future, but

to trust God for a brighter future. Superintendent Reed told us to keep

our focus on Jesus and not on people and materialism, because the

devil can use these distractions to have us driving in the wrong direc-

tion, making wrong turns and ending up at a dead end! He climaxed

this powerful message with an illustration of driving through a storm.

He stated that when going through the storms of life, we cannot stop,

or turn back but we must drive through the storm until the storm is be-

hind us. After this most insightful, informative and inspiring message,

Superintendent Reed called all of the youth to the altar for prayer. As

we departed this last night of this great meeting we all were ready to

Drive and Go forward!

E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s P a g e 6

G et Your Kids On Board with Your Budget

Whether your cutbacks are precautionary or involuntary ex-plain why the family needs to spend less. It's far worse for children to sense tension without

understanding what's going on. Let them know where you will econ-omize and where you won't. The key to keeping the peace is to communicate with your chil-dren. Sit down to talk money and goals with them. Brainstorm ways to accomplish goals as a family. Ask for their ideas, so they feel like

part of the team. Teach your children to budget with you by giving them a set allowance to cover specific expenses or to contribute to the family savings goals. Don't front them cash if they run out early. Budgeting together will give them a better understanding about the family plan to spend less.

Submitted by: Sis. Turia Neal

JESSICA KELLY will be graduating on June

4th!!! at the Tinley Park Convention Center.

She will be graduating from Coolidge Middle

School. In the fall she will be attending Sea-

ton Academy! She has been actively apart of

NJHS, S.T.E.M. ( Science, Technology, Engi-

neering & Mathematics) & Bakery Club. She

has been on the Honor Roll the entire time she

has been at Coolidge Middle School.

TIMOTHY ANDREW JOHNSON graduated

May 19th from Gordon Tech College Prep

Catholic High School. He will be attend-

ing Northern Illinois University in Dekalb,

Illinois in the fall. He plans on earning a

Bachelors of Arts in Child Psychology or

a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

P a g e 7 - W O R S H I P E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s

E M A N U E L ’ S S P O T L I G H T

Acts 9:4 “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes

thou me?”

Vernon Williams was born in Chicago Illinois and has 12 sisters and 4 brothers, 2 of which are de-

ceased. He is married and has 4 children (Tymika, Zakiya, Jackee, and Nthabiseng)

Vernon is retired now, but previously worked as a Sergeant Military police officer. He enjoys working

with his hands and is really good at auto mechanics, landscaping, body/fender, bouncer, and painting.

While most may not enjoy exercising, believe it or not, Vernon enjoys working out doing push ups,

bench pressing, and running.

Vernon’s inspiration in life came from both his parents and his siblings. One of his most favorite bible

stories is the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus. He is inspired by the events that took place

after the question to Saul, “why persecutes thou me”. It was a turning point for Saul. We too can expe-

rience life changing moments if we are open to making changes in our lives and committing ourselves

to God once we come into the knowledge of the error of our ways.

“Vernon’s favorite church song is “Trust Me”. When he sees Jesus face to face, he will thank God for

saving him, for his military career, for helping him overcome his struggles, and for blessing him with a

wonderful wife.

SAVE THE DATE:

First Jurisdiction Illinois State Aim Convention

June 10th - 13th, 2013

ST. PAUL C.O.G.I.C.- 4526 S. WABASH - CHICAGO, IL

BISHOP CHARLES M. FORD, HOST PASTOR

Pastor Michael A. Richardson, Aim Chairman

Bishop Ocie Booker, Prelate

VERON WILLIAMS

13th - Bro. Terran L. Thomas 14th - Sis. Christine J. Jones

24th - Darius Hardy

ANNIVERSARIES

10th - Bro. Rodger & Msny. Crystal Willis

11th - Deacon Meldemetrius & Msny. Alayna Johnson

25th - Bro. Terran & Sis. Marilyn Thomas

Wedding Announcement

Cynthia Diane Benson & Anthony Redditt

Will be United in Marriage

Saturday, June 22nd – 12:30 PM

@ Apostolic Church of God

6320 South Dorchester Ave. – Chicago IL

J U N E 2 0 1 3 C A L E N D A R

P a g e 8 J u n e — W O R S H I P

Sunday, June 2nd – 9:00 am

Emanuel’s 1st Sunday Prayer

Monday, June 3rd - 7:00 PM

STATE FELLOWSHIP MEETING @ Hallelujah Temple COGIC

1 Dogwood Street – Park Forest, IL

Admin. Asst. Astead Herndon, Pastor

Saturday, June 8th – 9:00 AM

FJI SUNDAY SCHOOL OLYMPICS

@ New Birth COGIC

1500 West 69th Street – Chicago, IL

Admin. Asst. Willard Payton, Host

Sunday, June 9th – 4:00 PM

NORTHSIDE COGIC ANNUAL WOMEN’S DAY

5414 West Rice Street – Chicago, IL

Supt. John Taylor, Pastor (We plan to fellowship with them)

Monday, June 10th – Thursday, June 13th

7:30 PM Nightly STATE AUXILIARIES IN MINISTRY CONFERENCE

@ St. Paul Church of God in Christ

4526 South Wabash Chicago, IL

Bishop Charles M. Ford, Host

Speakers: Monday (ME Night): Evangelist Angelique Fluker

Tuesday (US Night): Missionary Ethola Holifield

Wednesday (MY): Sis. Laurie Reed Thursday (Official Night): Admin. Asst. Willard Payton

Saturday, June 15th D. A. REED SR. DISTRICT MEETING

@ Ark of the Covenant Church of God in Christ

8057 W. Appleton Ave. – Milwaukee, WI

Pastor Isaac Bailey, Host

Sunday, June 16th

Thursday, June 20th – 7:00 PM

FIRST JURISDICTION ILLINOIS

LICENSING & ORDINATION SERVICE @ King of Glory Tabernacle COGIC

2314 East 83rd Street - Chicago, IL

Admin. Assist. Jeffrey Hodges, Host

Sunday, June 23rd – 4:00 PM ZION TEMPLE COGIC ANNUAL WOMEN’S DAY

1414 South Pulaski Road – Chicago, IL (We plan to fellowship with them)

Sunday, June 30th – 4:00 PM

Theme: “In Pursuit of Excellence: 99 & A 1/2 Won’t Do”

EMANUEL’S ANNUAL YOUTH DAY

11:00 AM – Speaker: Sis. Viveca Williams 4:00 PM – Msny. Alanya Johnson, Youth President