December 3, 2015

Dear Church of God by Faith Family:

It brings me great joy to reach out to you with this special greeting of love and appreciation. I trust that your
Thanksgiving Holiday was a time of feasting and joyful reflection upon Gods graciousness.
So much has happened over this past year and I want to take the opportunity to reflect on the many
milestones that have shaped our journey thus far.
First, I would like to thank every ByFaith member for their love, prayers, well wishes, and encouragement
expressed towards me, my wife, Lady Delois and the Executive Council since I was appointed as your Bishop.
Your commitment and support has made such a difference during this transition process.
I would like to highlight a series of updates and important initiatives that have been the focus of the past 11
months.
I truly appreciate everyone who made our 100th year celebration truly remarkable. At the center of the
celebrations were so many local and district assemblies that came together to show pride and pay homage
to our rich and colorful history. The story of our heritage was proudly delivered to connect generations past
with the present and to guard our precious memories for those to come.
Every photo and artifact; every eye-witness account and every miracle and memory served our legacy well.
Thank you ByFaith for rising to the occasion to make our year-long centennial tribute a defining moment.
Although chronicling our 100-year history was a commendable collective effort, please join me in thanking
Deacon John McKnight for capturing the COGBFs living history in the book, One Brick at a Time.
Additionally, I cant say enough about our two 2014 Centennial Conventions in Columbia, S.C. and Atlanta.
Both were truly memorable and momentous. The Columbia convention was special in that it very elegantly
connected our hearts to our rich heritage and served as an harbinger for our Atlanta Centennial Celebration.
And, while the Columbia Gala raised our excitement for celebrating our past, it also raised the bar for the
grand event in Atlanta. By the time we reached Atlanta, there was a Day of Pentecost-like fervor in the
air.

All four days of programming were extraordinary; from the opening flag processional to the historic
founding fathers backdrop. The massive crowds of current and former ByFaith members enjoyed the
anointed preached Word and the awesome showcase of Second Century By Faith, and the challenging
appeal of Vision 20/20.
Speaking of Vision 20/20, I would like to refresh your memory on its five components:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Ocala Temple Renovation (Elder Jesse Covington, Director)

COGBF Financial Solutions (Sister Kimberly Smith, Director)
Church Planting (Elder Wayne Mack, Director)
COGBF Technology 2.0 (Elder Jonathan Lonon, Director)
Prayer and Outreach (Sister Leticia Smith-Hardy, Director)

Each of these vision initiatives are in full force and are led by Vision 20/20 Administrator, Minister Katrinia
McFadden. These teams are hard at work and I encourage you to join them if you have expertise,
professional training, or a passion to work in any of these Vision areas.
Many of you are aware of several new national auxiliaries and their appointed of leaders. What follows are
the newly appointed officials and Im counting on your prayerful, encouraging support for these leaders in
their new roles:

Executive Council Member/Ruling Elder - Elder James Williams, Jr.

National Convention Coordinator - Elder Andre McBride
Adjutant General - Elder Cedric Matthews
New District Superintendents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Elder Charlie C. Smith - Central Georgia

Elder Willie McKnight - Gainesville
Elder Jimmie McDuffie - Miami
Elder James Bivins - Northeast, New York
Elder Phillip Thomas - Palatka
Elder Larry Coffee - South Georgia

Another development I am really proud of is the re-release of the Governing Instruments Manual (GI) and
the newly created Performance Standards for the COGBF. I believe these documents will strengthen our
organization in many critical ways. These policies can help us more effectively operate our churches
administratively, financially, legally, ministerially, developmentally, and otherwise. I also realize how
challenging this assignment has been for many churches; especially in meeting the requirements outlined in
the Standards Checklist.
With that in mind, I would like to encourage you to give careful attention to all Performance Standard Tips
being released from the National Office and make plans to attend the 2016 Ministry Impact Conference in
Jacksonville, Florida next July. Both of these efforts are aimed at providing resources that will push us
toward a successful end.

I am delighted to announce that the Executive Council has agreed to extend the start date for individual
church evaluations to July 31, 2016. Although we are extending this preparation time, we remain resolute in
insisting that every church that bears the name Church of God by Faith must comply with our performance
standards. I fully expect every pastor, deacon, and leader in our church to align with the guidelines, and
policies outlined in the Governing Instruments Manual and the Performance Standards as soon as possible. I
am deeply appreciative to every leader that has already begun their assessment and implementation process
and trust that each church has a plan in place.
Camp Meeting 2015 in Augusta was a tremendous success in so many ways. A larger than average summer
crowd gathered in a new city, at a new venue beside the river, where we worshipped, strategized, and fellowshipped in a casual atmosphere. We are still hearing positive reverberations from our congregants, as well as
raving reviews from the city of Augusta and the Marriott Convention Center. We have contracted to return
to Augusta for Camp Meeting in summer of 2017, and have every intention of planting a church there before
our return.
We are just a few days away from our 95th General Assembly and I hope that we are all approaching it
prayerfully and with great anticipation. I am scheduled to be officially installed as your presider in the
opening service, which is only the beginning of what promises to be a memorable assembly. This assembly is
to include a special Friday morning meeting for all leaders both male and female. We also have scheduled
special guest speakers, artists, 2nd Century ByFaith programming as well as the unveiling of a new entity of
our church. I trust that all can and will be present. For those who cannot, I am pleased to inform you that
the noon and evening services are to be live-streamed privately or within watch-parties.
Again, I want to conclude by expressing how grateful I am for all of your prayers and support for my family
and me. I am honored to serve you and this great church and I want to hear your ideas and respond to your
concerns. I realize that we have a lot of work ahead of us and understand it will take time. Still, I am confident
that with Gods help and your commitment, we will get the job done.
Thank You to our Executive Council, superintendents, pastors, leaders, volunteers, and every member and
friend for your prayers and service. Your faithful support enables us to continue the work and the progress
being made in the Church of God by Faith.
For His Service,

James E. McKnight, Jr., Presiding Bishop

Church of God by Faith, Inc.