You Don’t Need to Feel Alone
The Church of God Network (CGN) gains inspiration from Ephesians 4:1-6. In fact, we see it as our de facto motto:
Ephesians 4:1-6 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
By our rough (VERY rough) estimation, there are somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 individuals in the various Church of God organizations scattered across the globe. Yet, in recent years, many have felt isolated from the greater body of Christ. In our experience, this is usually caused by three factors: 1) the sheer number of Church of God organizations; 2) a general lack of awareness as to what is occurring in other groups; and 3) negative personal experiences that have made many jaded.
At CGN, we hope to mitigate the effects of those three drivers of isolation by showing you that you do not need to feel alone. You can use our congregation map to find out who is in your state or locality. Even if you don’t plan on visiting another group anytime soon, seeing how many of God’s people surround you will bring you comfort!
Use our COG Resource Center to find out what your brethren in other groups have been working on. So many have dedicated their time and lives to serve God’s people. Whether you’re looking for Bible study resources, avenues for in-person connection, or sermons to listen to or watch on the Sabbath, there is something for everyone!
Our Forums allow CGN visitors to communicate one-on-one. While this is no substitute for in-person interaction, there is power in online communities; whether it be in the form of support groups, sharing prayer requests, or even just discussing everyday things like music or sports. This is also a great place to share resources and information about things like homeschooling or coordinate social outings!
It is also important we are cognizant of brethren who are less fortunate than we are. That is why CGN has an Education & Business Development Grant program. This program is designed to help brethren in developing countries start successful, profitable and sustainable businesses, or obtain training or education for jobs that will provide a reliable source of income. These grants will help pay for the training or education, or the start-up costs associated with a new business (inventory, equipment, fees, etc.).
Many of us also want to help support our brethren in their current business ventures. The COG Marketplace page helps you do just that. COG Marketplace is a continuously updated list of Church member owned businesses. Check it out to see what services people offer!
Our Blog section will be where we post periodic pieces on a wide range of unique topics. We will have posts from CGN board members, as well as other contributors who have a particular expertise or unique experience in a given area or field. If you have topics that are of particular interest to you, please reach out and let us know!
Lastly, our two search functions on our website make navigating Churchofgodnetwork.org easy. While our “Site Search” just searches the content on our website, our “Resource Search” function searches every website listed within our resources section. If you’re interested in learning more about Pentecost or the Days of Unleavened Bread, just type it into the “Resource Search” and you’ll see results from hundreds of different sites within the Church of God community.
About the Author
Daniel Russo
Daniel Russo is a lifelong New Yorker and currently resides in Albany, New York. He currently works as the Manager of Business Operations at Parent to Parent of NYS. He previously worked at the Empire