CGN Celebrates 7th Anniversary
Last Wednesday, August 19th was Church of God Network’s 7 year anniversary!
When CGN launched in 2019, the idea behind it was simple: the Church of God is a spiritual family, and we should look for meaningful ways to strengthen connections among brethren and serve, support, and work alongside one another.
Seven years later, that remains at the heart of everything we do.
Our seventh year brought new partnerships, new ways to serve brethren, continued investment in individuals and projects throughout the Church, and plenty of opportunities to simply bring people together. As we look back with gratitude for what God has allowed us to do, here are just a few highlights from Year 7:
Creating a New Pathway for Brethren Facing Religious Discrimination
One of the most significant developments of our seventh year came just before our anniversary: CGN launched a new partnership with Gevura to help brethren navigate religious accommodation and discrimination involving the Sabbath, Holy Days, and other sincerely held religious beliefs.
For brethren facing these situations, one of the hardest questions can simply be: Where do I turn?
Through this partnership, brethren now have a place to start. CGN can connect them with people familiar with our beliefs and practices who can provide practical guidance, help with accommodation requests, explain available legal protections, and, when necessary, connect brethren with experienced legal assistance.
Itโs a resource we hope brethren never needโbut one that could make an enormous difference when they do.
Continuing to Invest in Brethren Around the World
Our grant programs continued to create opportunities for brethren to strengthen their lives, serve others, and build something sustainable.
Through our education and business grant funding areas, we supported brethren pursuing education and launching or expanding businesses in countries including Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Malawi.
This year we met brethren like Douglas Kachilima, whose maize project in Zimbabwe is helping create sustainable income; John Mensah, who launched an electrical supply and service business in Ghana; Monohor Roy, who is pursuing his education in Bangladesh with the goal of becoming a teacher; and Esi Bentumah Wobil, who is working to establish a beauty and fashion business in Ghana.
At the same time, our fellowship event grants continued supporting initiatives designed to strengthen fellowship and connection across the Churchโfrom the โIn Himโ Menโs Retreat to the Searchlight to Spotlight summer camp for young people in Georgia.
Responding When Brethren Needed Help
Our Within Your Gates program reached its fifth anniversary during Year 7 and continued helping the Church respond when needs arose.
Following Hurricane Melissa, CGN helped provide emergency resources to brethren in Jamaica whose homes and congregation facilities were damaged. When troubling reports emerged from Myanmar, we worked to stay connected with Church organizations, share information, and encourage prayer for brethren affected by conflict and displacement. Beyond these larger response efforts, Within Your Gates also quietly helped numerous COG individuals/families facing difficult circumstances throughout the yearโproviding assistance where needs arose and sharing information so others could help as well.
These efforts built upon the extraordinary cooperative response to the California wildfires earlier last year, through which more than $127,000 was raised with the involvement of multiple Church of God organizations to help brethren recover.
Each situation has reinforced something we have believed from the beginning: when needs cross organizational boundaries, there is tremendous value in having relationships and infrastructure already in place so we can respond together.
Helping Brethren Findโand Find One Another
Sometimes building community is as simple as making it easier to know who and what is out there.
During our seventh year, we continued expanding and improving the tools designed to do exactly that.
Our Congregation Map grew with the addition of more congregations across Europe, further strengthening a resource that now includes almost 1,500 congregations worldwide. We also continued adding organizations, ministries, resources, and other listings to COG Search, helping brethren discover resources from throughout the Church of God community.
Our network of CGN Local Contacts also continued to grow, adding new contacts in places like Vancouver Island and Hot Springs, Arkansasโbrethren willing to help others connect, find fellowship, and identify opportunities to serve in their local areas.
Finding New Ways to Connect Through Media
Our media efforts expanded in some funโand hopefully meaningfulโways this year too!
After launching Clean Meets right as Year 7 began, the series grew into conversations about everything from favorite spiritual songs and hymns to Bible stories that should be movies, Church merch, and what makes a great Feast site.
We also launched Think Responsibly, a podcast series focused on how we thinkโexploring subjects like assumptions, expertise, echo chambers, and navigating difficult conversations.
Meanwhile, the regular CGN Podcast continued bringing together voices and perspectives from across the Church, including conversations about leadership, music, religious discrimination, and Bible study resources.
Different formats. Different subjects. But the same underlying goal: creating spaces where brethren can learn from one another, think together, laugh together, and feel more connected to the larger Church of God family.
Showing Up and Building Relationships
Not everything meaningful CGN does happens through a program or website.
Sometimes it means simply showing up.
Throughout the year, CGN team members traveled to fellowship with brethren, build relationships, and learn from different parts of the Churchโincluding visits with brethren in the Carolinas and participation in the annual All COG Picnic in California.
The California gathering was a particularly encouraging example of what CGN exists to support: brethren from across organizational lines intentionally building friendships and enjoying fellowship together as one spiritual family.
Seven Years Inโand Still Building
As we prepared to enter our eighth year, members of the CGN team and several guests from around the country gathered for a special 2026 CGN Strategy Meeting.
We spent the afternoon looking at the Church of God landscape, revisiting why CGN exists, reflecting on what seven years have taught us, and asking how we can serve the Church even more effectively in the years ahead.
And after seven years, we keep coming back to the same basic idea:
The Church of God is a family.
We may attend different congregations and organizations. We may live in different states, countries, and continents. We will not always agree on everything.
But there is still so much good we can do when we know one another, build relationships, share resources, serve one another, and look for opportunities to work together without compromising Biblical truth or organizational autonomy.
Every grant awarded, congregation added to the map, brother or sister helped during a crisis, new connection made, resource shared, organization supported, and friendship formed is another small step toward that goal.
We are incredibly grateful to every volunteer, Church leader, organization, Local Contact, partner, donor, podcast guest, grantee, and brother and sister who has supported, encouraged, challenged, or worked alongside CGN during these first seven years.
Most importantly, we are thankful to God for allowing us the opportunity to serve His people.
Happy 7th Anniversary, CGN! Hereโs to Year 8โand to continuing to connect, serve, and collaborate as one Family of God.
โBehold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!โ โ Psalm 133:1
