The Church of God of Prophecy is bringing the International Assembly back home to Tennessee. The 100th International Assembly will be held July 18-22 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
“We’re coming home,” said Bishop Sam N. Clements, general overseer, to the Assembly crowd gathered in Orlando, Fl. “We will celebrate a homecoming. We’re bringing it back as close to Cleveland as we can get.”
For most of its history, the Church of God of Prophecy held its annual International Assembly in Cleveland, where they would draw record crowds of up to 20,000 at various times throughout the week-long event.
The Church housed the event in two of its own tabernacles on Central Avenue and Keith Street, and sometimes in Chattanooga. After holding the event at the primary location in Cleveland from 1972-1991, the decision was made to move the Assembly to other cities and it has since been held in Louisville, Ky, Fort Worth, Tx., Greensboro, NC and Orlando, Fl.
During the 2018 “homecoming,” Bishop Clements said he hopes people will be able to reconnect with the Church’s International Offices and historical sites, such as Fields of the Wood and the First Assembly House near Murphy, NC.
“You will be able to visit the International Offices,” he said. “We may even have a pre-Assembly service at Fields of the Wood. Some of you have never had the opportunity of being there.”
Pre-Assembly meetings, which include the International Presbytery meeting of overseers from around the world, will be held in the church’s new Ministry Training Center at the International Offices.
According to initial reports, the 99th Assembly, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, was one of the highest attended Assemblies since leaving Tennessee. The week attracted an estimated attendance of 10,000 and included worship services, business meetings and events specifically for missions, children and youth.