Our history
The Church of God of Prophecy has always recognized the importance of communication in fulfilling the Great Commission. From its early days, the church utilized print publications and personal testimonies to spread the gospel. Over the decades, as technology evolved, so did our methods—expanding into radio, television, digital media, and multilingual publishing.
Samson’s foxes
A.J. Tomlinson published Samson’s Foxes to connect with those interested in his ministry work in Appalachia. The first printing was January 1, 1901. It was produced on an 11 x 16-inch sheet, both sides, and folded to make either a four-page or eight-page document. Samson’s Foxes was supported by 10-cent subscriptions. The January 26, 1902, issue listed 620 subscriptions. The paper was discontinued in late November 1902 when Tomlinson relocated to Elwood, Indiana, with his family. Scan this QR code to view the first edition of the paper in English.
1901
The way
In 1904, A.J. Tomlinson was chosen to pastor three congregations—Camp Creek, North Carolina, Union Grove, and Luskville, Tennessee. As pastoral and evangelistic responsibilities increased, he sensed the need for a publication to keep people informed on the progress of the Church. Volume One, Issue One of The Way was released with a published date of January 1904. The motto of the paper read, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE—JESUS.”
The sheet size of the publication was 11 x 16 inches, printed on both sides from handset ten-point type, and folded into four pages. The papers included sermons, messages, testimonies, and announcements. It was supported by subscriptions of 10 cents per year. The editors were A.J. Tomlinson and M.S. Lemons. There is no record of the final print date for The Way. Scan this QR code to view the first edition of the paper in English.
1904
White Wing Messenger
At a special council meeting called by A. J. Tomlinson held August 8–10, 1923, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a number of decisions were taken, including a new publication, The White Wing Messenger. Lillie Duggar’s biography of Tomlinson reports, “One other important matter was discussed and decided upon by this council and that was that A. J. Tomlinson, as editor, negotiate means to start a paper. The name decided upon was The White Wing Messenger.”
Here, the staff of the Church’s World Headquarters located on Central Avenue in Cleveland, Tennessee, prepare issues of the beloved magazine for thousands of subscribers. For more than 100 hundred years, The White Wing Messenger has been produced, translated, and printed from time to time in Spanish, French, Telugu (India), Indonesian, Zulu, Afrikaans, and Greek, as well as other languages. Now in a digital format, more than 10,000 readers access the magazine monthly. Scan this QR code to view the first edition of the magazine in English.
1923
All nations flag
On September 16, 1933, the 28th General Assembly adopted the Church of God flag as its official ensign. In his address to the Assembly that year, General Overseer A.J. Tomlinson explained the design of the flag at great length, providing scriptural support for each element. He said, “All of these verses together tell the story of the flag and tell how this last days’ movement is going to draw the people of all nations. The red of the flag represents the blood of our Savior, the blue represents truth, and white, purity. The purple of the scepter, the star and crown, represents royalty or kingship. We are to go through any oppositions and set up our flag of victory on the territory we take for our King.”
Following the acceptance of the flag, the minutes record “great rejoicing and demonstrations of the Spirit.” The flag is now known as the “All Nations Flag” and is not intended to do any injustice to the national flag of the nations where it is flown and is never meant to take its place. Scan this QR code for a rare recording of the Church of God Flag song.
1933
First assembly parade
On Saturday, September 15, 1934, the first annual parade of the Assembly was held as part of the 29th General Assembly conducted in Cleveland, Tennessee. The parade was one mile in length and took more than an hour to process where it concluded with an open-air program. More than 2,000 people participated, marching or riding on floats and in cars. They carried banners, U.S. flags, Church flags, and posters. Many played musical instruments and sang. The parade was part of an intentional outreach to the host city. In addition to the parade, personal greetings were brought from local and state dignitaries throughout the Assembly
1934
Joyful news
Joyful News, a 16-page monthly magazine featuring both fictional stories and articles by the auxiliaries of the Church, began with the February 1935 issue. At an annual subscription rate of $1.00/year, the magazine soon had a circulation of 12,000 homes monthly, by December of that year. The original intended audience was the youth of the church, known as the Victory Leaders Band. However, given the attractive nature of the magazine, it soon appealed to a second audience, those serving in the Armed Forces. Following the end of World War II, subscriptions dwindled.
At General Overseer M.A. Tomlinson’s pressing, the magazine was relaunched as JOYFUL NEWS BROADCAST in 1948. The two-color magazine was the same format as the previous but enlarged to 28 pages. It was the largest publication produced by the Church, to that point. Salesmen from the Church were employed to sell the magazine, which would become one of the largest print circulations of any Church publication to date
1935
White angel fleet
The “Wings of Prophecy” or “White Angel Fleet” was an aviation ministry of the Church for several decades. Following the 44th General Assembly, there was great interest in utilizing airplanes to advance the work of the Church and a growing desire by many to purchase light aircraft for the fleet. Guy F. Klapp donated the first plane, a Cessna 190, to the Church. It was later called, “The Voice of Fields of the Wood.”
Though the plane was wrecked in 1949, that never deterred the goal to have a fleet of planes for the Church’s work. By 1953, the White Angel Fleet hosted a tour that included more than 50 planes and 50 pilots. In a short amount of time, the White Angel Fleet grew to over 100 licensed pilots and 88 planes. These planes would fly to various locations and events to offer evangelistic programs, as well as drop religious literature throughout various communities. Scan this QR code to watch a short film about this ministry called, “The Wings of Prophecy.”
1949
The visual department
Following the 44th General Assembly, held in 1949, several new initiatives were developed by our growing movement. Under the director of K.W. Bancroft, the Visual Department went into operation in December of that year. Soon, Church periodicals listed several films available to local churches and ministries. At the following Assembly, the Visual Department reported having produced 18 silent films and 35 sound films in its first year. The ministry had hosted 840 showings with a total attendance of 91,888. In time, this ministry would grow to include Scepter Films, a production company dedicated to documenting important church events, creating promotional reels, and producing dramatic shorts.
1949
Broadcast record club
Foreseeing the potential of a world-wide radio evangelistic effort, Pastor G.A. Wilson and radio technician Tom Duncan, both living in Michigan, made tapes of the 46th General Assembly (1951) and offered them for sale. They counseled General Overseer M.A. Tomlinson about international radio possibilities and a plan was developed to originate a record club whose sales would finance the radio program. Since the Church had many musicians, singers, and radio artists, this could be accomplished through our own facilities.
The first album was released in May 1952. The initial supply of 1,200 albums sold out quickly. The international radio program was well on its way to success. By late 1953, sixteen 30-minute radio programs were recorded under a new ministry called, “The Voice of Salvation.”
1951
Scepter films
In September 1962, the Church Prophecy Marker Association changed the name of the Visual Department to “Scepter Films.” The move permitted the sale of merchandise and circulation of their various creations, including the 60 different films available from the studio at that time. The production company also offered services to other ministries to produce their films, including everything from script development to art production to editing. Scepter Films’ motion pictures were translated into Spanish, Telegu, and Greek, with donations making it possible to expand into additional languages. The goal of Scepter Films was the same as its assignment in the beginning, “To help promote the work of the Church of God.”
1962
La voz de salvación
In 1968, Bishop Jose Reyes was appointed to serve as director of the Spanish-speaking communications ministry, the La Voz de Salvación (Spanish Voice of Salvation). According to the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), at the height of the Spanish Voice of Salvation’s reach, it was being broadcasted on more than 4,000 television and radio stations, reaching as many as 50 million listeners.
1968
Communications center
To facilitate the growing communications opportunities of the Church, a Communications Center was constructed in 1971 next to the International Offices’ complex. The Center housed the English and Spanish communication ministries of the Church, along with Broadcast Distributors, an equipment sales entity holding dealerships with 80 broadcast equipment manufacturers.
1971
Voice of salvation studio
On April 6, 1971, a new and exciting era began for the Church’s radio and recording activities. The Voice of Salvation broadcast produced the very first sounds to be recorded in the newly completed studio complex at the Communications Center. The recording chamber, which is still in use, is 46.5 feet in length, 36 feet wide, and 15 feet from floor to ceiling. It was constructed to accommodate a 100-voice choir. The studio also housed two control rooms and the latest technology. The Voice of Salvation Choir is seen here during their first practice and recording session in the Keith Street Studio. A 24-track console was housed in the control room allowing for the production of custom records to be sold by the Broadcast Record Club. The studio is still in use, primarily for video recording projects, and the former Communication Center has been renamed the “Majestic Building” to pay homage to the Church’s recording label, “Majestic Records.” Scan this QR code to hear the choir.
1971
Assembly tabernacle constructed
The final, permanent home for the General Assembly, called the Assembly Tabernacle, was dedicated in September 1972. Delegates from around the world filled these 10,000 seats to participate in the week-long activity each year. The circular seating and bowl-type floor elevation enhanced one’s view of the center stage. This building was constructed with more than 4,000 square feet dedicated to production, media, and technology. It was also enhanced with electronic equipment for multi-language translation and video production. In time, the Assembly would be first broadcast live to the world from this structure, as well as a number of the Church’s television programs were filmed here.
1972
Assembly broadcast live via satellite
The 81st General Assembly, held in Cleveland, Tennessee, was a historic Assembly filled with communication firsts. For the first time, the Assembly was televised LIVE via satellite to all of North America, as well as portions of South America and the Caribbean. A total of 12 hours was transmitted from the Assembly Tabernacle in Cleveland, Tennessee. Additionally, four hours of programming were transmitted daily to an international radio audience in 50 countries, including the continent of Africa, the former Soviet Union, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
1986
Official opening of the vos building
On April 30, 1987, the Communications Building was officially reopened as the “Voice of Salvation Building,” following an extensive remodel which more than doubled the original space. These offices were occupied by the Communications Business Manager, Spanish Communications, English Communications, and the Music Ministry. Adjacent to the structure is a two-story soundstage, still one of the largest in the area, which was considered “state-of-the-art” for its time.
1987
First stream of general assembly
The 91st General Assembly of the Church of God of Prophecy, held in Forth Worth, Texas, was the first to be streamed online July 10-16, 2000. Services were streamed at a total speed of 3 mg, in only one language, English. Streams were available to a maximum of 36 people at any given time.
International Assemblies are now streamed live to thousands of congregations and individuals in English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Portuguese. These sessions also include a high-quality pre-show and are streamed in high definition
2000
Division of global communications
At the 102nd International Assembly, Presiding Bishop Tim Coalter announced the creation of a third entity to International Offices operations, the division of Global Communications. The addition of the new division, the first major restructuring of the International Offices since 1996, brought the editorial, art, information technology, translation, web, and media services of the offices together under one leadership umbrella.
“The decades ahead promise to be some of the most exciting in the history of the world,” concluded Bishop Coalter. “Our vision for this unique day should be filled with anticipation for the future. The work of the International Offices’ Global Communications department will help us become fluent in the languages of today and tomorrow so that every man, woman, boy, and girl will hear in their own language the wonderful works of God.”
2024