January 2026 Member Letter

January 8, 2026

Dear Brethren,

On Sabbath morning, Jan. 3, it was shocking to awaken to the news of a military operation conducted by the United States in Venezuela. And even more shocking was the arrest of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, although the legitimacy of his presidency has been questioned by most nations for years. What a beginning to the year 2026! This is still an unfolding story, but it certainly sets an uncertain stage for the year ahead of us. What the result will be remains to be seen. Certainly, there will be more confusion, animosity and division among the nations of the world. Some praised President Trump for his bold action, while many denounced him and the U.S. for this operation. This is truly a time of “wars and rumors of war” (Matthew 24:6) and a time of great stress (2 Timothy 3:1). Our responsibility as Christians should be to pay attention and watch world events, but not be distracted by them (Luke 21:36). 

We are called Christians, which by definition means “followers of Christ.” As such, we must keep our eye on our calling and the work that has been set before us. It is dismaying to see the state of affairs throughout the world. Where is the integrity and the concern for others? We have truly entered a time of heightened selfishness—doing for ourselves without thinking of others. This seems to be the overwhelming attitude of our world leaders today.

Concerning our work, as an organization we operate our fiscal year concurrently with the calendar year. So, we concluded our past fiscal year on Dec. 31, 2025. This was only one week after the 15th anniversary of the official beginning of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc. as an organization. We were incorporated in Florida on Dec. 23, 2010. We began with a post office box and a bank account in the Orlando area. Since that date we have seen substantial increases in our capacity to preach the gospel to the world and care for the brethren in more than 40 countries. When we began in 2010, we had no employees and no office. Today, we have a headquarters office in McKinney, Texas, and we are building a learning center to accommodate our ever-expanding education programs, with a focus on Foundation Institute. The new building will also serve as the home for the local Dallas congregation.

From our headquarters in McKinney, we serve 104 congregations in the U.S. and 166 outside the U.S. for a total of 270 congregations. Each has an assigned pastor. This past year we added new congregations in Uganda and Australia. Each year since our beginning we have seen increases in our finances—small but consistent growth. We have also seen the opening of new doors for preaching the gospel. So, what will this new fiscal year bring for the Church?

For 15 years, we have seen peace and productivity in the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, and we pray that this will continue. But we must never take it for granted. We must continue to work to promote this atmosphere in the Church throughout the world. One of the key elements for maintaining peace and productivity is the concept of service, which is the very opposite of selfishness. Whenever we focus on serving others instead of ourselves, good fruit is produced. Just last week we celebrated the retirements of two full-time ministers who had dedicated their adult lives to serving the brethren—one in western Michigan and one in Zimbabwe.

On the Sabbath of Jan. 3, Chris Moen and his wife, Angela, retired from the full-time ministry. And in Zimbabwe, Harris Hlazo and his wife, Patricia, also retired from the full-time ministry. Mr. Moen was the associate pastor (working with the pastor, Mike Hanisko) serving the brethren in western Michigan. Mr. Hlazo was the assistant pastor (working with the pastor, Neville Smith) serving the brethren in the Harare, Zimbabwe, region.

Dave Myers and his wife, Pam, and my wife, Sharron, and I traveled to Michigan to honor Mr. and Mrs. Moen for their lifetime of service to the brethren in various congregations in the United States. Mr. Moen was hired into the full-time ministry in 2002, 23 years ago. Tim Waddle and Mr. Smith traveled from South Africa to be present for Mr. Hlazo’s retirement also on the Sabbath of January 3. Mr. Hlazo has been serving COGWA congregations in Zimbabwe since we began in 2010. His health has been failing in recent years, ultimately forcing him to make the decision to retire.

In my sermon in western Michigan, I focused on the concept of service and how it is the cornerstone for growth and peace in the Church. If we are distracted by the shocking events that take place daily in our world, then we can fail to focus on what is really important. Prophecy will be fulfilled based on God’s will, with or without our worries and concerns. He also promises protection for His children. These are promises that we have been given in God’s Word. But if we fail to focus on what is really important, then shame on us. We have been given one life to live and are called on to overcome sin, to serve others and to develop righteous character as defined in God’s Word. We must not be distracted from that future.

As for the Church, we are facing some real challenges this year, with eight full-time ministers retiring (six in the U.S. and two outside the U.S.). The challenge will be replacing these individuals. But I am happy to report that Ministerial Services has developed a plan over the past year to make sure that every congregation will have an assigned pastor. This has required the hiring of several men, younger men, I might add. Replacing pastors who represent hundreds of years of combined service is very difficult, but with God’s mercy and blessing, we plan to make sure that all our congregations have pastors. We believe it is impossible to put a value on what these men and their wives have contributed to the Church. But we are excited about the future pastors who are coming along. To fulfill the role of pastor, we look for men who have a good understanding of the truth, including a love for the truth and a love for the brethren. And we look for those who have a true heart of service.

Let me conclude this letter by quoting Hebrews 6:10, which I quoted in my sermon on the Sabbath in western Michigan. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” This is an important principle. God promises not to forget our works of service.

Brethren, let’s not get distracted from our calling by the events unfolding in the world around us, but let us keep our focus on our need to grow spiritually by serving each other and on our need to preach the gospel in all the world. This is the true answer to the chaos we see unfolding in the world around us. This is where our focus must be as we look ahead to another year.

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Jim Franks