OUTSTANDING Christian leaders of the New Testament Church of God (NTCOG) were honoured as part of a series of activities held to celebrate its Diamond Anniversary.
On Saturday, God’s Battalion NTCOG was presented with the top award during a prestigious award ceremony at the Ramada Princess Hotel in Georgetown.
Bishop Clemsford Craig received the award in recognition of the church’s outstanding numerical growth in 2016. It was presented by Dr David Griffis – the sitting World Mission Director. This is the first time in history that a sitting World Mission Director has visited Guyana.
The award for the Highest Financial Contribution to the National Office was presented to Harvestime NTCOG. Mellissa Hinds received the award on behalf of the Pastor and Administrative Bishop, Joseph Persaud.
The third top award was presented to De Hoop NTCOG for its Highest Financial Contribution towards Mission. That award was received by Bishop Balgobin Mohabir. Other awards were presented to churches for consistent reporting, the highest number of baptisms and unwavering support to hinterland missions.
On Sunday, the curtains came down on the five days of celebration with words from Dr Griffis. The World Mission Director has identified Georgetown, Guyana, to be one of the 10 Cities of Lights.
The FINISH Project – Focus, Invade, Navigate, Intercede, Send and Heal — is a training mission dubbed by the World Mission Director as the City of Lights.
“It’s amazing, because of all the exciting things that are happening in Guyana and the prophecies that have been made over Guyana. He has chosen Georgetown above many, many hundreds of cities,” Bishop Joseph Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle.

FREE OF RACISM
With the project on stream, Bishop Persaud is trusting God for a truly united Guyana, free of racism.
“My prayer is that with the help of God and with the help of the church that we will bridge that racial gap and bring people together.”
Meanwhile, the celebration, which commenced last Wednesday, was one filled with dynamic preaching, worship and praise with thousands of Guyanese in attendance at the National Cultural Centre.

Bishop Persaud said while New Testament Church of God has celebrated 60 years of existence in Guyana, it was birthed out of a revival which had taken place in the southern part of the United States of America more than 120 years ago.
The revival had led to the birth of the Church of God – a Pentecostal Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, which was founded by Elder Richard Spurling and a group of eight Baptist believers.
“Pentecostals are those who are serving God, believe in the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, believe that God still works miracles. Pentecostals are known by their vibrant worship, vibrant Pentecostal worship which includes an exuberant display of joy, music, singing, and dynamic preaching,” Bishop Persaud explained.
The revival had spread to the Caribbean. According to the administrative bishop, after launching missionaries in The Bahamas and Jamaica, an attempt was made to plant a church in Guyana in 1942, but it was unsuccessful.
However, in 1956, the Church of God was named New Testament in Trinidad and Tobago. It was in that same year that the first New Testament Church of God was established in Guyana. By 1957, the Pentecostal Church was fully structured.

HINTERLAND PRESENCE
Today, the New Testament Church of God, which is an offspring of the Church of God – the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world with over seven million members in 183 countries — has 65 local churches here in Guyana, 26 of which are in the hinterland.
“We have a big presence in the hinterland region, especially in the North West, Orealla to the east and all across the Pomeroon into the Moruca River, all the way into Mabaruma. Yarakita is probably our furthest [sic] reach to date. Yarakita is about 26 miles from the Venezuela border,” the administrative bishop explained. Additionally, it has a membership base across the country of more than 5,000 persons.
To mark its rich history and tremendous success in spreading the word of God, the Diamond celebration was observed in grand style with powerful messages from the field director of the Caribbean, Bishop Ishamael Charles and other Christian leaders.
In addition to the convention, a medical team will today wrap up a medical outreach at the St Cuthbert’s Mission. The team also visited residents on the West Bank of Demerara at the Harvest Time Church at Pourdroyen and at the Livingstone New Testament Church of God at South Ruimveldt Gardens.