NACOG’s 110th Camp Meeting concluded Sunday morning with worship, Scripture, prayer, remembrance, preaching, communion, and a strong reminder that God’s people are identified by love.
The Sunday morning service included worship and congregational praise, Scripture read by Minister Angela Reed James from First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, and invocation by Pastor Kevin Early of Community Church of God in Atlanta, Georgia. Pastor Jimmy O’Terry, newly installed pastor of Springdale Community Church in Maryland, also helped lead the service and introduced part of the morning.
The message was brought by Bishop Timothy Joseph Clark, senior pastor of First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Before preaching, Bishop Clark shared gratitude for God’s mercy, the prayers of the saints, and the love of his family after a difficult season of illness.
His sermon focused on John 15:9:
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.”
The theme given for the closing message was “Chosen for Identification.” After a week centered on “A Chosen Generation,” this final word brought the focus to what should identify followers of Christ: love.
Bishop Clark reminded listeners that Christians are not identified first by gifts, titles, church attendance, or outward performance. According to Jesus, His disciples are known by their love for one another.
The message walked through three movements of that love.
First, God’s love is initiated. We do not create it, earn it, or discover it on our own. God loved first. Before we chose Him, He chose us. That truth should humble us and keep us from acting as if faith begins with our own strength.
Second, God’s love is imitated. Jesus shows us the Father’s love, and His people are called to reflect that love in how we live. This includes loving people who are difficult, different, frustrating, or hard to understand. Christian love cannot only be reserved for people we already like or agree with.
Third, God’s love is intimate. Jesus tells His followers to abide in His love. Bishop Clark described this not as a temporary visit, but as a place to live. Wherever we return after Camp Meeting—our homes, churches, communities, and responsibilities—we are called to live in the love of God.
The service also included moments of remembrance for loved ones lost over the past year, encouragement to support the ongoing work of NACOG, and communion led near the close of the gathering. In communion, the church was reminded of unity, forgiveness, sacrifice, and the love of Christ shared among God’s people.
As the 110th Camp Meeting came to a close, this message gave a fitting final reminder. The church is chosen, but that identity is not meant to remain only in words. It should be seen in love.
Watch the Sunday morning service and reflect on this question:
If people looked at my life, would they be able to identify Christ’s love in how I treat others?
May we not only speak about being a chosen generation. May we live in the love of God and carry that love into our homes, churches, and communities.
Helpful Links
- NACOG Homepage
- NACOG 110th Camp Meeting Event Page
- NACOG Facebook Page
- NACOG Classic Sermons
- NACOG TV YouTube Channel
