Kindred Spirit Ministries

Pray for Margaret

2008-11-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

I wanted to send a request to all of you asking you to please pray for Sister Margaret. She had knee surgery to repair cartilage last Wednesday (November 19). This was outpatient surgery and everything appeared to go well. There were some complications following her return home however. She is on oxygen at present and will be for the next couple of weeks. But we know that the Lord can heal her completely and his Life-Giving Spirit can breathe new life into her! Please pray and spread the word. There is power in prayer!!

Thanks and be blessed,
Kim Alexander
KSM Board Member

Homegoing for Rev. Glenda McGuire

2008-11-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

To all the friends of Our Sister Glenda, she has fought her last battle and won the victory over death. God called her home early this morning with a peaceful transition from this earth to be at peace with Jesus. The visitation and funeral will be at the W. Asheville COG Monday evening at 6:00 pm. Please pray for her two sons , daughter-in-law and her grandchildren. We will all miss her but she will wait for all of us.

Love,
Margaret

Obituary:

Glenda G. Mcguire
Asheville - Glenda Griffin McGuire, 66, of 25 Frisbee Rd., Asheville, went to be with the Lord Saturday, November 15, 2008, at the John F. Keever Jr., Hospice Solace Center.

Mrs. McGuire was born in Lockhart, S.C. and was a daughter of the late Jesse and Grace Jolly Griffin. She was a graduate of Lockhart High School, Cecil's Business College, and Lee University. She had been a resident of Norwood for ten years and she worked as a secretary/bookkeeper for 24 years. In Asheville, she was a school bus driver and she worked for Fr. C. Morris Boyd at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church for five years.

Mrs. McGuire was a member and Sunday school teacher at the West Asheville Church of God.

Her family includes her sons, Billy Eugene McGuire and Joey Lane McGuire and his sweet wife, Sheri, all of Candler; two grandsons, Jesse and Cooper McGuire; and one brother, Donnie Griffin and his wife, Linda, whom Glenda described as her precious sister-in-law, of Duncan, S.C.

The funeral will be at 7 p.m. Monday at West Asheville Church of God, with the Revs. Roger Lunsford and Amanda Wilson officiating. Interment will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Pisgah View Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Keith, James and Jeff Hutchison, Jimmy Register and Scott and Chris Griffin.

The family will receive friends Monday evening at the church from 6 to 7 p.m.

Memorials may be made to the Family Life Center Building Fund of West Asheville Church of God, 60 State Street, Asheville, NC 28806.

Kindred Spirits -- The Next Generation

2008-11-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

On October 26, my oldest grandson, John Marc Whichard, preached his first sermon in Frederick, MD at the Maranatha Community COG. Many of you know John Marc and know the anointing that is on his life. At a recent retreat in Sevierville, Rev. Becky Milligan prophesied about John Marc's ministry, and now, a year later, that prophecy is being fulfilled! Praise the Lord! "This promise is for you, your children and your children's children!"

Fall Encounter 2008 - Knoxville, Tennessee

2008-11-11T18:57:00.001-08:00

Thanks to the Lovell Heights Church of God for hosting this year's retreat. A special thanks to Student Ministers Josh and Hope Butcher and the Creative Arts Team for the powerful drama ministry. You don't want to miss next year's retreat!

Frederick, Maryland Women's Conference

2008-11-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

Fall Encounter 2008!!

2008-09-10T12:00:00.001-07:00

EXCITING NEWS!! Our Fall Encounter (Retreat) will be held in a NEW location in Knoxville, TN. Pastor Travis Ballenger and the Lovell Heights Church of God have volunteered to host us this year and we will converge on the city of Knoxville on November 6-7.

The Lovell Heights Church is located in very close proximity to the Turkey Creek and Pinnacle Shopping Centers where there are amazing shopping and restaurant choices. Pigeon Forge is about an hour away. So we will not compromise anything in our shopping opportunities with this change of location!

Rooms have been secured at the Baymont Inn and Suites (11341 Campbell Lakes Drive) but only 21 rooms are available to us. These rooms have two queen beds and continental breakfast is served. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Rates are $50 per person if there are four to a room, $75 if there are two. Please contact me at 3608 Cowboy Lane, Charlotte, NC 28216 for reservations. A $50 deposit for each room reserved is needed by September 22 and the remainder due by October 15th.

I am very excited about how God has opened this door and believe He has great things in store for us!!!

Women Ministers' Retreat 2008

2008-06-13T00:16:00.001-07:00

Backroom Prayer Group

2008-05-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Rev. Bill Coble, his wife Janie and their son, Noah. Bill is a senior student at the Church of God Theological Seminary and a former NC COG pastor. Last Spring they had their second child, Noah. Shortly after his birth, Noah began to have seizures and other problems. He is now in a kind of wheelchair. Because of Noah's problems, Janie has been forced to leave her job as a pharmacy technician and stay at home. This has greatly complicated their financial situation. Bill is under tremendous pressure. Pray for Noah's complete healing, for Bill and Janie's peace of mind and future ministry and for their financial situation.

KSM Board Member, Kim Alexander, Elected as Society for Pentecostal Studies Officer

2008-05-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

I'm especially proud to report this news about my niece, KSM Board Member, Kim Alexander:

At the 2008 annual meeting the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Dr. Kimberly Alexander, a professor at the Church of God Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee, was elected Second Vice President of the prestigious organization.

The election starts a succession of leadership beginning at next year's meeting where Dr. Alexander will become first vice president and program chair for the 2010 meeting. At the 2010 meeting she will become president and deliver the President's address at the 2011 meeting. From now until 2012 she will serve on the Executive Committee and have various responsibilities depending on her office. She has been serving as the Interest Group Leader for the History Interest Group.

Dr. Alexander currently serves as Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at the Church of God Theological Seminary.

Where the Lord is Leading KSM....

2008-05-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

I've just returned from a week in God's Country....also known as "Indian Country". My husband, Pastor Don Whichard and my niece, Kim Alexander and her husband, Corky, flew to Phoenix on Tuesday, April 22. This was a research trip for my nephew, Corky and a kind of "reconnaissance mission" for me. We drove north to the Grand Canyon for a couple of days of relaxation and enjoying the beauty of God's Creation. From there we drove back down to Flagstaff to tour Hozhoni, an agency for the developmentally disabled. Fifty percent of the clients of this agency are Native American. They have an amazing art therapy program. We continued from there to the Navajo Reservation, touring Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly. [The picture is of the four of us descending 275 ft into Canyon de Chelly to view the White House Ruins, an ancient cliff dwelling]. On Sunday, we were in worship services at the Window Rock Church of God [Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation] with Senior Pastor Jerry Tom and Associate Pastor Ron Harvey. Pastor Tom's preaching was a "word in season for those who are weary". Thank God that neither miles nor cultural differences can separate us from God's love for us! On Monday, on our way back to our flight in Phoenix, we briefly visited the Hopi Reservation.

All along the way we met friendly, beautiful people who are blessed to live in a place touched by the hand of the Master Artist, our Creator!

Spring Retreat Cancelled

2008-03-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Due to changes in pastoral leadership at the Oak St. Church of God in Sevierville, Tennessee, the Spring Retreat (scheduled for May 1, 2) has been cancelled.

At this point we are looking at the possibility of a change of venue for the Fall Retreat (normally held in November). There are some exciting possibilities and I am looking at this as God's direction.

Keep checking the blog for news about the Fall Retreat details.

Kindred Spirit Ministries is on the move!!

Spring Encounter - Reservation Information

2008-03-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hold on...it won't be long till we are all together retreating so we can advance the Kingdom of God!

The retreat will be held May 1 and 2, 2008 in the Sevierville-Pigeon Forge, TN area. Worship services will be held at the Oak St. Church of God in Sevierville.

Once again we will be staying at the Econo Lodge--Riverside (2240 Parkway, Pigeon Forge).

Rates per person are as follows:
4 to a room $50 each
3 to a room $60 each
2 to a room $70 each

This rate covers both nights and registration costs.

A non-refundable $25 deposit for each person in the room MUST be mailed to me by March 19. The remainder is due by April 16.

You may mail reservations to me, along with the appropriate amount of money.

Rev. Margaret Whichard
3608 Cowboy Ln.
Charlotte, NC 28216

Please include the name of the Church, the name of the person coordinating reservations for your group and the names of each person in the room.

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS WHAT GOD DOES IN 2008!

Backroom Prayer Group

2008-01-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

My mother, Sister Myrtle Ervin, was a wonderful cook and homemaker and a hard worker in a textile mill. All of these things helped to make her children grow up to be good people. But there is nothing that impacted us more than her prayers. On a regular basis my mother and several of the women from our church would gather in the "backroom" (the bedroom at the back of their small house), get on their knees and pray and intercede for others. My brothers and sister, nieces and nephews remember this as a weekly routine that went on for fifty years or so! Only eternity will tell all of the souls that were saved, bodies that were healed, marriages that were restored and miracles that were accomplished as a result of these women storming heaven in the backroom. Even in her later years, when she suffered from dementia, she could still pray the walls down!

One of the ministries of KSM has always been intercessory prayer. Unfortunately, you can't all gather together in the afternoon and get on your knees in my "backroom"; we live in different cities and states. But in the Spirit, we can gather together and pray and storm heaven for those who are in desperate need.

We want to begin keeping a prayer list of serious needs on this blogspot. The list will appear on the right side of the blog under the heading "Backroom Prayer Group". The list will only contain names, but periodic posts will give you more details so you will know how to pray. If you have urgent requests please notify me through a phone call or email or through a comment on the blog.

WHEN these prayer requests are answered we will post testimonies to give glory to God and build our faith!

Please join me in the backroom and pray!

Below are details about the urgent needs of the first three requests:

1. Erlene Nations, pastor's wife of Oak Street COG, TN. has had eye surgery to repair the retina in her right eye. Her recovery is going to be very long. She is still blind but hopefully her vision will come back.
2. Addie Morris pastor of Eagle Butte Church of God in South Dakota had to have emergency surgery to have a pacemaker put into her heart.
3. Jill Fields' son's kidneys are failing. The doctor is going to try and save his kidneys but if he can't he will have to have a transplant. Her husband is also in serious condition. Jill is a supporter of KSM and frequently sings at our retreats.

4. Gary Price, pastor of the Maranatha Community COG in Frederick, MD had knee surgery a couple of weeks ago and when the stitches were removed a staff infection was discovered. The Church Administrator of the church is also in the hospital. Please pray for this pastor, administrator and church.

News from our India Ministry Trip

2007-12-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of your for your prayers while we were in India. I can assure you that your prayers were heard and answered! I was accompanied on this trip by Felicia Burgess, Linda Epperson and Deloris Holden.

Here are some of the highlights:

1. We led the first ever Church of God Women's conference in Kakinada, India.
2. There were over 330 in attendance including pastors' wives, district pastors' wives, 50 Bible college female students and over 100 local ladies.
3. I preached to over 800 men and women on Sunday.
4. KSM gave out over 300 hair barrettes to the participants of the conference. We distributed 20 pairs of shoes to the college girls and shirts to the boys.

On the last Sunday that we were there, we had a mighty move of the Holy Ghost. A lady who was paralyzed on her right side was healed. She lifted her right arm in the air and moved her right leg up and down! I had her walk all by herself in the church as a witness to her healing. Brother Reddi's music director after prayer was so overcomed by the Holy Ghost he became uncontrollable to the point the Bible Schools kids had to sit on him. (I had never witnessed anything quite like it!) His dad is a COG preacher that could not feed him and his brother so he ws sentto the orphanage to be raised. He is now married and has a calling on his life. God really gave him an unusual anointing to the point he said He would never be the same. The overseer's wife was slain for the first time in her life. She had asked God to slay her and He gave her the desires of her heart.

Both the overseer and his wife said it was an awesome conference and the ministers' wives said they were going back to their villages to do more for God.

To those of you who prayed and gave to this project, remember, you have sown a seed in this harvest!

It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. (1 Cor. 3:6, The Message)

Pray for the India Missions Trip

2007-11-06T04:26:00.000-08:00

I will be leaving for India on Wednesday, November 7 to go to India once again.

As you know, years ago God revealed to me that I would be preaching to hundreds in another culture. I am so thankful that God has opened the door for this ministry opportunity and connection.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, November 13-14, I will be ministering in a Women's Conference. There will be three services each day. We are believing that God will provide for 350 women to attend the conference.

I am asking that you join with me in prayer "across the miles" as my team ministers.

Pray for an anointing on my preaching and the team's ministry
Pray for protection and immunity to disease
Pray for provision for 350 women to attend
Pray for "traveling mercies" as we go and return
Pray for our families while we are away

I look forward to reporting great things!

Fall Encounter 2007 - "Chosen For The King"

2007-08-20T04:24:00.001-07:00

It's time again for us to meet together and meet with God! The Fall Encounter is scheduled for November 1-2 in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The theme this year will be Chosen For The King. I will be ministering on Friday night and Sister Ella Cunningham will minister to us on Thursday evening.

The evening services will be held at Oak St. Church of God where God has met us so many times!

Once again, I have reserved rooms at the Econo Lodge Riverside at 2240 Parkway in Pigeon Forge. If there are four to a room, you cost is $55 per person; the cost for three to a room is $65 per person; and if there are two to a room the cost is $75 per person. A non-refundable $25 deposit for each person in a room must be in by September 15. The remainder is due by October 15.

Please mail deposits and payments to:
Reverend Margaret Whichard
3608 Cowboy Ln.
Charlotte, NC 28216

Ministry Trip to India - January 2007

2007-06-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

2007-06-13T16:16:00.002-07:00

What a wonderful time to be at work in the Kingdom! With the internet and email, I am better able to stay in touch with all of you. This blog will allow me to keep my friends updated on what we are doing and has the potential of introducing our ministry to everyone in the world!

From time to time I will post an update on our ministry or a message I feel God has given me for you. Feel free to comment on the posts as you feel led. I love to hear what God is doing in your life.

With love,
Sister Margaret