Greater Western Michigan Ministerial Alliance COGIC
GWMMA
Executive Board/
Committees
Program Committee
Chairman
Program Committee
The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc is a group of churches in the community that seek to fulfill the following goals in worship:
-
To provide opportunities for clergy to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ while encouraging clergy colleagues in the gospel.
-
To promote the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire Kent County community.
-
To provide opportunities for united worship for all clergy in the Church of God in Christ in the Kent County area and vicinity.
-
To grant support to those in need.
-
To be united in prayer for the mutual concerns of those living around us as their needs are made known.
​​
Worship/Outreach opportunities:
-
We hold special worship opportunities services throughout the year
-
Convene joint Good Friday or Sunrise Services
-
Provide booths at area occasions giving information about area churches and other worship opportunities.
​​
Prayer Ministry
-
As we gather together at our meetings, we offer prayers for individuals in need for healing and general help. (We use first names only for privacy.)
-
We pray for congregations, our city, state, country and whatever other situations as the requests are made.
Name
Political/
Social Action Committee
Chairman
Political/Social Action Committee
Name
The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc (will work very closely with our local elected officials to help them implement the best policies that will continue to move the Kent County Area forward. The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc ( will consistently offer the local officials assistance in developing policy in key areas, such as: transportation, infrastructure, regionalism, housing, public safety, zoning, tourism and business development race relations, and social economics, among others.
The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc
(2020) Legislative Overview
Select Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc members make up our Governmental Affairs Committee. The committee, facilitated by a Chairman, meets as necessary, to review local, county, state and federal issues. When creating policy, or legislative agendas, the committee makes its recommendations to the Political/Social Action Committee Chairman. Afterwards, these recommendations are forward to the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc Executive Board for consideration. In instances where decisions are time sensitive and will affect the membership, the President of the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc (will make a final decision. Along with the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc (Political/Social Action Committee Chairman, engaged members help advocate for the minister alliance priorities to become enacted.
After interviewing candidates and researching their backgrounds, the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc (Political/Social Action Committee Chairman will forward recommendations for the support of candidates running for various offices on every level and positions throughout the county.
Benevolent Committee
Chairman
Benevolent Committee
Name
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2Corinthians 1:3-4
The purpose of the Benevolence Committee is to administer the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc benevolence activities.
​
Responsibilities Administrative Policies and Procedures
Responsibilities
-
Review applications for assistance from the benevolence fund.
-
Interview applicants.
-
Conduct background investigations as deemed appropriate.
-
Approve or deny applications for assistance.
-
If assistance is approved, submit approved check requests to Treasurer authorizing payment of benevolence funds.
-
Follow up interviews with benevolence recipients.
-
Provide leadership and education for the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc members concerning the benevolence activities.
Administrative
-
The Chairman of the Benevolence Committee is appointed annually by the President.
-
The Benevolence Committee will be composed of five (5) individuals selected by the Chairman of the Benevolence Committee and will include the following representatives:
-
One member from the Treasurer’s Office.
-
One member from the Executive Board.
-
One member from the Pastoral Care Committee.
-
Two At-Large members from the ministerial alliance.
-
-
Bring any committee policy, procedural, financial, or functional related issue(s) to the Executive Board for consideration.
-
Keep Office Administrator informed of plans for meetings, activities or events.
-
Committee Chairman attends or sends a representative to report on activates to the bi-weekly meetings.
All agree that the need to discuss and support issues relating to the pastoral care of clergy is essential. This committee must not only address and determine what needs to be done to provide pastoral care to ministers at every level, what the needs are, and who was doing this work, but the execution of such work.
There are real needs for care to clergy, and a revitalized effort to build such a network must continue. It is our hope that we can develop partnerships with health care organizations and representatives that will bear fruit in the impact of future ministries who are engaged in and concerned about the care and support of clergy.
Pastoral Care Committee
Chairman
Pastoral Care Committee
Name
Public Relations Committee
The Public Relations Committee serve the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc (by having an understanding of ministerial alliance's programs and work so that each member is capable of working with the leadership and communicate with the public.
Public Relations also helps Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc members understand the value of good communication, they publicize information to members and the community, evaluate and report to the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc on its PR image and personnel matters. The committee members also maintains and keep up dated signs, bulletin boards, web-site, and other advertisements for the Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc.
Chairman
Public Relations Committee
Name
Urban Initiatives Committee
Chairman
Urban Initiative Committee
Name
The VISION of Urban Initiatives
The vision of Urban Initiatives is to build strong individuals, families and communities for a successful future.
​
The Message Behind the Vision
Urban Initiatives is the vision of Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake birthed out of his deep concern about poor academic achievement, financial disenfranchisement, high unemployment, soaring crime levels, the desperate state of the black man and the breakdown of the family that plagues our cities, small and large, urban and rural.
Urban Initiatives will assist our churches within the Greater West Michigan Area by making available to them programs and strategies that address:
-
Education (Access, Excellence and Equity)
-
Economic Development (Job Training and Job Creation)
-
Crime Prevention (Reduction, Prevention and Rehabilitation)
-
Family Life (Developing Healthy Men, Women and Children)
-
Financial Literacy (Earning, Saving, Investing, and Spending Wisely)
Attacking the problem from these interrelated perspectives simultaneously will maximize the likelihood of success. Urban Initiatives will provide all area churches, regardless of size with encouragement, inspiration, information, consultation and programs to achieve real and measurable change.
Our nation’s schools offer critical opportunities for government policy to lift individuals out of poverty. We must be diligent in conducting policy research on education systems from prekindergarten through high school. Cutting across disciplines to understand families, communities, and the public systems that influence kids’ well-being and success. Tackling the threats to our children’s future requires creative strategies to strengthen the protection around children—their families, their communities, and the systems that support their development—so they can thrive.
We must also look beyond the classroom at the intersections between education and related policy areas such as housing, criminal justice, and health.
Education
Committee
Chairman
Education Committee
Name
Economic Development Committee
Delivering insights and strategies to help create communities that are rich with opportunity for all. Implementation of Equitable Urban Development results in making Grand Rapids, Michigan a place of opportunity for everyone.
Chairman
Education Development Committee
Name
Crime Prevention Committee
The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance COGIC will help identify solutions for neighborhoods, cities, states, and national criminal justice systems. We analyze crime trends and evaluate prevention initiatives. A core component of our work is studying how to protect vulnerable people and communities from violence and abuse. And we take a close look at new and emerging criminal justice technologies. Our work combines quantitative and qualitative methods to provide objective data grounded in the experiences of victims, offenders, and practitioners.
Chairman
Crime Prevention Committee
Name
Family Life
Committee
Chairman
Family Life Committee
Name
Analyzing proposals and policies that help families advance toward better opportunities. Today’s social safety net faces pressure from economic forces and a changing labor market that threaten to exacerbate poverty and leave struggling families further behind. Policy shifts at the federal and state levels and anticipated funding shortfalls could limit people’s access to programs that help them meet their basic needs.
The Urban Institute’s From Safety Net to Solid Ground initiative sheds light on how these potential changes could affect the lives of individuals and families across the country.
Parents can improve their long-term financial stability by working and going to school at the same time. But they need support to overcome challenges that can get in the way.
The Urban Institute analyzes the factors that affect Americans’ income and wealth to inform national debates about rising inequality, low economic mobility, and the persistence of poverty. We track disparities across racial and ethnic groups and between generations, document the consequences of events like the Great Recession, and assess the effectiveness of policies designed to help people build both income and wealth.
Over the past eight years the Black community has experienced what amounts to an economic tsunami. Billions of dollars have left the Black community through the foreclosure crisis, the devaluing of existing homes owned by African Americans, the devaluing of African American retirement plans and 401Ks and the loss of employment and business opportunities. We will focus our energy on learning how to build wealth and manage it. We will provide actionable information on municipal bonds, stocks, savings, currency investment, insurance and other wealth building tools.
The aim is overcoming the complexity of understanding, handling and working with money. For the first time in our history of over 400 years, the Black church is determined to educate and empower African Americans on how to handle money.
Financial
Literacy
Committee
Chairman
Financial Literacy Committee
Name
Urban
Banking
Committee
Chairman
Urban Banking Committee
Name
Financial exclusion remains a major issue in the urban community. Expansion of services in this area by banks must become a priority if real inclusion will take place. Structural solutions must be pursued; therefore, banks should think of designing a process response to the problem, drawing on the experiences and practices of the traditional lenders to the urban sector.
If mainstream financial institutions don’t provide proper inclusion through community discussions, legislative change must be sought. Until such time, we must seek institutions like Federal Credit Unions to open its doors to serve Urban Communities. We envisioned the need for our community, like all others, to gain control of the economic dollars circulating within our community. Any thriving community turn their resource over at least five to ten times before it leaves the community.
Inter-Faith (Ecumenical) Committee
We envision a society where all people are free and supported to live the life they wish for. We imagine faith communities from many traditions and backgrounds who are committed to work grounded in our shared values, in order to engage in collaborative action to dismantle systemic oppression.
​
We see people coming together across our many differences to build authentic, ‘got your back’ friendships, to celebrate together in moments of joy, to grieve together in times of pain, and to advocate and work together to improve people’s lives.
Chairman
Inter-Faith (Ecumenical) Committee
Name
Health/
Human Services Committee
Chairman
Human Services Committee
The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc recognizes the importance and necessity of viable community and faith-based relationships to fulfill its mission to promote and protect the health, wellness, and safety of Greater West Michigan residents. The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc (Health/Human Services Committee will take our lead efforts to build and support partnerships with community and faith-based organizations to better serve the children and adults that live in our communities.
The Greater West Michigan Ministerial Alliance, Church of God in Christ, Inc will promote collaboration between government, community organizations, and faith leaders to improve the quality of life for Greater West Michigan residents, with specific efforts to inform members of federal/state/county resources and grants, and also to convene community and faith leaders to support program areas that directly impact Great West Michigan’s most vulnerable adults, children, and families.
Name