Some 1,000 members are expected to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Assemblies of God, at a special service held at Hot Springs Arkansas – the denomination’s birthplace, on April 18, 2004. Featured guests include the A/G general superintendent Thomas Trask, and reknown soloist Robert Solomon.
“The service that night is inviting everyone in the region,” said reverend Mark Haston, pastor of the First Assembly of God, who initiated the event.
Five A/G congregations in the area, including the First Assemblies of God, Lakeview Assemblies of God and Pleasant Hill Assemblies of God, are jointly supporting the service. And although the service is not organized at the national level, Rev. Haston expressed gratitude for the support from the national office.
“I’m really proud that we are doing something and I recognize that the national office cant celebrate everything. They have been very supportive and the heritage center has been very supportive,” said Rev. Haston.
A featured event during the Sunday night service is the presentation of short video clips about the history of the Assemblies of God.
In addition to the special service, the A/G plans to establish a new marker downtown to commemorate the occasion. The marker will be in the form of a plaque, but will be raised above the ground at the city’s business district.
“The last time there was anything was a plaque to commemorate the 60th anniversary. It’s time to update that,” said Haston. “the A/G has over 50 million people worldwide, and all we have to commemorate this is a 20 by 30 inch plaque. And although it is on the main street, people can’t easily see it.”
Therefore, according to Haston, the national office of the A/G plans to raise a plaque similar in size to make it look more like a monument.
“We want people to see it. It will be a monument,” said Haston. “The national office is paying for that. They are supportive in that way too.”
The Assemblies of God, with an estimated 2.6 million members, is among the top ten largest denominations in North America.
