AG Centennial Recognized by Springfield's CVB

The historic 100th anniversary of the Assemblies of God celebrated in Springfield, Missouri, last August, brought guests from across the country and around the world to celebrate the Centennial event. Although the thousands have long since departed, the impact the Centennial activities had on the community was recently recognized by Springfield's Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) as they awarded the AG its annual Spotlight Award.

According to Tracy Kimberlin, president and CEO of Springfield's CVB, the Spotlight Award is presented to the individual, business, or organization not usually considered part of the travel and tourism industry for noteworthy contributions in advancing travel and tourism in the Springfield area.

"We had approximately 2,000 international delegates attending from 120 countries in the August [Centennial] event, plus thousands more from the USA Assemblies of God," Dr. George O. Wood, AG general superintendent, wrote in an appreciative letter to the CVB.

Dr. Wood also noted to the CVB that Christianity Today had recently recognized the Assemblies of God as the fourth largest Christian community in the world, with over 67 million adherents worshiping in more than 360,000 churches.

At a special banquet held on February 19, 2015, in Springfield, Chris Railey, the senior director for AG Leadership and Church Development, received the Spotlight Award on behalf of the Assemblies of God.

"We received the award in large part due to the Centennial Event, which brought so much business to the area," Railey explains, "but also for the ongoing role we play in bringing commerce to the area." 

Railey says that part of the presentation included the unveiling of the Springfield CVB's new brand, and now part of the narrative of Springfield is that it is home to a major religious movement's national office - the Assemblies of God.

Dan Van Veen

Dan Van Veen is news editor of AG News. Prior to transitioning to AG News in 2001, Van Veen served as managing editor of AG U.S. Missions American Horizon magazine for five years. He attends Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri, where he and his wife, Lori, teach preschool Sunday School and 4- and 5-year-old Rainbows boys and girls on Wednesdays.