As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Easter weekend, we are thankful for the fellowship we have with God and with each other through being united with him.
Haiti
Charles Fleming sent this update:
Our brothers and sisters in Haiti are making progress in their quest to re-open the school. As you may recall, of the two buildings on the church property, the school building was not badly damaged but the church was. So far a team of church volunteers and paid construction workers have gutted the church building, removed the debris and put in temporary walls so that access to the school is once again safe for the kids.
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Our pastor in Haiti, Joseph Franklin, has said that getting wood (of any type) has been difficult. He says, “Haitians do not want cement buildings,” and so the demand for wood is high. He has been buying recycled wood from vendors on the streets. The canvas awnings you see in one of the pictures covers the space to be used to re-open the school. “Haitian people do not want to send their children to a cement structure” and “the kids won’t enter it either.”
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Given the degree of trauma experienced by the kids the plan is to offer them a place to go for encouragement, counseling, recreation and one meal a day. We hope it won’t take too long for the children to feel comfortable enough to begin using the actual classrooms. The school administrator and four teachers have been contacted and asked to resume their duties. Later this week Mr. Franklin will place an announcement on the local radio station inviting parents to a meeting at the school. Mr. Franklin will also write to the mayor offering to take in some of the children the city has on its lists. The hope is to re-open the school later this month.
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In the midst of all this, Mr. Franklin still needs hernia surgery. Last Friday he reported that he may have his surgery done in Haiti (by a visiting team of U.S. doctors) and should know later this week if he will be accepted. The decision depends on the results of the usual pre-surgery tests for someone his age. He hopes to relocate his family to the church property before going in for surgery as the owner of his rented home needs it. Mr. Franklin sends his deep thanks for the financial assistance they have received. The money sent in so far has helped our members with personal needs and also been used to pay workmen to demolish and rebuild the church building.
Tony and Wilma Murphy
Tony and Wilma Murphy, long time employees of GCI, are retiring this week. Tony has served the church in many capacities in video production over the years, and since our move to Glendora he has headed first a one-man video production department and then a two-man department when he took on Nate Smith part-time and began grooming him to one day replace him. Tony is not only an outstanding producer and director, but is also a highly talented set designer, camera operator, audio technician, and video and audio editor. As we can all attest, his work on Speaking of Life, You’re Included, and GCI Together have been nothing short of exemplary. We are delighted that he will continue to work part-time producing the You’re Included video program. Nate Smith, Tony’s assistant and protégé, will now step into Tony’s full-time duties. Nate actually began his professional video production career in high school as an assistant to Tony several years ago. Now, with a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in cinema art, industry awards for outstanding film and video production and working for the past two-and-a-half years with our GCI video programs, we are pleased to welcome him as our new video producer.
Wilma has been serving as Mat Morgan’s executive assistant in the Treasurer’s Office. We will greatly miss working with her, but, at the same time, we are excited for her as she opens this new chapter in her life. We wish her every blessing and thank her for her capable and faithful service! We are pleased to welcome Cheryl Corson back to employment with GCI in Wilma’s place. Cheryl is a graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena and a 20-year-plus employee of the church. She returns to work for the church after serving in a management roll for another firm during the last five years. Cheryl brings many talents and her warm personality to the office so I am sure that you will enjoy working with her also. Please join me in welcoming Nate and Cheryl.
Rick & Lois Peterson
Big Sandy, Texas
Pastor Sonny Parsons reported that Rick and Lois Peterson were the Big Sandy Chamber of Commerce Man and Woman of the Year 2010. A committee of community leaders with the Chamber of Commerce announced the unanimous decision at the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet held last Tuesday. In other Big Sandy news, Savanna Reed, the granddaughter of Kelly and Vinita Barfield, was named Miss Big Sandy.
U.S. Economy affects church giving
According to the second annual “State of the Plate” research by Maximum Generosity and Christianity Today International, “Nearly 40 percent of churches across the country experienced a decline in church giving and offerings in 2009, representing two consecutive years of significant decreases. After the October 2008 stock market drop, 29 percent of churches experienced a decline in giving and this past year the number has climbed up to 38 percent of churches. Multiple research projects last year documented the sharp decline in church giving and our research this year shows that things have only gotten worse for a growing number of churches.”
Jackson, Tennessee, Church visit
Last weekend, Tammy and I enjoyed visiting our GCI congregation in Jackson, Tennessee, pastored by Wayne Wendt. I was pleasantly surprised to find that every week, before their 11 o’clock church service, they serve breakfast, and often they also serve lunch after the church services. I mention it since many may not have thought of this as being a regular weekly activity. I have to tell you that it really enhances fellowship when practiced regularly.
Prayer Request
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Tammy and I much enjoyed visiting our Newark, New Jersey, congregation last weekend where I was privileged to perform the wedding of Pastor John Adams and Edna Olen. Please join me in extending hearty congratulations to the happy couple!
Sermon power
The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing of January 29, 2010 reported that nearly one hundred percent of churchgoers look forward to sermons, but only 17 percent think preaching changes the way they live, according to a study from the CODEC Research Center at St. Johns College in Durham, U.K. titled “The View from the Pew.” The report is based on interviews with 193 Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and Baptists from 16 churches. Many Anglicans want the sermon to last less than 10 minutes, but up to 20 minutes. Baptists are happy with a 75-minute sermon, while Catholics want it completed within 10 minutes. Sermons are seen as good at teaching about God, the Bible, and being comforting, but need to do more to motivate and challenge people to look at the world differently. Sermons seem to encourage Christian reflection but not Christian action.
Germany – Togo partnership
Our members in Germany have partnered with our congregation in Lomé, Togo, for the building of a WCG medical and social center there. Paving stones on the first level were laid March 3.
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According to Barna
Many Americans appear to be significantly cutting back on charitable giving in order to adjust to the downturn, according to Barna Group research. Forty-eight percent of U.S. adults have reduced their giving to nonprofit organizations (excluding churches and houses of worship) in the last three months. Churches were slightly less likely to be affected but were certainly not immune to cutbacks: 29 percent of Americans have dropped their level of support to churches and congregations in recent months.
When compared to a similar Barna study conducted at the start of the economic meltdown in late ’08, there has been a 58 percent increase in the percentage of Americans who have curtailed giving to nonprofits and a 45 percent increase in the proportion that have reduced their church donations. The segment of donors who have dramatically decreased their contributions to churches has more than doubled in the last 14 months.
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe the economy will take two or more years to recover, and 42% expect it to take more than 3. Two recent surveys report the recession is having a serious impact on church budgets and contributions. A November LifeWay Research study revealed 28 percent of churches surveyed raised less money in ’09 than in ’08. Fifty-seven percent said the poor economy was hurting their church. Seventy percent reported increased requests from people outside their congregation for financial help. Three percent were considering closing down their churches. A Barna Group study found budgets were down seven percent across all Protestant churches.
Please join us in praying for Gary and Karl Moore’s mother, who suffered a major heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure last Friday night. She is improving, but the stroke has affected her left side. At the beginning of the week she had no movement at all on her left, but since then she has begun to have movement in her leg. The Moores send their thanks for the many prayers and encouragement.
Cards may be sent to: Mrs. Ina Moore c/o Alvaro and Laura Palacio 32 Tangle Briarway North York, ON M2J 2M4
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Sixty-two GCI Generations Ministries leaders and supporters met last week near Dallas for GenMin’s annual camps and missions leadership summit. The summit focused on planning for the 18 GenMin camps and short-term missions trips that will be held in 2010 (see the list at http://genmin.gci.org/calendar.htm)..
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A highlight of the event was the passing of the GenMin leadership baton from Ted Johnston (on left), who has served as director of GenMin for the last ten years, to Greg Williams (in center). Anthony Mullins (right) will replace Greg as GenMin camps and missions leader. Ted Johnston will take up a new post on the CAD ministry development team as coordinator of CAD communications and resources.
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Another highlight of the summit was the active participation of young emerging leaders who are active in camp leadership, in developing ministries within existing churches, and in helping to start new churches.
Regarding new churches, we were excited to hear from Aaron Armstrong of the progress of Ground Zero, a new GCI church plant in the Denver area (see their website at http://groundzerochurch.com/), and Janet Morrison of “The Great Commission Trips” team.
Tucson, Arizona
Tammy Tkach, wife of Pastor General Joseph Tkach, was guest speaker on February 7 at Grace of God Fellowship in Tucson, Arizona. Her sermon subject was “The Trinity.” After services, there was a special potluck and a time of fellowship and sharing. Pictured, left to right: Pastor Ted and Lila Millhuff, Tammy Tkach, Pastor Tom and Michelle Landess.
Tagatay, Philippines
A Church Planting Basic Training Course was held at the Christian Development Center in Tagaytay City February 16-18. Steve Elliott and Jun Sabate of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) facilitated the training.
The 35 participants who attended the training came from Grace Communion International, Evangelical Free Church of the Philippines, Agape Campus Ministry, Philippine Missions Association and the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines.
Dr. Randy Bloom, Director of Church Multiplication Ministry, represented Grace Communion International USA. Called “Boot Camp 101,” the course was also facilitated by Dr. Prisco Aloca, Jeff Martinez, and Noel Andreneda of Evangelical Free Church of the Philippines.
Prayer Request
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
I’m delighted to announce that the Hoeksteen congregation in Kerk-Avezaath, the Netherlands, pastored by Hans de Moei, officially joined GCI on March 7, 2010. Hans and Denise de Moei left our fellowship many years ago and eventually raised up the Hoeksteen congregation on their own. In the last year, they contacted Holland National Leader Frans Danenberg about a possible reconciliation. That relationship grew and eventually led to the joyful events on March 7. Frans said that when Hans read aloud the welcome letter from GCI, the entire group was moved with joy.
There are now five GCI congregations in Holland.
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Philippines
Cebu City and Tagatay City Leadership Conferences
Pastors and pastoral team members from all over Visayas gathered in Cebu City February 16-19 for the Leadership Conference entitled “Participating in God’s Life and Mission.” Guest speakers were GCI Vice President Dr. J. Michael Feazell and GCI-Australia National Director John McLean. GCI Philippines’ National Director Eugene Guzon opened the conference with a message about GCI-Philippines’ vision and mission. Photos of the Cebu Conference are courtesy of Kai Baslao.
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National Director Guzon flew back to Manila in time to open the Leadership Conference in Tagaytay City and facilitate small group discussions among local church leaders. Dr. Randy Bloom of GCI-US Church Multiplication Ministries led sessions called “Transformissions” and “Church Multiplication.”
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In the afternoon of the second day, Dr. Feazell joined us, leading sessions on practical theology, church renewal and an extended Q&A period. Later in the afternoon, National Director Guzon and Dr. Rey Taniajura met the young leaders of GCI Philippines to convey the goal of the national office for more youth leaders to be equipped and trained for service to God and to listen to their ideas, needs and concerns.
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On the third day, Dr. Feazell answered remaining questions, and Pastor Rex dela Pena led the closing Communion service.
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Photos by Orly Osillos, Jocer Sabbaluca, and Bong Tinoyan.
Dr. Randy Bloom
Combined Metro Manila worship service
Members from Metro Manila and surrounding provinces gathered February 21 at the Celebrity Sports Plaza for a wonderful time of worship, fellowship and learning. Members from as far away as Bicol and Mindoro also joined the service, having participated in the recently concluded Leadership Conference in Tagaytay City.
In addition to the uplifting worship led by the GCI Crossway Music Ministry, highlights of the service included updates and greetings from members in Australia given by GCI-Australia National Director John McLean, an audio-visual presentation of last year’s highlights, an encouraging message from our guest speaker, Dr. Randy Bloom of GCI-US Church Multiplication Ministries, and the ordination of three new elders, Pastor Andy Ducay (Manila South), Pastor Bernardo Cuizon (Oriental Mindoro), and ministerial trainee Aron Tolentino (Crossway). Photos by Jocer Cris Sabbaluca.
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Germany
Announcing the 2010 Autumn Festival in Germany September 10-17
Festival site: Lake Constance is a 538-square-kilometer basin between the Alps and the Jura mountains. Three countries share the lake: Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The mild climate around Lake Constance promotes the growth of lush, southern European vegetation and makes the region well suited to fruit and vine cultivation. The shores of Lake Constance are densely populated. The lake is surrounded by picturesque, historic towns and villages where visitors can see many buildings from the Middle Ages. Most of these are linked by boat. In summer, Lake Constance sparkles against the backdrop of the Alps, radiating a Mediterranean atmosphere with its many boats and their white and colored sails.
For a taste of the tropics, pay a visit to Mainau, the island of flowers. Alongside fascinating vegetation, the island is home to Germany’s largest butterfly house with viewing windows. A family-friendly beer garden by the lake stands next to a children’s village with cave-like dwellings, a wooden train and water play areas. On the lake’s northern shore, the Unteruhldingen museum and prehistoric village (built on stilts over the lake) adjoins a nature conservation area. Twenty pile-built houses take the visitor on a journey back to the Bronze Age (4000 to 850 B.C.). These life-size houses are the fruit of archaeological research. The largest island in Lake Constance is the monastic island of Reichenau. It bears extraordinary testament to the religious and cultural role played by the Benedictine abbey in medieval society. The abbey was the cradle of Western civilization and played a key role, renowned as it was for its teaching of book calligraphy and painting and its goldsmiths, in influencing European culture.
Festival venue: The superior Parkhotel St. Leonhard (4+ stars) is located high over Lake Constance. The Parkhotel has a fantastic panoramic view and it is surrounded by vineyards and a large park with wildlife. The town center Überlingen and Lake Constance are just 1 km away from the Parkhotel. The train station Überlingen Mitte is 2 km away.
Airports: Zurich (75 minutes), Stuttgart (75 minutes) or Friedrichshafen in Lake Constance.
Cost: (All amounts in Euros)
Double room with half-board (per person): E551.
Single room with half-board : E660
Family room 3-4 adults 18 years of age and over half-board (per person): E540.
Family room 2 adults plus 1 child (not over 12 years of age) half-board: Adults E578 and child E298.
Family room 2 adults plus 1 child (between 13-17 years of age) half-board: Adults E578 and child E405.
All reservations will be made by the WKG German office through a travel agency.
There will be English translations at our worship services.
Anyone wishing to attend should contact WKG National Director Santiago Lange as soon as possible at wkg53bonn@aol.com
Prayer Requests and Updates
Nsama & Kalengule Kaoma
Please join us in praying for Nsama Kaoma, wife of African Mission Director Kalengule Kaoma. Kalengule reported that Nsama is suffering from symptoms of heart failure. He wrote: “Nsama began medication last night and doctors drained a lot of excess fluid. We are grateful to God about this, and she is feeling better than other mornings. The doctor thinks that this is a 50/50 situation with regard to recovery. We are trusting God for a miracle and his will to be done.”
Cards may be sent to: PO Box 50117 Ridgeway Lusaka ZAMBIA
Pastor Lloyd Barrie of our Kalispell, Montana, asked for continued prayer for his wife, Joanne, who has begun eight three-week chemotherapy modules for her cancer. Lloyed added: “Joanne and I want to deeply thank everyone who has called, sent cards, and e-mailed over the past two months, and especially for everyone’s prayers for Joanne.”
Cards may be sent to: 503 2nd Ave E Kalispell, MT 59901-4903
Pastor Jim Roberts let us know that his wife, Hazel, is recovering from her recent injuries. He wrote: “Thank you for all the support and prayers for Hazel following her fall and severely broken upper arm and cracked elbow. Thursday’s X-rays showed good progress with the re-alignment and healing procedure.”
Haiti
From Caribbean Mission Director Charles Fleming:
Thank you for your concern and support of our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Helping me coordinate our efforts in Haiti are David Perry, Rick Shallenberger and John Halford. Some of you have committed to becoming a long-term partner with us in our efforts to make a difference in Haiti, so I thought it would be helpful to share with you some of our thinking at this time.
Short-term (continuing until some measure of security and stability are in place):
Given the small size of our congregation in Haiti (19 persons), the GCI response will be to take care of our members. We have already sent in money to the church account in Haiti for Mr. Franklin to distribute to our members. We will continue to send in money as needed. This may include helping at least one member rebuild his home in the town of St. Marc.
Last Friday Mr. Franklin informed me that he has a crew making temporary repairs to the church building and is working on erecting tents so the school can reopen, it is hoped, by the beginning of April.
I am planning a trip in June with Jeff Snyder (GCI pastor in Savannah, Georgia, who is also a building contractor) and Cecil Pulley (GCI pastor in Bermuda who is also an architect) to, among other things, evaluate the condition of the buildings and to discuss long-term needs.
Medium-to long-term:
Jeff Snyder’s son, Nathan, who was on an earlier mission trip to the Caribbean, is being assigned to work in Haiti as part of the US government’s effort to help with the rebuilding in Haiti. Join us in praying that his job enables him to connect us to people who can help us get the school up and running.
Join us in praying for wisdom in how best to use our property to advance God’s purposes. One possible option we are considering is to help with the need for schools. Given the fact that some 85 percent of schools in the capital have been badly damaged, it would be nice if we could run our school at maximum enrollment. For that to happen, there would need to be five- to seven-year commitments to help pay operational costs. Congregations and/or individuals would start with a higher up-front commitment, which would be reduced each year until the five or seven years are up. Our goal would be to have the school self-sustaining based on local resources at the end of the five or seven year period.
Join us in praying for more long-term partners of Haiti to help us with this effort (or some other ministry opportunity that God leads us to) and the ability to make it a truly self-sustaining Haitian institution when our period of providing outside help is over.
Your prayers and support are important. I know Mr. Franklin deeply appreciates all that you do.
P.S. Pastor Joseph Franklin will be travelling to Florida within the next two weeks for long-delayed hernia surgery. He expects his recovery time to be six to eight weeks. Please pray for a successful operation and quick recovery. During Mr. Franklin’s time in Florida, Andre Naval will oversee the school.
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Hector Barrero, GCI Mission Director for Chile, has forwarded a note from Thomas Keller, a GCI house church leader in Santiago, stating that the members in Santiago are all safe following the devastating 8.8 earthquake that struck the southern part of the country February 27. Thomas experienced some minor damage to his home and currently doesn’t have electricity or internet service at his residence, but otherwise is fine. We do not know of any specific member needs yet, but information is still limited at this time.
We have been able to send GCI Disaster Relief funds to Haiti to help the members there with emergency needs following the quake in that region. We have some additional funds that can still be sent as they are requested by Haitian Pastor Joseph Franklin.
The Disaster Relief Fund was established to help provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs such as food, water, medicine, clothing, temporary housing, home and/or church hall repairs, temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency needs. Monies received into the Fund, but not immediately needed, remain in the Fund to be allocated for future disasters.
Since inception, money from this Fund have been used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and the recent earthquake in Haiti.
On behalf of all those who have been helped, let me express their sincere appreciation to the congregations and individuals who have generously provided these funds.
If your congregation would like to donate to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund, please send a check to Grace Communion International, indicating on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. The donation should be sent to:
GCI Disaster Relief Fund Grace Communion International P.O Box 5005 Glendora, California 91740
Thank you for your prayers and financial contributions to help members of the GCI family who are suffering.
Typical Mozambique Church Building.
South Africa
GCI South Africa National Director Tim Maguire, and Regional Pastor Caleb Makhela recently spent two weeks visiting dozens of congregations in Mozambique who want to affiliate with our denomination. Here are some excerpts from their report:
Caleb Makhela and I travelled through four of the central and northern provinces of the country and spoke in 44 churches. There are 13 churches in Mozambique we weren’t able to visit, and another eight in Malawi.
Due to the lack of communication about a specific time to meet, we often found that a congregation had been diligently waiting all day for us and were still waiting when we arrived in the late afternoon. The welcome we received in every church was unbelievable! These are men, women and even children who hunger and thirst and live for the Word. Most of them are subsistence farmers, who live from day to day, not always sure where their next meal will come from, but they are spiritually energized and praising God.
Regional Pastor Mariano on a bicycle.
Every church we visited had built or were building a place of worship, from timber, home-baked bricks, mud and grass or reeds. The leaders and pastors seem deeply committed to serving God and his people. Public transport to the churches is nonexistent. Some churches only have paths leading to them, so it is not unusual for a pastor (one regional pastor is 68 years old) to walk or cycle 20 or 30 km to church.
Rain has been late this year, and maize, their main crop, looks set to fail or yield very little. Without crops, the people go hungry. Domingos, their national leader, serves full-time but receives no remuneration for it. When I asked him how he survives, he says sometimes he goes to bed hungry but he trusts God to provide.
Another need is that of Bibles. Most are able to read in their home language (for most, that is Senna) and/or Portuguese, but they don’t have access to a Bible. I have asked our South African churches to take up a collection so we can purchase five Bibles apiece for each of these congregations. Bibles are available for about 30 Rand in Mozambique.
Before we left, we met with Domingos and his regional leaders and they asked if our members would pray for the members in Mozambique, specifically about the following:
The need for rain and good crops
The need for some sort of transport for Domingos to allow him to travel to visit the churches. (The distance between Chimoio, where Domingos lives, and the furthest church is about 800km on very poor roads.)
Their upcoming Easter conference in April. Many leaders may not be able to attend as they do not have the fare needed to get them there.
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Bogota, Columbia
Mission Director Hector Barrero and his wife, Paulina, began a new round of outreach marriage enrichment classes in our Bogota congregation in February. Twenty-six couples not associated with the church responded to their invitation and joined the four-month series of classes to improve their marriages. Last round 17 couples received certificates of completion. One of them is now helping teach the class.
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Estonia: Young Adult Summer Program 2010
This will be the fifth year that the church will hold a summer school in Kallaste, Estonia.
Dates: From Friday, July 30 through Sunday, August 8, 2010.
Place: The first two days will be sightseeing in the capital city, Tallinn. The rest of the time we will be in the small Estonian town of Kallaste on the shores of Lake Peipsi, the fourth largest lake in Europe. The town of Kallaste has a population of 1300, which mostly consists of Russian-speaking Estonians.
New activities for teens and young adults have been added to the 2010 GCI International Conference in Orlando, Florida. A printable flier is available at the conference website at http://2010.gci.org/category/youngadulttrack/
In addition, because the host hotel for our international conference is part of the Walt Disney World Resort, conference attendees will have access to discounted Disney tickets. These discounts, which are only available to groups holding meetings within the resort, grant extended hours to many of the attractions. For advance purchase of specially priced Disney Meeting/Convention Theme Park tickets, go to www.disneyconventionear.com/GCI
Please note that these Theme Park tickets must be purchased no later than July 20, 2010.
Pastor Paul Miller of our Mountian Home, Arkansas, church has been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Paul asked for prayer for his health and his family.
Cards can be sent to: 422 Hwy 14 S Yellville, AR 72687-7501
Jeanette Wendt, widow of longtime headquarters employee Jim Wendt, died February 27, in her home. Please remember the Wendt family in their loss. Pastor Glen Weber of our Eagle Rock, California, congregation sent this update about his father:
They took Dad back into surgery to re-install the electrodes on his new pacemaker. During the procedure his heart stopped. After extensive CPR they were able to revive him, but could not complete the procedure. They wanted to re-do the surgery by opening his chest and installing the electrode that way (rather than through the blood vessel like they were doing before). But he is so feeble now from all he’s been through that the family doesn’t want him to go through another procedure.
Yesterday he was moved out of the main hospital and into their Acute Rehab Unit. He is walking fairly well and doing everything he would typically be doing, but he is very weak and shaky. His mind is working very well. He will go through extensive therapy for the next few days.
Cards may be sent to: Glen Weber, Sr. 17 Cozad Rd Wheatland, WY 82201-8987
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
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Tony and Wilma Murphy, long time employees of GCI, are retiring this week. Tony has served the church in many capacities in video production over the years, and since our move to Glendora he has headed first a one-man video production department and then a two-man department when he took on Nate Smith part-time and began grooming him to one day replace him. Tony is not only an outstanding producer and director, but is also a highly talented set designer, camera operator, audio technician, and video and audio editor. As we can all attest, his work on Speaking of Life, You’re Included, and GCI Together have been nothing short of exemplary. We are delighted that he will continue to work part-time producing the You’re Included video program. Nate Smith, Tony’s assistant and protégé, will now step into Tony’s full-time duties. Nate actually began his professional video production career in high school as an assistant to Tony several years ago. Now, with a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in cinema art, industry awards for outstanding film and video production and working for the past two-and-a-half years with our GCI video programs, we are pleased to welcome him as our new video producer.
Jackson, Tennessee, Church visit
