We are saddened to announce the death of GCI friend and co-worker James Harvin of Long Island, NY. James, who is the son of Eugene and Vanessa Harvin, died on January 23 at age 27, having lost a courageous battle with a rare form of cancer. Eugene is a member of the GCI church in [...]
The following report is from Samuel Mercado, national youth ministry leader for GCI in Mexico. On November 19-21, 2011 the first Mexican youth camp was held in Maxamitla, in the Tiger Mountains about 135 kilometers from Guadalajara. About 38 youth from six GCI congregations attended. The camp’s goals were to unite GCI Mexico youth, help [...]
On January 13, Joseph Tkach (GCI president) and Russell Duke (GCI vice president) were guests at a historic gathering of denominational leaders held in Los Angeles, CA at the central offices of the Foursquare Church. Foursquare president Glenn Burris welcomed leaders of the denominations that have formed the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium (WHC). The WHC brings [...]
We are saddened to announce that Verlantina Dizon died on January 12. She is the mother of GCI pastor and district pastor Bermie Dizon, and a long-time member of NewLife Fellowship, a GCI congregation in Pasadena, CA. Verlantina was born on May 10, 1923 and devoted her life to her six children. Three of her [...]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I read in the news recently how scientists have made some advancement in the technology that makes objects invisible. A “cloak of invisibility” has long been the stuff of science fiction. But now, it seems, researchers have demonstrated that they are able to engineer materials that redirect light waves [...]
The annual Generations Ministries (GenMin) Summit will be held on March 2-4, 2012 at the Mt. Lebanon Retreat and Conference Center in Cedar Hill, TX (near Dallas). The Summit is a gathering of GenMin’s camp and short-term mission trip leaders. Each year, the number of young adults and teens attending this gathering has increased. These [...]
GCI media has posted videos of a “Free to Live” conference conducted for GCI by Trinitarian theologian Baxter Kruger. The videos are posted at http://www.gci.org/media/freetolive. They are useful for personal study and as a curriculum in small groups or Bible studies.
The following report is from Doug Johannsen Snowblast 2012 was held January 14-16 at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch near Rochester, MN. Twenty-eight youth and 24 adults participated with an additional 22 members of the Rochester congregation present for the Sunday morning worship service. The mix of people included some from other denominations, one woman who [...]
Mary Bacheller was ordained an elder on January 15 during the worship service at New Life in Christ (the GCI congregation in Queens, New York). About 120 attended, with many expressing appreciation for Mary’s faithful service to our churches in the New York City area for over 40 years. Mary’s ordination ceremony included several testimonies [...]
Several GCI congregations are finding that social media (such as Facebook) is a useful tool for communicating with both members and nonmembers. For a helpful article about using social media in ministry, see The (Digitally) Connected Church at http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/fall/connectedchurch.html.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As those called to be God’s fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9) and Christ’s ambassadors (1 Cor. 5:20), we are challenged to communicate to the world the gospel of God’s grace in Christ. Our communication occurs in many forms, including words and acts through which we present the truth of [...]
The GCI congregation in Barranquilla, Colombia has 45 members and an average attendance of 70. They meet in the recreation room of a local school. This location provides many opportunities for members to develop relationships with students at the school. As a result, they have a large children’s Sunday School. In addition to their Sunday [...]
In a GCI Weekly Update announcement last December, it was noted that Curtis May, who directs the Office of Reconciliation and Spiritual Mediation, would participate this January in the Reconciliation and Police Legitimacy Summit conducted by COPS (the Community Oriented Policing Services office) of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC. That summit occurred last week and here is Curtis’ [...]
GCI Australia pastor Mohan Jayasekera and his wife Nihara are pleased to announce the recent wedding of their daughter Nilakshi to Shehan Alwis. Here are photos of the wonderful occasion.
On December 17, GCI pastor Larry Hinkle graduated from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio with a doctoral (DMin) degree in Formational Counseling. Larry is the senior pastor of GCI congregations in Ft. Lauderdale and Port St. Lucie, FL and is GCI’s district pastor in Florida. Larry’s doctoral work led to development of two GCI Ministry Development training [...]
To participate actively and skillfully in mission with Jesus in an increasingly post-Christian world means significant change for most churches. The video below is of a 55 minute seminar at a recent Verge conference. Presenter Mike Breen (along with others from 3DM) offers helpful tips for transitioning your church to being more missional without killing it [...]
The videos below are interviews with GCI senior pastors Jim Valekis (Tipp City, OH) and Roger Abels (Fort Wayne, IN). Each pastor discusses what his congregation is doing to connect with the unchurched community nearby where their church gathers for worship. http://youtu.be/HBhi4sl2T64 http://youtu.be/izkIGz0JuBM Videos like these, showing GCI congregations on journey with Jesus, can be [...]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Every part of life is enriched by the presence and power of Jesus who is active in our world. As several authors have noted, no one has ever impacted civilization the way Jesus has: Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50 years and Aristotle for 40 years. Though [...]
Howell Evans is 104 years old. He has been a GCI member in Dublin, Ireland for many years. Howell is the oldest surviving Welshman in the Republic of Ireland. He grew up and was educated in North Wales. His interests are many. He is an avid photographer – he photographed all of the statues and [...]
The following is from Gary Moore, GCI director in Canada. We are saddened to announce the death of Anne Robey-Graham, wife of Gordon Graham who pastored GCI churches in Canada for several years. To read Anne’s obituary, click here. Gordon and Anne lived in Arizona for the last several years. Here is a short note [...]
The January issue of Equipper highlights the importance of preaching and offers resources for preachers and teachers. Also, note that a helpful article discussing why preaching is key to reaching unchurched people is posted at http://www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11662703/.
This report is from Pedro Rufian in Spain. GCI members in Madrid are thanking God for the opportunity to participate, along with most of the Evangelical churches in Spain, in “My Hope” – three television programs that presented the gospel for the first time on two nationwide TV stations in Spain. We hope these programs provide [...]
The CAD Ministry Development Team offers training to facilitators of FaithTalk groups – a type of small group designed to connect with unchurched people. Training and other resources are available at FaithTalk equipper at http://faithtalkgroups.blogspot.com/. Posted below are new facilitator training videos – one about building community (with Pat Shaw) and the other about including children [...]
CAD has posted an updated edition of the Pastoral Continuing Education Program Guide at http://tinyurl.com/8xabmsp (sign in required). The primary change is the addition of books to the approved reading list.
As noted in the January issue of Equipper, February in the U.S. is designated as Black History Month. George Hart, one of GCI’s pastors in the Cincinnati, OH area reports that Black History Month has been an important tool for outreach in his congregation. Here is what they have planned this year: Feb. 5: Soul Food [...]
We are pleased to announce that on December 17, GCI pastor Larry Wooldridge graduated from Philadelphia Biblical University in Langhorne, PA, with a master of divinity (MDiv) degree. Larry tells us that it took him eight years to complete the degree. Congratulations Larry! Larry is senior pastor of GCI’s congregations in Meriden and Stratford, CT and [...]
For a helpful article from Jeff McSwain on the importance and meaning of the incarnation, see http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/decemberweb-only/christmas-epistles.html.
Two GCI members, Kayla Shallenberger from Cincinnati, OH, and Carrie Smith from Pittsburgh, PA, are presently teaching at the Worldwide Church of God school in Blantyre, Malawi. Kayla was teaching her class about the real meaning of Christmas and she asked the children what they would give Jesus for Christmas. The children turned in their [...]
This report is from Philip Baldwin. Another major earthquake rocked Christchurch, NZ on December 17. The GCI members there are shaken but uninjured. The situation is horrible for the residents of that city – they had been hoping that seismic activity had ceased for the foreseeable future.
Birmingham, Alabama, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on February 12, 2012. Birmingham had its first service on February 24, 1962. It was the second church congregation of the Radio Church of God established in the Southeastern United States. Its closest sister churches were Memphis, Tennessee, and Big Sandy, Texas. We are pleased to have Joe [...]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As the New Year begins, I was amused to see that two small countries in the South Pacific could not wait for it. Samoa and Tokelau were the last places to begin 2011. But they became the first places to welcome in 2012. You see, these countries are located close [...]
In the last issue of Weekly Update it was announced that Dr. Gary Deddo is now working part-time with GCI (going full time in July). Here Gary shares some details about himself, his wife Cathy and their three children. I was born and raised in Glendale, CA, not far from Fuller Seminary— which I attended in [...]
Eugene Guzon, GCI national director in the Philippines, writes concerning the recent devastating floods in Mindanao. I recently returned from Mindanao where I visited and gave immediate assistance to our members in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City, the two main areas in Mindanao severely damaged by the typhoon and flash floods that occurred at [...]
The following prayer update is from GCI pastor Martin Manuel concerning his grandson Jason Richards. For an earlier update, click here. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Jason Richards. He continues to be a miracle child and testimony of God’s grace. Jason was released from Seattle Children’s Hospital recently. While there, [...]
We are saddened to announce the death of Byron Duke who died unexpectedly on Monday afternoon at age 62. Byron grew up in Pasadena, CA where he attended Imperial Schools and then graduated from Ambassador College in 1971. In recent years he served as the treasurer in the GCI congregation in Joplin, MO. Byron is survived [...]
In 2012, the GCI U.S. Ministry Development Team will continue to provide Transformational Church consulting services. To read about those services, click here (see under “consulting services” in the right-hand column). To hear from a GCI pastor and his wife concerning the value of these services, watch the video below. If you would like to arrange [...]
This report is from Living Christian Fellowship member Paul Hailey. Living Faith Christian Fellowship, the GCI congregation in Portland, OR, has about 30 members. We meet adjacent to King City, a senior (55 and older) community with about 1600 residents. Since most of our members are of this age group, it made sense to us [...]
The following report is from Lee Berger who directs the GenMin Crossing Borders mission team. We returned recently from a mission trip to Mexico to deliver shoe box gifts. In several ways it was the most challenging of the 13 mission trips we have made into Mexico since 2005. From churches and other groups across [...]