Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Check Your Spam Folder
From GCI Computer Support :
As we reported recently, we are making the move to gci.org email. Currently only a few pastors have been moved to gci.org email. Until you are contacted by support@gci.org please continue to use your wcg.org email address. During the first phase of this move, we’ve noticed that sometimes our email ends up getting marked as spam. Please make sure you check your “spam” or “junk” folder regularly to see if any important messages happened to get placed there. Your internet provider may also filter out spam into a spam or junk folder before it gets to your computer, so you may need to log into your web mail to check. That is true for wcg.org and/or gci.org email accounts. Go to http://gmail.wcg.org/ or http://gmail.gci.org/, log in there to check your spam folder.
If you need help, email support@gci.org or call 800-350-4466 or 626-650-2340
From Jim Kissee:
On September 20 Jeff Chandler was installed as senior pastor for Christian Life Fellowship in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Jeff has been serving in this capacity for over a year with wonderful support from Trish and the Jonesboro church family. With new pastor training completed and with mentoring continuing by Randy Bloom, the time had arrived for Jeff’s installation as pastor. In the hearts of the congregation, Jeff and Trish were already fully serving but as Jeff would say with tear filled eyes, “he hadn’t realized how much the actual installation would mean to him, his family and the congregation.”
Canada
Gary Moore sent this update:
I am very happy to announce that Colin and Susan Lauchlan have accepted the responsibility of pastoring our churches in the London, Windsor and Sarnia areas of southwestern Ontario. They made a trip out from Edmonton last weekend, driving the church circuit with Phil Baldwin, who is moving to New Zealand, and then house hunting on Monday and Tuesday in London. I very much appreciated Colin and Sue during my three-and-a-half years in Edmonton, and know they will be a great blessing to the members in these churches. Colin came into our fellowship in South Africa, later attending Ambassador College, where he met Sue. They lived in the UK, moved back to South Africa for a number of years, and then moved back to Edmonton, Alberta (Sue’s home town) in the early 90s. Colin was ordained as an elder in Edmonton and has continued serving there in that capacity ever since.
I spoke with Colin on Thursday, just after they returned from London. Colin spoke very highly of the wonderful pastoral work that Phil Baldwin has done in the area, and of how obvious it is that Phil really loves the people. I just wanted to say how much Phil has been appreciated by all of us. He has lovingly cared for the flocks where he has served, and has served with dedication and selflessness. His service as a worship leader at our national conferences will be greatly missed as well. We wish them all the best, and may they never forget where home is!
Please pray for a smooth transition for Phil and Susan in their move to New Zealand. They will surely be a blessing to all with whom they come into contact. Also, please pray for Colin and Sue as they make all the needed preparations for the move to Ontario, and settle into their new pastoral responsibilities.
Prayer Requests and Updates
Rex dela Pena, Manila Area Superintendent, reported that Metro Manila and nearby areas like Bulacan are still struggling to cope with the massive flooding that took place last Saturday. He wrote:
Typhoon Ondoy’s wrath was more powerful than Katrina that hit New Orleans a couple of years ago. In 12 hours, Ondoy dropped one month’s worth of rain.
Due to the thousands of people affected by the flood and who are now temporarily staying at the evacuation centers (total of 600 evacuation centers), many people are starting to get sick with diarrhea. Small children and elderly people are the most vulnerable. They need to have immediate medical treatment in the coming days. It is feared that an epidemic will follow if the floodwaters do not recede in the coming days.
Marikina, Antipolo, Cainta, San Mateo, Pasig and Santa Maria in Bulacan and 16 towns in Laguna are still submerged at this time. Our church in Santa Maria meets on the third floor, yet the church hall was inundated with water and mud. Four families from GCI Santa Maria lost their houses when the water from the nearby river swelled. Many of the small children at the evacuation centers in Santa Maria are starting to get sick with vomiting and diarrhea. The food in these evacuation centers is severely lacking.
The churches and members in Metro Manila are generally safe and are now recovering. There will be a small work party to pack some of the donated clothes and food items for the victims in those areas identified.
Ministerial trainee Aron Tolentino, who lives in Pasig, had to find temporary housing for his family because the roads leading to Pasig are still impassable.
If you’d like to help
United States members and congregations can donate to the Disaster Relief Fund, which was established to help our members and perhaps others when faced with such disasters. If you or your congregation would like to help other members and local congregations affected by disasters, please direct your donation to the Disaster Relief Fund. It exists to help with costs of emergency member needs, including the costs of such items as food, water, clothing, and temporary housing, as well as temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency local church expenses. The Fund is coordinated by pastors in the affected areas.
Checks should be made out to Grace Communion International, marked Disaster Relief Fund, and mailed to:
Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
PO Box 5005
Glendora, CA 91740
Jim and Marj Friddle reported that Marj’s knee surgery went well, but she is still suffering a great deal of pain. They send their appreciation for everyone’s continued prayers.
Cards may be sent to:
7404 Stillwater Dr.
Bayonet Point, FL 34667
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.
Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach
