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October 27, 2010

Jeannine Putain of the Lyon, France, church was ordained as an elder.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tammy and I send you warm greetings from 250 of our brothers and sisters meeting in Evian, France, for their annual festival. We were able to spend some very enjoyable time with them before going on to the UK for the board of trustees meeting and the European ministerial conference. I attempted to sing hymns in French with them, and I know God was pleased my joyful noise even though my French was unintelligible.

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GCI Media Personnel Changes

From Mike Feazell:

We are pleased to announce that Michael Morrison, who has served as Media Director for the past several years, is moving half-time to Grace Communion Seminary to serve as Dean of Faculty. Mike, who earned his PhD in New Testament from Fuller Theological Seminary, has been an integral part of GCS from its inception, serving as a faculty member and assisting GCS President Russell Duke with key administrative duties. Mike will continue to serve GCI Media half-time as senior editor, writer, website literature content manager, alternate host for You’re Included, and numerous other duties. In my view, Mike has been doing the equivalent of three jobs for years, not counting his outstanding work as an elder at NewLife Fellowship in Pasadena. Although he will be half-time with GCI Media, he will continue to play a major role on the media team.

To fill the void created by Mike’s half-time move to GCS, Video Content Producer Nathan Smith will step into the new role of Media Production Supervisor. Nathan earned his degree in cinema arts and production at Azusa Pacific University and produced four award-winning video productions before joining our media department in 2007. I am confident that his high-quality work in video planning and production, combined with his broad range of skills and experience in media in general, prepare him well for these additional responsibilities in facilitating and coordinating the production of all our denominational media efforts with innovation and creativity during this time of budgetary constraint.

And last, but not least, media stalwart John Halford, editor of Christian Odyssey, will be retiring. However, I’m very thankful and greatly relieved to say that John will be rehired at half-time and will continue to edit our redesigned Christian Odyssey magazine, and will continue to offer editorial guidance to our overseas national publications as his time permits. John has been and will continue to be an anchor of stability and a fount of creativity for GCI, and I count it one of my great blessings in the church to have been able to work alongside him for so many years. I count on doing that for many more.

Congratulations to Mike, Nathan and John in their continued service to Jesus Christ!


Mark Schnee provides the German voiceover for Speaking of Life

Germany

Santiago Lange announced the launching of Apropos Leben (the dubbed German version of Speaking of Life) on our German website. You can view them at http://www.wcg.org/de/ and http://www.wcg.org/de/video. Santiago wrote, “I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the realization of this project. My special thanks to Mark Schnee, Wolfgang Happes, Robert Meade, Bret Miller, Tony Murphy and Nathan Smith. We pray that this step forward will help spread the good news in the German speaking areas.”


Pastoral Internships

From Greg Williams:

We are continuing our search for qualified pastoral internship candidates in the U.S. Pastoral internships are part-time paid or volunteer positions and last 12-24 months. Though paid pastoral internships are limited, volunteer internships are readily available for qualified candidates, including college and seminary students needing an internship for class credit.

For more information visit http://www.wcg.org/MinDev/internships.htm or contact Greg Williams at greg.williams@gci.org


Prayer Requests and Updates

Edith Rostant

Funeral services for Edith Rostant, mother of Pearl Charles, wife of Trinidad and Tobago pastor Clifton Charles, will be held Friday, October 29, at 2.00 p.m. in her home town of San Fernando at the church she attended. Pearl wrote, “I just want to thank all our brothers and sisters for the prayers offered up on our behalf. God’s love has been revealed to us in profound ways through this journey, and I don’t believe we will ever be the same again.

Cards can be sent to:
The Charles Family
10 Robert Street
Arima, Trinidad and Tobago


From Edna Barr.

As we were celebrating the good news of Al’s cancer being in remission, we noticed he was getting weaker and weaker on the last round of chemo. From his scheduled appointment on Oct. 25, he had to go to the ER, and was admitted because of general weakness and shortness of breath. And he has lost a lot of weight. He has gone from 190 pounds in July to 140 pounds now. I think most of that weight loss was in the last three weeks.The problem is that he developed diabetes as a result of the medication. When he entered the hospital, his sugar was at 440. We didn’t know what was wrong until the nurse came in to give him insulin. He is very sick right now, but now that we know what the problem is, things are looking up.

The physical therapist told me that he would probably have to go to rehab after he gets out of the hospital until he can climb 13 steps, unless I find a place that is on the first floor or has an elevator. So please pray for a good place for us to move at a reasonable price, as well as for Al’s healing. That’s two miracles in NYC, but our God is a God of miracles.

Love to all, and thanks for your prayers,

Edna

Cards may be sent to:
255-04 147 Road 2nd Floor
Rosedale, NY 11422


Karen Sinner

Please continue to remember in prayer Pastor Glen Weber’s sister, Karen Sinner, who will be having a biopsy of the mass on her spine next Tuesday.

Cards may be sent to:
3914 Robitaille Court
Cheyenne, WY 82001


Daniel Boesch

Italian National Director Daniel Boesch asked for prayer after a recent fainting spell and hospital stay. He wrote, “I will now have to take some time to drastically slow down my pace in order to gain back my full strength. Paola and I wanted to deeply thank all of you who have accompanied us through this very unpleasant trial with your prayers, phone calls and e-mails. It means a lot to have such a great family in times of need. Please continue to pray for a full recovery and that I won’t suffer any set-backs.”

Cards may be sent to:
Via G. Verdi 47
Almenno S. Bartolomeo (BG)
ITALY

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


October 20, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Don and Sue Lawson are proud great-grandparents of twins! Don wrote:

We haven’t sent a picture before, even though we have 13 grandchildren and now 7 greats. Numbers six and seven are “two” much “two” pass up. Our grandson Steven and wife Jamie Myers gave birth to twins on September 21. Kyle, one minute older than his sister, weighed in at 4 lb 8 oz, while younger sister Alyssa weighed in at 4 lb 9 oz. Due to early birth, about eight months, they had a short stay in the hospital, but are home and doing well. Great-grandpa was the first one to hold both of them; then it was Great Grandma’s turn.


Tammy and I enjoyed Canadian Thanksgiving services in Penticton last week. Pastor Roy Page hosted the event, and we enjoyed seeing Steve and Nicole Posiak and Todd Martin as well. About 100 attended the church service and Turkey dinner on Sunday evening. The Okanagan Valley is home to more than 200 wineries, which were having their annual wine tasting during the Thanksgiving season.

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Canadian national director Gary Moore attended a Thanksgiving celebration in Moncton, New Brunswick. He sent the following report:

Pastor Eric Vautour and his wife, Edna, along with the Moncton, New Brunswick, church, hosted a special Thanksgiving weekend celebration last Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. People from several Maritime congregations attended the uplifting time of fellowship. Since I pastored in the Maritimes for nearly 12 years, it is always a special time for me to visit the members in that lovely part of our country.

Mike and Sandy Baker were among those who drove up from the Halifax area. Mike (with Sandy’s great support) has served as an elder for many years, and is well known and highly respected by all our Atlantic members. They will be moving to B.C. toward the end of the year to be closer to their two children (Matt and Nathania) and their three grandsons. It will be B.C.’s gain, but Nova Scotia’s loss, but who can resist the pull of grandchildren!

Below are two pictures, one of Eric and Edna Vautour, and the other of the group eating a chicken dinner on Saturday evening. Many headed off after the Sunday afternoon service to join family for a Thanksgiving celebration that evening, or on Thanksgiving day. I was able to make an early Monday morning flight out of Moncton to join the family for our turkey dinner. As we don’t have relatives in this area, we (Wendy, Rachel, Kylie and I) invited a Korean family we know who are fairly new to Canada. Their daughter is in grade four with Kylie, so as any of you who are parents know, the parents of your children’s friends often become your friends.

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Finally, I wanted to mention that Reuben Ross, whose family are long-time members of the Regina congregation, won silver and gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. He won the gold as part of the synchronized men’s team with Alexandre Despatie of Montreal, who is one of Canada’s greatest divers. With this achievement, Reuben is rapidly becoming one of the country’s great divers as well!


East Africa

From Kalengule Kaoma:

An elderly man receives a Bible, his own copy for the first time in his life. Thanks to USA and Australian brethren for making Bible gifts possible.

I returned from East Africa recently where I had visited our affiliated congregations in Mara region, northwestern Tanzania. The trip took me to Musoma, Kiabakari, Bunda, Nansio, Kisorya, and Tarime. Believers in these towns and villages were extremely grateful to God that I had taken the time to visit, spend time with and speak to them.

A 22-seat plane landed safely on a gravel airport in Musoma September 29. Church leader and overseer, Pastor Shadrack Fabian, met me at the airport. The following day, Pastor Fabian, his assistant Saile and a translator, Freddy, left Musoma by van taxi to Kiabakari. From the main bus station, we went by motorbike taxi to the village, where we found a group of men, women, and children waiting for us. The open-air church service under mango trees attracted villagers who sat outside their huts. They watched and listened. In my message based on Mark 6:30-44, I encouraged 35 people in attendance to find fullness of life in Christ, who satisfies all our needs.

We spent the night in Bunda. The pastor of the Bunda congregation and the church members there sent their regards. At 6.30 a.m., we boarded a van taxi to Kisorya, where we were to connect to Nansio, Ukerewe district, by ferry. Ukerewe district has several islands on Lake Victoria. There are several congregations from which 85 representatives attended church service at Bulamba Village. After lunch, I held meetings with church leaders.

On October 2, we took the ferry back to Kisorya. We had two church services there; one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Last year, the Kisorya church building, which was under construction, collapsed because of torrential rains. Since then, the Kisorya church has gratefully been meeting in an Anglican church building on Saturdays. A kiln of bricks has been fired and is now almost ready for the members to start rebuilding their worship center.

On October 3, my team and I left Kisorya at 7 a.m. After five hours of travelling, we arrived in Tarime, where I met the leaders of Grace and Truth Community International. You may recall that Millie and Joash of Grace and Truth Community International had inquired about affiliation with GCI early this year. Since then, this group changed its name to Grace Communion International. Five leaders, General Overseer Joseph Nyakwaka, Assistant General Overseer Maurice Onyango, and Millie Wandwi, Joash Adriano Odira, and Jennifer Webiro were waiting for us. This initial assessment meeting went so well that I encouraged the leaders that we will keep an open door for affiliation. They have eleven churches – five in Kenya and six in Mara region, Tanzania. They are already looking forward to my next visit.


Portugal

From Jose Ribeiro:

We had a fellowship festival meeting here in Portugal and it was a treat to spend time with international members from the USA, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, Belgium and Portugal during the weekend. There were 38 in attendance. Guest speakers included Mr. Francis Bergin and Mr. James Henderson from the UK; it was simply great! The theme was “Celebrating Grace,” and many inspiring messages were shared.

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We took the opportunity to ordain a new deacon in Portugal, Mr. Daniel Fernandes. Daniel was baptized in 1992 and has served in the church in many areas including youth activities, translations, giving messages, and organizing events. He is an energetic and outgoing person who combines service with humility.

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Prayer requests and updates:

Charles Fleming asked Haiti pastor Joseph Franklin to tell us what we could pray about. Generally speaking, Mr. Franklin said that life just gets harder. Everything seems to be on hold until the elections. The problem of kidnappings has reappeared. Specific prayer requests include:

  • Pray for the elections—set for November 28—for a government that is more effective than any Haiti has had in the past.
  • About law and order—especially for the authorities to get a handle on the kidnappings
  • Sanitation in the city—this is a growing problem
  • There has been a lot of damage caused by heavy rains and storms. The opening of our school was delayed because the storms blew down the tent being used as a school on four different occasions. The school finally opened today—October 18—with 54 kids attending. Total enrollment is 134 and so more are expected to show up over the next few days.
  • Pray for the teachers, pupils and parents.
  • Pray for God’s inspiration on the Franklins, who lead devotions with the kids. Mrs. Franklin gave the prayer this morning, asking blessings on the school year.

The Church family:

  • For protection for all members and their kids. Parents worry a lot about their kids’ safety. Andre Naval spends approximately three hours a day riding the bus to escort his kids (two in university and one finishing off high school) because he does not want them to ride the bus alone.
  • For conditions that allow services to be held each week. For example, services were cancelled yesterday because of storms.
  • Andre Naval crushed one of his fingers while closing the metal gate outside his home. He lost a nail and has not been able to do much work.
  • Mrs. Franklin’s health has not been very good over the past several months.
  • Mr Franklin has also had some health issues and has been experiencing pain.

Pastor Glen Weber of our Eagle Rock, California, congregation asked for prayer for his sister, Karen Sinner, who has a lemon-sized tumor near her tailbone that is encroaching on her spine. She is on a a 24-hour a day chemo drip for the next five and a half weeks. She is also receiving daily radiation treatments, which will continue until Thanksgiving.

Karen has been an active part of our Cheyenne, Wyoming, congregation and a staff member at SEP Rockies.

Cards may be sent to:
Karen Sinner
3914 Robitaille Court
Cheyenne, WY 82001

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


October 13, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

September and October saw several festivals and conferences around the world, including those in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Spain, Canada, Africa, the Americas, Philippines and others. In this update we have reports about the festivals in Spain and Wisconsin Dells. Also, please note the prayer requests and join us in prayer for those who are enduring ongoing serious health problems.


Canada and Africa

Gary Moore reports on continued growth in Mozambique and Malawi:

Wendy, Kylie and I had a wonderful time with the members in Edmonton last weekend. Members drove in from the Evansburg area, and several came from Westlock and the small group church in Wetaskiwin. Below are two photos, one of Peter and Trudi Heide, cutting the cake in celebration of their 63rd anniversary. The second is deacon and board member Gerry Sinkler presenting a gift to Bob Millman for pastor appreciation day.

It was great spending time with the Millmans and the Nordstroms over an excellent pizza on Saturday night.

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You may remember that we have been working on an affiliation process with about 60 congregations (55 in Mozambique and 5 in Malawi). GCI Canada helped fund a conference for their pastors in the spring, which was attended by Tim Maguire (our national leader in South Africa) and Caleb Makhela (a pastor and district pastor for GCI in South Africa). Also, with generous donations from the Abbotsford, British Columbia, and London, Ontario, congregations, we were able to purchase several Bibles for each of the congregations in either Portuguese or the local dialect.

I passed on to you the very sad news that Domingos, their leader, died suddenly this summer. He had contracted malaria earlier in the year, and apparently a bout of it returned and took his life. Recently, Tim and Caleb were able to make another trip to Mozambique to meet with the board Domingos had set up, and the interim leader the board appointed to give guidance to their congregations. The trip went very well, and Tim and Caleb have reported they are even more strongly desirous of being part of GCI. We will look forward to building this relationship over the coming years and have the joy of seeing our church family grow in a country (Mozambique) where we didn’t have a presence before.

Finally, I wanted to ask your prayers for Shirley Burrows. I was speaking with Perc Burrows on Monday, and he mentioned that she is suffering from a skin irritation. The doctors and nutritionists don’t seem able to identify the cause, or offer effective treatment. It is making it very hard for Shirley to sleep, and she feels weak and drained. The Burrows are long-time members in the Toronto area. They have a great heart for service, and love for their church family. Your prayers for Shirley would be greatly appreciated.


Spain

From Pedro Rufian:

Thanks to God’s love and care, more than 100 retreat attendees in Majorca, Spain, enjoyed an uplifting and spiritually profitable retreat at Barcelo Ponent Playa Hotel at Cala Ferrera (a cala is a small beach between rocky cliffs).

Once again the Spanish festival was a clear expression and flavor of our worldwide family. We had guests from the Azores Islands, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Netherlands, United Kingdom and USA. For a good number of Spanish members, most of whom are scattered all over the country, the spiritual retreat is a unique chance to strengthen the fraternal bonds of unity and friendship, not only with other members from Spain but also with their fellow GCI family from around the world.

God blessed us with a different speaker each day, including Santiago Lange, GCI European mission co-director. The worship and praise was inclusive, with a mix of different worship musical styles.

As an outreach activity, the festival talent show and the family dance were open to all hotel guests. As a result, we had some regular hotel guests at services every day. At our meeting hall entrance we displayed a large poster inviting anyone interested to services and activities.

Other activities included a group excursion to La Granja, a beautiful 10th-century mansion surrounded by lush vegetation, beautiful gardens and natural fountains. It was of great interest to the Moors, who dominated the island from the 10th century until the 13th century. With the Christian conquest of 1229 it was handed over to the Cistercian monks, who held it for 200 years, until it became private property. Today it is a museum, a living display of Majorcan customs through the ages. From there we visited Valldemosa village, where the great Polish composer Fredric Chopin lived and composed some of his pieces while he was trying to recuperate from tuberculosis. We also held a moving service of praise, prayer, worship, personal testimonies and thanksgiving, during which many members gave personal testimonies about what God is doing in our congregations in the different nations represented.

Many members commented to me this was the best festival site we had ever enjoyed in Spain. The hotel manager was very happy with our group and as result I made our group reservation for next year’s festival at the same excellent rates we enjoyed this year.

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In 2011 the spiritual retreat in Majorca will be held September 30 through October 8. The Spanish members, my family and myself extend a warm invitation to our worldwide family to join us. For more information contact Pedro Rufian at: iduespana@yahoo.es


Summer 2011 mission trips

Bahamas

A mission trip to the Bahamas is planned for July 15–30, 2011. We will be helping the local GCI congregation to run a two-week day camp for Bahamian and Haitian children. Many of the Haitians have left their country hoping to better their lives. They now live illegally in shanty towns on the outskirts of Nassau. To read more about this mission trip go to http://gctrips.org/BAHAMASTRIP.aspx The application deadline is November 5, 2010.

Zambia

A mission trip to Zambia (in Africa) is planned for August 4 – 16, 2011. We will be running a Vacation Bible School with the local GCI congregation and visiting an orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. For more details about this trip go to http://gctrips.org/ZAMBIA.aspx The application deadline for this trip is November 5, 2010.


Wisconsin Dells

From Doug Johannsen:

The 2010 weekend celebration at the Dells went extremely well. Due to the poor economy, we were anticipating a decrease in attendance, so you can imagine how we felt when the numbers showed a 23 percent increase instead!

A trend we’ve been noticing for several years is a gradual increase in the number of younger people and young families attending. It is our hope to continue to adapt to this shift. In the middle of the event we received several complaints from attendees that the event calendar had been removed from the gci.org site – they had been using that instead of the paper brochure to find out when worship services and breakout sessions were to begin. We notified HQ and it was quickly restored with an updated schedule. This change in how people look for information on site was also evident by the fact that we had an unusually high number of brochures left over after the event. Instead of carrying around a paper brochure, younger people will go to the electronic wireless media that they carry with them wherever they are. So for anyone out there who is planning a similar event, the “brochure of choice” for this generation needs to be on your website.

Mike Feazell and Nathan Smith were at the Dells this year and did quite a few video interviews that will be appearing on various gci.org programs in the next few months.

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The 2011 Dells celebration is scheduled for September 29, 30, October 1, 2 at the Kalahari. The same room rates as this year apply, and reservations may already be made. We are nearly finished negotiating a contract with the Kalahari for 2012.


Prayer Updates and Requests

Al and Edna Barr

Edna Barr sent this update about Al’s and her health:

Al is officially in remission. His biggest problem right now is painful cramping in his legs. It is sometimes hard to find something to stop that pain. There is also a general tiredness that comes from taking the chemo. Although the doctor said he is in remission, she wants him to continue on one of the cancer medications for a while. This is the one he takes orally at home. He doesn’t have to go back to the oncologist’s office until Oct. 25.

Thanks to all of those who have been praying for Al and me. We love you all. I recently went through a health scare with vomiting, pain, and blood in the urine. I had to leave church to go to the ER, where they put me on pain medication and antibiotics. They gave me two CT scans that were ominous but inconclusive. It appeared that I had a mass on my kidney, and a spot on my pancreas, but the ER doctor said I should get an MRI after the infection and bleeding cleared up. Meanwhile, my primary doctor told me to get an appointment with an oncologist and a general surgeon. God intervened, and I am well with normal MRI now. The MRI reader even concluded his report with “follow-up in one year.” That is particularly comforting because my insurance expires in October, and I have a year between that and Medicare. Although I will look for some kind of coverage, that certainly takes some of the pressure off. I feel fine.

Cards may be sent to:
255-04 147 Rd. 2nd floor
Rosedale, NY 11422


Lorenzo Arroyo

Lorenzo sent this update about his prostate cancer:

Yesterday, I saw my radiation oncologist. Also, I had two CT scans, an IV contrast pumped into me, and three tattoos. Supposedly, I am all set up for my radiation therapy (not chemo). All this is to pinpoint with accuracy the radiation beam that destroys the cancer (and everything else). But my prostate gland (and surrounding lymph nodes) should be able to repair themselves, while the cancer cells are to slow to heal quickly enough and therefore die off.

They do 3D imaging as they radiate. They take a mini CT scan prior to discharging the beam and layer it on top of the ones they took yesterday to make sure they are on target. Further, they say that the first two weeks are no problem, but afterwards the bladder becomes irritated from all the radiation next door. Undoubtedly, I’ll go through some discomfort.

I asked my doctor how much time I have to live with such a high Gleason score? The answer was, “We will do our best to get all the cancer, continue with the hormone therapy for a couple of years, and monitor your PSA levels.” I suspect that doctors are a lot like the weather man – hit and miss, so it is best not to predict anything at all! I just say, “Thank You Jesus!” Ultimately, it is all in his hands – in this world and the next.

I asked when can I expect a schedule and get started. They say probably the 18th, but don’t call us, we’ll call you. The doctor has to compare and calculate all the imaging and who knows what. A guy could die from all the waiting! In any case, I appreciate all your prayers and God’s favor. I’ll keep you posted.

Cards may be sent to:
4035 Mount Day Ct.
Antioch, CA 94531


Dennis Lawrence

Dennis wrote:

My chemo for next week has been rescheduled to begin on the 14th and will run through that weekend. Over the weekend, I’ll be admitted to the Lakeshore Hospital, our closer one. Following that, I’ll be giving myself a daily injection to promote the development of stem cells and their movement into the blood stream.

On the 25th, I’ll report to the Royal Victoria Hospital at 7.30 a.m. (that will be a challenge) for a blood test to see if the stem cells have peaked. If they have, they will be harvested that day in a virtually painless 6-hour procedure. If it doesn’t happen on the 25th, we’ll repeat the trip on the 26th and 27th. Three weeks after harvesting, I’ll be admitted to the Royal Victoria and will be there for at least 3 weeks. Then I’ll move into recovery. If all goes well, the doctor said that I could be back to 85 percent in three months. That’s not too bad and definitely a quicker recovery than with a full bone marrow transplant.

So, I have a “free” 10 days ahead and am trying to think of what I want to get done and whom I might want to visit. Then it looks like I’ll have a decent week or two between the next chemo and being admitted to hospital. I’ll try to take advantage of my energy without taxing it too much.

Cards may be sent to:
211 De L’ile Blvd.
Pincourt, PQ J7V 3R6
Canada


Dave Fiedler

Dave sent this update on his eye surgery:

I’m most grateful for all the love, concern and prayers so many have expressed for me. My fourth eye surgery for the detached retina in my left eye was about six weeks ago. I waited until the checkup a couple days ago before updating you this time. The doctor says the retina is healing and holding in place for the time being. My next appointment is in a month. If things are still holding in place, then he will schedule me for having the oil removed from the eye and inserting an artificial lens. I still have some distortion in my vision, but the doctor says it is too early to address it. We will deal with needed vision correction once we are sure the eye is stable.

Cards may be sent to:
20389 Strawline Rd.
Bend, OR 97702

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


October 6, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tammy and I just arrived home from the Gold Coast, Australia, where we met with 350 of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The weather was perfect, the fellowship even better. Not only was the music and worship renewing and inspirational, but I was delighted to participate in the blessing of 12 children, 9 of which were infants. Nearly everyone wanted me to pass greetings on to our families in fellowship around the world.

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Northwest Connections in Washington

Northwest Connections Family Camp was a success. We praise God for answering prayers and contradicting the weather predictions by blessing us with lots of sun!!! Fellowship and fun were the goals of the weekend as we connected with God and each other. The participants ranged in age from an infant to over 70 years old. They enjoyed a relaxing and laid back five days and four nights of camping.

Camp was held at the same state park as last year, but in a larger group site that was absolutely perfect. The group site was tucked away from most of the other camp sites so the impact of a full state park by Saturday night was barely felt. The kids had a giant field to play in and horses to admire on the other side of the fence.

The participants consisted of 19 overnight campers and 4 day participants representing 7 families with 11 children and 12 adults.

The days were unscheduled, with the exception of devotional time at 10 a.m. The families took great pleasure in a game of softball, created great artistic works at the arts and crafts station, played hours of capture the flag, and enjoyed many games of Uno. S’mores around the campfire at night and star gazing were highlights for all.

One family that attended camp has officially joined one of our congregations!

Shana Curd
Northwest Connections Director


BASE Camp in Tennessee

Our first official BASE Camp took place June 17-20 at the Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. We had 8 mini campers, 19 junior campers, 21 teens/campers, and 25 staff. Campers were divided into 5 “crews” for the duration of camp. We started camp off with each crew making a pirate flag since the theme of camp was High Seas Expedition. The next two days were broken into 2 to 2 1/2 hour blocks that started with all camp Worship, followed by games, crafts, and Bible lesson/Christian Living for the crews to rotate through.

Other day-time activities included cooking class for the older campers, and building and painting bird houses with some of the grandfathers at camp. Friday night was highlighted with an all-camp game that we call Night Fury, which is a variation of flashlight tag mixed with an obstacle course. This was our first time incorporating this into camp and it was a HUGE hit.

Saturday evening began with our homemade slip-n-slide competition on the activity field. The night was finished with a dance, complete with a game of musical body parts. Camp concluded Sunday morning with a worship service, slide show, and meal for all the parents, staff, and campers to enjoy before departing. We are thankful we could take a few days out of the real world to experience the love and peace of our amazing Father.

Check us out at www.basecamptn.org

Wayne Wendt
Director of BASE Camp


Update from Canada

Wendy, Kylie and I visited the Battleford, Saskatchewan, congregation this past weekend. We enjoyed a meal and fellowship with Bill and Averil Hall on Saturday night. On Sunday about 50 members assembled for the worship service and a wonderful potluck meal that followed. One couple came from Tisdale (about a 4 hour drive), with others joining the Battleford members from the Saskatoon, and Maidstone (formerly Lloydminister) congregations. It was encouraging to meet several people from the Battleford area who have only recently begun attending. There is a positive atmosphere in the congregation, and that is proving attractive to new people.

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We are off tomorrow to Edmonton for a weekend event that Bob Millman has planned. As always, it will be enjoyable to visit in an area where I once pastored. Included are two photos from our weekend in Battleford: one of the church group at worship, the other of Bill and Averil Hall.

Warm regards to all, Gary and Wendy


Prayer Requests and Updates

Joanne Barrie
We grieve with pastor Lloyd Barrie over the loss of wife Joanne. Lloyd wrote:

My wife, Joanne, passed away peacefully Friday, October 1. She was surrounded by her family and the on-call hospice nurse. “Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone” was playing in the background as she smiled and left to be with Jesus. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers over the past weeks and months! Her life, including the last nine months, has been an incredible journey.

Lloyd Barrie

Cards may be sent to:
768 North Main Street
Kalispell, MT 59901


Judith Omasta

Judith Omasta, wife of Larry Omasta, experienced pain in the lower abdomen and started hemorrhaging. At Huntington Hospital, they did an ultrasound and blood work. The blood work came back negative. The ultrasound did not show any masses or tumors, but did show a thickening of the endometrial lining of the uterus. The pain and hemorrhaging have both subsided. Judith was able to see her primary care physician on Monday and the doctor encouraged her by saying that she didn’t think Judith’s problem was severe, but they will probably take a biopsy of her endometrial lining.

God has dramatically intervened, and we are grateful.

Love,
Larry & Judith

Cards may be sent to:
1612 N Roosevelt Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104

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