Phil Baldwin, pastor of our GCI house church congregation in Christchurch, New Zealand, sent the following report about the devastating earthquake there:
Our scattered members in Christchurch are all safe following the catastrophic midday earthquake on 22 February. While one member’s home is largely inaccessible due to rock falls from the cliff face behind it, the others have had power and water restored to their houses, a real blessing in a city where one-third of the homes are still without running water or sewage service.
Many streets in the suburbs of Christchurch have these mounds of liquefaction that have been shoveled together by volunteers.
This relatively shallow 6.3 magnitude earthquake, the second to rock the city in less than six months, happened close to central Christchurch at 12.51 pm on a Tuesday when the city’s buildings and streets were full of people and traffic. Half the brick buildings in Christchurch’s central business district have been irreparably damaged. The death toll stands at 154, with another 50 or more still missing.Stories and video abound of tragic loss, near misses, harrowing escapes, and a community of people who have pulled together to help with the recovery. The Kiwi mindset of “just getting on with it” has meant that police, armed forces, ambulance, fire brigades, and an army of citizen volunteers (including thousands of university students) have cordoned off the teetering buildings in the city’s core, provided security, fed and housed displaced residents, as well as shoveled up an estimated 100,000 tons of liquefaction (wet sand and silt forced up to the surface through even the tiniest cracks in pavement).
Volunteers sort food and supplies for delivery to an earthquake support center in Christchurch.
Support and personnel have poured in from across New Zealand and around the world. Remarkably, there has been minimal looting, and next to no public violence.
Christchurch Cathedral’s Dean, Peter Beck, praised the kindness people had shown each other throughout the disaster. He said, “People are reaching out to one another, talking to one another, giving each other food… that’s what it’s all about. You often see in these worst of times the best in human beings.”
New church plant
Left to right: Serena, Dishon, Afrika and Cairo Mills.
Dishon and Afrika Mills are in the early stages of planting a new church in Randolph, Massachusetts. Dishon and Afrika were part of the WCG in their youth, and when they came across our emphasis on Trinitarian theology, they were moved to re-connect with us. They attended Church-Next Training, and after discussions with DPL Larry Wooldridge, they developed a preliminary plan for planting a new church.
In concert with CMM and CAD, the Mills are now moving ahead with their plans, starting a small group, networking with unchurched people, developing a “launch team” of ministry leaders and establishing financial accounting processes. Please remember them in prayer.
Southwest regional conference
This year’s round of district conferences began in Ontario, California, with 145 attending.
Kalengule Kaoma sent this update about his recent visit.
I spent some time with executive leaders of the two groups we have been working with for affiliation in Tanzania. We constituted a caretaker national team made up of members from both groups to start the process of registering GCI in Tanzania.
While in Tanzania I delivered 21 bicycles purchased by Rod Dean’s congregation in Australia to assist field ministers with their transportation needs. Many of these pastors in Ukerewe, Kisorya, Bunda, Tarime in Mara region and border areas of Tanzania and Kenya cover large circuits on foot. Some walk for 14 hours through forest to minister to Christians in their congregations. Rose Ochola, who pastors a congregation in a border town in Kenya and coordinates Pastors’ Food Basket, told me: “To complete my rounds, I spend two days on the way at a time. This bicycle will be handy.”
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In addition to bicycle support, members from Rod Dean’s church will put a roof on the Kisorya church building and provide widows and orphans in border towns of Kenya near Tanzania with some food support for at least two months.
Canada
From Gary Moore:
The picture to the right is of the elders from Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Toronto, and Alvaro Palacio from the east congregation, with Eric Warren. The elders all prayed for Eric, as he took on the mantle as the new pastor of the congregation. This was done at Eric’s first service as their pastor, two weeks ago. From left to right the elders are: Trevor Brown, Perc Burrows, Ian Bell, Eric Warren, John McGuigan, George Lee, John Martin and Alvaro Palacio.
Please pray for Eric and Amy as they transition into a new pastorate, and a new city.
Prayer Requests and Updates
John Biswas
John Biswas let us know that he is now recovered from his recent illness and very grateful for the many prayers on his behalf. He added, “I was very much lifted up by the numerous get well cards, near and far.”
David Fiedler
The news on my eye is not good; I’m back to where I was after the third surgery last July. After the oil removal about 12 days ago, all was well for the first few days. But on the fifth day, my retina detached again (for the fifth time). I’m extremely disappointed as I felt I was so close to getting on to the next step of getting a new lens. When the oil was removed it was replaced with a saline solution. It gradually dissipates and is supposed to be replaced by my own vitreous fluid. Unfortunately, my eye didn’t produce nearly enough, and within five days my eye pressure was down to zero, which precipitated my last detachment. I had surgery again to reattach the retina, and oil was again placed in the eye. I am considering leaving the oil in long-term this time. However, some doctors say they don’t want to leave it in permanently because of possible ill effects to the eye. Others say it can be left in. I may have no choice but to leave it in, as it seems my retina has the best chance of holding in place with the oil. If that is the route I go, then I probably won’t be able to use the eyes together, but at least I’ll have an auxiliary eye in case something ever happens to my good eye. Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers on my behalf. Linda and I have been so moved by all the love and support you have shown!
Cards may be sent to: 20389 Strawline Rd. Bend, OR 97702
Lynne Pahl
Please join us in prayer for Lynne Pahl, co-pastor of the Wausau, WI church, whose husband, Terry Pahl passed away February 25. Terry choked on a piece of steak lodged in his throat while at a dinner party on February 22. The Heimlich maneuver and CPR were performed and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but he had been without oxygen too long and never regained consciousness. On February 25 the respirator was removed and Terry died within two hours. Just after her husband died, Lynne received notification that her job was being terminated in July.
Cards may be sent to: Lynne Pahl T1354 County Road WW Wausau, WI 54403
Bernie Schnippert
Bernie wrote: “On Tuesday, March 8, I have the third procedure to kill the third-largest tumor in my liver resulting from my carcinoid cancer. Recovery from my second treatment, about four weeks ago, has been slow because they used drug-eluting beads instead of radioactive beads for technical reasons. I still have much fatigue from that procedure. This time they will use the radioactive beads, and my hope is that recovery is faster. It is frustrating to recover from one therapy and then be knocked down by the next one, as is inevitable since the procedures are highly invasive to the liver. I will be traveling to Portland on Monday, having the procedure Tuesday, and then traveling home on Wednesday. Please remember Arlene and me in your prayers that all will go well. I will update you on the success of the procedure and the health outcome as appropriate. It is unknown whether this is the last one for now, or if the doctors will do a fourth procedure, which they have opined back and forth about. Thank you for all your encouraging prayers and cards. They are much appreciated.
Cards may be sent to: 64651 Jan Dr. Bend, OR 97701
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.
Our scattered members in Christchurch are all safe following the catastrophic midday earthquake on 22 February. While one member’s home is largely inaccessible due to rock falls from the cliff face behind it, the others have had power and water restored to their houses, a real blessing in a city where one-third of the homes are still without running water or sewage service.
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Please join us in prayer for Lynne Pahl, co-pastor of the Wausau, WI church, whose husband, Terry Pahl passed away February 25. Terry choked on a piece of steak lodged in his throat while at a dinner party on February 22. The Heimlich maneuver and CPR were performed and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but he had been without oxygen too long and never regained consciousness. On February 25 the respirator was removed and Terry died within two hours. Just after her husband died, Lynne received notification that her job was being terminated in July.