Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrated with Curtis and Jannice May on the occasion of Curtis’ retirement after 39 years and 5 months of full-time employment. He has served in numerous places, including Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, North Carolina; Pasadena, California; and on the Ministry Development team.
We are especially happy to report that Curtis will continue to serve as Director of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, on the GCI Board of Directors, and the Pension Committee. We certainly wish him well, and are thankful that we will continue to benefit from his dedication, his wisdom, and his ministry of reconciliation.
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Conference in Portland, Oregon
Our second U.S. District conference was held in Vancouver, Washington, March 25-27. The worship was wonderful, the fellowship warm and the sessions were well attended. There were 120 for our communion service at the conclusion of the conference.
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Conference in Martinique, March 18-20.
Charles Fleming sent us this report:
Approximately 60 persons attended our conference in Martinique. The conference was held at the beautiful church building, where a number of our visitors also stayed. Dan and Barbara Rogers represented our headquarters. Dan shared some of the material he is covering at the US district conferences this year. Pastor Rudy Mills and his wife, Angela, headed up the St. Lucia contingent of four persons, while Paul and Barbara Creese came with their group of six. Kennedy and Celia Alexander led the Dominica team of six persons as Cris and Mary Vidal were not able to attend. We missed Cris and Mary but were impressed by the training they have given to their other leaders. Sylvan and Rosalind Klock and Mrs. Dannica represented our Guadeloupe church. See attached pictures.
We were all impressed by the hospitality and organization of the Martinique brethren. Kernani Cheny and Charles Voyer are outstanding leaders, and the future of our church in Martinique looks good. Greg Williams from GenMin was guest speaker at last October’s convention in Martinique, and Kernani expressed appreciation for his help in their planning for the future. As always, we were treated to excellent and abundant food, outstanding singing and great companionship. On the last day I also found out that they started two house churches in the past year.
For the second year in a row, I was able to attend the GenMin Summit in Dallas and was again inspired by the passion and focus of the approximately 100 persons there. 70 of the group seemed to be under 35 and are directors or lead-workers of the 17 youth camps or are leaders in local congregations in the US. Three pastoral interns also attended and shared some of their experiences with us. Greg Williams (GenMin director) invited any young persons interested in becoming a pastoral intern to dinner and 14 young people showed up! The internship program hires candidates for ministry to work part-time (20 hours a week) as an assistant to a full-time pastor, who serves as a mentor. This is one of our principal ways of recruiting pastors. Please be praying for the success of this program.
Accompanying me at the GenMin conference were five members from the Bahamas – Robert McKinney, his brother Cornelius representing the Freeport congregation; Desmond Curling and Danny and Delores Duncombe. Jesanya Scale, a youth leader in our Jamaica church, was there along with my girls, Michelle and Annie (see attached picture of the four young mission workers who went to GenMin!).
New Zealand
Rod Matthews updates us on events in New Zealand:
The sixth New Zealand Christian Leaders’ Congress was held at Waikanae near Wellington from February 21 to 24. Held every three years, it brings together many of the key leaders of denominations and ministries across the nation to discuss challenges facing the church in New Zealand, to build unity within the Body of Christ and to develop strategies to more effectively proclaim God’s message to the nation.
Our fellowship was well represented with local ministers Phil Baldwin, Dennis Gordon, Rex Morgan, Dennis Richards and David Wong present, and I attended for the first time (and I plan to be there for the next one, too!). This year the theme was “2020 Vision: The Gospel in the Decade Ahead”. Three packed days included topics devoted to the content of the gospel, challenges involved in proclaiming it in the current NZ context, evangelism, discipleship, healthy churches, the creation, biblical economics, crime and punishment, the family and cross-cultural missions.
On the first evening Professor Stuart Lange outlined the fascinating history of the gospel in New Zealand from its introduction in 1814 by Samuel Marsden (notable in Australian history as one of the first chaplains to the new colony of New South Wales) to its spread largely through the agency of the Maori people. With the 200th anniversary of this event coinciding with the next congress, planning is already underway to celebrate this historic event.
Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, serving 600 million Christians, was the keynote speaker and brought an inspiring account of the work being done worldwide and some fascinating stories of how he has had to represent and negotiate for the welfare of Christians in some of the world’s trouble spots.
Rex Morgan, Auckland pastor, said, “The opportunity for our ministers to network with and hear from many of NZ’s Christian leaders is greatly valued.” As a personal observation, it was confirmed to me that our fellowship is well respected by those who know our journey, and although we might be small in numbers compared with some other fellowships, we have indeed been placed in the Body as it pleases God, with experienced and gifted people who can make a meaningful (and sometimes unique) contribution to the work of the gospel.
Around lunchtime on the first morning of the congress, the destructive earthquake shattered Christchurch. The atmosphere was very sober as delegates from Christchurch urgently tried to get home, representatives of organisations involved in emergency aid and support roles dashed off to attend to their national duties, and the rest of us prayed as news updates filtered in. With phone lines down or clogged with callers, it took some time to ascertain that all of our church members in Christchurch were safe. One member is unable to return to her rented apartment because it is situated at the base of a cliff and subject to danger from dislodged boulders, one of which came crashing down and ended up sitting on top of the now-demolished steps into the home. While all members suffered damage to household effects, and some non-critical repair work will be needed, the homes of all other members were inhabitable.
Just over two weeks later (March 11-13) we were back in Waikanae for our fellowship’s annual national retreat and a weekend of spiritual encouragement. The sessions were led by Kerry Gubb (who pastored congregations in New Zealand early in his ministry) with an intriguing theme of “The Waikanae Philemonic Ensemble –The New Covenant plays out in your Workplace”. Paul’s letter to Philemon was used to lay the groundwork for the weekend’s discussions on how the life of Christ in us will be naturally reflected in our relationships in the workplace. Kerry built on the subject with topics of “Getting Past the Protestant Work Ethic” and “The Laity Myth” and interactive sessions utilised material from several of Eugene Peterson’s excellent books.
We especially appreciated the wonderful contributions from the members’ years of Christian experience in the workplace. We enjoyed the atmosphere of humour, wisdom, honesty in sharing, and the productive fun everyone had exploring how we can better reflect in a balanced, responsive way the life and love of our triune God in the workplace. For the wonderful “snacks” and personal touches we thank the serving hosts from the Wellington and Palmerston North congregations.
On the first evening of the retreat, news came through of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Prayers were offered for the Japanese people and the victims, but at that time we had little idea of the magnitude of the disaster. For a few of us, it was the second time within three weeks to be in the beauty and peace of Waikanae as earthquakes brought monumental suffering to thousands. How strong was the lesson that our safety and security rests with God alone.
GCI Philippines Area Superintendents Meet in Bacolod
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Bacolod City, March 18-20, 2011 —
Led by GCI Philippines national director Eugene Guzon, the area superintendents and their assistants (those in “operations”) had a meeting to assess and review various national concerns affecting GCI Philippines. Among the major concerns were the deliberation and clarification of the national church’s vision and mission in line with Trinitarian theology. Having been crafted by the Advisory Council previously, this meeting focused on how to “operationalize” and put into action this vision and mission.
Other administrative matters were also reviewed and discussed: the handling of local church finances, clarifying what is local church fund, financial reports, the need to submit church reports regularly, among others. Pastors were also encouraged to invite one another in their respective local churches so the members may hear different preachers.
One major purpose for the conference was the renewing and strengthening of bonds among the leaders. It was a time to relax and enjoy time together. This fits well with the theme selected for this year: “Growing Together in His Love.” Much time was spent on finding out how each one was doing in life: spiritually, financially, their families and loved ones, health, pastoral concerns, etc. It was a bonding time. This is the same thing that is being done when the Advisory Council meets. Much time and prayer is spent here. It was good for everyone to be able to share life’s concerns with friends.
The following attended the meeting: National Director Eugene Guzon; Missions Director & Area Supt. for Southern Luzon Dr. Rey Taniajura; Leadership & Training and Metro Manila Area Supt. Rex Dela Pena; Crossway & Pampanga Pastor Audie Santibanez; Marriage & Family Ministries and Quezon City Pastor Andrew Teng; Northern Luzon Area Supt. Arlan Aquino; Asst. Area Supt. for Southern Luzon Dr. Joe Manzano; Visayas Area Superintendent Capt. Jess Bahinting; Asst. Area Supt. for Western Visayas Terrence Santibanez; Asst. Area Supt. for Eastern Visayas Dan de Guia; Mindanao Area Superintendent Jerome Manriquez; Asst. Area Supt. for Southeastern Mindanao Dr. Boy Garcia; Asst. Area Supt. for Southwestern Mindanao Bert Colona; Asst. Area Supt. for Central Luzon Levi Yuson and Len Joson; for Media & Communications.
South African Media Workshop
From John Halford:
Mike Feazell and I conducted a three-day writing and media workshop at Franschoek, near Cape Town, March 19-21. The workshop was requested by Tim Maguire, National Leader, because the South African churches were planning to expand and improve their media outreach. The delegates to the conference included the editorial staff, writers and potential writers for Face to Face magazine. The sessions included discussions on getting and keeping focus, knowing the audience and applying Trinitarian theology. All participants were invited to submit articles for review.
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The South African churches have an ambitious program of media outreach, which includes Face to Face magazine, a radio program and an interactive web site. South Africa’s multi-racial and multi-cultural society is a challenging environment for Christian media. We were grateful for the opportunity to share ideas and pass on experience. After the workshop Mike and I were able to include a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. It was a sobering reminder of the tremendous changes this beautiful and fascinating country has made since abandoning Apartheid.
Photos: 1. South Africa Writers Workshop. 2. Face to Face editorial staff. 3. Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island.
Prayer requests and updates
From Monte Wolverton:
Kayte Wolverton was diagnosed with ovarian/peritoneal cancer a few months ago. She has been undergoing chemo treatments and she had surgery yesterday. The doctor was fairly confident that he was able to remove all of the cancer. However, today Kayte is in extreme pain, and they are having trouble managing it. Please pray for Kayte’s comfort, relief and complete healing. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Cards may be sent to:
Kayte Wolverton
18907 NE Cole-Witter Rd.
Battle Ground, WA 98604
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
