I visited the members in Joplin yesterday. All the members are okay though understandably they’re nervous about the weather. Except for chainsaws and clean up noise, the lack of connection (radio, TV, electricity) for the elderly and disabled is like a bygone time. Words and even pictures cannot portray the reality. Front porches, bedrooms, years of life, cars all disassembled and left in a huge pile like brush. While not far away from these “brush piles” the evidence of life was vacuumed from the scene to who knows where. In the midst of unrecognizable places people are sitting in the rubble not knowing where to start, and a few blocks away others are searching frantically on an almost barren location hoping to find a few memories to give hope to the future.
I drove through backstreets to within a block of a member’s home north of the tornado touchdown point where the only evidence of a nearby disaster was the national guard and police directing traffic on the main roads into the devastated area. Trees were standing with leaves and bark while just a few blocks away you view the national news iconic St. John’s Hospital with land denuded all around. And a few blocks on the south side of St. John’s, the campus of the other major hospital stands as it did on Sunday before the tornado hit.
When I got home my daughter had heard from a former AC student and classmate of hers that her parents lost their home and three of her cousins lost homes as well. On Sunday a huge double rainbow (filmed for national news) followed the storm track from Joplin to the east, eventually reaching our home 80 miles away. Though sadness prevails, hope, like this rainbow, is rising.
Thankfully, all the members are well, though all the members know or have friends who suffered severe loss and even ultimate loss. If anyone wishes to send encouragement to Kathy Bettes whose home suffered damage within view of St. John’s on the south side, or to Don and Shirley Hass, who suffered damage to their property and lived just northwest of St. John’s, or for Gerald and Gloria Ambrosius, whose home was in the direct path of the tornado at the east end and was destroyed after nearly a half century of living there, please send cards, for now, to the church address and we’ll be sure they are delivered. All the Joplin members and especially those directly affected thank you for your prayers.
PO Box 611 Joplin, MO 64802
We are in contact with Pastor Kissee regarding emergency needs so the GCI Disaster Emergency Fund will be used as needed. If your congregation would like to donate to help members recover from this or future disasters please send donations to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. This fund has been established so we can respond with help for costs of emergency member needs in the wake of such disasters. These costs include 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 generally coordinated by pastors in the affected areas working with the Treasurer’s Office in Glendora. Since Grace Communion International is a non-profit organization, donations to the Disaster Relief Fund are tax-deductible in the United States.
Donations can be made online at our website at www.gci.org, or for those who would prefer to mail a check, the address is:
Disaster Relief Fund Grace Communion International PO Box 5005 Glendora, CA 91740
Oklahoma City
Pastor Mike Rasmussen in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma reported that members and property are safe after a tornado came within one mile of their church building and two miles of the Rasmussen home. About 60,000 people are currently without power in the area.
The Oklahoma GCI Crosswalk camp starts this weekend, so Mike is asking that we pray for good weather.
Northeast U.S. Conference
At the GCI regional conference in Parsippany, New Jersey, we had the joy of witnessing the ordination of GCI church planter Dishon Mills. A video of the ordination can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-z2kHehwiM. Dishon and his wife, Afrika, are in the process of planting a new GCI congregation in Randolph, Massachusetts (near Boston). We thank God for Dishon and Afrika and are praying for their journey in ministry with Jesus.
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Anthony Dady
United Kingdom
Congratulations to UK elder Anthony Dady, who was elected May 5 to be a councilor in Corby, the town where he lives. Councilor Dady sees this as an exciting development in his community ministry, where he is already active in many initiatives designed to share the love of Jesus with local residents.
Grenada
Over the weekend of May 6-8, the Grenada church held a spiritual formation retreat with 15 of its members. Spiritual directors for the weekend were Larry Hinkle, and Charles and Carmen Fleming.
Larry, who pastors GCI congregations in North Broward and Port St. Lucie, Florida, is developing a spiritual formation retreat model. The retreat was designed to bring us into a greater awareness of God’s loving presence through a wide range of spiritual formation exercises.
Attendees appreciated being able to experience the presence of God in this way, and they want to make this retreat an annual event for their congregation.
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Southern Africa
From South Africa National Director Tim Maguire:
I would like to update you on my trip to Mozambique over the Easter weekend. As you probably know, GCI Canada had very kindly sponsored a pastoral training long weekend to allow Caleb Makhela and me, along with a visitor/translator from GCI-Portugal, Daniel Fernandes, to ground them in basic theology and train the Mozambique pastors in GCI theology.
I collected Daniel from the airport at 6 a.m. on the Wednesday before Easter and left straight away for Louis Trichardt, where we picked up Caleb, then on to Mutare in Zimbabwe, where we slept over at the Govas’ home, one of our Zimbabwean pastors.
Travelling in Africa is never easy, as Daniel found out at the Beitbridge border-post. We stood in queues for about five hours on the Zimbabwe side, and Daniel was greeted with his first African sunset as we were finally ready to drive into Zimbabwe. He took out his camera and snapped two pictures of trees with the sun setting behind them. Unfortunately, we were still in a restricted area where cameras were not allowed, and the Zimbabwe CID pounced, arresting him on the spot. They took him into a back room, confiscated his passport and camera and told him he would have to appear before a magistrate the next day.
I realised what they were really after when the Zimbabweans started rubbing thumb and forefinger together in the universal sign language of money! On telling them we were pastors and were unwilling to pay any sort of bribe, and threatening to phone the Portuguese Embassy, they made Daniel delete the pictures and we were on our way again, arriving at Pastor Gova’s home after midnight.
We left Mutare the next morning, eventually arriving in Morrumbala in northern Mozambique just before midnight on Thursday. Most of the conference attendees had already arrived and were dancing the night away in praise and worship. After a warm and touching welcome, we crept off to our hut to sleep. The music and dancing continued into the early hours of the morning.
Only the next morning did we realise that instead of the 54 delegates we were expecting, more than 350 had arrived! They had brought their reed mats with them and most were sleeping under the stars, without even blankets to keep them warm. What a humbling experience to see this thirst and sacrifice for God’s word.
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We also discovered that since my last visit in September 2010, no longer were there just 54 congregations, but 87. Another 33 churches had been raised up in just six months!
The next four days were spent in fellowship, song, praise and teaching. They hungrily drank in and accepted the good news we were blessed to bring them. On Sunday I had one of the most moving experiences of my life when we formalized the affiliation process and welcomed our brothers and sisters from Mozambique into the GCI fellowship. We then took communion with them, which was a first-time experience for most.
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Please remember to pray for Mozambique. The challenges these people face are many. Disease is rife. The average life expectancy is at least 20 years below the world average. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. We now have about 2500 members there, not one of which is employed or has any means of income. They are all subsistence farmers and live day to day, hand to mouth, scratching a living out of the harsh African soil. Yet they are filled with joy and the fruit of the Spirit, a humbling lesson to us all. I have attached a few pictures of the trip.
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Prayer Requests and Updates
Andrew McArthur
Pastor Andrew McArthur from Living Hope Family Fellowship in Hillsdale, New Jersey passed away on May 16, 2011. He leaves behind his wife, Falisa Evett, and three children Elyse, Evan, and Everett. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and family.
Cards may be sent to: 411 Harrison Ave. Apt.3 Garfield, NJ 07026
Cora Guice
GCI board member, Frank Guice, shared this request regarding his wife, Cora:
Cora would like for the church to join her in prayer for healing of her neck, right shoulder and arm areas. She fell about two months ago, but we are not sure that is the actual cause of the pain and other symptoms.
On May 15, she needed to go to Urgent Care, and since that time the pain worsened with spasms, swelling, numbness, tremors and tingling in her arm and hands with cold sensation. She had an MRI on her neck today, May 25, and will have another MRI on her arm tomorrow.
Cora appreciates your sharing of love and concern.
Cards may be sent to: 7411 Juneau Ln Fontana, CA 92336-0717
Jim Meade
Robert Meade, manager of our accounting department in Glendora, updated us about the condition of his father, Jim Meade, who is pastor of the GCI congregation in Port Huron, Michigan. Jim had a successful surgery Monday for his heart blockages. Robert wrote, “He had three stents put in, and by that afternoon he was talking, joking and eating! He was released from the hospital Wednesday morning, and is now home recovering. After the surgery, the surgeon said the blood flow through the heart was at about 70 percent (up from less than 10 percent). Once he has sufficiently recovered, he will need to go back in about six weeks for another set of stents to get the blood flowing at 100 percent. Also, his blood pressure is kind of high, so they are hoping that comes down to a normal level as well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for him and his wife, Kim.”
Patsy Ross
Pastor John Ross informs us that his wife is continuing to have consistent pain, recently had neck surgery, and will be consulting to have future surgery. Pastor Ross would appreciate our prayers.
Cards may be sent to: Mrs. Patsy Dezell Ross 1204 Glendale Cir Greenwood, MS 38930-7203
Dave Fiedler
It has been a while since I could give you anything definitive on my eye. I had a checkup with the surgeon last week and she said the retina is holding. She said that I should come back in July to see about trying to remove the oil again, and then have a lens implant. She understands my reticence about that, because when we tried it in February, my eye pressure went down to zero and the retina re-detached. I asked about trying a contact or aphakic lens first to see what kind of vision I could get back. She thought that was a reasonable idea. So yesterday I went to an optometrist and after an hour of tests and trying different lens, we’ve concluded that my vision can’t be improved enough to even begin working with my good eye. Looks like I’m stuck with being the one-eyed “cyclops” for the remainder of my life. I don’t think I’ll have the oil removed again (risking another detachment) unless I go blind in my good eye. I can still drive, golf, fish, and see my beautiful wife and grandkids, so life is good!
Cards may be sent to: 20389 Strawline Road Bend, OR 97702
Don Lawson sent good news about Sue’s treatment progress:
After 46 days at USC Norris Cancer Center, Sue is finally home! She was in protective isolation, and on two kinds of chemo for 40 days. She will now be going in for outpatient chemo five days per week, four weeks on and two weeks off. This will last for six months to a year. They have pronounced her in remission, which does not mean cancer free. They have to continue treatment to make sure they got all the cancer cells. We are very thankful she is home, and she wants to say thank you for all the prayers and cards. Sue loved the cards, and the doctors and nurses could not believe she got cards from all over the world. We taped them to the walls in her room, and they covered most of the room. I stayed with her most of the time and was able to relate our experience of coming out of legalism into the grace of God to the hospital chaplain. He shed a few tears of joy, and we prayed together.
Thanks so much for your thoughts, prayers and loving concern for the last 13 months!
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.
Randy Bloom, director of Church Multiplication Ministries, interviewed Dishon and Afrika Mills, who are starting a new GCI congregation in Randolph, Massachusetts, and District Pastoral Leader Larry Wooldridge, who explained the role of his district in supporting the Mills.
While in the UK recently for our UK church board of trustees meeting, I traveled to the north of England to attend a most enjoyable outreach event put on by the Northampton congregation. Two pictures below:
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SEP Luzon 2011: "In His Love"
Philippines
Luzon
The Villa Julia Resort in Silang, Cavite, was the venue for 136 campers and 48 staff for this year’s Summer Enrichment Program in Luzon. One camper, Albert Longhurst, came from New Zealand and joined SEP, commuting all the way from Ilocos, where the family was visiting.
Santa Rosa
"Lost World" VBS in Santa Rosa
Sixty-seven enthusiastic kids, ages 4 to 12, attended GCI Santa Rosa’s Vacation Bible School (VBS), held April 17-21 at the Laguna Bel-Air 3 Learning Center. Most participants were children from the neighborhood, but a number were shuttled daily from Barangay Don Jose, where GCI holds a regular Bible study for children. Grateful parents expressed their appreciation for the outreach activity, which was held in cooperation with the Laguna Bel-Air 3 management, which provided the venue free of charge.
The theme of this VBS was ”The Lost World,” which highlighted the fallen nature of creation and God’s intervention to save the world. It featured dinosaurs, Noah’s ark, the Garden of Eden, fossils and other interesting subjects in a safari-style learning experience, which was a hit among the young ones.
The event was spearheaded by National Director Eugene Guzon, who is also the pastor of the Santa Rosa congregation.
From CAD: Church Growth Conference
On April 26-29, thirty GCI ministry leaders attended the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. Exponential is an annual resourcing event focusing on starting new churches. Nearly 4,000 people attend from across the US and various international areas. To learn more about Exponential and to register for the 2012 conference, go to www.exponentialconference.org.
Charles Fleming shared a note from Daniel Graham about a special memorial service for Lateef Edalere.
The memorial service for our late pastor, Mr. Lateef Edalere, held May 1, was an historic service. The Edalere family was all in attendance, including Mr. Edalere’s grandchildren. Many former WCG members attended, and the fellowship was very rich and exciting.
Among those giving tributes were Michael Mitchell and Leaford Henderson. Mrs. Anthea Henderson read the moving eulogy. Leroy Joiles delivered the sermon.
The Lateef Edalere Fund was set up in memory of Mr. Edalere, who was known for his love for children.
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Spain
From Pedro Rufian:
Thanks for your prayers and thoughts for the people affected by the recent earthquake in Lorca, Murcia, in the southeast of Spain. Thanks to God we do not have any members there, but we asked that God may give comfort and encouragement to everyone of those who have lost loved ones, or whose properties have been affected and are in fear without being able to go back to their homes. About 40 percent of the city buildings suffered damage, many of them are reparable. Maybe 10 percent of them will need to be demolished. How is it possible that a 5.4 earthquake has brought about so much damage? The explanation has to be that the collision point of the two plates, the African and the European, was just about 1000 meters deep, very shallow for these types of events. These two geological plates stretch along the coast on an inland band of about 50 kilometers wide from Valencia to Huelva. This area has the highest earthquake risk in Spain.
The members nearest to the earthquake zone, Alex and Maria Luisa Valencia, live about 100 kilometers from Lorca, and were not affected, other than to feel some shaking.
The sister of our church treasurer here in the Madrid congregation does live in Lorca with her paraplegic son who is confined to a wheelchair. They live in an apartment on the fifth floor and could not get outside during the earthquake because the elevator was destroyed. Some hours later, with the help of her elder son and two police officers, they were able to be brought down the stairs. They will stay in another home they have in Aguilas City, about 50 kilometers away, until the apartment building is repaired. Our treasurer, Marivi, and her husband drove about five hundred kilometers from Madrid to Aguilas to be with them during this past weekend.
Prayer Requests and Updates
Jewel Love, assistant pastor in Beaumont, California.
Lelia Love requests prayers for her husband, Jewel, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. They will move into Veterans Housing in Los Angeles on June 6 and he will begin radiation treatments that afternoon. They are scheduled to remain in Los Angeles until approximately August.
Cards may be sent to: Mr. & Mrs. Jewel R. Love 850 Gail Ave Redlands, CA 92374-2544
Jim Meade
Thank you for your continued prayers for Jim Meade, pastor of the GCI church in Port Huron, Michigan, who was diagnosed with serious artery blockages and valve leaking. Last week, while he was not feeling well enough to have open heart surgery, he took the time to get a second opinion. Thanks to God and your prayers, he got in touch with another specialist who feels that he will not need the trauma of open heart surgery, but instead his blockages can safely be handled with stents. This is a far less invasive treatment, so both he and his wife Kim are happy to be able to go this route. He has been feeling better, and so has scheduled the surgery for Monday, May 23.
Cards may be sent to: 3665 Ruddock Rd Kenockee, MI 48006-4212
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.
On May 7, the New Covenant Fellowship of Glendora, CA celebrated its 14th annual “Hispanic Heritage Day and Cinco de Mayo” celebration.
Cinco de Mayo (May 5) commemorates a major battle outside Mexico City in 1862 when a French army was turned back from occupying Mexico permanently and threatening to undercut the effort of President Lincoln to reunify the United States. This year Assistant Pastor Paul Tellez explained why Americans of Hispanic descent celebrate this day with such gusto and how it points to the need to relate to each other and appreciate each other as part of that great multicultural community we see in Acts 2 — the Church. Our Mexican-American members hosted the event with decorations, lively music, special food, themed messages and the annual smashing of the piñata by the children.
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Photo captions: 1. Pastor Neil Earle with children on Glendora Church’s 14th Cinco de Mayo service 2. Auryn McNally goes for a whack at the pinata 3. Glendora cuties line up in their “piñata hats”
Canadian Update
Gary Moore sent this inspiring note from Alan Redmond about a major award given to Sandra Norris, wife of Charles Norris, one of our elders in the Winnipeg congregation. I have mentioned the wonderful work of Hands of Hope that operates in Winnipeg in previous updates, and want to add our congratulations to Sandra for the wonderful way she has yielded her life to the Jesus Christ. The love of God expressed through her for those less fortunate is indeed transformational and inspiring!
From Alan:
On April 27, 2011 Sandra Norris was presented an award for Community Leadership at Volunteer Manitoba’s 28th Annual Awards Dinner in Winnipeg.
Carolyn and I attended the celebration. Also the Premier of Manitoba was present at the Winnipeg Convention Centre along with Federal and City politicians.
In 2000, Sandra and her husband Charles began taking furniture to the less fortunate in Winnipeg. In 2002 Hands of Hope was incorporated as a charity with support from the Winnipeg church, now called Grace Christian Church. As the organization grew, Charles and Sandra received a salary, but in addition worked many extra volunteer hours.
After operating out of a donated building with no heat or electricity, Hands of Hope was able to get a piece of land from the City of Winnipeg and funding from the Provincial and Federal governments to build a warehouse, which officially opened in September 2005. Sandra and Charles sold their home in the country and moved to Winnipeg in order to better serve the community.
Since its humble beginnings, Hands of Hope now employs five full-time staff and networks with social workers, the Health Sciences Centre, half-way houses, refugee centers, women’s shelters and other organizations. Two years ago, Sandra gave up her position on staff and now continues to serve as a dedicated volunteer. Sandra is a remarkable, deserving recipient of the Volunteer Manitoba award for Outstanding Community Leadership.
Update from the UK
SEP UK is a two-week summer activity for young people aged 12-17. It’s located on the banks of Loch Lomond, about 40 miles north of Glasgow. It offers a range of about 20 activities and welcomes young people of all denominations and none. This year it runs from July 31 to August 13. (The early booking discount has been extended to May 16.) For more details, see www.sepuk.org. Adventure Camp is for 7-13 year olds. It’s from August 27-29 and is being held again at Well End Activity Centre, Borehamwood. For more details see www.wcg.org.uk.
Prayer Requests and Updates
Update on Martin Manuel’s grandson
Jason passed another milestone Wednesday afternoon when the medical staff removed the breathing tube and his body reacted without a glitch. He immediately talked because he had something urgent to tell us, although his throat was very sore. This morning, speech therapists worked with him to determine his ability to speak, reason, and understand. He wowed them. His progress continues to amaze the staff. He already wants to go home, but has more major milestones to pass. This is trying his patience. Still undetermined is the next step for his heart. Will he go on the list for a transplant? What treatment will he need in the short term? He is still in the ICU. Also unresolved is the matter of fluid on his brain. Please include these matters in your prayers as well as Jason’s need to cope with all that he must go through. Thanks for your continued loving support.
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Cards may be sent to: Jason Richards 16917 NE 99th Court Redmond, WA 98052
Brendan Terry
We received this note from Mary Terry, Pam Morgan’s mother, concerning her five year old grandson, Brendan:
I just wanted to let you know the results of Brendan’s chest X-ray. He does not have pneumonia. I believe that God intervened on his behalf. The fever and cough he had for the past week indicated that something was seriously wrong. The staph infection is also clearing up, after only two of the chlorine baths, which is also evidence that God is truly there for us. I can only praise His name and give Him my thanks. Thanks to everyone for their loving kindness for Brendan. Lovingly, Mary
Cards may be sent to: Brendan J. Terry 137 Poppy Avenue Monrovia, 91016
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.
Grace Communion Lisburn held its first worship service at the St. Patrick’s Pastoral Centre, Chapel Hill, in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, on Easter Sunday, April 24. UK and Ireland National Director James Henderson gave the inaugural sermon. Elder David Stirk from Banbridge assisted Mr. Henderson in the commissioning of three men to the new pastoral council: Elder Bob Beggs, Worship Leader John Magowan and Council Chairperson Stuart Foster. Grace Communion Lisburn meets at 11 a.m. each Sunday at the St. Patrick’s Pastoral Centre and is planning an official public launch on Pentecost Sunday, June 12.
Photo caption: UK & Ireland National Director James Henderson, far left, with the new congregation of Grace Communion Lisburn and guests at its inaugural meeting.
Aurora, Colorado
On Easter Sunday the Ground Zero Church in Aurora, Colorado, celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and as a bonus the church also celebrated the ordination of their pastor, Aaron Armstrong. A record 74 people attended the service.
More than 50 people attended a three-day ministry development conference April 16-18 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, facilitated by Randy Bloom and Hector Barrero. The interactive sessions included “Becoming a Missional Church” and “Preparing to Start New Churches.”
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Photo caption: 1. Pastor Carlos & Family 2. Pastor Joel & Family 3. Pastor Manuel, Family & Friend 4. Pastor Mauricio & Family
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
About 59 campers attended the Summer Enhancement Program April 21-24 at Esmeralda Beach Resort. It was a memorable experience for the campers and staff as they enjoyed the camp activities with their old and newfound friends. The theme was “Seeing Him in You.”
GenMin’s ELATION curriculum was used during the camp devotionals and sessions. The curriculum discussed our identity in Christ through the acronym CHILD (Chosen, Healed, Included, Linked, Disciple). Ten campers were baptized.
Catbalogan City, Philippines
GCI Catbalogan conducted a Holy Week Vacation Bible School April 20 to 22 at Barangay Talib, Zumarraga, Samar, an island town and a native place of the De Guia Family. Three classes were conducted for 63 students. The children, ages 3 to 12, eagerly participated, and afterward, expressing their gratefulness, asked when the next VBS will be. Barangay officials and local residents attended the graduation day.
Prayer Requests and Updates
Pastors Bob Miller, Tim Brassell, Mike Horchak, Paul David Kurtz, Tom Mahan, Jonathan Stepp, John Novick and Rick Shallenberger let us know that our church members in their respective areas weathered the recent tornados without injury.
Martin Manuel’s grandson
From Martin: “My grandson, Jason, remains in a medically induced coma. There is much that we will not know until he is awakened, and the doctors now think that will be another week away. In the meantime, his life signs are stable…. Genneen and I have been in Seattle since Saturday night. Our presence here is not only for our grandson; we are part of the essential support that Janet and Colin need for themselves as well as for their other two children, ages 12 and 4. It is clear to us that we will need to be involved for some time.”
Cards may be sent to: Jason Richards 16917 NE 99th Court Redmond, WA 98052
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.
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