Grace is the first word in our name. We did not choose it because it sounds “religious.” Each word identifies our experience as a fellowship and grace is an integral part of our identity – especially our identity in Christ.
As a denomination, we have always understood grace to be God’s unconditional and unmerited pardon. But we tended to think of it as a component of salvation that needed to be “stirred into the mix” because of our inability to keep the law. We now see God’s grace as much more than that.
Grace is not some sort of passive concept of forgiveness. It is not a principle, a proposition, or a product. Grace is the love and freedom-producing action of God to reconstitute humanity into what the apostles, Peter and Paul, refer to as being made into God’s own people (2 Corinthians 5:17–20; Galatians 6:15; 1 Peter 2:9–10). It is not just a spiritual supplement that God provides because we can’t keep his law, like a whiff of oxygen to help a sick person breathe a bit easier.
Grace is an entirely new atmosphere that transforms us and gives us a new kind of life – life that no amount of law keeping could sustain. Note Paul’s explanation: “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20 KJV). Grace is the environment that allows us, God’s new creation, to not just survive, but to grow and flourish.
At the risk of over-simplification (a danger inherent in all analogies) we might think of grace as God’s “operating system.” The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been giving, receiving and sharing love for all eternity. When they extend that sharing of love to us, it is their gift of grace. This grace of God is not the exception to a rule–his rule is a gracious one, all the time, to give us life and to bless us, even if obstacles to our receiving it have to be removed at his own cost.
We see God’s grace most clearly in the person of Jesus, who as Paul said, loved us and gave himself for us. As the early church leader Irenaeus taught, the Son and the Spirit are the “two arms” of the Father lovingly embracing us back to himself. The Gospel of John gives us Jesus’ own encouraging words: “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23 NRSV).
As recipients of the grace of God in Christ, we not only share in the love and life of the Father through his Son in the Spirit, but we also share in the mission of God to the world. That mission is the complete restoration and renewal of all creation in Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, into a state of perfect glory.
God’s grace in the person of Jesus Christ is for all humanity without distinction to race, status or gender. And that is why the vision of Grace Communion International is for “all kinds of churches for all kinds of people in all kinds of places.”
With love, in Christ’s service,
Joseph Tkach
Mohan Jayasekera
Mohan and Nihara
Mohan Jayasekera is the pastor of GCI’s congregation in Perth, Australia and the director for GCI in Sri Lanka.
Mohan was born and raised in Sri Lanka and has been married to Nihara for nearly 40 years. They have three daughters, Shehana (married to Peter Edalere), Niranga (married to Milinda Warakaulle) and Nilakshi (married to Shehan Alwis). They also have one son, Rukshan, who is single. All of their children are actively involved in GCI. They also have three grandchildren, Tyana, Taryk and Keara.
Mohan grew up in a large but close family near Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. His father was an attorney, as well as a civil and structural engineer who headed up the Public Works Department of the government of Sri Lanka. “My dad was a wonderful and committed Christian in a mostly non-Christian environment.” Sri Lanka is officially a Buddhist country. Mohan’s grandmother was Dutch so Mohan was reared in the Dutch Reformed tradition of Christianity.
Because of Mohan’s father’s success, Mohan was able to attend one of the best schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His father “encouraged us to do our best in the classroom as well as the sports field, but to never forget who we were.” That encouragement paid off as Mohan and his brothers succeeded in the classroom as well as in the sports field, especially in cricket.
While a teenager, Mohan’s father sent him to study in the UK and it was there he heard the World Tomorrow program. “I was drawn through this contact to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and the authority of scripture in my life and I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and began my personal walk with God as a member of the WCG in 1966/1967.”
When Mohan returned to Sri Lanka, his father became “quite concerned with one of his sons being religiously odd.” The Jayasekera family was well known in the little island of Ceylon and it wasn’t long before many knew of Mohan’s beliefs. Mohan had always done well in cricket and he was soon playing for the Sri Lanka team. When he told the team he would not play on the Sabbath many fans and spectators who knew of his commitment became concerned about their team. During an important final for Mohan’s cricket club, a section of the crowd who weren’t at all pleased that Mohan was not going to play in a final match began to chant. “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – have got a hold on our Mohan.” Mohan says he felt like crawling into a hole in the ground.
Mohan’s father talked to him quite a bit about “this odd sect” he had become part of, but he always made it clear his relationship with his son was more important than differences in beliefs. He tried to talk Mohan out of going to Ambassador College, but when he saw how committed Mohan was, he gave him his full blessing and told Mohan he would always be there for him.
Mohan, who always had a close and loving relationship with his father, said his dad was really his mentor. “He loved his family and friends… he loved his Lord and the church he grew up in…. He loved his country and was a friend and servant to all.”
Mohan began serving the church (then WCG) in Sri Lanka in1969 with Richard Frankel who lived in England and who looked after the work in Asia. Speaking of Richard, Mohan said, “He was one who modeled love to family and service to the church and taught me servant leadership by example.” Mohan’s work with UTA French Airlines often took him to London and he had no baggage restrictions. So he was able to transport mail and magazines and tithes and offerings back and forth between Sri Lanka and the London office. Mohan also helped organize the festivals in Asia.
Mohan began pastoring the church in Sri Lanka in 1977 after being ordained an elder. At this time he was the Inflight Services Operations Manager and later Regional Administrative Manager for UTA French Airlines. This position opened some doors and enabled Mohan to get some things done for the church. The church in Sri Lanka was officially registered in early 1978. “This was/is no easy task in a country hostile to Christianity – subtly and sometimes openly.”
In 1982 Mohan was hired to serve as pastor of the church in India and Sri Lanka and was also responsible for visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. “We had established a church office in Colombo in 1981 and were mailing literature to all these countries. Radio Ceylon and Radio Maldives both broadcast the World Tomorrow on short wave and the mail came to the office in Colombo.” Mohan visited these countries many times over the space of a few years. “I shall never forget going to Kabul, Afghanistan to visit two people there in 1983 during the days of the Russian occupation. It was a time when English-educated people there were looking for any opportunity to get out and I felt that the people I met were hoping we could help them do so!”
Mohan said he learned a great deal from visiting so many places in these countries. “The greatest lesson I have learnt and one which I try to follow is what Jesus taught when he said that he was sending us like ‘lambs among wolves’ and directed us to ‘be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.’ Someone in Asia once told me several years ago that many good-intentioned Christians actually turn Jesus’ instructions around and become wise as doves and harmless as serpents in their mission efforts. Sadly, in my years working in Asia I have seen many examples of this.”
When he was first hired, Mohan was told to try to visit all the members in India at least once a year. He did his best. “I have been to many remote places in India travelling in many interesting ways (including on the roof of trains and bullock carts) and sleeping in areas so remote that the only place to sleep would be an ashrams (places where people go to live separately from the rest of society and practice the Hindu religion) to get to see the members.”
“In such travels the presence of God was so real to me on so many occasions, as I do not speak any Indian languages. The boldness and willingness that I was most certainly blessed with through the Holy Spirit on numerous occasions to be with God’s people – simple folk who are indeed the salt of the earth – gave a very deep sense of inexpressible feelings of joy to me.”
Mohan talks about one relationship he had with William and Maria Ouderland. William was a leader of the Dutch resistance movement in WWII and a highly decorated freedom fighter in the Bangladeshi war of independence. He was manager of the Bata shoe company in Dhaka during the Bangladeshi struggle for independence and nationhood. “People like the Ouderlands and so many others I have the privilege to serve in Western Australia and Asia (Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka), are truly wonderful examples of Christianity and remind me of those described in Hebrews 11:37-39. I so enjoy this part of my pastoral ministry.”
When asked what he loves about GCI today, Mohan said, “I have been so invigorated by growing in understanding of what God has opened our eyes through the Holy Spirit to see. I am passionate in presenting the message of how good the Father is in including us and giving us full rights of sonship through Jesus and sharing with the brethren the joy of salvation. Recently I have been blessed to be invited to teach classes in September at the Colombo Theological Seminary and the Calvary Church Seminary in Sri Lanka.” Mohan appreciates our prayers.
GCI Philippines adjusts to loss of Jessup Bahinting
This update is from Eugene Guzon, GCI’s national director in the Philippines. He writes concerning the steps being taken in GCI Philippines following the death of Area Superintendent Captain Jessup Bahinting.
July and August have been quite a challenge as we recover from the shock and grief following the tragedy of the plane crash that took the life of GCI Advisory Council Member and Visayas Area Superintendent, Captain Jessup Bahinting.
Margarita Bahinting stands beside a photo of her late husband, Capt. Jessup Bahinting at his funeral.
Pastor Jessup was laid to rest on Monday, August 27 in Ginatilan, Cebu. The Bahinting family sends their deep appreciation for the support extended to them by members in the Philippines and overseas. Jessup’s wife, Margarita said, “We praise God for giving us a big family who continues to be a source of overwhelming support and encouragement during our time of loss.” I talked with her over the phone and she sounds well but exhausted from the series of meetings with the students and stockholders of Jessup’s flying school and in coping with the loss at the same time.
Pastor Terence Santibanez who is Assistant Area Superintendent of Western Visayas will now be serving as the Acting Area Superintendent for the whole of Visayas, assuming the role filled by Pastor Jessup. We thank and appreciate Pastor Terence for his willingness to assume broader responsibilities at this difficult time. He will be a great blessing to the churches in the Visayas in this new role.
Pastor Levi Yuson of Maramag church suffered a mild stroke while visiting Cebu for Pastor Jessup’s wake last week. He safely returned to Maramag after a few days of rest and is doing better. Let us pray for his full and speedy recovery.
Because of the growing need for ministers, we are committed to developing new and younger leaders to serve our churches. We are confident that God will continue to sustain us in our journey of faith. We thank our pastors, leaders and members for their continuing faith in God and love for our church family, as we serve with zeal and dedication in various ways.
It takes all kinds of churches
In GCI, our vision is for “all kinds of churches, for all kinds of people, in all kinds of places.” In a rapidly changing world, “all kinds of churches” will, no doubt, include new expressions of church.
As a GCI ministry developer I keep my eyes open for churches experimenting with new expressions. Sometimes these experiments work and sometimes they don’t–either way, I appreciate it when folks are willing to “think outside the box,” trying new ways to “do church” for the sake of the gospel mission.
Recently my wife Donna and I visited an innovative worship service conducted by a United Methodist church in western Florida. They call it Flora-Bama Worship @ the Water. It is designed to reach out and connect with the community (including its many transient visitors) along the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico in the area that spans the Florida-Alabama border.
The service is held on Sunday mornings in a tent on the beach that is part of an iconic honky-tonk bar named Flora-Bama Lounge, Package and Oyster Bar. Like the bar itself, the worship service is quite an experience (it’s not your mother’s church!). Click here for their FaceBook and here for a Huffington Post article.
The Flora-Bama service reminded me that we need new expressions of church of our own–not to be trendy, but to reach new people, many of who will not step inside a traditional church.
I wonder if anyone reading this feels called of God to start such a church in GCI. If so, your friends in Church Administration and Development (CAD) are here to help–feel free to email Randy.Bloom@gci.org. Randy leads CAD’s Church Multiplication Ministries, which helps individuals, congregations and district networks start new kinds of churches, for all kinds of people, in all kinds of places.
A good place to start, is to launch a FaithTalkgroup. This is a special type of small group designed to connect with un-churched people. We resource such groups online at FaithTalk equipper.
– Ted Johnston, CAD media & communications
Making disciples with Jesus
By living and sharing the gospel, we are participating in what Jesus is doing through the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Father’s mission to the world. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus defined the fruit of his ministry as the multiplication of his disciples (followers) throughout the world. Indeed, it is our calling and privilege to make disciples with Jesus.
click on the diagram to enlarge it
Sadly, churches sometimes lose sight of this calling by focusing on merely gathering people, instead of helping them become active disciples of Jesus. Tony Morgan makes this point in “Avoid the Funnel of Doom,” an article in which he urges churches to move away from an “event mentality” to focus on providing three things that help people become and then mature as followers of Jesus, who is the Truth:
Solid biblical teaching by which people hear the truth.
Mentors that help people catch the truth.
Systems that facilitate spiritual disciplines and mission engagement so people practice the truth.
Note the progression–what we in GCI refer to as a discipleship pathway (see the diagram above). Effective churches help people travel this pathway–progressing from being blind to the truth (Jesus calls such people “lost”); to eyes-opened believers; to actively engaged workers (with some workers becoming leaders who multiply ministries and churches). To download this diagram as a PowerPoint presentation, click here, and note the information at http://mindev.gci.org/strategy.htm.
GCI’s Church Administration and Development (CAD) team offers Transformational Church consulting services that help congregations develop a discipleship pathway fitted to their circumstances. To learn more about these services, see http://www.gci.org/CAD_Services.
– Ted Johnston, CAD ministry developer
Eric and Pat Shaw retire
In this Update post we congratulate Eric and Pat Shaw on the occasion of their retirement from employment with GCI. Well done faithful servants!
Eric Shaw
Eric was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in the northern Appalachian Mountains on the family farm. In 1962, at the age of 19, he rode a bus from his home in Pennsylvania to Pasadena, California to attend Ambassador College. After graduating in 1966, he began working full-time in the church’s Mail Processing Center, becoming its manager in 1995.
Eric married Pat Melott in 1967. They have two daughters: Sasha who lives in California and Vicki who lives in North Carolina.
Eric entered GCI’s full time ministry in 1996. While working as a pastor, he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Religion with emphasis in Theology and Ethics from Azusa Pacific University. For 15 years, Eric pastored Community Life Fellowship, the GCI congregation in Altadena, California. He then retired from GCI employment on August 31.
In retirement, Eric plans to do more writing, to spend time supporting those interested in the urban gardening movement, and to continue working with GCI’s Southwest Church Planting Network.
Pat Shaw
Pat was born Patricia Melott in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where she still has deep roots as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The Melott family moved to southern Missouri when she was in elementary school and Pat grew up in the beautiful Ozarks. In 1965, Pat entered Ambassador College in Pasadena where she met Eric.
In 1988, Pat began employment with GCI. Over the years she has served in the Festival Department and in Church Administration and Development (CAD). For the last several years in CAD she has served as an administrative assistant and budget analyst. She has also helped organize, serve and teach at CAD conferences and training events.
In 2005, Pat graduated from Azusa Pacific University, Haggard School of Theology with a Masters of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies with an emphasis in Church Development. Following graduation, and while working full time in CAD, she began teaching the Women in Leadership class at Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) and serving on the GCS board.
In retirement, Pat plans to continue teaching at GCS and serving on the GCS board.
Here is a picture from the retirement party held for Eric and Pat in the GCI home office on September 5. GCI president Joseph Tkach and CAD director Dan Rogers present a retirement gift to the couple.
Left to right: Eric Shaw, Joseph Tkach, Pat Shaw, Dan Rogers
Grace is the first word in our name. We did not choose it because it sounds “religious.” Each word identifies our experience as a fellowship and grace is an integral part of our identity – especially our identity in Christ.
