Year: 2012

Teens from New Hope Christian Fellowship (the GCI congregation in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles) served on January 20 at the Pasadena Bad Weather Shelter.

This outreach is coordinated by New Hope members Ron and Cora Grassmann (Ron served formerly as the landscaping manager at Ambassador College).

About 20 teens served about 150 homeless people at the shelter.

The following report is from Samuel Mercado, national youth ministry leader for GCI in Mexico.

On November 19-21, 2011 the first Mexican youth camp was held in Maxamitla, in the Tiger Mountains about 135 kilometers from Guadalajara. About 38 youth from six GCI congregations attended.

The camp’s goals were to unite GCI Mexico youth, help them identify their spiritual gifts (and learn how those gifts relate to the gifts of others), and help them understand how they can take an active role in their churches back home.

The camp theme was “The Master’s Touch,” which centered on part of the “Journey with the Master” curriculum provided by GCI Generations Ministries.

Camp activities included singing and icebreakers, an evening bonfire, a tour of the nearby town and a hike to a nearby waterfall.

Camp instruction, which focused on the camp theme, included viewing the video Dust, which explores our calling to be disciples of Jesus and showing that Jesus has confidence in our ability to finish the work he has entrusted to us. Instruction also included a spiritual gifts inventory to help campers determine their dominant gifts (some discovered gifts they did not know they had!). Campers also completed an assessment to determine their personal relationship styles, learning how one style relates to another. Campers also wrote down their definition of the plan of salvation, then shared it with others. Finally, they filled out surveys concerning the camp and their local church to give input for making improvements.

The cost to the campers was subsidized, in part, by the GCI congregations in Tabasco and Guadalajara. Without this assistance, many would not have been able to attend.

Overall, the camp was a great success – no campers wanted to leave at departure time! New friendships were formed (and will be continued on a newly launched Facebook page). Campers showed great interest in becoming actively involved in God’s work through GCI in Mexico.

On January 13, Joseph Tkach (GCI president) and Russell Duke (GCI vice president) were guests at a historic gathering of denominational leaders held in Los Angeles, CA at the central offices of the Foursquare Church.

Foursquare president Glenn Burris welcomed leaders of the denominations that have formed the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium (WHC). The WHC brings together the Pentecostal and Traditional streams of the Weslyan Holiness movement to cooperate in mission in the 21st century. Member denominations are Assemblies of God, Brethren in Christ, Church of God/Anderson, Evangelical Free, Foursquare, Free Methodist, Nazarene, Pentecostal Holiness, Salvation Army, United Methodist, United Pentecostal and Wesleyan.

Vinson Synan, renowned church historian at Regent University from the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, reported on the meeting with enthusiasm, “This is an historic day. The divisions of a hundred years ago were laid aside today in a wonderful spirit of unity.”