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Year: 2013

Heber Ticas

Heber and Xolalit Ticas
Heber and Xochilt Ticas

“I enjoy the fact that in GCI I have found a home,” says Heber Ticas who serves as a district pastor and pastors two Spanish-speaking congregations in the Los Angeles, California area. “Coming out of the Church of God Seventh Day and still being able to be in community with some of the pastors that we have journeyed with for years is a blessing. GCI made that possible! I have felt welcomed, loved and encouraged to do the Lord’s work.”

Heber was born in El Salvador, Central America and came to the US when he was nine. “Since then I have lived in the L.A. area. I pretty much have been providing for myself since I was 14 when I started selling fine candies and chocolates door-to-door.”

Heber and his wife Xochilt have been married for almost 23 years. “We have three children. Our daughter Ashley is a senior at Azusa Pacific University, our daughter Jessica is a junior at USC and our son Christian will be a freshman in high school.”

Heber did not set out to be a pastor. “I was going to Kings College out of The Church on the Way pastored by Jack Hayford. I was there because I was passionate for God’s word. I did not desire to become a pastor. I just wanted to serve the local church. At the time I was attending a small church where I assisted the pastor. All of a sudden he decided to leave ministry because of burnout and disappointment. While waiting for another pastor, it became clear that no one was coming. Eventually I agreed to be the pastor of that church.”

Heber entered the pastorate in 1999. Xochilt worked right alongside him. “My wife is the engine that pushes ministry forward. She leads women’s ministry and is involved in many other ways in structuring developing ministries.”

In 2003, Heber and his congregation were part of the Spanish-speaking congregations that became part of WCG/GCI under the leadership of Lorenzo Arroyo. Heber credits Lorenzo for being a good mentor in ministry. Heber says his passion is “people, Hispanic ministry and church planting. My greatest joy in pastoring is participating with the Spirit in making a difference in peoples’ lives—seeing lives transformed and hearts encouraged. It is a joy to be used that way by our Lord.”

When asked about his most memorable moment, Heber said, “It’s the day that a dying man with AIDS trusted me with his burial wishes. He had been coming to our church and I did not even know that he was dying from AIDS. He trusted that I would lift up a prayer for him the day he died and spread his ashes at sea.”

When does Heber feel closest to God? “I feel closer to the Lord in the midst of need, especially when I am ministering to someone going through difficult life struggles.”

Death of Alvah Pyle

Alvah Pyle
Alvah Pyle

We are saddened to learn of the death of Alvah Pyle, widow of Norvel Pyle who preceded his wife in death. Alvah would have turned 100 years old later this year.

Alvah and Norvel were long-time residents of the Big Sandy, Texas area. Their children include GCI members Norva Kelly (wife of GCI Advisory Council of Elders member and retired GCI employee Ron Kelly) and Kay Kissee (wife of GCI pastor Jim Kissee). All of the Pyle children attended Ambassador College. In addition to Norva and Kay, another daughter and three brothers and their spouses served in WCG ministry some years ago.

The Pyle family - Elva is in the second row from top at the left.
The Pyle family – Elva is in the second row from top at the left.

Our prayers are with the Pyle family (pictured here, many years ago).

A memorial service will be on August 7 at 6:00 p.m. at the Croley Funeral Home, 401 Center St., Gladewater, Texas (903-845-2155). The burial will be on August 8 at 9:00 a.m. at the Gladewater cemetery.

Cards may be sent to:

Ron and Norva Kelly
841 Swiss Trails Road
Duarte, CA 91010-7057
Jim and Kay Kissee
601 North 36th Street
Nixa, MO 65714-7558

 

Tony Murphy ordained

Glue and Tony are congratulated following their ordinations.
Rudy and Tony (in the center on the left side) are congratulated following their ordinations.

Retired, long-time GCI employee Tony Murphy was recently ordained an elder in GCI’s congregation that meets in Central Coast, California. Rudy Lomboy was ordained at the same time.

Tony was employed in WCG’s TV department for many years working on The World Tomorrow telecast and other media projects. More recently he served as media coordinator for the Speaking of Life, You’re Included and A Word from our Sponsor video productions. In that role, he contacted, taped and edited many of the Trinitarian theologians featured on GCI’s web site.

Reflecting on his ordination, Tony commented: “I want my ministry to be a living answer to the question, ‘How do I best participate in Christ’s ministry especially to those in my congregation, but also to all those with whom I come in contact?'”

Tony and his wife, Wilma, have been conducting a weekly Bible study in their home for almost a year and have been serving the local congregation since their retirement and move to the area.

US church structure

GCI Church Administration and Development USA (CAD), led by Dan Rogers, recently announced changes to the structure of the US church. There now are four administrative regions, each served by a regional pastor (RP) and an associate regional pastor (ARP). Each region has multiple districts, each served by a district pastor (DP) who oversees the various congregations within that district. The list below shows the four administrative regions, their districts and the congregations within each district. Each congregation is identified by its pastor (or other primary leader or pastoral care team), showing the location(s) where the congregation(s) served by that pastor meet.

The CAD leadership team extends heartfelt thanks to these leaders and to those who, in the past, have served as regional, district and church pastors.

Western Region

RP: Lorenzo Arroyo, ARP: Heber Ticas

DP: Tim Sitterley
• Jim Jobe—Port Angeles, WA
• Chuck Downey—Olympia, WA
• Dee Bulante— Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA
• Bart Baril—Port Orchard, WA
• Bill Chaffee—Federal Way, WA
• Larry Pate—Tacoma, WA
• Bill Miller—Seattle-Bellevue, WA
• Anne Gillam—Klamath Falls, OR
• Robert Potvin—Medford, OR
• Robin Chester—Bend, OR
• Gerald Schnarrenberger—Coeur d’Alene, ID & Spokane, WA
• Bill Linge—Boise, ID
• Don Marson—Anchorage, AK
• Jack Evans—Kenai, AK
• Tim Sitterley—Eugene & Salem, OR

DP: David Weber
• Wayne Fisher—Green River, WY
• Carol Fertig—Elko, NV
• Shannon Fertig—Cheyenne, WY
• Arthur Baldrey—Casper, WY
• Bill Bryce, Norm Foster & Ron Heck—Salt Lake City, UT
• John Kehn—Scottsbluff, NE
• Jim Anattol—Missoula, MT
• Tobe Johnson—Helena, MT
• David Weber—Wheatland, WY

DP: Heber Ticas
• Manuel Ochoa—Hawthorne, CA
• Jose Escalante—Santa Fe Springs, CA
• Gildardo de La Rosa—Santa Ana, CA
• Ines Cante—Moreno Valley, CA
• Mario Lopez, Pablo Sotoj & Zavid Cova—Pasadena, CA
• Bernabe Roman & Alejandro Alcantara—Howell, NJ
• Heber Ticas—Sun Valley & Los Angeles, CA

DP: Bermie Dizon
• Rand Holm—Chatsworth & Ventura, CA
• Romy Degolacion—Los Angeles, CA
• Tony Murphy, Rudy Lomboy—Central Coast, CA
• Randy Sorrentino—Orange County, CA
• Eric Shaw (interim pastor)—Long Beach & Orange County, CA
• Tom Ecker—Beaumont & Victorville, CA
• Raul Ramos—Antelope Valley, CA
• Leonard Raught—Corona, CA
• Bermie Dizon—Pasadena & Los Angeles, CA

DP: Glen Weber
• Michael Wyatt-Paige—Phoenix, AZ (Sunday)
• Mike Roberts—Phoenix, AZ (Saturday)
• Leon Cooper—Cottonwood, AZ
• Ted Landess & Ted Millhuff—Tucson, AZ
• Harold Jackson—Albuquerque, NM
• Ruel Guerrero—Las Vegas, NV
• Gary Crowell—Honolulu, HI
• Neil Earle—Glendora & Rancho Cucamonga, CA
• Mark Stapleton—San Diego, CA
• Glen Weber—Eagle Rock, CA

DP: Mike Swagerty
• Steve Smith—Modesto, Santa Rosa & Fairfield, CA
• Mel Dahlgren—San Jose, CA
• Richard Roberts—San Francisco, CA
• Jim Roberts—San Leandro, CA
• John Jester—Watsonville, CA
• Larry Van Landuyt—Redding & Chico, CA
• Ed Kofol—Reno, NV
• Tom Byars—Visalia, CA
• Bill Schultz—Fresno, CA
• Mike Swagerty—Sacramento, CA

South-Central Region

RP: Ted Johnston, ARP: Mike Rasmussen

DP: Mike Rasmussen
• Mark McCulley—Denver North & Colorado Springs, CO
• Tim Snyder—Denver South, CO
• Sam Reese, Doris Baer & Mrs. Richard Shriver—Pueblo, CO
• June Welch—Alamosa, CO
• Aaron Armstrong—Englewood, CO
• Stuart Rising—Ada, OK
• Jon Rummel—Tulsa, OK
• Mike Roth—Van Buren, AR
• Don Engle—Wichita, KS
• Sammy O’Dell—Amarillo, TX
• Jason Frantz—Kansas City, MO
• Ron McCrerey—St. Joseph, MO
• John Howard—Topeka, KS
• Robert Edsall—Kirksville, MO
• Fred Davis—Grand Island, NE
• Ron Felling—Tontitown, AR
• William Condley—Russellville, AR
• David Husmann—Omaha, NE & Sioux City, IA
• Mike Rasmussen—Oklahoma City, OK

DP: Arnold Clauson
• Bob Persky—Dallas (Central), TX
• Rodney Schuler—San Antonio & Victoria, TX
• Mark Mounts—Houston, TX
• Gene Koch, James Scales—Beaumont, TX
• Ruben Salazar—Harlingen, TX
• Richard Gonzales—Odessa, TX
• Don Amundson—Austin, TX
• Tom Pickett—Euless, TX
• Carl Head—Azle, TX
• David Pickett—Burleson, TX
• Lee Berger—Longview, TX
• Martin Farnsworth, Gary Demarest, James Newsom & Donna Patillo—Tyler, TX
• Frank Parsons—Big Sandy & Texarkana, TX
• Walter Deptula—Lufkin, TX
• Terry Lambert—Abilene, TX
• Janet Warner, Toni Contreras, Michael Alvarez—Las Cruces, NM
• Arnold Clauson— Dallas (North) & Denison, TX & Antlers, OK

DP: Mike Horchak
• Richard Young—Lake Charles, LA
• Anthony Rice—Baton Rouge & Lafayette, LA
• Mike Booze—Shreveport & Monroe, LA
• John Ross—Greenwood, MS
• Andrew Britton—Mobile, AL
• Phil Nichols—Monroeville, AL
• Leonard Tillotson—Natchez, MS
• John Novick—Jackson, Hattiesburg & Meridian, MS
• Oliver Baker—Pine Bluff, AR
• Harold McKissic—Geneva, AL
• Mike Horchak—New Orleans & Hammond, LA

North-Central Region

RP: Randy Bloom, ARP: Rick Shallenberger

DP Rick Shallenberger
• Jeff Noordhoek & Jim Noordhoek—Batesville, AR
• Jeff Chandler—Jonesboro, AR
• Paul Sniffen – Memphis, TN
• Wayne Wendt – Jackson, TN
• Linda Rex—Nashville & Murfreesboro, TN
• Bob Druien – Bowling Green, KY
• Tony Raney, Joe Blagg & Deb Blagg – Paducah, KY
• Ellis Necessary – Morristown, TN
• Ed Peters & Frances Sykes – Clarksville, TN
• Harry Kall—Cicero, IL
• Stephen Hill—Manteno, IL
• Lucille Cramer & Carl Cramer—Rockford, Janesville & Madison, WI
• Juanita Bushert—Madison, WI
• James Newby—Chicago (NW) &, Joliet, IL
• Richard Frankel—Chicago (N), IL & Kenosha, WI
• Willard High—South Holland, IL
• Mark Porter—Milwaukee, WI
• George Isken—West Bend, WI
• Raymond Olson—Watertown, WI

DP: Karl Reinagel
• Calvin Devries, Kathy Korte, Bill Ritzman, Virginia Wernli & Beverly Worden—Des Moines, IA
• Robert Ehlen—Hillsboro, MO
• Gary Dry—Warrenton, MO
• Austin Caldwell—Alton City, IL
• Mark Queener—Belleville, IL
• Mark Bannier—Macomb, IL
• Dana Loter John Anderson & Todd Woods— Davenport, IA
• Alan House, Harold Flaugher, Ruth Pennock & Lea Payton—Lake of the Ozarks, MO
• Jim Kissee—Springfield & Joplin, MO
• Karl Reinagel—St Louis, MO

DP: Sam Butler
• Roger Abels – Fort Wayne, IN & Kalamazoo, MI
• Ray Griffee & Susan Davis—Chase, MI
• David Howe—Elkhart, IN
• Jon Pairitz—Michigan City, IN
• Bradley Haist—Freeland & Flint, MI
• Grant Forsyth—Kenockee, MI
• Ron Washington—Livonia, MI
• Ross Flynn—Detroit, MI
• Stuart Mahan—Toledo, OH
• Sam Butler–Grand Rapids & Ravenna, MI

DP: George Hart
• Rick Shallenberger—Cincinnati West, OH
• Charles Shelton—London, KY
• Mark Beverly, Tierrella Bentley & Cora Hamilton—Hazard, KY
• Carrie Smith, Debby Bailey & Mike Stewart—Pikeville, KY
• James Humphries—Mt. Sterling, KY
• Mike Greider—Louisa, WV & Barboursville, KY
• Don Hussell—Ripley, WV
• John Bailey & Beth Jeffers—Lexington, KY
• David Perry – Indianapolis, Lafayette, Terre Haute & Hope, IN
• Wayne Blair – Richmond, IN
• George Hart – Cincinnati East, OH

DP: Doug Johannsen
• Richard Siedschlag—Fargo, ND
• George Affeldt—Sioux Falls, SD
• Nevin Nolder—St. Cloud, MN
• Gordon Lindquist—Duluth, MN
• Steve Cole & Becky Deuel—Appleton, WI
• Charles Holladay—Bloomington, MN
• John Torgerson—Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Todd Fox, Troy Meisner & David Laack—Rochester, MN
• Roger Galstad—Eau Claire, WI
• Lynn Pahl & Joyce Wendt—Wausau, WI
• Tom Kennebeck—Orr, MN
• Margaret Olheiser—Dickinson, ND
• Surgay Kalamaha—Minot, ND
• Carrol Miller—Grand Rapids, MN
• Doug Johannsen—St. Paul & Champlin, MN

Eastern Region

RP: Greg Williams, ARP: Paul David Kurts

DP: Larry Wooldridge
• Al Nelson—Montpelier, VT
• Bill Ford—Boston, Amherst & Worcester, MA
• Robert Thurlow—Windham, ME
• Jim Cook—Bangor, ME
• Luciano Cozzi—Providence, RI
• Thom Freidrich—Loudon, NH
• Andy Jacob, Jeannette Trotter & Jeanette Singleton—Schenectady, NY
• Mary Williams, Edward Binder, Dennis Hoyt & Irene Hutchins—Lake George, NY
• Dishon Mills—Randolph, MA
• Larry Wooldridge—Meriden & Stratford CT

DP: Timothy Brassell
• Calvin Simon—Virginia Beach, VA
• Charles Adams—Richmond (S), VA
• Brian Carlisle—Washington, DC
• Richard Kissell—Smithburg, MD
• Pat Blubaugh, Sylvia Bailey & Charlotte Parsons—Cumberland, MD
• Raymond Taylor—Seaford & Elsmere, DE
• Richard Ridgell—Front Royal, VA
• Michael Kinzie—Roanoke, VA
• Bill Winn—Richmond, VA
• John Keen—Harrisburg, PA
• Joel Duttera—York, PA
• Timothy Brassell—Baltimore, MD

DP: Larry Hinkle
• Charles Taylor—Miramar, FL
• Steve Schantz—Orlando & Melbourne, FL
• Linard Johnson—Gainesville, FL
• Hugh Steininga, Sarah Faulkner & Bonny McQueary—Ft. Myers, FL
• Ted Ralph—Miami, FL
• Ellie Kurzawa—Tampa/Lakeland, FL
• Jonathan Rakestraw—Tallahassee, FL
• Martin Davey—Jacksonville, FL & Woodbine, GA
• Steve Brown—Clearwater, Ocala & Bradenton, FL
• Larry Hinkle—Port St. Lucie & Pompano Beach, FL

DP: John Dobritch
• Jim Valekis—Tipp City, OH
• David Marquis – Marion, OH
• Jeff Broadnax – Columbus & Chillicothe, OH
• Charlie Palmer, Emma Smith & David Diels—Lorain, OH
• David Botha—Akron & Cleveland, OH
• Bruce Metz—Jenners, PA
• Todd Crouch—Washington, PA, Wheeling, WV & Cambridge, OH
• Tom Smith—Pittsburgh & Indiana, PA
• Warren Wilson—Mineral Wells & Summersville, WV
• Frank Novak—Mount Pleasant, PA
• John Knaack—Buffalo, NY
• Leonard Banks—Rochester, NY
• Leonard Ladage—Olean, NY
• Verne Seekings—Fredonia, NY
• Doris Evans—Erie, PA
• John Dobritch—Canfield, OH

DP: David Gilbert
• Anthony Caputo—Lakehurst, NJ
• John Newsom—Queens & Manhattan, NY
• Mary Bacheller—Staten Island, NY
• Franklin Howard—Newark, NJ
• Gerald Backhus—Hillsdale, NJ
• Lenny Underwood & Sylvia Musto—Middletown, NY
• Serge Volpe—White Plains, NY
• Eric Dreibelbis—Selinsgrove, PA
• Shawn Gregory—Blossburg, PA
• Tom Davis—Wilkes Barre, PA
• Eric Larison—Syracuse, NY
• David Gilbert—Union, NJ & Philadelphia, PA

DP: Dennis Wheatcroft
• Arlen Bryant—Cookeville, TN
• Dewey Peterson—Crossville, TN
• Brad Campbell—Decatur, AL
• Lance McKinnon—Dallas, GA
• Ernest Tollner—Athens, GA
• David Beckner—Snellville, GA
• James Lewis—Montgomery, AL
• David Whited & Terry Cohron—Buford, GA
• Bob Miller—Birmingham & Good Hope, AL
• Larry Oglesby—Columbus, GA
• Robert Saulsberry—Macon, GA
• Leroy Hunter—Thomasville, GA
• Charles Young—Atlanta, GA
• John Huffman—Greenville, SC
• Dennis Wheatcroft—Chattanooga, TN & Murphy, NC

DP: Howard Blakeney
• Paul David Kurts—Hickory, NC
• William Boney—Wilmington, NC
• Tommie Grant Jr & Alvin Simmons—Charleston, SC
• Joel Irusta—Greensboro, NC
• Earl Jones—Fayetteville, NC
• Troy White, Ron Garrett & Rocky Ray—Charlotte, NC
• Ann Vinson & Rick Rogers—Kings Mountain, NC
• John Moskel—Columbia, SC & Augusta, GA
• Ken Hygh—Raleigh, NC
• Don Mason—Wilson, NC
• Jeff Snyder—Savannah, GA
• Rick Stillwell & Bob Vischer—Asheville, NC
• Howard Blakeney—Marion, SC

Retreats in Africa

This update is from African mission developer Kalengule Kaoma.

GCI pastors and their wives met recently in Zimbabwe and Zambia for pastor retreats. These retreats foster teamwork and good pastoral relationships, and provide opportunities to discuss doctrinal matters.

The pastors’ retreat in Zimbabwe took place at Lake Chivero near Harare; 23 attended.

Zimbabwe 2
Part of the Zimbabwean pastoral team

The pastors’ retreat in Zambia took place in Chongwe, east of Lusaka; 27 attended, including (pictured below, left to right) Kennedy Musopelo with his son Divine, Christopher and Judith Simbeye, and Aaron and Maggie Ng’ambi.

Zambia 3 Zambia 2 Zambia 1

The Zambian retreat was enhanced by a worship service that included all of our churches in the Lusaka area. The service featured singing, drama and poetry.

Allan Barr

Edna Barr sent us this prayer request concerning her husband, retired GCI district and church pastor Allan Barr.

Allan recently visited a urologist regarding a growing lump, which may be testicular cancer. The urologist prescribed a CT scan and surgical removal of the tumor, which will be followed by a biopsy to determine if it is malignant. The surgery will be on July 25 with a follow-up visit a week later to discuss possible treatment. We are thankful for the answered prayers that made the first appointment possible, since for weeks they said that the first available appointment was August 2. We also give thanks for the prayers of church members. We’re expecting that things will go according to God’s plan.

Trustworthy stewards

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Joe and Tammy TkachTaking care of our denomination’s financial affairs may not be one of the more glamorous functions of our work, but it is one of the most important. As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:2, NRSV).

Our Glendora office accounting team takes stewardship of GCI’s finances very seriously. They maintain meticulous professional standards and work hard to meet the requirements of the law. This includes submitting our financial records to an independent external auditor. Our staff then devotes many hours in responding to the auditor’s requests. This is time well spent because it shines an outside light on our financial management records and processes and helps us improve each year.

Capin Crouse LLP recently finished auditing our financial records for 2011 and 2012. They presented their findings to our Board of Directors in a written report that summarizes the audit and suggests ways that we can improve our financial systems. The report also notes forthcoming changes to legal and financial requirements for churches. The report’s cover letter includes this summary statement:

In our opinion, the combined financial statements [from GCI]…present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Grace Communion International and Affiliate in the United States of America as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the changes in their net assets and their cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

This statement means that our external auditor has given us a “clean” or “unqualified” report. They noted to us informally that our financial systems are “stellar.” This is significant, for in a world where institutions, including churches, are often distrusted, our members and other donors can have peace of mind knowing that their contributions and financial sacrifices are respected by their church and that its financial resources are being handled with the greatest of professional care. Any GCI member in the US may obtain a copy of Capin Crouse’s audit report by sending their request to Grace Communion International, P.O. Box 5005 Glendora, CA 91740, attention Mat Morgan.

The pictures below show our home office financial team. I thank all of them, including Mathew Morgan, our treasurer and Robert Meade, our accounting manager who lead us in financial stewardship. I also thank the many others in our home office and in our congregations who diligently strive to be trustworthy stewards of the finances entrusted to us for the work of the gospel.

Celestine Olive, Donation processing, Cheryl Corson, Executive Assistant, Mat Morgan, Treasurer, Gwen Schneider, Payroll, Pam Morgan Accounts Payable
Left to right: Celestine Olive, (donation processing), Cheryl Corson (executive assistant), Mat Morgan (treasurer), Gwen Schneider (payroll), Pam Morgan (accounts payable).
Robert Meade
Robert Meade (accounting manager)

On a related note, I urge all pastors and treasurers in our US churches to stay current with requirements for reviews of financial records as detailed in the GCI-USA Financial Management Manual. An internal review is required each year and an external review is required every third year. Although these reviews can be time-consuming, they are essential in helping us properly steward the finances within our churches.

Due to the upcoming International Denominational Conference, we will not be publishing GCI Weekly Update next week. I look forward to seeing many of you in Orlando.

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach.

PS. As you may know, churches, denominations and ministry organizations are seeing significant changes related to financial stewardship and fundraising. Ted Johnston tells me that this important topic will be the focus of the August issue of Equipper. I hope you will read it when it’s published in early August. Equipper is emailed to all GCI-USA pastors and to others who request it. It also is posted online at http://mindev.gci.org/equipper.htm.

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