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Recent ordinations

Here are reports on recent elder ordinations conducted in Canada and Grenada.

Clay and Gillian Houghton

L to R: Alan Redmond,
Gillian and Clay Houghton, Bill Hall

GCI-Canada Western District Superintendent Bill Hall joined with Winnipeg Lead Pastor Alan Redmond and elders Dave Adolfson, Charles Norris, Nestor Guspodarchuk and Maurice Yurkiw in ordaining Clay and Gillian Houghton as elders for the congregation. Clay and Gillian have been active with GCI-Canada’s Silver Meadows summer camp, local young adults ministry, small group Bible studies, the congregation’s Table of Grace food bank and the recently approved Canadian charity for education in Sierra Leone based in the Winnipeg congregation.

Elisha St. Louis

L to R: Emerson McIntyre,
Paula and Elisha St. Louis, Charles Fleming

Elisha St. Louis of GCI’s congregation on the Caribbean Island of Grenada was recently ordained an elder by Caribbean Mission Developer Charles Fleming and the congregation’s lead pastor Emerson McIntyre.

Immediately following the ordination, Elisha was commissioned to serve as the congregation’s associate pastor. According to Charles, “Elisha is not only a great help to Emerson, but has the gifting needed to succeed Emerson someday.”

Florida retreat

Fifteen people gathered recently at the St. Stephens Retreat Center in Titusville, FL, for the 7th annual “Experiencing the Trinity Retreat” sponsored by the Odyssey in Christ Ministry. For four days, participants explored their relationship with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They practiced various spiritual disciplines designed to open space to hear from God personally. The retreat was structured for the participants to move back and forth from solitude to community to experience the benefits of being with God both alone and in community.

Here are comments from retreat participants:

  • It was like being with family—I’m returning home renewed and refreshed.
  • I learned how to better listen to God in silence and solitude. I also learned how deeply God loves me.
  • I learned to be intentionally making space for Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • Community—God speaks through others.
  • It’s just what the doctor ordered—a chance to refocus on what’s important in life and get a renewed sense of direction spiritually and otherwise.

SoCal wildfires

At the time this issue of GCI Weekly Update was published, huge wildfires continue burning in Southern California, where GCI has multiple congregations. Here are reports from two area pastors: Wayne Mitchell and Bermie Dizon. Your prayers are requested.

From Wayne Mitchell

We are thankful for the Lord’s presence with us and protection through the fires ravaging our area over the last week. All our members in the Ventura congregation were affected in some way by the Thomas Fire (by fire, smoke, air quality or inability to navigate roadways).

Bob and Joyce Muller’s home in Ojai was in the path of the fire on Tuesday and they were forced to evacuate. When they returned home Thursday, their neighbor’s home had burned to the ground, but theirs was spared. They are in their home now, keeping a watchful eye on the capricious path of the fire.

Julie Dexter, Bob’s sister who lives in Ojai and works in Ventura, watched as the fire burned across the street from the office where she works. She emailed the picture at right of the street she lives on. So far, her home is still standing.

About four church families had to evacuate from the Creek Fire that started around the Sylmar area. To my knowledge they have all returned home safely. The Rye Fire, in the Santa Clarita area, came within about six miles of a member’s home there, but no closer. From our apartment at the north edge of Simi Valley we can see smoke billowing above the hills to the west and northwest, as the Thomas fire continues to burn unabated, feuled by the Santa Ana winds. The relative humidity, as low as 6% in this area, is a threatening factor.

Source: NPR

In the midst of the fires’ devastation, one of our members forwarded the passage of scripture below. What a beautiful reminder of the unfailing love of the Lord we serve.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling– even the LORD, who is my refuge–then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91)

Please join with us in praying that the winds will die down and that we will finally get some cool moist air settling into our beautiful little corner of the world.

From Bermie Dizon

Though I have not heard of any members whose homes have burned down due to the ongoing fires, I did hear of the scary experiences many had driving with the fires so close to the freeway. Last Thursday, learning of the fire in the Sylmar area [northwest of Pasadena], I was concerned because Steven Brooks, associate pastor of our GCI Los Angeles congregation, lives in that area. I called Steve’s wife Gloria (Steve was out of town) and learned that because the fire was moving close to their home, the family had been ordered to evacuate. Gloria and her daughter left their home and stayed at her sister’s place in Granada Hills, 10 miles away. She wanted to return home to get some valuables, but the roads were blocked. Thankfully, the wind pushed the fire in the opposite direction and their house was spared. Gloria told us at church that she was comforted by several members who called her to ask what they could do to help.

Map showing SoCal wildfires as of December 6 (source: CBS Los Angeles)

Thanking donors

As noted in a recent post on the new GCI Facebook page, our churches would not exist without the prayerful and financial support of our members. The end of the year is a perfect time for pastors to thank them by sending out notes of thanks, encouragement and congregational vision. To help you do that, we’ve designed a GCI postcard (below). To use it, click on the picture, print it on cardstock paper, cut out each of the cards, hand write your message on the back (blank) sides, then send them out.

Death of retired pastor’s wife

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of Jane Parsons, wife of Sonny Parsons, who for many years pastored the GCI congregation in Big Sandy, TX (click here for a profile of the couple published in 2014 and here for a story about Jane published earlier this year). Here is an announcement concerning Jane’s death from Jerome Ellard, who now pastors the Big Sandy church:

Sonny and Jane

Jane Parsons, wife of retired GCI pastor Sonny Parsons, died on Monday afternoon, December 11, 2017, after a lengthy decline in health. Sonny and Jane were lovebirds, married for 53 years.

A service celebrating Jane’s life will be held on Thursday, December 14, at First Christian Church in Big Sandy, followed by a meal at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, the GCI congregation in Big Sandy.

Cards may be sent to:

Sonny Parsons
110 W. Groves St.
Big Sandy, TX 75755

More on the virgin birth of Jesus

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Joseph and Tammy Tkach
Joseph and Tammy Tkach

The incarnation of the eternal Son of God is of such great importance that without it there can be no true Christianity. The apostle John put it this way:

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:2-3, ESV)

As I noted in my Update letter last week, the virgin birth of Jesus is an important part of the doctrine of the Incarnation. It declares that the Son of God took on a full and complete human existence while remaining what he was—the eternal Son of God. The fact that Jesus’ mother Mary was a virgin was a sign that it was not by human initiative or involvement that she became pregnant. The voluntary conception that occurred within Mary’s womb came about through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who joined Mary’s human nature to the Son of God’s divine nature. The Son of God thereby took on a complete human existence from birth to death, to resurrection and ascension, continuing forever in his now glorified humanity.

“Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isa. 9:6 KJV).
(source)

There are those who scoff at the idea that Jesus’ birth was a miracle from God. These skeptics disparage the biblical record, as well as our faith in it. I find their objections quite ironic in that while viewing the virgin birth as an absurd impossibility, they maintain their own version of a virgin birth in connection with two principal claims:

  1. They claim that the universe came into existence by itself, from nothing. I think we’re entitled to call that a miracle, even though they say it came about mindlessly and purposelessly. Of course, when one looks more closely at their descriptions of nothing, we find that it is a case of smoke and mirrors. Their nothing is redefined as something such as quantum fluctuations in empty space, or cosmic bubbles, or an infinite assembly of the multiverse. In other words, their use of the term nothing is misleading, since their nothing is filled with something—the something that our universe came forth from!
  2. They claim that life arose from non-life. To me, this claim is far more “out there” than the idea of Jesus being born of a virgin. Regardless of the scientifically verified fact that life comes only from life, some still manage to believe that life arose from a lifeless primordial soup. While scientists and mathematicians have pointed out the impossibility of such an occurrence, some still find it easier to believe in a mindless miracle than to believe in the true miracle of Jesus’ virgin birth.

In support of the first claim, physicist Stephen Hawking said this: “The universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, [it is] why we exist” (The Grand Design, p. 180). Philosopher Quentin Smith put it this way: “The fact of the matter is that the most reasonable belief is that we came from nothing, by nothing and for nothing. We should… acknowledge our foundation in nothingness and feel awe at the marvelous fact that we have a chance to participate briefly in this incredible sunburst that interrupts without reason the reign of non-being” (“The Metaphilosophy of Naturalism,” Philo 4.2., 2000).

Though skeptics like Hawking and Smith embrace their own forms of virgin birth, they consider it fair game to lampoon Christians for believing in the virgin birth of Jesus, which necessitates a miracle from a personal God who transcends creation. Doesn’t it seem to you that those who see the Incarnation as impossible or improbable are embracing a double standard?

Scripture teaches that the virgin birth was a miraculous sign from God (Isa. 7:14), designed to fulfill his purposes. The repeated use of the title “Son of God” acknowledges that Christ was conceived and born of a woman (and without the involvement of a man) by the power of God. That this truly happened is affirmed by the apostle Peter:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Pet. 1:16, ESV)

Peter’s declaration (together with other similar New Testament statements) provides clear, evidential refutation of all assertions that the story of the Incarnation, including Jesus’ virgin birth, is a myth or legend. The fact of the virgin birth testifies to the miracle of a supernatural conception by God’s own divine, personal creative act. The birth of Christ was natural and normal in every way, including the full period of human gestation in Mary’s womb. For Jesus to redeem every aspect of human existence, he had to assume it all—overcoming all its weaknesses and regenerating our humanity in himself from beginning to end. For God to heal the breach that evil had brought between himself and human beings, God had to, in himself, undo what humankind had done.

For God to reconcile himself to us, he had to come himself, reveal himself, give himself to us, then take us to himself, beginning from the very root of human being. And that is precisely what God, in the person of the eternal Son of God, did. While remaining fully God, he became fully one of us so that in and through him, we might have fellowship and communion with the Father, in the Son, by the Holy Spirit. The author of Hebrews refers to this stunning truth with these words:

Since… the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. (Heb. 2:14-17, NRSV)

In his first advent, the Son of God, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, literally became Immanuel (God with us, Matt. 1:23). The virgin birth of Jesus was God’s declaration that he is going to set all things right in human life, from beginning to end. In his second advent, which is yet to occur, Jesus will overcome and vanquish all evil bringing an end to all pain and death. Looking forward to that great day, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that “the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.” The apostle John put it this way: “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!'” (Rev. 21:5).

I have seen grown men cry as they witnessed the birth of their child. We sometimes refer to “the miracle of childbirth,” and rightly so. I hope you see Jesus’ birth as the miracle of the birthing of the One who truly is making “everything new.”

I pray you have a joy-filled Advent as we await our celebration of Jesus’ virgin birth at Christmas,
Joseph Tkach

December Equipper

The December “GCI Equipper” looks back at our journey of renewal in 2017. Here are links to the articles and sermons in that issue:

From Greg: A look back at 2017
Greg Williams takes a look back at our journey with Jesus as seen in the issues of Equipper published this year.

Wholehearted, part 1: Finding Fellowship in Jesus
Cathy Deddo presents part 1 of a 2-part essay addressing the nature of the Christian life.

Kid’s Korner: Focus on the child
Lance McKinnon shares an encouraging message about the love the Father has for the kids we minister to as parents and youth ministers.

RCL sermons for January, 2018
Here are the Revised Common Lectionary-synced sermons for January:
Sermon for January 7
Sermon for January 14
Sermon for January 21
Sermon for January 28

In case you missed the sermons for December, here they are:
Sermon for December 3 (Advent 1)
Sermon for December 10 (Advent 2)
Sermon for December 17 (Advent 3)
Sermon for December 24 (Advent 4)
Sermon for December 31