Equip the equippers

Our “From the President” letter this time is from GCI Vice President Greg Williams.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On a recent video chat with publications editors Ted Johnston and Rick Shallenberger, we discussed GCI Update and GCI Equipper, our two primary international denominational publications. We came to the “profound” conclusion that the purpose for Update is to provide updates (on congregations, ministries, people and programs) and the purpose for Equipper is to provide equipping (for pastors and ministry leaders). If that conclusion seems obvious, that’s good—it’s important to return to the basics from time to time.

Thinking about the basics reminds me that Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi would begin each training camp, football in hand, addressing his highly-skilled group of professional players with these words: “Gentlemen, this is a football!” In that back-to-the-basics spirit I want to expore in this letter the purpose for Equipper, which is to equip pastors and ministry leaders to participate with the Spirit in equipping our members for their ministry with Jesus. Said more simply, Equipper exists to equip the equippers.

Let’s unpack that thought by exploring the biblical definition of the word equip. In the New Testament, it translates the Greek word katartizo, which appears first in Mark 1:19 and Matthew 4:21 where James and John are katartizo-ing (preparing, mending, repairing, restoring) their nets for what those nets are made for: to catch fish.

The principal message behind that Gospel story is that Jesus had come to mend, repair, restore and prepare James and John (and the other apostles-in-training) for their calling: to catch people. All members of the church, old and young, share in this calling to participate with Jesus in what he is doing to minister to all humanity. To advance this ministry of all believers, Jesus extends a particular calling to church leaders (including, in our context, pastors and ministry leaders):

Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip [katartismos] his people for works of service [“ministry” ESV], so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:11-13, emphasis added)

Jesus placed ministry leadership offices within his body, the church, so that other members are equipped (restored, mended, prepared and outfitted) for their various works of ministry in and through the church. The overall goal is that the people of God, through this ministry, will grow into the maturity of Jesus himself. Please read that again, and let it soak in!

In accord with the New Testament use of katartizo, equipping involves restoration, healing and other forms of outfitting. Thus the equipping that church leaders are to be involved in has to do with helping willing members identify and live into their calling to participate in the ministry of Jesus in and through the church. This equipping involves many tasks, including counseling, training, teaching, apprenticing, affirming-appointing, deploying, coaching and superintending. The overall goal throughout is to help them become who they truly are (and are becoming) in Christ.

This brief overview of what the Bible says about equipping for ministry points to our basic purpose in publishing GCI Equipper each month (online at https://equipper.gci.org). Its articles, features and RCL-synced sermon manuscripts seek to remind us that our ultimate source of strength is Jesus, and that our works of service with our Lord are meant to help us help others grow into the fulness of the maturity of Christ. Toward that end, it is our plan that Equipper will continue to address a wide range of equipping topics, including prayer, worship, preaching, missional living, developing Christ-like leaders, building and growing the community of the church, etc. It is our aim to provide information and inspiration that helps pastors and ministry leaders be the very best equippers they can be.

Thanks to all of you who serve as leader-equippers in the body of Christ. I pray this blessing over you:

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)

The mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that is at work within you—equipping you for doing our Lord’s work. It is this power that mends everything torn apart in us, that repairs everything broken in us, and that restores to us a life that is new in Christ. Dear fellow-minister, you are equipped in Jesus, so be equipped, and then participate in the powerful ministry of Jesus in equipping others!

Feeling equipped,
Greg Williams, GCI Vice President

PS: If you would like to subscribe to GCI Equipper in order to receive notification by email on the day it is published online, go to https://equipper.gci.org/subscribe.

Ghana youth camp

This update is taken from a report by Assistant Camp Director Leslie Asare-Akoto.

GCI in Ghana, Africa held a youth camp last December. The theme, based on Matthew 28:11, was Christ is the answer. Participants included 50 campers (age 12 to 19) and 43 staff. About 30 of the campers received scholarships from the Jon Whitney Foundation.

Camp activities included morning devotions, music appreciation, soccer, softball, fireside–chat, volleyball, Christian living, Bible study, bead-making, dance etiquette and debate, along with a banquet night. An outreach activity took campers and staff into the communities around the camp to inform parents and youths not only about the camp and its benefits, but also to invite them to a watch night service on New Year’s eve. An educational trip took campers and staff to the Bonsu botanical gardens and canopy walkway where they were briefed about different plants and their medicinal properties.

During the camp, three campers accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and were baptized. The baptism was performed by National Pastor Emmanuel Okai and Pastor Jonathan Hammond, host pastor of the Kutunse congregation who had counselled the baptism candidates.

Solomon Islands visit

GCI-Australia pastoral leaders Randall Bourchier, Mary Bourchier and Phil Van Dijk recently visited GCI members in the Solomon Islands. Due to ill health, Henry Kuper, GCI’s coordinator for the Solomon Islands, has been unable to travel within the islands as he has done in the past. Randall, Mary and Phil visited Henry in his village on the island of Santa Ana, then traveled to the north-west corner of the Solomons, where they visited the church in the village of Qiloe on the island of Ranonnga (see map below, click to enlarge).

Santa Ana

Henry together with the small church in Santa Ana made the group feel welcome (see picture below). Conversations with Henry were helpful in exploring the immediate future God has in store for the relationship between the GCI-Australia church and the churches in the Solomon Islands. The group met for services with the Santa Ana congregation twice—sharing the gospel, prayer, communion and meals. One of the most moving times came at the end of the first service when Henry and his wife Elisabeth were honored for their years of devoted service to the church in the Solomon Islands. The group gave them a certificate of appreciation from the Australian church along with some small gifts.

Communication and travel is very difficult within the Solomon Islands. For example, a journey that would take an hour by plane may take anything between a couple of days to a week by ship. Sometimes shipping connections may involve a wait of days or weeks. Phone connections are sometimes unreliable and access to the Internet and email is available to very few.

Qiloe

The group then travelled to the village of Qiloe, where they were again warmly welcomed and cared for. They met three times with the GCI congregation there, sharing worship, meals and informal discussion. They also met with the church board. Since a visit a year earlier, there has been much progress. Newly ordained deacon, Tipa Andrew (pictured with his family below), has been instrumental in advancing a development plan for the village, including a new church building. It was thrilling to hear how God has led the church in Qiloe to seek partnerships involving local government, the neighboring village and GCI Australia.

Teaching in the Solomon Islands

The GCI leaders from Australia, in visiting the Solomon Islands over the last few years, have learned a lot about how to teach there. Some approaches work and some don’t. Originally they taught in English, being assured that the villagers would understand. That turned out not to be true, and so the teachers adopted a multipronged approach with an emphasis on the use of visual props. Now messages are delivered in simple, clear English, using as few words as possible. Those words are then translated into the local dialect by the best local English speakers available. The teachers engage the audience by sitting at floor level (see picture below), sometimes moving around displaying a picture or even creating a visual illustration. In a village culture where the men and women sit on either side of the hall for services, moving between the men and the women with the visual props creates an effective illustration of our one new humanity in Christ.

Messages during the visit centered on God’s big story with Christ as the center, our fruitful attachment to Christ as the Vine through the Spirit, and our life together as the church gathered in worship, in learning and in fellowship; and the church dispersed as each member extends God’s love to all as they go about their daily tasks.

Reflecting on the trip, Randall wrote this:

For Mary and myself, this trip was a time of emotional farewell to our brothers and sisters in the Solomon Islands. We’re thankful and privileged that God has made possible our visits during the past decade. We continue to be encouraged by what God is accomplishing in all our lives as we live responsively in fellowship with him, in Christ and through the Spirit! We’re also overjoyed that Phil has been able to be with us during the final two visits. We’ve enjoyed watching his God-given gifts blossom as God prepares him for future trips to visit GCI Solomon Islands. May God bless him and those who accompany him as he visits in December 2018.

Making the most of rented space

Does your congregation rent space for church? Congregations that do will benefit from reading an article at CT Pastors that provides helpful advice on how churches can creatively make the most of rented facilities. To read the article, click here.

Death of pastor in Cameroon

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of GCI-Cameroon Pastor Victor Balinga.

Pastor Victor Balinga (pictured at left), was born on May 14, 1939. He received a degree in agricultural engineering from a university in Nigeria and also studied at a U.S. university in Maine. In Cameroon he served as technical adviser to the minister of scientific and technical research. He was also the general manager of Parc Korup and helped establish the botanical garden of Limbé, Cameroon. He married Agnès Balinga Murum in 1967. They have 7 children and 21 grandchildren.

Pastor Balinga was a longtime WCG member, having joined the Yaoundé congregation in 1978. He served there as a deacon for several years, then was ordained an elder in 1999 and commissioned to serve as the Lead Pastor of the Limbé congregation. In partnership with his wife Agnès, Victor planted a congregation in Bimbia and cells in Tiko, Buea and Bamenda. He also broadcast the gospel on an area FM radio station.

Death of pastor in the Philippines

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of GCI-Philippines Pastor Reuel Pamor.

Pastor Reuel Monserate Pamor, who for nine years pastored the GCI congregation in Pili, died unexpectantly at age 57. Reuel is survived by his wife Gina and four daughters. His funeral was held on February 11. For additional details about Reuel’s life, family and ministry, click here.

GCI branded clothing

Customized clothing is a great way to promote your church. You can purchase various items of clothing with the GCI logo (shown below, available in various colors) on the GCI page on the Land’s End website at https://business.landsend.com/store/gci. When you go to the website, choose your item and then your size, and then the option to apply the GCI logo will appear.

GCI logo as it appears on Land’s End clothing.

Note: In the U.S., the IRS does not allow the cost of clothing with a GCI logo to be tax-deductible or reimbursable as a business expense because GCI does not expressly require this clothing to be worn by ministers or other employees or volunteers.

Granddaughter born

Longtime GCI-UK employee Phil Halford (now retired) the brother of deceased GCI Editor and Regional Director John Halford, is thrilled to announce the birth of his granddaughter, Caitlyn Linda (pictured below). She was born on January 31, weighing 9 lbs. 4 oz. The mother, father and grandparents are all doing well and Caitlyn is healthy and noisy (the noisy part being, apparently, a good sign!).