Month: August 2018

On July 20-21, over 15 people from various GCI congregations came together at Christ Fellowship Church (one of GCI’s Cincinnati, OH, area congregations) for a workshop led by Cathy Deddo.

Through individual study time, small group interaction and large group discussions, the group studied seven related passages in the Gospel of Mark. The goal was to help each other listen more attentively to the passages so that each person could grow in their understanding of Scripture and their relationship with the Lord, and also grow in their ability to lead interactive small group Bible studies.

Cathy commented on the approach she took in the workshop:

The Bible is unlike any other written word. The Holy Spirit, who inspired these writings for our benefit, can speak to us again today in and through these words. As pastors and small group leaders, we want Bible study to feed people’s actual, real relationship with God and to draw us together in Christ-centered fellowship. In expectation of what the Spirit will do in using these words again, we learned how to tune into the message of the biblical author (Mark in this case). We especially focused on discerning the particular questions Mark raised and the particular answers he gave in his Gospel.

Here are comments from some of the participants:

It was awesome to really dig in. It was like digging for gold. Absolutely wonderful, in-depth study. (Laura Bauer)

I loved doing this study directly from the Scriptures instead of just relying on what someone else is telling us. We should always start at his Word, then move on to reading commentaries and using Bible dictionaries and lexicons. Reading Scripture first really gives us focus and faith in what God is telling us. It helps his Word reach into our hearts when we reach into it and get our hands dirty instead of just standing aside and watching someone else doing the hard work. Thank you, Cathy, for taking us by the hand and showing us how to garden. (Valerie Beverly)

This study in Mark gave me techniques and tools to use as a small group leader in my church. In addition to gaining much insight into the book of Mark, walking through the passages with a focus on ways to engage our groups to more fully connect with God and his message was a treasure. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to point each other to Christ and see ourselves in light of Scripture. (Carol Bolander)

I enjoyed reading and considering the various Scripture passages and the in-depth analysis of each one. The lectures from Cathy and the comments from workshop participants made the written material come alive. More than ever before, I was seeing Jesus as a real person, living among real people, living a real life, in a real historical setting. The background material and discussions of others helped in seeing the flow of the book, and why Mark wrote in the style that he did. This insight is helpful in comparing Mark to the other Gospels that address the same events. (Bill Roll)

Here is a video with pictures of a back-to-school outreach recently held by the GCI congregation in Cicero, IL (in the Chicago area). The lead pastor (shown in the last picture) is Israel Hernandez.

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/3hgFWCmdQyk.

Here, from GCI President Joseph Tkach and GCI Vice President Greg Williams, is a Speaking of Life video that introduces GCI’s new Home Office in Charlotte, NC, and the staff members who work there serving GCI pastors and congregations around the world.

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/pKbE580m44s.

This report is from Hazel Tabin of Grace Communion Fellowship, one of GCI’s congregations in the Los Angeles, CA area.

We are beyond grateful that our first Vacation Bible School (VBS) was a success! Though only three kids were registered just a few days before the event, we ended up having 22 attend—12 five through eight years old, and 10 nine through twelve years old (pictured below).

The VBS theme was “Game On,” which focused on sports. It allowed the kids to talk about their favorite sports and warm up quickly to one another. The theme helped the kids understand how God wants every one of us to be a part of his team. The topics focused on Jesus—that he cares, gives us hope, helps us believe, loves us, and gives us joy. The children listened to stories, learned Bible verses, sang, danced, played team games, and created crafts. All these activities focused on the lesson for the day.

In one of the crafts, the kids decorated water bottles with the words “Jesus loves you” and the name of our church, its location, and the time our service starts. On our last day of the VBS, the older kids went on a “mission” and handed out the water bottles to people at a nearby park. It was great to see their friendly smiles as they joyfully gave these bottles away. One of the kids even emphasized the information of the church service and invited them to come!

The Sunday service following the VBS was different than usual. We invited the kids from the VBS and their families to attend. The kids performed in the service, telling about God’s great love. The VBS teachers shared a summary of what they taught the kids. The sermon expounded the message, “Let the little children come to me.” A primary goal of the service was to let the parents and everyone else know that we value children and want them to experience the love Jesus has for them. We were encouraged to hear the parents’ positive comments and invited them to return the following Sunday.