We Are GCI Series is a collection of videos in which various GCI leaders and members are highlighted.
In this episode, GCI Associate Pastor Linda Sitterley shares a little about herself and why she likes to serve in GCI, as well as why her hoppy taste buds are her guilty pleasure.
Year: 2019
Devotional – A Thorn in the Flesh
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a ESV)
How often do we find ourselves crying out to God without the response that we expect? If you have ever found yourself in this situation, you are in good company. The apostle Paul found himself in this exact situation. On three occasions he prayed for what he called “a thorn in the flesh,” possibly a physical ailment. Paul never received the response he wanted, but rather a declaration from the Lord.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” As we face the struggles, sorrows, and shortcomings in our lives, we often need to be reminded that in Jesus, God has penetrated our humanity to the core of our being. He stood in our place, clothed in our flesh and has reconciled us to the Father. Yes, his grace is sufficient! We can be encouraged in the fact that he shared in all that we are. Amid our difficulties, we can trust in His sufficiency for us and allow for his power to be revealed in our weaknesses.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask that by your Spirit you give me the peace that will soothe my soul in every situation. May you grant me the understanding of the sufficiency of your grace and the strength that I need amid my struggles to experience you at a deeper level.
By Heber Ticas
Celebrate Church
Dear GCI Family and Friends,
I recently had the opportunity to visit a church in the Carolinas and give the sermon. The main passage in the Revised Common Lectionary for that day was in Luke 15. This chapter has three stories about lost things.
Whether Jesus was talking about a lost sheep, a lost coin, or a lost son, he masterfully wove these stories together with the theme of rejoicing and celebrating by throwing a party.
After finding the lost sheep the Shepherd says:
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost” (Luke 15:6 ESV).
After the woman finds her lost coin, she follows the same pattern:
When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost” (Luke 15:9 ESV).
And it’s even a bigger deal when the prodigal returns home:
But the father said to his servants, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate (Luke 15:22-24 ESV).
The object of celebration in these stories is abundantly clear—the joy of a rescued sinner whose heart is turned toward his or her heavenly Father. And the earthly celebration is augmented by the party that is happening in heaven of the angels before the presence of Father, Son and Spirit. This is a good place to pause with wonder. When a person comes to their senses and understands their belonging as a son or daughter to the divine Father, that they are already loved and accepted in Jesus, and they take hold of this reality, the only response is to celebrate and throw a party.
In 2019, the regional gatherings in the U.S. are being called Regional Celebrations. Though the past conferences have been good and informative, we want to go beyond conferring and sharing information; we want to join together in a spirit of joy and to have a festive spirit of a God-honoring party.
As believers, we have more to celebrate than any other people on earth. The sense of rejoicing over our salvation, over the relationships we share in the community of the church, and over our enduring focus is that we anticipate the hope of the lost sinner being rescued and participating in the party that happens on earth and in heaven.
A Healthy Church is a church that regularly celebrates and throws parties over people who were lost but now are found. Let’s continue to celebrate the Good News.
Party on, Church!
Greg Williams
Regional Celebration Registration
Harvest Your Blessings! Don’t miss out on registration for the North Central Celebration.
In 2019, GCI will host Regional Celebrations in the USA:
- June 7 – 9: Central – Dallas, TX
- June 21 – 23: Southeast – Charlotte, NC
- September 27 – 29: North Central – Noblesville, IN
- October 25 – 27: East – Ocean City, MD
Click the image below to for more information and registration options.
LiLY Women’s Conference
The Edgehill Community Church (GCI) LiLY Conference was held April 26-28, 2019. The Conference was a huge Holy Spirit-filled success. Ninety women and teens came to the Embassy Suites in Beachwood, Ohio, and experienced our theme “Joy Intact” based on Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The praise and worship during the weekend was powerful and transforming. We spent time journaling and getting to know each other.
We were reminded that we are God’s masterpiece with a story of our own to tell by Vicki Hart from Cincinnati. While Gail Dudley of Columbus spoke of how we should place ourselves in a position to be ready to receive an abundant life, by being full participants in what God is doing and clothing ourselves with strength, putting on clothes of praise, shaking off the dust, rising up, sitting at his throne and freeing ourselves through Christ Jesus.
Tammy Mason Johnson of Cleveland led our teens the entire weekend in getting to know what it means to have “Joy Intact” with Jesus as the focus. On Sunday Tamar Gray, Assistant Pastor of Edgehill Community Church, wrapped up the weekend with a reminder of things that block our joy and how to recognize and avoid these pitfalls.
Next year’s LiLY women’s conference will be April 24-26, 2020. We are excited to see what God has in store for us.
Al Barr Celebration of Life Ceremony
GCI Ghana Building Dedication
Dedication of Ghana Church Auditorium by Dr. Greg Williams, GCI President
On Resurrection Sunday, April 21, 2019, history was made when the President of Grace Communion International, Dr. Greg Williams, unveiled the commemorative plaque to officially dedicate Ghana’s GCI Church Auditorium on the church’s 15-acre property at Kutunse, 20 kilometers north of Accra, Ghana’s capital city. The facility, which was started in the early 1980s as a small meeting place for Spokesman’s Club, has undergone several changes, climaxing in its current two story 1,000 seater capacity form. It was funded from donations from our members in Ghana and from resources of the national church.
Pastor Williams, in dedicating the facility prayed for God’s blessings on the members who would use it for God’s glory. He was assisted by Pastor 
Kalengule Kaoma, GCI Superintendent of African Missions and me.
Prior to the dedication, Pastor Kaoma officially unveiled the GCI Africa cloth which was “outdoored” and used for the Resurrection Sunday service, which was attended by 585 members (including 104 children). 374 members participated in the Communion service that was led by Pastor Takalani Musekwa.
–Pastor Emmanuel Okai
Crossing Borders Participation Opportunities
Crossing Borders provides twice-a-year mission trips into Mexico. Here are some important reminders and requests:
We have openings for anyone age 15-99 to come along on our summer mission trip to Mexico. Our 27th trip will be June 22-30. Please consider for yourself and let others know about this opportunity. Details at: www.cbmission.org- We are in need of a camp host(s) for the summer trip — one or two people to stay at camp on the U.S. side of the border and cook meals and do some laundry. Very important support for the mission trip! Let us know of anyone interested and we can discuss in more detail.
- For our winter trip Dec. 6-9, we are in need of additional shoebox gifts for the children in Mexico. We thank God for those in various churches, clubs,
school groups, neighborhoods who send/bring us shoebox gifts every year. But our number of boxes has decreased lately, and we could use an additional 400-500 boxes. Could you organize a group to pack and send gift boxes that we hand-deliver to needy children in Mexico? For more info, click on Shoebox tab at: www.cbmission.org.
Feel free to call Lee Berger with any questions: 903-746-4463
West African Leadership Conference
Greetings from our brothers and sisters in Africa!
Greg Williams, GCI President and Mat Morgan, GCI Secretary-Treasurer recently participated in the West African Leadership Conference held in Accra, Ghana. Formal meetings were attended by Kalengule and Nsama Kaoma, Superintendent of Africa, Emmanuel and Margaret Okai, Regional Director of West Africa, Gardner Kunje, Regional Director of Central Africa, Takalani and Margaret Musekwa, Regional Director of South Africa along with other pastors, spouses and members from West African
countries.
What a privilege and blessing to see how devoted GCI members are participating with Jesus in this part of the world where exciting things are happening! While there, we shared and learned from helpful presentations on the theme of “healthy church,” and participated in lively worship with our brothers and sisters from West Africa, including Ghana, Benin, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo. Some members from other West African countries were not able to attend due to visa complications, cost and other travel realties. Although absent, they remain in our thoughts and prayers.
President Williams, Superintendent Kaoma, and Regional Director of West Africa, Emmanuel Okai dedicated a new church building in Katunse, just outside Accra, that also served as our meeting place part of the conference. The building is beautiful and modern, sitting on about 15 acres of land that also contains a school, a soccer field, apartments and other church support facilities. Papaya, coconut and other trees populate the property, which is dotted with healthy goats and chickens.
We are happy to report that the members in Ghana are enthusiastically participating with Jesus in sharing the gospel as a vibrant and healthy expression of him. The Katunse church is a shining example of a healthy church that is developing leaders, planting churches and has developed a local financial infra-structure that supports Gods’ work in that region. They are planting new congregations around Accra. Eight of 11 churches in Ghana now have their own buildings. We thank God for what he is doing through his servants in this area and for their example of living and sharing the gospel in this healthy church environment.
After the conference ended, we were able to visit the newly planted Cape Coast church facility and pray with pastor Pastor Isaac Bright Buckman and his wife Lois, Deacon Earnest Dadzie and his family, and Mr. Sam Ofori. They are celebrating their new building, still under construction, and looking forward to sharing the good news about Jesus in this community, not far from the infamous slave castles.
Thank you for your prayers for our brothers and sisters who live so far away, but who we are closely connected with through the love and hope that comes only from Jesus. We are all GCI!
– Mat Morgan
