The Next Leg for GenMin

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry… I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  -2 Timothy 4:5-7

In a 4 x 100-meter relay race, each runner is strategically placed so that the team can use his/her speed to maximum advantage to win the race.   No matter what position, the coach wants each team member to run their race to the full and then hand the baton to the next member.

There is a 20-meter exchange zone to hand off the baton but experienced runners know about the additional 10 meters called the acceleration zone. It allows you to get up to full speed as you enter the exchange zone and receive the baton.

In that spirit, I’m excited to be handing off the GenMin baton to Dishon Mills for the next leg of the race. I have known Dishon and his family for decades. His mom, Shirley, has been an instrumental prayer warrior in my life, my congregation, and my ministry.

When I received the baton from Anthony Mullins in 2017, I knew my leg was to equip the members of the GenMin camps, missions, and ministries for the transformation the Lord was working in GenMin.

Our motto of Loving Kids, Developing Leaders and Sending a Generation added one spirit-led insight. We moved from sending “A Generation” to sending “Generations”.

Our focus shifted from loving and building children, youth, and young adults via camp ministry to intentionally setting their sights on local congregational mission fields, connection groups, and neighborhood camps. Now it’s time to equip and deploy them.

Dishon has been richly blessed with gifts perfectly suited to lead the discipling, equipping, and sending of those who serve in intergenerational ministry.

This is the second time I have been blessed to watch him take the next leg of a race with me.  Back in 2012, after nearly 20 years of service, I was honored and thrilled to release the New Heights Summer Camp into his capable hands.  It was a pleasure to watch God use him in fresh ways, with fresh ideas and deep Christ-centered grounding.

I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses him on a national level through GenMin. Like a runner who has given his all and left it on the track, I release the baton and become his biggest cheerleader as he discharges his duties on his leg of the race.

Please join me in praying for Jesus’ strategic placement of Dishon and his team as they continue to love kids, develop leaders and send generations into the mission field to join our Lord, Jesus, in what he is doing in the world.

Jeff Broadnax

In a couple of months, by the grace of God, I will officially begin my tenure as the National Coordinator for Generations Ministry (GenMin). My friend Jeff Broadnax and others blazed a trail that I am grateful to follow. It is humbling to be placed in a position to assist in the spiritual care for the young people of our denomination in the US. Fortunately, God has proven himself to be a God who can do big things with small things. I would like to share a bit of my story with you, so you understand my confidence in God.

I was 5 years old when I last saw my father, and I emotionally struggled with never knowing the man that made me. My mother was always enough, but there were times when the dad-sized hole in me ached. At those times she would say, “Don’t ever think that you don’t have a father. You have a heavenly Father who loves you.” It took me a very long time for me to believe her. I was born into the Worldwide Church of God, and I struggled under legalism and people who did not treat me with kindness. One adult charged with caring for the youth in a neighboring congregation told me that I likely would not amount to much. Encounters like this made God seem unloving and cruel. On top of that, I grew up in a community where many did not value little brown boys. My family was one of few black families in my town, and I suffered under persistent racism. In high school, my guidance counselor refused to help me apply to colleges because he did not believe I was college material. With a backstory like this, you would expect me to become a statistic, but we serve a God who can do big things with small things.

Miraculously, God did not allow the hatred and dehumanization of others to derail his plan for me. By God’s grace, he decided that I would go to Harvard University, where I studied sociology and African American studies. While in school, he introduced me to my wife Afrika, and our union produced Serena and Cairo, our wonderful children. At Harvard, God also gave me my first career through my work-study job. I became the first African American to serve on the adult staff of the South Boston Boys and Girls Club. It was there that I realized how much I loved working with children. For the next twenty years, every job I had was working either with or for young people. For ten years I worked for the Boston Public Schools, where I headed the office that coordinated afterschool programs and student services. At one point, my office supported 8,000 children and youth across the city of Boston. The kid that “would not amount to much” helped thousands of children learn, grow, and realize there were no limits on what they could accomplish. Our God can do big things with small things.

During this time, God was drawing me to himself and towards my calling in Christ. While in college I decided to stop following God. I believed he existed, but I was angry at him and doubted his love for me. That went on for over a year until, like the  prodigal son, I remembered my Father and longed to be with him again. Because God is full of grace, he began to reveal himself in different ways and in different places. My wife and I attended a progressive Baptist church, a megachurch, a traditional Baptist church, and a Pentecostal church. At each church except the megachurch, I was invited to lead in ministry — youth minister, associate pastor, and youth pastor, respectively. It was through these experiences that I came to learn that God is a good God, and in him, there is no shadow or darkness. I came to fall in love with the church and wanted to participate in the work Jesus was doing. God took the kid that hated church and was not taught about Christ to share the gospel with scores of youth and adults. Our God can do big things with small things.

God brought my story full circle and returned me to Grace Communion International. God used the denomination that placed burdens on me as a child to spiritually liberate me and finally give me a theology that felt right. After serving as a church planter in Randolph, MA, the Lord led me to shepherd Grace Christian Church, the same church I occasionally attended in college. God blessed me with a truly beautiful church family. When Greg Williams approached me about the GenMin role, my mind flashed back through the journey I just shared with you, seeing God’s hand in every moment. Of course, I prayed and sought wise counsel from those led by the Spirit, but through the circumstances of my life, God showed me the extent to which he had been equipping and preparing me for this moment before I even knew to call on him. My God can do big things with small things. I pray that God will use me, in partnership with parents, pastors, and congregations, to bring the same message to the young people of our denomination.

Dishon Mills

October 6 through 8, twelve Home Office employees gathered in Oklahoma City, OK, to plan for the coming year.  Due to Covid-19, our meetings took on a different look–we even had GCI branded masks.

We were each seated at individual tables to create proper spacing. At first look, everything seemed so spread out and separated, but after we started working, the extra space didn’t hinder the warm communication or collaboration, and most commented that they liked having the extra space to spread out their documents.

While in Oklahoma City, we traveled to Surrey Hills, the site of the new church building that is being built. We were greeted on-site by Surrey Hill’s pastor, Joe Brannen. Joe gave us a tour of where the sanctuary would be located, classrooms, and meeting space. Although no steel or concrete construction had started, the ground had been leveled and chalk marks, colored string, and wooden stakes were seen throughout the space where concrete was to be poured later in the week. This church facility will also serve as a Ministerial Training Center for interns and pastoral residents when complete.

Our meetings were collaborative, focusing on the Faith Avenue theme for 2021. Working within this theme, we discussed how national and regional resources and events could be focused to support congregations and members in exploring this avenue. The Faith Avenue is one of the three key ministries (the others being Hope and Love) that are important in a healthy church as we share the gospel. Tools, including social media, church hacks, prayer calendar, Equipper, monthly church reporting, and more, will all be used to emphasize and inform participants about the Faith Avenue in 2021.

This planning time together was beneficial and joyful because it is the only time during the year that this group gathers in one place to share ideas face to face. We brainstormed and planned, and also enjoyed recreational time together to relax and deepen our relationships.

The next time we will all be in one place will be the Denomination Celebration in 2021. We hope to see many of you there!

Pam Morgan
Operations Coordinator

Grace Communion Cleveland (GCCle) partnered with Cleveland City Mission to help collect coats for men, women, and children, with a focus on those housed at Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center. Members asked family and friends to check their closets for winter coats that were no longer being worn but still in good condition. Twenty-eight coats were collected for homeless and transitioning women, men, and children. We are reminded that even one can make a difference.

We were also blessed to volunteer as a church and help pass out “Farm to Families” food boxes each Thursday in October. These boxes included chicken, dairy and produce. In the summer months, we participated by collecting boxes to give to those in need mostly within a mile radius of our former church home. This time, Grace Communion Cleveland was able to take part in the process of distribution on-site with the Cleveland Heights School System who sponsored the giveaway. We are grateful to be finding ways to reach out during this time.

Loving Service,

Pat Shiels
Love Avenue Champion

With a heavy heart, we announce the death of Howard Shadoan, former pastor of Christian Family Fellowship in Snellville, GA. Howard passed away on Monday morning, October 26.

Cards may be sent to his wife Jacque at the following address:

Jacque Shadoan
3610 Traveler’s Ct.
Snellville Ga 30039

Please be in prayer for Honduras. The report below is from Heber Ticas
Superintendent of Latin America, on Thursday, November 5.

I have been in contact with our church family and Honduras all morning and the country is getting hit hard with fast-moving torrential rains from hurricane Eta. Below is a report from Pastor Marco Mejia of San Pedro Sula. Their congregation is in an area named La Democracia and is known for flooding.

“Unfortunately, last night the Ulua river overflowed and flooded the colony of La Democracia where we meet, and our church building is located. Eight families from our church who are members were evacuated and now find themselves in temporary shelters. There are 12 additional families that are affected. Many of these are not consistent in our church but their children and teenagers are well connected to our ministry. The situation is dire, and the storm is still with us. Homes have been destroyed, and roads and bridges have also been affected. I have attached some videos of when the river overflowed so you can get a better idea. By the grace of God, I don’t know of anyone close to us that have lost their lives. We continue to pray asking the Lord for relief and we ask that you join us in prayer as well”.
– Marco Mejia

Please join us in holding up our brothers and sisters in prayer.

Update: As of Saturday, the water had not yet receded and folks were still in shelters. A damage assessment was not yet possible.

Heber Ticas
Superintendent of Latin America &
National Coordinator for Church Multiplication