Riding the Wave of Hope

GCI 2021 Virtual Denominational Celebration

Dear GCI Family and Friends,

What an amazing, inspiring time we shared over July 23-25. The Holy Spirit guided and blessed the months of preparation, the multiple audio/visual teams around the world, and the presenters and participants in such an incredible way that the global GCI family reconnected in rich meaningful ways. Our hope was renewed as we collectively worshipped Jesus.

There will be multiple quotes and pictures shared in this issue that you and I will enjoy reading and viewing. For my part, I want to share just a few highlights that came to me personally.

First, from our international audience we had Marie-Angelique Picard (Spokesperson of the French National Ecclesiastical council) who translated the messages into her native French language. Here’s what she wrote:

I was honored and blessed to translate your message. Oh, this is such a blessing to see how aligned we are in spite of the difference in language and culture. This is a miracle, the miracle of Jesus. How blessed we are to experience how united God makes this family. Righteousness, peace, joy, this is what we experienced all weekend, and this is what God allows us to experience with his grace that overwhelms us.

Today I experience again what it means to feel JOY, peace, righteousness and cry at the same time. Thank you! MERCI!!

One of my good friends whom I text often is Felix Heimberg. Felix is Assistant to President, Dr. Gene Getz of The Center for Church Renewal. Felix says this:

There’s no greater favor that you can do for any complex organization than to plug the right people into the right spots. What I saw this past weekend left me encouraged about the future of GCI.

Long-time member Wilma Peterson says this:

Just a note to thank you for the conference message this morning. I was baptized in the church in 1966 and I have never heard a sermon that explains what the kingdom of God is about from scripture like you explained. And in such a precise way. Yay! To God be the glory!

Pastor Linda Sitterley in Eugene, Oregon said this:

The biggest takeaway is the connection that everyone here feels with our brothers and sisters around the globe. We have newer members who are now realizing how big we are. How unified we are!

For me personally, it was truly a blessing to have a broader reach to our churches and members through virtual platforms. We are already considering ways and means for how we can refine and improve the technical services for our next celebration, June 28 – July 2, 2023.

The shared vision of “Healthy Church” was obvious as the reports and interview exchanges echoed this over and over. The alignment and unity of our leaders and churches around the world is a huge testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Now we continue to move forward and maintain the unity.

We anticipate the survey forms to continue coming in over the next few weeks. We will debrief and evaluate the impact of the celebration. We will then dream, pray and plan for how we can once again share in a global connection of worship and celebration.

Still focused on hope, and always focused on Jesus!

Greg Williams