Elizabeth Mullins – GCI Update

Save the Date

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on July 23-26, 2026.

Please mark your calendars. More information will be made available in mid-2025.

We’re Hiring

GCI is hiring!

Two full-time positions are now open at the Grace Communion International (GCI) Home Office in Charlotte, NC, U.S.

The Media Coordinator position is currently available, and applications are being accepted. See the job description here.

The Assistant Operations Coordinator position is currently available, and applications are being accepted. See the job description here.

If you would like further details on either position or would like a GCI job application, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@gci.org or 980-495-3960.

Please share this announcement with qualified candidates who may be gifted for either position at the Home Office.

From Equipper—Our Life of Faith

Join us! We invite you to read this article from Equipper.

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What does a healthy Faith Avenue look like?

By Linda Rex, Elder

As GCI moves toward Healthy Church, one of the areas we seek to grow in is that of faith. We want to grow up in Christ and draw closer to God. We want to draw closer to one another and connect with our neighbors and other community members.

Markers of a healthy Faith Avenue

In a church with a healthy Faith Avenue, people get to know Jesus better. They grow to be more like Him and mature in their faith. They are given opportunities to connect with others of all ages, both within and without the walls of the church. There are spaces to encounter Jesus, to learn more about Him, and to grow up in Him. People are encouraged to build positive and supportive relationships. We find discipleship occurs throughout the congregation, not with just a limited number of people.

Signs of unhealth

In an unhealthy church, people are disconnected from life in the body of Christ. They attend church on occasion, but they do not fully participate in the life of the congregation. Connect groups act like exclusive clubs. Rather than feeling included, safe, and enabled to make entry into the discipleship pathway of the church, people feel separated or isolated. People may attend connect groups in order to be with friends or to enjoy the activity, but not to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. When challenges arise or new concepts are heard, those who attend may simply leave, refuse to listen, or may even cause conflict. They are not open to the work of the Spirit. A facilitator may act more like a teacher or preacher or may seek to draw people to follow a particular teaching or person. A mentor may be someone who is controlling, enabling, or does not seek the best of others.

Re-center our ministry in Christ

The apostle Paul dealt with issues of faith in his letter to the church in Colossae. He says that the Ephesians were “knit together in love” by God (Colossians 2:2 ESV), which is a metaphor for growing into a mature unity in Christ. Although they belonged to Christ, and therefore belonged to one another, certain people in the congregation sought to disrupt the unity of the church and to lead the members astray.

Paul reminded the members in Colossae that true knowledge is only found in Jesus Christ, who is “the mystery” of God. God’s plan and salvation are wrapped up in a person, Jesus Christ, the one who is fully God and fully man (Colossians 2:3 ESV). God’s love expressed in Christ’s life, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension, and in the gift of His Spirit, is what binds us together with God and one another.

Celebrate our unity in the faith

Because of who Jesus is as Lord of all, the apostle Paul says we are to “walk in Him.” We live our everyday lives in the truth of who we are in Christ — the beloved children of God. This is a life of faith, of trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It is life in face-to-face relationship with our heavenly Father in the Spirit. We are “firmly rooted” in Christ — this is the truth of who we are in Him, and we live in that reality day by day.

Because of who we are in Christ, we are “built up in Him”, which means we grow up in Christ. As a church body and as individuals, we begin to look more and more like Christ and not like the evil one or this world. Paul also says that we are to “be established in our faith.” Faith can mean both our subjective trust in Christ, and the objective spiritual basis of our faith: Jesus and His finished work. Finally, our life is to overflow with gratitude. We continually express our thanks and praise to God (Colossians 2:7 ESV).

Since we died with Christ and rose with Christ, we seek what is above where Christ is, not things below. We look forward in hope for when Christ “who is our life” is revealed and we will be revealed with him in glory (Colossians 3:4 ESV).

Christ, our life

Christ is our life, and the life of the body of Christ. We manifest the fruits of the Spirit to the world in which we live, sharing the gospel. We create connection, not division. We point people to Christ, thereby to the triune God, not to ourselves or others. As the body of Christ, we include others and encourage them to experience their belonging in Christ. We disciple and mentor others as we ourselves are discipled and mentored. Joined together in Christ, we grow up in Christ and manifest the love of God in Christ to the world in which we live.

How do connect groups provide opportunities for people within the church to build relationships with those outside the walls of the church? Why is this important?
What are some activities or practices of a connect group which will facilitate the process of spiritual development? What might hinder it?
When the life of the church is not centered on Christ, what impact does this have on the sense of unity among believers? How does this off-centered approach affect the process of spiritual growth in those who attend?

Death of Helen Jackson

Helen Jackson, born December 25, 1936, died on October 30, 2024. She is the wife of the late Harold Jackson.

Her daughter, Sabrina Mayo, shared the following with Update:

For the past five years, mom has stayed very active. She spent time with her grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, attending soccer games, gymnastic meets, cheerleader competition, t-ball baseball games, and family trips. She liked concerts, and musical performances, and was a member of the Deaton Creek Village Singers. She attended adult dance classes, line dancing, art club, tai chi, water aerobics, Pilates, and women’s Bible study club. She enjoyed these past years of life; however, mom was tired and ready to go. She passed on in a peaceful sleep. She will be missed, but I am happy that God answered her prayers.

November 9, 2024 — 3-5 p.m.
Memorial Service for Helen Jackson
Gregory B. Levett and Son Funeral Home
914 Scenic Hwy S
Lawrenceville, GA 30045

December 7, 2024 — 11 a.m.
Celebration of Life for Helen E. Jackson
Shepherd’s Community Church
10 W 150th Street
Harvey, IL 60426

December 21, 2024 — 12:30 p.m.
Internment – Graveside Service
Mountain View Cemetery
2400 North Fair Oaks Avenue
Altadena, CA 91001

Condolences may be sent to:
Sabrina Mayo
5955 Chimney Rock Dr.
Hoschton, GA 30548

Meet Paulina Barrero

“I have an unending passion for Christ, His word, and the calling we have as a church.”

Meet, Paulina Salinas, MTC Coordinator for GCI-Latin America. View her full profile and story here.

Prayer Guide—November 2024

“Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it.”— John Wesley

Let your prayers be filled with thanksgiving this November. Join us in seeking God with thankful hearts. Our November Prayer Guide is available for download here.

Healthy Church—Baptisms

Bogotá, Columbia

On Saturday, October 19, 2024, we had nine baptisms at GCI Bogotá, Colombia, and the families of those baptized brought about 40 people to the celebration. We gathered with them to celebrate this covenant with God through the Lord Jesus.

Our aim is that all of those who were baptized begin discipleship with the “We Believe” material. We relish this unique occasion and hope that the Holy Spirit continues to fill people’s hearts in each family that is part of our community. We honor God for the wonder of this sacrament in the lives of our fellow followers of Christ.

Juan Carlos Barrero, Love Avenue Champion
Bogotá, Columbia

Baptism is a sacrament. A sacrament “is a special act of Christian worship, instituted by Christ, which uses a visible sign to proclaim and receive the promise of the gospel for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. A sacrament is received in faith, trusting in God to minister to us by the Holy Spirit through it. We baptize because Jesus Christ was baptized for us and commanded us to baptize. We share in His baptism by being baptized in His name. Our baptism bears witness to Jesus’ baptism for us and expresses our faith in His baptism for us. Through the sacrament, we bear witness not so much to our faith, but to who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us through His baptism …” From the “We Believe” curriculum.

Here are some other GCI baptisms we celebrated in September and October:

Limpopo, RSA

14 baptisms

Kansas City South, MO, US

1 baptism

Surrey Hills, OK, US

6 baptisms and 3 child dedications

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

2 baptisms

Jacksonville, FL, US

5 baptisms and 3 child dedications

Rizal Laguna, Luzon, Philippines

4 baptisms and 1 child dedication

Healthy Church—Equipping the Saints

The 51st Annual GCI India Convention gathered forty committed members from across the country for three enriching days of fellowship, worship, and inspiration. Held from October 11-13, 2024, at the scenic Vijaya Vihar Resort on the western banks of the Krishna River, the event offered attendees not only spiritual rejuvenation but also a chance to enjoy the serene backwaters of Nagarjuna Sagar, renowned for its peaceful landscapes and fresh fish delicacies.

Guided by the theme “Vessels of Honor,” each session inspired members to embrace their sense of calling and purpose. Pastor Daniel Zachariah, Superintendent of Asia, welcomed attendees with an opening address that set a warm and purposeful tone for the weekend. Pastor Praveen Chinta followed with insights into what it means to be a vessel of honor, highlighting that true honor is found in service to God. On the second day, Superintendent Dan emphasized how vessels of honor exemplify unity and help to avoid quarrels. Finally, I brought a message on the importance of daily missional living, as an active vessel of honor, challenging each to recommit to showing Jesus through their lives, actively embodying their faith.

Adding depth to the theme, Dr. Joshila Philips and Ms. Shanti Nirale led interactive sessions following each day’s themes. These hands-on exercises provided practical insights for implementing the lessons and messages heard, allowing attendees to take a closer look at their personal faith journey and its communal impact.

The convention also catered to the younger members of the congregation. The GCI India Sunday School coordinator Miss Selina Sravanthi, alongside Dr. Elizabeth Manoah, led special sessions for children that were both engaging and educational. The teenage members attended a session on introduction to baptism and enjoyed individual counseling opportunities. The church is committed to continuing these valuable youth initiatives in the coming weeks, and follow-up sessions are being chalked out.

Devotional—Reflecting on Ordinary Time

It’s hard to believe we are coming to the end of Ordinary Time, which began in June. We began Ordinary Time after rehearsing that God is saving and reconciling us through Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension and by giving us His Spirit. We did this through Advent and Christmas, Easter Prep and Easter, and Pentecost. After so many celebrations, we can arrive at this time in the worship calendar and wonder, what now?

That’s why we decided, through this Ordinary Time series, to talk about “what now.” Our aim was to reflect on participating with Jesus in His mission to build His church. We hoped to reckon with the challenges of loving our neighbors and to wrestle with the questions that don’t have easy solutions.

We hope you’ll enjoy a look back at some of the questions from our Ordinary Time devotionals.

How do I cultivate belonging when my neighbors don’t appear to want to connect?

What does an ordinary life that is being transformed by Jesus look like?

How can I lead and serve from a place of healing?

Am I in the right place and doing my part?

How can we live life together to exemplify the Trinity’s mission to all humanity, making the gospel relevant to our diverse communities?

How may I, like Paul “in the marketplace,” be intentional with where I spend my time?

How is Jesus encountering you “at the well,” in whatever problem, sorrow, need, painful past, sickness, or anxiety you are experiencing?

What does it mean to live for a missional God?

What’s next?

Inclusion and Union

Dear GCI Family and Friends,

It is important that we have theological clarity as to what we mean when we use the popular phrase, “All are included in the life and love of Jesus.” It is exciting and life-changing to grasp and participate in what God has accomplished for all humanity in and through His incarnate Son, Jesus. In our hearts, we want this for all people.

Dr. Gary Deddo addresses what we do and don’t mean by “included” in Christ and the meaning of “union with Christ.”

I note the difference between the personal union of the two natures in Christ (the hypostatic union) and our spiritual union by the Holy Spirit that incorporates us into the Body of Christ (what normally union with Christ has meant). It is by the ministry of the Holy Spirit that frees our response of repentance and faith so that we have a relationship of communion (koinonia) and personally receive the benefits Jesus Christ has for us. The two are not the same even though they are necessarily related. Our union by the Holy Spirit depends absolutely upon the whole Christ, the hypostatic union that makes Him one in being with God and one in nature with us.

In his 2017 article, “Clarifying Our Theological Vision,” Dr. Deddo writes:

This theological declaration is based on the biblical revelation that Christ died for all, and that God has loved and reconciled the world to Himself (Rom. 5:18; 2 Cor. 5:14; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:19, Heb. 2:9). Jesus is “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), and He is the “ransom” for all (1 Tim 2:4, 6; 4:10; Matt. 20:28). Because this reconciliation is accomplished, and thus a present reality, God’s desire, which is fulfilled by the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit, is for all people everywhere to come to repentance and faith so they may personally experience (receive and live into) this reconciliation and so not perish (2 Pet. 3:9; Ezek. 18:23, 32). Thus, when we declare that all are included, we are affirming several important truths:

- - - - Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of all humanity.
      - He died to redeem all.
      - He has atoned for the sin of all.
      - Through what He did, God reconciled all people to Himself.
      - Jesus is the mediator between God and all humanity.
      - He has made all his own by virtue of his redeeming work.
      - He is for all and against none.
      - He is judge of all, so that none might experience condemnation.
      - His saving work is done on behalf of all, and that work includes His holy and righteous responses to the Father, in the Spirit — responses characterized by repentance, faith, hope, love, praise, prayer, worship, and obedience.
      - Jesus, in Himself, is everyone’s justification and sanctification.
      - He is everyone’s substitute and representative.
      - He is everyone’s hope.
      - He is everyone’s life, including life eternal.
      - He is everyone’s prophet, priest, and king.

(I encourage you to read the complete article by Dr. Deddo. There is a great introduction by our friend, Dr. Joseph Tkach, as well.)

When we say, Jesus has done it all, we really mean that. However, to experience union with Christ through the Spirit, we are talking about an interactive relationship that involves response, communication, giving, and receiving. Ultimately, a relationship with Jesus means participation. This is why the apostle John says, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” (John 1:12 NRSVA) Becoming a new creation in Christ has depth and breadth of understanding, as well as active relationship that displays a level of truly receiving and participating with Christ. It signifies the image-bearer of the Creator now coming into union with Jesus through the power of the Spirit.

It is important that our understanding about inclusion follows what we see in biblical revelation, otherwise we can fall into a “lazy theology” that is governed by our personal feelings, desires, or social and cultural influences. It is equally important that we maintain a prayerful, hopeful posture that Paul expresses so well in the closing verses of Ephesians.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21 NRSVA)

This prayer of Paul is so beautiful in that it displays the inclusion of humanity in the Father, from whom all earthly families take their name. Then it takes it further to Jesus’ dwelling in the hearts of His children with a permanent faith and an experiential comprehension of His unfailing love. So, we pray to the triune God vigorously requesting that He draws all His children into a relationship of union with Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of all!

Included and in union with Christ,
Greg Williams

P.S. On October 29, 2024, torrential rain brought over a year’s worth of precipitation and historic floods to several areas in southeastern Spain. Pedro Rufian, our ministry leader in Spain, has confirmed that none of our members or their families have been directly affected by the flooding. Please pray for Spain and all those suffering.

Author: Elizabeth Mullins