The GC Ladson Summer Fun Camp was a blessing for both the kids and volunteers. Twenty-one children from the neighborhood and the church enjoyed three days of fun games and activities, including a field trip, making friendship bracelets, a cup stacking contest, and a full day of water games and a bounce house.
The theme for this year’s camp was “Making and Supporting Lasting Friendships.” During our devotional time, the kids learned about how Jesus is our best friend and how we are blessed by his friendship, and that they too can be a friend to others. During our daily praise and worship time, the children sang three songs about Jesus’ love for them and that he is their very best friend. Games and activities reinforced the theme of friendship building and the value of having good friends.
Day one opened with an ice-breaker and a game that allowed campers to learn each other’s names and some things about each person. Some of the older campers were interested in playing basketball and by the end of day Pastor Tommie Grant made that happen. On day two, the highlight was a field trip to a local arcade and bowling alley. Day three was our water fun day and parent program. Parents were fed a lasagna dinner prepared by some of the campers and Chef Bushell. Camp counselors were able to connect with the parents as they ate and enjoyed a song sung by the campers.
Everyone serving at the camp felt God’s presence and guidance during the three days. Moreover, we felt a deeper love for the children and their parents. Many parents came to our Sunday service and said they wanted to come back. We believe we made an impact on the children and their parents as we heard many of them saying how they wanted to keep in touch. And all neighborhood campers preregistered for next year’s camp!
We plan to keep in touch with these families to let them know about GC Ladson’s future events. One church member is arranging to mentor a camper from the neighborhood. Another member and her child are arranging a sleepover with a neighborhood camper. We’re also keeping in touch with the children and parents by sending text messages with notes and pictures. We feel privileged to be able to work with Jesus and share his love with this neighborhood.
Mary Robinson, Love Avenue Champion Ladson, SC, US
To reflect God’s faithfulness through the generations, this year GCI hosted the 2023 Healthy Church Challenge. The Healthy Church Challenge prompts GCI members aged 8-17 to creatively express what healthy church means to them.
For this challenge, we focused on our theme REMEMBERING OUR FIRST LOVE. Some prompts we provided were:
I love Jesus because____.
I know Jesus loves me because____.
One way I share the love Jesus has given me is____.
And praise God, because he is at work in our midst—the Healthy Church Challenge entries from these incredible young people are evidence.
My prayer is that you be both encouraged by the words of these wise GCI members and challenged to continue including the voices, gifts, and lives of young people in the growth of your local healthy church rhythms.
A big thank you to all youth and congregations who participated in the 2023 Healthy Church Challenge!
Congratulations to all our participants and winners!
Editor’s Note: For our Ordinary Time Devotional series, you will be hearing entirely from young authors. They will be sharing their perspectives on the theme, “God is in the streets.” Enjoy reading how the next generation of emerging GCI leaders experiences God outside the walls of the Sunday church gathering.
For [Christ Jesus] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace … Ephesians 2:14-15
God’s love is boundless and crosses the lines that his children have created amongst themselves. Never would I have imagined myself at an In-N-Out restaurant with a 30-year-old PhD student, an upper-class blonde, blue-eyed teenager, and a 40-year-old father of two. What do these three and a 21-year-old first-generation student have in common?
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. I’ve lived in the same community my whole life, and this felt odd. PhDs are only for people who don’t need to worry about working right away to support their families. The blue-eyed kids sat at the reserved lunch tables in high school and had parents who would call the cops on my friends and me if we rode our bicycles past their homes. Older people only engaged in “adult talk,” and young people should stay out of it.
These were the “lines” I learned growing up—and I was taught to fear the consequences if I stepped over these boundaries. However, through the shared love of Jesus, these psychological heuristics (or mental shortcuts) are being reversed. By opening my heart, the Lord has strengthened my relationship with him through fellowship. This miracle goes beyond just me. Deep friendships, rooted in the love for Christ, erase cultural, generational, and socioeconomic divides. God allows us to learn from one another in our individual corners of the world—such as a college or university.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for having a love so strong it breaks down walls between communities and walls we put up around our hearts. Remind us that before any other identity, we are your children. Please open our minds and soften our hearts to accept this love and to spread it to our neighbors the way Jesus intended us to. All of this we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Faith, Hope, and Love in Action has been the theme of GCI for 2023. Our superintendents and their teams of leaders have been teaching, coaching, and supervising to help our “Team Based—Pastor Led” congregations become intentionally focused and active in the ministry Avenues of Jesus.
What will it look like as these efforts take root? Allow me to paint word pictures of Healthy Church.
Love Avenue
Let’s assume that the Love Avenue champion has been identified and is in place, and that a capable team of missionally-minded people is empowered to organize and mobilize the congregation into relational activities outside the walls of the church and into the surrounding neighborhood. Are you with me?
We can also assume that under the pastor’s guidance, exegetical work has been done. First, the neighborhood’s demographics and rhythm of activities and events have been clearly researched and identified. In a parallel project, an exegesis of the people who make up the congregation is also being done. What are their backgrounds and life experiences? What strategic relationships and connections do they have? What spiritual gifting is present? What passions are expressed by the collective group?
The exegetical work of both neighborhood and congregation leads to some initial planning. What events will the church sponsor? And a very important second question, what will be the come-back event? Are there places and spaces where the congregation can join in with community events or community agencies?
Along with the pastor and other Avenue champions, the Love Avenue champion will consider the congregation’s annual calendar of events and annual budget. The calendar needs consideration for the flow alongside the activities and events of the other Avenues to create a harmony of church life. The budget needs attention to make sure we count the cost of the efforts we will sponsor. And a budget should reflect the missional vision and priorities of the congregation.
We have a long history of doing weekly worship services. However, it is like other routine activities; after so much repetition, our worship services can become stale and lose a sense of purpose and excitement.
Hope Avenue champions and their teams provide a fresh start to recapture what we do to ensure an inspirational weekly worship service. The preparation for a Sunday service does not happen the night before or the morning of. The Hope Avenue teams are seeing that an inspirational service requires intentional planning. Planning meetings may need to be held weekly for a while as you reestablish fresh ideas and approaches.
The Hope Avenue team is an important cog in the wheel too. They see a broader picture than simply having good sets of worship music. The team works toward providing clear signage, welcoming greeters, church information services, quality coffee and snacks, clean restrooms, well-functioning sound systems, children’s classes, and well-prepared, Christ-centered preaching following the seasons of the worship calendar. The Hope Avenue is crafted as a safe, friendly environment where the love of Christ is expressed and experienced. Now that’s the church we all want to attend!
The responsibility of the Faith Avenue champion and team is broad. Helping members from all ages and stages of life to grow in their walk with Jesus and within the community of the church is a high calling.
Offering strategically designed connect groups in a well-crafted seasonal rotation is key to meeting the needs of the multi-generational church members. There will be classes offered for “New Believers” at least once a year (veteran members can brush up too). There will be connect groups that support the Love Avenue by providing places of soft entry into the church community. Connect groups can include multiple topics and styles. They might include targeted Bible studies, book clubs, marriage enrichment classes and discussions, racial awareness classes, etc.
The Faith Avenue team will have organizational oversight of neighborhood youth camps, church campouts, church picnics, and the sharing of communion with members who are unable to attend the Hope Avenue gathering. Once again, under the leadership eye of the pastor and coordinated along with the other Avenue champions, the Faith Avenue efforts will need to fit the calendar and the budget as well.
A well-run Faith Avenue demonstrates the church being the church between Sundays. It’s a church we are called to be a part of as we actively participate with Jesus in his mission and ministry!
Hopefully you will click on the links for each of the Avenue resources to take advantage of the helpful ideas and recommendations. Another wonderful opportunity for higher academic support is through Grace Communion Seminary. GCS is offering diplomas in the focused areas of faith, hope, and love. The diploma is a 21-credit hour program comprised of seven courses that will help the learner to think more theologically and become even more grounded in the ministry expressions of Jesus.
We celebrate GCS in this issue of Update. We congratulate them on the recent graduation ceremony that took place in North Carolina and support their continued commitment to educate ministry leaders and pastors all across the global regions of GCI. Read more about the commencement ceremony here.
On the road to healthy churches, Greg Williams
P.S. We held our Denominational Celebration early this month. Look for my recap in our next issue, August 9.
Join us in communion and corporate prayer this month as we thank God for the good work he includes us in.
“We want to go to God for answers, but sometimes what we get is God’s presence.” ― Nadia Bolz-Weber
Click the here or the image below to download and print the July Prayer Guide, as we celebrate how God is working in and among our fellowships. #WeAreGCI
We are excited to announce that GCI clothing and accessories are now available as part of our Denominational Celebration! Represent our fellowship and reflect your personal style. Shop now, by clicking on the image below.
We chose the vendor for our on-demand store based on their high-quality and ethically sourced items, as well as their ability to ship internationally. However, please note that the shipping costs are per item. You can get detailed shipping information here.
On 5 February 2023, the GCI congregation in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands celebrated its 10-year anniversary. We thanked and honoured God with exuberant songs, in a service led and provided by the women of the congregation. Seventy-five people attended, including several guests.
Pastor Makoti
Pastor Matendo Makoti explained that we should never be discouraged. God’s work is sometimes slow with setbacks and successes, but always know that your efforts are not in vain in the Lord! “But let us give thanks to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Together with me, Pastor Matendo Makoti stood at the cradle of the congregation. We are also very grateful for the wise counsel and support from Santiago Lange, the then mission developer from Germany.
At the end of 2011, I met Matendo, his family, and his brother-in-law, Kuba Kone. They had come to the Netherlands from the refugee camp in Kenya, under the resettlement programme. They were settled near Leeuwarden. Leeuwarden is a city/municipality in the province of Friesland.
In 2012, we began by meeting in Matendo or Kuba Kone’s house for Bible studies. We did that for about 18 months, with short sermons, music, and hospitality. As more and more new adults and children arrived, the need for a congregation arose. On 3 February 2013, the congregation was planted in the Frisian countryside!
Santiago Lange was involved in the leadership meetings and together we explained who GCI is and what we stand for. The statement of faith and other GCI articles were translated into Swahili by a brother in Kenya. After prayer and advice, it seemed right to appoint Brother Matendo Makoti with Mapendo, his wife, as pastor.
In the first few years, I went to Leeuwarden every month as national pastor. Planting a congregation is one thing, continuing to build a congregation through trial and error is something that takes a lot of time and prayer. Prior to 2017, there was a sharp drop in numbers due to different challenges. But God kept speaking to us not to give up, and we listened to this.
In October 2017, Matendo and his team found space in their current building in Leeuwarden. The congregation has become more stable and grown again. There is now peace, love, and joy. We are grateful to God for his presence, faithfulness, and leadership during these years. In all the ups and downs, we have experienced his presence.
We’ve had three baptisms, and 15 children were born in the recent period. We thank and praise God for the growth and challenges and look to the future with confidence in the Lord!
By Frans Danenberg, Pastor Almere, The Netherlands
We need all three Avenues to collaborate to be a healthy expression of the church. We’re healthiest when we are worshipping Christ together (Hope), building relationships in connect groups (Faith), and letting the love of Jesus flow out into our neighborhood (Love).
This month’s GCI Buzz defines the word “champion” and contextualizes the role within GCI culture. #gcibuzz
Editor’s Note: For our Ordinary Time Devotional series, you will be hearing entirely from young authors. They will be sharing their perspectives on the theme, “God is in the streets.” Enjoy reading how the next generation of emerging GCI leaders experiences God outside the walls of the Sunday church gathering.
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
As someone who does not have a driver’s license yet, I am forced to walk or take public transportation. This includes times of waiting—for the bus, for the next stop, and for fellow travelers to get on or off. I am a person who does not like waiting and gets annoyed by the time wasted. In my hurry and frustration, I fail to appreciate what’s in front of me.
I wonder if we have the same approach to God’s timing. We have been so used to fast-paced living that we forget our God is not in a hurry. Our Savior entered the world as a baby. He could have saved us in a second, but he waited twelve years to even start his ministry (Luke 2:49). We also see in creation how God makes beautiful things in his time through seasons, towering trees that were once a seed, and mountains formed by the slow movement of tectonic plates.
May we remember that our God is working in every moment, even those that feel futile. May we surrender to our God who holds everything together when we don’t see what’s ahead of us. Lastly, may we be present to a God who is already present with us.
Prayer: Father, Jesus, and Spirit, we thank you that you are with us. Every breath we take is a gift from you and a reminder of your involvement in our lives. Lead us to be still and know that you are at work. Guide us to rest in you so that we may enjoy your presence as you do with us. Amen.
The GC Ladson Summer Fun Camp was a blessing for both the kids and volunteers. Twenty-one children from the neighborhood and the church enjoyed three days of fun games and activities, including a field trip, making friendship bracelets, a cup stacking contest, and a full day of water games and a bounce house.
The theme for this year’s camp was “Making and Supporting Lasting Friendships.” During our devotional time, the kids learned about how Jesus is our best friend and how we are blessed by his friendship, and that they too can be a friend to others. During our daily praise and worship time, the children sang three songs about Jesus’ love for them and that he is their very best friend. Games and activities reinforced the theme of friendship building and the value of having good friends.
Day one opened with an ice-breaker and a game that allowed campers to learn each other’s names and some things about each person. Some of the older campers were interested in playing basketball and by the end of day Pastor Tommie Grant made that happen. On day two, the highlight was a field trip to a local arcade and bowling alley. Day three was our water fun day and parent program. Parents were fed a lasagna dinner prepared by some of the campers and Chef Bushell. Camp counselors were able to connect with the parents as they ate and enjoyed a song sung by the campers.
We plan to keep in touch with these families to let them know about GC Ladson’s future events. One church member is arranging to mentor a camper from the neighborhood. Another member and her child are arranging a sleepover with a neighborhood camper. We’re also keeping in touch with the children and parents by sending text messages with notes and pictures. We feel privileged to be able to work with Jesus and share his love with this neighborhood.
Mary Robinson, Love Avenue Champion
