The GCI National Advisory Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (U.S.) has been doing good work for our denomination. For this month’s presidential letter, I have invited the Council’s co-facilitator Jeff Broadnax to give us a timely update. (Dishon Mills is the other facilitator.) Much of the Council’s work is done behind the scenes, so it is appropriate to provide an overview of their focus and list the action steps that have been taken. I thank Jeff, Dishon, and the Council for helping us tackle the societal challenges that easily divide. They do this with the posture of beginning with Jesus, seeing Jesus in the process and knowing that all things wrap up in him. Jesus is truly the one agenda.
Greg
Pentecost represents God’s intentional declaration of racial, ethnic, gender, and generational diversity and inclusion within his kingdom mission. The church celebrated Pentecost last month so it is timely to give an update from the GCI National Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the U.S.
We continue seeking the Lord’s discernment for ways GCI can reflect the unity and diversity of the Triune God in a fractured nation. In the U.S., the racial, religious, socio-political divisions have metastasized both in our citizens and within the Body of Christ to the point that even the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) create inner conflict for many. Some in GCI have wondered if the denomination has become political or taken our eyes off Christ to embrace a secular agenda by using DEI language.
The answer to all those concerns is a resounding NO! The Council has only one agenda, his name is Jesus! But Scripture does charge believers to be awake and have the eyes of their hearts spiritually enlightened (Eph. 1:17-19).
God’s desire in Jesus’ reconciling work is to end the hostility of “us vs them” thinking, and be committed to making this message known through the church (Eph. 2:15b-16, 3:10).
To that end, here are highlights of what the Council has been up to since 2020.
Oct. 2020 – Nov. 2021: The Council met monthly to pray, study, assess, and discuss areas to celebrate God’s work in GCI regarding racial, gender, cultural, and generational diversity and healing. We also discerned and recommended areas for improvement.
Nov. 2021: The Council recommended GCI hire a Christ-centered consultant to provide specific training to our U.S. leadership to facilitate racial healing, spiritual oneness, diversity, and inclusion within our culture, media, and messaging at the national, regional, and congregational levels. We prayerfully assessed five potential consultants and recommended Pastor Miles McPherson’s biblically based program called The Third Option Similarity Training.
April 2022: President Greg Williams announced the selection of the Third Option Training saying, “This DEI initiative is not a passing fad. Rather, we intend it to be a permanent cultural shift within GCI, and the training will continue to be passed along to our U.S. pastors and churches over the next couple of years.”
Sept.2022: Thirty members from the GCI Home Office, GCI Board, the regional directors, and the Council experienced the training with Miles McPherson at the Home Office in Charlotte.
Oct. 2022: Pastors Annette Nettles, Al Talison, Tracy Winborne, and Charles Young officially rotated off the Council after faithfully serving an initial two-year commitment. We’re grateful for their service.
Dec.2022: An agreement was reached between GCI and Miles McPherson to train 10 leaders to facilitate the Third Option Similarity Training. Eight leaders would be trained from the U.S. and one from the Caribbean.
Jan. 2023: Karina De La Rosa, Kairis Colter-Chiari, Bermie Dizon, Philip Doele, and Jose Lopez were added as members of the Council.
May 2023: The following seven Council members became trainers of The Third Option: Bermie Dizon, Tamar Gray, Terry McDonald, Dishon Mills, John Newsom, Gabriel Ojih, and Ron Washington. Additional trainers are Susan McKie (U.S.) and Michael Mitchell (Caribbean). Stay tuned for future rollout of the training in 2024.
Susan Mckie, Lake Tahoe, NV
Michael Mitchell, Kingston, Jamaica
What’s Next?
The National Advisory Council for DEI will continue seeking the Spirit’s direction to equip and encourage local leaders and pastors to engage and empower their congregations, as Greg Williams stated, “to participate with Christ more purposefully and actively in his ministry of reconciliation.”
Just as on Pentecost, we pray GCI members will boldly declare the wonders of God with diversity, equity, and inclusion, knowing the Body of Christ only has one agenda—his name is Jesus!
Jeff Broadnax, Regional Director Northeast
Editor’s Note: Typically, Update is published twice a month, but we’re taking a break after the Denominational Celebration. We’ll be back in your inbox July 26.
This spring we partnered with a business owner in our community for an engagement event. We hosted Mark’s Ark at our church building and invited the neighborhood.
Mark is an animal handler who shares wild animals to entertain and educate people. During his safe and humorous presentation, the audience is permitted to pet or hold the animals. Mark brought with him a potbelly pig, an American alligator, two Tangerine Ringneck doves, a white goose, a hedgehog, two ball python snakes, two leopard geckos, and a chinchilla.
We had the opportunity to engage with 21 people who joined us from the neighborhood. More than half the participants were children. They loved holding and petting the animals.
The GCI East Africa conference, held April 4 – 9, was a wonderful gathering. We were honored to host GCI President, Dr. Greg Williams, and Heber Ticas. Heber is the Superintendent of Latin America and Spanish-speaking areas.
This year the conference was hosted by my region in Kenya. The East Africa region did splendid work planning and hosting. I’m very grateful for the hard work and commitment shown by our local leaders. GCI Africa Superintendent, Kalengule Kaoma, led the African team of regional directors: Emmanuel Okai (West), Gardner Kunje (Central), Takalani Musekwa (Southern), and Anthony Gachanja (East). Delegates attended from Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, and Kenya.
The theme of the conference was “Hope Avenue: Inclusive Participation.” All presentations and activities revolved around this theme. Conference delegates were challenged to be intentional in practicing what they learned from the meetings. Maundy Thursday service was one example. Participants enjoyed the gathering and fellowship of the Lord’s Supper. Exceptional inclusiveness was also demonstrated at our Resurrection Sunday service through song, dance, communion, and a shared meal.
Greg and Heber were showered with love from Africa. It was exciting to see members taking pictures with the president. It was a demonstration of their love for the denomination and its president. Greg did not turn anyone away who wanted to have a picture or a short discussion with him.
After the conference, Greg led the African cohort on a safari drive in Maasai Mara, the leading national park in Kenya. It was a good way to unwind.
The delegates shared wonderful comments regarding GCI leadership. This comment sums up the feedback about GCI leadership: “We don’t just teach concepts, we live them.” When we speak of our vision of Healthy Church, health is demonstrated in leaders first. It was not a struggle for the delegates to observe health in the leaders. Feeling invigorated, we are now back to the business of practicing Healthy Church.
Anthony, pictured with Greg Williams and his wife, Jane
Anthony Gachanja, Regional Director of East Africa Nairobi, Kenya
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.
“As with any role, I am learning and evolving as roles may evolve and change over time. At times, there isn’t a clear mold that we need to “fit” in, but we lean into God’s call and submit ourselves to the Potter’s hands and be open to using the gifts that we are blessed with as we serve.”—Lucy Santibanez Enerio
Check out this month’s GCI Profile to get to know Lucy, GCI Home Office Administrative Assistant in Charlotte, NC. To read her full profile, click the image below. #WeAreGCI
Grace Communion Cleveland hosted their 19th Annual LiLY Women’s Conference on April 14-16, at Embassy Suites in Beachwood, Ohio. Seventy-three women took part in our conference that highlighted the theme, “Rekindle” (2 Tim 1:6-7).
Friday night the weekend began with a praise & worship band followed by speaker Josephine Shelton-Townes. Her topic was “Blessed, not Stressed.” She shared how we can block ourselves from blessings by allowing stress to take root in our lives. One of the big takeaways from the session was, “The word no is a complete sentence.”
Saturday morning, after praise and worship, Joy Traschel shared a session titled, “Reclaiming What Has Been Stolen.” She showed us in scripture how David strengthened himself in the Lord. Using his example, she highlighted the importance of naming what has been stolen, taken, or given away. We were reminded of the need to know who we are praying to and change our posture when inquiring of the Lord.
Rachel Scott
Next, Rachel G. Scott led Saturday morning and afternoon sessions. She spoke about how Peter denied Christ, but God still embraced him. She explained how Peter desired to go back to what was familiar, being a fisherman. However, he was given a new job, feeding the sheep. As God gives us assignments, we cannot become distracted.
Saturday evening ended with a prayer service and powerful testimonials. The final session was our church service held on Sunday. Pastor Tamar Gray spoke about how we have everything we need to move forward from the weekend with power, love, and self-discipline in Jesus Christ.
Save the Date: Our 20th annual conference will be held on April 24-26, 2024. Follow us on Facebook@lilywomensconference for more information.
Rosa Hulse, Women’s Ministry leader Cleveland, OH, US
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.
Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Psalm 123:1 NKJV
Target fixation is something that I began as I started riding motorcycles. As one of my instructors candidly described it: “You will drive your bike towards whatever you’re looking at even if you’re trying to avoid it.” If I focus and worry about an incoming pothole, then I will surely run over that pothole.
Such is life. We worry about our adversities, our life’s road hazards, because it’s a threat. It’s difficult, painful, and it causes fear. As much as we want to steer clear and find a better way to conquer them, our fear—in effect—makes us focus on them instead.
Unto you I lift my eyes. We declare our intention to lift our eyes to the Lord and not on our circumstances. If we had to fixate on a target, it would be him.
O You who dwell in the heavens. By remembering the nature of God, we grow in trust and confidence. Earth may provide no mercy or help, but heaven has plenty. We are able to focus on God because we trust in him.
As we navigate the streets of our lives, may we remember that worrying about our adversities doesn’t help us overcome them. The “potholes” of life won’t magically disappear, but focusing on the Lord draws us toward a path that brings us closer to him and helps us better overcome life’s road hazards.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that we can trust you and direct our attention to you. You rid us of our worries, you set our hearts free from fear. We humbly ask for help to lift our eyes unto you always so that we are directed towards a path that draws us near to you. Amen.
Justin Dedrick “Dids” Raduban, Hope Avenue Team Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Philippines
Ordinary Time is the period following Pentecost and takes us up to Christ the King Sunday on the worship calendar. It is the season to be attentive to the call of discipleship and disciple making. Ordinary Time connects nicely with our 2023 theme, Faith, Hope, and Love in Action.
During this time, we focus more on what we are called to do and what we are called to be, as we participate with Christ. So, what will Faith, Hope, and Love in Action look like at our local congregational level in 2023?
Ordinary Time is a period of nearly six months. In the US, it occurs during the summer and early autumn and includes the months when most children are on their school break. Allow me to point out an opportunity for us to reach out to youth and families. Ordinary Time is prime time for neighborhood youth camps. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic kept us sidelined from these opportunities, but now we can rejoin this wonderful expression of how we share Christ’s love.
In my background with Youth for Christ and GCI’s Generations Ministries, I spent multiple summers at youth camps around the country and around the world. I experienced the beauty of how adults can share their time, skills, and faith in interaction with young people. Past research indicates that if a young person comes to a relationship with Jesus by age 13, it is likely they will remain a faithful follower for life. I came to believe this as truth.
The beauty and simplicity of a neighborhood camp is something a healthy church will want to be a part of. Let me list a few ideas.
Inviting and engaging with the youth in your congregation’s surrounding neighborhood allows you a focused time of two to three days to build meaningful relationships. Since they are your neighbors, you can share life together beyond the activity. This is the Love Avenue in action.
A well-designed camp will include an invitation to a Sunday service that highlights the meaningful camp experience with pictures and video content. It will be a unique opportunity to invite parents to participate and experience the life of the congregation. It’s a chance for the Hope Avenue team to actively engage with families. Serving a special lunch is a good idea.
Planning a back-to-school engagement is another way the Love Avenue and Hope Avenue can join efforts.
A church that is thinking ahead would consider building from the momentum of camp by organizing something akin to an AWANAs club and inviting the campers. This could be a weekly or bi-monthly club to offer the neighborhood young people a safe space for fun and biblical discipleship. This is the Faith Avenue in action.
Ordinary Time is when we reveal the light of Jesus, exhibit the life of Jesus, and share the love of Jesus. And what better audience to consider than the children in our church neighborhood? If you are searching for ideas, please utilize the online tools of the GCI website. Questions and inquiries can be sent to Generations Ministries Coordinator, Dishon Mills, and you can always solicit input from your regional director. Don’t allow a lack of ideas or support to hold you back.
Camp ministry has been in the DNA of GCI for decades; moving that emphasis from regional camps to neighborhood camps has been a tactical move. It is time that we use our talents and experience to organize and get moving—living and sharing the gospel with the children and parents in our local church neighborhoods. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Ordinary Time can become extraordinary time. Let the children come to Jesus!
