Let’s come together in the spirit of unity and lift our hearts in prayer. Click here or the image below to download this month’s prayer guide.
GCI Glendora hosted our first Neighborhood Game Night at the church facility on Saturday, August 26, between 6-8 p.m. Our purpose was to have a smaller Love Avenue event that would give everyone involved a fun, casual space to connect with each other. Families were given the option to drop in at any time.
Twenty kids, 12 parents, and 19 church volunteers participated. We offered a variety of drinks, ice cream, and pizzas for refreshments. Church volunteers provided board games, lawn games, and card games for all ages.
We intentionally planned the game night to be held four weeks after our “Heroes” Neighborhood day camp, which was held on July 29. At the end of the Neighborhood Camp, we handed game night fliers to all the families who participated at the camp. We wanted to connect with these same families again within a month of camp, instead of waiting longer until the next big neighborhood event.
Our desire is to establish and form trusting relationships with the families in our neighborhood to show and share the love of Jesus. We believe that we are blessed to be a blessing in the world and our local contexts, and we look forward to continuing our neighborhood game nights on a regular rhythm in 2024!
By Jillian Morrison, Associate Pastor
Glendora, CA, US
We started planning Adventure Camp in Market Harborough, UK, a year in advance. In fact, we had a meeting during camp this year for camp next year! We spent many hours in meetings, processing forms, risk assessments, schedules, staffing, accommodation planning, kitchen prep and food shopping, getting the right equipment, technology and more. And then it’s just gone in a flash.
In that flash though – in what was a moment in time – we really did fit in a lot. The days were filled with activities such as archery, conservation, Christian Living, Lego, Zumba, tie-dye, and prayer-craft. Each activity was just an hour in length but so full, rich and joyful. The evening activities were very messy games, which included the egg smash, the flour chain, word games with alphabet spaghetti, and the foam and cheese puff challenge! We also enjoyed movie night, disco, and a campfire sing-along. Memories were made in these evenings that will last forever.
The mornings started with a worship service – engaging and interactive – introducing Jesus, for the first time to some of our kids, and reminding others how much he loves them and wants to be a part of their lives. The kids lifted their voices in worship, and some participated throughout camp with prayers. These were just moments also, but our hopes and prayers are that these small interactions with Jesus will have a deep and lasting impact on these children that will stay with them every day of their lives, as it does with us.
The feedback from the kids was very positive. The biggest request was to have a longer camp. One suggested camp could be six weeks long! However fleeting Adventure Camp may have been, we know the experiences, the opportunities, the friendships, the interactions, and the introductions have left deep impressions. The memories they have won’t be fleeting but will last a lifetime.
By Alexis Luckhoo, Administrator of Europe Office
Market Harborough, UK
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.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Matthew 6:25-29
I experience God in my everyday life by practicing the 5 senses grounding technique. This is done by taking a moment to stop and pinpoint what you can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste.
I see someone holding their child’s hand as they walk; this small example of tenderness is just like that which God has for me and which I am capable of having for others. I feel the texture of a leaf that is beside me; just as God intricately designed this leaf, even more so has he intricately created me. I smell the moisture in the air of a rain shower to come; the newness of rain is a reminder of the newness that God has offered us. I hear the birds chirping to each other; just as God has provided for them, he has done this even more so for us. Last, I taste a cool glass of iced coffee and am reminded of the times I’ve shared meaningful conversations while drinking coffee with my friends. Staying tuned to these little joys is so important because God’s love for his creation is ever present. We just need to take the time to see it.
Prayer:
Thank you, God, that we can be reminded of your goodness in our day-to-day lives. Thank you that your love grounds us. Guide us as we further our wonderment at who you are, what you’ve done, and what you are still doing. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
By Kelly Meade Rakestraw, GCI Coach
Tallahassee, FL, US
Dear GCI Family and Friends,
In 2019, A Giant Step Forward – Toward an Emerging Culture of Liberation was published. I co-wrote this book with Rick Shallenberger and Dr. Tom Nebel.
The book was a bridge connecting the past leadership of the church under Dr. Joseph Tkach to the new era under my term as GCI President. It explained where we had come from and where we are going. By the grace of Jesus Christ, we have been on track and moving toward a culture of liberation.
The “Support – Challenge Matrix” was foundational in giving us our bearings for moving forward.
This updated matrix expands the concepts in each of the four quadrants. The quadrants of domination, abdication, and protectionism speak for themselves. They are places and spaces we have experienced, and we do not want to go back.
Let’s dig into the quadrant of liberation and capture a broader picture of where we see the Holy Spirit taking us.
GENERATIONS MINISTRIES WEBINAR SERIES
The Generations Ministries (GenMin) Webinar Series is designed to equip
congregations to better disciple children and youth. Participants will learn
how to connect with young people in their neighborhood and share the love
of Christ with them. The series is both for groups currently serving young
people and for those who would like to start building those relationships.
The webinars are open to any member of Grace Communion International
congregation or fellowship group, though the research and context of the content was developed for the US.
If you cannot join the webinars live or miss one, the recordings will be made available after registering. All proceeds will fund initiatives that serve children and youth.
Register here.
In Musoma, Tanzania, we are grateful that the meetings of the Life Club have been meaningful. People have committed themselves to God and receive the salvation of Jesus Christ. Twenty new members were baptized. Life Club has been a great help to bring people to Jesus.
We have also created a Youth Group to start the cultivation of vegetables, melons, and fruits. It helps young people to make a living instead of moving away from the church to find a life. We ask for the opportunity to help those young people.
By Pastor Shadrack Fabian Malugu
Musoma, Tanzania
Grace Communion Big Sandy celebrated its 70th anniversary as a congregation with a festive potluck luncheon after services on Sunday, July 30, 2023. Our congregation was established in Big Sandy, Texas as the denomination’s 5th congregation in the United States in June 1953. We are so grateful for God’s faithfulness to us over these last seven decades!
We held our anniversary celebration in July because June was packed with activities. June activities included our first neighborhood day camp, Father’s Day, the Big Sandy Rotary Club Banquet, the Denominational Celebration.
We had 56 in attendance, including several guests who came to celebrate with us. People brought a number of mementos, many of which reminded us of our church’s involvement with the denomination’s former Big Sandy Ambassador University campus. It was a wonderful time of remembrance and celebration, and a great way to kick off our next decade of church life here in Big Sandy.
As grateful as we are for God’s provision for us the past 70 years, we are even more excited about what he has for us in our future! We look forward to continuing to walk with and follow Jesus here where he has placed us, sharing his faith, hope, and love with many for years to come!
By Jerome Ellard, Pastor
Big Sandy, TX, US
Comunión de Gracia Internacional Bogotá, Columbia held our first Outside the Walls event on August 26. We combined the three Avenues (Faith, Love, and Hope) by bringing kids to the church for an afternoon of fun. We concentrated our efforts on five activities: an inflatable slide for kids, a bubble game for all ages, a cookie decorating station using different shapes, colors, and flavors, a puppet-driven Bible story time, and a fantastic game of bingo. There were numerous bingo winners; one of them won a bike, and thanks to Pastor Heber, another won a tablet.
We witnessed how God orchestrated this event. Several new families that live in the neighborhood visited the church, and we had the great opportunity to meet them and have a great, edifying conversation.
Our elderly members, the youth group, the church servers, the pastors, and everyone else took part in the event with an open mindset toward fostering relationships. We all had a great time with our beloved kids. We also met interested onlookers who were inspired to join the church service on Sunday.
Additionally, we had a great time reuniting with some families who hadn’t been to church in a while. We ask God to grant us the ability to continue organizing these events at least once a year to share quality time and love and bring smiles to the families in our neighborhood. With the help of all, the Love Avenue team undoubtedly had a fantastic experience for one of their first Avenue events.
By Juanka Barrero, Hope Avenue Champion
Bogotá, Columbia
