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Author: Elizabeth Mullins

Stay Tuned for 2023

Dear family and friends,

We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in 2023. Our theme will be “Faith, Hope, and Love in Action.” This fits our progression from 2022, when we launched our journey into a 3-year global plan for renewal in GCI. In 2022, we learned the concepts of Team Based—Pastor Led and the accompanying Ministry Avenues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Now it’s time to set the wheels in motion as we participate with Jesus in the power of the Spirit. May the Faith, Hope, and Love of Jesus flow through us to others as we point others to him in our words, deeds and worship!

In Jesus,
Greg Williams

We Want to Hear from You

We’re wrapping up the year and our 2022 theme, Compelled by Love! We would love to hear from you. Tell us how you experienced being compelled by Christ’s love this year. Were you intentional about developing missional rhythms? What on-going, regular habits did you incorporate into your daily life to love your neighbors?

For example, do you take regular walks around your home and greet your neighbors? Do you visit the same coffee shop or cafe weekly? Does your church host the same event at the same park every three months?

The Year in Pictures

Dedication of the MTC and church in Surrey Hills, OK, US—January

 

Group of 20 people seated in training room
US Pastor Orientation, Charlotte, NC, US—February
Youth Ministry Gathering, Baguio, Philippines—March
Love Avenue Workshop, Surrey Hills, OK, US—March
Compelled by Love Conference, Lusaka, Zambia—April
Neighborhood Camp, Jacksonville, FL, US—June
Outside the Walls Event, Ladson, SC, US—June
European Conference, United Kingdom—June
Youth baptisms, Lancaster, CA, US—June
Neighborhood Camp, Surrey Hills, OK, US—June
Neighborhood Playground Pop-Up, Cleveland, OH, US—July
Homecoming Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada—August
MTC Launch Celebration, Accra, Ghana—August
Aus conference 2022
Australasia Conference, Queensland, Australia—August
Celebration, Fiji—August
Spanish Heritage Community Engagement, Sun Valley, CA, US—September
National Ministry Team, Manila, Philippines—September
Elementary School Bible Club, Derby, KS, US—October
House Church, Bangladesh—November

In Case You Missed It

  1. Place-sharing Check out this video series to learn what place-sharing is, why it’s valuable, and how it reflects the ministry of Jesus.
  2. Learn more about GCI’s 3–Year Plan, designed to bring movement through a collaborative team process, aligning our efforts in a way we have never done before.
  3. A Ministry Training Center is a site dedicated to the development and multiplication of young emerging leaders through provision of strategic ministry equipping within the life of the church. Check out the development:
  4. Interview with Walter Kim Greg Williams talks with the President of the National Association of Evangelicals about GCI’s relationship with the organization.
  5. Three Questions We Must Answer As we focus on the Love Avenue and our theme, Compelled by Love, there are three questions each one of us needs to address.
  6. The Art of Being a Neighbor How can we love people we do not know? This Church Hack outlines some tips to build relationships with your neighbors.
  7. Toward Healthy Church As we focus on aspects of healthy church, there are various terms we use commonly. Check out this list of definitions.
  8. Worship Calendar
    • GC Podcast Listen to this episode about how the Love Avenue rhythms fit together with the worship calendar.
    • BUZZ—Worship Calendar This BUZZ outlines the background, purpose, and common terms of the worship calendar.
  9. Avenue Tool kits –These are tools to help you discern your next steps as you build your Avenues. Each session outlines best practices and reflection questions to help you apply the principles to your context.
  10. GC Podcast—Missional Discipleship In this episode, author and church planter, John Ritner, discusses best practices for team-based ministry in a post-Christian culture. Jon will be the keynote speaker at the GCI Denominational Celebration in June 2023.

 

Reflecting on Important 2022 Themes

Since this entire issue of Update is dedicated to looking back at 2022, we gave our hardworking president a break from writing. In place of a letter, I combined all of Greg’s letters from the entire year and generated a word cloud. A word cloud is an image composed of words in a particular text, in which the size of each word indicates its frequency or importance. You will see by this image, that the word “Jesus” occurred more than any other word in the president’s letters. As it should be! Amen?

Allow me to point out another word. Greg mentioned his wife, Susan, so often that she showed up in our word cloud. How appropriate! We’re grateful for Susan and her tireless devotion to our denomination. I am sure our members around the globe who received a visit from our president in 2022 were equally blessed by Susan’s presence. Thank you, Susan.

Have a meaningful and merry Christmas,
Elizabeth Mullins
Update Editor

 

Prayer Guide—December 2022

“And we pray, not for new earth or heaven, but to be quiet in heart, and in eye clear. What we need is here.” ―Wendell Berry

Join us in prayer this month as we thank God for including us in his life and legacy. Click the link below on the image to download the full December Prayer Guide and check out what’s happening in our fellowships around the world this Advent season. #WeAreGCI

Devotional—Swaddled

Luke 2:7 – She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. (CEB)

Jesus was swaddled. As a parent, I learned the importance of swaddling. A newborn has been snugly protected in the womb for nine months. For the first few weeks after they are born, babies love to be wrapped up nice and tight in their blankets as it gives them the same comfort they felt in the womb. It took me a while to learn just how tight to wrap the blanket, but I had lots of practice with four beautiful children.

In Luke’s birth account, Mary wrapped up the baby Jesus “snugly.” She swaddled him. Something Jesus could not do on his own. The Lord of lords and King of kings, the one through whom the Father created the entire universe, humbled himself to being swaddled by his mommy. When the humble aspects of Jesus’ birth are mentioned, it’s usually about the setting in an animal’s manger. But the humility of our Lord includes being fed, swaddled, diapered, and rocked to sleep by Mary and Joseph. This is part of the humility that God took on himself to be one with us, to be fully human.

To be counter-cultural during the busy holiday season, perhaps we can image to the world the humility of our Lord. During Advent, it is possible to slow down, to stop and humble ourselves by recognizing that we are completely reliant on God. Just as the baby Jesus was completely reliant on his human parents, we are completely reliant on our Father for his abundant life that he promises.

During this Advent season, let’s sink into God the Father’s arms. Let’s allow ourselves to be swaddled by God. And let’s be grateful for the humility that our Lord Jesus embraced for us.

Prayer: Loving Father, you swaddle us, you hold us, you rock us to sleep, you feed us; you are our shelter in sunshine and storm. Thank you for your abundant provision. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for sending your Son so that we might participate in his Sonship. We give you honor, praise, and glory in the Lord Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

By Al Kurzawa
Pastor, GC Morwell and GC Seaford, Victoria, AU

Ministry Coaching Clinic

What’s an ideal outcome for you? What would it mean to you if you reached your goal? What do you need to move forward? Who can help you with that? When will you do that? These are the kinds of questions you’ll hear if you overhear a conversation between a GCI ministry coach and their coachee.

What is ministry coaching? It’s a process of discovery where the coach supports the coachee to draw out their God-given potential through a series of thought-provoking questions. Experience and research show that ministry coaching not only improves ministry effectiveness but develops ministry leaders themselves. The GCI Ministry Coach program trains coaches to support ministry leaders in their development towards healthy leaders and healthy church.

In August, 10 leaders across the US with a gifting for coaching gathered at the GCI Home Office to attend a GCI Coach Clinic. Over two days, the participants were trained in practices and principles of coaching as the first step in the process of earning their GCI Ministry Coach Certificate.

We praise God for the gifted leaders he brought together to develop their coaching skills with the goal of supporting the development of GCI ministry leaders across the country. The development of ministry participants and leaders is a ministry of its own. We are called to be disciples who make disciples – so we thank God for the ministry of coaching and these coaches-in-training who God continues to work through.

Left to right: Lily Aparicio, Cara Garrity, Jane Hill, Kelly Rakestraw, Afrika Afeni Mills, Bermie Dizon, Rebecca Johnson, Ceeja Malmkar, Julie Frantz, Pam Morgan, & Michelle Fleming

One of the participants remarked that the following statement stood out: “A good coach encourages thinkers to take action and doers to stop and think.” Coaching is a transformational relationship of empowerment that is personal and contextualized.

Please continue to pray for our coaches-in-training around the world. They are preparing to support the ministry of Jesus Christ as expressed through GCI’s healthy church vision, putting to practice their coaching gifts, knowledge, and skills.

By Cara Garrity
Development Coordinator

 

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