Author: Elizabeth Mullins

New Life in Christ, the GCI congregation in Queens, New York City, conducted its annual Back-to-School event during the last weekend of July and focused community engagement into August. We distributed 300 backpacks (more than double any previous year), reaching hundreds of households in its home neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens. (Our community of Richmond Hill is one of the most diverse communities in the most diverse borough of a very diverse city.)

The backpack distribution event and cookout took place on Saturday, July 30, followed by a special Sunday Service attended by some of our outreach guests. The message, “Rich Towards God,” focused on the liberation Christ offers from the burdens that society seeks to impose.

The congregation used the month of August to focus on effective follow-up steps and deeper community engagement. On August 13, the congregation also joined with a community partner, The River Fund, as a sponsor and as volunteers. The River Fund is a non-profit focused on combatting poverty and its effects on families, with its back-to-school/food outreach for thousands of families in our greater community.

The total effort, which involved nearly every active member and ministry of the congregation, was implemented in the process of refining each of our Hope, Love, and Faith Avenues to facilitate the Spirit’s ongoing transformation of our congregation’s heart to better align with the missional imagination of Christ for our community. Members took time to design special mugs, prayer cards, and encouragement for students and teachers. Our hospitality team crafted a special cookout experience for all our guests.

Our Love Avenue team (driven by our Women’s Ministry) began this outreach and engagement process in the spring with our ambitious plan in prayer to reach hundreds of households in the community and distribute that many backpacks. This year, we especially focused on enhancing the guest experience and follow-up steps rather than merely putting on an event. Our guiding principle was Christ’s admonition, “One Thing is Needed” from Luke 10: focus on the presence of Christ, focus on the guests. This involved concentrated planning, including equipping a team that focused on welcoming guests, praying where feasible, and embracing opportunities to present our congregation. We wanted our members to express confidence in the power of their short stories of faith and encouragement.

About half of our guests pre-registered for the event through our social media channels. So, we had a good sense of who would be coming, their circumstances, and some prayer concerns. We also prepared for the engagement process (as part of community exegesis) by attending community meetings, visiting businesses and schools, and engaging local law enforcement.

We are joining with Christ’s enduring mission for spiritual, physical, and emotional transformation in our multi-racial, multi-ethnic community in forming lasting relationships in genuine place sharing. We recognize that incarnational engagement is not “extra,” but a very part of our own identity as disciples of Christ. In line with the biblical admonitions, “let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18), so that we are able “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18).

By John Newsom, Pastor

On July 16, Heart of the Cross Church (HOTC) in Marion, Ohio, was blessed to be able to invite our community members and engagement partners to join us at our parking lot for the Summer Bash. Members of HOTC shared their gifts by cooking hotdogs, handing out water, performing music, and playing games with the children.

Our thirty-seven guests included staff and clients from the Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter, neighborhood children, and members of the Newgrass Station Band. The Band provided music at no cost to the congregation and was led by HOTC Assistant Pastor George Breece, who is the lead singer and acoustic guitarist. A youth member of HOTC, Kaleb Marquis, was invited to play with the band as a stand-in guitarist during each of their sets.

Assistant Pastor Sharon Marquis led the children’s games. All leftover hotdogs were donated to the domestic violence shelter at the conclusion of the event. During the two-hour event, our 12-member congregation shared a joy-filled experience with new friends and further built partnership in the community as Jesus led us outside our walls.

By David Marquis, Pastor

Dr. Greg and Susan Williams’ recent visit to Fiji was an awe-inspiring weekend for us. It was one we’ll find hard to forget.

Kicking off with a befitting traditional welcome usually accorded to a Fijian chief, the kava ceremony was breathtaking to witness in all its intricacies. Dr. Williams drank his first bowl of kava.

You’ve never really visited Fiji unless you’ve tried kava! The traditional welcome was followed by a lovely spread of morning tea coupled with Fijian classic serenades of the past led by one of our pioneer members, Mrs. Mere Tora and her son, Tukai.

The atmosphere was filled with joy and laughter. You could tell that everyone felt God’s presence moving in the hall. The congregation broke into groups with Mrs. Williams joining the ladies’ group. Dr. Williams joined the youth, then spent the afternoon taking them out for some ice cream and fellowshipping.

On Sunday, it was a pleasure to hear Dr. Williams speak on healthy church and the three Avenues of Hope, Faith, and Love. We were encouraged to have Hope, Faith, and Love Avenue teams that work together in a team-based, pastor-led model through worship, discipleship, and witness. A major highlight for the church was the ordination of Mr. Frank Boyd to Elder. What a day to witness God’s amazing work for the Fiji church in play.

The day ended with Dr. Williams sharing with us a glimpse of GCI’s international family and a slideshow of the remarkable team working tirelessly across the continents of the world doing God’s great work. Though we may be operating locally, it was comforting and humbling to know that we are part of a bigger family in Christ. All these were again shared over a beautiful spread of tasty goodness. If there’s one thing that brings Fijians together, it’s good food!

We were fortunate to also have Mr. Dennis and Sue Richards accompanying the Williams to Fiji. It was a joy, as always, to have them around.

Though brief, it was truly an unforgettable weekend for us. There’s a sense of excitement for GCI Fiji, and everyone’s looking forward, young and old.

May God continue to bless us all!

By Epeli Nakautoga

Please help me in welcoming Lucellie Santibanez Enerio – warmly known as Lucy.

Lucy was hired on June 7 part time as an Administrative Assistant in the President’s Office. After only a couple of weeks it was clear that she was a natural part of our team. On June 27, she transitioned to full-time employment.

Lucy’s background is in Music Therapy. She completed her Master of Music with a major in Music Therapy (MMT) at Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX, in May this year.

Lucy is a joy to work with. She is a self-starter and brings a skillset much needed in our office. Her organizational skills, creativity, and fresh eyes approach are a blessing to the Home Office.

Lucy works closely with the Operations Coordinator assisting with projects in the President’s office and Church Administration. She is cross training in other departments such as Facilities and Member Services.

Pam Morgan
Operations Coordinator