As 75 campers, 40+ volunteer staff, and dozens of parents poured into the front doors Wednesday morning of Camp Surrey, I was reminded of what life-on-life ministry looks like. These people were more than camp attendees – they were people I see at my kid’s school, ball games, neighborhood activities, the neighborhood gas station, the neighborhood park, and all other places where my family and I do life. Camp Surrey was yet another braid in the rope of my life, the church’s life, and the lives in Surrey Hills. Every single child and parent was known in some way by at least two or three staff members. The friendly greeting and connections further deepened the relationships being built with our church and the people of the neighborhood.
But the Holy Spirit never stops. Among the 40+ volunteer staff, approximately 10 of the staff are “new members” of our church! Relationships with these new church family members and long-time family members were significantly deepened. Bonds were built as a foundation for a life-long relationship with one another.
The activities, kayaking, team building, food, dancing, and messages were all great. But what really stood out to me as a pastor was seeing the everlasting impact happening in the lives of campers, staff, and parents.
Being a neighborhood church with a neighborhood camp is more than being a church in the neighborhood with a camp. It’s living out the love of God in our daily lives in the neighborhood we live!
Editor’s Note: This is a wonderful example of a congregation paying close attention to the rhythms of their neighborhood. They discerned a need and were compelled by love to risk trying something new. Thank you for sharing your story!
It was a simple plan—a hot breakfast prior to our church service for the neighborhood the first Sunday of each month. First, we advertised in the newsletter of the senior center where we meet for church, and we put up flyers in a nearby apartment community. We learned that both places provide meals during the week, but no meals are served on Sunday.
Next, one member, Princess Yeager, gave our bulletin board at the center a fresh, new look. We spruced up the worship hall with new silk plants. It may have been a simple plan, but it was a lot of work for organizer Zebbie Cox. For that first Sunday of March, we decorated and laid out a table of juices, hot beverages, biscuits with sausage, breakfast casseroles, and muffins—everything you could possibly want for breakfast. This was in addition to the usual work for each Sunday: setting up chairs, sound system, and the tricky job of setting up cameras for a live recording of the sermon.
Our March breakfast was set for 10:00 a.m. with the church service at 10:30. We didn’t know what to expect, but we had high hopes for a big hungry crowd. That was not the case. We had a few family members attend, but they were simply being supportive. It was the same in April–disappointing and discouraging, to say the least. We talked about pulling the advertisements and discontinuing the breakfast. Two ladies, Sue Williams and Shirley Barton, were keen on continuing the breakfast, though.
We’re so glad they were, because for our May breakfast, we had four guests! You might not think that’s a big turnout, but when the average attendance on Sunday is fourteen, that’s almost a 30% increase. The irony is, two of the guests had already eaten, so they didn’t come for the breakfast.
We will continue the monthly breakfast but will scale back a little bit on the amount of food we provide. We continue to pray that God will lead others to visit our little congregation for nourishment of one kind or another.
By Sondra Peters Pastoral Team Member, Clarksville, TN, US
Editor’s Note: Our overarching theme for devotions during the next five months of the liturgical calendar called Ordinary Time is Jesus is sending his church. Using Michael Frost’s B.E.L.L.S. acronym as a framework, the topics will relate to missional living.
As “sent” people, we are invited to…
bless others generously, in word and deed (July),
eat with others hospitably (August),
listen to the Spirit while engaging with others (September),
learn Jesus’ teachings as a disciple (October),
and, sent people share the good news with others (November).
Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time” or “Try me tomorrow” when the money’s right there in your pocket. Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting. Proverbs 3:27 The Message
Whenever you are in a position to help someone in need, or when you have a skill or knowledge that you can impart to help others, don’t put it off. When you make sacrifices to help people’s dreams come to pass, despite our own challenges and troubles, God is giving you his heart toward your neighbour. As you bless others and show them favour, our heavenly Father is also blessing you according to his great purpose for the world.
Let’s learn to be a blessing to people in our communities, churches, schools, and offices. Let us not focus only on ourselves and the challenges we battle with daily (sickness, financial issues, workload, school assignments, the economy, inflation, etc.). Let’s go out of our way to be generous and be a blessing to someone today. Give a word of encouragement, visit a sick friend or church member, pray for someone, assist an elderly person in your neighbourhood, or provide a ride to an elderly church member to church. These are some of the ways we can be a blessing to others. When we help alleviate people’s problems, we are joining Jesus in his redemptive work. Today is another opportunity to be a blessing to someone, so go out there and bless someone!
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Thank you for all that you have blessed me with that I can also use to bless other people. I believe you know and see the challenges that come my way. I thank you for my spiritual and physical growth in you. Help me to be a blessing to someone today. As I continue to serve you, I believe you have given me my heart’s desire to serve my neighbour. In Jesus name, amen.
By Leslie Asare-Akoto Assistant Pastor, Lashibi, Ghana National Youth Pastor, Ghana
Susan and I are part of a new church plant in Steele Creek, NC (a neighborhood in Charlotte). So far, we have been gathering in the home of the pastor, Dishon Mills, and it has been a delight. I am proud to say that we follow the Revised Common Lectionary and keep in step with the GCI Worship Calendar.
During Easter season, we studied John 17 and explored the prayer of Jesus that he prayed for the disciples and us. How amazing for Jesus to include all believers in his prayer, and even more amazing to include us in his life and love. The essence of the prayer is, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:21)
It struck me how the Godhead of Father, Son, and Spirit are all at work in this process of bringing the oneness and unity that only God possesses, and only he can give. My mind went to Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.
In GCI we spend a great deal of focus and instruction on this New Testament letter. In chapter 4, Paul speaks about the offices of the church and the purpose for each office. It was from this letter and other passages that I extrapolated the 4 E’s of pastoral ministry – Engage, Equip, Empower and Encourage. These aspects of ministry had a solid biblical foundation for the New Testament church and still do for our church today.
Notice that before Paul speaks specifically about the church offices, he says this, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3, NIV).
The oneness, the unity that Jesus prayed for us is produced through the presence and power of the Spirit. It is a gift for us to receive, and then for us to pass along.
In light of all this, who God is and who we are as his adopted, redeemed children, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:1-3 MSG)
There is a lot going on here in our walk with Jesus through the Spirit. Allow me to draw your attention to three basic actions that allow us to stay in step with Jesus and to maintain the Spirit-produced unity.
Pour yourselves out in acts of love for each other – tangible, selfless acts of kindness and care.
Be alert in noticing differences. Noticing differences is not meant to divide, but to motivate us for positive actions toward building meaningful relationships. This begins with knowing that all humanity is under the spilled blood of Jesus, and we can’t see anybody in any other way. This means we regard others as we regard ourselves. (2 Corinthians 5:16)
Be quick to mend fences. Saying, “I was wrong, please forgive me” is one of the most powerful statements a human can make. Instead of simply being peacekeepers, Jesus said to be peacemakers.
Our walk with Jesus and participation with the Spirit will move us on this path of unity. If you read to the end of chapter four it speaks about us growing up into the stature and fullness of Jesus. We are back to the “oneness” that he prayed in John 17. May the prayer of Jesus be fulfilled in you and me, and throughout the church.
In him, Greg Williams
P.S. I solicit your prayers for this new church plant and for all church plants that are springing up across our global family of churches. Church experts will tell you that there is no stronger demonstration of the gospel than the start of a new church.
The following is the obituary shared with Update from Norva’s family.
A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, Norva Lee Kelly passed away at her home in Duarte, CA on June 11, 2022, at the age of 86. She left behind her husband Ronald Kelly, her children Ronda Perry, Kara Zebrowski, Randel Kelly, Shari Campa and Michelle Suckling, her son-in-laws Marty Perry, Dan Zebrowski, Jorg Kelly, John Campa, and Bruce Suckling, along with her sisters, Natalie and Kaye and her brothers Jack, Dennis and Ray. She was blessed with ten grandchildren, two grandchildren by affection, six great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She extended her family to include those not just related by blood but those that she loved as her own.
Born in Yellville, Arkansas, Norva was the daughter of Norvel & Alvah Pyle. While the family may not have had an abundance of money, they had an abundance of love, laughter, and joy. She always drew fondly on her Arkansas roots, for it is there she learned to love family, traditions, and most importantly, Jesus. Throughout the years she resided in Yakima, WA; Pasadena, CA; Sacramento, CA; Oakland, CA; Longmont, CO; and Big Sandy, TX. It was in college in Pasadena, CA that she met and married Ronald Kelly. They were wed on August 28, 1960, and were blessed with sixty-two years together, with the last thirty-six years spent in Duarte, CA.
If you knew Norva, you loved her. She loved God, her husband, and her family above all else. She inherited her cooking skills from her mother and spent countless hours in the kitchen making meals, first for her growing family and eventually adding friends who became family, spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren around the dinner table. Friday night dinners became sacred gatherings. She enjoyed many years of traveling the world with Ron, supported his love of landscape photography, and even indulged him occasionally by posing for a picture. She cherished her friendships and was always the first to reach out to others when they were hurting in any way. She was one of the godliest women you could ever meet, and a prayer warrior who loved sharing scripture in a tender-hearted way with those who mattered most in her life. Being a grandmother and great-grandmother was a role she cherished. She embodied love in a multitude of ways — she was a baby whisperer, a reader of countless children’s books, a supporter of academics and the arts, a shoulder to cry on, and the one to call to celebrate any achievement. She was our angel on earth.
Below is a prayer update for Pastor Santiago Lange in Stuttgart, Germany. In April, we asked for prayer for his diagnosis of advanced colon cancer.
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you after receiving my fifth Chemo/Anti-body treatment on June 28. After the sixth treatment on July 12, there will be a CT scan to help determine the effectiveness of the therapy. And the next therapy steps will be determined with my oncologist on July 25.
The chemo/anti-body therapies pack a heavy punch, with side effects like skin rashes with water blisters, mouth sores and dryness, pain, weight loss, and weakness. I am glad to be able to share that my [pressure] wounds continue to heal nicely. After some losses I have been able to gain weight, but I would joyfully welcome another 13-16 kg.
I am every day deeply thankful for your partnering support as our family goes through this health crisis. I pray that the Lord may bless your kindness a hundredfold.
Every blessing, Santiago
Notes may be sent to: Santiago Lange Birkenweg 13 55490 Gemünden Germany
Kelly Meade and Andrew Rakestraw were married on Saturday, May 21, 2022. They had a beautiful, small wedding in the backyard of Kelly’s parent’s home in Fort Mill, South Carolina, with Anthony Mullins officiating. Kelly’s brother, Chris, in South Korea, Andrew’s brother, Matthew, in Washington, DC, and a few other guests joined the wedding from zoom.
Shortly before the wedding, Kelly graduated Summa Cum Laude from Montreat College with a major in Psychology and Human Services. Andrew graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida State University with a double major in Political Science and Public Relations. They will make their home in Tallahassee, Florida.
Paternal grandparents of the bride, Kim and Jimmie Meade (elder in Kenokee, MI)
Congratulations, Kelly and Andrew, on your graduations and wedding! As you begin your life together, we share in your joy and hold you in our prayers.
Briana’s proud parents are Robin and Pastor Tommie Grant, of GC Ladson, South Carolina, U.S.
Let us share in the excitement and joy of Briana Denise Grant’s accomplishment! On Saturday, May 28, 2022, she received her high school diploma from Summerville High School. The ceremony was held at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. Briana earned two academic award letters and a silver medal for her grades above 90.
Briana aspires to become a nurse and passionately desires to enroll in ministerial college. According to her mother, Briana has an unrelenting devotion to Christ, a passion for learning more about our Lord, while living out his purpose for her life.
Briana, you are a lovely image-bearer of our loving God. Your desire to share the good news of Jesus with others is contagious. Congratulations!
As 75 campers, 40+ volunteer staff, and dozens of parents poured into the front doors Wednesday morning of Camp Surrey, I was reminded of what life-on-life ministry looks like. These people were more than camp attendees – they were people I see at my kid’s school, ball games, neighborhood activities, the neighborhood gas station, the neighborhood park, and all other places where my family and I do life. Camp Surrey was yet another braid in the rope of my life, the church’s life, and the lives in Surrey Hills. Every single child and parent was known in some way by at least two or three staff members. The friendly greeting and connections further deepened the relationships being built with our church and the people of the neighborhood.
The activities, kayaking, team building, food, dancing, and messages were all great. But what really stood out to me as a pastor was seeing the everlasting impact happening in the lives of campers, staff, and parents.
Grace and peace,
