We are pleased to make available to our camps, congregations and ministries a children’s version of GenMin’s 2016 camp curriculum, Celebrate the Grip. This curriculum is written for elementary school-age kids and comes with songs, games, participatory activities and small group discussion guides. It was written by Becky Jarrett, a friend of GCI and an ordained minister, mom and veteran children’s leader. To download this curriculum, click here.
Additional related resources
For a teen or adult version of the Celebrate the Grip curriculum, written by Jeff McSwain, click here. For resources that will help you teach the curriculum, and for other curricula provided by GenMin, click here.
As noted by GenMin national coordinator Anthony Mullins, our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use this material to bring children, teens and adults to conscious participation in the life and love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As reported in an earlier issue of Weekly Update, GCI-USA Pastor William Condley was hospitalized following surgery and was on a ventilator and in a coma. We are pleased to share this update from William’s wife Ednita:
William is now awake! He still can’t talk because of the tracheotomy, but he is doing much better. They have now started physical therapy. He is still on the ventilator, but we are thanking God for his mercy. Thanks for all the prayers and cards. They have been a big help to all of us. Our love to you all.
Cards may be sent to:
William and Ednita Condley 153 S. Main Street Atkins, AR 72823-8235
The June issue of GCI Equipper focuses on our calling to follow the Spirit in cultivating generosity in our personal lives and within our congregations. Below are links to its five articles and a tongue-in-cheek cartoon to remind us of how not to approach the topic.
Used with permission
From Greg: Live and preach generosity Greg Williams discusses our calling as church leaders to practice and teach the spiritual discipline of generosity.
Nurturing a culture of generosity Randy Bloom shows how pastors and ministry leaders can develop a culture of generosity within their congregations.
Sermon summary: Generous God, generous life Ted Johnston offers a sermon that explores the teachings of Jesus (recorded in Luke) involving living a generous life that participates in God’s own generosity.
Kid’s Korner: What do kids need from church? Susi Albrecht and Nancy Akers explore how small churches can, with a generous spirit, capitalize on their small size to maximize ministry to children.
We are saddened to learn of the recent death of retired GCI pastor Lowell Blackwell. Below are tributes from some of his family members (edited versions of what they posted on Facebook).
From Lowell’s son, Jim Blackwell
My father Lowell (pictured below) died at age 82 on Thursday, May 26. Having lost his battle to cancer, he opened his eyes to eternity.
Lowell was born in 1933 in Waynesville, MS to Dean and Marie Blackwell. He grew up with three brothers, Dean (Maxine), Tom (Pat), and Mike (Carol), and one sister, Bonnie (T.O.) Hughes. Lowell met Margaret (Pierce) in high school and married her on June 14, 1952. They were married for 63 years.
Lowell’s amazingly interesting life included a host of careers. He started as a roughneck in the west Texas oil fields, then moved on to engineering for Boeing Aircraft in Kansas, where he also worked part time as a police officer. God then called Lowell into the ministry and he moved his young family to Pasadena, CA, where he obtained a bachelors in Theology at Ambassador College (Pasadena) and then began serving in pastoral ministry. Lowell and Margaret pastored WCG churches in Glendale and Bakersfield, CA; Bismarck and Fargo, ND; and Dayton OH, before moving to Indianapolis, IN, where Lowell returned to engineering.
In 1995, Lowell retired from engineering and God drew him back into the ministry. He served as a pastor in Plymouth and Mishawaka, IN, and then finished in Springfield and Rolla, MO. In 1998, Lowell retired from employed ministry and he and Margaret moved to Mountain Home, AR, then to Pendleton, IN. In retirement they spent time with kids and grand-kids and enjoyed travel to places like Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Israel, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Lowell is survived by his wife (Margaret), and six children, Lowell Jr. (Suzy), David (June), Susan Endres (Gary), Marcy DeShong (Morris), Tim (Susan), and Jim (Pam). They have 16 grand-kids and 20 great grand-kids!
Lowell (back row at right) with his family
From Lowell’s daughter, Susan Blackwell Endres
Dad fought the good fight, ran his race and won, and is now resting for eternity with his loving God. He touched many lives and ministered till he could not anymore. Now his gifts are in heaven. We were blessed as his children, and have many, many good memories.
From Lowell’s wife, Margaret Blackwell
Lowell and Margaret
I am at peace knowing my sweet husband of 63 years is at peace and with our Lord and Savior. No more pain, no more sorrow. Life will go on with the help of my “kids” and my God. His “Life Celebration” will be held at the Pendleton Christian Church on June 10. Jim Blackwell will officiate and you know his sense of humor! I think we all are all cried out—now is a wonderful time to remember my Sweetheart. Love to all.
Cards may be sent to:
Margaret Blackwell 123 Woodland Drive Pendleton, IN 46064
GCI relief funds and congregations from various nations have been helping provide food to 100+ GCI congregations in Mozambique suffering from hunger due to ongoing drought. Manuel Vasco, National Secretary of GCI-Mozambique recently submitted a report on the relief efforts. Below are excerpts.
I set out on motorcycle to distribute drought support to our Mozambique congregations in the center of the country. At the beginning of the trip I hit a concrete bridge. I thank God I was not badly injured, though after spending the night camping out (see pictures below), my leg was badly swollen and I had to postpone the trip to obtain medical treatment.
When the trip resumed, I encountered very bad roads and given the dangerous political situation, I was only able to spend a short time with each congregation distributing aid at 19 centers where members came to receive support (see pictures of some of them below).
Because of the drought, many of our members have lost their crops and hunger is commonplace. They are now focused on their crops of corn and sweet potatoes (see pictures below), to supplement their diet of bananas, water lilies, pumpkins, watermelon, cucumbers and other fruits. At all the relief centers, I heard people lamenting the fact that their crops may fail if rain does not come. Please pray it will.
During the aid delivery process, the people expressed their deep thanks, saying they thought they were going to die, but now have food to eat and seeds to plant more crops. GCI’s churches in Mozambique thank their brothers and sisters around the world for their support through giving and prayer.
Are you encountering personal setbacks and struggles? Perhaps it’s a health issue, unemployment, or a family crisis. If so, you’re not alone. Pastor Ron Edmondson, facing his own struggles, learned to, as he says, “lead with a limp.” He shares his experience and insights in an encouraging article at ChurchLeaders.com, titled 5 Ways to Lead When You’re Limping. Click here to read it.
Church Administration and Development recently announced that the following men and women have been ordained elders in GCI. Congratulations to each one, and to the congregations in which they serve.
We were saddened to learn of the recent death of GCI pastor Andrew Teng who formerly pastored the Quezon City, Philippines church. Here are messages about this beloved pastor from people who knew him well over the years:
L to R: Millet and Bermie Dizon; Andrew and Gladys Teng.
From Bermie Dizon (GCI-USA Pastor)
We were all so blessed to have pastor Andrew Teng in our lives. He lived a life that brought glory to God’s name. He was a great friend, brother, pastor, dad, husband…a precious child of God. We will miss you Andrew. We pray blessings and comfort to your loved ones, your wife Gladys and your daughters Phoebe Teng and Fair Teng.
From Bidz Dela Cruz (GCI-USA member)
Following his retirement Pastor Teng moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he and is wife Gladys lived with their daughter Fair. When Andrew encountered a problem with his vision, the family decided to bring him back to the Philippines for treatment. A few weeks ago, his doctors discovered that Andrew had liver cancer, but it was too late to treat it. Pastor Teng passed away beside his loving family in his homeland a few days ago. He is survived by his two daughters Fair and Phoebe, and his wife Gladys who also is battling cancer.
Andrew, Gladys, Fair and Phoebe Teng.
From Rex S. Pena (GCI-Philippines Area Superintendent)
I first met Andrew when I was 11 years old. He gave the Bible study for the Y.O.U. group back in 1977. I remember thinking how tall he was. Through the years, I heard many of his sermons. When I returned to the Philippines from Ambassador College, we worked together in our youth camps. Back in 1995, there were five of us who climbed Mt. Makulot to do an inspection for the SEP mountaineering activity. He served almost every year at camp under my watch. We then briefly served together in our Quezon City church—he was senior pastor and I was the associate pastor. I was there when he gave his final sermon before moving to the U.S.
We all prayed for his healing when he returned to the Philippines and was in an out of the hospital. I kept my worries at bay when I read of his being rushed to the hospital several days ago. And then I got the message that he had passed. Thank you Pastor Andrew for your life which you humbly dedicated in service to God who has called you home. You will be sorely missed by everyone who knew you.
From Eugene Guzon (GCI-Philippines director)
It is never easy to lose a good friend, and when it happens you feel that a part of you is gone too. I had the chance to say my final goodbye to Andrew when I visited his wake last Friday. He fought the good fight, after months of different health challenges which started with losing his eyesight after what seemed to be an easy, quite common cataract surgery. Then he was diagnosed with malignant cysts in his liver and then suffered from stomach ulcers.
I can just imagine the pain, stress and difficulties Andrew and his family went through. Adding to the challenge were the health concerns of Gladys, his wife, as she too battled cancer and went through the regimen of treatments and the difficult road to recovery. Yet in our visits to them, we saw two strong pillars of the faith, both inspiring testimonies of lives in full trust and surrender to the will of our God as they participated in His work.
Andrew embraced his Savior and relied on his strength unto the end. He ran a full race and finished strong. We prayed for healing and relief. And God answered our prayers the best way possible for them. As for Andrew, his frail body is no longer in the grip of pain.
In 2010, Andrew together with wife Gladys received recognition for their 25 years of service in the church from Dr. Joseph Tkach. And even after his retirement in 2012 until the time of his death, Andrew always had the heart of a pastor, making people feel that they are God’s beloved children. God continues to bless each one of us with an incredibly meaningful life story in him, a race that was meant to be fought and won, and made more sweet by the power of God’s love at work in all circumstances. Pastor Andrew claimed that reality, the same blessing that is for all of us as well and something we can share as well.
We remember Gladys and their daughters Fair and Phoebe as they go through life without their beloved Andrew. They need our prayers, love and encouragement. We thank everyone who prayed for them, visited them, stayed beside them and helped them in many different ways.
Congratulations to GCI’s Victoria, B.C. (Canada) congregation—they recently celebrated their 50th anniversary as a church! Over 50 people attended the celebration church service and about 60 shared the meal that followed. During the celebration, Pastor Jack Kost (who with his wife Betty has pastored the congregation for the last 21 years) read greetings from former pastors. Here are pictures:
Kalengule Kaoma, one of GCI’s mission developers in Africa, reports on recent developments in the African nations of Togo and Tanzania.
Developments in Togo
In February, members of GCI’s Lome congregation in Togo planted a church in the town of Kpodzi Apéyémé about 35 miles from Lome. The congregation is named Porte Divine (Divine Gate). Its attendance averages about 90 people, including Agbagnons Kossi, the senior chief who oversees seven villages in the area.
Another project of the Lome congregation is the Social Medical Center, a health center in the Lome area that provides medical services to women and young children. It’s part of GCI Togo’s contribution to national development. To be ready for its opening in September 2016, the facility’s pharmacy, laboratory, treatment and doctors’ consultation rooms need to be completed and fundraising is underway.
L to R: Social Medical Center; treatment room at the Center; church plant attendees.
While visiting Lome, Kalengule participated in the baptism of six new members held at the Lome Worship Center.
L to R: Baptism ceremony; newly baptized members; praise team at the Sunday service.
Developments in Tanzania
Kalengule has been in contact since 2009 with representatives of 20 Sabbatarian churches in Tanzania with a combined attendance of about 800 people. Over the intervening years, these congregations have experienced a grace-awakening similar to ours. As a result, they recently decided to affiliate with us, taking on the GCI name.
L to R: Leaders of the Tanzanian churches now affiliated with us; one of those congregations.
In 2010 we began a relationship with ten other Sabbatarian congregations in Tanzania. They have a combined attendance of about 260 people. These congregations also have chosen to affiliate with us, joining hands in preaching the gospel in southwest Kenya and the Mara region of Tanzania. Here are some of their leaders:
We are pleased to make available to our camps, congregations and ministries a children’s version of GenMin’s 2016 camp curriculum, Celebrate the Grip. This curriculum is written for elementary school-age kids and comes with songs, games, participatory activities and small group discussion guides. It was written by Becky Jarrett, a friend of GCI and an ordained minister, mom and veteran children’s leader. To download this curriculum, click here.
Church Administration and Development recently announced that the following men and women have been ordained elders in GCI. Congratulations to each one, and to the congregations in which they serve.
