In May, 51 campers from the Philippines participated in the SEP Visayas camp held at the Wuthering Heights beach resort in the city of San Jose.
The campers were served by 35 enthusiastic staff members from GCI churches located in the Philippine provinces of Visayas and Mindanao. The staff was led by camp director Sarah Lynn Bahinting.
Camp activities were designed to develop the camper’s body, mind, social skills and spiritual health. With assistance from GCI Generations Ministries, the staff used these activities to help campers come to know and serve the God who loves them all as his dear children. GCI Philippines national director Eugene Guzon conducted a baptism class. As a result, 15 campers were baptized.
GCI elder and ORM director Curtis May and his wife Jannice are pleased to announce the birth of their second grandchild, Bryce Curtis May. He weighted in at 7 lbs and 2 ounces. As shown in the picture below, “big sister” Jaden couldn’t be prouder.
Here are some interesting church development-related trends compiled by Mission America.
Creation Views Shift
46% of Americans believe in the creationist view that God created humans in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years. The prevalence of this view is essentially unchanged from 30 years ago when Gallup first asked the question. 32% believe humans evolved, but with God’s guidance; 15% say humans evolved, but that God had no part in the process. (ToddRhoades.com 5/15/13)
Nomads
Nomads is a term assigned by the Barna Group to 18- to 29-year-olds with a Christian background who walk away from church engagement but still consider themselves Christians. A person in this group typically has trouble identifying with a church or a particular “brand” of Christianity, but would consider themselves, broadly, a Christian. 43% of young American adults with a Christian background believe going to church and having Christian friends is optional. 25% say faith and religion just aren’t that important to them. 23% say they used to be very involved in their church, but they just don’t fit in anymore. This is the group most likely to say they love Jesus but not the church — or that they are “spiritual but not religious.” (Barna Group 5/9/13)
Prodigals
Prodigals is a term assigned by the Barna Group to 18- to 29-year-olds who have lost their faith. They used to claim a personal faith, but no longer claim any Christian belief. Many say they are as fairly certain they won’t ever return to the Christian faith. 21% of Millennials with a Christian background say Christian beliefs don’t make sense to them. 20% admit to having had a negative experience in church or with Christians. 19% say their spiritual needs cannot be met by Christianity. This group often gets lumped in with the “Nones,” even though they might not be totally opposed to faith and spirituality. (Barna Group 5/9/13)
Exiles
Exiles is a term assigned by the Barna Group to 18- to 29-year-olds who struggle with the Christian faith. They have a tough time finding a place in a church setting but choose to remain within an institutional church context. They feel “lost” somewhere between their commitments to church and their desire to stay connected with the world. They struggle to connect their faith or church with their everyday lives, and yet they continue in their Christian faith despite these hurdles. 21% remain Christian and continue to attend a church but find church to be a difficult place for them to live out their faith. 38% say they desire to follow Jesus in a way that connects with the world they live in. One-third say God is more at work outside the church than inside the church, and they want to be a part of that. 32% of American 20-somethings with a Christian background says they want to be a Christian without separating themselves from the world around them. (Barna Group 5/9/13)
Multisite Churches and Leadership Development
Two movements among Christian congregations in the U.S. today continue to gain momentum; churches with multiple locations (multisite) and leadership development (discipleship). In addition, a growing number of churches are intentionally developing a culture of generosity, an effort to help carry the gospel message outside the church, says the director of new media and technology for the Leadership Network. Todd Rhoades, of Leadership Network said, “We’re seeing new waves of innovation in the movement itself: including international campuses, online campuses, the move from big cities to rural environments, and more churches partnering to redeem facilities and struggling churches through church mergers.” (Christian Post 5/15/13)
Developing Leadership Qualities
According to a new Barna Group survey, 82% of Christian adults believe the U.S. is facing a crisis of leadership because there aren’t enough leaders. 58% of Christians in this country identify themselves as leaders (58%). The survey asked leaders what they would most like to improve about their leadership. The area where they said they want the most help is courage (27%), followed by a desire to grow in terms of discipline (17%), vision (15%) and passion for God (13%). Evangelical leaders want to grow in courage (27%), discipline (25%), passion for God (14%) and vision (9%). (Barna Research 4/18/13)
June 16 is Father’s Day in the USA. As it approaches, I find myself reminiscing about both my dad, Joseph Tkach, Sr. and my wife’s dad, Don Hall. I look at pictures of them as well as my grandfathers, all of whom have joined with God in eternity.
Don Hall and his wife May
Though I have visited Greece where my mother’s father was born, I have not yet visited Eastern Europe or Russia from where my dad’s folks immigrated. Doing so is on my “bucket list.” I want especially to visit the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum to view Rembrandt’s famous painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son. This masterpiece (pictured below) is over eight and a half feet tall and six and a half feet wide. Apparently, this gives the viewer an experience similar to a Cinemax movie—you are invited into the action rather than just watching from outside. Some people spend hours looking at the painting.
Rembrandt van Rijn, The Return of the Prodigal Son, c. 1661–1669. Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg.
Rembrandt’s painting captures, in a remarkable way, the essence of Jesus’ well-known parable recorded in Luke 15. While the wayward son in the parable was “still a long way off,” his father saw him and “was filled with compassion” (verse 20). The Greek conveys the idea of an inward movement of concern and mercy. This moved the father to run to his son where he “threw his arms around him.” Rembrandt’s picture vividly portrays this warm embrace, which was extended to the son before any words of repentance could be spoken.
The God portrayed by Jesus in the parable and by Rembrandt in the painting has a heart that is quite different from that shown by many religious folk. They are like the older son in the parable who was jealous of the gracious affection showered on his returning brother.
Rembrandt depicts this “unprodigal” older son as a drab, almost ghostly figure, lurking in the background, almost out of the picture. He is upset at the extravagant outpouring of love and grace on someone who surely does not deserve it. He feels alienated, not only from his brother, but from his father too.
My dad had a favorite saying, “If you don’t feel close to God, you must ask yourself—who moved?” Our Father in heaven is one who is always working to close the distance—in fact, he runs to close the distance. This is the Father who Jesus came to reveal.
Jesus taught us to think that way. Peter, reflecting an attitude like the older son once asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 NASB). This is forgiveness without limits.
God’s grace challenges our sense of righteousness and calls us all to respond, whether we think of ourselves as the repentant sinner or his (self) righteous brother. God’s incomparable, limitless grace obliterates our need to judge who is more worthy to enjoy the benefits of God’s kingdom. We all need mercy and grace rather than the justice of rewards and punishment.
Please receive this painting by Rembrandt as my Father’s Day card to you. May it help you appreciate more deeply the love between a father and his children. May it also encourage us to seek to repair any damaged relationships. In doing so, we will come to understand even more the deep love our Father in heaven has for us. All of us.
Your brother in Christ’s service,
Joseph Tkach
PS: In next week’s Update, we’ll publish the final installment in Gary Deddo’s helpful series on interpreting Scripture. I hope this series is a blessing to you. I know that many pastors make copies to share with their members.
GCI pastor Bermie and Carmelita Dizon are thrilled to announce the birth of their first grandchild, Amelia, born on May 26 to their daughter Carmel and son-in-law Matt Benavides. At birth, Amelia was 8 lbs, 3 oz and 21 inches long. The family is doing well. They live in Littleton, Colorado.
GCI member David Dizon, son of GCI pastor Bermie and Carmelita Dizon, was named valedictorian of his class at John Muir High School in Pasadena, California. David delivered a keynote speech at his graduation (watch it below). He was trained in public speaking through speech clubs in his GCI home church and through leadership training in GCI camps and short-term missions.
This prayer update is from Santiago Lange, one of GCI’s missions directors for Europe and national director in Germany.
In recent days, parts of Germany, Austria and eastern Europe have been experiencing some of the most severe flooding on record as the rivers involved have not been able to contain the rising water. In Germany the southern and eastern regions have been particularly hit hard. Significant cities like Passau and Halle have suffered considerable damage. About 26,000 people in the city of Magdeburg have been evacuated. Several German dikes have been under heavy pressure and the overall situation is still considered by experts to be quite serious. In Austria several towns and cities were partly under water. In Hungary, Budapest is in danger. According to the news there have been several casualties and the physical property damages will be in the billions of Euros.
Thankfully, at this point, we have received no reports of any church members in the flooded regions having been directly affected.
Please, do join me in praying for the victims of this natural catastrophe.
Several GCI Life Clubs are now operating in various locations around the world. These clubs are similar to the Spokesman Clubs held by most GCI churches in times past. While most Spokesman Clubs were for men only, Life Clubs are designed to accommodate men, women and teens.
If you would like to start a Life Club in your congregation, you can email Geoff Sole at geoff@geoffsole.co.uk. Geoff can provide you with club manuals and other materials to help you start. Following is a report from Geoff on some of the current clubs.
GCI’s churches in Bangalore, Chennai and Trichy, India have recently started Life Clubs. Pictured at left is the first meeting of the Chennai club. Francis Ambrose who directed the meeting said, “It was a hit among the young members.”
A recent meeting of the Watford, England Life Club included a speech by George Campbell who said he was born in 1928, the same year as Mickey Mouse! George remembers the Second World War well and talked about the faith and trust of King George VI and the National Days of Prayer.
The GCI church that meets in the south part of Cape Town, South Africa held its first Life Club in February. The club was requested by the congregation’s youth. Pictured below are some of the club members.
Long-time GCI elder Joe Kotora is hospitalized and needs our prayers.
Joe worked at church headquarters many years ago and more recently served GCI churches in Pennsylvania. He was hospitalized recently with intestinal bleeding related to treatment of his heart condition. He was in critical condition and had to be given seven units of blood before he was stabilized. He is quite weak and frail and having trouble with his heart, making it hard to walk and breathe.
His family reports that though he is getting tired of it all he is trying to keep in good spirits. Thanks for your prayers for Joe and for his family in this difficult time.
Cards may be sent to
Joe Kotora
7323 Appling Ridge Dr
Cordova, TN 38018
Randy Bloom (at left) and Rod Koop (at right) meet with GCI Alaska church leaders.
Randy Bloom, who directs GCI’s Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM), recently visited Alaska for meetings with leaders of GCI’s Kenai and Anchorage congregations (see the group picture below). The focus of the meetings was how these churches can establish a church planting network to support the planting of new GCI churches in the region.
Rod Koop from the Foursquare Church joined the discussions. Rod who formerly served as Foursquare’s US director of church planting, now is Foursquare’s mission director in Alaska. He has offered to assist GCI in recruiting, preparing and deploying GCI church planters in Alaska.
Interested in church planting in Alaska or elsewhere in the US? Email Randy.Bloom@gci.org or go to http://cmm.gci.org/.
In May, 51 campers from the Philippines participated in the SEP Visayas camp held at the Wuthering Heights beach resort in the city of San Jose.
