Anthony Mullins, director of GCI Generations Ministries, recently announced the appointment of Ashley Todd to serve as the director of Souled Out—a GenMin-sponsored camp in Memphis, Tennessee. Congratulations, Ashley!
GenMin sponsors 16 camps for children and teens in the United States. For a list, click here.
This year, GCI in the Philippines is celebrating its 50th anniversary in festivals titled, 50 years of Amazing Journey with Our Awesome God. Festivals were held in October in Cagayan de Oro City and Cebu City. Both sites offered a festive grand reunion of GCI members who had not seen one another for many years.
Members attending this site came from Mindanao, the Visayas, Luzon and from overseas. Speakers were Len Joson, Gil Llaneza, Margie Bahinting and national director Eugene Guzon.
A special plaque was awarded posthumously to GCI pastor Captain Jessup Bahinting in recognition of his love and service to the Philippine members. Margie Bahinting, Jessup’s wife, also was awareded a plaque in recognition of her love and service to the members in Mindanao.
Other highlights of the event included the ordination of Adriano Bravo as an elder (he serves as senior pastor in Pagadian City), the baptism of 14 members and the blessing of several children.
Members attending here came from Panay Island, Negros Occidental and Oriental, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Mindanao, Luzon and Cebu. Speakers were Eugene Guzon, Romy Pusta, Gil Llaneza, Terence Santibanez, Rey Taniajura and GCI Canada pastor Robert Millman.
Activities included presentations from GCI missionaries (at a Missions Fest); a family day; gatherings for teens, singles, couples and seniors; a ministerial dinner; and a tour of historical sites in Cebu. A highlight of the event was a presentation of certificates in Community Development Studies to 23 people.
Doug Johannsen, pastor of GCI’s churches in St. Paul and Champlin, Minnesota, sometimes wonders about his bloodline. “My wife Betty and I love to take cruises and have a strong suspicion that we must be of royal blood as the service we receive on a cruise ship feels so natural.” His life story leads one to know he is joking.
“I was born and raised on a farm/ranch in western South Dakota, in the days when farms were just completing the transition from horses to tractors. I remember getting our first telephone, electricity and trading the pot-bellied coal stove and the wood kitchen range for ones using propane.”
No stranger to hard work, Doug and his family never did have running water. “Plumbing meant digging a new hole and moving the outhouse over it. We raised cattle, hogs, chickens, ducks, and of course had the customary cats and a dog or two. The main crop was wheat, and occasionally corn, cane or sorghum. Western South Dakota is fairly dry, so fields don’t produce as much per acre as in many other places.”
Doug attended a Methodist church when we was quite young, but stopped attending before age 12 when he began listening to The World Tomorrow on WNAX radio. “For some reason, I had a deep desire to understand the Bible. The question that hooked me was, ‘Which day is the Christian Sabbath?’ I didn’t realize until the mid 1990s that the question should’ve been, ‘Who or what is the Christian Sabbath?’ – or better yet, ‘Who is Jesus?’”
Doug went to South Dakota State University after high school and received a B.S. in chemistry. A few months later he was drafted into the US Army. “My training was in infantry and since the Viet Nam war was going on, that training specialized in jungle warfare. After training most of us were sent to Germany instead, where I spent the remainder of my tour of duty as a company clerk in a mechanized infantry company (think Radar in M*A*S*H without the glasses and teddy bear!).”
After returning to South Dakota, Doug was hired by the State of South Dakota as a health inspector. He moved to Rapid City and was responsible for the western third of the state. It was at this time that he renewed his interest in church. “It just felt like it was the right time to do something about my interest in the Worldwide Church of God so I began attending the WCG congregation that had been formed there about a year earlier. The Rapid City church was part of a circuit that included parts of Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and Nebraska.” Shortly thereafter, Betty came into the picture.
In the summer of 1973, a church family from Texas came to Rapid City to visit relatives and when they attended church they thought I reminded them a lot of a family they knew in Dallas. Of course, that family just happened to have a daughter that they thought I should write to. I wasn’t exactly a fan of blind dates or pen pal stuff, but I had always wanted to go to Texas and thought it might be easier to go if I knew someone from there. So Betty and I began to write to each other. Eventually we started talking on the phone, but we didn’t actually meet face to face until the fall of 1974 when I flew to Dallas to visit and attend the feast in Big Sandy.” Doug and Betty were married about three months later and will celebrate their 38th anniversary this December. They have two daughters, Lara and Dana, and no living grandchildren, but their daughter Dana is expecting in early 2013. “Our daughters and son-in-law (Eric) are a great source of joy for us.’
After marriage, Doug and Betty moved to Nebraska where Doug became an optician. He worked there for 10 years until they moved to Rapid City to manage an optical lab. “Because the Rapid City church circuit was so large, there was an exceptional need for volunteer help to assist the pastor. As time went on Betty and I were doing more and more volunteer work and I was ordained an elder in 1986. I continued my optical career in Rapid City until 1991 when I was hired full time into the ministry.”
Doug and Betty moved to Omaha, Nebraska and served as associate pastor in the Omaha, Lincoln, Nebraska and Sioux City, Iowa church circuit. In 1995 they transferred to Lawton and Ada, Oklahoma, then in 1999 to the Twin Cities where they live today. Doug now serves as a District Pastor for Minnesota, North Dakota, part of South Dakota and part of Wisconsin. He has also served as coordinator of the Wisconsin Dells celebration and on staff in the Northern Light and Snowblast Winter youth camps.
Doug commented on his hobbies and interests: “My hobbies include photography, an interest I picked up in the Army. After moving to Rapid City I purchased darkroom equipment and began developing and printing photos. The Worldwide News had just begun, so I wrote an article and included a couple of photos. I remember my surprise and joy when the article and photos were published. I wrote many more articles after that. My other hobbies are travel and wood turning.”
Life in GCI has never been dull: “Pastoring puts one into contact with a wide variety of interesting people and we experience with them some of their best and worst moments.” Doug relishes memories of baptisms, weddings, funerals, worship services, classes and long discussions. He loves the specialness of all the people. “I just can’t help but wonder what this will look like when the Lord puts it all together.”
In spite of their share of tragedies, Doug and Betty remain strong and encouraged by their relationship with God. “I used to think that having good things happen was the only sign of being close to God. But since 1995 we’ve experienced so much trauma in our lives (deaths of parents, siblings, suicide of a close family member, death of a grandchild, lightning fire destroying our house, and so on) that I’ve come to realize that Jesus doesn’t take away most of our trials in this life, but he accompanies us through them all. It is as if I hear him say in the midst of such trials, ‘Doug, I know this hurts, but I’m with you. Just trust me that this is important for you to go through and I’ll make it all right in the end.'”
This update concerning the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy is from John Newsom, pastor of GCI churches in Queens and Manhattan, New York City.
We in New York City and Long Island continue the long recovery from the storm. We are thankful that none of our GCI members were harmed bodily, however some suffered damage to their homes, especially those living near the ocean. Most all New Yorkers and Long Islanders experienced lengthy power outages, downed trees and gasoline shortages.
The coastlines of New York City and Long Island were severely damaged by the storm. Some of that damage is unimaginable, with entire neighborhoods and homes wiped out by storm surge or fire. The compassion of New Yorkers has been amazing. Many from both religious and secular groups have rallied in support of those affected. Several GCI members work at businesses that have not yet reopened; as a result, some are not being paid. We have established a relief fund to help our members repair storm damage and meet other emergency needs.
This weekend we celebrated the first full worship services in our congregations as most members have power and gasoline once again. However, some of our members living near the ocean remain in damaged homes without power. A few went out to help a family who literally had the ocean dump the beach and boardwalk into their home. Much sand and debris remain in their neighborhood. They were able to join us for worship, testifying to the storm’s power and the Lord’s glory and steadfast love.
In services this weekend, we focused on words paraphrased from Ernest Hemingway: “Life will break us all, but some of us will be strong in the broken places.” We gather and gain strength in times like these, because Jesus has assumed our humanity, and joined to his humanity we are healed and strengthened. We are resolved as congregations to embody the heart of Jesus as “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Wherever possible, members will participate in direct action projects, especially as we head toward Thanksgiving with many still displaced by the storm.
The photographs above were taken near a GCI member’s home where the boardwalk was thrown by the storm surge into the neighborhood.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Gary Deddo, who recently joined us as a full-time employee, has been a speaker at more than a dozen of our regional conferences. Gary told me recently that when he and his wife Cathy go to one of these conferences they feel like they are attending a class reunion.
I have often had others tell me this. Perhaps we are used to it and thus take it for granted. So it is always good to hear it from someone who is new to our fellowship. It is a strong characteristic of our denomination—we like each other and enjoy being together. We take our work together seriously, but that does not mean we should not have fun.
God created us to be relational beings and relating to others has always been and still is at the heart of Grace Communion International. I notice this as I travel, both around the United States and internationally. After all, our vision statement is “all kinds of churches for all kinds of people in all kinds of places.” I pray that all our congregations reflect that vision.
Many studies have sought to pinpoint what leads visitors to return to a church. A key factor is the friendliness of the people. This is reflected in the experience of a man who visited eighteen churches on successive Sundays, seeking to learn what these churches were really like. Here is his report:
“I sat near the front. After the service, I walked slowly to the rear, then returned to the front and went back to the foyer using another aisle. I smiled and was neatly dressed. I asked one person to direct me to a specific place: a fellowship hall, pastor’s study, etc. I remained for coffee, if served. I used a scale to rate the reception I received. I awarded points on the following basis:
- 10 for a smile from a worshiper
- 10 for a greeting from someone sitting nearby
- 100 for an exchange of names
- 200 for an invitation to have coffee
- 200 for an invitation to return
- 1000 for an introduction to another worshiper
- 2000 for an invitation to meet the pastor
On this scale, eleven of the eighteen churches earned fewer than 100 points. Five actually received less than 20.”
Though all of these churches likely had uplifting music and biblically-sound, inspiring preaching, most lacked ways to show visitors that people cared that they were there. As a result, it is unlikely that visitors will return. In contrast, churches that openly reflect the relational aspect of God’s nature give visitors great encouragement to return. You could sum it up by saying that people are looking for a place to belong not just a group with shared beliefs.
Several years ago, I read a story told by a Baptist pastor whose name I cannot recall. But it was the story of a surgeon who specializes in reattaching fingers. When he entered the operating room, he knew he faced many hours of squinting into a microscope, sorting out and stitching together the snarl of nerves, tendons and blood vessels—many finer than a human hair. A single mistake and the patient could permanently lose movement or sensation.
On one occasion, the surgeon received an emergency call at three in the morning. He was not looking forward to undertaking an intricate procedure at that early hour. To help him focus, he decided to dedicate that surgery to his father who had recently died. For the next several hours, he imagined his father standing beside him, encouraging him with a hand on his shoulder.
This technique worked so well that he began dedicating all his surgeries to other people he knew. Then one day he realized that as a Christian, he should offer his life to God in the same way. All the little routine things of his day—answering phone calls, dealing with staff, seeing patients, scheduling surgeries—remained the same, but somehow they were different. The task of living a life for God now began to overshadow his days and he soon began to treat others with more respect and care.
We may not be surgeons, but God calls us to co-minister with Jesus who is the ultimate surgeon—repairing broken lives. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could dedicate each day to the Lord, imagining him standing beside us with a hand on our shoulders, watching us, guiding us, counseling us and walking with us? And the truth is that it is not just a product of one’s imagination. God is omnipresent and by his Spirit is personally with us. He has called us to co-minister with him in both simple and profound ways, from offering a smile to performing neurosurgery.
When we live with this perspective, we discover that even the ordinary and routine things in our lives will become saturated with a sense of his holy presence with us. I realize some of us are naturally more outgoing than others. But never underestimate the importance of showing yourself friendly. When new people visit our congregations they are probably more nervous about you than you are about them. They don’t know what to expect and when they find that they are welcome and accepted, it is a powerful incentive to return.
Your brother in Christ,
Joseph Tkach
A recent Holy Soup blog from Thom Shultz of Group Publishing notes that though “much of the contemporary church has fashioned itself to be ‘seeker sensitive,'” an increasing number of unchurched people are not “seeking” the church at all, despite having spiritual interest. Thom then gives several suggestions for reaching such folks. Read his blog by clicking here.
GCI Church Administration and Development offers training videos and other resources at FaithTalk Equipper to help churches use small groups to connect with spiritually-interested, non-churched people.
This article from GCI pastor George Hart supplements the current issue of Equipper on preaching.
No doubt many of us remember the Add Color speech from Spokesman Club. Its purpose was “to draw a word picture so clearly and colorfully that a few well-chosen phrases will engrave your key thought on the minds of your listeners. Make your subject live.”
Warren Wiersbe addresses this need in Preaching and Teaching with Imagination. When we hear the word “imagination” our thoughts may run toward the imaginary or fanciful—something that is unreal. However, that is not what Wiersbe advocates. His point is that preachers and teachers should use language that helps their listeners see (imagine) what the speaker is saying—making it come to life. For an example, read Psalm 23 where the writer uses imagery to help us see what he is saying.
Another example is found in 2 Samuel 17. There two people used two different approaches in trying to influence Absalom’s decision about his father David, who had escaped into the wilderness. Read the accounts in 2 Samuel 17:1-3 and 2 Samuel 17:7-13 and note the different approaches. The second, which incorporates the use of imagination, influenced Absalom to go against his trusted counselor, take the advice of David’s ally and spare David’s life.
C.S. Lewis said it well: “For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition.”
As of today, we’ve not heard of any GCI members in affected areas who experienced significant property loss or any loss of life. For this we are grateful, knowing how horrendous the damage was (see the pictures). We ask for continuing prayer for all who are suffering and grieving.
Here are prayer requests and updates received at the GCI home office concerning Sandy’s aftermath. If you know of others, please send them using the comments feature on this page.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the millions of people still struggling in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. Reports from GCI pastors in affected areas in the Eastern US and the Caribbean region indicate that our members were largely spared the worst (see the update linked at left). For that we are most grateful, though our hearts ache for the thousands who lost loved ones and property.
This week the US presidential election was held and President Barack Obama was re-elected in a bitterly-contested, often divisive election. Isn’t it ironic how elections can bring out the worst in people, while natural disasters like Sandy can bring out the best? It seems that when confronted with catastrophe, we set aside partisan politics to come to the aid of others. In the wake of Sandy, there were many heartwarming stories of selflessness, generosity and genuine heroism (though, sadly, there were also stories of looting and other selfish acts).
These positive reactions give us hope in the midst of appalling loss—pointing us to the time when loving one’s neighbor as oneself will not make news because it will be the way lived by all. Acts of selflessness and reconciliation are the heartbeat—the agenda—of Jesus’ Kingdom of love. And Jesus has commissioned us as his followers to share now, through the Spirit, in his Kingdom way of being and living. As we do, we give to the world powerful testimony to the way things can be.
I’m reminded of a letter written in the second century to a man named Diognetus. Though we don’t know who wrote it, or who Diognetus was, it is a powerful example of the testimony of the Christian life—in this case during a time when Christians were being terribly persecuted. Here is an excerpt:
Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.
And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.
They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.
To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.
Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.
[From The Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael Holmes, p. 541]
Your brother in Christ’s service,
Joseph Tkach
P.S. Last week, following the GCI conference in the UK, I visited our French church’s Festival of the Kingdom held in Evian on the shores of Lake Geneva. European mission director James Henderson and his wife, Shirley accompanied me. As usual it was an encouraging and uplifting experience. Just before the festival, Gerard Stevenin retired from his various official roles in the church. We thank Gerard and his wife, Francoise, for many years of selfless service. The members of the church met in a special assembly while in Evian and unanimously nominated Dominique Alcindor to serve as president of Eglise Universelle de Dieuthe, the GCI association in France; and Marie-Angelique Picard to serve as president of Prudentielle, the business arm of the association. Just before we left, James and I offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the new leadership and for GCI in the nation of France.
We are saddened to learn of the death of Ratu Epeli Kanaimawi, the first elder to be ordained within GCI in the Pacific island nation of Fiji. Following is a tribute from Rod Matthews.
Ratu was a hereditary chief in his Fijian tribe on the island of Taveuni, hence the title “Ratu” (meaning chief) was the term of endearment and respect given him throughout the church in Fiji and among his friends. It is with the deepest sadness that I announce that he died on Sunday evening, October 28 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the age of 74, following a short battle with lung cancer.
Ratu has an amazing life story. He was a student at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia in 1965 when his attention was drawn to the church through The Plain Truth magazine. God’s work in his life led him to be baptized in 1974, ordained a deacon in 1977 and an elder in 1979.
His career path took him to the level of a senior civil servant in various government departments in Fiji and included the office of Director of Agriculture. He was appointed chairman of the Grants Commission of the University of the South Pacific which is based in Suva, Fiji – a responsibility that sometimes required him to visit the 12 extension campuses in other Pacific nations, including Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati. This turned out to be a God-inspired responsibility because when he traveled on university business, as an elder he also took the opportunity to visit the remote members we had in some of these nations.
As chairman of the Banaba Trust Fund, he served the people from the remote Pacific island of Ocean or Banaba Island who had been resettled on the island of Rabi in the Fiji group by British authorities after World War II. Ocean Island was a British owned phosphate island mined to exhaustion but not rehabilitated. Eventually it could no longer support the native population, and after an extended legal battle in the British courts, the Banabans were given some compensation for the “inconvenience” of losing their homeland to the business interests of the phosphate companies. For a time Ratu Epeli chaired a board of trust administrators to oversee the proper and expeditious use of the funds to best serve the Banaban people now settled in Rabi.
In 1986 he was asked by the Church to take on the role of a full-time employed pastor for the church in Fiji and some neighboring Pacific countries and left government employment to do so. During this time he also served as a negotiator for the Great Council of Chiefs of Fiji, playing a significant role in the negotiations to resolve the standoff arising from the coup attempt of 2000 and he was a leader in the Association of Christian Churches of Fiji. Then in late 2008, he was appointed by the Fijian government of the time as High Commissioner to Malaysia (equivalent of Ambassador within the British Commonwealth) and Ambassador to Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. This required him to reside in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
What was a remarkable honor quickly took on a different perspective when, within two months of his appointment, there was military coup in Fiji and the new leadership of Commodore Frank Bainimarama rescinded virtually all the Fijian diplomatic appointments overseas. Because of Ratu Epeli’s relationship with and appointment by the previous government and his involvement as an intermediary and negotiator in the coup of 2000, which had been severely misinterpreted by some Fijian powerbrokers, he was advised not to return to Fiji. So for the last six years he and Sofi, his wonderful wife of 45 years, continued living in Kuala Lumpur in virtual exile with the assistance and understanding of the Malaysian government. He simply turned his attention to serve with dedication the church in Malaysia, giving occasional sermons, helping with the church’s local magazine production and distribution and even as a van driver facilitating the travel of members to and from services each weekend.
He developed an excellent relationship with the Sidant Injil Borneo (SIB) church close to where he lived in the suburb of Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur. He was asked to conduct a Christian education course for their young people using our Discipleship 101 course. He also spoke occasionally to their congregation. More than 70 from this congregation joined with our members for his funeral service in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, October 30, conducted by Malaysian senior pastor, Wong Mein Kong. In addition to eulogies from GCI members, the service included a heartfelt and moving tribute to Ratu from Pastor Edwin Agong from SIB and a group of SIB youth sang a song. Pastor Agong plans to establish a scholarship fund for young people in SIB to be named after Ratu Epeli.
Throughout their six years in Malaysia, the Kanaimawis have dearly desired to return home to be with their children and grandchildren but apart from occasional visits to Malaysia, Skype© has had to provide the blessing of ‘virtual’ contact with the family.
In early October, Ratu experienced significant breathing problems and was advised by the doctors not to attend the church’s annual retreat and festival in the Genting Highlands because of breathing difficulties at that altitude. He had to have fluid drained from his left lung on several occasions.
These circumstances prompted Epeli and Sofi’s daughter Alisi, her husband James Panuve and their son Dovi to travel to Kuala Lumpur the week prior to Epeli’s death, so that all of his immediate family was present. He was cremated on October 31 and his ashes will accompany Sofi back to Fiji next week where a memorial service will be hosted by the Suva congregation.
Ratu was a man of exuberant spirits, with an always-positive disposition that reflected his vibrant faith. He was everyone’s friend, embodying a humble attitude of acceptance and service not often found in someone who held the high offices he did. He left a fine example and legacy for his country and for our fellowship through his life and family. He was one of those special people whom we eagerly anticipate embracing when we pick up on our relationship in the resurrected life around the table of the Lord. I know that Sofi and all her family appreciate your love and care expressed through your prayers.
Cards may be sent to:
Grace Communion International PO Box 16697 Suva, Fiji
