GCI district pastor Larry Hinkle, reports that Odyssey in Christrecently completed a spiritual renewal retreats in Florida. The two videos embedded below are testimonials from retreat participants. Following the videos are comments from retreat co-leaders Charles and Carmen Fleming.
Charles Fleming commented: “I have always valued and made an effort to practice the basic spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible reading, but involvement in this spiritual retreat ministry has exposed me to a range of additional formational exercises that are greatly enriching my own walk with God. And then there is the joy of seeing retreat participants experience a greater intimacy with Christ as they take time to use different formational exercises to position themselves in his presence. As the testimonials express, individuals are impacted in many and varied ways that transform and heal. Perhaps my favorite comments revolve around the themes of experiencing God personally and of growing to a greater awareness of personal value and significance.”
Charles and Carmen Fleming
Carmen Fleming commented: “In the past I have discovered the value of spiritual formation practices and have a longing for others to experience their great value as well. In preparation for leading the retreats, I have discovered many more spiritual formation exercises. It has been a joy to discover them and through them position myself to experience a deeper communion with God. This has given me more stability and health spiritually, physically and emotionally, though outward circumstances may not change. It is a thrill to listen to the comments of participants in our interactive sessions, as they experience what it feels like to get away from their busy schedules, many distractions and anxieties and position themselves to know God better and experience him more deeply. God meets us there.
Dennis Wheatcroft has a distinction few pastors can claim—he is in a hall of fame. “While running cross-country at Fort Hays University, our team won the national championship two years in a row (1968-69). Just a couple of years ago, we were invited back to the university and inducted into their hall of fame.”
Dennis, who pastors GCI churches in Murphy, North Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee, and his wife, Sidni, celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary this year. What many don’t realize is that Dennis and Sidni were born on the same day, month and year. “However, I am nearly 12 hours older, since I was born in Kansas at 6:30 a.m. and she was born in California at 4:00 p.m.”
Dennis and Sidni have three married sons: Brad (Valerie), Brett (Beth), Robert (Jeminah); and five grandchildren: Madeline (8), Ella (7), Isaac (2), Kaitlyn (2) and Andrew (4 months). “We are extremely blessed to have all of our children and their families living in Chattanooga.”
Family is Dennis’ passion. “I see family as one of the primary ways that God reveals his triune nature. With the attack on families and the dysfunction that has become the norm; we lose this important revelation of God.”
Dennis grew up in a small town in Kansas and graduated high school in 1968. “Then I attended Fort Hays University for two years before becoming involved with WCG and attending Ambassador College in Bricket Wood England from 1970-74.” After graduating, Dennis was hired as a ministerial trainee and sent to Alberta Canada. After serving as a trainee for a year and a half, Dennis was ordained and became a pastor. In between Alberta and where he is now serving, Dennis and Sidni served in Wheatland, Casper and Sheridan, Wyoming; Billings, Montana; and Glendora, California.”
Dennis, who was recently asked to serve as a district pastor, said that being a pastor is both rewarding and challenging. “What I have most enjoyed about being a pastor is undoubtedly all of the people that we have had the opportunity to serve with over the years. It is always a privilege to participate in the transformation that Jesus brings, through the Holy Spirit, in people’s lives.”
When asked about his most memorable moment as a pastor, Dennis tied it in with his passion for family. “I had the opportunity to perform the marriage of two of my three sons. Those were special opportunities.”
Dennis says the transformation of our denomination has been amazing and he has enjoyed where God is leading us. “As difficult as it has been, the journey has been well worth it. This gives all of us a unique perspective about God and his grace. I enjoy participating in all that Jesus continues to do in his body as a whole and especially in our little part.”
When asked when he feels closest to God, Dennis said, “More and more I am learning to see God’s presence in all of life. Consequently, I feel close to God not only in intimate times of prayer and study, but as I am living life. Especially time spent together as a family.”
On October 21, the Bengali Evangelical Association (BEA) hosted a public lecture in Redlands, California in celebration of the 400-year anniversary of the publishing of the King James Bible.
The event, which was attended by 80 people, opened with worship. After John and Naomi Biswas welcomed the guests and explained the purpose of the event, pastor Neil Earle presented a lecture focused on the story of the great men and events leading up to publication of the King James Bible in 1611.
Pastor Neil Earle
Neil began by showing a video of the King James Bible being read from moon orbit in December 1968. He then went on to show from history how the King James translation of the Bible had impacted the speech and culture of the English speaking world and how it had helped bring the gospel to the average person.
Many reference books and articles were on display and BEA offered each guest a King James Bible and a book of Bible promises, paid for by a generous donor. The guests from various denominations and backgrounds enjoyed a fellowship meal at the conclusion of the happy event.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, e-mails and such. It means a lot to know y’all are there for me!
I had a PET and CT scans recently. I am happy to announce (to God’s glory!) that my cancer (follicular lymphoma), is in REMISSION! No more chemo treatments are needed.
All three lymph nodes as well as the rest of my body show no signs of active cancer. The doctor said they will need to do another scan in three months and keep an eye on things.
God has heard your prayers, and I pray that you will continue to pray for me.
I still am not up to full steam. It will take some time for my body to regain strength. My immune system is still weak, but I am feeling good and am getting stronger every day.
In the last Weekly Update we asked for prayer for Grace Stokes. Here is an update from her husband James.
We have good news—Grace is now back home, following a time of hospitalization. We thank you for your many heartfelt prayers and ask you to please continue them as she continues to recover.
This report is from GCI Canada national director Gary Moore.
Fraser Henderson
I recently attended a meeting of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), which focused on the state of Canada’s youth regarding Christian faith. EFC affiliates were invited to bring a younger leader (under 35) with them. I was happy to bring Fraser Henderson. Both of us felt that the assessment of the situation in Canada was sobering. However, we see hopeful signs. Those under 30 today have an openness to discussing the Christian faith—an openness more pronounced than that found in those over 30.
The EFC meeting also included a stimulating presentation from Peter Harris, who gave a balanced Christian perspective on creation care. Another presentation focused on ministry to people caught up in prostitution.
Later in the day we heard from Ed Stetzer. His keynote presentation, “Faith – Contrast America and Canada,” was most interesting. He pointed out that though the challenges are great, the openness in the younger generation includes an openness to hearing a presentation of the Christian faith – especially if it is given in the form of a personal story—here is what Jesus Christ has meant to me—rather than a series of doctrinal statements.
The next day there was a meeting for the leaders of EFC member denominations. Two leaders who are retiring gave heartfelt, thought-provoking observations concerning a lifetime in ministry. As one put it, “I want to end my life not only faithful, but still full of faith!”
I think we all agree that through Christ, we are drawn into the divine relationship between Father, Son and Spirit where we experience real life. Our Christian walk should be more than simply an endurance test, hanging in until the end (though there is, of course, some of that). The Christian life is meant to be a daily engagement in the rich life of the triune God.
GCI in the United States is a member of Mission America, a coalition of Christian leaders who come together to mobilize the Church for praying, caring and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in deed and word. Here are excerpts from a recent Mission America Update newsletter.
T-Shirt Evangelism
According to Christian apparel company Kerusso, a graphic T-shirt will be read as many as 3,000 times. A survey of Christian T-shirt wearers revealed 98% wear them to share their faith, and nearly half say they’ve been able to share Christ with an unbeliever because of a shirt’s message. One in 14 reports having helped an unbeliever come to know Christ after having a conversation that began because they wore a Christian T-shirt. (Change Your Shirt Change Your World by Vic Kennet, Kerusso 2012)
American Christian Women
American Christian women assign positive attributes to their spiritual lives. 73% say their faith is characterized by joy. 72% experience a lot of spiritual freedom in their faith, and 67% feel a lot of fulfillment in terms of their spiritual life. Only 3% of women claim to feel “a lot” of fear, doubt, or confusion in their faith. When asked what they struggle with, women most often point to disorganization (50%) and inefficiency (42%). Just 8% admit to lust, 13% to feeling envious often or sometimes, 36% to feeling anger, 25% struggle with selfishness, 19% are prone to excessive arguing, and 16% say they can be arrogant. 29% say losing someone they loved was the hardest thing they have faced. 20% say their family or children have caused the most hurt in their life, and 9% rank a divorce or a bad marriage as their biggest disappointment in life. (Barna Group 8/21/12)
Economy Affecting Churches
56% of pastors in a recent LifeWay Research study report that the economy is impacting their churches somewhat negatively while 8% say it is very negative, 25% of the pastors surveyed report no impact, and 9% report a positive impact on their churches. However, fewer churches reported declines in giving; 23% had lower giving in 2010 than 2009 while 19% had lower giving in 2011 than in 2010. Through 5/12 giving for 15% of churches has been below 2011. Similarly, fewer churches are failing to meet budget expectations. Through 5/11, giving for 27% was below budget. At the same time in 2012, only 22% reported giving below budget—a 5% improvement from the prior year. Through 5/11, 36% saw giving the same vs. the previous year compared with 40% through 5/12/2012. A larger percentage of pastors serving in large cities and the suburbs (72% in both areas) cited a negative impact on their church from the economy in 2012 than those serving in small cities (63%) and rural areas (61%). (Charisma News 8/27/12)
Why People Share on Social Networking Sites
People of all generations use social media to stay connected with people. Social networks are an extension of consumers’ lives. The second most common reason Millennials share on social networks is to show others what matters to them—the things going on in their lives. Two in five Millennials list it as one of the top three reasons they share on social networks, compared to one in four Baby Boomers or Gen-Xers. (Engage Gen-Y 8/3/12)
95 people attended GCI’s annual conference in Colombia, South America.
This joyful time of celebration was held at a retreat center, a two hour drive from Bogota. Alvaro Palacio from the Toronto East, Canada, congregation was guest speaker. Alvaro presented eight lessons on the grace and love of God based on Steve McVey’s book Journey Into Intimacy.
October being Pastor Appreciation Month, we offer here a short video vividly illustrating the ministry of Jesus–the great Shepherd. Thanks to all who serve with him as under-shepherds (we call them pastors!).
As I write this letter from France (where I’m attending an annual GCI worship celebration), my thoughts and prayers are with the many people who have been devastated by what is being called “monster storm Sandy, which traveled through the Caribbean, then up the US East coast with landfall in New Jersey. Dozens of lives have been lost, millions are without power and the property damage is unimaginable.
Please pray for all those suffering in Sandy’s wake, likely including some GCI members and pastors. As reports come in, we’ll update you on their circumstances and any needs for help (watch the comments section).
Before traveling to France, I was with Gary Deddo in England. We attended a European ministry leaders’ meeting, an Elders’ conference and services in area GCI congregations (see pictures below). We thoroughly enjoyed our time with our brothers and sisters in jolly olde England!
Pastor appreciation
As you probably know, October is Pastor Appreciation Month in the US and Canada. I hope all of you reading this who are pastors know that you are deeply appreciated—every month of the year!
Peter Drucker, who spent much of his life studying leadership, once said that the four hardest jobs in America are the US President, a university president, a hospital CEO, and a church pastor. Though some might disagree with Drucker’s assessment, I doubt that many of our pastors would.
Being a pastor is a high calling. However, it is often a great challenge—one that is sometimes made even greater by unrealistic expectations placed upon them (as humorously illustrated in the cartoons at left and below).
According to the Barna organization, about 85% of the churches in the US have less than 200 people, 60% have less than 100 and the average size is 89. But even in small congregations, the demands placed on pastors are experienced 24/7.
It seems that pastors are expected to be theologians, Bible teachers, accountants, vision-setters, counselors, public speakers, worship directors, prayer warriors, leadership developers and fundraisers. Given these expectations, I’m sure that those serving as pastors closely identify with what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:
Copyright 1984 Nick Hobart & Christianity Today International BuildingChurchLeaders.com. Used with permission.
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken…While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!… So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us (2 Corinthians 4:5-17, The Message Bible).
I don’t know whose idea it was to designate October as Pastor Appreciation Month. Some say in jest that it was the apostle Paul or Hallmark Cards! Maybe it was Focus on the Family. In any case, I think it’s a good idea, and before the month is over, I want to express to all our pastors my deep appreciation and thanks for all that they do in service to our Lord and his children. My feelings about our pastors are expressed eloquently by Paul in his letter to his coworkers in the church in Philippi:
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now (Philippians 1:3-5, NLT).
