GCI Media – Page 294

Barranquilla, Colombia church

The GCI congregation in Barranquilla, Colombia has 45 members and an average attendance of 70. They meet in the recreation room of a local school. This location provides many opportunities for members to develop relationships with students at the school. As a result, they have a large children’s Sunday School.

In addition to their Sunday worship service, the congregation has a regular Wednesday evening meeting for prayer, worship and to equip members for service in the work of God. In this meeting new teachers are trained. They also hold monthly prayer and fasting vigils. The most recent one was on December 7 from 7:30pm to 2 am. Attendance was high and the results were refreshing. The congregation also provides discipleship classes, with several expressing interest in baptism.

The Barranquilla congregation held its first Christmas feast on December 17. They visited 27 homes near their place of meeting to invite families to come to the feast – 23 families accepted and about 50 neighbors attended with their children.

During the feast the children gave a presentation about Jesus’ birth. A group of girls then presented a dance. Refreshments were plentiful and delicious. There was a very festive atmosphere – demonstrating that Christmas is a celebration of great joy.

A message was given titled, “Christmas and Salvation.” There was also a brief workshop concerning the meaning of Christmas, which was very well received. The feast also provided the opportunity to celebrate the birthdays of two girl guests. Several visiting neighbors gave positive comments about the event and some who did not attend the event have expressed their desire to do so next time.

ORM praise report

In a GCI Weekly Update announcement last December, it was noted that Curtis May, who directs the Office of Reconciliation and Spiritual Mediation, would participate this January in the Reconciliation and Police Legitimacy Summit conducted by COPS (the Community Oriented Policing Services office) of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC. That summit occurred last week and here is Curtis’ praise report:

It was a blast! And I could feel your prayers throughout the two days.

On Tuesday, I conducted a two hour session with predominately African Americans who work in the Community Oriented Policing Office (COPS). We discussed issues of mutual concern, discussing principles of reconciliation, including some overarching steps toward a solution. We also talked about legacies of the past that can and do influence us today and what we can do about them.

On Wednesday, we had an eight hour conference with leaders in law enforcement: police chiefs, reconciliation leaders, community development leaders and ranking officials in the COPS Department. Other prominent leaders included Gary McCarthy (Chicago Superintendent of Police and National Safe Cities Network Director) and David Kennedy (Director of Criminal Law at John Jay College).

Curtis (at left) and his son Brad May

Director Bernard Melekian took my son Brad and me out to dinner Wednesday night along with New Haven Connecticut Chief Dean Esserman. Mr. Melekian said he heard a lot of positive feedback and that, “you started this” referring to ORM’s work with the Pasadena Police Department over the past few years, which included fellow GCI members like the Sniffens, Raul Ramos and others. I received positive feedback from many others. I was surprised that my references to biblical principles were so well received.

Larry Hinkle graduates

On December 17, GCI pastor Larry Hinkle graduated from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio with a doctoral (DMin) degree in Formational Counseling. Larry is the senior pastor of GCI congregations in Ft. Lauderdale and Port St. Lucie, FL and is GCI’s district pastor in Florida.

Larry’s doctoral work led to development of two GCI Ministry Development training events. Both offer a Trinitarian approach to spiritual renewal. The first is a three-day long spiritual retreat for pastors and ministry leaders. The second is a daylong seminar, which can be combined with the weekly worship service. For details, go to www.OdysseyinChrist.com.

Transitioning your church without killing it

To participate actively and skillfully in mission with Jesus in an increasingly post-Christian world means significant change for most churches. The video below is of a 55 minute seminar at a recent Verge conference. Presenter Mike Breen (along with others from 3DM) offers helpful tips for transitioning your church to being more missional without killing it in the process.

http://youtu.be/nt1CNZUdJ2A

Outreach in Ohio & Indiana

The videos below are interviews with GCI senior pastors Jim Valekis (Tipp City, OH) and Roger Abels (Fort Wayne, IN). Each pastor discusses what his congregation is doing to connect with the unchurched community nearby where their church gathers for worship.

http://youtu.be/HBhi4sl2T64

http://youtu.be/izkIGz0JuBM

Videos like these, showing GCI congregations on journey with Jesus, can be viewed at It Looks Like This at http://gci-usa.blogspot.com/.

The presence and power of Jesus

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Every part of life is enriched by the presence and power of Jesus who is active in our world. As several authors have noted, no one has ever impacted civilization the way Jesus has:

Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50 years and Aristotle for 40 years. Though Jesus taught for only three and a half years, his influence infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined years of the teaching from these greatest of philosophers. Jesus painted no pictures that we know of, yet some of the finest artists of human history such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from him. We don’t have any poems written by Jesus, yet the works of Dante, Milton and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by him. Jesus composed no music; yet Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the music they composed in his praise. No one else has ever spoken with the authority with which Jesus spoke. He was unique. [Author unknown]

There has never been, nor ever will be anyone like Jesus. He alone is the Son of God become human for our salvation. And how wonderful that he shares his ministry with us!

Here in GCI Weekly Update, we often highlight ways our congregations and members are participating in ministry with Jesus. In this issue, you’ll find accounts of GCI churches in the United States and in Spain joining with Jesus in connecting with unchurched people in the area surrounding where they meet. I hope you’ll be inspired, and that their examples encourage similar outreach elsewhere.

As we move forward in the new year, let us remember our calling to prayer. As I often note, prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. In prayer (both private and together) we join with Jesus as he, through the Holy Spirit, communes with his Father and ours, interceding on behalf of all humanity. Let us continue to be praying people in 2012.

My prayers are with you all,

Joseph Tkach

Death of Anne Robey-Graham

The following is from Gary Moore, GCI director in Canada.

We are saddened to announce the death of Anne Robey-Graham, wife of Gordon Graham who pastored GCI churches in Canada for several years. To read Anne’s obituary, click here.

Gordon and Anne lived in Arizona for the last several years. Here is a short note from Gordon:

Anne and I had a wonderful marriage for five years less one week. I am returning to work as a research professor at a university in Arizona on January 9. I have learned that it is better to be engaged in meaningful work than to face empty days. I have stopped trying to plan life out in great detail, so who knows, I may see you all again in the years ahead!

If you would like to send a card or note to Gordon, his address is:

Gordon Graham

6607 E Saddleback Street

Mesa, AZ 85215

Preaching resources

The January issue of Equipper highlights the importance of preaching and offers resources for preachers and teachers.

Also, note that a helpful article discussing why preaching is key to reaching unchurched people is posted at http://www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11662703/.

Outreach in Madrid

This report is from Pedro Rufian in Spain.

madrid-spain-big — click on map to enlarge

GCI members in Madrid are thanking God for the opportunity to participate, along with most of the Evangelical churches in Spain, in “My Hope” – three television programs that presented the gospel for the first time on two nationwide TV stations in Spain. We hope these programs provide a means for many Spaniards to hear and respond to God’s call to come to Jesus Christ and accept and receive his love and grace.

We have received several phone calls from people who watched the programs because they had known about them through one of the 5000 brochures we distributed in the neighborhood where our congregation meets. The brochures offered a free subscription to our GCI magazine Verdad y Vida. In Villamanta, a small village of around 1500 inhabitants where I live, we distributed 500 brochures. We received a call from a family asking for a subscription to the magazine. We will follow up with a personal visit.

New FaithTalk training videos

The CAD Ministry Development Team offers training to facilitators of FaithTalk groups – a type of small group designed to connect with unchurched people. Training and other resources are available at FaithTalk equipper at http://faithtalkgroups.blogspot.com/. Posted below are new facilitator training videos – one about building community (with Pat Shaw) and the other about including children (with Charles Albrecht).

http://youtu.be/MNqwnaF9UEE

http://youtu.be/yy9OrQa19gk

Author: GCI Media