Author: GCI Media

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
17th Annual LiLY Women’s Conference 2021
Being held Virtually on Zoom
Saturday, April 24, 2021
9:30 a.m – 3:00 p.m. (EST)

“I Am Doing A New Thing”
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

Virtual Zoom Conference or Dial-In
To join our conference you can use any of the following:
Desktop, Laptop, Tablet or Phone

Featured Speakers:
Dr. Kim Carter – www.drkimcarter.com
Joy Trachsel – www.joytrachsel.com

Registration Fee:
$20 – Early Bird Pricing by Wednesday, March 31, 2021
$25 – April 1 through April 24, 2021

To register online, click this link: gccle.church/lily
(copy & paste the link to your browser if needed)

If not registering on-line:
Mail your registration fee and make checks payable to:
Grace Communion Cleveland
4499 Canterbury Road, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070
(Please include your name, address, phone number and email)

Any questions please email us at lilywomensministry@gmail.com

We hope you will join us!

Rosa Hulse
Women’s Ministry Leader
Hosted by Grace Communion Cleveland
Pastor Tamar Gray

On February 7, 2021, Regional Director of the Eastern Region, Jeffrey Broadnax, came to New Hope Community Church in Stoystown, PA to officially pass the baton of leadership from Pastor Bruce Metz to Pastor J. Bradley Reed and his wife, Associate Pastor Marlene Reed. Bruce will continue to serve as an elder within the congregation.

Brad has been on a journey with GCI since 1988, when it was the Worldwide Church of God. Marlene grew up in the Worldwide Church of God. Brad, a 1989 graduate of Ambassador College, and Marlene, a 1990 graduate of Ambassador College, were married in 1989. Brad continued his education after Ambassador with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from California State University, Northridge, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California.

Brad works full-time as a physical therapist. He and Marlene have three children. Their oldest, Danika, is pursuing a degree in nursing. Their middle child, Ariel, is pursuing a degree in Communication. And, their youngest, Jay, is a high school senior pursuing a Rotary Club International Student Exchange this fall.

Brad and Marlene come to the congregation with a missional spirit and a desire that all people come into a personal relationship with Jesus and understand that life’s journey is all grace. Both Brad and Marlene have volunteered at GCI SEP So Cal. They have worked with their local Girl Scouts, youth basketball program, high school band, and church youth group. Marlene has worked with the local community theater, and Brad has been a part of a local singing quintet. They had an outpatient physical therapy clinic that closed its clinic doors six years ago, but kept its home health department running until one year ago. They currently host a bi-weekly Bible study group at their home.

Bruce and Sharon Metz received a personalized thank you letter from GCI President Dr. Greg Williams. They were also honored with a congregational gift of a wood planter box holding flower vases labeled “faith,” “hope” and “love.” The box was made for them from reclaimed lumber from Bruce’s family barn. They also received a Thomas Kinkade tapestry with Sharon’s favorite Psalm on it.

There is deep-felt appreciation for the love and work that Bruce and Sharon bestowed upon GCI Stoystown congregants over the last 20 years. Although stepping out of the pastoral role, Bruce and Sharon will still help within the congregation and community—a journey that began in 1969 and goes on forever.

By the Reeds and the Metzs

In reflecting on this past year, we have had many challenges as well as many blessings. There have been wonderful opportunities for our congregation to interact with others in our community in ways that we had not imagined possible. As we keep in mind and engage in the mission that Jesus has called us into, I would like to share some of the wonderful experiences God has opened for us even in the midst of this pandemic.

We participated with KC Impact Group, which we joined with another local church in ministering, to families, providing prayer and other resources for members of the community who have had various misfortunes from job loss, family separation, and health difficulties. Unfortunately, activity was halted due to the pandemic, but because of the connections we had already made, it was exciting that we could continue in prayer for these individuals.

Some of our members embarked on a program known as “Center Friends,” where adults are paired with a student so they can get to know each other and mentor those children. We were fingerprinted and prepared for this program when the pandemic broke out, so we have not been able to begin the process.

Many of the opportunities we have came through our connection and relationships made with Center Elementary School, and in particular, through Roslyn Christopher, the school’s Social Worker, who has become a wonderful friend to our church family and shares with us the needs that arise.

We were blessed to receive the opportunity to help two families that had moved into the area and were in difficult situations. We provided resources such as food items to help them get over the hump during their relocation.

Another special opportunity we had was to assist a family with nine children. This family was having difficulty providing enough clothing for all the children prior to the school year. Our church family came together to pour out tremendous love through prayer and donations to provide enough clothing for their four boys. Several of our members had the pleasure of shopping for this family. That was an exciting adventure.

Another amazing opportunity came to light when a teacher at Center Elementary had the misfortune of her family losing most of their possessions due to a fire at their residence. Once again, our church family answered the call of the Holy Spirit into this tragic event and they came through with such outstanding love and concern so that we were able to provide a substantial amount of funds to help them begin to recoup some of their losses.

The school was attempting to provide an incentive program for the students and their families to keep them interested in their virtual education and so began giving out small gift cards ($5 to $10) as rewards for certain achievements and behaviors. We were privileged and blessed with the resources to get involved in this program and provided several of these incentives.

Last year we were able to provide Christmas food boxes for some of the poor families in the community, but because of the pandemic, the school decided they would not have that particular ministry option, so we began brainstorming and came up with a service that would benefit the teachers and staff members who were working hard to continue to provide educational opportunities to the children in the midst of this difficult situation.

We provided gift cards for each of the teachers and staff members so they would be encouraged and have something special for themselves and their families. The teachers and staff collectively created a video thanking our church family for the outpouring of love and well wishes for the new year. It was special to share with the church family a small representation of the fruits of their labor and faithfulness to God’s calling.

As part of our Christmas outreach, we collected Christmas cards from our congregation, and several of our members gathered and wrote special sentiments in these cards and sent them to every member of our community. We also sent them to the Fire and Police Departments, as well as the schools.

Then we put together a fun group, and purchased matching shirts to go caroling in our neighborhood around our meeting place. God provided us with amazing weather that day, which encouraged a wonderful level of participation. We had several incredibly special interactions from individuals as we caroled. Many people came out on their porches and sang with us, and we were thanked for spreading joy. Because we had such a great response and had so much fun, we went out the following week into a different area of the neighborhood and did it again. What joyous and fun events these were.

Since we are changing our name and reinvigorating our mission, we are planning to send out a letter to those in the community with the information and sentiments for the New Year. We are thinking about making magnets with our new name and our new logo. This is in the brainstorming phase. We are also thinking about an event or outreach of some kind for Valentine’s Day.

We have been offered an opportunity to assist in teaching the young children who are less fortunate and have not had access to computers, how to use a computer and help them prepare for their schooling. These would probably be those preparing to enter Kindergarten. Please pray that our amazing Lord will open doors for this to happen.

We are looking forward to a continually active year of service, sharing the love of Jesus with those all around our community.

By Barbara Leatherman
Love Avenue Champion
Grace Communion South Kansas City

Stephen John Dobritch, the beloved son of Pastor John and Mary Dobritch, died at the age of 35 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on December 26, 2020.

Stephen was an ordained minister in Grace Communion International, a gifted musician and vocalist who served as the worship leader at Word of God Christian Fellowship in Canfield Ohio. He graduated from Austintown Fitch High School and also attended Youngstown State University.

Stephen is survived by his parents, and three sisters Katherine, Theresa and Marianne.

Cards of sympathy and encouragement may be sent to:

John and Mary Dobritch
3312 Starwick Dr
Canfield, OH 44406-8201

Please remember Mrs. Leigh Sniffen and her family in prayer.

Her beloved husband and faithful servant of God, Paul Sniffen, died peacefully in his sleep on December 23, 2020. He had suffered a series of minor strokes in early November.

For more about Paul’s life and legacy, read GC Memphis’ tribute here.

You can send cards of sympathy and encouragement to Paul’s wife Leigh at the address below:

Mrs. Leigh Sniffen
9209 Speerberry Circle
Cordova, TN 38016-2399
UNITED STATES

Sammy R. O’Dell, 67, of Amarillo, Texas, passed away Thurs., Nov. 5, 2020. Sammy was born in Shelby, NC, Dec. 31, 1952 to Ernest Wade O’Dell and Macie Christine McDonald O’Dell. Sammy grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina in Murphy. His father died when he was five. He always had compassion and understanding for the widows and fatherless. His kind, Christian mother worked long hours to provide for her two sons and widowed mother. Church attendance, piano lessons and saving for college education were priorities. At age 12, Sammy climbed a nearby hill to pray and dedicated his life to God to be used as the Lord would lead him.

After graduation from Murphy High School in 1971, Sammy enrolled at Ambassador College in East Texas, where he studied theology, speech, and liberal arts. He met his future wife, Julia Lane, in college chorale. After graduation in 1975, he settled in Amarillo, volunteered to serve at church, and found a job that led to his life-long career in life insurance sales and service. Julia and Sammy married on May 30, 1976 in Big Sandy, TX. Two daughters, Christy and Karen Beth, were born in 1978 and 1982.

Sammy owned O’Dell Insurance Agency and represented many fine companies over 45 years. He earned Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow designation in 1987. He was member and past-president of Amarillo NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors). They presented him the George Morris Memorial Financial Service Professional of the Year Award in 2005. He was recognized in 2011 for the many years he chaired the annual Tri-City Sales Forum convention in Amarillo. Sammy had hundreds of clients across the Panhandle and High Plains. He loved driving to give personal service to clients new and old. He was a kind, dedicated agent and advisor.

Sammy was ordained as an elder in 1984. He was asked in 1997 to serve as a bi-vocational pastor for what is now Grace Communion International in Amarillo and was honored for 20 years of pastoral service in 2017. He received a Master of Pastoral Studies degree from Grace Communion Seminary in 2014. The outpouring of love and kind words from so many longtime friends, church members, clients, acquaintances and extended family shows that Sammy’s ministry and life in Christ reached far outside the church walls.

Sammy’s interests included Bible study, jigsaw and crossword puzzles, computer chess and solitaire, bird watching, coffee drinking, playing hymns on piano, listening to gospel and classic rock, and playing basketball in his younger days.

He is survived by Julia, his wife of 44 years; two daughters, Christy O’Dell López and husband Nick of El Paso, TX, and Karen Beth O’Dell Strovas and husband Scott of Plainview, TX; five grandchildren, Timothy, Dominic, and Zoe López, and Sammy and Sally Strovas; and one brother, Danny O’Dell and wife Diane of Harrison, TN.

You can send cards of sympathy and encouragement to Sammy’s wife Julia at the address below:

Julia O’Dell
4122 S. Hughes St.
Amarillo, TX 79110