GCI Media

October 28, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

After using Rick Shallenberger’s Christmas Readers’ Theater in their congregations last year, several asked if Rick would provide another one this year, and we are happy to report that he has. To view this Christmas Readers’ Theater, click this link: 2009 Christmas Readers Theater

Colombia

Hector and Paulina Barrero let us know about the baptisms of four people that Paulina has taught in two small weekly ladies Bible study groups. From the groups that Paulina has led, some have begun attending our church and now are now praying for our fellowship.

France

Nearly 300 of our French-speaking brothers and sisters in Christ gathered together in Evian, France, for a Celebration of Jesus Christ. Sessions were held to deepen our understanding of Trinitarian theology. There were events for all ages, and the table fellowship was wonderful. This is an annual event that takes place the last week of October every year. French and English translations were provided.

Birmingham, Alabama

The Birmingham, Alabama, church held a women’s retreat October 16-18 at the St. Bernard retreat center. About 50 women attended the event, which began with a lively night of board games. Everyone enjoyed getting acquainted, some for the first time, some renewing old friendships. Saturday morning began with praise and worship, led by Barbara Dahlgren and Ann Hartmann, followed by speakers Tammy Tkach, Ginny Rice, Ruth Miller and Mary Jo Leaver. Ann Hartmann performed some songs she wrote and recorded. Sunday morning featured praise and worship, another session by Tammy Tkach and more wonderful songs by Ann Hartmann. Ruth Miller wrapped up the weekend. Many women pitched in to help pack things away and everyone agreed they should do it again next year.

Prayer Request

Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

October 21, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Columbia

From Hector Barrero:

We held a 3-day seminar October 9-12 at a private resort in Arbelaez, which is three hours by car from Bogota. On Saturday, four of our leaders spoke on the Trinitarian love of God. Sunday, we had workshops on inner healing. On Monday, four leaders spoke on how to take God´s love to the world. We closed the seminar with Communion.

We were visited by Raymond Olson, his wife Denise and daughter Roberta from Wisconsin. This was Raymond´s fourth trip to Colombia. Raymond presented a devotional every morning. The Harbor Missionary Church that Raymond pastors helped sponsor the attendance to the seminar of many people, and they sent some supplies for the Sunday school.

We also had members attending from our Barranquilla congregation, including pastor Sonia Orozco, and from other places in Colombia. A total of 114 people attended.

Appreciation for Videos

We receive comments about Speaking of Life and You’re Included from ministers, members, as well as viewers who are not in our church. Here are a couple of examples:

Since you started Speaking Of Life, I have been downloading them and showing them during our weekly worship service. A lot of members make positive remarks about these short talks. After the one entitled Reconciling the World I received a couple of requests for a copy. I asked why they were requesting it, and one explained that they found it comforting to understand that friends and relatives who had died were not lost. Another felt they understood what you said was true, but had kept it to themselves because it didn’t seem to fit with their perception of what is being taught. I can’t convey to you the comfort and excitement in their voices and eyes as they explained this to me. We are copying the Your Included interviews onto DVDs and distributing a few of them to some who cannot manage to attend worship services and do not have an Internet connection.

I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful series that you have put on the net. I live in Sydney, Australia, and have been following what has been happening in your church for a while now. I download each new Trinitarian speaker onto my iPod so I can listen daily, and in doing so my whole life has been turned around. Listening daily to your speakers allows the Holy Spirit to take me bit by bit out of my faulty thinking. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this wonderful web site. I just can’t thank you enough.

United Kingdom

The third Life Activity weekend took place at Scammonden September 4-6 and was attended by 40 guests from all over the UK, including visitors from Northern Ireland and a contingent from Scotland.

. .

This year there were a wider selection of activities, including walking, wall climbing, sailing, table tennis, macramé, gilding, art and bread making, as well as our Life Club meeting, which included speeches and table topics.

The Luton Congregation hosted the fifth Luton Ladies Day September 26. Daria Fowler welcomed about 30 ladies to a packed program beginning with prayer and worship hymns led by Portia Braithwaite. This was followed by a very interesting and inspiring talk about the Street Angels in Watford. Irene Wilson is part of a team that walks the streets through the night at the weekends to pray over and render aid to young people who frequent the many pubs and clubs in Watford. They are highly trained in how to handle the various situations they encounter, hearing talks by the police, advice from counselors and courses in first aid. They never go out without their hour of prayer and worship to prepare their hearts to represent God in a hurting world.

The next speaker was Margaret Gibbon, who told her story of widowhood. She talked about the stages of grief, being held up by other people’s prayers, and leaning on scriptures, such as Hebrews 13:5 that assures us God will never leave nor forsake us. She very bravely spoke of the emotions and feelings you experience as you transition from being “half a person” to a whole person again. She gave us tips on how to treat someone newly widowed, how to prepare for the possibility, and how to cope through the journey, taking one day at a time.

. .

We also heard from dentist Sylvia Low. Her talk was entitled, “A Trip To Get My Teeth Into.” She told us that her lifelong dream to visit India was about to come true. The Hope Community Trust UK is an International Christian Ministry committed to supporting people from all walks of life. One of their projects is supporting a children’s home in Andhra Pradesh, India. Sylvia will be visiting this home to teach the children about dental hygiene and do what she can for their teeth, including extractions where necessary.

The Surprising God Blog

The Surprising God Blog (thesurprisinggodblog.wcg.org) was recently nominated for a Christian web and new media award. The blog was nominated in the best Christian leadership blog category. The awards, also known as the Christian Bloggies, are organized by Premier Christian Media, which runs Premier Radio and publishes several magazines, including YouthWork and Christianity. Full details of the winners of the web and new media awards can be found at: www.christianblogawards.com.

Prayer Requests and Updates

Charlotte Whitting let us know that Peter’s chest tube has now been removed and that his lung is improving. He has been transferred to a rehab facility for respiratory and physical therapy. The facility is:

Manor Care
509 E. Joppa Road
Towson, MD 21046

The Whittings want to thank everyone for their continued prayers for his recovery.

Marj Friddle thanks everyone for their prayers. She is now back home after nine painful days in rehab following four days in the hospital after knee replacement surgery. She wrote, “I have received a number of phone calls and many beautiful cards and e-mails. Thank you so much! And I thank you very much for your prayers! You have made me feel very loved, and I have had to cry when I receive the lovely cards, e-mails and phone calls. It means so much to have wonderful friends who really care, and you have been there for me. I deeply appreciate it.”

A prayer for our members in Binmaley, Pangasinan

Rex Dela Pena reported that Philippine members affected by the recent disastrous flooding expressed their gratitude for the relief goods and the opportunity to be visited by the team from the National Office. Life is returning back to normal in a lot of ways, but there is still much to do, as the extent of the damage and the high cost of rebuilding is daunting. As I write, there is another typhoon predicted to hit the northern end of the Philippines later this week.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

October 14, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Glen and Connie Weber are happy to announce the birth of their first grandson. Anderson Brett Weber was born Sept. 15 in Edmonton, AB, Canada, to their son, Paul and his wife, Katie. Anderson weighed 9 lbs, 1 oz and was 21½ inches long. He is Paul and Katie’s second child.

Lorenzo Arroyo sent this report about the GCI Mexican National Conference for training pastors and leaders held in Mexico City October 2-4:

Antonio Almanza and Heber Ticas, US District Pastoral Leaders, and pastors respectively of our Denver and San Fernando Hispanic congregations, were the principal trainers for the GCI Mexican National Conference. The training venue was hosted by pastor Hector Cruz and the Mexico City congregation as well as Alfredo Mercado, Ruben Ramirez and Vicente Dimakis, GCI Mexican National Leaders. Pastors and leaders arrived from places all across Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Torreon, Guadalajara, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.

. .

We had worship on Friday night. On Saturday, we gave four workshops covering different areas of ministry centered on building a healthy church. On Sunday, Heber stayed in Mexico City to teach and preach while Tony traveled to the State of Hidalgo to preach at Pastor Nicolas Reyes’ church. He also traveled to Apizaco, in the state of Tlaxcala, to visit a new church plant, where Jose Luis Seba serves as the pastor. Both congregations are doing a good job in reaching their communities with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Members there are visibly passionate in sharing with others what God is doing in their lives.

Our congregations in Mexico need our support, prayers and sponsorship. They have a heart to preach the gospel, but their resources are limited. The Mexican church leaders are open and eager to learn new tools and become more effective in ministry. The pastors and leaders that attended were motivated and energized with the training materials presented.

Overall, it was a great conference. Approximately 40 persons took the training, and by church services on Sunday, 65 were in attendance. We got the distinct impression from those attending that they want a whole lot more.

Glendora, California

From Neil Earle:

For the fourth year in a row, the New Covenant Fellowship of Glendora, California, sponsored a literature table October 2-4 at the 70th annual Rancho Cucamonga Grape Harvest Festival in Rancho Cucamonga. The results were encouraging, even with cold windy weather and a stiff recession.

Rancho Cucamonga was one of the earliest wine-growing regions in Southern California, and the Glendora church planted a Sunday church in this vibrant area in March 2005. We’ve moved around as a congregation quite a bit since then, but the chance to interact with the community and get to know our neighbors in this lively area is hard to resist.

At the Festival, the Glendora church gives away free literature, mostly published by GCI’s Office of Reconciliation Ministries. This includes the Reconcile newsletter, the ORM video, the award-winning DVD “A Time To Reconcile” and other relevant literature. This year New Covenant Fellowship partnered with the Cops and Clergy Network of the Inland Empire, a caring agency for young people up against the drugs and gang threat in the Inland Empire, some of whose 500 gangs are controlled by drug lords in Mexico.

The team distributed almost 100 pieces of literature and media updates, including material given to the Mayor of Rancho Cucamonga and the head of the local Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, the same weekend, a team of Glendora assistant pastors performed a baptism near the home of Elder Miles Johnson, whose neighbor had become a GCI member through Miles’ good neighboring efforts over the years. A lady staying with his neighbor witnessed the baptism and asked to be counseled herself. “I guess that shows everything can be an evangelistic opportunity,” said Assistant Pastor Emmett Rushing, who performed the ceremony.

Philippines

From Reuel M. Pamor:

Thirteen inmates in the Tigaon District Jail in Camarines Sur were baptized September 7 in a drum provided inside the jail. One of those baptized admitted that he found it strange how a “toughie” like him was reduced to sobs of submission and repentance when confronted by God’s word. The Tigaon Prison Ministry, as an outreach of the Pagkamoot in Dios Assembly of GCI Naga City, has been running for more than 10 years, and is served by Pastors Doming Trilles and Joe Pan.

. .

Two weeks later on September 21, another 12 underwent baptism. To date, there are around 40 baptized believers out of 67 inmates in the Tigaon District Jail. It is evident that God is moving in the lives of these jailed believers, as we continue to follow his vision shared in Matthew 25:36, “I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Prayer Requests and Updates

GCI board member Frank Guice wants to thank everyone for their continuing prayers for his wife, Cora’s, health. Cora has a follow-up for her eye, which is doing better, scheduled for October 18, and an ultra-sound and stress test scheduled for her heart on October 15. She had some pressure sensation in her chest a few weeks ago.

Cards may be sent to:
7411 Juneau LN
Fontana, CA 92336

Please also remember in prayer elder and former headquarters employee Larry Omasta, who is waiting for results of several MRIs and other tests to find out what is happening with his back and legs.

Update from Larry Omasta:

First of all, thank you for all your prayers… I was diagnosed with a spinal subarachnoid hematoma, or in layman’s terms, blood in the lower spinal column. By Friday I developed severe pain and stiffness in the right neck and the right lower back that was caused by the blood in the spinal fluid. The neurosurgeon ordered many tests to try to find the cause of the bleeding.

I had six MRIs, a spinal angiogram, and an ultrasound of my head. The tests did reveal one possibility, but did not find an actual source. That is good news, because this appears to be a one-time occurrence. The pain and stiffness began to abate by Tuesday. The doctors felt I could come home today with meds to finish a few more days of treatment. I will go in next week for a follow-up MRI on the lower back and to see how my body has reabsorbed the hematoma or if anything else is going on.

I would appreciate your continued prayers for my continued recovery. Although the pain and stiffness has diminished, I still need vicodin to manage the pain. It will take a few more days for my body to reabsorb the hematoma.

Cards may be sent to:
1612 N. Roosevelt Ave
Pasadena, CA 91104

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

October 8, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Check Your Spam Folder

From GCI Computer Support :

As we reported recently, we are making the move to gci.org email. Currently only a few pastors have been moved to gci.org email. Until you are contacted by support@gci.org please continue to use your wcg.org email address. During the first phase of this move, we’ve noticed that sometimes our email ends up getting marked as spam. Please make sure you check your “spam” or “junk” folder regularly to see if any important messages happened to get placed there. Your internet provider may also filter out spam into a spam or junk folder before it gets to your computer, so you may need to log into your web mail to check. That is true for wcg.org and/or gci.org email accounts. Go to http://gmail.wcg.org/ or http://gmail.gci.org/, log in there to check your spam folder.

If you need help, email support@gci.org or call 800-350-4466 or 626-650-2340

From Jim Kissee:

On September 20 Jeff Chandler was installed as senior pastor for Christian Life Fellowship in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Jeff has been serving in this capacity for over a year with wonderful support from Trish and the Jonesboro church family. With new pastor training completed and with mentoring continuing by Randy Bloom, the time had arrived for Jeff’s installation as pastor. In the hearts of the congregation, Jeff and Trish were already fully serving but as Jeff would say with tear filled eyes, “he hadn’t realized how much the actual installation would mean to him, his family and the congregation.”

Canada

Gary Moore sent this update:

I am very happy to announce that Colin and Susan Lauchlan have accepted the responsibility of pastoring our churches in the London, Windsor and Sarnia areas of southwestern Ontario. They made a trip out from Edmonton last weekend, driving the church circuit with Phil Baldwin, who is moving to New Zealand, and then house hunting on Monday and Tuesday in London. I very much appreciated Colin and Sue during my three-and-a-half years in Edmonton, and know they will be a great blessing to the members in these churches. Colin came into our fellowship in South Africa, later attending Ambassador College, where he met Sue. They lived in the UK, moved back to South Africa for a number of years, and then moved back to Edmonton, Alberta (Sue’s home town) in the early 90s. Colin was ordained as an elder in Edmonton and has continued serving there in that capacity ever since.

I spoke with Colin on Thursday, just after they returned from London. Colin spoke very highly of the wonderful pastoral work that Phil Baldwin has done in the area, and of how obvious it is that Phil really loves the people. I just wanted to say how much Phil has been appreciated by all of us. He has lovingly cared for the flocks where he has served, and has served with dedication and selflessness. His service as a worship leader at our national conferences will be greatly missed as well. We wish them all the best, and may they never forget where home is!

Please pray for a smooth transition for Phil and Susan in their move to New Zealand. They will surely be a blessing to all with whom they come into contact. Also, please pray for Colin and Sue as they make all the needed preparations for the move to Ontario, and settle into their new pastoral responsibilities.

Prayer Requests and Updates

Rex dela Pena, Manila Area Superintendent, reported that Metro Manila and nearby areas like Bulacan are still struggling to cope with the massive flooding that took place last Saturday. He wrote:

Typhoon Ondoy’s wrath was more powerful than Katrina that hit New Orleans a couple of years ago. In 12 hours, Ondoy dropped one month’s worth of rain.

Due to the thousands of people affected by the flood and who are now temporarily staying at the evacuation centers (total of 600 evacuation centers), many people are starting to get sick with diarrhea. Small children and elderly people are the most vulnerable. They need to have immediate medical treatment in the coming days. It is feared that an epidemic will follow if the floodwaters do not recede in the coming days.

Marikina, Antipolo, Cainta, San Mateo, Pasig and Santa Maria in Bulacan and 16 towns in Laguna are still submerged at this time. Our church in Santa Maria meets on the third floor, yet the church hall was inundated with water and mud. Four families from GCI Santa Maria lost their houses when the water from the nearby river swelled. Many of the small children at the evacuation centers in Santa Maria are starting to get sick with vomiting and diarrhea. The food in these evacuation centers is severely lacking.

The churches and members in Metro Manila are generally safe and are now recovering. There will be a small work party to pack some of the donated clothes and food items for the victims in those areas identified.

Ministerial trainee Aron Tolentino, who lives in Pasig, had to find temporary housing for his family because the roads leading to Pasig are still impassable.

If you’d like to help

United States members and congregations can donate to the Disaster Relief Fund, which was established to help our members and perhaps others when faced with such disasters. If you or your congregation would like to help other members and local congregations affected by disasters, please direct your donation to the Disaster Relief Fund. It exists to help with costs of emergency member needs, including the costs of such items as food, water, clothing, and temporary housing, as well as temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency local church expenses. The Fund is coordinated by pastors in the affected areas.

Checks should be made out to Grace Communion International, marked Disaster Relief Fund, and mailed to:

Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
PO Box 5005
Glendora, CA 91740

Jim and Marj Friddle reported that Marj’s knee surgery went well, but she is still suffering a great deal of pain. They send their appreciation for everyone’s continued prayers.

Cards may be sent to:
7404 Stillwater Dr.
Bayonet Point, FL 34667

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

October 2, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We apologize for the delay in this week’s update. Yesterday while we were testing it, we found that it was being flagged as spam by Sane Security’s spam filters, which are widely used on the internet. To prevent it from being flagged as spam for many of you, we reported the problem to Sane Security and they have now fixed the filters. Unfortunately, all that took some time.

Congratulations to Randy Bloom, who has now graduated from Trinity College with his Doctor of Ministry degree!

Pastors will be soon be receiving in the mail a new DVD video update featuring our Mission Directors from around the world. Please play the video for your congregations as schedules permit.

New Video Recordings Online

Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM) has posted several video recordings related to church multiplication on the CMM website. These recordings include:

“Church Multiplication in GCI” (Randy Bloom, GCI Church Multiplication Ministries director, describes our GCI-USA vision for church multiplication and GCI-USA resources for starting new churches).
“You Might be a Church Planter If …” (Interview with Greg Pugh, district director of church multiplication for the Evangelical Free Church of America and guest speaker at the Denver Regional Conference).
“The Trinitarian Basis for Church Planting” (Presentation at the Dallas Regional Conference by Randy Bloom, Church Multiplication Ministries director).
“The Importance of Church Planting for GCI” (Dallas Regional Conference guest speaker Rod Koop, National Director of Church Multiplication of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel).
“How Churches Can Participate in Church Multiplication” (Dallas conference presentation by Randy Bloom). “Church Planting Questions and Answers” (Randy Bloom and Rod Koop answer questions at the Dallas Regional Conference).

These video recordings may be viewed by visiting the CMM website at cmm.wcg.org.

GCI-USA Church Administration and Development is pleased to announce the launch of Trinitarian Worship—a blog for discussing how Trinitarian Theology undergirds and shapes the worship ministries of the church. This blog will be of particular interest to worship directors and leaders, pastors, musicians, technicians—all who are involved in planning and facilitating the worship of the church. We invite you to join the discussion at http://trinitarianworship.blogspot.com/.

Lee Berger shared this fundraising opportunity:

Do you have any outdated or unused electronic devices lying around the house? If so, you can turn the unused items into monetary donations (at no cost to you) for the Jon Whitney Foundation, a ministry partnering with our denomination to provide scholarship funds for needy kids to attend our Christian camps in the U.S. and in other countries.

We’re looking for cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, laptops, PDAs, GPS devices, external hard drives, video games, gaming consoles, camcorders, satellite radios, movies, Blu-Ray players, LCD monitors, and calculators.

How does it work? Have someone collect the items. Go to the website www.jonwhitneyfoundation.gazelle.com and follow the easy 3-step instructions.

This opportunity is available only until the end of the year, so this is a good time to clean out your cabinets, closets and shelves of unused electronic devices and help kids attend a life-changing Christian camp.

There is no cost. Even the shipping is free.

Prayer Requests and Updates

Please continue to remember Peter Whitting, who remains in the hospital with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Cards can be sent to:

Peter and Charlotte Whitting
7413 Ricksway Rd
Pikesville, MD 21208-5720

We should have information on members affected by the flooding in the southeast U.S. in next week’s update.

Philippines National Director Eugene Guzon sent this update about the floods around Manila:

This was one of the most serious floods we have had, with about 400 mm (15.7 inches) of water dumped in about 12 hours. That is more than the average rainfall for the month during this rainy season. The scope of the damage was wide, but most of the casualties came from Manila and Rizal, the adjacent province. Many of the members in Metro Manila were hit with flooding, ranging from moderate to heavy damage of furniture, equipment, and church facilities.

Some members still do not have access to power and water. We have tried to provide some immediate response, especially food and drinking water and warm clothing. The office was used for a while as a relocation center for those near the office, but they have now been able to go home.

I am surveying damage and needs and I can give you more specifics soon. We have no classes in Metro Manila for a few days as people need time to clean up, salvage what was flooded and to bury their dead.

Reminder: Don’t forget you can donate to the Disaster Relief Fund which was established to help our members and perhaps others when faced with such disasters. If you or your congregation would like to help other members and local congregations affected by disasters, please direct your donation to the Disaster Relief Fund. It exists to help with costs of emergency member needs, including the costs of such items as food, water, clothing, and temporary housing, as well as temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency local church expenses. The Fund is coordinated by pastors in the affected areas.

Checks should be made out to Grace Communion International, marked Disaster Relief Fund, and mailed to:

Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
PO Box 5005
Glendora, CA 91740

Lee Berger sent this update about the progress of his cousin, Carlton Marshall:

Many of you are aware that my cousin, Carlton Marshall, a Dallas police officer, was shot two years ago in a SWAT drug raid and ended up deaf and paralyzed. Thanks to God’s grace and the efforts of many in the medical field, Carlton is now able to hear via cochlear implants and is able to walk to a degree (although a wheelchair is still his most efficient mode of transport). He continues to go to physical therapy three times a week, and we pray that he will gain even more use of his body.

Carlton has gone back to work part-time as a consultant/trainer with the police department. He is extremely thrilled to be able to contribute to the police force again. His wife, Susan, still bears much of the brunt of the whole situation, so please continue to remember Carlton, Susan and the children, Joseph and Jessica in prayer. God has worked many miracles in their family through this trial, and we give him thanks.

The latest adventure is that TV’s ABC Extreme Home Makeover built a new house for the Marshall family a couple months ago. We’re excited to announce that the show is scheduled for airing Sunday, October 18.

It airs at 7 pm in many markets, but consult your TV schedule for the correct time and channel in your market. We’re not sure if the program will be one or two hours in length. These Home Makeover shows are always inspiring, and this edition will have a special meaning for our family and for many of you who have been following Carlton’s progress.

Thank you for your many prayers and love for this family.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

September 23, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please join with us in congratulating the associate producer of our videos, Nathan Smith, on his marriage last Saturday to Savannah Nord. The newlyweds will be living in Pasadena.

From Ted Johnston:

GCI-USA Ministry Development is pleased to announce the launch of Trinitarian Worship—an online blog for discussing how Trinitarian theology undergirds and shapes the worship ministries of the church. The blog is moderated by Mike Hale in partnership with Ministry Development. It will be of particular interest to worship directors and leaders, pastors, musicians, technicians, and all those involved in planning and facilitating worship in the church. We invite your participation at http://trinitarianworship.blogspot.com/.

Wisconsin Dells

From Pastor Doug Johannsen:

Even though the tough economic times caused a significant drop in attendance, our 2009 Dells Celebration was, in my opinion, the best ever. Our theme of “From Exclusion to Inclusion” was thoroughly covered by sermons and workshops held throughout the four-day event at the Kalahari Resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Dells.

Pastor Israel Hernandez’s opening message on “Who is My Neighbor?” focused on the parable of the Good Samaritan. Pastor Hernandez explained that the Good Samaritan is Jesus, and that he brings the hurting to the church (represented by the Innkeeper) where the gifts he’s given us are used to heal and restore.

Pastor Willard High followed the next day by discussing how Romans 12 shows us what an “Inclusive Church” looks like. We use these gifts, not to earn anything, but as a loving response towards others with what Jesus has given us.

The idea of contempt, taken from Dallas Willard’s explanation of what’s fundamentally wrong about calling someone a “fool,” was the basis for Pastor Doug Johannsen’s message about how prejudices and hatreds that cause us to exclude others are often formed in the home. We cannot change our contemptuous feelings towards others by ourselves; it takes Jesus.

Pastor Sam Butler concluded the weekend event with a message about communion that he wove into our actually receiving communion during this service. Communion plainly proclaims and reminds us of how we are immersed, and soaked completely into the life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Communion for this service was organized and hosted by Pastor John Torgerson.

Pastor Tracy Porter and his staff conducted children’s church concurrently with the main worship sessions. The children were brought on stage Sunday morning where they sang and signed “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” Tracy also taught them the Hebrew alphabet song, which they sang to the entire audience. He commented that he was amazed that they learned it in less than two days as it had taken him over two weeks in a college class!

Workshops included “Unconventional Community Involvement” by Pastor High; an exploration of the “Christ Hymn” of Philippians 2 by Pastor Tracy Porter; two sessions with Pastors Butler and Johannsen showing that the life of Jesus includes us; a father/son workshop presented by Pastors Archie and Stephen Hill; and a workshop by Pastor Sam Butler showing how baptism and communion reflect the life of the Trinity and our inclusion in that life.

Ministerial Development Trainer Randy Bloom gave workshops on the Ascension and Church Planting.

Brenda High (Pastor High’s wife), a Scholarship Coach for three high schools in Illinois, provided tips and strategies for finding money for college as well as filling out the intimidating FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form.

A senior’s breakfast was attended by about 80 seniors. Joyce Wendt, a member of the Wausau, Wisconsin, pastoral team, hosted the event. Joyce and the Olson brothers from Wausau performed live music. Let me say that you haven’t lived until you’ve heard them sing a song about Lutefisk (a Norwegian invention of dried fish). The song was way, way better than the fish. The Wausau congregation may well have the most active nursing home ministry in our denomination.

Jacque Bartell, who is active with the Linus Project, along with numerous donors and workers, produced 27 blankets for Hope House.

Our praise and worship band had a wonderful praise session Saturday evening. Dave and Linda Holmes, who have such a wonderful reputation from our Heartland Camp in Illinois, held an evening where teens and young adults had pizza, played various games and did some craft work.

Next year’s event will be held again at the Kalahari from September 30 – October 3.

United Kingdom

The UK church is in the early stage of organizing a Bible tour of Israel for October 7-16, 2010. They will need at least 28 attendees to make the trip viable. The package is designed with church members in mind but is open to anyone. It is expected to include such locations such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and Tiberius. The group will have its own guide, and there will be Bible studies related to the places visited. Accommodation will be in basic hotels.

Bed, breakfast, evening meals and flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv should be approximately £1000 British pounds per person based on double occupancy. For those who would wish to make their own flight arrangements and join the tour, the tour cost would be around £700 pounds per person, based on double occupancy. For more information email James Henderson at james@wcg.org.uk.

Adventure Camp

From Camp Director Kevin Harris:

More than 30 preteen campers from around the country, along with a large group of teen helpers and staff, enjoyed a fabulous weekend of fun August 29-31 at the Well End Activity Centre, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

Children took part in a wide range of activities, including archery, biking, field games and candle making. Adults and children commented on the great atmosphere. There was a real sense of community with people of all ages, shapes and sizes working and playing together to create a successful event.

. .

Plans are already in place for Adventure Camp 2010. For more information about Adventure Camp visit www.wcg.org.uk.

Luton Ladies Day

The 6th annual Luton Ladies Day, September 20, began with morning coffee at registration before organizer Daria Fowler welcomed about 35 delegates. Morning and afternoon sessions opened with worship hymns led by Tina Sullivan and accompanied by Shirley MacLean.

Speakers included Mrs. Shirley Jones, who discussed female life stages, Angela Kiernander, who reviewed “Five Languages of Apology,” and David Silcox, who discussed principles for a happy married life.

Scammonden, Yorkshire

A Life Activity weekend was held in Scammonden, Yorkshire, September 4-6. Activities besides the regular speech club meeting included sailing, table tennis, wall climbing, gilding, macramé and bread making.

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

This November 8, thousands of Christians worldwide will join in prayer for the persecuted church. For more information, visit www.idop.org.

Prayer Requests and Updates

Mike and Victoria Feazell requested prayer for the family of Victoria’s brother, Greg Brady, who died unexpectedly last week from heart failure. Greg was 45, and leaves behind his wife, Maria, and three children still at home. Cards can be sent to:

Maria Brady and Family
3121 Softwood Court
Lancaster, CA 93536

Last night Pastor Peter Whitting had to be taken to the hospital for a collapsed lung. He has had a previous surgery to correct this. Please remember Peter and Charlotte in your prayers for healing and a quick recovery. Cards may be sent to:

Peter & Charlotte Whitting
7413 Ricksway Rd
Pikesville, MD 21208-5720

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

September 16, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tammy and I enjoyed meeting with the combined Cincinnati congregations last weekend as both pastors, Rick Shallenberger and George Hart, were celebrating their 25th anniversaries in pastoral ministry. We were delighted to present them with plaques and watches, as well as take part in the combined church service. While there, we were able to visit with John Halford, editor of Christian Odyssey, and his wife, Pat, at their home in southern Indiana. As you can see from the picture, John tried to get me to mow his large 35-acre lawn.

The Seattle and Bellevue, Washington, congregations celebrated their 50th church anniversary the previous weekend. One of the highlights of the celebration was the performance of Christian ventriloquist Steve Cadwalader. I must comment that he is one of the best that I have ever seen. He is a youth pastor who uses ventriloquism in his ministry.

U.S. Spanish language mission developer Lorenzo Arroyo reported that Pastor Herb Ticas’s congregation in Hawthorne, California, held its first women’s retreat. The theme was “In God’s Arms,” and included such topics as love, forgiveness, repentance, and making Jesus the center of our lives. Sixty-six women attended the event from around Southern California. Herb said that everyone expressed deep gratitude for the unforgettable weekend.

Prayer Requests and Updates

Gary Moore let us know of the death of Pastor Dennis Lawrence’s father earlier this week. Dennis conducted the funeral service on Wednesday. Please keep Dennis and his family in your prayers.

Cards may be sent to:
Dennise & Lynn Lawrence
211 De L’ile Blvd
Pincourt PQ J7V 3R6
CANADA

Prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

September 10, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

From Curtis May:

Jannice and I wanted to share with you, our friends, our most wonderful blessing. We have heard people brag about their beautiful grand children. But now we have seen the most beautiful one!

Attached is a picture of Jaden Elizabeth May. She was born on Tuesday, September 8 and was 6 lbs, 12 ounces and 19 inches long.

I’m sure I heard her say, “Grandpa, introduce me to your friends.”

Dr. John Clarke, a medical doctor in our New York Queens congregation, is known nationwide as the doctor who raps. Dr. Clarke has produced several rap CDs designed to teach teens and preteens about health and medical conditions.

He is now among the finalists in a nationwide contest sponsored by the federal government to generate public service TV ads geared to limit the spread of swine flu. Dr. Clarke’s video title is “H1N1 Rap by Dr. Clarke.”

The government’s “panel of experts” has chosen the finalists and is asking the public to vote on their favorite before September 16 at http://www.youtube.com/USGOVHHS. Anyone can vote once a day, every day until September 16.

European Twist on Spokesman Club

Life Club, now in its sixth year, is a Christian public speaking club that provides an opportunity for members to develop skills in speech and communication.

The club emphasizes Christian service, networking, spiritual growth, personal and professional development, character and confidence building, friendship, fellowship, life skills development, integrity and enjoyment. It is an ideal way to introduce friends to a Christian environment.

So far, there are Life Clubs in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Nigeria.

Prayer Requests and Updates

From Randal Dick:

Norma Dick, mother of Bob, Randal and Ron, was taken to the hospital last week for what turned out to be perforated ulcers. During surgery, the doctors discovered that Norma has a quite rare, very aggressive and advanced form of cancer that is both inoperable and non-treatable. Mom is now in hospice, is alert and doing as well as can be expected. Thank you for your prayers for her.

Cards may be sent to:
P.O. Box 484
Hawkins, TX 75765

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

September 2, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

New Website and Email Addresses Coming Soon!

From Mat Morgan:

As we continue to transition our systems to support our new denominational name, Grace Communion International, we are pleased to announce that we have acquired the domain name www.gci.org. This address will provide an easy point of reference for those searching for our website and those sending email communications to most elders and employees. Currently, you can access our web site at either the placeholder site www.gci.org or our current active site www.wcg.org and use the same email addresses as before. However, this will change as the transition progresses. Please see details below for the next steps in this transition.

Now that we can use gci.org, our IT staff has begun moving all @wcg.org email addresses to @gci.org. Until the transition is complete (it probably will take a month or two due to the large number of addresses that need to be moved), you can continue to send emails to all @wcg.org addresses, since they will be redirected to new @gci.org addresses as they are activated. Once the transition is complete, we will let you know to update all your @wcg.org email addresses to @gci.org. Finally, after a couple more months, we will discontinue all @wcg.org email to complete the transition.

At the same time, we are working with a local web design firm to design a new denominational website. When the new site goes live (planned on or before Jan 2010), we will offer a fresh new look, easier navigation to key areas, and an even clearer focus on God’s love for every person and GCI’s participation with the Triune God in sharing that love. For you techies out there, the website will be developed under an open-source content management system called Drupal, which will give us a flexible and affordable means to maintain and enhance the website now and in the future. Please pray for everyone involved in this project.

SEP Rockies

From Mark McCulley:

The 46 staff members of SEP Rockies served 64 campers, ages 11-18, during the week of July 26 to August 1 at Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch outside of Denver. Activities included riflery, wilderness skills, dance, Ultimate Frisbee and an overnight campout at the top of Long Scraggy Peak.

Chapel services used the film The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a visual aid to present the gospel.

. .

Church Planting Seminar

From Randy Bloom:

Twenty participants attended Church-Next Training (CNT) August 24-28 in Twin Peaks, California. Church-Next Training provides a comprehensive overview of principles and practices for planting churches. Participants included church pastors, district pastoral leaders and seven members of a GCI church planting team from the Philippines, including GCI Philippines National Director Eugene Guzon. A church planter with the United Methodist Church also attended. For more information on CNT, visit the Church Multiplication Ministries website at cmm.wcg.org. If you would like to plan Church-Next Training for your district network or congregation, contact Randy Bloom at Randy.Bloom@wcg.org.

2CNT 3 . 2CNT 2

Prayer Request

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

August 26, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, sponsored by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), is a time set apart for us to remember thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who suffer persecution, simply because they confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

This year, thousands of Christians worldwide will join in prayer November 1 for persecuted Christian families. There are many countries in the world today where Christians are martyred for their faith. For example, the world watched in horror the unbridled violence that was unleashed on Christians in Orissa state, India, last year. There are other places, such as North Korea, where acts of persecution take place, but we often don’t see or hear the full story.

The WEA is made up of 128 national evangelical alliances located in seven regions and 104 associate member organizations representing 420 million evangelical Christians worldwide.

Greg Pugh, Rocky Mountain District Director of Church Multiplication and Development for the Evangelical Free Church of America, was a guest speaker at the Denver Regional Conference. An experienced church planter, Greg spoke with us about how to prepare to plant churches. Randy Bloom interviewed Greg about the characteristics of people who effectively start new churches. You can watch a video of this interview entitled, “You Might be a Church Planter if …” by logging on to the CMM website at cmm.wcg.org.

Papua New Guinea

Mark Latham, Papua New Guinea (PNG) pastoral coordinator, returned home from a mid-year visit to our congregations in PNG July 26. On this trip, Mark was accompanied by Australian Youth Coordinator Kwan Borden. Mark wrote:

This was Kwan’s first trip to Papua New Guinea, a land of the unexpected, and there was an air of excitement surrounding his visit. The congregations in Port Moresby and Mt. Wilhelm were eagerly awaiting his visit and had prepared an exotic cultural welcome. Dancing and singing were followed by a traditional mumu meal. It was a special and emotional time and showed the genuine love of this community to visitors.

As well as meeting the congregations, work was done on the electrical wiring, concreting the floor, window installation and lining the walls and ceiling of the church building at Mt. Wilhelm. Great progress has been made since last year when just the frame and roof were done. The congregations sincerely thank all the donations from Australia for this project. We thank everyone for their prayers of support and for good health and safety. It was greatly appreciated.

. 26Papua New Guinea 44

A rainwater tank was also purchased through CarePac [our Australian church’s relief and outreach ministry] donations. The tank will enable fresh water to be used on-site instead of members having to carry buckets of water up the hill from a river. A cleaner and more reliable source of drinking and cooking water was needed because the river is also used for bathing and laundry.

The rainwater tank holds 4500 liters and will collect the water off the new church building. At present the rainwater tank has arrived at the village and preparations are being made to connect it. It should be in use in October – in time for the beginning of the wet season.

The congregation is excited to have the tank and thanks everyone who has donated so much. This will make their lives easier and healthier.

A communal kitchen is also planned to help in good nutritional cooking and teaching as well as allowing the community to exercise their generous hospitality to each other, visitors and the surrounding community. The church is a shining example to the surrounding community and a light on the hill on the tallest mountain in Australasia.

Africa

Gary Moore, who just returned from Africa, reported that our church in Botswana was recently registered, meaning our members there can now rent a facility and meet publicly. Until now they have been meeting in members’ homes.

Prayer Requests and Updates

CGI Pastor Charlie Piscitello of Batavia Christian Fellowship, New York, and his wife, Judi, ask for your prayers for Charlie, who is awaiting repair surgery for a grapefruit sized hernia. The surgeon delayed the surgery two weeks to give additional time for Charlie to reduce his blood sugar level. Charlie is also suffering with sever sciatica pain. Cards of encouragement can be sent to:

Charlie and Judi Piscitello
205 Bank St.
Batavia, NY 14020-1503

Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Colombia

France

Birmingham, Alabama

Prayer Request

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Columbia

Appreciation for Videos

United Kingdom

The Surprising God Blog

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Glendora, California

Philippines

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Check Your Spam Folder

Canada

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

New Video Recordings Online

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Wisconsin Dells

United Kingdom

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

European Twist on Spokesman Club

Prayer Requests and Updates

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

New Website and Email Addresses Coming Soon!

SEP Rockies

Church Planting Seminar

Prayer Request

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Papua New Guinea

Africa

Prayer Requests and Updates

GCI Update

Follow Us