Registration is open for the Spring 2018 semester at Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) and closes January 16. The first lecture in each course will be posted on Tuesday, January 16, with remaining lectures posted each Monday, January 22 through March 19. No assignments are due during the Holy Week break, March 26 – April 1. All work is to be completed by April 16.
Here are reports on recent GCI activities in Africa.
Malawi
With help from a member in France, a much-needed bicycle was provided recently to Mr. Chafa, who takes care of the GCI congregations meeting in Bunda and Ntuwasweka, Malawi. Mr. Chafa had been walking over six miles each week from his home in Bunda to Ntuwasweka to serve the people there.
South Africa
GCI-South Africa recently conducted a youth camp (SEP) with assistance from GCI congregations and a camp in Canada.
Kenya
GCI pastors in Kenya gathered recently for a conference where they had a time of refreshing apart from their pastoral responsibilities. The group exchanged stories of the successes and challenges encountered in their respective mission fields. Presentations were given on themes relevant to their calling. Following the conference, they joined GCI’s Nairobi congregation for a worship service. Finances permitting, the group plans to meet at least twice a year.
Here are GCI prayer requests from three nations in Africa:
Ghana: Please pray for God’s intervention in our favor regarding three cases in court. People are trying to take over several parcels of land we acquired several years ago. We have documents covering each parcel, yet people are invading and trespassing.
Burundi: Please pray that God will give us favor so that we are not discriminated against because we are a small and relatively newly registered church in Burundi. The Government of Burundi appointed a new commission in charge of denominations. The commission consists of Bishops from denominations that have existed for a long time in Burundi. These denominations have modern church buildings and large development projects. The commission is requesting that the government close denominations that do not have these things and that request will be reviewed soon by the National Assembly. Please pray that God intervenes.
We were saddened to learn of the recent death of Lois Quillen, wife of retired GCI Pastor Bill Quillen. The following information was provided by Lois’ daughter, Barb (Quillen) Egbert.
Bill and Lois Quillen
Lois Eleanor (Walker) Quillen passed away on January 1 at age 87. She and Bill had been married for 63 years. Lois, who had been orphaned at a young age, was preceded in death by three siblings and an infant son. Lois is survived by two daughters, Beth Thomas and Barbara Egbert (wife of Jeb Egbert), five grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Bill and Lois pastored numerous GCI (then WCG) congregations, including Des Moines and Iowa City, IA; Glendale, CA; Missoula and Kalispell, MT; Las Vegas, NV; Kingman, AZ; and Victoria, TX. After retiring, they moved to Frisco, TX, then to Huntington Beach, CA, to be closer to family.
Lois filled many roles in her life—wife, mother, grandmother, pastor’s wife, SEP camp staff member, and friend. She was widely known for her graceful gift of loving every person who crossed her path. She knew no stranger, and “adopted” many into her family.
Cards may be sent to:
Bill Quillen 8933 Amador Circle #1315A Huntington Beach, CA 92646-8737
We were saddened to learn that Pastor Mark Bannier died on December 21.
Josie and Mark Bannier
Mark pastored GCI’s Macomb, IL, congregation. Suffering headaches following brain surgery, it was determined that he had contracted meningitis. As a result, his heart gave out.
Mark is survived by his wife, Josie, who served alongside him in ministry. Mark is also survived by a son, Lyle, two sisters, a brother and several extended family members. Pastor Bill Ritzman (Des Moines, IA) officiated at Mark’s celebration of life service.
Here are links to the articles and sermons in the January 2018 issue of GCI Equipper:
From Greg: Celebrating Jesus’ headship in GCI Looking forward, in faith, to the transitions coming in 2018, Greg Williams reassures us that Jesus is head of his church, GCI included.
Happy New Year! In accordance with the new schedule, a full issue of GCI Update (our new name) is not being published this week (this shortened version is a reminder). To read the last full issue, click here.
(Wikimedia Commons)
GCI Equipper will now be published on the first Wednesday of each month, and GCI Update will be published on the other Wednesdays (except on U.S. national holidays or the fifth Wednesdays in a month). Are you subscribed to GCI Equipper? If not, you may do so at https://equipper.gci.org/subscribe. Once subscribed, each time Equipper is published, you’ll be sent an email with links to the online articles and sermons. Here are links to the January issue:
January issue of GCI Equipper 2018: A year of transitions
From Greg: Celebrating Jesus’ headship Looking forward, in faith, to the transitions coming in 2018, Greg Williams reassures us that Jesus is head of his church, GCI included.
Anthony Gachanja (GCI’s National Ministry Leader for Kenya and Regional Pastor for five East African countries) reports on a mission tour that he and his wife Jane conducted in the Eastern U.S. following the Denominational Conference in Orlando.
Anthony Gachanja (left), Joseph Tkach (center), Jane Gachanja (right)
Over a period of two months, Jane and I had the blessing of visiting eight GCI congregations, delivering the message, “Partnering with Jesus.” We greatly enjoyed the American hospitality and the trip showed us how our diversity is a rich ingredient in the work God has called us to do. For example, the special music my wife Jane presented wherever we visited was warmly received. God has a special way of ministering to people in and through our diversity.
Wherever we find church members in the world, God has, in his foreknowledge, made provisions for his work—material resources or manpower in some places, financial resources in others. Our presentations, which were well received, explored ways to use these resources to advance the gospel. During a service in New Jersey that included multiple congregations (see picture below), Jane and I were humbled to hear of a lady who had traveled for two hours to be with us.
Other parts of the world outside the West need to be evangelized. The gospel mission field is open all across Africa, and when we shared stories about the mission field in Kenya, it seemed to have a big impact on our listeners. Churches of various denominations in the West are scrambling for a share of preaching the gospel in Africa and GCI has the opportunity to take part in that work.
With many congregations in the West growing smaller and smaller, people can feel like the owner of the church, Jesus Christ, has abandoned them. But, as we know, that is not the case—instead, circumstances challenge us to move out of our comfort zone to proclaim the gospel in the fields that are ripe for harvest, including places like Africa.
Note: for a report on some of the work God is doing in and through GCI in Africa, click here and here.
In a recent Update (click here), we requested prayer for GCI-USA Pastor Rannie Childress, who was hospitalized with pneumonia. He now reports that he is not only back home, but back to work, with his health much improved. He thanks you for your prayers and God for his healing touch.
We were saddened to learn of the recent death of GCI-USA elder John Campbell. Here is an obituary provided by his pastor Bermie Dizon.
John Campbell
Born in 1932 in Edwards, MS, John was the first of three children born to James P. and Edith Campbell. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1943, where John attended Polytechnic High School, lettering in track and field. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served two tours of duty including in the Korean War. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal (two stars), Presidential Unit Citation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Navy Good Conduct Medal. He worked as an operating engineer for most of his life, retiring in 1997.
In 1955, John married Kathryn Moore. They had two daughters, Sharon Mason and Renee Hall. In 1976, John married Jean Willis. John joined WCG (now GCI) in 1968. He served faithfully in the Los Angeles congregation as a deacon and then an elder. He died on December 13, 2017. He will be greatly missed.
Cards may be sent to:
Jean Campbell 143 Racquet Club Drive Compton, CA 90220-3183
Over the last few years, GCI-USA Church Administration and Development (CAD) has been providing “Outside the Walls” consulting services to renewal churches. A primary tool has been helping those congregations conduct community outreach events. Those events are then followed up with ministry training workshops. A Teen and Family Ministry Workshop was held recently at Christian Family Fellowship, GCI’s congregation in Jacksonville, Florida.
Facilitated by CAD team member Anthony Mullins, the workshop was attended by about 25 youth ministers and pastors from GCI congregations in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, FL (see some of them pictured above). The workshop addressed these topics:
What does it look like to communicate a Christ-informed belonging to young people through word and deed?
How do we minister to teens in a culture that can be confusing to them?
Youth ministry hacks (shortcuts) that can be implemented today.
Going to where youth congregate in the community.
Spanning the generational gap and how Boomers think differently than Millennials.
The role that camp ministry has in supplementing local church ministry.
The interactive sessions during the workshop celebrated the good work already being done in these congregations, and challenged them to build on that base. Once it concluded, teens from a nearby neighborhood came to the Jacksonville church building to play a game of touch football and to have a fireside chat with Jacksonville Lead Pastor, Marty Davey. It was a good day of inspiration and hope for the future.
Pastor Marty praying with the flag football players
Registration is open for the Spring 2018 semester at Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) and closes January 16. The first lecture in each course will be posted on Tuesday, January 16, with remaining lectures posted each Monday, January 22 through March 19. No assignments are due during the Holy Week break, March 26 – April 1. All work is to be completed by April 16.
