Category: Announcements

GCI-New Zealand Pastor Dennis Gordon and his wife Brenda are pleased to announce the birth of their first grandchild, Julian Beau Gordon, born in Sydney, Australia, to parents Caleb and Gemma. Congratulations to the whole (growing) family!

Crossing Borders (a GenMin mission organization) will embark on its 22nd trip into Mexico on December 9-12. Ages 15-99 are invited to come along. As noted by Crossing Borders’ director Lee Berger, “We will be hand-delivering hundreds of shoeboxes full of supplies and gifts to children and families—a life-transforming experience.” A passport is required, and for more information about attending or sending shoebox gifts, go to http://cbmission.org/ or call Lee at 903-746-4463.

We are pleased to announce that Michelle Fleming was recently ordained a GCI elder, now serving the Orlando, Florida, congregation. Orlando lead pastor, Steve Schantz, commented:

It was a joyous time of prayer and celebration as Michelle’s church family affirmed her call to serve her Lord and his church as an elder. I opened the ordination ceremony with scripture reading, then Michelle’s father, Dr. Charles Fleming (GCI’s Mission Developer for the Caribbean), read more scripture and shared ways God prepared his daughter for pastoral ministry—serving the congregation first as an intern, then as a member of the preaching-teaching team, worship leader, small group leader, and assistant curriculum writer. Charles then led the ordination prayer while brothers and sisters from Michelle’s physical and spiritual families joined in as Charles and I as officiating elders laid hands on her. Tears of joy were in abundance!

Below are pictures from the ceremony. The top picture shows the laying on of hands with Steve on Michelle’s left, and Charles (holding the microphone) on her right. The bottom picture shows the congregation gathered for the ordination. Congratulations to Michelle, her family and congregation!

We invite you to join us for the 2017 GCI Denominational Conference in Orlando, Florida, on August 2-6, 2017. The conference is open to all GCI members and their families and friends—all are welcome, and we urge pastors, elders, treasurers, and ministry leaders to participate in this triennial conference that gathers GCI leaders and members from around the world.

With the theme, We are GCI, the conference will be held at beautiful Lake Buena Vista Hilton hotel in Orlando (pictured above—it’s next door to Disney World). The conference schedule will include plenary sessions and workshops, with blocks of free time to socialize (including sharing dinner on or off-site in small groups—there will be no conference group dinners).

Note to lead pastors, fellowship group facilitators, pastoral team coordinators, pastoral residents and interns: Please plan to arrive at the conference in time for a special meeting of pastoral leaders that will begin at 1:00 PM on August 1.

Note to families: This conference will be particularly family-friendly, with special tracks for children and teens (allowing parents to attend all conference sessions while others care for their children).

Registration is now open! To register, click here (login required).

Here is a chart with conference costs (and if your congregation has extra funds and can help others attend, we encourage you to do so):

New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, GCI’s congregation in Texarkana, Arkansas, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Sunday, October 16. They will have a special service that day, followed by a catered lunch. We invite you to attend—email Pastor Jerome Ellard (at JeromeHelen2002@aol.com) for time and location. If you’d like to express your congratulations for this milestone, email Jerome or send cards and notes to:

New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
PO Box 1312
Texarkana, TX 75501

We are rejoicing in the recent ordinations of several elders in GCI congregations.

In Dallas

Joe Brannen was ordained an elder in GCI’s Dallas (Central) Texas congregation on September 18. Joining the congregation’s Lead Pastor, Gabriel Ojih, in conducting the ordination ceremony were Associate Pastor Mike Urmie and Regional Pastor Michael Rasmussen. Joe’s family members and friends came from Oklahoma. Michael Rasmussen offered encouraging remarks following the ceremony, sharing a the story of Joe’s journey and commending the congregation on their “Outside the Walls” missional posture.

In Africa (Togo and Ghana)

Kalengule Kaoma, GCI Mission Developer in Africa, announced the ordination on September 18 of five elders serving GCI congregations in Africa—two serve in Togo and three in Ghana. Here are their pictures:

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) recently hosted a webinar with Mark Yarhouse addressing the pastoral care of LGBT persons and their families. The webinar was recorded, and can now be viewed at https://vimeo.com/183694588 (use password: 092016NAE).

Congratulations to Billy Cooley and Carolyn Holley Cooley. Billy and Carolyn were united in marriage on July 24, in Jackson, Mississippi. The ceremony was officiated by John Novick, pastor of GCI’s congregation in Jackson.

Billy is Pastor/Facilitator of Christ Community Fellowship Group, GCI’s congregation in Meridian, Mississippi. Carolyn is from Murfreesboro, North Carolina. She has a degree in nursing, and is continuing her education in religion and counseling at Liberty University. They are enjoying their new life together and expecting a great future.

Registration is still open for GC Next—a gathering of young adults (ages 18-28) sponsored by Generations Ministries. The gathering will be held in Durham, North Carolina on January 13-16, 2017.

• Register online at http://gci.org/go/gcnext17 (pay with credit or debit card)
• Questions? Email GCI ministry intern Andrew Rooney at andrew.michael.rooney@gmail.com
• To learn more, click here for a Prezi presentation, and watch this video:

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/M_xVwlxWTe4

GCI’s church in Calvary, Canada, invites you to join them in celebrating their 50th anniversary as a congregation. On Saturday, October 22, they will have a supper club and dance (with a live band) at the Hillhurst/Sunnyside Community Hall from 7:00 to 11:00pm. Their anniversary worship service will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday, October 23, at Lakeview United Church in Calgary.

As noted by Pastor Colin Wallace, “All are welcome to celebrate with us in person or in spirit as we look forward to many more fruitful years ahead.”