Category: Announcements

On April 12 retired GCI vice president, Dr. J. Michael Feazell (pictured at left), received an award (pictured below) for outstanding community service from the Graduate School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University (APU) at its 30th anniversary celebration.

Dr. Feazell, the first graduate of APU’s Doctor of Ministry program, joined 30 other alumni of graduate degree programs who received awards at the celebration. His contribution to GCI was summed up in these words of tribute:

“The award for outstanding community service is presented to Dr. J. Michael Feazell. Dr. Feazell received his Doctor of Ministry degree in 1998 and is most noted for being instrumental in leading Grace Communion International through a difficult but successful doctrinal transition and spiritual renewal. This monumental achievement was chronicled in his 2001 book entitled, The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God, available from Zondervan Publishing. For outstanding community service and impact on a community and ministry through both leadership and vision, please join me in congratulating Dr. Feazell!”

After two years of Converge gatherings in two regional locations, GenMin will be holding Converge 2015 in one location: Deer Creek State Park near Sterling, Ohio. The event will occur on March 20-22, 2015 and is open to all GenMin leaders, staffers, friends and partners—all those interested in gathering to celebrate what God is doing to raise up and equip a new generation within our fellowship.

We have reserved the entire beautiful Deer Creek Lodge, which has over 100 hotel-style rooms designed for multiple occupancy.

The featured speaker at Converge 2015 will be Wm. Paul Young, bestselling author of The Shack and Crossroads. For his bio, click here. To view GCI You’re Included episodes with Paul and theologian C. Baxter Kruger, click here.

Registration for Converge 2015 will open soon and we’re expecting a sellout crowd, so don’t delay once the registration site opens (watch for an announcement at www.gci.org/events). The costs for the event will be posted there along with registration information.

To help you get a feel for Converge, here is a video of a presentation from GenMin national coordinator Anthony Mullins speaking at Converge 2014, West:

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/LQ5CJ7_YNB0.

GCI’s Forth Worth, Texas congregation will hold its 50th church anniversary on July 5, 2014. The congregation invites everyone who has been a member or otherwise associated with the congregation to attend and to bring family and friends with them.

The event will be held at the Summit Active Adult Center at 2975 Esplanade in Grand Prairie, Texas. The worship service begins at 2:30 pm and a beef and chicken fajita dinner with all the fixings will be at 5:00 pm. The guest speaker will be Felix Heimberg who pastored the congregation from 1975-1978.

Reservations in the form of payment for dinner are due no later than June 19. Make out your check to NHCF for $25.00/person and mail it to Jack Wetzel, Treasurer, 6091 David Road, Fort Worth, TX 76140.

If you want to order dinner, but lack funds, phone Jack at 817-478-3448; assistance is available.

Journey with the Master (JWM) is a series of weekend intensives offered by GCI in the US through Generations Ministries (GenMin). The program provides “space” for young adults and older teens to explore these important questions:

• Who is God? Why the big deal about Father, Son and Holy Spirit? What role does the Trinity play in my everyday life?
• What is the Lord up to in my personal life? My family life? The life of my local church?
• How do I actively discern and participate in the move of the Holy Spirit?
• What is calling and what is my calling?
• What are my spiritual gifts? How do I bring these divine gifts to bear in the local church?
• What are my typical ways of communicating with other people? How might I more fully show love through my communication?

GenMin has offered JWM for several years and has seen tremendous growth in the participants. There is something transformative about “unplugging” for a weekend, in the company of peers and older mentors, to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Because JWM is offered over the course of three weekends (generally spaced 4-6 months apart), each session builds on the previous one. However, participants aren’t lost if they can only show up for one or two weekends.

GenMin coordinator Anthony Mullins is planning to conduct JWM later this year in Seattle, New York City and possibly Southern California. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, email Anthony at Anthony.Mullins@gci.org and see further details on the GenMin website.

Over the last few years, GCI’s Church Administration and Development team has recommended the Exponential Conference as an excellent training/networking resource related to starting new churches and developing existing ones. This year, Exponential conferences will be held in both Florida and Southern California. A webcast of key parts of the Florida conference can be viewed for free. The conference, titled “Seek + Save,” will focus on concepts and tools related to the church’s disciple making mission.

For details about the free webcast, go to http://www.exponential.org/webcast/.

Congratulations to Jan Flynn, wife of GCI pastor Ross Flynn. Recently Jan was named twice as state-wide “Teacher of the Year”—first by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), then by the American Legion and U.S. Department of Education. One award included a $500 grant to be used for an educational project.

Jan teaches choir at Oxford Middle School in the Detroit area where she is well known for her devotion to teaching students to love music. Her philosophy that “Music is a way to know the world, as a part of our daily lives and heritage” is evident in all that she does—in the classroom, directing choirs and leading drum groups. Jan founded the Oxford Americana Concert in her community more than a decade ago. This annual performance has become an eagerly anticipated community event.

Pastor Eugene Sibomana, representative for GCI in Burundi, submitted this request for prayer in the aftermath of devastating flooding in that nation in east-central Africa.

Heavy rains brought devastating flooding to Burundi in early February, killing at least 100 people, destroying over 4,000 homes and leaving thousands homeless. Please join with us in thanking God that none of our members lost their lives, and in asking God to comfort those who grieve and assist those who are rebuilding.

Pastor Sibomana has requested financial assistance from the GCI Disaster Fund Fund through Kalengule Kaoma, GCI’s mission developer in Central Africa. These funds would be used to help members rebuild their lives. The fund committee will be responding to this request. If your congregation would like to donate to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund, which allows us to respond quickly to disasters like this, please send a check to the Grace Communion International, indicating on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. Donations may be sent to the address shown below. Alternatively, your congregational treasurer can log in and donate online to the relief fund on behalf of your congregation. Thank you for your prayers and financial contributions to help members of the GCI family who are suffering

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

Pastor Jeff and Karen Broadnax of GCI’s Columbus and Chillicothe, Ohio churches are pleased to announce the birth of their first grandchild, Kaiden David Lutz. Little Kaiden entered the world on February 17 at 7 lbs 5oz, 21 inches long. While Jeff and Karen are trying to find the appropriate “grand” titles, Kaiden’s mom, Jasmine Broadnax and his dad, Dan Lutz, are enjoying the first joys of parenthood.

Congratulations to GCI pastor Ted Millhuff and his wife Lila from Tucson, Arizona. They celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on December 19, 2013.

The couple met in Jacksonville, Florida in 1958 while attending military training. They both were sent for further air traffic control training to the US Naval Air Station in Olathe, Kansas. They married there and then sent to separate duty stations—Ted to the Marine Corp Air Station in Jacksonville, North Carolina and Lila to the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Millhuffs have three sons, two grandsons and three great grandchildren; all live in the Seattle area. Ted and Lila have been WCG/GCI members since 1963. Ted currently pastors GCI’s congregation in Tucson.

This announcement is from Tim Maguire, GCI’s mission director in southern Africa. It is a follow up to the earlier announcement about the Africa Connected competition being conducted by Google.

I just learned that GCI Africa has made it into the top ten in Google’s Africa Connected competition! The top five will each be awarded US $25,000 prize money. Receiving this prize would go a long way in helping us help our brothers and sisters in Mozambique. Winning would also give GCI in South Africa a lot of positive publicity. Our inclusion in the top ten has already been announced nationwide on Radio South Africa.

The final stage in the competition involves the public voting for their favorite video. If you have computer access and a GMail account and are willing, I ask that you vote for our video. You can do so online by going to http://www.africaconnected.com/be-inspired/106760707267304528135-ngo-community-en/.