Sunday, September 16 was a day of great celebration as Linda Rex was commissioned as the new senior pastor serving Good News Fellowship, the GCI church in Nashville, Tennessee; and New Hope Fellowship, the GCI church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
District pastor Rick Shallenberger led the commissioning service. First he gave a sermon that included instruction to both Linda and the congregations. Then he, along with the leadership teams from both congregations, laid hands on Linda, commissioning her as the new senior pastor. The service was followed by communion and a meal with a celebration cake as the two congregations welcomed their new pastor Linda and her daughter Eva.
GCI’s Crossing Borders mission program goes into Mexico twice each year: for a week in the summer to be involved in a variety of mission activities and for a weekend in the winter to deliver hundreds of shoebox gifts to needy children. This year’s shoebox trip will occur on December 7-10 and Crossing Borders invites your involvement.
Due to the generosity of several GCI churches, Crossing Borders delivered about 400 shoeboxes of gifts to needy children last year. If you can help this year, see the instructions on the Crossing Borders website at www.cbmission.org (click on the Shoebox Ministry link).
It’s not too early as a church, school club, women’s group, community service club, neighbors, friends and family to start collecting items to pack into the shoeboxes — or to budget to help pay some of the expenses for the delivery trip. This ministry functions mainly by word-of-mouth, so we appreciate your passing news of this opportunity along to others.
Also, the invitation is open for anyone age 15 to 99 to come along on the trip to deliver the shoeboxes to Mexico. This is a great way to get a taste on a short trip of what cross-national mission work is like. It is always a life-transforming experience.
Questions? Contact Crossing Borders’ leaders at info@cbmission.org or at 903-746-4463.
At a recent employee meeting, GCI president Joseph Tkach presented a service plaque and watch to Deborah Nickel-Paz to mark her 25 years of full-time employment with GCI.
Deb was first hired part time starting in 1984. While attending Ambassador College, she worked in several departments: Telephone Response, Ambassador Auditorium, Publishing and as a camp counselor at Orr, Minnesota.
After graduation in 1987, Deborah went to work full time in GCI’s Publishing Department. In 1988 she was hired by Joseph Tkach (GCI’s current president) to work as his secretary in Church Administration. As she progressed within that department, she demonstrated a capacity for executive-level support.
In 1995, Dr. Tkach asked Deb to serve as his executive assistant in the President’s Office, where she continues to serve. In addition to assisting the president, Deb fulfills several roles related to GCI media. She believes that there are many great bosses out there, and for the last 24 years she has been blessed to work for one of the best: Joseph Tkach!
In 2005, Deborah married Don Paz, a man she had known since childhood in New York. Through this special union, she inherited two adult children, Jessica, a sound engineer on Broadway, and Daniel, a Special Ops vet who is back in civilian life and going to college.
Deb and Don and their little dog Sophie live in Altadena, California, nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains where they love to go hiking.
GCI Church Administration and Development has recently published The Walk, a small group curriculum for discipling new believers. You can download it for free by clicking here.
In this Update post we congratulate Eric and Pat Shaw on the occasion of their retirement from employment with GCI. Well done faithful servants!
Eric Shaw
Eric was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in the northern Appalachian Mountains on the family farm. In 1962, at the age of 19, he rode a bus from his home in Pennsylvania to Pasadena, California to attend Ambassador College. After graduating in 1966, he began working full-time in the church’s Mail Processing Center, becoming its manager in 1995.
Eric married Pat Melott in 1967. They have two daughters: Sasha who lives in California and Vicki who lives in North Carolina.
Eric entered GCI’s full time ministry in 1996. While working as a pastor, he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Religion with emphasis in Theology and Ethics from Azusa Pacific University. For 15 years, Eric pastored Community Life Fellowship, the GCI congregation in Altadena, California. He then retired from GCI employment on August 31.
In retirement, Eric plans to do more writing, to spend time supporting those interested in the urban gardening movement, and to continue working with GCI’s Southwest Church Planting Network.
Pat Shaw
Pat was born Patricia Melott in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where she still has deep roots as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The Melott family moved to southern Missouri when she was in elementary school and Pat grew up in the beautiful Ozarks. In 1965, Pat entered Ambassador College in Pasadena where she met Eric.
In 1988, Pat began employment with GCI. Over the years she has served in the Festival Department and in Church Administration and Development (CAD). For the last several years in CAD she has served as an administrative assistant and budget analyst. She has also helped organize, serve and teach at CAD conferences and training events.
In 2005, Pat graduated from Azusa Pacific University, Haggard School of Theology with a Masters of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies with an emphasis in Church Development. Following graduation, and while working full time in CAD, she began teaching the Women in Leadership class at Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) and serving on the GCS board.
In retirement, Pat plans to continue teaching at GCS and serving on the GCS board.
Here is a picture from the retirement party held for Eric and Pat in the GCI home office on September 5. GCI president Joseph Tkach and CAD director Dan Rogers present a retirement gift to the couple.
Left to right: Eric Shaw, Joseph Tkach, Pat Shaw, Dan Rogers
Deborah Glenister, whose husband Gary pastors a GCI congregation in Wales, recently released a worship album titled Stepping Out in Faith.
Deborah was interviewed on August 26 on Radio Cardiff, where she talked about the album and her background, both musically and spiritually. This was a great opportunity to share the message of hope that we as a denomination have for the world.
Deborah’s album is a mixture of musical styles, written in the context of GCI’s Trinitarian theology. Deborah wrote all the songs and they are sung by professional singer Amy Sinha.
This announcement is from Willard High, the pastor of Shepherd’s Community Church, a GCI congregation in South Holland, Illinois.
Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of the congregation that began as Chicago Southside!
Over the years the church has existed under several names: Chicago South, Chicago South-Southeast and presently, Shepherd’s Community Church. Whatever we were called, certain things remained – like warmth, friendliness, fellowship, good food, an appreciation of quality music, a love of social events and stimulating conversation.
Come enjoy all these and more.
Save the date of July 5-7, 2013 for a celebration that will warm your heart and bring a smile to your face. The event will be held at the Tinley Park Convention Center in Tinley Park, Illinois. There will a Friday night meet and greet, services with guest speakers on Saturday and dinner dance Saturday evening, ending on Sunday with a Gospel/Jazz Brunch. Pricing and more details will follow.
Left to right: Russell Duke, Ted Johnston, Joseph Tkach, Donna Johnston and Dan Rogers
At the recent GCI Regional Conference in Orlando, Florida, GCI president Joseph Tkach, CAD director Dan Rogers and GCS president Russell Duke presented a service plaque and watches to Ted and Donna Johnston to mark Ted’s 25 years of full-time employment in the ministry of GCI.
In 1969, while attending Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, Ted began working in the college’s Department of Architecture and Engineering. To advance that work, Ted transferred in 1971 to California State Polytechnic University in Pomona while continuing to work for Ambassador College.
When, in 1972, the Architecture and Engineering Department was closed due to budget cuts, Ted continued at Cal Poly and went to work for EDAW, a firm of landscape architects that had served Ambassador College since 1948.
Following graduation from Cal Poly in 1974, Ted married Donna Graves. They lived for a time in Southern California where they attended GCI’s Santa Ana congregation. During that time, Ted worked with a team that pioneered Youth Opportunities United (Y.O.U.), the denomination’s youth program at the time.
In 1975, Ted’s job with EDAW took the couple to Colorado where they attended GCI’s Fort Collins congregation for 12 years. Ted served the church in preaching and counseling, and Ted and Donna served together in music and youth ministry. During the years in Fort Collins, Ted and Donna’s two children were born.
Ted Johnston
In 1987, Ted was ordained an elder and rehired by GCI—this time working full-time in pastoral ministry. The family was moved to Kansas where Ted served as associate pastor in the Kansas City South and Topeka, Kansas congregations. In 1990, they were transferred back to Colorado where Ted served as senior pastor in the Grand Junction and Craig churches, as GCI’s district youth ministry coordinator in the Rocky Mountain district, and as the coordinator of GCI’s Vail, Colorado festival site. During his years in Grand Junction, Ted completed a master’s degree in liberal studies (psychology) from Regis University in Denver.
In 1997, the family moved to Ohio where Ted served until 2000 as senior pastor of the Akron and Canton congregations. He then became the district superintendent for the northeast United States and co-director of GCI’s national youth ministry. In 2005, the scope of youth ministry broadened and was renamed Generations Ministries with Ted serving as its director until 2010.
In 2007, Ted completed a master’s degree in Christian studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Then in 2009, he began his current assignment within GCI, serving on the Church Administration and Development (CAD) team as a ministry developer and coordinator of CAD media and communications. Ted continues to be part of the Generations Ministries leadership team and teaches part-time at Grace Communion Seminary. Ted and Donna now live in Foley, Alabama.
Left to right: Jonathan Rakestraw, Dr. Tkach and Dr. Duke
At the recent Regional Conference in Orlando, Florida, Jonathan Rakestraw, who pastors GCI’s congregation in Tallassee, Florida, was awarded the Advanced Diploma of Christian Ministry from Grace Communion Seminary. The presentation was made by GCI president Dr. Joseph Tkach and GCS president Dr. Russell Duke.
On July 8, District Pastor Tim Brassell ordained long-time GCI member Barbara Miller as an elder and commissioned her to serve as an assistant pastor in GCI’s Washington DC (West) congregation, which is pastored by Brian Carlisle. Barbara is married to Dusty Miller.
Sunday, September 16 was a day of great celebration as Linda Rex was commissioned as the new senior pastor serving Good News Fellowship, the GCI church in Nashville, Tennessee; and New Hope Fellowship, the GCI church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
