On March 25, GCI pastor Gildardo De La Rosa was united in marriage to Karina Hernandez.
Gildardo pastors Comunion De Gracia, a GCI congregation in Santa Ana, CA.
The wedding, attended by 150 church members and friends, was officiated jointly by GCI pastors Heber Ticas and Jose Escalante. Pastors Ines Cante and Mario Lopez were also present.
Please join us in prayer for the new couple, asking God to be with them as they journey together in life and ministry.
GCI pastor Neil Earle recently wrote the following short article for his congregation’s website. We thought you’d enjoy reading it.
With the news media having a lot of tragedy to feast upon in recent weeks – the apparent slaughter of the innocents in Afghanistan, the ugly controversies swirling in Florida – there was one quiet, almost unreported, moment that can be seen as redemptive for the whole nation. A Christian lady stood in a courtroom in Jackson, Mississippi, and forgave the three killers of her brother, a man they had brutally murdered in June 2011.
Three young drunken toughs ran over and beat to death 48-year-old James Craig Anderson in an incredibly premeditated and despicable hate crime that seemed to come screaming out of the crypts of Mississippi’s darkest past. “Things have changed in this country,” offered one social justice activist, “but they haven’t changed as much as people think.”
This ugly reminder in Jackson was mitigated somewhat – indeed some say overwhelmed by – the merciful, Christian attitudes expressed by James Anderson’s family through the words of his sister, Barbara Anderson Young (pictured, left). After publicly thanking God for the peace and strength that he had granted James’ family in the past eight months, she opened with the astonishing words:
We ask that you not seek the death penalty for anyone involved in James’ murder…Our opposition to the death penalty is deeply rooted in our religious faith, a faith that was central in James’ life as well. [48-year old James worked for Nissan and sang in his church choir.] We also oppose the death penalty because it historically has been used in Mississippi and the South primarily against people of color for killing whites.
Then she added:
Those responsible for James’ death wantonly ended the life of a talented and wonderful man. They also caused our family unspeakable pain and grief. But our loss will not be lessened by the state taking another man’s life.
Ms. Young also added that her family was praying for peace in the family of the condemned killer and for “racial conciliation” in the South and the whole country.
It was quite a dramatic moment, a showcase without intending to be so of the best Christian virtues on public display in an ugly time for all of us. What a shame the media did not make this their lead story last Thursday.
In service to GCI churches, Generations Ministries (GenMin) sponsors both camps and mission events (including mission trips). In support of these services, GenMin director Anthony Mullins recently appointed a GenMin Mission Event Resource Team. The team’s primary responsibility is to resource GenMin mission events. Secondarily, it resources GenMin camps and, as requested, GCI congregations – providing these ministries and churches ready access to tools that help them participate actively in the mission of God both locally and globally.
Here is what the Mission Events Resource Team will be providing:
For further developments see genmin.gci.org/missionministries.htm. Though the resource team’s emphasis is on assisting GenMin events, it also assists pastors and ministry leaders of congregations interested in conducting local mission/outreach events. To inquire about this assistance, email Ted.Johnston@gci.org.
Though we don’t always know of all ordinations around the world, here are some that we’ve heard of. These individuals have been ordained as elders within Grace Communion International in the last couple of years. Congratulations to all! If you know of others, please send an email to church.administration@gci.org.
Two GCI members recently had books published:
Mike, who retired from GCI in January, continues to host GCI’s video series, You’re Included. Recently, Mike’s science fiction fantasy adventure, The Irregular Ones of Luemenor: A Max Fletcher Adventure, was released on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. Mike comments:
Fourteen-year-old Max Fletcher just wants to find his dad, not hook up with shape-shifting unicorns, galactic super spies and power hungry dictators, but he’ll do whatever it takes not to lose another parent. On a desperate mission that sends him globetrotting to Switzerland, the wilds of Central America, and into another world beyond black holes, Max learns that love is greater—and more dangerous—than he’d ever imagined.
George, who is a member in Minnesota, is a fifth-generation farmer from Blue Earth County. He grows a variety of crops, but specializes in pumpkins for his main source of income. He is actively involved with several GCI youth camps and has written for Christian Odyssey magazine (see his article at http://www.gci.org/CO/1012/pumpkins).
George recently published his third book, titled Hey By George! III, Uncut Stones (available at Amazon.com). In this book, George applies Scripture to all aspects of life: sharing his personal experiences to help his readers better understand God’s identity. George comments:
You will read of various things that I have had to deal with, and how I dealt with them on my spiritual journey. Like stones, if things aren’t dealt with that the Lord is bringing your way, they may come back to haunt you! Like the subtitle “Uncut Stones” the stories that you are about to read, have been unedited.
At the recent Ontario, CA regional conference, GCI Pastor General Joseph Tkach presented a gift to James (Jim) and Hazel Roberts to honor them as Jim retires from full-time employment with GCI.
Over the years, Jim has worked in several GCI departments. Upon entering Ambassador College in Pasadena, CA in 1967 he worked part time as a custodian. Then beginning in 1969 he worked part time in data processing – a job that became full time when he graduated college in 1970. Over the years, his job responsibilities included being tape librarian, operations technical analyst and production analyst. Eventually he became the manager of the CIS Information Center.
Then in 1994, God called Jim into the ministry and he was ordained an elder. In the years that followed, he pastored GCI churches in Dayton, OH; San Francisco, CA and, most recently, One in Christ Community Church, the GCI congregation in San Leandro, CA.
Jim retired on February 10, 2012, after almost 42 years of full-time employment with the church. Our thanks and best wishes to Jim and Hazel!
GCI Church Administration and Development (CAD) director Dr. Dan Rogers recently announced several CAD leadership transitions. These transitions, listed below, express CAD’s ongoing commitment to leadership multiplication in pursuit of GCI’s denominational vision: All kinds of churches for all kinds of people in all kinds of places.
Ken Williams will retire later this year from his responsibility as GCI US Regional Pastor. Ken shared his thoughts on this milestone event:
I celebrated my 65th birthday in March, 2010 and started receiving my pension early the next year, while continuing to serve as a regional pastor. Though I love serving full-time in GCI, I realized that it was time to ask CAD to implement a succession plan to replace me. Dan Rogers agreed and thus we are now announcing this upcoming leadership transition. I will retire on June 30 of this year.
We are grateful for Ken’s visionary commitment to leadership multiplication, including his willingness to help prepare his replacement, Greg Williams.
Greg will be replacing Ken as regional pastor in the Eastern two-thirds of the US. Greg is now working side-by-side with Ken and will take his place in this CAD leadership role beginning on June 30.
Anthony Mullins has replaced Greg as director of Generations Ministries. Anthony has served for several years as part of GenMin’s core leadership team, which will continue to include Greg and Ted Johnston (both former GenMin directors).
Long-time GCI member John Nelson was recently ordained an elder in the Pikeville, KY congregation. John was then commissioned to serve on the Pikeville pastoral team by district pastor Rick Shallenberger.
When the Pikeville church members were asked if they wanted to participate, the entire congregation came forward and laid hands on John and his wife, Shirley.
The US military requires that its chaplains be endorsed by a denomination or other recognized religious institution. Recently, GCI was contacted by two chaplains who feel connected to GCI and want us to be their endorsing denomination (we’ll profile these men in a future article). To facilitate these and other endorsements, GCI recently joined the National Association of Evangelicals Chaplains Commission (NAECC), which provides endorsement and support and training for evangelicals who minister as chaplains within three branches of the US military and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
GCI now offers its endorsement to appropriately qualified US military chaplains. Such endorsements will utilize NAECC services. Paul David (PD) Kurts has been appointed by Dr. Dan Rogers of GCI Church Administration and Development (CAD) to serve as GCI’s military chaplain coordinator. PD will continue serving as a GCI pastor and district pastoral leader and part time in the North Carolina Air National Guard.
PD enlisted in the Guard in 1999, served in Guard chaplaincy from 1999 to 2003, was commissioned an officer in 2003 and has served since as assistant director of Equal Opportunity for the North Carolina Air National Guard (where he deals with unlawful discrimination and advises commanders concerning human relations and morale). PD is currently a Captain and is scheduled to be promoted to Major in a few months. Congratulations and thanks to PD!
If you know of a U.S. military chaplain who might be interested in receiving GCI endorsement, you may email PD at paul.d.kurts@gci.org.
For a video profiling a day in the life of a US Navy chaplain, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jrzpEzDQxuU
On February 12, Dee Bulante, pastor of the GCI congregation in Portland, OR, gave a sermon on marriage. Then he showed a video of himself expressing his love for member Lisa Heimsoth. After showing the video he proposed to Lisa.
She said “YES!”
The wedding is planned for Sunday, March 18. Bart Baril, the pastor of the GCI congregation in Port Orchard, WA will officiate.
Congratulations to Dee and Lisa!
