We are pleased to announce that John Wesley Newsom, Lead Pastor of GCI congregations meeting in Queens and Manhattan (New York City), was married on September 2 to Vicky Berrios, a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist who also advocates for the disenfranchised. The wedding was held at St. John’s Lutheran Church where the Queens congregation meets. Former pastor Al Barr officiated. The newlyweds plan to move into a new home in Northern Queens.
As noted in the current version of the Church Administration Manual, GCI-USA ordains elders but no longer licenses them. We found that our system for licensing elders, which was labor intensive, was no longer serving a useful purpose. Elders currently holding an elder’s license may retain it until it expires. Existing licenses will no longer be renewed and newly ordained elders will not receive a license (though they will receive an ordination certificate).
Note that the ordained title/status of “elder” is retained by an individual so long as the following stipulations apply:
If stipulations 1 and 2 are met, but either 3 or 4 are not, the elder becomes an “elder emeritus” (a title one can hold for life, so long as stipulations 1 and 2 are met—if stipulations 1 or 2 are not being met, the individual ceases to be a GCI elder).
When ordained, an elder is given an appropriate pastoral title (such as assistant pastor) in accordance with the particular pastoral leadership assignment they are filling within the congregation where they regularly attend. That assignment is determined by the congregation’s lead pastor (in consultation with other leaders and the advisory council). In the case of an assignment to serve as a lead pastor, a member of a pastoral team, or a facilitator of a fellowship group (chartered or non-chartered), the appointment is made by the denomination (through the Regional Pastor) in consultation with leaders and the advisory council within the congregation.
Note that none of these pastoral assignments are permanent—all are subject to change/re-assignment. If an elder moves to another congregation, there is no guarantee they will be given a pastoral assignment in the new location.
Where the denomination is approving the pastoral appointment, the applicant must fill out an application form that is available online (click here to download).
Please note the following related stipulations and clarifications:
If you have questions concerning what is covered in this announcement, please contact your Regional Pastor.
Dr. Gary Deddo’s five-part essay, “Clarifying Our Theological Vision,” which was published in GCI Equipper, has been edited for publication as a single article and posted on the GCI.org website at www.gci.org/lit/clarifying-our-theological-vision. The essay will have a wider audience on the website—please pray it will help many understand more fully the incarnational Trinitarian theology that it seeks to clarify.
We are pleased to announce that the following men and women were recently ordained as elders:
Bill Sidney retired recently from employment as a GCI pastor, serving most recently as pastor of GCI’s congregation in Eagleby, Australia. In a celebration service conducted by Australian Mission Developer John McLean, the nearly 40 years of ministry service by Bill and his wife Daphne were celebrated. John thanked the couple for their outstanding contributions to GCI and to the communities where they have lived. Their commitment and dedicated service has blessed many people over the years, with both having a real heart for mission and a love for people, including compassion for the marginalized and needy. The Sidneys’ ministry took them to many places around the world, including the Solomon Islands, India, the Philippines and Australia. Bill was the first minister from our denomination to go into Papua New Guinea and he served for a time as Regional Director in the Philippines.
As pictured below, the celebration service also included the installation of Bharat Naker as the new pastor of the Eagleby congregation. Bharat and his wife Urvashi will also help out with other congregations in the region. Bharat, who was ordained an elder in 1987, has ministered in the U.S., India (following Bill’s time there), Sri Lanka and Australia.
After the celebration service, members shared a beautiful farewell-welcome cake (pictured below) and celebrated the new chapter in Eagleby’s story. Our prayers and best wishes go with Bill and Daphne in Bill’s retirement, and with Bharat and Urvashi in their new pastoral assignment.
We reported recently on the retirement of Larry Wooldridge, who for many years served as lead pastor of the Stratford and Cromwell, CT, congregations. When a pastor retires, one of the issues facing a congregation is who will take their place. We are pleased to announce that Michael Guibord was recently installed as the new lead pastor in both congregations. Here are pictures from both ceremonies, conducted by Regional Pastor Randy Bloom, who with a transition team shepherded the search process.
L to R, first picture (Stratford): Randy Bloom with the Guibord family—Brenda, Michael, Kevin, Kendra, Kelsey, Kyle and Katlynn. L to R, second picture (Cromwell): Assistant Pastor Mike and Ellen Anderson, Michael and Brenda, Randy and Doug Smith (transition team member).
You are invited to EngageGCI, a worship event coming this fall to Wisconsin Dells, WI. Christian conference and family retreat rolled into one, EngageGCI focuses on faith, family, friendship and fellowship, with activities for all ages. Workshops and plenary sessions will explore the biblical concept of neighbor: What does it mean to be a neighbor? How can we connect with and care for our neighbors in meaningful ways? For additional information and to register, go to https://www.engagegci.org/.
This announcement is from Greg Williams, Director of GCI Church Administration and Development.
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming Denominational Conference in Orlando. Our theme is “We are GCI.” You will hear reports and stories from around the globe that will inspire and inform you about what the Lord is up to in our fellowship. To launch our time together, all pastors and interested members and friends are invited to a pre-conference seminar conducted by Dr. Gary Deddo titled “Theological Alignment.” It will be held on Tuesday, August 1 at 1:00 to 4:00pm in the conference hotel.
In the seminar (which includes time for Q&A), Gary will summarize the significant work he has been doing over the past year at the request of GCI President, Dr. Joseph Tkach, leading to the publishing of two essays: “The Church and Its Ministry” and “Clarifying Our Theological Vision.” From my viewpoint, these essays help us to be more aligned in our theology, doctrine and ministry practice. As is says in Psalms 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”
So that you can familiarize yourself with the content of Gary’s essays, they are posted online as PDF documents at https://www.gci.org/2017/theologybooklets.
Here are reports of two recent pastor transitions—one in the United States and one in Australia.
Congratulations and thanks to Pastor Earl Jones (pictured below) who recently retired after serving for 11 years as Lead Pastor at The Carpenter’s House, GCI’s congregation in Fayetteville, NC. Members and friends gathered recently to give Earl a surprise retirement party.
On June 24, Mooloolbark Christian Fellowship (GCI’s congregation in Melbourne, Australia) hosted a special service to mark the (partial) retirement of the congregation’s Lead Pastor Randall Bourchier and the installation of his successor, Matthew Gudze. The service was conducted by Mission Developer John McLean. According to John, there was “a wonderful, positive ‘vibe’ in the room,” as the group honored the contributions of Pastor Randall and his wife Mary and rejoiced in the installation of Pastor Matt. The hall was packed with members from congregations around the state, including many youth and representatives of the local and state governments.
As seen below, as part of the installation service, outgoing Pastor Randall “passed the baton” to incoming Pastor Matt. Instead of a relay baton, Randall passed a conductor’s baton—an appropriate symbol considering the musical talents of both families.
According to John McLean, Pastor Randall and his leaders were creatively and innovatively involved in locally pioneering many aspects of church life through GCI’s transitions—from worship, to team ministry, to community involvement by the congregation as a whole. During the celebration, John gave a brief history of Randall’s ministry, highlighting his service to the Mooroolbark community. Pastor Randall took the opportunity to reflect on his and Mary’s many years in ministry and gave thanks for the people they had gotten to know and serve with over the years.
Both Randall and John mentioned how the transition had been in God’s perfect timing, with both pastors ready for new challenges. Matt and Sandra thanked Pastor Randall and Mary for their service and wisdom in preparing for the hand over, and expressed their joy that Randall would be continuing with part-time ministry in teh congregation.
We are pleased to announce five ordinations and a pastoral installation. Congratulations to all!
Andrew Gahadzikwa (pictured at right), who serves one of GCI’s congregations in Zimbabwe, Africa, was ordained an elder in June. The ceremony was attended by 120 people.
