Category: Be Inspired

Our GCI congregation in La Huaca, Peru has been going through a renewal process in all aspects. Juan Carlos Florian faithfully pastors the congregation. Juan Carlos along with a team, have been actively engaging their community. They experienced growth to the point that they were no longer able to accommodate those who were visiting their church.

They started an expansion project in their facilities. With the help and dedication of members and even those in their community, they were able to enlarge their building and increase the capacity. This past weekend, with thanksgiving, they rededicated the facilities for the ministry of the gospel. Pastor Ruth Nieves from Piura and Pastor Jose Kasum from Lima joined them.

The renewal of their facilities is not the only renewal that this congregation has been experiencing. They have also been experiencing a missional renewal. Pastor Juan Carlos has attentively participated in the Team Based—Pastor Led equipping that regional directors Hector and Paulina Barrero have been offering online. Their missional endeavors have borne good fruit. This past weekend, they not only dedicated the renewal of the building to the Lord, but they also participated in the dedication of the lives of four brothers and sisters to the Lord through the sacrament of baptism.

Pastor Juan Carlos and their congregation solicit the prayers of the greater GCI family as they continue to participate with Jesus in what he is doing in their community.

By Heber Ticas
Pastor & Superintendent Latin America

On October 14, GC Woodbine held a Neighborhood Fun Day. This was the third such event that we have held for our community. We were excited to see more people come out to this event than our previous ones. It seemed that everything came together to make for a really fun “Fun Day”! We estimate that more than 100 neighbors attended.

Pastor Calvin and his lunch crew served around 120-130 meals. A local hunting club organization blessed us by donating baked beans and slaw for the event. They even “donated” one of their workers, Mr. Gary, to help us prepare the meals. Gary ended up behind the grill for a great part of the day and seemed to really enjoy himself.

The pony rides and bounce houses for the kids were well received, but it seemed to me one of the activities that generated the most excitement was the playing of musical chairs! We also enjoyed offering face painting, and some of the kids got multiple paintings! We had a prayer tent where people could request prayer. I especially enjoyed that as one teenager came by and started asking some very probing questions about some issues from the Bible.

We held a raffle in which 26 families participated. With the raffle, we requested some contact information that people might be willing to volunteer. Through this information, we have sent follow-up invitations to church.

Check out more pictures and videos on our GC Woodbine Facebook page.

By Dan Krupp,
Woodbine, FL, US

GC Ladson Church had a wonderful community event in our neighborhood in the form of a Fall Festival. Approximately 80 church members and neighbors enjoyed a variety of activities and good food.

Church members prepared pots of chili and participated in a cookoff. Adults and children made s’mores around the two firepits. This was probably our biggest hit for guests and church members.

We all enjoyed lively conversations, and many of the children watched a movie in the outdoor theater. We invited our guests to attend our church services the next day, and two families attended! We hope our church made a lasting impression with our neighbors and community, and we plan to continue our outreach efforts to bring Christ’s love to all.

Mary Robinson, Love Avenue Champion
Ladson, SC, US

 

Editor’s Note: For our Ordinary Time Devotional series, you are hearing entirely from young authors. They are sharing their perspectives on the theme, “God is in the streets.” Enjoy reading how the next generation of emerging GCI leaders experiences God outside the walls of the Sunday church gathering.

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It’s inspiring to see God work his infinite power. For me, it’s also in the little things that I get to see God and experience him on a daily basis. I usually take time to acknowledge God’s presence, saying a little thank-you prayer while waiting for my daughter at the after-school pickup. Just as I am looking for a parking spot, on numerous occasions one is provided for me. Hallelujah!

Then there are the not-so-good times. Even though it may not be easy, being rooted in Christ helps us see past the adversities.

I am reminded of the Bible verse Acts 17:28.

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Prayer:
Oh wonderful, triune God, you are in all things! In you, we live, move, and have our being. Thank you for being the center of the center of our daily lives. Amen.

By Luisa Nalequa
Suva, Fiji

Grace Communion Glendora held its third carnival for the surrounding neighborhoods on October 14. More than 200 children, almost 200 adults, and 33 volunteers enjoyed the games and refreshments. The carnivals have helped our congregation become known in the area, and we see several families returning for the events. Some expressed appreciation that the carnival provided an opportunity for families to get away from their electronic devices and do something together as a family.

The carnivals have given us many contacts in the community and have allowed us to use email lists to invite neighbors to our smaller events, where there is more opportunity to build relationships. As we walk the neighborhoods distributing fliers, we see and greet families who know us!

These activities, in addition to being outreach events, also help bond members together as we work together. This will be helpful as the Monrovia congregation merges into ours in late November, and we will join forces to present our second annual living nativity this December. The merger will mean that we have more people to help reach the neighborhood in our mission.

By Mike Morrison, Associate Pastor
Glendora, CA, US

On October 14, I participated in a Love Avenue engagement hosted by my parents, Dishon and Afrika Mills. Faith Avenue Champion Afrika and Pastor Dishon serve in the GC Steele Creek church plant.

The event was a mystery dinner. At a mystery dinner, guests work together to collect clues, work out puzzles, and solve a fictional crime. Our purpose was to provide a chance to get to know some people in the Steele Creek area. We invited neighbors by posting the invitation on our homeowner association’s page and Nextdoor (an online platform that allows members to create community groups to facilitate communication among neighbors). Members of our church plant attended as facilitators and wait staff.

It was a great way to get people to work toward a common goal and have fun while doing it. I learned that a wonderful way to help strangers connect is to intentionally give them something to talk about. This game does that while also giving guests the freedom to do it in a way that is comfortable to them, not forcing any interactions.

It was a meaningful way to gather neighbors without them feeling pressured to be involved with the church. We hope they became curious though, because very few churches would choose a mystery dinner as a way to connect with the community.

By Serena Mills
Steele Creek, NC, US

 

In Winnipeg, we were blessed to be able to host the Faith, Hope, and Love in Action Workshop for the vision churches of Canada in October. This was a great encouragement to us to see that the denomination has not forgotten about us up north. It was further encouragement for us to see the Canadian churches working towards the same goal of implementing the three Avenues.

Though we might be at different stages, we were all there to lift each other up, and help each church build on the momentum that they already have. It is always meaningful for us to take stock of what we have already been able to accomplish by God’s grace, so that we can continue down the road, one step at a time. The workshop helped us to celebrate how much has already been put into action, so that we can continue to look ahead with hope.

By Alexander Brandt, Pastor
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Editor’s Note: For our Ordinary Time Devotional series, you are hearing entirely from young authors. They are sharing their perspectives on the theme, “God is in the streets.” Enjoy reading how the next generation of emerging GCI leaders experiences God outside the walls of the Sunday church gathering.

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God is present in our relationships. When I’m with my loved ones, I feel God’s presence. We were made as an outpouring of the love of the Trinity, to love and share love. When I’m living into that reality, I feel more in tune with God and with those around me.

God is in the streets, walking with me and my friends as we explore coffee shops and bookstores. God is at the dinner table during Thanksgiving as my family shares a meal. God is standing with me at my grandma’s hospital bedside when I say, “Goodbye for now. I love you.” God was with me when I looked into my wife’s eyes and said I do.

There isn’t a time when God leaves me alone. But when I’m with my loved ones, whatever the circumstance, it’s easier for me to feel the presence of the God who is love.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 NIV

Prayer: God, thank you for your immeasurable love from which we were formed and for your goodness in making us in your image, to call us your children. Thank you for giving us the calling to love one another and share your gospel as we go about our lives with all people. Amen.

By Andrew Rakestraw
Tallahassee, FL, US

The GCI congregation in Queens, New York City, held its annual Back-to-School outreach. This year’s initiative was expanded to multiple weekends in August and September and featured an immersive open house approach that allowed each guest to see our ministry Avenues in action. We distributed nearly 400 complimentary backpacks full of school supplies, reaching hundreds of households in our diverse home neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens.

As we registered our guests, we offered a relaxed experience of our church community with a “journey” through a bilingual prayer table and meeting members of our various ministries, including Sunday School and Men’s/Women’s Ministry, before receiving their backpacks and enjoying a meal and music with us. We were blessed that so many chose to participate in prayer, receive encouragement, and learn more about our vibrant ministries. Some of our guests returned on subsequent Sundays to hear the transformative hope of Jesus in the stories of walking on water and the promise of forgiveness.

This year’s theme was “Jesus 4-Eva” with a logo designed by nine-year-old Genesis Phillips. We wore matching T-shirts (as pictured) to show our unity and dedication to the hope of Christ. Our hope and prayer are that the process of outreach and follow-up will facilitate the Spirit’s work in the community to build a genuine connection with Christ and our church. We have received the appreciation of some of our community leaders and local clergy for helping uplift and inspire the community.

Our pre-registration process revealed many of the circumstances and prayer requests of our potential guests and shaped the outreach. Our preparation included attending community meetings, visiting businesses, schools, and law enforcement. The entire initiative, which involved nearly every active member and ministry of the congregation, was a culmination of a months-long process of prayer and planning with the missional imagination of Christ at the forefront.

By John Newsom, Pastor
Queens, NY, US