Category: Be Inspired

Melbourne, FL, US

Our children attended Ocean Breeze Elementary School, and I was a school aide and a crossing guard for six years. This is a school that is near and dear to my heart. When our congregation was choosing a way we could engage and serve the community, I thought immediately of this school. I know teachers there spend their own money for student school supplies.

I first approached Jennifer, the School Resource Officer, to find out the needs of the school. Now Officer Jennifer sends us a list, and we shop for the items. This is such fun and a joy to see the look on Officer Jennifer’s face when we show up with all the goodies. In this way, GC Melbourne has been partnering with the school for approximately four years. The teachers truly appreciate our congregation’s help.

Marianne Legg
Melbourne, FL, US

 

 

 

 

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Kenockee, MI, US

In September, GC Kenockee celebrated the beginning of the school year and a new Children’s Church year. Pastor Jim Meade prayed a back-to-school blessing over the children. And Pastor David Borum commissioned and prayed for the new Children’s Church teachers and helpers.

During this special Sunday service, Kathy Forsyth was honored. She is retiring from the role of Children’s Church Coordinator after serving for many years. Kathy passed the baton to the new Coordinator, Angie Ashbrook. Pastor Grant Forsyth commissioned and prayed for Angie.

Thank you, Kathy, for your dedication and service!

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Queens, NY, US

On September 7-8, GC Queens hosted a unique community event, departing from the traditional broad public outreaches. Instead, we took a more personal approach, limiting the invitation to families who participated in our previous back-to-school events. This event attracted hundreds in the past, but it was difficult to make a personal impact.

By narrowing the invitation list to those with whom we had already established relationships, the event had a more personalized and “community reunion” feel. This allowed for deeper conversations and more meaningful connections, which we believe left a lasting impact. Many family members who attended already knew us, and we also met new guests. Instead of just handing out backpacks, we used the time to pray with our guests, offering conversation and literature in Spanish. This impressed our Spanish-speaking families (a large part of our target community), making them feel equally valued and included.

In addition to meeting immediate needs with school supplies, we took the opportunity to discuss our various ministries, including our plans for a 2025 neighborhood camp. Parents learned about our Sunday School program for children, and many adults were able to connect with leaders from our Men’s and Women’s Ministries. These conversations helped strengthen existing relationships within the community, and they opened doors for further spiritual support.

We were blessed to hear and pray through individual stories from the neighborhood. We heard from fathers looking for a strong men’s ministry and their children’s career dreams. We prayed with families seeking reassurance in uncertainty, sharing their hopes for healing and community. We listened to and prayed with new immigrants looking for relief and a spiritual home.

The impact of our community outreach event was further demonstrated the next day as many guests joined our Sunday service, doubling our average attendance. Vicky Newsom gave a bilingual sermon, “Who is God’s Favorite?” from James 2. She explained that God’s favorite is all of us in Christ, so all are welcome at GC Queens! This increase in attendance and the whole service validated the event’s effectiveness and showed the community’s growing interest in our church and its activities. It was a hopeful sign for our future endeavors.

Our church’s commitment to spiritual and practical support was evident in the smaller but much more spiritually fruitful event. I would also like to recognize the work of our Avenue champions: Eleanor Toussaint, Hope Avenue champion; Ruth Phillips, Faith Avenue champion; and Vicky Newsom Love Avenue co-champion, along with elders, James Hills and Jonathan Browne. We are grateful for the reunions and the new contacts made, and we look forward to continuing to walk alongside these families, sharing the love of Christ in both spiritual and practical ways.

John Newsom, Pastor
Queens, NY, US

 

Considering God’s missional nature can be tough if it conjures ideas about missionaries who lived this out in radical ways. We respect these examples, but they feel unattainable. Is this what it means to live for a missional God? While it is true that God is missional, the primary calling God has for us is to be God’s children, submitting our entire selves so that we might live into this new identity. Then, as Christ grows us up into that identity, we will naturally reflect the missional identity of God.

Ruth is a good example; she surrenders her previous ideas about herself.

But Ruth said,
“Do not press me to leave you,
to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16

We may think that Ruth participated with God because of her upstanding character, but it was God’s invitation and movement toward her first that allowed her to submit and surrender who she thought she was — her old self. Then Ruth clung to her newfound identity as a child of God.

As we step into the identity that God has for us, we need to trust that it is God who is missional. God does not need us, yet he allows us to share in his work of love. From this understanding, we can be more effective at reaching out, because our identity and worth is never dependent on the results of our effort.

Reflect on what God’s missional nature means for you.

Prayer
Dear Lord, as I consider how capable you are to bring your mission of redemption to completion, please reveal how I might release my identity to you, that I may live more fully into the identity you have for me. Amen.

By Alexander Brandt, Pastor
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

In the past, our Hawthorne, California congregation has been at the forefront of regional development for Southern California Spanish-speaking congregations. Pastor Manuel Ochoa has always been willing to create spaces for the development and sending of leaders. Over the last few years, I have brought a higher level of support to this congregation with the vision of establishing a Ministry Training Center (MTC).

An MTC congregation must display a good level of congregational health, and this congregation has been on a journey toward greater health. Disciple-making with Jesus is at the core of congregational health. Over the last three years the Hawthorne church has had 26 baptisms, including four during the West Regional Gathering. A healthy Hope, Faith, and Love Avenue are crucial for holistic health. Although this is a work in progress in Hawthorne, their Faith, Hope, and Love expressions are healthy enough to create spaces for leadership development.

On August 11, during the West Regional Gathering, we officially launched our second Spanish-speaking MTC. (We also have an MTC with the Bogota, Columbia congregation.) The proximity of our other Spanish-speaking churches in Southern California facilitates regional development at a better pace. During this gathering, we also commissioned José Luis Lopez as the MTC coordinator. José Luis will not only coordinate development at the Hawthorne congregation but regionally as well.

Twenty-four GCI leaders from seven countries in Asia converged on the Kwanruen Resort in Korat province of south Thailand for a three-day retreat. (Korat is a four-hour drive from Bangkok, towards the border of Cambodia.) Amiyo Bacher from Bangladesh was the only one who could not join due to unrest in his country.

During an introductory session, several leaders brought updates of GCI activities in their regions. Following the Healthy Church theme, we discussed what it means to be healthy as a fellowship in four main sessions. Here are some interesting takeaways:

• • • Jesus never criticizes the church for its size.
    • Most leaders are constantly negotiating between the Dominator and Protector model. (From the Support Challenge Matrix, a tool from GiANT Worldwide. For more information, see A Giant Step Forward.)
    • The priesthood of all believers is primarily inviting everyone to participate in ministry.
    • We are better together — this is the synergy of a denomination.

Facilitators included Rex Dela Peña, Aron Tolentino, Sachin Nirale, and Audie Santibanez. Retired leaders Wong Mein Kong and Eugene Guzon shared vital insights from their experience. In the wrap-up session, I proposed Eph 4:16 as one way to experience Healthy Church.

Activities included team-building activities for GCI Thailand, a fellowship night that enthralled the audience with worship, games, and embarrassment on the dance floor! Special moments included the ordination of Chan Thleng( a leader from Myanmar) and a farewell party for Eugene Guzon and Wong Mein Kong. Unforgettable moments included visiting three elegant coffee shops in three days! A memorable three days of “brethren dwelling together in unity.” (Psalm 133:1)

Danny Zachariah, Superintendent of Asia
Hyderabad, India

 

 

 

One of my favorite names of God is “Yahweh Shammah.” (Ezekiel 48:35) It means “The Lord is there.” Throughout Scripture, God reveals himself — who he is and his character. But the Son is the supreme revelation of the Father. The Son became one of us and is with us. In fact, his name is Immanuel – “God with us.”

The Gospels describe Jesus, the expression of the God who is with us. He encounters people tangibly, eating, teaching, walking with them. We see Jesus being intentional to meet individuals where there are.

In John 4, we read of an encounter of Jesus with a Samaritan woman at the well, as she was coming to draw water. As the disciples looked for food, Jesus chose to stay and to minister to this woman, even asking her for a drink (John 4:7). Little did this Samaritan woman know that she was about to draw water, not to quench the physical thirst, but through the living water who satisfies her spiritual thirst.

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” John 4:13-15 NLT

Jesus met the Samaritan woman exactly where she was … at the well.

In this Ordinary Time, let us take a moment for the Lord is here. How is Jesus encountering you “at the well,” in whatever problem, sorrow, need, painful past, sickness, or anxiety you are experiencing? Jesus has given us the living water — himself.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, remind me of Jesus’ presence especially in areas when everything seems ordinary. Let the extraordinary truth about God, who is Yahweh Shammah, be my assurance today.

By Justine Paolo “Jep” Parcasio, Associate Pastor
Baguio, Philippines

 

Papua New Guinea

In Mt. Wilhelm, a children’s camp was held in July over two days involving activities such as volleyball and a talent show. The theme for the children’s camp was “Let the little children come to me.” (Mark 10:14).

The youth wanted to have a LifeClub for teaching public speaking. This will help the young people in their job interviews as well as preparing emerging leaders in the church. Next year, another two-day youth camp, including a LifeClub, is eagerly anticipated.

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Sun Valley, California, US

This past month we had a great experience with the 3-day neighborhood camp that our local congregation hosted. We had 39 children ages 4-11 participate in the day camp. It was a fun time for all the children with all types of games and fun activities. But most importantly, it afforded us the opportunity to build relationships with some families from our neighborhood. In the weeks after the day camp, we have had two families continue to attend our Sunday services with the expectation that they will continue to attend.

Summer day camps are a great way to demonstrate the gospel in our neighborhoods in a way that creates bridges into the community and provides opportunities to live out the mission of God in ways that often lead to making disciples.

Heber Ticas, Superintendent of Latin America
Sun Valley, CA, US

 

 

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Members in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are showing generosity to their community even when resources are scarce. The woman’s ministry is creating Billum bags and selling them to raise money to help support their neighbors. They donate the funds to neighbors who have funeral expenses, and they express love and support to the families who are grieving.

GCI provides pastoral oversight for congregations in Mt. Wilhelm and Port Moresby. Infrastructure development at the Mt. Wilhelm facility has included the installation of solar power for the church-owned buildings in this remote part of the central highlands. This solar power allows the local congregation to host events after dark as a way to serve and bless neighboring villages, which have no electric power.

Their missional activities include water, agriculture, and income projects in tandem with biblical education and personal development for the entire community. They also held a children’s camp in July. Read more here.

In July, the PNG church celebrated Pastors Richard Kindi and Ben Galwa for 10 years of service. They were presented with certificates during a wonderful service with communion.

Pastors Richard and Ben have shown great pastoral care for the members by guiding them through difficult times, like COVID. And they have shown leadership during this challenging year for the entire country. The country has experienced looting, tribal war in the Enga province, and fear and suspicion of witchcraft. Women can be blamed for unexplained deaths and accused of witchcraft. If a woman is believed to be a witch, she is often murdered.

In March, widespread flooding led to a landslide in Chimbu province that caused incredible property damage, and 23 people died. Pastor Ben Galwa’s house was also affected.

Please join us in praying for our GCI family in PNG.

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Note: The GCI Disaster Relief Fund helps provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs.

If your congregation would like to donate to the fund, you can set up a one-time donation through GCI Online Giving (https://www.gci.org/online-giving/) by selecting “Give for Disaster Relief” under the drop-down menu.

If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating clearly on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund.

Send the donation to:
GCI Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
3120 Whitehall Park Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28273

Thank you for your prayers and financial contributions to help members of the GCI family who are suffering.

As a GCI pastoral resident, I was challenged with the idea of narrowing down the places where we ate, studied, had coffee, etc. The consistency would enable us to develop meaningful relationships in those places. As someone who has always lived by the motto “variety is the spice of life,” this didn’t resonate with me—at least not at the time.

After finishing my residency, I became a pastor in another state. I was eager to try all the different coffee shops, restaurants, and hang-out spots. And yet, I couldn’t shake the challenge of adopting a more missional mindset and sticking to just a few places. And so, despite my preference for having a multitude of establishments to frequent, I chose to give it a go.

It didn’t take long to notice the influence that I was having on people’s lives. Not only did I develop relationships with people working in these establishments, but also with those who were frequent customers. Many times, the topic of discussion turned to “why Jesus?” and “why did I become a pastor?” And the other person always initiated these discussions.

So [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. Acts 17:17

Ordinary Time is a fitting time to consider: How may I, like Paul, be intentional with where I spend my time?

Prayer:
Loving Father, may you give us hearts and minds to embrace a missional mindset that longs to go deep with the few you have called us to. We look forward to developing these relationships with anticipation of how you will bless their lives as well as our own. Amen.

David Borum, Associate Pastor
Kenockee, MI, US

GCI has many resources on the Faith Avenue and connect groups. Check them all out here.

Below are just a few we hope you find helpful.

Connect Group Facilitator’s Guide

From the On Being series, the Being the Church curriculum

Discipleship Pathways, select the “Believe” tab

Church Hack—Connect Groups

Read on for examples of what it can look like in the local church.

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Richardson, TX, US

We believe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in a divine relationship and this relationship is foundational to our understanding of God’s nature and how God interacts with the world. I believe that we can experience this aspect of God’s kingdom here on earth when we are in relationships, and it is easier to relate in smaller gatherings. I believe connect groups are a key to staying healthy as a church.

Our face-to-face community connect groups are currently following a curriculum, called Rooted Network. One group meets weekly on Tuesdays in a member’s home; the other group meets bi-monthly after Sunday services. We found that food adds excitement and fun, whether assigned or potluck.

The members of the group have a copy of the study guide to follow with personal daily devotionals. When the group meets, someone is assigned to facilitate. The strongest impact has been going through a guided personal daily devotional. We meditate on them and journal in our quiet time, and then share in a safe group, celebrating together our experiences and encounters with God with a common theme. The regular devotionals and group sharing enhances so much the awareness of God’s reality in us. We are able to feel God and to affirm each other of our experiences. This enhances our worship, our personal disposition, how we relate to others, and how we interact in our communities and workplace.

Jared Santibanez, Faith Avenue Champion
Richardson, TX, US

 

 

 

 

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Steele Creek, NC, US

In June and July, Pastor Dishon Mills and I facilitated the Bearing Fruit small group with members of Grace Communion Steele Creek. We convened over Zoom, and five members who live near one another gathered and dialed in from one member’s home.

Pastor Dishon taught the group how spiritual formation involves bearing inward fruit through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), how we bear fruit in community through the gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12), and outward fruit through the activity of the Spirit (Acts 2:42-27). The outcome of inward, outward, and community fruit development is equipping for ministry and mission, a new humanity, and jubilee.

We discovered our spiritual gifts by taking a gift assessment and reading about our gifts in Discover Your Gifts and Learn How to Use Them by Alvin J. Vander Griend. We also learned spiritual practices like Contemplative/Imaginative Prayer, the Examen of Consciousness, and creating a Rule of Life

Psalm 1:3 says that we who love God’s teachings are “ . . . like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.” This team-based, pastor-led expression of healthy church equipped members as the Lord’s orchard. We spread the aroma of his kingdom, and the fruit we bear in and through him allows our neighbors to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

Afrika Afeni Mills, Faith Avenue Champion
Steele Creek, NC, US

 

 

 

 

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Pasadena, CA, US

We have two virtual connect groups that meet over Zoom every week, and this started during COVID. One participant said her trust in the Lord has grown as we continue studying who Jesus is. Others have said we wish we could have this connect group every day because this is life truth that we need to be reminded of every day because we tend to forget. We observe participants changing the way they think and diligently studying God’s word.

If this is the fruit of Zoom meetings, I trust that face to face will have an even greater impact because we can extend fellowship, pray, and bond in person. Our congregation is praying that God may send us new contacts and start building relationship and from there, have another in-person connect group.

There are many opportunities, so we need to be ready where God will lead us and be intentional in sharing Jesus who the world needs to know. My husband, Saddie, and I are on-site managers for a housing complex with almost 40 residents. We are hoping and praying to have a connect group here in the fall. Please join us in this prayer.

Angie Tabin, Pastor
Pasadena, CA, US

Ladson, SC, US

Our congregation organized its annual Summer Camp in June, drawing in a majority of returning campers from the previous year. Nineteen enthusiastic participants relished three days filled with enjoyable activities, fostering both existing bonds and forming new friendships. Guided by the central theme of “Being an Everyday Hero,” campers delved into exploring the fruits of the Spirit. They creatively demonstrated the transformative power of these virtues through small skits, showing how ordinary individuals can embody heroism in their daily lives.

In addition to this focus, campers engaged in a diverse array of activities, such as a stimulating field trip, engaging games, and a day filled with refreshing water-based activities. The culmination of the camp experience occurred on Sunday when the campers shared with the congregation their reflections and anticipation for future camps.

Mary Robinson, Love Avenue Champion
Ladson, SC, US

 

 

 

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Appleton, WI, US

This year, we had 12 campers ages 6-9 participate in our Good Neighbor Day Camp. The campers enjoyed their time participating in story time, STEM projects, rock painting, watercolor painting, air hockey, and foosball. Each day ended with water games outside.

We are blessed with a good relationship with the elementary school across the street from our church building. The school officials distributed our flyers to the appropriate grade levels promoting our day camp before the summer break. They also gave us permission to use their field for various activities. All the campers wished that the event was longer.

Becky Deuel, Pastor
Appleton, WI, US

 

 

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Surrey Hills, OK, US

Camp Surrey was incredible this year. We had 72 campers from kindergarten to 7th grade and 73 staff members! Our theme was “Survivor,” and the camp was filled with team challenges, crafts, performing arts, rock climbing, kayaking, and so much more!

It was a wonderful 3-day experience followed by a phenomenal family day where mini-campers performed the dance they learned throughout camp! We had about 200 in attendance.

This year was a blessing in the number of staff that volunteered. Their hearts to love on these kiddos and to take the time off work and away from their lives to join Jesus in what he’s doing in the lives of these neighborhood kiddos is inspiring. It sure made for a great all-camp photo!

We are looking forward to next year’s camp, “Glow.” We are grateful for the prayers and support.

Ceeja Malmkar, Associate Pastor
Surrey Hills, OK, US

 

 

 

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North Luzon, Philippines