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Meet pastoral resident David Borum

We are pleased to introduce you to David Borum (pictured below), one of our newest GCI-USA pastoral residents. David is serving the Eugene, Oregon, congregation under the supervision of Lead Pastor Tim Sitterley. Here is a short bio from David:

I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where I currently reside. I have been a member of Grace Communion Eugene for six years. I was raised attending a Disciples of Christ church, where my grandfather was an influential minister in that denomination. My early years were spent in youth sports, playing the guitar and saxophone, and camping with my family.

Right out of high school, I attended a discipleship training course through Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I would later spend nearly three years on staff with them in Baguio City, Philippines. My ministry involvement included jail ministry, preaching, leading worship, youth ministry and playing in a band doing evangelistic concerts and crusades. After that, I went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Missiology from Northwest University of the Assemblies of God in Kirkland, Washington.

Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in lay ministries through various churches. Some of those ministry activities included preaching, worship, youth ministry, evangelism and leading home groups. In my downtime, I enjoy watching sports, reading, watching movies, hiking, visiting the Oregon coast and traveling to various wineries.

I am excited to have this opportunity to join GCI as a pastoral resident. I am confident that this will give me the knowledge and experience needed to become a well-equipped and effective full-time pastor through Grace Communion International.

Meet GCI-USA intern Mohammad Ali

We are pleased to introduce you to Mohammad Ali (pictured below), one of our newest interns in the GCI-USA Intern Program. Mohammad is interning in GCI’s San Jose, CA, congregation under the tutelage of Lead Pastor Mel Dahlgren, with CAD team member Ted Johnston serving as Mohammad’s ministry coach. Here is a short bio from Mohammad:

I was born in the Ukraine and moved back and forth from Jordan and Kazakhstan due to my father’s job. My mother and I came to the United States nine years ago, when I was 12. Throughout my middle school and high school years, I always acknowledged the existence of God, but never partook in the intimate relationship that Jesus Christ provides.

At age 18 I moved away from home and went from being a hereditary Christian to an individual who was transformed in heart, thought and action by Jesus through the Word. I believe it is my calling to be a minister of the gospel.

Currently, I am serving as the youth pastor and one of the worship leaders at my church. My hope is to one day plant a church and live in a region where the Word of God is either being suppressed or has never been presented. I know that God will use my GCI internship to continue improving my effectiveness as a disciple of Jesus.

Paul Kurtz

Paul Kurtz, a deacon in GCI’s Jacksonville, FL, congregation, was recently inducted into the International Educators’ Hall of Fame. A highly skilled trumpeter, Paul (pictured below) has been a mentor to younger music students and an inspiration to other blind musicians in his advocacy of braille musical notation. Congratulations Paul!