Several of GCI-USA’s newest pastors and pastors-in-training (pastoral residents) were interviewed at the New Pastors Orientation Conference held in February at GCI’s Home Office in Glendora, CA. Here are videos of interviews with Pastors Dennis Elliott and Terry McDonald.
On YouTube at https://youtu.be/CExE63j5IEg.
On YouTube at https://youtu.be/LO15PEr2KMY.
Several of GCI-USA’s newest pastors and pastors-in-training (pastoral residents) were interviewed at the recent New Pastors Orientation Conference held at GCI’s Home Office in Glendora, CA. Here are videos of interviews with Pastoral Resident Jillian Caranto and Pastor Craig Kuhlman.
On YouTube at http://youtu.be/cbeq6QI7Er4.
On YouTube at http://youtu.be/ZKzJjOHgwM4.
Several of GCI-USA’s newest pastors and pastoral residents were interviewed at the recent New Pastors Orientation Conference held at the Home Office in Glendora, CA. Here are videos of interviews with Pastors JoAnn Lagge and Steve Solari.
On YouTube at http://youtu.be/TWG_-klLb7Q.
On YouTube at https://youtu.be/RMbUQBLF6eE.
As noted in this week’s GCI News section, GCI-USA recently held a New Pastors Orientation Conference at the Home Office. Here are short videos introducing two of these new pastors: Josh McDonald and Annette Nettles. In future issues we’ll introduce the rest of them. We encourage you to pray for these men and women, for their families and their congregations in times of transition for all concerned.
On YouTube at http://youtu.be/07PLsfPztwM
On YouTube at http://youtu.be/CCFCe5biKwM
Here from The Big Sandy-Hawkins Journal newspaper is an article that tells about Jane Parsons, wife of retired GCI Pastor Sonny Parsons. Sonny and Jane live in Big Sandy, Texas where Sonny pastored GCI’s congregation for many years.
Jane was Miss Mississippi and a finalist for Miss USA in 1963. In Long Beach, CA, she competed with contestants from all 50 states and the nations of the world for the title of Miss International Beauty. Johnny Carson, host of “The Tonight Show,” selected Jane as the Mississippi representative from young ladies from all over the state. In 1962, Jane was selected as Miss Tammy Teenager from 48 contestants from Mississippi and represented the state in New Orleans for the premier showing of one of the top movies that year, “Tammy Tell Me True.” There she met with the stars. Tammy was played by teen heart throb Sandra Dee and her costar was John Gavin, who eventually became the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. In 1964, she would have been named Miss Mississippi in the Miss Universe contest, but when the judges found out she was engaged, she was named first alternate.
Jane was a licensed midwife in Mississippi for several years during the 60’s and 70’s. She assisted in more than 40 home birth deliveries. She was active in leadership with high school girls and served as President of the Future Nurses program. Jane has always enjoyed serving and helping people. While in Big Sandy she was in charge of the “Meals on Wheels” program for a couple of years.
Jane has been married to her high school sweetheart, Sonny Parsons, for 52 years (they dated for five years before marrying). They had two children Todd and Amy. In their wedding, Jane had a song sung from the book of Ruth that says “…wherever thou goest, I will go.” That day, she didn’t realize just how far that promise would take her. Jane loves to travel and has visited from Oslo to Berlin, Paris to London, Ireland to New Zealand, Rome to Australia, Alaska to Jordon, Scotland to Spain, and many more countries as Sonny had speaking assignments at various conferences, often traveling for weeks at a time on trains and ships. Once, while crossing on a ferry between the north and south islands of New Zealand, they were caught in a storm with waves 30 feet high and winds over 80 mph. The trip usually took two hours, but this one lasted sixteen hours because of the storm that nearly overturned their ship. After arriving on the north shore, Jane was interviewed by newscasters. While driving from there to Auckland, NZ and listening to the car radio, the station interrupted the broadcast and said “We now have an interview with a survivor of the ship the Aratika. She is Jane Parsons from Big Sandy, Texas.” We broke out laughing.
While in Amman, Jordan at a conference where Sonny was speaking, Jane and Sonny were invited to a reception to meet with Queen Noor of Jordan, the wife of King Hussein. There they had the opportunity to speak with the queen, who was a U.S. citizen.
Jane was presented a “PHT” degree from Mississippi State University in 1965 by the University Vice President of Academic Affairs. “PHT” stands for “Putting Hubby Through.” She did this while working while Sonny was completing one of his five academic degrees.
Celestine (Cella) Olive is a long-time employee in GCI’s home office and a music minister at her home church, New Hope Christian Fellowship (one of GCI’s Southern California congregations). Recently, Cella and her husband Leonard were honored by being elected as “Volunteers of the Year” for the County of Los Angeles. Only 55 of the 33,000 volunteers working in L.A. County programs received this prestigious award.
Leonard and Cella (at right in the picture below) received their award at an event at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles (the award certificate is shown below—click to enlarge). In the brochure given out at the ceremony, New Hope Christian Fellowship was honored for participating in the Covenant for Kids Program in conjunction with the Department of Children and Family Services. The program brings to church children who are in the foster care system.
Josh McDonald is a new pastoral resident, serving alongside Dave Perry in GCI’s congregation in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of the elders serving in that congregation is retired GCI pastor Abner Washington. Josh recently interviewed Abner and posted the interview along with some of his reflections on Abner’s life on his The Indy Project Blog at http://theindyproject.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-way-it-was-talking-race-and-faith.html. We think you’ll enjoy reading the amazing story.
In August, a new cohort entered the GCI Intern Program (click here for details). We’re running a series here in “Up Close & Personal” to introduce you to some of these newest interns. This week we want you to meet Patrick Quinn, who is interning in Salem, Oregon.
With a degree in aeronautical engineering, Patrick could be pursuing a career in that lucrative field. Yet at the GenMin Converge conference last March, he sensed a call from God to vocational ministry. Here is his testimony:
While attending the Converge conference, my friend Anthony Mullins suggested I consider enrolling in the GCI Intern Program. I didn’t think too seriously about it at the time—I was still set on engineering. But the idea wouldn’t go away and after talking with Anthony again, I thought and prayed about it over the weekend of the conference.
The more I considered it, the more I felt called to the program and to youth ministry. I made the decision to put my life into God’s hands and join in the GCI Intern Program.
Giving up control is a strange feeling—more than a little terrifying, but it comes with profound feelings of peace and excitement. I’m thrilled to be following God’s plan for me in my life.
Patrick is now interning alongside Pastor Tim Sitterley in Salem, Oregon, where, thankfully, a couple in the congregation is remodeling their home to provide a studio apartment for Patrick to live in.
In August, a new cohort entered the GCI Intern Program (click here for details). We’re running a series here in “Up Close & Personal” to introduce you to some of these newest interns. This week we want you to meet Cara Garrity who is interning in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Cara graduated from Tufts University in 2014 where she studied music and biopsychology. During her years at Tufts, she committed her life to God. Through her Christian fellowship there, God gave her a heart for his kingdom. Over the summers, she worked at a Christian camp for girls where her passion for ministry was confirmed.
After graduation from Tufts, Cara accepted a year-round position at the girls’ camp, putting on hold her plans to pursue a Master’s degree in music therapy. In the months following her decision, Cara became increasingly involved in her GCI home congregation, Grace Christian Church (GCC) in Waltham, Massacusetts. Sensing God leading her to serve her church in some way, she accepted the opportunity to participate in the GCI Intern Program.
Cara is now a pastoral intern at GCC, being mentored by the congregation’s lead pastor, Dishon Mills. She is helping the congregation develop a young adults’ community, where through fellowship, discipleship and service, young adults are helped to experience the kingdom of God and grow into their identity in Christ. Her vision is for a vibrant community of young adults who encourage and challenge each other in their walk with Jesus, contribute their gifts to GCC, seek to proclaim the gospel in all they do, and sacrificially serve the communities in which they live. Cara and Dishon believe this community will be a place of encounter and participation with and in Jesus Christ that the upcoming generation of postmodern young adults yearn for.
Alongside her work at GCC, Cara is working in campus ministry with the New Humanity Institute at Tufts University and Boston College. In these ways, she is growing in love and in an ability to develop leaders, preach, guide Scripture study, and support and encourage young adults.
In August, a new cohort entered the GCI Intern Program (for details, click here). We’re running a series here in “Up Close & Personal” to introduce you to some of these new interns. This week we want you to meet Lakeisha Blake who was recruited into the program by Andy Rooney, who is ahead of Lakeisha in the program. Here is Lakeisha’s testimony:
I didn’t envision being a student again. But here I am—part of the GCI Intern Program, which makes me a student at Grace Communion Seminary.
In the last two years, my life has changed drastically. Between May 2013 and August 2015 I went from a secure and fulfilling job teaching sexual integrity, to being unemployed and living at home. During that time, God began an intensive work of renewal within me—helping me learn to depend on him moment-to-moment.
I learned how to receive from God, and he birthed within my heart dreams and desires way beyond anything I could ever accomplish on my own.
During the time living at home, I often questioned what God was doing and where he was leading me. At the encouragement of a friend who is already attending GCS as an intern, I checked out the program and began asking God if this was the next step for me. Then God reminded me of a puzzling dream I had months earlier, and gave me the assurance that this new opportunity was a partial fulfillment of that dream. With that assurance, I jumped right in!
Lakeisha is now being interned in Durham, North Carolina. Since there is no GCI congregation there to sponsor her, she receives most of her support from the GCnext fund. Shortly after her internship began, we received a call from a GCI church member who felt led to give a gift to the GCnext fund to sponsor Lakeisha for the duration of her internship. We thank the donor, and we thank God for leading the donor to be so generous.
