Category: Be Inspired

Together with Hugh Steiginga and Sarah Faulkner, Bonny McQueary serves on the pastoral team at Abundant Grace Fellowship, GCI’s congregation in Fort Myers, Florida. Bonny grew up in Ohio. Her parents were hard working and dedicated to children. They kept 13 foster children during Bonny’s childhood and inspired Bonny to take two foster children of her own. She then adopted one of them, her son Jon, who now lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her daughter and son-in-law, Mindy and Mike Lockard, serve in a GCI congregation in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bonny joined GCI in 1968 after listening to radio programs with Garner Ted Armstrong talking about evolution. The program was on at 11 PM and Bonny would often break out laughing and wake up her husband. “I’m a sucker for a good sense of humor.” Not only does she have a great sense of humor, Bonny also considers herself both a positive person and an extrovert. Those who know her would agree that she has a zeal for life and is always looking forward in hope.

Following her divorce, Bonny moved to Florida for a fresh start. Over the years, she became a leader in the Fort Myers church. She has the distinction of being the second woman to be ordained within GCI as an elder. “This means as #2 I have to try harder!” Bonny says. “The changes in the church gave me the opportunity.”

Bonny, who loves serving as a pastor, said, “I really enjoy our church mission of feeding the homeless. We feed them twice a week, on Sundays after services and on Wednesday for lunch.” She loves the challenge of helping produce good, quality and healthy meals without the use of an on-site kitchen. One of the highlights of the mission is how many people Bonny gets to meet and serve.

One person she met led to an experience that ranks as one of her most memorable as a pastor. Receiving a call from a stranded young man, Bonny and her daughter Mindy, who was visiting at the time, went to see this young man to find out how they could help. “The young man had AIDS and was dying. He came to Fort Myers hoping to reconcile with his family in the area.” Unfortunately, the man’s family rejected him – wouldn’t even see him. The Fort Myers congregation arranged for the young man’s bus trip home. When all was arranged, Bonny gave him a hug. “The fact that I hugged him overwhelmed him and brought tears to his eyes… he wasn’t used to being treated with love.”

Two of Bonny’s passion are intercessory prayer and taking care of the elderly. She loves her quiet time with God where she visualizes being in a safe place with Christ. It is in this safe place that she spends time praying for others and spending some quiet time with God.

When asked if one person influenced her above others in a positive way, Bonny said, “Mother Teresa. I would love to have a tenth of her unselfishness, dedication and patience.” From her life of service, it seems that Bonny’s wish has come true.

Don Hussell, GCI Senior Pastor in Ripley, West Virginia, lives 300 yards from where he was born, on the farm his parents built. He was an only child who learned early how to play by himself and how to work hard. “I am part of the Boomer generation and we breathe work. I don’t think about it, it just happens.” His primary responsibility at an early age was to carry water to his home from the spring on the other side of the hill. He never looked forward to washday, saying, “Mom used way too much water.”

Married to his wife, Alice, for 47 years this November, Don and Alice have one son, one grandson, two granddaughters and one great granddaughter. Don gives much of the credit for his ministry to his wife Alice. “I would not be who I am today without her full support.”

When asked how he became a GCI pastor, Don shared that he simply moved through the process. He first served as a deacon and then became a youth pastor for about six years, conducting large youth events on his farm. In 2004 he became the senior pastor – a feat he claims was the result of “12 long difficult years of misery” in Spokesman Club, which helped him overcome his fear of speaking. “God knew what he was doing because fear was actually keeping me in bondage of being used by God.” In 2003, Don was leading a small group in a small town and they decided they wanted to be a church. Don was asked to be the pastor in 2004.

Don loves being a pastor and loves preparing messages. His pastoral passion is “to help people know who they really are in Christ… watching the Holy Spirit bring new revelation to a person and watching that person grow in Christ.”

Many of Don’s most memorable moments deal with the youth, “taking them to events and watching them come to a place in their lives to believe the gospel and accept Jesus as Lord… to be there when a youth you have been working with comes to that place and says, ‘Jesus is Lord, and from this day he is my Lord.’”

A highlight in Don’s ministry was going to Uganda and helping a pastor build an orphanage. Don invited the pastor to his congregation and the pastor shared a dream of building an orphanage and said he needed $21,000 to build three buildings for the orphanage. “I just felt led to get up in front of our small church of 25 and say I think we need to help this pastor fulfill what God has called him to do,” Don shared. His small church raised more than $50,000 for the orphanage. Sometime later, Don visited the orphanage in Uganda. He has many stories of his trip there that he loves to share with those who ask.

When asked when he feels closest to God, Don responded, “When the opportunity comes that I can tell people about the true God who loves them more than they think… it is at this time that I reflect on what God has done in my life.”

Don’s interest with GCI started in 1980 through The Plain Truth magazine. He has loved the journey Jesus has taken him on. “Being part of the whole process of the transformation… living in legalism, and watching God work with us in that, then being part of the process of transformation… to me it is the reality of following Jesus… we just follow where he leads us by the Holy Spirit.”

Leslie K. Howard has had her first book published. Leslie is a ministry leader at 24/7 Community Church, a GCI congregation in Newark, New Jersey, which is pastored by her husband, Frank Howard.

Leslie’s book, which is titled Sisters with S.A.S.S. (Saved, Anointed, Smart and Successful Women of God), examines lives of both biblical and contemporary women who when presented with challenges faced them boldly, courageously and faithfully. These ladies experienced victory by the divine hand of God. Readers find inspiration for their personal journey while delving into the lives of women such as Jochebed, Abigail and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Each account is followed by a narrative from the author’s life. Discussion questions are provided for either personal or group studies.

Leslie’s book is available at Amazon.com and from her online store.

Nat and Mary Ross are members of GCI’s congregation in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. They are featured in a video (click here) that tells the story of how the Rosses are supporting their son Reuben who will be diving for Canada in the upcoming Olympic Games in London. Best wishes, Reuben!

San Francisco Community Fellowship (SFCC), is a dynamic GCI congregation in the heart of San Francisco, CA, near the top of Mission Street. The congregation’s motto is, “Bridging a multi-cultural community to Jesus Christ.”

With persistence and patience, SFCC has been doing just that – reaching out with God’s love and life to the surrounding community. The result is a growing church fellowship that is wonderfully cross-cultural (representing several ethnic groups) and cross-generational.

Ted Johnston, media coordinator for GCI Church Administration and Development, USA, interviewed several of SFCC’s members. The video below provides excerpts from some of these interviews, highlighting comments concerning why the members appreciate their church home.

http://youtu.be/nArSOSaNYFg

(Theme music by GCI member James Egbert)

Dr. John McKenna is doctrinal advisor to Grace Communion International and a Grace Communion Seminary faculty member. In the video below, John tells his story about writing poetry, and shares a short new poem that he wrote in response to a service on the tenth anniversary of 9-11.

In this occasional feature of GCI Weekly Update, we will profile some of our GCI members. This time we meet Alisha Austin, a young member in our Queens, NY congregation. In addition to her ministry within the congregation, Alisha is busily preparing for a career. Here is what she writes about herself:

I am a recent graduate of Nyack College where I studied English and Cross-Cultural Studies. My program included studying works by Wallace Stevens and Virginia Woolf, and wrestling with topics such as determining whether a country requires aid or development.

My undergraduate degree program intensified my great passion for writing and non-profit work. I am currently designing a Master’s degree program that will allow me to study how writing, whether in the form of literature (such as novels or poems), journalism or social media (such as Facebook), can be both a mirror of and a window for social change. I plan to complete this program at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

Besides being a person who loves writing and reading, I also enjoy volunteering, and running. So far, my volunteer opportunities have included working with a ministry for the homeless, a women’s outreach group and a coffee and tea festival. I ran college level cross country and currently give five mile and longer tours to runners from around the world. So far I have had the opportunity to run with people from France, South Africa, Germany, Canada, Minnesota, Louisiana and Ohio.

Some of my goals in life include being a college professor, traveling around the world, participating in marathons, triathlons, and being a writer and photographer for National Geographic. Besides that, I’ve been thinking about writing a significant literary piece.

I think learning and exploring are two things that will always be a part of my life; I think it is a vital part of the human experience.

God bless you Alisha! We’re excited about your future in our Lord’s service to humanity.