Category: Stay Connected

Registration is now open!

2026 LiLY Women’s Conference
April 24-26, 2026
Embassy Suites in Independence, Ohio

Theme: Aligned with Purpose

… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1b-2 (NIV)

Read the schedule here.

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Registration Fee:

• • • $85 Early Bird Pricing — Register by Friday, March 27, 2026
    • $95 Regular Pricing — Register by Friday, April 17, 2026
    • $60 Special Teen Rate — Ages 13-17

Online registration ends on April 17, 2026.

Hotel Reservation/Cost:

Embassy Suites, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd. Independence, Ohio, U.S.

Overnight hotel rate: $134 per night, per suite, 4-person room
(Total with tax is $315 ­­­­­­for both nights. Breakfast and manager’s reception are included for hotel guests only.)

Click here to make your reservation online.

Group Name: LiLY Women’s Conference
Group Code: LW4
Central Reservations Number: 1-866-315-1185
Deadline for hotel reservations at the special rate is Friday, March 27, 2026.

Register today online at gccle.church/lily

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If not registering online, mail your registration fee with checks payable to:
Grace Communion Cleveland
4499 Canterbury Road
North Olmsted, Ohio 44070

(Please include your name, address, phone number, emergency contact name and address, and if you are staying for Saturday night dinner)

If you have any questions, please email us at: LiLYwomensministry@gmail.com

Rosa Hulse
Women’s Ministry Leader
Grace Communion Cleveland

Like/Follow us on Facebook at LiLYWomensConference.

Grace Communion International is seeking a Digital Content Developer to serve on our Media Team. This full-time, non-exempt position is based in Charlotte, NC, and reports to the Media Coordinator.

The Digital Content Developer helps tell the story of what God is doing through Grace Communion International by creating thoughtful, engaging digital content including video, podcasts, and graphics. This role collaborates closely with the Media Team to develop projects from concept through completion.

We are looking for someone who values creative excellence, collaboration, and lifelong learning, and who resonates with GCI’s commitment to sharing the gospel and participating in the love and life of the triune God.

Applicants should have relevant education or experience in digital media production and be aligned with GCI’s mission and theological commitments. See the job description here.

If you would like further details on the position or would like a GCI job application, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@gci.org or 980-495-3960.

Please share this announcement with qualified candidates who may be gifted for this position at the Home Office.

A New Giving and Member System Is Coming in 2026

Every year brings a sense of expectancy, and in 2026, our congregations will be stepping into something new. Grace Communion International will soon begin using an updated system to help U.S.-based congregations care for members and manage giving more effectively.

Our current online system (iMIS) has reached the end of its life, so we are transitioning to a new, modern system, Ministry Platform, which will better support both U.S.-based local congregations and the wider GCI fellowship.

What This Means for You

While much of this transition will happen behind the scenes, members can expect several benefits over time, including:

• • Easier and more flexible options for online giving
  • Improved communication from your local congregation
  • Better coordination of events, small groups, and ministry activities
  • Tools that help churches care well for members and guests

Change always takes time, and we are committed to moving at a thoughtful and measured pace. Pastors, treasurers, and ministry leaders will receive training and ongoing support as the new system is introduced. Additional features will be added gradually throughout the year to ensure a smooth transition for congregations and members alike.

Moving Forward Together

Whether you feel curious, excited, or cautious about this change, we are grateful to walk this journey together. We trust that this update will support our shared mission and help us continue living and sharing the gospel in our congregations and communities.

Robert Meade, GCI Comptroller
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

Retired Pastor Raymond Taylor died on December 15, 2025. Join us in praying for his wife, Cindi, and their family. We share in their grief and in their hope of resurrection. Cindi shared the following obituary.

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I regretfully share the news of the passing of my best friend and very dear husband of 51 years, Raymond Taylor. He was 73. Raymond was born in 1952 to Roscoe and Florene (first given name “Ethel” and maiden name “Tackett”) Taylor. Raymond was the eldest of five children. He grew up in the coal-mining area of Pike County, Kentucky, where he learned to play trumpet and excelled in his studies.

After graduating as valedictorian of Phelps High School Class of 1970, he was accepted to the Big Sandy campus of Ambassador College, where I met him and fell in love with him. We married on June 5, 1974, following our college graduation. We were sent out to serve the Worldwide Church of God and then Grace Communion International churches in Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, West Virginia, and Delaware. Later in his work life, Raymond worked for Marketplace Ministries as a chaplain in the workplace and also as a chaplain for Delaware Hospice.

Raymond loved pastoring, giving sermons with much storytelling and good humor, referring to his congregations as “family.” We have two children, who periodically sang with us in church activity nights or for special music. We enjoyed hosting dinners with church members, going to musical shows, and camping, hiking, sightseeing and as a family in all the beautiful places we were blessed to be sent. Raymond never forgot his eastern Kentucky roots and delighted in Appalachian history, culture, and foods along with injecting self-deprecatory humor related to the regional stereotypes.

Raymond was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Randall. He is survived by me, his widow, Cynthia (Cindi) Taylor, along with our son Aaron Taylor (Christine), our daughter Amber Scott (Jon), brothers Roderick Taylor (Dorcas) and Russell Taylor (Sharon), sister Priscilla Linge (Bill), six grandchildren (Aiden, Penelope, Fiona, Gwendolyn, Lucy and Drew) and several nephews and nieces.

We are pleased he is no longer suffering and in heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have known and loved many people in all these places for many years. For those who wish to contact me, my address is:

Cynthia L. Taylor
206 Royal Grant Way
Dover, DE 19901

“I strive to care for others with empathy, reflect God’s love, and act with honesty and transparency.”

Meet Angelica Hamrick. She is the newest employee in the GCI home office. Her role is member service representative and accounts receivable clerk.

Read her full profile here.

GCI Malaysia celebrated its Festival 2025 at the Grand Kampar Hotel in October. The theme for the festival was “Kingdom Culture – Living in Peace.” About 40 members from Malaysia and Singapore attended.

Retired pastor Wong Mein Kong conducted group discussions on the theme of “Living in Peace.” Members actively participated in the discussions giving their opinions and sharing personal examples. This year Dominique Fun represented the young adults. He spoke on the expectations of young adults and teenagers in the present society.

 

The Pasadena congregation celebrated our eldest member, Divina Castillo. She celebrated her 100th birthday on November 16. Her husband Rupert died in December 2017. Divina has two daughters and one son, 10 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. She prays for them by name regularly.

Divina’s memory is still sharp. She was with us when we began planting this church in 2012. She is my prayer partner to this day. She is a great blessing to many and never tires of praying for others. We praise God for Divina.

 

Angie Tabin, Pastor
Pasadena, CA, US

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on July 23-26, 2026.

Registration for the 2026 Denominational Celebration is open!

We would love for you to participate in our time together. This gathering gives our fellowship time to worship, learn, and enjoy being together. The schedule offers steady rhythms of teaching, connection, and shared worship.

Our theme for this celebration is Kingdom Living. Throughout the event, we will explore how God invites us to participate in his life, reflect his goodness, and join his ongoing work in the world. The theme will guide our worship, breakout sessions, and main teachings. It will help us focus on the hope we share and the way we live it out in our daily lives.

Join us for:

• • • Daily worship setting a hopeful tone each day
    • Breakouts that explore discipleship, calling, and mission
    • Messages from our leaders, including Greg Williams
    • Interviews with leaders who will share insights and stories
    • Communion that reminds us of our shared life in Jesus
    • Time for meals, fellowship, and personal reflection

Save your spot and register today!

Join us in honoring Rick Shallenberger, who retired in January 2025. In addition to being a regional director, Rick was also serving as the Equipper editor.

Rick and Cheryl, your faithful service and love for Jesus’ Church demonstrates your generous and kind hearts. We are very grateful to you both.

We asked Rick to tell us about his journey.

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I have had a rich experience in Grace Communion International. I retired as a regional director, but it was only one of the many hats I’ve worn over the 40+ years of ministry. These hats include initially working with youth ministry as a coach, teacher, and mentor, then working full time for GCI as a writer and editor of most of the publications we’ve produced over the years. I served as an elder in Evansville, Indiana when I was called to pastoral ministry. I had always desired to pastor, but I heard the specific call at a Promise Keeper’s conference in Knoxville, TN. As we were leaving, the three pastors I was with asked me if I heard the calling. All three of them were convicted God wanted me in pastoral ministry. Talk about immediate affirmation.

I served as pastor for six different congregations before being asked to serve as regional director and assistant to our current GCI President. All of these hats/responsibilities came with challenges (which I loved to face for the most part) and numerous blessings. My wife and I have friends all around the world because of the opportunities we’ve had to travel, and I’ve had to teach and train. Looking back, I see very little I would change as I believe I’ve been richly blessed. My goal has always been to help others see the truth about who Jesus is, who they are in him, and to help them live in their true identity as the beloved of Father, Son, and Spirit. I know God directed that vision, and I have full confidence he helped me fulfill that vision. And though I was the employed one, my wife is better at sharing that vision than I am. She has the gift of nurturing others in ways that simply amaze me.

I am now in a new chapter of life, known as retirement, and when Cheryl retires, we don’t see that our mission will change. We currently host a small group where we continue to share the truth about who God is and who we are in him.

Retirement has given me new opportunities I am looking forward to exploring. This spring I had a workshop built so I can learn new woodworking skills. I’m still setting it up for efficiency. I’ve done quite a bit of remodeling in most of the homes we’ve owned – basic construction – but now I want to learn more detailed woodworking. My first project was a set of chairs (pictured below).

Once Cheryl retires, besides spending a lot more time with our grandchildren, we plan to travel, build up our garden, and look for new opportunities to expand our horizons. Cheryl wants to take up piano again; I am currently studying Italian for a future trip, and we want to tour this country we live in. We’d like to visit all the national parks and simply enjoy time together enjoying God’s creation.

Join us in honoring Tim Sitterley, who retired from employment with GCI in January 2025.

We are very grateful to you for your love and faithful service to the bride of Christ, Tim.

We asked Tim to share his reflections.

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To be honest, I had not spent much time in retrospective thought since retiring from employment with GCI back in January. That old joke that I would be busier now than when I worked full-time proved to be far more accurate than I ever imagined. But the one thing I’ve found I missed from my years as a pastor and then as a regional director was the interaction with an almost endless number of incredible people.

As a senior pastor, I had the opportunity to come to know the members in my congregations at an intimate level few achieve outside of immediate family. Anyone who has ever pastored for any period of time comes to understand why the early church adopted the title “Father” for their clergy. The feelings of love and responsibility for the people God has called you to serve overshadows all other aspects of the job. Young or old, you can’t shake the fact that they all have become your spiritual children. You celebrate with them, and you weep with and for them. You are there for them during some of the most important events in their lives. And you speak encouragement and hope to their family and friends when they have passed on.

When I became the director of the western United States, that familial relationship expanded to a level I could not have imagined. I developed a habit of taking a photograph from the pulpit of the congregations I spoke to, and in looking back at that collection of pictures, I see so many people who have now become an extended part of my life. Whether it was Anchorage, Seattle, Sacramento, or San Diego, these were now my people, and I know I could walk into any of the congregations from my former region and be greeted as a long-lost friend.

The icing on the cake was the international relationships I was blessed to make. From island hopping in the Caribbean in the early days of my employment, to leading “pilgrims” to the Holy Land in the final years, I saw much more of the world than a farm-boy from Pennsylvania could have ever imagined. One of the highlights was the time I was able to spend in the Philippines, and the opportunity to facilitate CORE training with many of our current leaders there and in India. Even today, a good portion of my Facebook posts are in Tagalog, and due to the dateline shift, I start getting birthday wishes the day before my actual birthday.

I will continue to serve in my local congregation as an assistant pastor, worship leader, and musician. I have taken a part-time position working with the local business community. And I definitely don’t miss getting on airplanes at 5:00 a.m. on a regular basis. But I do miss what waited for me on the other end of those flights — people who made my job a joy and a blessing.