Category: Stay Connected

“As with any role, I am learning and evolving as roles may evolve and change over time. At times, there isn’t a clear mold that we need to “fit” in, but we lean into God’s call and submit ourselves to the Potter’s hands and be open to using the gifts that we are blessed with as we serve.”—Lucy Santibanez Enerio

Check out this month’s GCI Profile to get to know Lucy, GCI Home Office Administrative Assistant in Charlotte, NC. To read her full profile, click the image below. #WeAreGCI

Join us in communion and corporate prayer this month as we thank God that he includes us in his good work.

“Christians pray because they have to, because the Spirit is surging up inside them.” ― Rowan Williams

Click here or the image below to download and print the June Prayer Guide, which celebrates how God is working in and among our fellowships. #WeAreGCI

 

Grace Communion Cleveland hosted their 19^th Annual LiLY Women’s Conference on April 14-16, at Embassy Suites in Beachwood, Ohio. Seventy-three women took part in our conference that highlighted the theme, “Rekindle” (2 Tim 1:6-7).

Friday night the weekend began with a praise & worship band followed by speaker Josephine Shelton-Townes. Her topic was “Blessed, not Stressed.” She shared how we can block ourselves from blessings by allowing stress to take root in our lives. One of the big takeaways from the session was, “The word no is a complete sentence.”

Saturday morning, after praise and worship, Joy Traschel shared a session titled, “Reclaiming What Has Been Stolen.” She showed us in scripture how David strengthened himself in the Lord. Using his example, she highlighted the importance of naming what has been stolen, taken, or given away. We were reminded of the need to know who we are praying to and change our posture when inquiring of the Lord.

Next, Rachel G. Scott led Saturday morning and afternoon sessions. She spoke about how Peter denied Christ, but God still embraced him. She explained how Peter desired to go back to what was familiar, being a fisherman. However, he was given a new job, feeding the sheep. As God gives us assignments, we cannot become distracted.

Saturday evening ended with a prayer service and powerful testimonials. The final session was our church service held on Sunday. Pastor Tamar Gray spoke about how we have everything we need to move forward from the weekend with power, love, and self-discipline in Jesus Christ.

Save the Date: Our 20^th annual conference will be held on April 24-26, 2024. Follow us on Facebook@lilywomensconference for more information.

Rosa Hulse, Women’s Ministry leader
Cleveland, OH, US

In March, thirty members participated in this year’s Refresher Weekend on the beautiful Kapiti Coast, an hour north of Wellington, New Zealand. Martin Bailey from Melbourne was our guest presenter. Martin is a qualified business mentor who has spent 13 years in productivity improvement and training for some of the world’s largest companies.

The theme was the 4 Es: Engage, Equip, Empower, and Encourage. The 4 Es describe a process focused on developing people for ministry participation and leadership. Martin began with an overview of the Faith, Hope, and Love Avenues, then led a session on each of the 4 Es. We all really enjoyed his relaxed and personable style, punctuated with short video clips and spiced with a liberal dose of humour.

Martin focused on equipping and empowering us to share the gospel by simply being real and authentic. He kept pointing us back to the practical application of the message, caring for others, and taking their perspective. He encouraged us to start with something small and see where it leads. Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman started as small as “Can I have a drink?” and ended with a whole village coming to believe in the Messiah.

The intention was to seek the Spirit’s guidance toward what we might actively put into practice. The attendees committed to trying one or more of Martin’s small steps and discussing the results at our next Celebration in September. All were encouraged to share what they learned with others so the whole church could benefit.

Phil Baldwin started each of the sessions with a short devotional service and Rex Morgan led communion, which was a fitting way to conclude a wonderful time together.

The board members stayed an additional night for a meeting on Monday. Dennis Richards presented his strategic directions update, reporting progress achieved and challenges ahead. He concluded by noting 2023 is midway through GCI’s Three-year Plan. In 2022 we introduced the three Avenue ministries underpinning GCI’s missional aspirations. In 2023 we established these operationally. And in 2024, we’ll focus on settling these into the life rhythms of the church.

Rex Morgan, Pastor
Auckland, New Zealand

The Bicol Youth Camp was held April 5-8. Sixty campers attended from different local churches in five provinces of Bicol Region, Philippines. The camp was held at the Grace Communion Cotmon property. (Cotmon is a barangay in the municipality of Polangui, in the province of Albay. A barangay is a small district forming the most local level of government.) Forty-five staff volunteers were led by camp director Pastor Justine Paolo Parcasio (Jep).

Every day included a plenary session with a devotional message and worship. Activities for the four dorms were basketball, archery, ballroom dancing, Christian living, and community service.

The second day included a variety show where the dorms showcased their talents in singing, dancing, and acting. The day ended with a night of worship and prayer. It was an inspiring time. Many campers wrote in their evaluation of camp that it was one of their highlights.

On the third day, the campers had a 5 a.m. start time with a hike. The campers and staff formed a line and slowly but determinedly followed the narrow trail up the mountain. At the top, while appreciating the amazing view, everyone enjoyed a devotional message and sang, “How Great Thou Art.” The dorms were also given quiet time for solitude in nature.

The campers celebrated the last night of camp with a dance. After a short talk on etiquette, I led the campers in an ice-breaker activity. The campers exhibited the ballroom dancing skills (cha-cha and swing) they learned in class.

The last day began with the sunrise service and people in the community were invited to join. The last day concluded with clubs and an award ceremony. Clubs are mini workshops in worship leading, worship dance, drums, bass, and sound system.

The campers went home filled with experiences to share with their friends outside the camp. The camp truly is a blessing, not just to the campers, but also to the staff. To participate in God’s expansion of his kingdom on earth is an honor, but also a humbling experience. We can’t wait for next year’s camp!

By Jessica Joy Pamor, GC Pili Youth Leader
Bicol, Philippines

Ihor Kulbida served as the associate pastor of the GCI congregation in Rochester, NY for more than 18 years. Pastor Leonard Banks submitted the following to share with our Update readers.

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Ihor Kulbida, 82, passed away on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Ihor was born in 1940 near Kiev, Ukraine. When he was a small child, his parents fled Ukraine due to World War II. They found refuge in a displaced persons camp in Germany. After several years, they were given residency in Brazil and built a life there for nine years, finally immigrating to the United States in 1958.

Ihor met his wife Marina four years later in 1962 in Brooklyn, NY. They were next door neighbors. They were married in 1964, and their son Chris was born in 1965. Their lovely daughter, Larissa, was born in 1969 and sadly passed away in 2021.

Ihor graduated from the City College of New York with an electrical engineering degree. He and his family moved to Rochester, and he worked as an engineer and manager at Xerox Corporation for 33 years. When he retired, he devoted his time as an associate pastor and treasurer for his church.

Ihor will be remembered as a caring husband by Marina, his wife of 58 years, and as a father, grandfather, and good friend to many.

“Wisdom is not gained by knowing what is right. Wisdom is gained by practicing what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails.” ― Barbara Brown Taylor

Click the image below to view the entire May Prayer Guide and join us in corporate prayer and communion. #WeAreGCI

“In early March, we held a Faith, Hope, and Love in Action workshop in Jacksonville, FL. Teams of pastors and their three Avenue champions attended from 10 US congregations, two Canadian congregations, and one Caribbean congregation. I was inspired by the teachability of the group, their hunger for learning more, and their eagerness to be more intentional and active when they return home.” —Greg Williams, President

The workshop would not have been possible without the involvement of the members of our home office staff: Michelle Fleming, Communications Director, Pam Morgan, Operations Coordinator, Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator, and Lucy Enerio, Administrative Assistant. Thank you for your dedication to plan and execute this workshop. We’re grateful for their vision to create an interactive workshop.

The Appreciative Inquiry model was used, that seeks to engage participants in self-determined change. The teams spent most of the day and half workshop in small group discussions, in a collaborative, strength-based approach. Our GCI coaches played an important role, guiding the discussions with the following prompts:

• • • Discover what gives you life in your role.
    • Dream what could be.
    • Design how you can make your dream a reality.
    • Develop a plan to deploy your design.

“It was good and pleasant to fellowship with fellow encourager “champs” and to learn and inspire one another. The coaching provided was delivered in a very kind way. We all learned from each other, and the coaches were there to champion (encourage) the champions by giving wise prompts (questions).” –Jay Santibanez, Faith Avenue Champion, Richardson, TX, US

“It was such a blessing to join other teams from across North America to collaborate on practical ideas and strategies for the three Avenues. It was also enriching to bring our local team together for focused sessions with a coach. I realized the importance of togetherness, and this workshop was a great reminder that we get to participate in ministry “with” Jesus. “With” might have to be my word for the year!”–Gillian Houghton, Hope Avenue Champion, Winnipeg, Canada

The Jacksonville, FL congregation generously hosted the event, with nearly a dozen volunteers providing hospitality to the 65 guests. Thank you!

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The GCnext Fund helps make it possible for GCI to provide workshops like this one in the US. We invite you to support our leadership development programs by donating to the GCnext Fund.

Here are two ways for churches to donate:

• • Church treasurers can login to online.gci.org and select Manage, Church Donations to the Denomination. You may give a one-time donation or set up recurring support to GCNext.

• • Send a check made out to “Grace Communion International,” with GCNext in the memo, to: Grace Communion International, 3120 Whitehall Park Drive, Charlotte, NC 28273-3335. For assistance, phone donation support at 980-495-3977.

Donations to the GCnext fund, which are tax deductible in the U.S., are used to support U.S. domestic missions.