Category: Stay Connected

This update is from Emmanuel Okai, GCI pastor in Ghana, Africa.

Since 2001, GCI-Ghana has been running educational institutions as a way to serve the communities in which we operate. Our philosophy has been to provide the best spiritual, intellectual and social environment for children in our church areas.

Currently we are operating two schools. The first, founded in 2001 in our church hall is known as Kutunse Ambassador International School (see pictures below). It now has classrooms and a computer lab with 14 personal computers.

There are 14 teachers who assist in running the school which serves pre-school, elementary and junior high aged children. Six groups have graduated from the school and some of the pioneer students are about to complete college degrees. The second school, located near Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, is known as GCI Basic School. It currently has an enrollment of 60 pupils ranging from pre-school to fourth grade.

 

Here is an update from GCI mission developer Rod Matthews concerning GCI’s congregations in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

My wife and I recently flew with Rex Morgan to Vanuatu to visit our congregation in Naveli during their annual family conference. We were met at the airport by Vanuatu’s local pastors, William Davies and Billy Taren (pictured at right with Rex). Together we traveled to Naveli, stopping along the way at village stores to buy supplies. Because the country is in the depths of a drought few fruit and vegetables are available. We bought some canned fish. When we pulled into our church grounds in Naveli I saw that they were beautifully kept, an uplifting reflection of the God we worship.

Their meeting hall accommodated the more than 60 people who attended the services held each day, which were introduced by the children singing and hymns in French and English. The rest of the service was in Bislama, the local version of Pidgin English, with translations by William Davies for the English language messages from Rex and me. I introduced them to their Melanesian brothers and sisters in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. I wished there had been electricity and the equipment to show pictures. God places us in the Body as it pleases him, and his pleasure is seen in the people of this congregation—remote but a vital part of a globe-girdling entity. We talked about how Jesus is the focus of our life and work, of how he came to reveal the Father, of how his presence in us through the Holy Spirit means we will reflect his characteristics such as humility and service regardless of where we live, of how he embraces our humanity through the events of his life, and the special significance of his resurrection to us and all humanity.

On the day before we left, we drove a few miles along a narrow rough track to a pool in a barely running stream coming down from the mountains to baptize two young people—Dao and Maria. The day was hot and the water was cool. In this most idyllic location, they made a public acknowledgement of their salvation in Christ, and we all rejoiced with them.

As a fellowship, we can thank God for the faithfulness of the local people, ably led by local pastor Billy Taren, with the coordination and dedicated, long-time support of elder William Davies who lives on the northern island of Santo and who travels to the church once every 2-3 months. Special thanks also goes to Rex Morgan who, in his love for the people there, has traveled to Vanuatu at least once a year for 37 years to provide pastoral guidance and encouragement and to keep strong their link with our church in New Zealand. In the words of Paul in Romans 15:33, we say to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Vanuatu in their native language, “God yu we i stamba blong pis blong yumi, hem bambae i stap wetem yufala evriwan” (which in English is “The God of peace be with you all”).

Early this month, we learned that a total of 33 people were baptized in GCI congregations in Liberia and Uganda. Those baptized included a 99 year old man and a 13 year old teenager. Below are photos of the baptism ceremonies: Liberia in the top row and Uganda in the bottom row. Our congratulations to all!

Here are reports from several recent GCI conferences.

Philippines

GCI-Philippines recently held a five-day conference in Baguio City with more than 1,000 in attendance. The theme was Celebrating Kingdom Life Now. Featured speakers included Greg Williams (pictured at right), director of US Church Administration and Development; and Larry Hinkle, US pastor and director of Odyssey in Christ ministry. For more about the event, click here.

Canada

The Toronto East and Cornerstone Christian Fellowship congregations of GCI-Canada recently hosted a conference titled Life in Christ, Life in the Trinity. Guest speakers Gary and Cathy Deddo (pictured below) gave sermons and lectures covering the basics of Incarnational Trinitarian theology and its implications in the Christian life. More than 90 people attended, including visitors from neighboring congregations.

Madagascar

Thirty GCI members from Madagascar met recently in Foulpointe on the Indian Ocean coast for a conference titled Joy of Sharing in Christ’s Glory. Activities included organized individual “quiet time,” beach and Bible games, a picnic and evening worship. Two ordinations occurred during the conference: Pastor Daniel Rakotondrabary was ordained an elder to serve members in the Antsirabe congregation, and Angele Rafirangason was ordained a deaconess to serve the Antananarivo congregation.

Nigeria

GCI’s churches in Nigeria held a four-day conference in the neighboring nation of Benin. The theme was God is faithful. God’s presence was evident in the worship with singing, praise and prayer, along with several special music performances. Various events were held, including a leader’s meeting, singles/youth forum, a women’s meeting, Bible Study, video presentations on Incarnational Trinitarian theology, a variety night and an elderly citizens’ forum. A highlight of the conference was the baptism of two teenage girls.

Denmark

GCI-Denmark recently held a conference with the theme Our Christian Journey. Sermons addressed the nature of the journey at personal and collective levels. A highlight was the baptism of 80-year-old Chresten Emil Madsen who for eight years has translated GCI publications in the Norwegian and Danish languages.

Here is a video that tells the story of a drive-in prayer outreach conducted by one of GCI’s congregations in Southern California.

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/8d0MJsKApLY.

Members of the 4/14 Window Group of the GCI congregation in Santa Rosa, Philippines recently traveled to Davao, Philippines, where they shared their abilities and other resources in assisting with children’s ministry. To read about this outreach event, click here.

This update is from Anthony Gachanja, GCI’s national director for Kenya. Anthony has been visiting GCI members in congregations scattered across Kenya, bringing them encouragement. Recently, the members have been reciprocating by visiting Anthony and his wife Jane at their home (they are pictured at right on another occasion with Charles Albrecht and Joseph Tkach).

Here in Kenya we are doing quite well. We thank God for his grace. An interesting trend has been happening—members of our churches have been visiting my family here at our home, and this has really encouraged us. Some of the groups have called these visits, “a time for paying back.” According to them, they have visited us for two reasons: To show us they have been appreciating our visits to their churches, and to get to know our home. Three churches have visited us in the last three months and a fourth is working on a time for their visit. Our house is open to all. The photos below were taken during these visits.

Now that we’ve come to the end of the summer camp season, we have a couple more GenMin camps to tell you about: New Heights and SEP Montana.

New Heights, Connecticut

This report is from camp director Dishon Mills.

New Heights 2015 was fantastic! God poured out his love on us—64 campers and 65 staffers. We began with a block party to get acquainted. That evening we held our first chapel—from the beginning, the campers enthusiastically worshiped God. In accordance with our Epic Story theme, we discussed how God has a story in which we are all part. Our theme song, Rez Power by Israel & New Breed, was introduced. It was an instant hit. We also introduced the Great Book, a gigantic book made to record the stories of our campers. On the first page, campers were asked to write their “working titles”—names they are called and they call themselves that hide the truth of who they are. It was very sobering to read what some of our youth wrote.

On Monday, we began our first full day of activities, including dance, riflery, team-building, science, arts/crafts and biking. This year we added Turning Point (a class that helps campers think about important moments in their lives and how they were impacted) and mountain boarding (like skate boarding but with a longer board with giant wheels and a hand brake—perfect for coasting down New Heights’ many hills). One of the last activities of the day was Showtime, a showcase of skits, songs, dances, etc. by our campers. We ended the day with the Pavilion Party, a series of messy, wild, and hilarious games. Marshmallows, women’s make up, and a sing off were all featured.

On Thursday we held a concert. We were blessed to have several staff who are talented artists. All acts delivered uplifting, Christian messages, letting our campers know that they do not have to give up their music to follow God.

On Friday, we began by baptizing two young people; 15 others dedicated their lives to Christ. God is so good! Each baptism reminds us why we do camp. We then conducted archery and riflery challenges and our first “water war”—a structured water fight where good behavior and actions during the week earned dorms more “water-power.” The staff got in on the action, handing out “justice” with their water blasters. Water war made a big splash (sorry!) and will, no doubt, be one of our signature events.

We closed the day with a beautiful ceremony. The Great Book made another appearance, this time we turned the page to record our True Titles. Campers wrote who they believe God made them to be. It was moving and inspiring to see the transformation our campers underwent in just a week. A banquet followed, and the evening closed with a dance.

New Heights does not happen without its incredible volunteers. As those who pour into the campers, it is important for staff to be spiritually nourished as well. New Heights was blessed to have five lead pastors and five elders attend. With their help we were able to have a morning devotion each day for staff members.

SEP Montana

This report is from camp director Tobe Johnson.

SEP Montana is a faith-based community youth camp held on the banks of Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena, Montana. It was started by Living Hope Fellowship, a GCI congregation. Staff are recruited primarily from community churches, and campers come from across the community. 2015 was our ninth year. We had 116 campers and 60 staff members.

We faced many challenges this year, including learning in March that our regular camp location was unavailable. But God provided and we found another location that gives us room to grow. Though some of our regular staff were unable to participate due to the change of dates, God provided new staff members and allowed existing ones to move into new roles. The change of dates also caused problems with campers’ schedules. We had to refund some deposits. Despite these challenges (or perhaps because of them) we had the best camp ever.

This year, due to GenMin Converge conference participant donations, we were able to add a new dorm for girls (we use tents for dorms). This year we also added a Staff in Training (SIT) Program for kids who are still campers, but show interest in becoming members of our camp staff.

This year we had 44 church and community donor sponsors—a new record for us. We are happy to partner with various church and community organizations to make a difference in kids’ lives. Those organizations include Kiwanis, Wal-Mart and Staples. Our largest donor core is made up of GCI groups, including GCI churches in our region. Thank you!

This year 22 people committed their lives to Christ, including Michael (not his real name) who is about 12 years old. His interactions with several staff members throughout the week went something like this:

• Day 1, to our Christian Living teacher: “I’m a wiccan. Don’t try to convert me.”
• Day 2, to another staff member: “Actually, I’m not a wiccan, but my mom is.”
• Day 3, to another staff member: “I actually might want to get baptized someday, but not this year.
• Day 4: “I think I might want to get baptized this year. Do you think that I can?”

It is our policy to ask parents about baptism on their child’s applications. Michael’s application had checked: “Do not baptize child. Do not call to ask.” Our chaplain explained this to Michael and how we honor our parents and how God will watch over him until a later time when he could get baptized. He seemed to understand and take it all well. God reached out to Michael in 2015 and we all got to witness to it.

This year we baptized 30 campers and staff members in Canyon Ferry Lake—the highest count in our camp history. Another group camping nearby heard about our baptism service and one of the women in that group asked if she could be baptized. In the middle of her camp, with 15 or so of her friends listening in, we talked about baptism, what it pictures, and about God’s unconditional love for us all. At the end of our time, I told her that if she wanted to be baptized, show up at our baptism service, and we would be glad to baptize her. As we were standing out in the water on Friday morning, with a line of kids and staff waiting their turn to enter the water, I looked back at the shore and there she was—standing in line with the rest of those waiting their turn!

A Renewal Church cohort that includes 18 pastors and ministry leaders from the U.S. Western Region met recently at GCI’s home office in Glendora, California. The group meets regularly to sharpen its outreach ministries by receiving training in methods for connecting with and discipling unchurched people.

During the meeting, encouraging stories were shared concerning steps forward in these important aspects of being disciple-making churches. GCI Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM) national coordinator Heber Ticas (standing in the picture below), provided training on the topics of small groups, ministry shift (changing ministry paradigms), and other important aspects of disciple-making ministry. The cohort was challenged regarding ways to change the culture within their congregations to be more fully-aligned with the incarnational, community-oriented nature of Jesus’ ongoing ministry to the world.

Since Christians fellowship by eating together, the group shared a wonderful lunch that provided time for relationship-building.

This update is from Emmanuel Okai, National Ministry Leader for GCI Ghana.

The 2015 Annual Convention of Ghana was simultaneously held in Lolobi-Kumasi and Kutunse. About 150 attended at Lolobi–Kumasi where the theme was “Come celebrate the goodness of God.” Meetings were held at the town square, providing opportunities to minister to members of the community.

About 500 attended in Kutunse, where the theme was based on John 14:3. Meetings were filled with music and dance (see pictures below) and various groups and individuals gave special music in praise of the Lord, whose coming was celebrated with great anticipation. During the convention, deacons and deaconesses were ordained to serve two local congregations, and little children were blessed. A highlight of the convention was the musical presentations from various congregations including a children’s choir that performed a musical skit in which the Apostles Creed was recited. A new group named Couples for Christ GCI was inaugurated to help young couples experience a stable married life, and to be involved in community service projects. Convention activities included hiking, family day, and a visit to Pastor Alfred Ablordeppey who is unwell. Prayers for his healing are requested.