About 70 participants (pictured below) from six GCI congregations in the Northwest gathered recently for the second annual commUNITY retreat held at the Christian Renewal Center in Silverton, Oregon.
The retreat’s theme of unity was anchored on Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21, “[My prayer is] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Participants renewed and deepened friendships, experienced spiritual growth through small group discussions and devotionals, and sang praises to the Lord. They were encouraged to reflect on the profound unity that is grounded in the unity that the Son has with his Father through the Spirit. Everyone shared how that kind of unity is reflected in one’s personal and congregational life.
Several members provided entertainment during a Talent/UnTalent Show. There was lip-synching of a song from the movie Frozen, a trio performed a Broadway number (see picture at right), there were stand-up comics, and flute and saxophone productions.
Dr. Brad Harper, professor of Bible and Theology at Multnomah University, presented a talk entitled “Christianity and Homosexuality: One Straight, Male, Evangelical Theologian’s Journey.” The talk addressed what it looks like for the church to love its gay neighbors in a biblical, Christological (incarnational), Trinitarian way. Participants appreciated Dr. Harper’s compassionate approach and described it as a thought-provoking and much-needed dialogue.
Rey Taniajura, missions director for GCI Philippines, reports that he and three other GCI Philippines members recently attended the fifth Global Summit of the 4/14 Window Movement, held in New York City. The movement helps churches and Christian organizations equip and mobilize children age 4 to 14, along with their families, in order to advance holistic transformation in their respective communities, nations and regions. More than 1,100 participants from 82 countries attended the summit, which focused on best practices.
During their time in New York, the GCI delegation attended the worship service of GCI’s Queens congregation. Dr. Taniajura (at right in the picture) addressed the congregation to brief them on the summit.
As a result of what the GCI members learned at the summit, they are considering shifting one of GCI’s Philippine churches to a 4/14 model where the focus would be not only on serving children within the congregation but also ministering to children outside. One of the GCI delegates to the summit, Sylvia Roxas, agreed to develop a children’s discipleship curriculum that will be part of GCI Philippines’ Discipleship Pathway (D-Star) initiative.
GCI elder John Biswas returned recently from a mission trip to Bangladesh. The trip was complex and dangerous, given the fanaticism in the region (including ISIS activity). According to John, “hundreds of people from all walks of life responded whole-heartedly” to the gospel.
John travels under the auspices of the Bengali Evangelical Association (BEA), a non-profit entity that John set up separate from GCI for the purpose of mission work in Bangladesh and other places where there are concentrations of Bengali people. This arrangement is useful due to John’s close ties to the Bengali people and his specific knowledge of their culture, including religious sensitivities.
Because BEA’s work in Bangladesh has proven to be an effective means for spreading the gospel, over the last two years GCI has contributed about $120,000 to BEA. Those contributions have come from denominational funds, including the Disaster Relief Fund.
Pictured below are pictures from John’s recent trip to Bangladesh, showing what BEA is doing to raise up gospel workers, feed the hungry, provide vocational training (in this case, training nurses) and caring for children.
Members of GCI’s U.S. Church Administration and Development (CAD) team met recently in Dallas, Texas, to discuss the restructuring of CAD that will be implemented fully by January 1, 2015. GCI senior pastors and pastoral care team members in the U.S. recently received a letter from CAD associate director Greg Williams that outlined the details, including the vision, values, mission, core ministries and regional structure that will carry GCI in the United States into the future (Greg will become the director of CAD in January when Dan Rogers, the current CAD director, retires). Much of the information covered in Greg’s letter is highlighted below. The video shows excerpts of Greg’s presentation at the Dallas meeting.
A key part of the new CAD structure is the formation of six U.S. administrative regions to replace the current district structure in January, 2015. Below is a map showing the boundary of each region. Following that are lists identifying the regional pastor and congregations within each region. In announcing this new structure, we also extend our deep appreciation to the men who have served for several years as our U.S. district pastors.
(1) West Region: Lorenzo Arroyo, regional pastor
Lorenzo Arroyo with his wife Rita
• Eugene & Salem, OR • Port Angeles, WA • Olympia, WA • Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA • Port Orchard, WA • Federal Way, WA • Tacoma, WA • Seattle-Bellevue, WA • Klamath Falls, OR • Medford, OR • Bend, OR
Tim Sitterley (associate regional pastor for the northwest area) with his wife Linda
• Coeur d’Alene, ID & Spokane, WA • Boise, ID • Missoula, MT • Helena, MT • Anchorage, AK • Kenai, AK
• Sun Valley & Los Angeles, CA (Spanish) • Hawthorne, CA (Spanish) • Santa Fe Springs, CA (Spanish) • Santa Ana, CA (Spanish) • Moreno Valley, CA (Spanish) • Pasadena, CA (Spanish) • Howell, NJ (Spanish)
• Elko, NV • Green River, WY • Casper, WY • Salt Lake City, UT • Phoenix, AZ • Cottonwood, AZ • Tucson, AZ • Honolulu, HI
• Sacramento, CA • Modesto, Santa Rosa & Fairfield, CA • San Jose, CA • San Francisco, CA • San Leandro, CA • Watsonville, CA • Redding & Chico, CA • Reno, NV • Visalia, CA • Fresno, CA
• Eagle Rock, CA • Pasadena & Los Angeles, CA • Chatsworth & Ventura, CA • Los Angeles, CA • Long Beach, CA • Beaumont & Victorville, CA • Antelope Valley, CA • Central Coast, CA • Orange County, CA • Glendora & Rancho Cucamonga, CA • Las Vegas, NV • San Diego, CA
(2) South-Central Region: Mike Rasmussen, regional pastor
Mike Rasmussen with his wife Juli
• Wheatland, WY • Cheyenne, WY • Denver (North), CO • Denver (South) & Colorado Springs, CO • Pueblo, CO
• Oklahoma City, OK • Tulsa, OK • Van Buren, AR • Wichita, KS • Tontitown, AR • Amarillo, TX
• Kansas City, MO • St. Joseph, MO • Topeka, KS • Kirksville, MO • Omaha, NE & Sioux City, IA • Scotts Bluff, NE • Springfield & Joplin, MO
(3) North-Central Region: Rick Shallenberger, regional pastor
Rick Shallenberger with his wife Cheryl
• St. Paul & Champlin, MN • Fargo, ND • Minot, ND • Sioux Falls, SD • St. Cloud, MN • Duluth, MN • Appleton, WI • Bloomington, MN • Wisconsin Dells, WI • Rochester, MN • Eau Claire, WI • Wausau, WI • Orr, MN • Dickinson, ND
• Cicero, IL • Manteno, IL • Madison, Rockford & Janesville, WI • Madison, WI (Spanish) • Chicago (NW) &, Joliet, IL • Chicago (N), IL & Kenosha, WI • Harvey, IL • Milwaukee, WI • West Bend, WI • Watertown, WI
• St Louis, MO • Des Moines, IA • Hillsboro, MO • Warrenton, MO • Lake of the Ozarks, MO • Alton City, IL • Belleville, IL • Macomb, IL • Davenport, IA
• Grand Rapids & Ravenna, MI • Fort Wayne & Elkhart, IN • Chase, MI • Michigan City, IN • Freeland & Flint, MI • Kenockee, MI • Livonia, MI • Detroit, MI • Toledo, OH • Cleveland and Akron, OH • Lorain, OH • Tipp City, OH • Columbus & Chillicothe, OH • Indianapolis, Lafayette, Terre Haute & Hope, IN • Richmond, IN
(4) East Region: Randy Bloom, regional pastor
Randy Bloom with his wife Debbie
• Meriden & Stratford, CT • Montpelier, VT • Holden & Waltham, MA • Windham, ME • Bangor, ME • Providence, RI • Loudon, NH • Queens & Manhattan, NY • Staten Island, NY • Schenectady, NY • Lake George, NY
• Rochester, NY • Syracuse, NY • Buffalo, NY • Olean, NY • Canfield, OH • Fredonia, NY • Marion, OH • Jenners, PA • Washington, PA, Wheeling, WV & Cambridge, OH • Pittsburgh & Indiana, PA • Mount Pleasant, PA • Mineral Wells & Summersville, WV
• Cincinnati East, OH • Cincinnati West, OH • Ripley, WV • London, KY • Bowling Green, KY • Paducah, KY • Hazard, KY • Pikeville, KY • Mt. Sterling, KY • Louisa, WV • Lexington, KY • Memphis, TN • Jonesboro, AR • Jackson, TN • Nashville & Murfreesboro, TN • Clarksville, TN
(5) Mid-Atlantic Region: Paul David Kurts, regional pastor
Paul David Kurts with his wife Emma Lee
• Garwood, NJ & Philadelphia, PA • Lakehurst, NJ • Newark, NJ • Hillsdale, NJ • Middletown, NY • White Plains, NY • York, PA • Selinsgrove, PA • Blossburg, PA • Wilkes Barre, PA
• Baltimore, MD • Virginia Beach, VA • Richmond (South), VA • Smithburg, MD • Cumberland, MD • Seaford & Elsmere, DE • Front Royal, VA • Roanoke, VA • Richmond, VA • Washington, DC
(6) Southeast Region: Ted Johnston, regional pastor
Ted Johnston with his wife Donna
• Longview, TX • Tyler, TX • Big Sandy, TX & Texarkana, AR • Batesville, AR • Pine Bluff, AR • Russellville, AR • Nacogdoches, TX • Beaumont, TX • Lake Charles, LA • Shreveport & Monroe, LA • Baton Rouge & Lafayette, LA • New Orleans & Hammond, LA • Jackson, Hattiesburg & Meridian, MS • Greenwood, MS • Natchez, MS
• Chattanooga, TN & Murphy, NC • Decatur, AL • Monroeville, AL • Mobile, AL • Geneva, AL • Montgomery, AL • Birmingham & Good Hope, AL • Attalla, AL • Atlanta, GA • Dallas, GA • Buford, GA • Athens, GA • Snellville, GA • Columbus, GA • Macon, GA
• Jacksonville, FL & Woodbine, GA • Thomasville, GA • Tallahassee, FL • Orlando & Melbourne, FL • Gainesville, FL • Port St. Lucie & Pompano Beach, FL • Miramar, FL • Miami, FL • Ft. Myers, FL • Plant City, FL • Clearwater, Ocala & Bradenton, FL
About eight years ago, Christian Family Fellowship, GCI’s congregation in Jacksonville, Florida, began holding “Everybody Come To Church Day.” Though designed primarily to encourage all the members to attend on the same day, many members brought guests with them. And so the event was renamed “Friends and Family Day.”
According to senior pastor Marty Davey, in the early years the event drew 20 to 30 guests. But when the congregation began giving prizes to the member who brought the most guests, and the event was moved from September to October (cooler weather away from the busy beginning of school season), the number of guests began to increase.
Concerned that they wouldn’t have enough seating in their sanctuary, the congregation stopped offering the prizes. Nevertheless, this year about 75 guests attended! The event always features special musical presentations from the congregation’s outstanding gospel choir (pictured on stage above). This year it also included a youth praise dance (pictured below).
The goal of Friends and Family Day is to introduce guests to the church where their family and friends attend and to show them hospitality in a worship service and a meal that follows. This is done to foster good relations and unity in the greater Body of Christ (some guests are members of other churches) and to connect with unchurched people to help them begin a journey as disciples of Jesus in the fellowship of the church. Over the years, several people from the community have begun that journey at the event and now are active members of the congregation.
A highlight of Friends and Family Day this year was the baptism of one of the congregation’s young adults (pictured below).
Curtis May, director of GCI’s affiliate ministry, the Office of Reconciliation and Spiritual Mediation (ORM), recently conducted an ORM chapter leaders’ training conference in Cincinnati, Ohio (see picture at right).
Following the conference in Cincinnati, Curtis traveled to the St. Louis area, where he met with 15 police chiefs and other officers gathered in Florissant, Missouri, near Ferguson, which has had a prominent place in the news recently. Curtis addressed various types of racism and steps that can be taken to break the cycle of oppression. Curtis shared his experiences as a citizen being confronted by police, and as an ORM director helping the Pasadena, California, police department improve their racial sensitivity and community relations. Those in attendance responded favorably, asking what they could do to strengthen relations with the communities they serve.
GCI-Kenya national director Anthony Gachanja reports eight baptisms in the Naivasha, Kenya congregation (see the three pictures below). Anthony commented, “We are thankful to God because of his grace. We are really humbled by God’s love for this church.”
GCI-Malawi national director Gardner Kunje reports that 26 people were baptized in a service at the Blantyre congregation. Those baptized (see picture below) attend GCI’s congregations in Mbulumbuzi, Mombezi and Mpanda. Gardner commented, “We praise God for bringing more people to our fellowship.”
Church hall dedicated and leaders commissioned in Kenya
Recently, a wonderful service was held in GCI’s congregation in Naivasha, Kenya (near Nairobi) to dedicate a new church hall (pictured at right) and to commission new church leaders. Present at the service were GCI-Africa mission developers Tim Maguire (accompanied from South Africa by Lova Rafiringason) and Kalengule Kaoma.
Tim said, “Lova and I had a truly uplifting time. We were fortunate to be at this special service. The church in Naivasha started as a three-member Bible study. That group approached GCI for affiliation after being interrogated by local police. Now, about six years later, the congregation’s new church hall was packed with over 300 people (see picture below, left). It’s amazing how powerful it is when we participate in the work that Christ is doing in communities!” During the service, Pastor Michael Thuku Boro (pictured below, right with his wife) was ordained an elder and Daniel Murange Muriuki, David Mumo Nzuki and Mark Onyango Owour were commissioned to provide leadership in their respective GCI congregations in Kabatiro, Mitamboni and Homa Bay.
Ordinations in Cameroon
Recently, eight members from various GCI congregations were ordained as elders in a ceremony held in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The ceremony was led by GCI-Cameroon president Jean Jacques Ndoudoumou. Those ordained (pictured below) were Agnes Don Balinga (Limbe congregation); Victoire Marie Genevieve Eboumbou (Douala); Rosalie Ndoudoumou (Yaoundé), Jean Zambo (Minlongo/Sianfou); Roger Kolokosso A Bediang, Jean Joel Begnikin, Joel Ferdinand Ndayi Mpinda (all from the Yaoundé congregation) and Armand Pierre Essam (South Region).
GCI mission developer Hector Barrero and his wife Paulina recently traveled to Peru where Hector conducted a conference attended by about 60 GCI members (including children) representing three GCI-Peru churches. The conference theme was “Our identity in Christ.”
The conference was held at the home of Jose Kasum, GCI’s national pastor in Peru. The Kasums, who live in Chaclacayo, two hours from the capital city of Lima, provided their backyard as the conference venue (pictured above).
During the conference, church leaders presented reports, sharing what the Lord Jesus is doing in their congregations. One report included a testimony from 12-year-old Camila Gutierrez (pictured at left).
When Camila’s family moved to the city of Pucallpa, she decided to start a church for children in her home. Camila invited neighbor children to sing Christian songs and study the Bible. A few began attending and now the group has grown to 13. Here is a video of the group:
Hands for Christ, a newly planted GCI church in Staten Island, New York, celebrated its second anniversary on September 14, 2014. Sixty-seven adults and eight children attended. According to pastor Mary Bacheller (shown preaching at right):
It was a day where our deaf members did most of the service and the testimonies were great. We are growing and excited about the ministry that we are doing. The live-streaming of our services is going out to two GCI church plants in the making. The hands of the people are truly moving hearts!
The anniversary worship service included a performance from the deaf choir (pictured at right) and testimonies from deaf members who offered heart-felt thoughts concerning their new church home. Here are excerpts from the testimonies given by three of them:
I came to this church two years ago and it has made a big difference in my life for me and my two daughters. I thank Hands for Christ that I can come to a safe place to worship and learn about God. [Debbie Strang, pictured below, left]
I have gone to other churches because I want to learn about God, but just would sit there and not understand very much. But when I heard about Hands for Christ church, a church for the deaf and by the deaf (Pastor Mary is like deaf!) I was so excited. I feel safe here. [Linda Mancini, pictured above, center]
I am very thankful to be here in this church, I have learned so much here about Jesus and how to have a relationship with him. I feel at home here…this is my home church. A church for the deaf. [Diana O’Shea, pictured above, right]
Following the service, the congregation enjoyed a time of fellowship (see picture below).
Several members provided entertainment during a Talent/UnTalent Show. There was lip-synching of a song from the movie Frozen, a trio performed a Broadway number (see picture at right), there were stand-up comics, and flute and saxophone productions.
