Category: Stay Connected

New Beginnings, GCI’s church in Big Sandy, Texas is known for its service to the community. That service has been recognized formally over the years by the Big Sandy Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. Pictured below are members (with their children, some who have received awards of their own) who have received community service awards in recent years.

Recently, the congregation honored several couples who have been married for more than 25 years, and some for more than 50. As noted in an article in the local newspaper (pictured below, click to enlarge), the congregation is utilizing this substantial marital experience to provide within the community small groups that will serve premarital and recently married couples.

As a denomination, GCI is providing financial and manpower assistance to aid the relief efforts in the Philippines as the nation recovers from the severe earthquake and the devastating super-typhoon that hit there last year.

Thanks to the generosity of GCI’s U.S. congregations, we have sent to the Philippines $53,000 in aid from the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. In addition to this financial assistance, two GCI mission groups have traveled to the Philippines to assist in the recovery work by providing counseling support, rebuilding, distributing supplies, etc. One of the groups helped feed children at a ministry outreach center (pictured at right) and at the Tacloban Astrodome where about 2000 evacuees were housed following the typhoon.

One of the GCI groups that traveled to the Philippines was sent by Grace Missions–a GCI Generations Ministries mission organization headquartered in Ohio. Leading the group was Joel Clevenger, director of Grace Missions. Also in the group was David Botha, the pastor of GCI’s congregations in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio and a leader in Grace Missions. In the picture below, pastor David is sharing the message of the gospel with Filipinos in the Tacloban area (where the typhoon hit hardest).

The other GCI mission group that traveled to the Philippines came from Australia. That group is pictured below upon arrival in Tacloban. Standing with them is Eugene Guzon (third from left). Eugene is GCI’s national director in the Philippines The missionaries included Daphne Sidney, wife of Bill Sidney who formerly served as GCI’s regional director in the Philippines.

This update is from Sandra Hamilton, a ministry leader in Christ Community Church, one of GCI’s congregations in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

Our congregation conducted its 18th annual Black History Month celebration this February. Our month-long celebration included several events. In one, the featured speaker was Dr. David Fankhauser, one of the 1960s Freedom Rider. Because of his work for racial equality, he was placed for 40 days on death row in a Mississippi jail. Dr. Fankhauser is now a professor at the University of Cincinnati. His lecture to the congregation and guests was informative and the Q&A that followed ignited thoughtful discussion.

The celebration also featured music from Ebony Strings, a group of African-American classically trained musicians from the Cincinnati Consortium of Music. Their performance was an extraordinary gift to everyone who attended. Other highlights were the sacred music of Duke Ellington, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, and a tribute to civil rights leader Nelson Mandela of South Africa. The congregation also held its 9th-annual Black History Month dinner dance.Members invited friends, family and the local community to all of these events.

This update is from GCI Generations Ministries (GenMin) director Anthony Mullins.

The first weekend of March, 80 members of GCI’s GenMin family gathered in Encino, California for Converge West (see the group pictured below). Converge West is one of two GenMin Converge conferences being held this year. Converge East will be held in Ohio later this month (for information, click here). These Converge conferences bring together our GenMin camp and missions staffers together with pastors and ministry leaders from GCI congregations and denominational ministries for a time of spiritual renewal, vision-casting and equipping. Our theme this year is, Let’s build something together!

Converge West began Friday night with learning the Converge theme song: Build Your Kingdom Here. This was followed by small group discernment prayer, camp introductions, updates and a time of fellowship.

On Saturday, we heard from guest speakers Meredith Macy and Heber Ticas. Meredith challenged us to honor parents and family as we minister to teenagers while Heber helped us consider practical ways to live on mission with God. Camp directors then met with camp coaches Jeff Broadnax and Mark & Anne Stapleton to share best practices, ask questions and get assistance with camp planning processes and to encourage one another.

Also on Saturday, Greg Williams updated us on the GCI Pastoral Internship Program. Several young people later met with Greg to explore the possibility of becoming GCI pastoral interns. On Saturday evening we celebrated the commissioning of two new camp directors: Susan McKie of SEP Tahoe and Susan McNutt of Base Camp NW. We then shared a moving communion service with several young adults/teens leading. It was a beautiful and fitting end to a great day.

On Sunday I was privileged to share a sermon message entitled “Building the Church.” It was a joy to point to the Builder, Jesus Christ, and to invite the young people to participate and celebrate with him through their local church. During the service, a call was placed to our friend, Dallas area pastor and camp leader Arnold Clauson, who has been very ill. We all shouted, “We love you, Arnold!” As we said our goodbyes on Sunday, people seemed to be encouraged, uplifted and ready to go where the Holy Spirit is leading.

The first of the 2014 round of GCI-USA regional conferences was held in Ontario, California, on February 21-23. About 175 people attended the event, which focused on how we see God at work among us—sharing with us, by the Holy Spirit, the faith, love and hope of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

Conference participants heard and shared stories concerning the remarkable ways that God is leading us toward our future—what we refer to as GCnext. Conference plenary session speakers Dan Rogers, Joseph Tkach, Gary Deddo and Greg Williams gave encouraging and challenging messages related to our calling as Christians to share in the life and love of Jesus who is at work in our world.

On Saturday, several members addressed the conference, telling about the journey of their congregation or ministry toward GCnext: reaching out with God’s love to the community, starting new ministries, starting new congregations, and other steps related to sharing in what Jesus is doing to transform individuals, families and communities. Small group sessions gave participants opportunity to discussing what they see the Triune God doing in and through their churches and denominational ministries.

The next regional conferences are in Vancouver, Washington (March 14-16) and Northbrook, Illinois (April 4-6). For information about these and the other conferences coming this year throughout the U.S., go to www.gci.org/events.

All GCI members and friends of all age groups are cordially invited to participate in these conferences.

As part of an outreach project, New Covenant Fellowship, GCI’s congregation in Tyler, Texas recently sponsored 25 people to attend a seminar by Christian author and speaker Becky Tirabassi, entitled, “Pray & Read; Love & Lead.”

GCI member Debbie Wood, who served on a committee to bring Tirabassi to Tyler, invited Tammy Tkach, who directs GCI’s Women’s Ministries, to give the closing prayer at the seminar. After the event, 24 GCI attendees (pictured below) from various northeast Texas congregations met for lunch and fellowship. While in the area, Tammy visited with GCI members in Big Sandy, Texas, toured the facility that previously served as GCI’s Ambassador University campus and preached at New Covenant Fellowship church services.

Tammy Tkach, wife of GCI president Joseph Tkach, recently visited GCI’s Tucson, Arizona congregation, Grace of God Fellowship. She preached a sermon entitled, “Grace and Holiness.” A potluck meal after the service featured members’ favorite recipes.

On February 8, GCI’s Stuttgart, Germany congregation celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special worship service (pictured at right) and a meal (pictured below).

The service began with a welcome from Pastor Reinhard Wiedermann. Agnes Domes gave the sermon and elder Klaus Domes reviewed the congregation’s history, highlighting its remarkable transformation. During the service, Santiago Lange (pictured below, at right), GCI’s national director for Germany, told about a new GCI church plant in his hometown of Gemuenden.

In the video below, Annie (Fleming) O’Donnell tells about a mission trip to Jamaica conducted by several GCI-USA members with support from GCI’s Orlando, Florida congregation.

View on YouTube at http://youtu.be/TyLjUbgq_ws.

A primary tool for recruiting and training new GCI pastors in the United States—a key part of our GCnext focus—is our Pastoral Internship Program. We are pleased to announce that two former interns, Carrie Smith and Bill Ritzman, were recently installed as pastors. Both Carrie and Bill continue their training for ministry through the degree program at Grace Communion Seminary.

Carrie Smith

It’s a new beginning for Grace Fellowship, the GCI church that meets in Clarksville, Tennessee. GCI elder Carrie Smith recently was installed as the congregation’s co-pastor, serving on a pastoral team with Ed Peters, Doug Tomes and Frances Sykes.

As shown in the picture above, Carrie (at the center of the picture) was blessed to have her father, pastor Tom Smith (far right), her mother Pam (third from right) and her sister Tonya (second from right) present for the installation service. District pastor Rick Shallenberger (center, back row) gave specific charges to Carrie and the congregation. He finished his presentation by saying, “God is doing a new thing, and for this we give him praise. God has work for you to do together as you participate in his mission of bringing many sons and daughters to glory.” The family and pastoral team laid hands on Carrie as Rick asked God to bless both Carrie and the congregation.

Bill Ritzman

In a recent ceremony, Bill (shown with his wife Katie at right) was ordained an elder and installed as pastor of Christian Life Fellowship, GCI’s church meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill was interned by district pastor Karl Reinagel for two years.

Several members of Bill’s family attended the ordination/installation service, including Mark Bannier (uncle) who pastors GCI’s Macolm, Illinois congregation. Also in attendance were Doug and Betty Johannsen who traveled down from St. Paul, Minnesota. Doug is Bill’s life mentor (part of the internship program). Mark, Doug and Karl joined with Beverly Worden—elder and leader of the pastoral care team prior to Bill’s installation as pastor—in the laying on of hands during the ceremony.