In October, nine representatives of GCI’s Generations Ministries M25:40 Missions gathered at a Boy Scout camp in Northern Colorado to cut, load and haul beetle-kill pine to provide winter heat for an elderly couple in the area.
Despite the cold and the fact that it was a Denver Broncos football game day, these followers of Jesus dedicated their morning to helping others (though the game schedule sped things up a bit!). Three trucks were loaded and everyone packed up in just under two hours. This is the second outreach for M25:40 Missions in the last few months.
GCI SE Asia mission developer Rod Matthews along with Mark Latham, GCI’s pastoral coordinator for PNG (Papua, New Guinea) recently visited PNG. Here is Rod’s report.
Getting to Papua, New Guinea (PNG) is not easy. Yet for years, GCI pastors from Australia have made the trip to PNG at least once a year to visit, encourage and help our congregation there develop. Now, it is mature, well led and a shining light in the high valley below Mt. Wilhelm (pictured at right).
Mark and I traveled to PNG in October. On arrival in the capital of Port Moresby, we met with two member families—15 people total, including a widow whose husband and daughter had drowned in a boating accident there last year. In comforting the family we were reminded of just how widely God has scattered his Holy Spirit-led people as the “salt of the earth” in distant places.
The next day we flew to Goroka in the Eastern Highlands, where a group from our Mt. Wilhelm congregation had traveled six hours to welcome us. That afternoon we had a warm meeting with Peter Onga, an independent pastor from the city of Lae on the northern coast, who has started a church and is interested in pursuing a working relationship with us.
The next day we bumped along the Highlands Highway to Kundiawa. The road (pictured at right) soon deteriorated into stretches of mud, gravel and rocks enshrouded by misty rain. Two and half hours later, we pulled into Kundiawa. Many people lingered in groups along the main street. Flat-bed utility and 4-wheel drive vehicles cruised up and down, small buses came and went and we noted the presence of many armed police.
Here we purchased equipment to continue construction on the church’s community activity building at our Mt. Wilhelm facility (pictured at left). Now, with much more to take in addition to our luggage, we piled into a 4-wheel drive pickup for the final 2½ hour drive up into the mountains. Mark and I were squashed into the cab with the driver. Mark and I declared that even as friends we had never been closer. As we climbed upwards, we hugged the sides of steep valleys and crossed cascading rivers on bridges with deck timbers missing. Late that afternoon we arrived at Keglsugl. At over 8,000 feet altitude, it was cold, but the warm welcome from our members there made up for it in every way.
The next day we were officially welcomed by a group of dancers (pictured at left) who led us onto the church property through a corridor of children, then women, then men. Everyone then assembled in front of the buildings for formal speeches of welcome. Our pastor, John Banda hosted the ceremony and co-pastors Ben Galwa and Richard Kindi also spoke. The children sang and the women’s choir presented a song composed for this occasion. I felt like I had always known these wonderful people.
The special church service two days later was a celebration of unity in Christ. It lasted over 3½ hours with special music and dancing, a blessing of 23 (!) children and my sermon. This was followed by a wonderful banquet.
The day before our departure, the church again assembled for a special service where the Lord’s Supper was celebrated prior to a traditional meal called a mumu. There was plenty of food for everyone including anyone from the local community who wished to come. Special cakes made by members were presented to Mark and me and shared with everyone. Presentations were made of bilums (locally woven and beautifully adorned bags) for us to take home as mementos of our trip. How could we forget? The farewells were long and emotional.
On the way back I marveled at how the Holy Spirit connects us all and works in the lives of people in remote areas in special ways. I also thought of how privileged we are to have become so attached so quickly to one another in the Body of Christ within our fellowship; of the priceless experience of the difficult trip to get there; and the simplicity of their lifestyle with its clean air and fresh vegetables. They’ve only been connected by cell phone to the rest of the world in the last couple of years.
The work of the Holy Spirit is not seen by just looking nearby. Nor is the significance and nature of our international fellowship measured by what we see locally. We are indeed a communion brought together by the remarkable grace of God that girdles the globe. We can’t all visit these remote areas, but perhaps you now feel a little closer to your brothers and sisters in Christ in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea by having “traveled” with Mark and me.
By the way, and to reinforce the point concerning how the Holy Spirit often works out of sight, on our return to Goroka we were surprised by the visit of a member with a van-load of relatives who live in the Ramu Valley, three hours drive out of the town of Madang on the north coast. It had taken them six hours to get to us. Therese (second from left in the picture at left) told us that she has a group of 30 people meeting in her home each weekend for a worship service of hymn singing, prayer and Bible reading. “Amazing,” we said. “Wonderful!” “Oh,” she replied, “that’s only the adults. There are lots of children as well—some of the families attending have five or six.”
Thus, we “discovered” that we have a congregation that we didn’t know about that probably numbers about 100 people. Only a few of them speak English, so the challenge is to provide their leaders with simple sermon and Bible study material that can be translated into their language. While they were with us, we had another impromptu service asking God to bless three more children. It was an exceptional trip!
GCI in Colombia held its annual seminar in the city of Bogotá in early November with 76 members attending from the Bogotá and Barranquilla congregations.
The seminar theme was “The Heart of a Disciple.” Guest lecturer Hanz Daza from the Colombian Bible League provided instruction concerning disciple making.
This update is from Eugene Guzon, GCI’s national director in the Philippines. It was filed on November 16.
Tacloban recovery
Since super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck central Philippines on November 8, the situation remains bleak. Statistics vary, but the official death toll is 4600 and rising. We praise God that most of our GCI members in Tacloban and in other hard-hit areas have been located and are alive, though their homes and belongings have been damaged.
In Tacloban City (the hardest hit) and other places in the Visayas, thousands have died while others are half-alive from fatigue, hunger and disease from infections and scarcity of hygiene supplies and medicines. These people would like to flee to neighboring cities, like Cebu and Samar, and even as far as Manila to find temporary refuge from an otherwise deadly situation, but there is a lack of transport facilities. This is an overwhelming crisis for the Philippine government and considering the scale and scope, there is a need for everyone to join in this humongous effort. Thank you so much for the outpouring of prayers and willingness to help in service and in kind. These updates will give you some of the ways GCI members have been helping.
Visiting affected members
In the last several days, I have visited GCI members who were impacted by the typhoon, including 13 families with damaged homes, three of which were destroyed. One family lost their poultry houses—their main source of income. Two families lost their retail stores. I saw the overwhelming destruction of infrastructure, including telecommunication, transport and money transfer facilities. During a short candle-lit church service, I relayed to these members your love and that you are praying for them. During the visit, I represented you all in delivering to them the first wave of support in the form of food and building materials. Next week, we will deliver the next wave of support, including generators to restore power and communications through phone charging, along with supplies to help in reconstructing homes and businesses.
Relief team en route
As I write this, a team of GCI Philippines leaders are travelling from Manila to Samar and Tacloban—a dangerous drive that will take well over a day. They are going to minister to our members with prayer and counseling, and to gather information concerning their immediate needs. They are carrying with them relief goods for members and their families—enough to last a week. They also are delivering power generators. Please pray for travelling mercies and special protection for this team, especially as they approach the worst-hit areas where security is a concern. And thanks for your generosity in giving, which is making the delivery of these supplies possible.
Outreach in Manila
Villamor Airbase in Manila is the drop-off point for typhoon victims arriving on the government’s C-130 planes. Members from our Santa Rosa Church along with others, are volunteering there in support of the Tacloban refugees who are now arriving. They are providing relief goods, counseling and other forms of support. According to their report, they need donations of food, medicine, slippers and transport vehicles to use in shuttling the refugees to public transport hubs in order to reach their families. As of this writing, we are mobilizing to send relief supplies. We are calling for volunteers to help at the airbase with various tasks including crisis counseling, marshaling, goods disbursement, feeding efforts, and other work; especially at night because the operation goes on 24 hours a day.
SEP camp community helps out
Staff and campers from our SEP Luzon youth camp recently volunteered for re-packing of relief goods at a Manila university. They joined other young people and volunteers in putting together family packs to be deployed by the Philippine government to Tacloban and surrounding areas.
Moving forward
These are just a few of the ways our church has an active part in the relief efforts, allowing God to use us as instruments of his love and provision to our members and others badly in need of help. We thank our churches and members from all over the Philippines and around the world, for their prayers, encouragement and other forms of help. To the churches and members who have already responded with donations in cash and in kind, please know that your contributions are going a long way in helping our affected brothers and sisters. We praise God for your compassion and selflessness. We also thank our members and partners from GCI headquarters and across the United States for their generous donations given to this relief effort through the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. This aid is helping our affected members rebuild their homes and businesses and address other immediate basic needs.
We are truly blessed to be part of a worldwide family, through whom we powerfully experience God’s love, despite the distance.
This update from GCI Philippines director Eugene Guzon describes the terrible aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (called Typhoon Yolanda inside the Philippines).
As you know, Typhoon Yolanda has devastated part of my country, the Philippines. The damage is particularly great in the area known as the Visayas. The typhoon left behind heartbreaking loss of life along with terrible suffering and massive destruction. The situation is chaotic. Many people lack food and safe drinking water. Many are dying from disease and injury. There is much desperation.
Typhoon damage in Tacloban
Many GCI members are among the thousands of victims in Tacloban, Samar, Iloilo, Aklan and other affected provinces. Though Tacloban was the worst hit, Samar also took a terrible beating, and several other areas in the Visayas were severely damaged.
Danny De Guia, a GCI assistant pastor and area superintendent for Visayas has just returned from visiting Tacloban. The GCI members he located there are alive, though weak and lacking basic necessities like food, electrical power and communications. There are some we have not been able to contact yet. We hope and pray that they are safe. Many of the residents of Tacloban are fleeing the area, though transportation is hard to find.
I talked with our pastor in Kalibo. Our members there also lack necessities. Some of them have lost their homes and had to flee to neighboring towns to find shelter. They were told that power will not be restored for a couple of months.
I have asked our pastor in Bicol and members of our staff inthe National Office to go to Tacloban to get more information on how we can address the needs of our members in Tacoloban. We are exploring setting up a supply center in nearby Samar to feed them and provide other necessities. However, it is still risky to bring these things into the area due to a lack of security.
I ask for continuing prayer for these people—please pray that they experience God’s grace, healing, relief, peace and provision at this difficult time. These are trying times for many of our brothers and sisters. When they hurt, we all hurt, for God has united us to one another. My prayer is that against this backdrop of pain, suffering and calamity, our love will abound even more.
Here is a related message from GCI treasurer Mat Morgan:
Thanks to previous generous donations to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund, we were able this week to wire about $35,000 (U.S.) to help our brothers and sisters in the Philippines recover from Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). This donation was in addition to ones sent earlier this month to help those affected by the recent earthquake there.
If your congregation would like to help us respond quickly to this and future disasters, please have your treasurer either make a donation through the online portal at https://www.gci.org/participate/donate or send a check to the fund at the address below. Your donations change lives by providing necessities to members who find themselves overwhelmed and in need.
GCI Disaster Relief Fund P.O. Box 5005 Glendora, CA 91740
GCI Canada recently held a Thanksgiving Celebration in the city of Moncton, New Brunswick. The 53 people attending came from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Guest speaker Dr. Gary Deddo (pictured at right) gave sermons on our identity in Christ and the obedience that flows from faith. He urged the audience to remember to first ask: “Who is God? and then ask: “Who are we in Christ?” He noted that we only are able to love unconditionally—with no strings attached—when all of our strings are attached to God.
In one of his sermons, Gary discussed loving God with all our mind (expounding on Matthew 22:37). Because theology is how we think about God, we all have a working theology. However, to have right theology, we must focus on who God is as he reveals himself in Christ. The foundation of our thinking is therefore of utmost importance. Loving God with all our mind involves actively seeking God to know him better.
An atmosphere of peace and joy was prevalent throughout the celebration—God’s presence and blessings were evident. The members fellowshipped, shared meals and enjoyed a sing-along with Jim Noseworthy (pictured above, left), and shared communion at the beginning and end of the weekend.
The mission statement of In His Grace Community Church, GCI’s congregation in Kenockee, Michigan is this: “To live and to share God’s Grace in: our homes, our community and our world!” That they are ministering accordingly is evidenced by an article by Bob Green in the Port Huron “Times Herald.” Here are excerpts:
In His Grace Community Church building
It’s hard to imagine a congregation tinier than the 25 or so members of In His Grace Community Church… But don’t let the size fool you. With the help of their neighbors, members of the church are making sure people who are hungry receive the food they need.
The church had a food giveaway on Oct. 19. “We know the need is there,” said Pastor Grant Forysth. “There still is a great number of people who, due to the economy, are not making it. We are trying to, in any little way we can, help people make it.”
He said 161 families signed up for the latest food giveaway, which represented 516 people. The food comes on a truck from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. “We try to do two a year,” Forsyth said. “This year, that was the only one we were able to get done.”
Kathy and Grant Forsyth
A food truck costs $650, said Alice Rieves of Mid City Nutrition in Port Huron, who works with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to coordinate food giveaways. That $650 guarantees 12 pallets of food. “My job is to make sure the food is distributed equitably, fairly and the people are treated with respect and the paperwork is done,” she said.
In addition to the $650, which Forsyth said his church raised through donations, the group sponsoring a mobile food pantry also must have 30 volunteers to help with the giveaway. “We have connections with volunteers in Kenockee Township, the leadership there,” he said. “They send volunteers; they like to be involved.”
This update is from GCI pastor Mark Porter who coordinated the conference.
Over 325 people gathered in September for Engage 2013—a weekend of inspiration and fellowship in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. This year marked the launch of a new name and theme for what was previously called the Wisconsin Dells conference. The Engage name highlights how our faith in Christ is lived out through intent and action.
Each of the four days of Engage 2013 conference featured a worship service with messages emphasizing a heavenly worldview that leads to serving others with God’s love. Engage sermons were given by Becky Duel, Joseph Tkach, Rick Shallenberger and Stephen Hill (left to right in the pictures below).
Worship services also featured the Engage praise and worship team, interpretive dance, and a skit and music by the children. The event was packed with other opportunities to engage—from breakout sessions on multiple topics to recreational activities for families, teens and seniors.
Preparations for Engage 2014 are underway. It will be held September 25-28 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells—a beautiful facility with a large indoor water park and a theme park with rides, games and challenge courses. Discounted resort lodging rates and passes are available for GCI attenders. Visit www.EngageGCI.org for details and updates. Early bird registration rates are now available. Make plans to join us for a time of meaningful fellowship, family fun and spiritual refreshment.
“Because God loves everyone, we in the church should not exclude anyone.” This was the resounding message from GCI Philippines national director Eugene Guzon at the conclusion of the 4-day Mindanao-wide festival held this month in Cagayan de Oro City in the province of Mindanao in the Philippines.
The focus of the festival was to urge the 500 members attending to develop within their churches a culture of Connectivity, Sensitivity and Proactivity.
Each day of the festival was filled with activities including tug-of-war contests and karaoke singing. The youth enjoyed a dance and a movie. In one session, Pastor Audie Santibañez urged leaders to take advantage of technology like ebooks. Mindanao Area Superintendent Jerome Manriquez warmed the audience on the opening day with an inspiring sermon titled, “The Celebration of Life.” A highlight of the festival was the commissioning of the pastoral teams in Mindanao. There also was an appeal to assist the earthquake victims there.
