Hands for Christ Community Church, a newly planted GCI congregation in Staten Island, New York, recently held its first women’s retreat. The 18 women who attended (some pictured below) shared a meaningful and insightful time.
The topic of discussion on Friday evening was Women of the Bible—letting God talk to his daughters and princesses. Each participant played the role of a woman in the Bible; seeking to see life through their eyes.
The topic on Saturday was What Is Sin? Related questions were addressed and participants jotted down some of their deepest struggles, tossing what they had written into a pit to be destroyed by fire. In this way, personal struggles were given over to God.
The event ended with communion, solidifying the women’s bond of fellowship and accountability.
As we look back on the summer camp season of 2013, we rejoice in all that God did in and through our 17 US Generations Ministries camps. We are particularly grateful for the generosity and excellent ministry of about 800 teen and adult volunteer staffers.
Much fruit
Kingdom fruit resulted as campers and staffers experienced a profound encounter with Christ in our camps. Many were baptized, dozens of new young leaders emerged and new camps were started. Stephen Webb, director of The Rock camp, commented: “We have learned the value of multiplication—starting new camps out of existing ones by raising up and sending new leaders.”
GenMin camps are powerful “incubators” of young leaders who not only serve at camp—many are integrated into leadership roles in their home churches. At SEP SoCal, older teen campers participated in ministry training—choosing from multiple training tracks including worship, drama, photography, public speaking and audio/visual/tech. Arrangements have been made for teachers to mentor their students following camp.
Several camps partnered with various churches and community groups to sponsor camps and to reach out to communities near and far. SEP Montana brought together 41 organizations, including ten denominations. SEP SoCal reached out by gathering “gently-used” T-shirts to distribute overseas.
Standard curriculum
This year’s GenMin camp curriculum, titled It’s Time, helped campers embrace God’s “kairos time” on a six-step journey: behold, believe, belong, become, behave and begin. The curriculum, posted at http://genmin.gci.org/Web%20Documents/Curriculum%202013.pdf, may be used by churches (for a series of sermons or studies) and by other camps.
Camp reports
Following are brief reports from several of this year’s GenMin camps. A full list of camps and additional videos and pictures are posted at at http://genmin.gci.org/campministries.htm.
2013 was SEP So Cal’s 12th year. They had 174 campers and 100 staffers, age 2 to 82. This intergenerational group was also multi-ethnic and interracial with Filipinos, African-Americans, Hispanics, Middle Easterners and Caucasians. 31% of the campers were first-timers and 26% of the staffers formerly were campers. About 70% of the campers received some sort of scholarship to help them attend this year. Thanks to the generous donors!
SEP So Cal
Here is a video showing SEP Rockies in session in the mountains of Colorado (view it on YouTube at http://youtu.be/R0J6m0C6s1A):
Pathways staffers
Pathways, held in Southern Ohio, had 104 campers and 67 staffers this summer (an increase of 14 staffers over last year). They have begun a junior staff mentoring program to enhance the camper-to-staffer development journey. Senior campers participated in life-equipping tracks including photography, drama, worship, American Sign Language (ASL) and leadership. Campers reached out to 20 disadvantaged children from the local community who were made campers for one day.
After two years of praying, dreaming, planning, sweating and sometimes weeping, this new camp was born in the Sauratown Mountains of central North Carolina. 90 campers and 55 staffers shared the many facets of camp life. After daily chapel services, campers participated in paintball, field sports, zip line, arts and crafts (including blacksmithing), archery, swimming and high ropes.
The final day of camp featured a formal banquet with white linen, fresh wildflowers and candles. Pastor Howard Blakeney spoke about the campers’ royal identity in Jesus. The evening ended with a dance.
One of The Rock’s staffers, who had no previous exposure to GCI, was recruited from a local university. She noted feeling “overwhelmed” in being made to feel “a part of the camp family” from the moment she arrived. She is planning to volunteer again next year. Camp director Stephen Webb commented: “Watching the staff’s love for one another and their unity in service was perhaps my greatest joy.”
After operating locally for six years, SEP Montana became a GenMin camp this year. Held at Holter Lake near Helena, the camp had 107 campers and 47 staffers representing ten area churches.
Activities included tubing, jet skiing, Christian living, arts/crafts, paintball, sapphire mining, team building, wilderness skills, service projects and Montana animals in the wild sponsored by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. At a formal church service on Thursday night during camp, the campers were invited to Christ, invited to be prayed for and invited to write down their struggles and nail those to a 6-foot cross nearby. That service was followed the next day with a baptism service with parents present. Some of the campers will be baptized back home in their local churches. 24 kids and adults were baptized at the camp this year.
SEP Montana
YES camp, held in Lousiana has two sessions—one for pre-teens and one for teens. There were 60 campers in each session—the highest attendance to date, served by 40 staffers each session. Three of the campers were baptized. You can see these camp sessions on YouTube (teen session at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtW388IVRMI and pre-teen session at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqM9C4xuKoE).
CrossRoads Christian Fellowship, GCI’s church in Tipp City, Ohio, held a baptism service on August 25. Eleven were baptized in a nearby river.
One of those baptized, Tara Engel (at right in the picture above), wrote this in a Facebook post reporting on the service:
Finally back home, curled up and resting after an emotional but amazing morning. Went to church with my parents, hubby and son—a very powerful service after which we all went down to the river where 11 of us were baptized, myself included. The best part was that my son decided that he, too, wanted to be baptized and so he was baptized alongside me [see the picture below]. Words can’t describe how proud I am of that amazing young man and all the important decisions he has made recently…. We are so blessed to be part of the Crossroads Christian Fellowship in Tipp City— a group of diverse, unique and kooky folks who are NOT at all what I thought Christians were. Instead they are what Christians SHOULD be and I am so honored to know each and every one of them. If anyone had told me two years ago where my life would be today, I would hardly have believed it. I couldn’t ask for a greater sense of belonging, contentment and genuine peace. I also couldn’t ask for a better husband or son. Maybe it’s a little silly to put stuff like this on Facebook but I can remember so many times when I wondered how my life was going to unfold, or why things weren’t where I expected them to be, or whether I would ever be “happy”—life can change in the blink of an eye and sometimes we don’t even realize what is happening. When we are ready, God sends the people or situations or wisdom that will lead us to where we need to be. And if we fail to follow them the first time, He sends them again!! (Thankfully). We give up—too often—but God never does. And I am very, very grateful that He doesn’t.
This update celebrates milestones in the lives of several GCI pastors and pastor couples. Our sincere thanks and congratulations to these faithful servants of God!
The following individuals were recently ordained as elders and/or commissioned to serve as pastors:
About 40 Canadian GCI women held a retreat recently in Cornwall, Ontario. Here are pictures of the group and of Brigitte Moore performing a worship dance during one of the gatherings.
This update is from James Humphries who pastors GCI’s congregation in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
Before leaving for the GCI Denominational Conference in Orlando, we held a worship service that focused on a back-to-school blessing for school-age children and included a baptism ceremony. Our efforts were wonderfully affirmed at the conference when Gerrit Dawson said in one of his presentations that one of the things we could do to reach out as a church is to provide a back-to-school blessing for the children!
Blessing the children
Realizing that parents and grandparents who do not normally attend church would be present for our special service, we did all we could to feature their children. They helped with the offering, gave prayers and sang special music. We also had a baptism ceremony at the end of the service, and then a potluck meal following the service to encourage fellowship. All these elements powerfully presented the gospel, providing testimony to God’s love and goodness.
Baptism ceremony
In keeping with the blessing theme, my sermon was titled “God Has Blessed Us.” I noted that the gospel really is good news for all—that all have been blessed by and included in Christ. I concluded with Romans 10:9-10, showing the simplicity of the gospel. Since we had scheduled a baptism ceremony that day, I asked if any others desired baptism. We were prepared with extra clothing, and were thrilled when five people came forward to be baptized. So we baptized six people (five adults and one preteen), including my youngest brother, Nelson. Since that service, three others have requested baptism!
We had 72 people attend our blessing service. Most stayed to fellowship and to enjoy the meal. We still are rejoicing. What a wonderful day it was!
Ray Meyer and his wife Carol recently celebrated Ray’s retirement after 40 years serving as a GCI pastor and several years as a district pastor. GCI’s Kansas City, Missouri church, where Ray last pastored, hosted the celebration, which included church members and Ray and Carol’s family. Congratulations and thanks to Ray and Carol! Here are pictures from the celebration:
The Meyer family (left to right): daughter Jana, son Randy, Ray and Carol
GCI Canada recently held its week-long Silver Meadows Camp. Over 100 campers and staff participated. The campers included 27 children who participated in a VBS program based on the life of the apostle Paul. Camp chaplain Leigh Smithson (standing in the picture below) played the role of Paul, speaking to the campers from his tent where he worked to support himself while he preached the gospel in the city of Athens.
Sabrina (at right) and Valierie Shaeffers
During camp, Sabrina Shaeffers of the Edmonton congregation was baptized by her pastor Bob Millman and Silver Meadows Camp chaplain Leigh Smithson. Sabrina’s mother, Valerie Shaeffers, was present for the baptism. She noted that camp has made a huge contribution to her daughter’s spiritual development.
According to GCI-Canada director, Gary Moore, Jennifer Pasanen “did a marvellous job” serving as director of Silver Meadows Camp. “She handled the responsibility with grace, good humor and wisdom.”
Grace Communion Seminary recently reached an important milestone in graduating its first class of eight students who were awarded master’s degrees in Pastoral Studies. Seven of the students (pictured below) received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony held on August 3 during the GCI Denominational Conference in Orlando, Florida. The eighth student, Mervin Walton, received his diploma in an earlier ceremony because he was unable to attend the Orlando conference.
The ceremony in Orlando, which was presided over by GCS President, Dr. Russell Duke, was attended by about 300 of the graduates’ family members and friends. Congratulations to them all!
GCS graduates (left to right): Karl Reinagel, Ken Williams, Mike Swagerty, Bonnie Faircild, Sam Butler, John Huffman and Bill Ford.
Below are pictures of the GCS faculty, board and administration members present at the graduation.
GCS faculty (left to right): Dr. Eric Wilding, Pat Shaw, Dr. John McKenna, Dr. Russell Duke, Dr. Michael Morrison, Ted Johnston, Dr. Gary Deddo, Neil Earle (Dr. Tim Finlay and Jonathan Stepp were unable to attend).GCS board (left to right): Pat Shaw, Dr. John McKenna, Ronald Kelly, Dr. Russell Duke, Dr. Joseph Tkach (chair), Dr. Dan Rogers and Dr. Michael Feazell (emeritus).GCS administration (left to right): Susan Earle (Registrar), Dr. Russell Duke (President) and Dr. Michael Morrison (Dean of Faculty).
The video below is a montage of pictures from the Generations Ministries’ sponsored teen-young adult track at the GCI Denominational Conference in Orlando. Featured is a project where the youth served at an Orlando area food bank.
