Category: Stay Connected

The following report is from Lee Berger who directs the GenMin Crossing Borders mission team.

We returned recently from a mission trip to Mexico to deliver shoe box gifts. In several ways it was the most challenging of the 13 mission trips we have made into Mexico since 2005.

From churches and other groups across the U.S. we received almost 600 shoe boxes full of gifts, together with personally-knitted baby blankets, handmade pillows, infant supplies, custom-carved wooden cars, several boxes of nice shoes, bags of good clothing and other items. Finding space in the vehicles to transport these items across the border was both a challenge and a blessing.

Carol Meyer from Kansas City donated copies of “Project Renewal” (in Spanish), a book she authored about recovery from abuse (a common problem in Mexico). Truett Seminary at Waco University donated 100 books for training pastors. Generous cash donations allowed us to purchase many other needed gifts and resources for the pastors and ministry leaders with whom we partner in Mexico.

Our crossing into Mexico from Laredo, Texas on Saturday started well with visits to two churches to sing Christmas songs, teach about the birth of Jesus and hand out the shoe box gifts. However, it was raining hard and both of our team’s vans got stuck axle deep in mud at the second church. A tow truck was called but it got stuck too. Then the host pastor’s van and another vehicle got stuck. While some worked outside to free the vans, the rest of the Crossing Borders mission team and local church members prayed and visited inside the unheated church. Two young men who lived in nearby houses (we thought of them as our “Mexican angels”) worked hard to help pull out a couple of the vans. After four hours struggling in the cold rain and slippery mud, a truck from the fire department arrived to free the vehicles.

Our final stop of the day was supposed to be lunch served at the children’s home. Instead, it was supper. Soaking wet and cold in our muddy clothes, we visited with the kids for an hour and a half, distributed shoe boxes and provided the meal. Now well past dark, we headed back across the border to warm showers and our own dinner, thankful for the experiences and inspired by the patient and willing spirit exhibited by all. We had hand-distributed about 300 shoe boxes and left the remainder of the boxes in the hands of two of our Mexican ministry partners who delivered them to churches further inland.

I (Lee Berger), my mother Jean Berger, and Steve and Barbara Solari were scheduled to catch a flight the next day (Sunday) to Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, to take gifts to Karen Salinas and her 17 foster children. This was the first time we had ventured into interior Mexico. Once again, we encountered unexpected challenges. Our flight was cancelled on Sunday due to bad weather (no radar at the local airport), and then cancelled again on Monday.

In the meantime, we made ourselves useful assisting pastor Raymundo Rendon and his wife, Lisa. The Rendon’s kitchen stove (which they use to cook food for various feeding ministries) had stopped working. So we went stove shopping and also bought the Rendons a new set of tires to replace the unsafe dry-rotted ones on Pastor Ray’s car. Lee and Steve made a hospital visit with Pastor Ray one afternoon and prayed for a Mexican government official they had met on the previous summer trip. The group provided babysitting for the Rendons so Ray and Lisa could have a rare night out for their wedding anniversary. There was much brainstorming about ways the Crossing Borders mission team can assist Ray with ministry needs in the future.

On Tuesday, the weather was bad again, so we took the commercial bus to Victoria. We arrived in Victoria at about midnight, and Karen and several of the older children visited with us into the wee hours of the morning. We then had a busy day on Wednesday at Karen’s home, visiting with her foster children and hosting a party to deliver the gifts we had brought, including a bilingual Bible for each child. We prayed for each child and several gave moving testimonials. It is difficult to describe the close bonds we feel for these lovely children being brought up in the nurture of the Lord. Thursday was filled with playing with the kids and restocking the foster home with supplies purchased with donations from many supporters.

After an event-filled and challenging trip, we returned to Laredo on Friday and everyone was back home in the U.S. by Saturday, thanking God for an amazing trip full of unexpected obstacles that led to many wonderful opportunities to serve others on mission with God. We are now looking forward to our next mission trip to Mexico in June 2012. You can learn more about it at http://www.cbmission.org/.

On November 1 GCI Pastor Neil Earle and his wife Susan were invited to set up a “400 Years of the King James Version” display at the Duarte, California Public Library.

The display features two large impressive Bibles. One, a family Bible dated 1898, is on loan from Phyllis and Russell Duke. A 1770 German Bible is on loan from Susie Albrecht. Other items on display are on loan from Joseph Tkach and Curtis May.

Many gratifying comments have been received, pictures taken for the local newspaper, and the library requested that the display be left a while longer. Now, officials from the Duarte Museum are making space available to set up the display there as a temporary exhibit.

The following report is from Charles Fleming, GCI Missions Director for the Caribbean region.

Ocho Rios was the beautiful site chosen by the Jamaican churches for their annual celebration of Christ’s work in our lives held on December 1-4. The theme for the convention was “A New Awakening in Christ.”

Members of the Christian Pen church (GCI’s largest congregation in Jamaica, which meets on the outskirts of Kingston) made a special effort to sponsor to the convention several young people from the community surrounding the church. A number of these teens began attending the church without their parents when they were small children and have become an integral part of the congregation. It was a joy to see how at home they are in our church and how actively they participate in worship. One person commented on how good it is to see young people learning just how joyful the Christian life can be.

Members were delighted to host this year’s special guests – Joe and Tammy Tkach, Mike Feazell, Greg and Susan Williams and Rick and Cheryl Shallenberger. Many members commented on how much they were impacted by the messages and by how easy it was to connect with and fellowship with all the visitors. Christ is truly making us a joy-filled, open, accepting and caring community.

After the convention, Greg and Susan Williams spent two days in Kingston meeting with leaders from the Christian Pen congregation discussing ways that GCI’s U.S.-based Generations Ministries (GenMin) can support the continuing efforts of the local church to serve youth in the community. Greg said GenMin can help upgrade the existing Vacation Bible School by sending a team to assist in next year’s VBS. Michelle and Anne Fleming are spearheading that effort. The plan is to have a number of young Christians (GCI and others) travel to Christian Pen next July.

The following report is from Becky Valekis, wife of Jim Valekis, senior pastor of CrossRoads Christian Fellowship (CCF), the GCI congregation in Tipp City, OH.

This year, CCF was invited to participate in the Holiday Tour of Homes, an annual Tipp City Christmas season community event. Typically, several historic Tipp City homes are invited to decorate for Christmas and participate in the tour. For the first time, this year’s tour included a church building – the one that CCF has owned, worshipped in and served out of for about five years. We viewed our participation in the tour as a great opportunity for community outreach during the Advent/Christmas season. It also gave us the opportunity to host a community celebration of our sanctuary (chapel) building’s 100th anniversary.

Understanding that about 800 people would participate in the tour, we got busy preparing. We decorated our chapel and fellowship hall. We also prepared refreshments, including a birthday cake big enough to serve 500! During the event on December 3, we held a raffle and sold homemade candies and hot drinks. We also invited music groups from a local university to play Christmas music, provided a children’s gift shop, and set out displays of historic artifacts related to the community and our building.

We were very pleased with the enthusiastic community response. About 500 visitors toured the church. Many lingered for refreshments, to listen to music and to talk with CCF members. We distributed many pamphlets about the church and our ministries.

Our church building formerly housed St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and many in the local community have fond memories related to the building. Understanding this, during the afternoon of the tour we hosted a building rededication ceremony. It included St. John parishioners (including Father Marc), other community members and members of our congregation (including Pastor Jim). Following the service, many stayed to visit with Pastor Jim and other CrossRoads church members.

Our primary goal in hosting this event was to become even more visible as a congregation that loves and serves its community. In years past we have conducted regular community outreach events, including hosting fish fries for local causes, providing food for the needy and participating in the city’s Days of Caring that helps families in need of home repair.

Pastor Jim has taken a lead role in this outreach. He has served in various community leadership roles, including participation in United Way committees. In 2012 he will serve as the president of the Downtown Tipp City Partnership, which works to preserve and promote Tipp City and its historic downtown shopping district. Through all of these outreach efforts we are becoming well known as active servants in our focus community. As a result, a growing number of local, unchurched residents are becoming active members in our congregation.

 

 

The following report is from Kalengule Kaoma, GCI Mission Developer in Central Africa:

Ghana

James Henderson (GCI national director in the UK) and I were in Accra, Ghana in November for a West Africa leaders’ conference. Around 200 GCI church leaders from Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo attended the conference (see group photo below). With the theme of pastoral/ministry development based on 2 Timothy 2:15, the conference had several subjects including Relevance of a Pastor in the Community, Trinitarian Theology – A Scriptural Discussion, The Revelation of the Father, Bearing the Father’s Name, Armageddon, and Jesus the Great Shepherd. In addition, national leaders updated the audience about what Jesus is doing in their respective countries.

On Sunday, James Henderson spoke to the combined church at Kutunse, the conference venue in Accra. I went to Buduburam church and ministered there.

Prayer point: There is need for more future regional conferences.

Kenya

After Ghana, I travelled to Nairobi Kenya for the East African conference. Forty GCI leaders from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya attended the conference (part of the group is pictured at right). Running a similar theme and topics as the Ghana conference, the Nairobi conference ran for two days. Some of our newly affiliated groups in Kenya and Tanzania also participated.

After the conference, Kimani Ndungu, area pastor for East Africa and Anthony Gachanja who is national ministry leader of Kenya were invited to conduct further training for our new groups Tanzania and Nyanza district, Kenya.

Prayer point: Wider representation of leaders from East Africa.

The following report is from Glen Weber who serves as senior pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship, a GCI congregation in the Pasadena, CA area, and one of GCI’s district pastoral leaders in the Western United States:

My wife Connie and I were recently vacationing in Hawaii. During our time there we visited Light of the World, the GCI congregation in Honolulu. It was a blessing to spend time with our members there, including Pastor Gary Crowell and his wife Risa.

Although Light of the World once numbered only about 12 people, it now has about 50. Virtually all the new members came to the congregation through outreaches focused on military veterans. The picture at right shows their praise band participating in one of those outreaches, which included a worship service and a meal. Most of the members of the praise band are former clients of a local veteran’s recovery program. They now share their faith with fellow veterans by providing worship music for veteran’s recovery meetings. They can be found most Tuesday nights rocking out at the U.S. Veterans Initiative.

A Pastoral Team Conference for GCI Northern Luzon pastors and ministry leaders was held November 12-17 at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines. Immediately after a welcome worship, updates and denominational focus were discussed by Eugene Guzon, GCI National Director. He also exhorted the pastors about the theology of “abiding and abounding.” Rex Dela Pena then explained the “sense of call” into the ministry as well as “ministry weariness and burnout.”

On the second day of the conference, the pastors were led in an overview of the GCI Church Administration Manual. Other matters regarding the financial statement of the church were also reviewed. The conference concluded as participants joined the Baguio City church for worship services.

On Sunday September 25, members of the GCI/WCG congregation in Manchester, England combined with members of the St. Andrew’s Church for a joint Back to Church service.

The previous Saturday leaflets were distributed to homes in the area. The leaflet featured an article by GCI member David Bedford describing his impressions when he first started attending church. He was expecting to find near perfect members, but it wasn’t long before he realized they had as many flaws as he did. Then, reading the Bible more closely, he realized the New Testament was full of flawed individuals as well. The leaflet then gave encouragement to respond to the invitation to attend the special Back to Church service, knowing that the members of the church are not perfect, but trying to serve God.

David also led the service, with other WCG members doing a scripture reading and playing piano for hymn singing. The Rev. Lisa Battye of St. Andrews gave an encouraging and uplifting message about the healing of the paralytic man as covered in the scripture reading. Rev. Battye then concluded the service by leading Communion. Following the service, the two congregations joined in fellowship over tea and refreshments.

 

 

The following report is from Kalengule Kaoma, GCI Missions Director for much of Africa.

Rwanda

Many church groups in Rwanda have written to Grace Communion International for affiliation, financial support, prayer and other spiritual needs. Recently, I traveled to Kigali, capital city of Rwanda where I met the leaders who have written GCI.

On October 1 I met 12 leaders representing eight independent churches. Our meeting lasted close to four hours. We discussed various concerns and questions ranging from affiliation with GCI to orphan support. We have been requested to facilitate reconciliation efforts among church group leaders and communities where churches are established. It has been 17 years since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, and some quarters of society, including Christians, are still skeptical and suspicious of each other. “Please come back quickly and minister to us. We need to work together as church leaders” Bishop Benjamin Sibo-Muzi encouraged me.

After meeting the 12 leaders, I had several other meetings with leaders who are interested in being part of the GCI community. On Sunday, I had an opportunity to speak to 250 believers who joyfully and gratefully sang to our awesome God.

It is clear that a door is opening for GCI to be established and registered in Rwanda. Please pray for committed contacts with whom to work.

Malawi

After Rwanda, I visited Malawi to commission a church building for the church we planted about four years ago in Mombezi.

Before starting that church, Mr. Mape and his wife travelled 19 kilometers each way by bicycle to attend GCI church services in Mpanda. On their way to and from that location, the Mapes crossed a river by canoe. After a while, the GCI Malawi leadership team encouraged Mr. Mape to start a cell group in his home community of Mombezi. He did so, and the group grew to an average of 25 adults in weekly attendance.

Gardner Kunje, GCI Malawi National Ministry Leader and his team decided to construct a meeting hall for the Mombezi church. In 2010, Mombezi members molded bricks and baked them in firewood kilns. Construction of the meeting hall started in April 2011. Dedication and commissioning of the building took place in a service on October 8, with 300 in attendance. Among those attending were village, community and church leaders from churches in the neighborhood. When the traditional group village headman spoke, he acknowledged that GCI has a visible presence in the community. Since the dedication, average weekly attendance is up to about 45.

Please pray that God will provide committed, knowledgeable leaders to serve our churches in Africa.

 

The following report is from George Hart, pastor of Christ Community Church (CCC), one of GCI’s congregations in Cincinnati, OH.

For the third year in a row, CCC reached out to the community around our church hall the Sunday before Thanksgiving with Thanksgiving meals. The meals included all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings and a gift certificate for a turkey at a local grocery store. The congregation donated enough food items and cash to put together 100 complete meals.

Our worship service that day focused on Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” To emphasize that giving and service are worship, we assembled the meals as part of our worship service. After a brief message we made application of Jesus’ teaching. Everyone got involved. The kids bagged candy for the meals, adults assembled the meals and those who were not able to stand offered prayers for the community. We then enjoyed a pizza lunch and delivered the meals to homes nearby.

The area around the hall where our church meets is one of the lowest-income communities in the county, with many school-age children. One lady started crying and said, “I didn’t know how I was going to provide a Thanksgiving meal.” One little child said, “Food! Now we can eat!” The impact was tremendous both on the community and on our members.