Category: Stay Connected

The Bicol Youth Camp was held April 5-8. Sixty campers attended from different local churches in five provinces of Bicol Region, Philippines. The camp was held at the Grace Communion Cotmon property. (Cotmon is a barangay in the municipality of Polangui, in the province of Albay. A barangay is a small district forming the most local level of government.) Forty-five staff volunteers were led by camp director Pastor Justine Paolo Parcasio (Jep).

Every day included a plenary session with a devotional message and worship. Activities for the four dorms were basketball, archery, ballroom dancing, Christian living, and community service.

The second day included a variety show where the dorms showcased their talents in singing, dancing, and acting. The day ended with a night of worship and prayer. It was an inspiring time. Many campers wrote in their evaluation of camp that it was one of their highlights.

On the third day, the campers had a 5 a.m. start time with a hike. The campers and staff formed a line and slowly but determinedly followed the narrow trail up the mountain. At the top, while appreciating the amazing view, everyone enjoyed a devotional message and sang, “How Great Thou Art.” The dorms were also given quiet time for solitude in nature.

The campers celebrated the last night of camp with a dance. After a short talk on etiquette, I led the campers in an ice-breaker activity. The campers exhibited the ballroom dancing skills (cha-cha and swing) they learned in class.

The last day began with the sunrise service and people in the community were invited to join. The last day concluded with clubs and an award ceremony. Clubs are mini workshops in worship leading, worship dance, drums, bass, and sound system.

The campers went home filled with experiences to share with their friends outside the camp. The camp truly is a blessing, not just to the campers, but also to the staff. To participate in God’s expansion of his kingdom on earth is an honor, but also a humbling experience. We can’t wait for next year’s camp!

By Jessica Joy Pamor, GC Pili Youth Leader
Bicol, Philippines

Ihor Kulbida served as the associate pastor of the GCI congregation in Rochester, NY for more than 18 years. Pastor Leonard Banks submitted the following to share with our Update readers.

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Ihor Kulbida, 82, passed away on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Ihor was born in 1940 near Kiev, Ukraine. When he was a small child, his parents fled Ukraine due to World War II. They found refuge in a displaced persons camp in Germany. After several years, they were given residency in Brazil and built a life there for nine years, finally immigrating to the United States in 1958.

Ihor met his wife Marina four years later in 1962 in Brooklyn, NY. They were next door neighbors. They were married in 1964, and their son Chris was born in 1965. Their lovely daughter, Larissa, was born in 1969 and sadly passed away in 2021.

Ihor graduated from the City College of New York with an electrical engineering degree. He and his family moved to Rochester, and he worked as an engineer and manager at Xerox Corporation for 33 years. When he retired, he devoted his time as an associate pastor and treasurer for his church.

Ihor will be remembered as a caring husband by Marina, his wife of 58 years, and as a father, grandfather, and good friend to many.

“Wisdom is not gained by knowing what is right. Wisdom is gained by practicing what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails.” ― Barbara Brown Taylor

Click the image below to view the entire May Prayer Guide and join us in corporate prayer and communion. #WeAreGCI

“In early March, we held a Faith, Hope, and Love in Action workshop in Jacksonville, FL. Teams of pastors and their three Avenue champions attended from 10 US congregations, two Canadian congregations, and one Caribbean congregation. I was inspired by the teachability of the group, their hunger for learning more, and their eagerness to be more intentional and active when they return home.” —Greg Williams, President

The workshop would not have been possible without the involvement of the members of our home office staff: Michelle Fleming, Communications Director, Pam Morgan, Operations Coordinator, Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator, and Lucy Enerio, Administrative Assistant. Thank you for your dedication to plan and execute this workshop. We’re grateful for their vision to create an interactive workshop.

The Appreciative Inquiry model was used, that seeks to engage participants in self-determined change. The teams spent most of the day and half workshop in small group discussions, in a collaborative, strength-based approach. Our GCI coaches played an important role, guiding the discussions with the following prompts:

• • • Discover what gives you life in your role.
    • Dream what could be.
    • Design how you can make your dream a reality.
    • Develop a plan to deploy your design.

“It was good and pleasant to fellowship with fellow encourager “champs” and to learn and inspire one another. The coaching provided was delivered in a very kind way. We all learned from each other, and the coaches were there to champion (encourage) the champions by giving wise prompts (questions).” –Jay Santibanez, Faith Avenue Champion, Richardson, TX, US

“It was such a blessing to join other teams from across North America to collaborate on practical ideas and strategies for the three Avenues. It was also enriching to bring our local team together for focused sessions with a coach. I realized the importance of togetherness, and this workshop was a great reminder that we get to participate in ministry “with” Jesus. “With” might have to be my word for the year!”–Gillian Houghton, Hope Avenue Champion, Winnipeg, Canada

The Jacksonville, FL congregation generously hosted the event, with nearly a dozen volunteers providing hospitality to the 65 guests. Thank you!

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The GCnext Fund helps make it possible for GCI to provide workshops like this one in the US. We invite you to support our leadership development programs by donating to the GCnext Fund.

Here are two ways for churches to donate:

• • Church treasurers can login to online.gci.org and select Manage, Church Donations to the Denomination. You may give a one-time donation or set up recurring support to GCNext.

• • Send a check made out to “Grace Communion International,” with GCNext in the memo, to: Grace Communion International, 3120 Whitehall Park Drive, Charlotte, NC 28273-3335. For assistance, phone donation support at 980-495-3977.

Donations to the GCnext fund, which are tax deductible in the U.S., are used to support U.S. domestic missions.

On March 7, 2023, Tom R. Smith, 74, of Chillicothe, OH, went to be with our Lord and Savior.

Tom was born March 19, 1948, in Cincinnati, OH. On March 21, 1971, he married his best friend, Pam, who survives. Also surviving are their children: Tonya Smith, of Garland, TX, Brandon Smith, of Avella, PA, GCI Pastor Carrie (Greg) Osborne, of Chillicothe, and Katie (Matthew) Wilson, Avella, PA.

Tom served as a GCI pastor for more than 40 years. Even before Tom was called to pastoral ministry, he had always been one to offer a helping hand and do whatever was needed to gather people. Tom and Pam met at Ambassador College in Big Sandy, TX in 1964. Their friendship provided a foundation of love, laughter, and faith as they shared the next 52 years in marriage and building a family together. Though life together began in Texas, Tom’s willingness to serve where he was called led them to Montana for a few years, and then to Southwestern Pennsylvania in 1988, where the Smith family made impactful connections throughout several communities for more than three decades.

Tom was best known for his passion to teach and engage children and youth about God and how to build positive relationships with Jesus and each other. Tom was also known for his kind heart, encouragement, and talent for telling corny jokes. It’s a talent inherited by his children, who proudly share with others.

If you would like to share stories and memories of Tom with his family, email to: smith.pamela.s@icloud.com. They would love to receive your dad jokes too.

His celebration of life service, including a eulogy by Craig Bellis, can be viewed here.

The weekend of 24-26 February held a much-valued space for the Australian National Board. The Board members, along with two invited guests, gathered on the Gold Coast, Queensland, for a retreat. The vibrant blues and greens of the Pacific Ocean, the surf, and sand provided an inspiring environment for time together, which had not been possible since the onset of COVID in 2020.

Board members commented that being able to meet face-to-face for two days was a wonderful gift. To experience the warmth of fellowship, shared meals, times of prayer, reflective conversation punctuated by both soberness and laughter was a restored joy! We joyfully and reflectively shared in worship, including Board Chair John McLean’s encouraging devotional on hope. The communion presented with Jacqui and Matt, who provided worship music, was refreshing. We enjoyed the company of our two committed and gifted young leaders, which added joy to joy and gratitude upon gratitude.

John’s devotional on hope flowed into a discussion of the members’ hopes for 2023. Hope and love are inextricably tied together as love for God and love for neighbour are key to flourishing and to bringing hope to the world. This is key to healthy church and revitalisation of our mission and vision, which was a focus of the retreat. Discussions included societal and cultural challenges faced by churches today and best practices in this regard. Having time to discuss and pray over future plans and for the church across the region was uplifting and encouraging.

Another feature of the retreat was a presentation on board roles and governance. Linking this to the theme on hope, we were encouraged that as the Board cradles the vision of the church, so it cradles the hope of the church, as the church is to be a beacon of hope to the world.

Daphne Sidney, Australasia Superintendent

“The baptized life … is characterized by a prayerfulness that courageously keeps going, even when things are difficult and unpromising and unrewarding, simply because you cannot stop the urge to pray. Something keeps coming alive in you; never mind the results.” ― Rowan Williams

Join us in prayer this month as we lift up our members and leaders. Click the image below to download and print the April Prayer Guide and check out what’s happening in our fellowships around the world. #WeAreGCI

The following prayer request is from Takalani Musekwa, our Regional Director in South Africa.

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Mozambique and parts of Malawi are still experiencing incessant rain and flooding. Infrastructure is being destroyed. Many areas no longer have electricity and telephone networks are also collapsing.

Please continue to pray for safety.

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Donations to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund make it possible for GCI to respond quickly to disasters like this. If you or your congregation would like to donate to the fund, have your church treasurer make a one-time or recurring donation using the online donation system. (Choose “Disaster Relief” in the drop-down menu.)

If preferred, you may donate by a check made payable to Grace Communion International, noting on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund.

Mail the check to:
GCI Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
3120 Whitehall Park Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28273

Ma. Leny Panhilason Santibanez, the wife of district superintendent Terrence Santibanez (Western Visayas, Philippines) and mother to three daughters, Terlene, Lucellie, and Emiellie, died on January 1. Her daughter, Lucellie, serves as the administrative assistant in the Home Office.

We share in their grief and in their hope of resurrection. The following is the obituary shared with Update from her family.

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Born on January 30, 1964, Leny grew up in a shanty by a river in Alijis Bacolod City, Philippines with four siblings. Many might wonder how difficult her growing years were, considering the condition of the environment, but she told many stories of how she loved every single bit of her time with nature. She often told us how she would go fishing, swimming, and do the laundry by the river.

Leny’s life was not easy nor financially abundant, but she was resourceful and creative. Countless stories have been told of how she was an entrepreneur even from a young age. She would sell oysters, mosquito larvae as fish food, or anything that they could sell to supplement their needs at home. She and her siblings would often walk to school for several kilometers because finances were scarce for them to afford public transportation. They believed in and valued education, so they persisted.

As a child, she went to the capital city of the Philippines, Manila, with her aunt. She had more entrepreneurial adventures such as selling Sampaguita flowers at parks just to be able to buy food. She was so selfless that she would extend help to those in need, even with the very little she had.

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