Category: Stay Connected

New Life in Christ, the GCI congregation in Queens, New York City, conducted its annual Back-to-School event during the last weekend of July and focused community engagement into August. We distributed 300 backpacks (more than double any previous year), reaching hundreds of households in its home neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens. (Our community of Richmond Hill is one of the most diverse communities in the most diverse borough of a very diverse city.)

The backpack distribution event and cookout took place on Saturday, July 30, followed by a special Sunday Service attended by some of our outreach guests. The message, “Rich Towards God,” focused on the liberation Christ offers from the burdens that society seeks to impose.

The congregation used the month of August to focus on effective follow-up steps and deeper community engagement. On August 13, the congregation also joined with a community partner, The River Fund, as a sponsor and as volunteers. The River Fund is a non-profit focused on combatting poverty and its effects on families, with its back-to-school/food outreach for thousands of families in our greater community.

The total effort, which involved nearly every active member and ministry of the congregation, was implemented in the process of refining each of our Hope, Love, and Faith Avenues to facilitate the Spirit’s ongoing transformation of our congregation’s heart to better align with the missional imagination of Christ for our community. Members took time to design special mugs, prayer cards, and encouragement for students and teachers. Our hospitality team crafted a special cookout experience for all our guests.

Our Love Avenue team (driven by our Women’s Ministry) began this outreach and engagement process in the spring with our ambitious plan in prayer to reach hundreds of households in the community and distribute that many backpacks. This year, we especially focused on enhancing the guest experience and follow-up steps rather than merely putting on an event. Our guiding principle was Christ’s admonition, “One Thing is Needed” from Luke 10: focus on the presence of Christ, focus on the guests. This involved concentrated planning, including equipping a team that focused on welcoming guests, praying where feasible, and embracing opportunities to present our congregation. We wanted our members to express confidence in the power of their short stories of faith and encouragement.

About half of our guests pre-registered for the event through our social media channels. So, we had a good sense of who would be coming, their circumstances, and some prayer concerns. We also prepared for the engagement process (as part of community exegesis) by attending community meetings, visiting businesses and schools, and engaging local law enforcement.

We are joining with Christ’s enduring mission for spiritual, physical, and emotional transformation in our multi-racial, multi-ethnic community in forming lasting relationships in genuine place sharing. We recognize that incarnational engagement is not “extra,” but a very part of our own identity as disciples of Christ. In line with the biblical admonitions, “let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18), so that we are able “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18).

By John Newsom, Pastor

On July 16, Heart of the Cross Church (HOTC) in Marion, Ohio, was blessed to be able to invite our community members and engagement partners to join us at our parking lot for the Summer Bash. Members of HOTC shared their gifts by cooking hotdogs, handing out water, performing music, and playing games with the children.

Our thirty-seven guests included staff and clients from the Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter, neighborhood children, and members of the Newgrass Station Band. The Band provided music at no cost to the congregation and was led by HOTC Assistant Pastor George Breece, who is the lead singer and acoustic guitarist. A youth member of HOTC, Kaleb Marquis, was invited to play with the band as a stand-in guitarist during each of their sets.

Assistant Pastor Sharon Marquis led the children’s games. All leftover hotdogs were donated to the domestic violence shelter at the conclusion of the event. During the two-hour event, our 12-member congregation shared a joy-filled experience with new friends and further built partnership in the community as Jesus led us outside our walls.

By David Marquis, Pastor

Dr. Greg and Susan Williams’ recent visit to Fiji was an awe-inspiring weekend for us. It was one we’ll find hard to forget.

Kicking off with a befitting traditional welcome usually accorded to a Fijian chief, the kava ceremony was breathtaking to witness in all its intricacies. Dr. Williams drank his first bowl of kava.

 

You’ve never really visited Fiji unless you’ve tried kava! The traditional welcome was followed by a lovely spread of morning tea coupled with Fijian classic serenades of the past led by one of our pioneer members, Mrs. Mere Tora and her son, Tukai.

The atmosphere was filled with joy and laughter. You could tell that everyone felt God’s presence moving in the hall. The congregation broke into groups with Mrs. Williams joining the ladies’ group. Dr. Williams joined the youth, then spent the afternoon taking them out for some ice cream and fellowshipping.

On Sunday, it was a pleasure to hear Dr. Williams speak on healthy church and the three Avenues of Hope, Faith, and Love. We were encouraged to have Hope, Faith, and Love Avenue teams that work together in a team-based, pastor-led model through worship, discipleship, and witness. A major highlight for the church was the ordination of Mr. Frank Boyd to Elder. What a day to witness God’s amazing work for the Fiji church in play.

The day ended with Dr. Williams sharing with us a glimpse of GCI’s international family and a slideshow of the remarkable team working tirelessly across the continents of the world doing God’s great work. Though we may be operating locally, it was comforting and humbling to know that we are part of a bigger family in Christ. All these were again shared over a beautiful spread of tasty goodness. If there’s one thing that brings Fijians together, it’s good food!

We were fortunate to also have Mr. Dennis and Sue Richards accompanying the Williams to Fiji. It was a joy, as always, to have them around.

Though brief, it was truly an unforgettable weekend for us. There’s a sense of excitement for GCI Fiji, and everyone’s looking forward, young and old.

May God continue to bless us all!

By Epeli Nakautoga

 

If your congregation is sharing the gospel about Jesus in your neighborhood and still has available funds and a heart to help members impacted by major disasters like the Hurricane Ian, one of the best ways to do so is to donate to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund helps provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs such as food, water, medicine, clothing, temporary housing, home and/or church hall repairs, temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency needs. Monies received into the Fund that are not immediately needed will remain in the Fund to be allocated in future disasters.

In previous years, money from this Fund has helped members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh and Honduras, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.

If your congregation would like to donate to the Fund, you can set up a one-time donation through GCI Online Giving (https://www.gci.org/online-giving/) by selecting Give for Disaster Relief under the drop-down menu.

If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating clearly on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund.

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

Thank you for your prayers and financial contributions to help members of the GCI family who are suffering.

Please help me in welcoming Lucellie Santibanez Enerio – warmly known as Lucy.

Lucy was hired on June 7 part time as an Administrative Assistant in the President’s Office. After only a couple of weeks it was clear that she was a natural part of our team. On June 27, she transitioned to full-time employment.

Lucy’s background is in Music Therapy. She completed her Master of Music with a major in Music Therapy (MMT) at Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX, in May this year.

Lucy is a joy to work with. She is a self-starter and brings a skillset much needed in our office. Her organizational skills, creativity, and fresh eyes approach are a blessing to the Home Office.

Lucy works closely with the Operations Coordinator assisting with projects in the President’s office and Church Administration. She is cross training in other departments such as Facilities and Member Services.

Pam Morgan
Operations Coordinator

Join us in honoring David Sheridan’s retirement. He served as GCI pastor for over 48 years.

Cards may be sent to:
David Sheridan
101 Cramond Close SE
Calgary Alberta
T3M 1C1

Congratulations, David! We are very grateful to you for your many years of faithful service.

We wanted you to hear from David, in his own words.

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Early memories start at Ambassador College in England and include teaching Physical Education at Imperial Schools and teaching geography on the College faculty. Twice touring the Holy Land and participating in the archaeological excavations in Jerusalem were outstanding experiences.

In Canada, I pastored congregations in Newfoundland (St. John’s and Corner Brook), Saskatchewan (Prince Albert and Tisdale), and Alberta (Calgary, Lethbridge and Red Deer.) The most meaningful and enjoyable part of pastoral ministry was visiting precious members in their homes – a less formal setting. A short teaching from the Holy Scriptures added an important spiritual dimension to these enriching experiences.

Moving with the doctrinal reformation of our denomination from the bondage of painful legalism and authoritarianism to God’s amazing grace, from deception and blinding heresy to the truth of the gospel and Christian orthodoxy was the major highlight. Then along came Incarnational Trinitarian theology enhancing our personal relationship with God and keeping Jesus as “the centre of the centre” of all we say and do. These transformations brought much freedom and joy.

As a long-time fan of Roger Federer, I continue to play singles tennis. Having completed ten marathons, I continue with long-distance running but now reduced to 10-kilometres. Espionage spy thrillers (Tom Clancy/Vince Flynn) bring a welcome change of pace along with cheering on the “Red Devils” – the Manchester United soccer team! Studying theology with the understanding that Jesus is “perfect theology” remains a life-long interest.

I am blessed to have my four beloved children and eight precious grandchildren all living here in the city of Calgary. Spending family time together and watching the little ones grow is an ongoing source of joy.

After 48 years in the ministry, walking daily in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior, and participating in the life and love of the triune God is always the number one activity.

David A. Sheridan
Calgary, Alberta