Category: Stay Connected

Grace Communion International is committed to being an international communion of grace, and we desire our congregations to be spaces where members live in the unity of the Spirit with each other.

In the wake of the May 25, 2020, George Floyd murder, GCI was compelled by love to do more to combat racial division and all other forms of disunity. In January 2021, we introduced the National Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the U.S. This council was convened to begin the work of discerning how our denomination could better reflect the oneness of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Building upon GCI’s past work to promote reconciliation, the Council was charged with making recommendations to Mike Rasmussen (Superintendent North America and Caribbean) that would help our fellowship heal from social divisions and be a place where people from all backgrounds are welcomed and treated with love and respect.

With approval and support from the GCI Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce that GCI is implementing the first set of recommendations from the DEI Council.

In September 2022, nationally acclaimed author, trainer, and Pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, CA, Miles McPherson will lead members of the GCI Home Office team, Board of Directors, Regional Directors, and DEI Council members through the “Third Option Similarity Training.” Based on his book, The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation, Pastor McPherson will help our team increase our capacity to promote Christ-centered diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the denomination. McPherson, also a former National Football League player for the San Diego Chargers, is a prominent and respected voice of unity within the United States. His training comes from a Christ-centered, gospel foundation that matches well with our GCI values.

This DEI initiative is not a passing fad. Rather, we intend it to be a permanent cultural shift within GCI, and the training will continue to be passed along to our U.S. pastors and churches over the next couple of years. It is our intention to participate with Christ more purposefully and actively in his ministry of reconciliation. It is our prayer that these positive steps will equip our leaders and churches to work together more effectively as peacemakers in their congregations, neighborhoods, and communities.

I want to thank the DEI Council for being led by the Spirit to get us to this point. I believe God has great things in store for GCI.

Greg Williams

Freia Ann Smith of Shady Grove, Texas passed away at her home on January 12, 2022. She was born October 31, 1932, in Celeste, Texas to James and Louise Friddle. In 1954 she married the love of her life Paul B. Smith, and they shared sixty-two years together before his death in 2017.

Mrs. Smith was a founding member of the Big Sandy congregation in 1953, and she worked for many years as Church Secretary. She was known for her positive and caring nature. She never met a stranger and was always willing to do what she could for others. She loved to dance, play board games, and spend time with her family.

She remains in the fond memories of her friends and her family which includes her three children: David Nathaniel Smith and Marla Smith of Pasadena, California; Benjamin Ralph Smith and Lore Smith of Billings, Montana; Loma Ann Gibson of Big Sandy, Texas; her grandchildren Nathan Smith, Allison Smith, Dustie Pierce, and Shelby Smith, great-grandson Tatum Smith, and numerous nieces and nephews.

It is a great comfort that throughout her life she was loved and accepted fully and completely by God and lived her life sharing that love with other people. She is resting in the peace and joy of His presence.

Mrs. Smith’s service will be held at the Big Sandy high school auditorium at 401 North Wildcat Drive, Big Sandy on Saturday morning, April 16 at 10:30 a.m.

Cards may be sent to her daughter who was her caregiver for the last several years:
Loma Gibson
PO Box 1206
Big Sandy, TX 75755

Suetie “Marie” Woods died on March 15, 2022, shortly after celebrating her 93rd birthday. She was a longtime member of Grace Christian Fellowship, the GCI church in Longview, TX. The service was held Saturday, March 19 at Gladewater Memorial Cemetery. Until a few weeks before her death, she enjoyed good health, living independently, and attending church services each week.

Marie had been married to her husband, Adrian, for over 70 years before his death in 2015. She was also preceded in death by her daughter, Ruby Marie Woods Newsom. Marie is survived by grandson Dr. James Newsom and wife Tonya, granddaughter Thelma Kipe & husband Greg, great-granddaughters Lauren Murillo & husband Alex, Madison Newsom, Evelyn Kipe, Victoria Newsom, great-great-granddaughters Kira Munez and Cataleya Murillo.

For more than 6 decades at Grace Christian Fellowship Longview, Marie served cheerfully and faithfully in a wide variety of duties, including being commissioned as a deaconess, as was formerly our practice. For the past 15 years, she performed the important duties of church Treasurer. Her sweet smile, her attention to details, and her heart for service will truly be missed.

The GCI Galway Celebration 2022 is being held
Wednesday, 29 June to Sunday, 3 July
at the four-star Salthill Hotel, a prime location
on the promenade with stunning views across iconic Galway Bay.

The theme for 2022 is take from 1 Thessalonians 3:12 25:40.

And may the Lord increase your love until it overflows toward one another and for all people, just as our love overflows toward you. (TBT)

We’ll be exploring this theme over 5 days of sermons, worship, prayer, communion, and conversation. And there will be plenty of opportunities for fellowship and fun—or as we say in Ireland, enjoy the craic!

Accommodation is available at the Salthill Hotel, or you can choose from a wide variety of B&B and self-catering properties in the area. Rooms at the Salthill are available at the special rate of €145 per night for a double and €125 per night for a single, Wednesday & Thursday and €175/€195 per night on the Friday & Saturday, all of which includes a full Irish breakfast. However, please note that wherever you choose to stay, Galway is a popular holiday spot. Book your accommodation early to avoid disappointment.

For further details,
please contact Joe Casey:
via email – joecasey@shannontechnology.ie
or telephone – 00353 87 259 2983

By Peter Mill
Regional Director, Scotland, Ireland, North of England

This month’s GCI Buzz explains our vision of healthy church and provides a framework so you can contextualize it to your local context. #gcibuzz

Check out the full PDF here: 032022-GCI-Buzz.pdf

First, Koko (Granny) Maria Maphalle was baptized on 6 March 2022. The previous month, on her 100^th birthday, she expressed her desire to her family, “My soul yearns for Jesus. I want to be baptized before I die.” She has lived her entire life in the dusty village of Morudji in one of the most picturesque parts of South Africa, Tzaneen—an area with hot summers, mild winters, and an abundance of water. The area is decorated with beautiful mountains and valleys covered with greenery. All manner of fruit trees grows wild in the fertile soil.

Koko Maphalle attends the GCI Morudji congregation with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was baptized by Pastor Thabo Mahasha, who pastors the Morundji and Moleketla congregations. Members from both churches attended the baptism celebration, where Koko Maphalle’s mood was described as euphoric, and she could not stop singing and praising God!

Second, a week later, we celebrated the ordination of Pastor Rosinah Rapetsoa on 13 March 2022! She was ordained an elder and commissioned as the bi-vocational pastor of the GCI Polokwane church by Pastor and District Superintendent Caleb Makhela.

Third, in an uncanny turn of events, another Koko baptism took place on the same day—this time of a nonagenarian. Koko Paulina Ledwaba, 91 years old, is house-bound and lives next door to Mary Mohale, where the Polokwane church meets. On most Sundays during the service, she could be heard shouting from her house, “Amen” and “Hallelujah!” At her request, the pastor and other members visit to pray with her occasionally.

Earlier in the week of 13 March, Koko Ledwaba fell seriously sick. Her family was worried that they were going to lose her, so they called a member they had befriended and asked for prayers. Thankfully, her situation improved.

On the next Sunday, Koko Ledwaba sent a message requesting to be baptized! After the church service and Pastor Rapetsoa’s ordination, the church members proceeded next door to Koko Ledwaba’s house for the baptism. She was baptized amidst great singing, praying, and celebration.

The grace of God does not expire. After 100 years, it found Koko Maphalle! After 91 years, it found Koko Ledwaba! Oh, what a Savior! Oh, what a salvation we have received in Jesus!

By Margaret Musekwa
Webmaster for GCI Solid Rock Church in Riviera, Republic of South Africa

For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the youth ministry of our local church, Grace Communion Baguio (Philippines) gathered in-person.

Because COVID 19 restrictions are beginning to lift in our city, we organized an activity for the young people. Since the lockdown, we have been maximizing the advantages of online gatherings, especially in Zoom, for two years. It has proven to be a blessing as we are able to still meet virtually. One of the things that I have learned to appreciate in this pandemic is the value of community and the importance of gathering together. I was reminded of the verse in Hebrews 10:25.

Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing. In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning. (TBT)

Whether the gathering is online or in-person, it’s important for church members to meet together, continuously and consistently, to encourage one another. The pandemic proved that it’s needed to strengthen the life of the church. The objective of this activity was to re-launch a physical gathering.

For our in-person event, we only desired to have fun, food, and fellowship. We started by making sure that all health and safety protocols were properly observed. One of the considerations was the event location. So, we agreed on the idea of hosting the event at our house in the front yard since it is in an open-air space.

Here are the highlights of the event:

FUN
Our youth leaders, Edrem and Eya Gacayan planned the program. We started with an opening prayer that was led by Bianca Lazaro and a song of worship by Jana Parcasio. Then I led a short devotional on the words of encouragement of the Lord for Joshua as he took on the role of a successor of Moses in Joshua 1:6. I encouraged the young people to be like the “Joshua Generation” even in these challenging times.

What followed were many games. Everyone participated excitedly! Even with their masks on, the smiles on faces of the youth were evident as they enjoyed the food and company of each other.

FOOD
I am thankful to God for my auntie, Auey, and my mom, Mel, who prepared the snacks, lunch, and dessert. Everyone was very satisfied.

FELLOWSHIP
A highlight of the event was the fellowship in small groups, sharing and chatting. Here are some of the comments from the young people:

“Finally, we were able to see each other in person. I am thankful that we get to gather again in-person and be able to bond…”

“God is faithful both in our online gatherings and now in our in-person activities…”

“I had so much fun especially playing games and winning prizes. It was engaging…”

In this event, we successfully converged 27 children, youth, and young adults, plus 2 guests. With this re-launching activity, it is our hope to slowly be able to gather regularly in person every Saturday.

To our God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit be all the glory, honor, and praises. Amen!

By Justine Paolo G. Parcasio
Associate Pastor GCI Baguio, Philippines

Our celebration of Black History was not as grand as previous years, but we still honored the month. We did this by highlighting some of the original Black ministers in GCI. We expressed our gratitude for the contributions of these people, which includes Harold Jackson, Abner Washington, Stan Bass, Leslie Schmedes, and Edward Faulk. On the last Sunday of the month, one of our local elders, Kevin Bean, gave some examples of Black persons in the Bible from the Old and New Testaments, demonstrating how people of color were always included in the Salvation story.

We decorated the church hall with African drums and costumes. We also displayed posters of prominent Black contributors to politics, science, sports, music, literature, and business. Some of our members wore African attire. The service ended with a light lunch and fellowship period.

By Cecil Pully
National Director & Pastor, Bermuda

The congregation at Living Hope Christian Fellowship in Atlanta, Georgia truly celebrates Black History every year! We shine a spotlight on the rich heritage of Black people as Americans, as well as share what we learn about Africa, whose ancient name was Alkebulan, meaning “mother of mankind” or “garden of Eden.”

The documented accomplishments of African Americans since their arrival in North America during the 1500s, along with the more than 5,000-year history of the numerous civilizations of Africa, considered to be the oldest inhabited territory on Earth, is, admittedly, hard to truly celebrate in the shortest month of the year. However, we at Living Hope strive to tell the overlooked stories of notable African Americans who have made significant accomplishments in science, math, and technology, as well as poets, musicians, dancers, writers, inventors, and teachers.

We have displays, presentations, artifacts, and pictures of many of our local congregants and family members who are highly revered and accomplished citizens. We have praise dancers, who tell heart-felt stories through movement, and dramatic readings of pieces penned by famous authors. We also pay homage to many of our personal ancestors, who have been heroes and sheroes in their own right.

During February, members wear authentic, African-inspired clothing to services and sing “Negro spirituals” that continue to play a prominent part in our culture and music ministry. The sanctuary, decorated with touches of African objects and artifacts, ensures that our youth are aware of and understand not only our difficult legacy, but also how Africa has contributed to the history of the world and how African Americans have contributed to the history and economic progress of the United States.

Another part of the month-long celebration is when the congregation gathers together for a potluck meal and members bring prized dishes of “food for the soul,” cuisine originating in the South and traditionally eaten by African Americans. The cuisine is strongly influenced by the traditional practices of West Africans and Native Americans from its inception. Today, “soul food,” synonymous with the cuisine of the American South, has become a celebrated aspect of mainstream American food culture, found in some of the most famous restaurants in the world.

Finally, concluding each Sunday’s service during Black History month, the congregation sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a deeply religious masterpiece by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, known as the “African American National Anthem.” It was the rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the poignant lyrics speak of the yearnings of enslaved African Americans. Through the suffering and pain, the joy and hope, it speaks to the resilience and faith of a people who, much like the Israelites, believed and trusted that God would hear their prayers and lead them out of bondage to freedom. As was said during one of our Sunday sermons, “our stones tell a story.”

Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Amen, amen and amen!

By Suzanne Smith-Wigfall
Love Avenue Champion & Treasurer,
Living Hope Christian Fellowship, Atlanta, GA