Category: Stay Connected

Hello Girlfriends!

I am happy to announce our 2021 fall retreat at the St. Bernard Abbey Retreat and Conference Center in Cullman, Alabama. Following our year-plus of Covid, I know that many of you have really been looking forward to the chance to spend a relaxing weekend with friends. Faith friends are so important, and these retreats have made it possible to renew friendships as well as make new friends. This retreat center has a beautiful conference room where we have our general sessions, and the bedrooms are adjacent to the meeting area. The bedrooms accommodate two people (twin beds) and each has a private bathroom.

The dates are October 1-3, 2021. Registration begins Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Snacks will be available, but you will be on your own for dinner that evening. A Cracker Barrel and other restaurants are nearby. This evening is free for getting checked in and relaxing. If you will be arriving after 10 p.m., please let us know ahead of time if possible. My cell phone is (205) 540-1515.

Our theme for the weekend will be The Epic Story of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation a wonderful story of God’s tremendous love for his creation is revealed. The Scriptures reveal an incredible story of redemption through Christ our Lord. “For in him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28)

Speakers this year include Barbara Dahlgren, Ruth Miller, Sondra Peters and Mary Jo Wheatcroft. Ann Hartmann will be our guest singer again this year! You can go to Ann’s website (annhartmann.com) to learn more about Ann’s music and ministry.

Dress is casual for the entire weekend. Bring comfy shoes, as you might enjoy a bit of walking. We now have a tradition of great fun playing games on Friday and Saturday evenings, so bring your “play clothes” or pajamas for this! Bring your favorite board games, and label them, please!

The retreat center supplies our bed linens, towels and washcloths. You might want to bring your own water bottles, if you enjoy having bottled water. We do have access to a kitchen and a refrigerator, so we are able to enjoy snacks throughout the weekend. The meals which will be provided are Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast (total of 4 meals). This year we are planning to have all our meals at the retreat center again. We got such positive feedback from this. Being able to eat “in house” is very convenient and everyone seemed to enjoy the leisurely mealtimes.

We plan to conclude the retreat by noon on Sunday so that those who need to get on the road will have the full afternoon for travel. For those who want to stick around and visit a bit, we can have prolonged “goodbyes” in the retreat center.

We hope you will help spread the word to others who might enjoy the weekend. If you have questions or need more information, contact me at (205) 663-7979 (home), (205) 540-1515 (cell) or email ruth.miller@gci.org.

Please fill out the registration form, include payment, and return it by August 30. This is important, because the retreat center is such a popular place and we need to secure the number of rooms we’ll need ASAP! Late registrations will be accepted if space is still available.

I’m looking forward to sharing this weekend with you in October!

With love,
Ruth Miller

The Jacksonville FL church hosted a local GCI Neighborhood Camp July 1 – July 3, at the church-owned building. We give glory to God that everything went well and safely, with inspiration and fun for all.

Our congregation previously held an overnight, resident Youth Camp for the past 25 years, excepting last year during the coronavirus precautions.

It has always been a great bonding experience for the church’s youth and adults, to one another and to the church. It is a beneficial ministry tool, and we may utilize it again as a local church activity in the future.

This year we decided to experiment with the strategy of a Neighborhood Camp, where the focus is on attracting youth from our immediate community within a short distance of the church’s location.

For 2021, our organizational goals revolved mainly around working out the logistics of a Neighborhood Camp, gaining experience and ideas to use when we expand next year. We also wanted to re-connect with our church youth and their families, several of whom we haven’t been able to minister to regularly since the Covid-19 shutdowns of 2020.

Thanks to the blessings and guidance of the Lord, we were able to achieve these goals and provide many fun, creative, relaxing, and inspirational activities at our church building, with a couple of off-site activities to a water park and a trampoline park.

Below is a photo of our participants. We had 18 campers ages 6-16, and 15 staff members, ages 22-71. Of this group of campers, 2 were from neighborhoods within a mile of the church, and 6 others live within 3 miles. Most, but not all, had already become part of the Jacksonville congregation.

We plan to develop this strategy even further next year with another Neighborhood Camp, adding more outreach and advertising to our neighbors. We didn’t want to bite off more than we can chew this year, until we felt more confident that we could field the necessary core group of staff and campers from our congregation.

We are looking forward to reaching more of our immediate community in next year’s Neighborhood Camp, with a desire to cultivate, plant and reap new disciples of Jesus Christ.

Marty Davey, Pastor
Jacksonville, FL & Woodbine, GA

Sam and Denise Butler want to thank everyone for your prayers for their son Joffre throughout his recovery process. Joff’s injuries were quite severe, but he is gaining strength and all three surgeries were successful. Joffre is still dealing with an “angry pancreas” that needs to heal. And he needs energy and motivation as he is entering a long stretch of rehabilitation. Cards and letters to encourage him would be a blessing.

Please send cards to:

Joffre Butler
4439 Summit Forest Dr
Rockford MI 49341

Register Now!

Registration for the virtual 2021 Denominational Celebration is open! We will be focusing on the Hope Avenue, shaping our worship services to be inspirational experiences that center around our hope in the person of Jesus.

Individual Registration for members and Watch Party Registration for leadership teams to participate and debrief together are both available. Make the Celebration a retreat for your congregation. Click here for ideas on how to host a watch party.

Our Main Session Speakers

We are excited to present our GCI Superintendents and 2021 speakers! Each Superintendent will share stories of hope, revealing how the Spirit is moving in their region. The Main Sessions will also feature a live interview by GCI President Greg Williams with each Superintendent. Click here to visit our events page and read the Superintendents’ bios.

Connect With Us Beforehand on Facebook

If you Like and Follow the Grace Communion International – GCI Page you can find information about the upcoming Denominational Celebration and follow along with our Event Page as we count down the days until we can all celebrate together virtually. By RSVPing to this Event in Facebook, you will receive exclusive content leading up to the Celebration, and be the first to receive an invitation to the GCI Denominational Celebration Group on Facebook.

Register Now!

Registration for the virtual 2021 Denominational Celebration is open! We will be focusing on the Hope Avenue, shaping our worship services to be inspirational experiences that center around our hope in the person of Jesus.

Individual Registration for members and Watch Party Registration for leadership teams to participate and debrief together are both available. Make the Celebration a retreat for your congregation. Click here for ideas on how to host a watch party.

Our Main Session Speakers

We are excited to present our GCI Superintendents and 2021 speakers! Each Superintendent will share stories of hope, revealing how the Spirit is moving in their region. The Main Sessions will also feature a live interview by GCI President Greg Williams with each Superintendent. Click here to visit our events page and read the Superintendents’ bios.

I regret to have to inform you of the death of one of our dear friends, Cledice Decker.

Following a recent surgery to address a nearly blocked carotid artery, Cledice suffered a massive stroke. Two of her closest friends found her on Memorial Day and saw that she was taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, the damage was extensive, and nothing could be done to undo it.

Wednesday evening, June 2, she was placed on hospice, where she remained until her death early Wednesday morning, June 9.

Cledice Jewell Decker leaves behind a legacy of genuine caring, generous giving and selfless service that few will ever match. She is and will continue to be greatly missed.

It is with a heavy heart that I share this, not only because we have lost someone of exquisite moral and spiritual beauty, but also because of the pain and sadness this news will cause. Be assured, however, that Cledice’s last days were without pain, served by a compassionate and caring hospice staff. She was kept comfortable to the end, in accordance with her wishes under such circumstances.

Cledice requested that there be no funeral or memorial service, so may I suggest that you memorialize her among your mutual acquaintances for the beautiful example she set in everything she did. In that way her legacy will live on.

Chris Anderson

As we prepare for the GCI Virtual Denominational Celebration, now more than ever, is a great time to connect with your GCI friends through social media.

GCI has a strong presence on Facebook, with many congregational Pages and regional Groups. Our churches are continually finding new ways to engage and connect with their neighborhoods by sending virtual invitations through Events and engaging Posts on their congregational Pages. Our members are showing up for their communities and realizing that, this year especially, a presence online is often an essential first point of contact for guests and future members.

GCI also has an official denominational Facebook Page, Grace Communion International – GCI. Here, you can find engaging questions and join in the discussion with fellow members in the comments sections. You will also see weekly meditational Posts, meant to encourage your spiritual walk. On a monthly basis, this same Page provides educational content in the form of Church Hacks, meant to inspire and improve the way you do church locally.

If you Like and Follow the Grace Communion International – GCI Page you can find information about the upcoming Denominational Celebration and follow along with our Event Page as we count down the days until we can all celebrate together virtually. By RSVPing to this Event in Facebook, you will receive exclusive content leading up to the Celebration, and be the first to receive an invitation to the GCI Denominational Celebration Group on Facebook.

The GCI Denominational Celebration Group is the place where individuals who have registered for the event and Watch Party members are encouraged to share their photos, group insights, aha moments, and engage with discussion questions posted after each of the Main Sessions. This Group will serve as the behind-the-scenes community for GCI members and friends who are registered for the Celebration. So, invite your friends, get your decorations ready, set up your watch party rooms, and RSVP to the official Focused on Hope 2021 Denominational Celebration Event Page to stay connected and rejoice with us as we get ready to celebrate together as a church Focused on Hope!

P.S. For those of you who are not on Facebook, we will be sharing a link to the Sunday Service on our GCI Website. Download Zoom and come worship with us!

By Charlotte Rakestraw
Social Media & Graphics Coordinator
Editor, GCI Update

Alberta Ecker, co-pastor and wife of 25+ years to retired pastor, Tom Ecker, died on April 30. Her Memorial Service was held on June 6 and live-streamed on YouTube. Anyone who would like to see photos of her life and legacy may view the service here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-SyyRqNqTU.

Alberta, a Lakota Sioux Native American who grew up being forced to attend a Catholic Boarding School on the South Dakota Pine Ridge Reservation easily referenced her challenging experience as a First Nation citizen in her pastoral duties while visiting, administrating, socializing, evangelizing, and speaking. Over her years in ministry as a co-pastor, she traveled to and spoke at twelve different WCG / GCI churches in Southern California sharing her delight in the grace and truth embraced by GCI. In retirement, she courageously carried these internalized teaching beliefs into her declining health years fighting a progressive disease known as Multi-System Atrophy-Cerebellum Predominant, which took her life.

Cards may be sent to:

Tom Ecker and Family
1035 East Huntington Drive,
Space # 39
Monrovia, California
91016-3776 USA

Justine Paolo Parcasio was ordained an elder on June 6, 2021. It was a time of celebration & thanksgiving for GC Baguio as they also celebrated their 47th church anniversary.

Eugene Guzon – Superintendent of Asia officiated the ordination via Zoom, witnessed by GC Baguio Pastoral Team and church members.

We thank & praise God, that even during these challenging times, he continues to add dedicated servants to his church, servants who have the heart to serve and lead.

What is a hashtag?

Hashtags are a link in a social media post (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) that connects it to all other posts using that same hashtag. This allows other people who want to see what else is going on associated with that hashtag to simply click it. They are created by using this sign # followed immediately by a set of words or numbers that correspond to the event or topic. (Is it important to note that hashtags should not include spaces between words.) For the Denominational Celebration, we will be using #GCI2021HOPE as our hashtag when posting.

When should I use them?

When you’re posting about the GCI 2021 Celebration, we encourage you to use #GCI2021HOPE at the end of your post to make it easier for other participants to see what you have to share about your celebration experience!

Sharing with others through the Facebook Group

An additional bonus of going virtual this year will be a private Facebook group for those who have registered for the celebration. When it goes live we encourage you to share through posts what you’re looking forward to leading up to the celebration. Once the celebration begins, this will be the place to freely share insights you gain from the main sessions, workshops, and discussions along with pictures of you, your family, your pet, and fun fellowshipping at watch parties. We’d love to see and hear from you! Be sure to comment and participate with the posts of others through the Facebook group; the celebration is a chance to really connect with our international family!

Registration

If you haven’t registered already be sure to do so. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone worshipping together during the live worship session, the Sunday of the Celebration, and enjoying hearing the talent of our members worldwide through the virtual choir!

Follow the link below to register now:
https://www.gci.org/events/2021/

By Andrew Rakestraw
GCI Media Communications Assistant