Category: Stay Connected

October was a special “Praise God” month for Regional Director Rick Shallenberger and his wife Cheryl. Rick had the privilege of officiating at his son Lucas and Sydney’s wedding on Saturday, October 3. Because of Covid-19, the wedding party was limited and there were 19 people at the wedding. This made the entire weekend more intimate and special. Here is a picture of the couple’s “First Touch” as they read letters to each other. The wedding venue was in Big Butte Resort just off the Blueridge Parkway an hour outside Asheville, NC.

Three weeks later, Rick and Cheryl (Pop Pop and Mammy) welcomed their third grandchild. Grayson Bradley Elliott was born on October 28 to Kayla and Chris. Granddaughters Oliva and Cora are often heard to say, “He’s so cute.” The girls are adjusting well to the arrival of their brother.

Billy Cooley, Pastor in Fayetteville, NC, shared the sad news this his older brother Horace passed away due to complications with COVID-19. Please remember the Cooley family in your prayers.

Cards may be sent to:

Billy & Carolyn Cooley
5373 Pringle Way
Hope Mills, NC 28348-5203

It is with sadness that I pass along the news that John Moskel died Tuesday, November 4. John seemed to be recovering well from a recent health setback, so his death came as a shock to his son Jesse and all those who loved John. John served many years as a GCI pastor, beginning in 1991 in Buffalo, NY. He then went on to pastor congregations in Olean, NY, Augusta, GA, and Orange, SC, and ended his pastoral duties in Columbia, SC, in June 2015.

Further details and his obituary can be viewed here.

Let’s pray for John’s loved ones as they grieve and say goodbye for now.

In the Resurrection and the Life,
Anthony Mullins
Regional Director USA, Southeast

Photo Contest Extended!

Registration Opens December 1!

Check out the link below to view the schedule, pricing, and more information on educational opportunities, youth activities, and local attractions.

2021 Denominational Celebration

We Are GCI Series is a collection of videos in which various GCI family members are highlighted.

In this episode, GCI President Dr. Greg Williams interviews Heber Ticas, GCI Superintendent of Latin America. Together they discuss Heber’s journey into GCI and service within the organization.

Please be in prayer for Honduras. The report below is from Heber Ticas
Superintendent of Latin America, on Thursday, November 5.

I have been in contact with our church family and Honduras all morning and the country is getting hit hard with fast-moving torrential rains from hurricane Eta. Below is a report from Pastor Marco Mejia of San Pedro Sula. Their congregation is in an area named La Democracia and is known for flooding.

“Unfortunately, last night the Ulua river overflowed and flooded the colony of La Democracia where we meet, and our church building is located. Eight families from our church who are members were evacuated and now find themselves in temporary shelters. There are 12 additional families that are affected. Many of these are not consistent in our church but their children and teenagers are well connected to our ministry. The situation is dire, and the storm is still with us. Homes have been destroyed, and roads and bridges have also been affected. I have attached some videos of when the river overflowed so you can get a better idea. By the grace of God, I don’t know of anyone close to us that have lost their lives. We continue to pray asking the Lord for relief and we ask that you join us in prayer as well”.
– Marco Mejia

Please join us in holding up our brothers and sisters in prayer.

Update: As of Saturday, the water had not yet receded and folks were still in shelters. A damage assessment was not yet possible.

Heber Ticas
Superintendent of Latin America &
National Coordinator for Church Multiplication

With a heavy heart, we announce the death of Howard Shadoan, former pastor of Christian Family Fellowship in Snellville, GA. Howard passed away on Monday morning, October 26.

Cards may be sent to his wife Jacque at the following address:

Jacque Shadoan
3610 Traveler’s Ct.
Snellville Ga 30039

Grace Communion Cleveland (GCCle) partnered with Cleveland City Mission to help collect coats for men, women, and children, with a focus on those housed at Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center. Members asked family and friends to check their closets for winter coats that were no longer being worn but still in good condition. Twenty-eight coats were collected for homeless and transitioning women, men, and children. We are reminded that even one can make a difference.

We were also blessed to volunteer as a church and help pass out “Farm to Families” food boxes each Thursday in October. These boxes included chicken, dairy and produce. In the summer months, we participated by collecting boxes to give to those in need mostly within a mile radius of our former church home. This time, Grace Communion Cleveland was able to take part in the process of distribution on-site with the Cleveland Heights School System who sponsored the giveaway. We are grateful to be finding ways to reach out during this time.

Loving Service,

Pat Shiels
Love Avenue Champion

October 6 through 8, twelve Home Office employees gathered in Oklahoma City, OK, to plan for the coming year. Due to Covid-19, our meetings took on a different look–we even had GCI branded masks.

We were each seated at individual tables to create proper spacing. At first look, everything seemed so spread out and separated, but after we started working, the extra space didn’t hinder the warm communication or collaboration, and most commented that they liked having the extra space to spread out their documents.

While in Oklahoma City, we traveled to Surrey Hills, the site of the new church building that is being built. We were greeted on-site by Surrey Hill’s pastor, Joe Brannen. Joe gave us a tour of where the sanctuary would be located, classrooms, and meeting space. Although no steel or concrete construction had started, the ground had been leveled and chalk marks, colored string, and wooden stakes were seen throughout the space where concrete was to be poured later in the week. This church facility will also serve as a Ministerial Training Center for interns and pastoral residents when complete.

Our meetings were collaborative, focusing on the Faith Avenue theme for 2021. Working within this theme, we discussed how national and regional resources and events could be focused to support congregations and members in exploring this avenue. The Faith Avenue is one of the three key ministries (the others being Hope and Love) that are important in a healthy church as we share the gospel. Tools, including social media, church hacks, prayer calendar, Equipper, monthly church reporting, and more, will all be used to emphasize and inform participants about the Faith Avenue in 2021.

This planning time together was beneficial and joyful because it is the only time during the year that this group gathers in one place to share ideas face to face. We brainstormed and planned, and also enjoyed recreational time together to relax and deepen our relationships.

The next time we will all be in one place will be the Denomination Celebration in 2021. We hope to see many of you there!

Pam Morgan
Operations Coordinator