We are thankful for our husband and wife worship team of George and Sarah Strub. They led us with songs of praise, including “Hosanna,” “Beautiful One,” a lively favorite, “Everywhere I Go,” and ended with the Newsboys version of “Forever Reign.” They pointed us to Jesus, and the joy he is for us and in us.
Pastor Jerome’s message “The Discipline of Celebration” followed that theme. God is filled with the joy that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share (Luke 3:21-22). Jesus wants us to share in their joy (John 17:5-8, 13, 20-24). In John 15:11, Jesus says about us: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
When joy overflows, you have a Celebration! We were created for life, the Life of God, filling us and spilling out in joyous celebration! In Genesis we are told that all that God created was GOOD, and is given to us to enjoy. Jesus came in our flesh, and he enjoyed a good celebration and the good things of his creation. His first miracle was turning water into fine wine so that a wedding party could continue! As he said, I came that they [us!] may have life, and have it abundantly!” (John 10:10)
We celebrated the abundant sharing of his life with our monthly Communion service, and followed that with the commissioning of our Love Venue Champion Rick Peterson, our Hope Venue Champion George Strub, and our Faith Venue Champion Sarah Strub. We then celebrated their commissioning with cake and punch, looking forward to how we can become an even greater and healthier expression of the body of Christ here in Big Sandy, celebrating and sharing him!
GC Derby, in Derby, Kansas, held a Parent Afternoon Out on December 15, 2019. Our goal was to share God’s love with the children by providing a fun afternoon of activities and to be a blessing to their parents by giving them an opportunity to have an afternoon break from their normal routine. Though the weather was freezing rain and snow, eight students and one mom came to participate. Thirteen GC Derby members, who all had current background checks, stayed after church services and our monthly potluck meal to host the fun.
The children were divided into two groups with a leader who stayed with them and made sure they got to participate in all the activities. We had four activity stations, two on the main level and two in the basement. The stations were cookie decorating, card making, a scavenger hunt for items located in the landscaped village around the train set and a “Joy to the World” coloring wheel craft where the events leading up to Christ’s birth were colored while the story was read to the children. We all joined together for a snack break, an obstacle course and the final event in the sanctuary to watch a video: Legend of the Candy Cane – The Candymaker’s gift.
It was a wonderful afternoon of interaction and fun for everyone that attended. We know many were praying for us before and during this event, we appreciated it very much. We had a joy-filled time being God’s instruments of peace and love.
May we all see clearly in 2020, Pastor Kirk Hayden, GC Derby
“Bushfire in the distance, from lookout at Angourie,” by Tatters, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
We appreciate the love and concern of our brothers and sisters around the globe. Please direct your prayers toward rainfall. We desperately need rain to help extinguish the flames completely, pray for the safety of members in fire-affected areas, and prayers for the communities who have suffered the loss of homes and businesses, for long-term recovery.
Please see the following email, which John McLean, Superintendent of Australasia, sent to all our members in relation to the fires in Australia:
The whole world has seen the pictures and read reports of the current devastating fires around Australia. The vision has been apocalyptic, the scale a national tragedy. With extremely hot, dry conditions, and lethal winds, the destruction has been, and is continuing to be, of a scale that is overwhelmingly disastrous. The physics alone are amazing, with fires developing their own weather systems. The sheer size of the area of land burned is staggering. Survivors describe hearing the sound of the roar coming from the bush made by the approaching flames. Heavy smoke has blanketed huge areas, making the air quality dangerous, and even going as far as New Zealand.
It’s not just a national disaster, but an incredibly personal and community one. We are saddened by the deaths directly caused by the fires. Early on as the fires broke out, two of our members perished in fires in northern NSW. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones. And those who have lost houses, all their possessions and mementos, stock, farm machinery, fences…you name it. There has been a tremendous loss of wildlife and forests, too.
In the midst of all this, the outstanding and sacrificial service of the fire brigades and volunteers has been heroic. Sometimes we can only stand in awe and respect of the job they do and how they do it. These times of crises bring out the very best, and sometimes the worst, in human beings. And they remind us of the things that really matter in life: love, relationships, communion, and the hope we have in Jesus.
It’s a time for prayer, and support of those in desperate need any way we can. I have received personal messages from Joe and Tammy Tkach, Mike Feazell, Randy Bloom, Mat Morgan, Gavin Henderson and others, including a congregation in the USA, and ACCM students from Africa and the Caribbean. These messages expressed shock at the scale of devastation and assured us of their prayers for all concerned.
As I am writing this now, we are beginning to experience some refreshing rainfall – so we are truly most grateful. We hope and pray the rains will fall in the much-needed areas.
God bless, Daphne Sidney, Church Administration GCI-Australia
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GCI Disaster Relief Fund
If your congregation has a heart to help members impacted by major disasters like the one in Australia, consider donating 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 been used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.
If your congregation would like to donate out of local church funds, you may do so at www.gci.org/go/chdonate
If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating 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
“Distant view of Taal Volcano Island from a restaurant in Tagaytay, Cavite,” by Patrick Roque, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Some have asked about the status of the Taal Volcano eruption near Tagaytay City. Tagaytay is one of those favorite vacation and convention places near Manila, due to its cooler climate, its scenic view of the volcano and the lake around it. Many of our GCI leaders’ conferences are held in Tagaytay City. After about 43 years of calm and occasional slight activity, Taal volcano suddenly erupted and has spewed thick volcanic ash thousands of meters to the sky.
Because of the north direction of the wind at that time, its huge amount of ashfall spread to a wide area affecting about 4 million students and about 4000 schools in the surrounding provinces including Metro Manila, affecting about P600 million pesos ( about US $ 12 million) to crops and so much more in terms of dislocations of thousands of people who now live in scores of evacuation centers, and business disruptions in the surrounding areas especially Tagaytay City. The spewing of the ashes also included lighting at the crater, and about 200 earthquakes since Monday, ranging from intensity 1.5 to 5, that have caused huge cracks on some houses and roads.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, this is indicative that the volcano is preparing for a dangerous explosion that can devastate the surrounding areas. Due to this threat, the government has declared the whole province of Batangas in a state of calamity, and has advised people in areas within 14 kilometers to move to safer places.
We are coordinating with the pastors and some members in those areas. We have learned that there is one family in Talisay who had to evacuate to safer grounds in Santo Tomas, Batangas. Except for the messy roads and ashfalls in their houses, the members near Tagaytay are safe and hoping that the ash coming from the volcano will not lead to related respiratory and skin diseases. Nevertheless, here is an interesting update today from Pastor Pol Makahiya, one of the pastors in an adjacent city.
“Sir, I just had a courtesy call with the Mayor this morning and asked how we can serve the evacuees. I was referred to the command center. I talked with the head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and we were given access to the evacuation centers, especially the schools. At this time, there are about 7,000 individuals in 10 evacuation centers here in Santo Tomas, Batangas, and 6 of which are in the schools.
A few hours later, he sent another text. “I was able to preach to about 37 evacuees in 2 rooms. I am already exhausted. Sharp dust particles are widespread. I just arrived home, but so encouraging, because the people are so thirsty for God’s word.” He said tonight, January 15, that he will be back tomorrow, with one more servant leader to minister to those in the evacuation centers.
Please pray for the continued safety of the members and people who were traumatized and dislocated by this eruption. So much mess to clean up, and so many people and animals who need help. There is a great need for restoration. We also pray for safety and guidance upon our servant leaders reaching out in those areas like Pastor Pol. In the midst of this chaos, we also pray for God’s word to bring comfort, healing, and even new life to those who will listen and believe.
Eugene Guzon, GCI Philippines National Director and Asia Superintendent
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GCI Disaster Relief Fund
If your congregation has a heart to help members impacted by major disasters like the one in The Phillipines, consider donating 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 been used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.
If your congregation would like to donate out of local church funds, you may do so at www.gci.org/go/chdonate
If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating 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
GCI Malaysia celebrated our Festival 2019 from 26 to 30 September at Seri Malaysia Hotel in Genting Highlands. Around 50 members attended the festival. We had pastor Chanling from Myanmar and Asian Superintendent Eugene Guzon as our special guests. It was a Spirit-filled festival with cool weather throughout.
Congratulations to Pastor Marty Davey and the GCI Jacksonville, FL congregation, Christian Family Fellowship, for winning titles in the Folio Weekly Magazine, “Best of Jax 2019” awards.
Christian Family Fellowship won fifth place in the Best Church category, and Marty Davey won third place in the Best Spiritual Leader category.
November 24, 2019, Grace Communion Cleveland (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) held an outreach for Thanksgiving Community Dinners. We served a specific area where our church meets and gave out invites to the local food bank.
We delivered 15 meals and had 19 ordered for pick up. We also were able to feed about 50 people including our church members in a fellowship hall provided to us free of charge by a church across the street from where we meet. We consider this a huge success for showing Jesus’ love in our community. Our plan is to stay in contact with the names and numbers we collected and see how we can assist them in the future. To God be the Glory!
Members of Grace Communion Bahamas. Photo by Averil Hall.
Dear GCI Disaster Relief Fund Donors:
On behalf of GCI Bahamas, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the generous donation you sent for our members in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Your generosity helped 13 family units (35 persons) restore a sense of dignity and get back up on their feet again. It helped in providing immediate food and water needs, personal items, shelter in the form of apartment rental, etc., purchase building material to repair our church building in Moores Island, Abaco, as well as a number of member homes on the affected islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama.
In addition, we were able to assist our pastor in Freeport, Calvin Parker, in purchasing a used car, and we provided new fridges and stoves for 10 members who lost these appliances during the storm (thankfully we were able to catch the American “Black Friday” sale and purchase these items at less than half of what it cost here in the Bahamas.) I share the sentiments of Pastor Parker, who wrote recently, “you don’t know how much this means to us. We are a people most grateful. Please give our love to the brethren.” We receive similar expressions of gratitude almost every day.
We were also able to purchase some basic landscaping tools to assist a member in finding self-employment, and we will be assisting our pastor in Abaco, Joanne Jones, along with her mother and sister in setting up a small grocery business so they can be self-supporting in the future. Joanne’s father, Pastor John Paul Jones Sr., died a few years ago, and her brother, John Paul Jones Jr. died recently and was buried just one week before Hurricane Dorian hit the island. So assistance provided for them is especially meaningful at this time. Your kindness went a long way in helping them feel a special sense of love and connection to our international family.
Again, we say thank you, and may God continue to richly bless you.
Yours in Christ, Robert W.T. McKinney National Director, GCI Bahamas Regional Director, Caribbean
It is with great pleasure we welcome Robert McKinney and his wife Tania as our new Regional Director of the Caribbean. Robert has served in ministry for over three decades. He currently pastors two congregations in Nassau, Bahamas. He has also served as the National Director for the churches in the Bahamas for a quarter of a century.
My wife and I, along with President Greg Williams and his wife Susan, had the privilege of spending some time with Robert and Tania (along with their children) this past September. We were amazed that everywhere we went on the island people came up to Robert as if they were old friends. Robert kept telling us it is a “small” island. This may be true, but the evidence of Robert engaging the people of his island was inescapable. He is dedicated to loving the people in the neighborhood surrounding his church building and lives only a few blocks from where his congregations meet each week. It was encouraging to see how a parish pastor can impact his neighborhood.
Robert loves to perform weddings – to date, he has performed over 1,000 of them. This ministry has helped him to meet and interact with thousands of people across the island. When we were there, we ran into at least three random couples whom Robert had recently married. Robert also has a passion for young people. His passion and giftedness are so well known in the Bahamas the government appointed him to a Review Board that adjudicates court-related decisions that affect juvenile offenders. Again, the place where these decisions take place is not far from where his church meets each week.
Robert and Tania have three lovely children, one daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. While we were in the Bahamas, Greg and I had the honor of ordaining Tanya as an Elder. I am excited to see how God uses her many gifts and talents.
I am thrilled to work with Robert and to see him spread his wings as he joins Jesus in loving and leading our congregations in the Caribbean. Please join me in welcoming Robert and Tania to their new responsibilities!
With Deep Respect, Michael D. Rasmussen Superintendent of North America and the Caribbean
We celebrated the abundant sharing of his life with our monthly Communion service, and followed that with the commissioning of our Love Venue Champion Rick Peterson, our Hope Venue Champion George Strub, and our Faith Venue Champion Sarah Strub. We then celebrated their commissioning with cake and punch, looking forward to how we can become an even greater and healthier expression of the body of Christ here in Big Sandy, celebrating and sharing him!
