Category: Stay Connected

During this time confined to our homes, we have found different ways to celebrate Christ. In my own case, I have been growing in intimacy with Jesus. I have been praying more and spending more time in his word. I have found new ways to do ministry as I’ve become more aware of the needs of others. My priorities have changed. I have been much more careful in the way I relate to my family. Under the unusual stress of us all being home, we have found ways to focus on the centrality of Christ in our lives.

At the beginning of this pandemic, it was said that countries like mine, Colombia, were going to suffer many deaths because, among other things, we did not have the social discipline, nor it was possible to keep the social distance to avoid getting infected. So authorities implemented drastic and strong measures to control the situation. Men were allowed to go out for shopping and other basic things only on even days and odd days women had their turn. So far, we have under 500 deaths reported by the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the economy has suffered a great loss. Many are experiencing difficult situations of unemployment. How to help in the name and the power of Jesus? All of us church members are in touch with each other through WhatsApp, Zoom, and Skype, and we are aware of the needs of each other. We send food or money to those who are in need. We pray together, study the Scriptures in many small groups, and motivate each other to good deeds toward our families and those close to us who are in need. And we do that in the name of Jesus. We understand that he is with us also in this stressful time. We understand that the present crisis is for our good. And we worship Jesus and rest on him.

This pandemic has shaken the church for the better. Members are more given to pray and participate in small groups to study the Bible and are more into giving, helping, and sharing with others in need. That is good! Members are allowing more of Jesus in their lives. Members are more grateful for their blessings. It is as if Jesus were making us more aware of the blessings we have. Even though we are experiencing this pandemic, much of the prayers I hear from church members are of thanksgiving for the blessings they have. That is remarkable because I know some of the members are going through difficult situations. That is possible because their hope is centered on Jesus.

I think the church has been edified and nurtured in this time of crisis because we got closer to the head of the church, Jesus.

Blessings,

Hector Barrero
Pastor
Bogota, Colombia

Marty & Yvonne Davey are excited to announce the birth of their grandchild, Zade Davey Thomas, born to their daughter Michelle Thomas and her husband Ric Thomas, of Gainesville, FL on April 25, 2020. All are healthy and doing well. Marty & Yvonne pastor the Jacksonville, FL and the Woodbine, GA GCI churches, and Michelle is a Teen Ministry Leader for the Jacksonville congregation.

 

At GC Surrey Hills, we were planning a huge community egg hunt when COVID-19 struck our nation. Like everything else, we had to cancel this event to respect social-distancing laws.

The closer Easter came, the more our neighborhood was longing for something to do to get the family outside. We, as a church leadership team, were longing to find a way our church could serve our community and “be the Church” in the midst of tragedy.

This pandemic forced us to rethink everything and what a blessing it has been. The idea we came up with was a bit “outside the box” for our love venue, but we love it “outside the box.” So, we created a digital egg hunt for our neighborhood. We teamed up with neighborhood business and within a few hours one evening, we collected $1000 in prize sponsorships and donations to award 10 gift baskets to the first 10 families to successfully finish the hunt.

We know our target community well. There are so many young families with children and they are also a competitive bunch (we are in good company, ha!). So, we came up with something we thought all ages would enjoy.

We hid large eggs all around the neighborhood in hard to see places and released a list of clues via our facebook event page. The goal was for families to figure out where the clues were leading them, find the eggs, and take a picture of each of them without any need to get out of their cars. Once a family found all the eggs, we had them upload all the pictures on to the event page on Facebook.

We had over 500 people out and about participating in the competition and it was a total blast. If you’d like to see all the pictures and see all the details and fun, the Facebook event page is “Surrey Hills Digital Egg Hunt.” Be sure to click on the “discussion” tab. Neighbors were so into it. They came out in war paint, team colors, and plenty of friendly, neighborhood smack talk. Everyone had so much fun (even when storms and hail came down in the middle of the hunt) and so many neighbors asked if we could do this every year.

It was so great that most of our leadership participated in the hunt in some way! Pastor Joe went live on our church Facebook page as he and his family competed. It was so wonderful because many of our church members who were at home were able to participate through his video. If anyone wants to see that video, our church Facebook page is Crosswalk Community Church.

I just wanted to share this in case anyone can take this idea and possibly morph it into a community digital scavenger hunt instead of an egg hunt (since Easter has now passed). There are so many ways for the love venue to flourish in the midst of tragedy. We just have to think outside the box.

Ceeja Malmkar
GC Surrey Hills, Leadership Team

 

Our condolences go out to Mitch Vasseur this week. His mother, Mrs. Margaret Ryan, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2020, and was buried on Tuesday, May 5. She had been in declining health for some time in Texas and thankfully Mitch and his sister, Julie Koch, were able to travel quite often to see her. But because of the virus, they could not travel to Texas for the burial, and needless to say they were heartbroken over that. But their prayers on her behalf are answered and she now rests in peace.

Please lift the family in prayer for comfort during their time of grief. Cards may be sent to:

Mitchell Vasseur & Family
4042 Liberty Ave, Unit 3
La Crescenta, CA 91214-3752

Mrs. Julie Koch & Family
1523 Briarglen Ave
Westlake Village, CA 91361

Blessings to all during this trying time,
Celestine Olive

Following on from an Easter 2019 two-day face-to-face get-together of young leaders from the Australasian region, there were hopes of repeating such events.

And then, social-distancing measures due to the coronavirus upset plans!

An idea emerged during a National Ministry Team (NMT) Zoom meeting of the possibility of using a platform such as Zoom to host a GCIgnite event during Easter 2020.

Planning evolved quickly. Within a two-week period, young leaders from the Mooroolbark GCI congregation held Zoom planning meetings, and brought together two hour-long Zoom meetings for young leaders in the Australasian region, which were held on Easter Saturday. Unfortunately, due to the effects of Cyclone Harold, our young leaders from Fiji were unable to be involved.

Live music tracks were put together making use of local young musicians. The process: one musician records the master track and shares with other musicians via Dropbox. Each records their part guided by the master track. All parts were then mixed using Audacity and synchronised with PowerPoint display of lyrics for screen sharing during Zoom sessions.

There was an overall theme of “How do we creatively and with generosity live out our faith during these unusual times?”

The two hour-long sessions included prayer, scripture readings, discussion using breakout groups with young leaders facilitating each room, songs at start and end of sessions, Easter devotional led by Pastor Bharat Naker, Bible Project video on Generosity and a Q and A session with a panel of pastors.

Between the two sessions, participants were able to either take a break or chat, eat and even play Pictionary together, before reassembling – wearing funny hats of choice – for the second hour.

It was a very successful first time venture of this kind for GCIgnite, enjoyed by 30 attendees across several time zones from Western Australia, South Australia and the eastern states, along with Carl from Canada.

 

Pastor Randall Bourchier
GCI Mooroolbark

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis in Madagascar, GCI Tana has organized donations to help struggling families to survive. With more than 100 positive cases of Covid-19, the country is on partial lockdown, putting at risk the survival of already poor communities who rely on daily income.

GCI Tana has managed to get two organizations from France to sponsor the food donations to the poor. One of the organizations has previously helped GCI give complimentary meals for the children during the church’s children outreach every two weeks.

GCI has organized the donations for 70 families affiliated with GCI. Some of them have their kids attending the church’s children ministries, and some of them are from a village called Ankararana where weekly preaching was held by Pastor Rigobert over the years as part of the GCI Tana outreach program. Some of them are GCI members struggling to survive this present crisis.

Families were given food parcels organized by GCI Tana. The food parcels for each family consist of 10kg of rice, 1kg of sugar, 1kg of salt, 1.5kg of pasta, 1L of cooking oil, 5 small packets of porridge, and 5 soap bars, and protective masks. The families with children are also getting a portion of cheese. Getting these products was quite challenging due to the lockdown but by God’s grace and mercy they could be sourced.

Extra precautions were taken during the donation process. People were given different times to come to collect their packages to avoid a mass gathering. Another outreach donation is planned for the children and the elderly.

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What are you doing to impact the mission field God where has placed your congregation? Let us know at info@gci.org so we can share and encourage one another.

Tommie Grant, pastor and GCI Board member, sent a prayer request on behalf of his brother Robert Grant. On Monday, April 6 Robert became very weak and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He was tested for COVID-19, but results came back negative. Wednesday morning they found that he has an infection in his blood but not sure of the reason ( similar situation happened to him last year). However, late in the afternoon, we received a call that the infection caused his kidneys to shut down. He was rushed to the ICU, where they put him on dialysis immediately before the infection damaged more organs. No one is able to see him at the hospital because of COVID-19 restrictions, including his wife, Barbara. This is taking a toll on the family at the moment after just losing our oldest brother a month ago. Robert is the 2nd oldest.

Update as of April 28th – Tommie’s brother Robert remains in the ICU in a critical but stable condition. Still not responsive as of last Wednesday. Tommie said his condition hasn’t gotten any worse which they consider a good sign. Tommie and the entire Grant family appreciate your ongoing prayers during this difficult time.

Cards for Tommie Grant may be sent here:

Tommie and Robin Grant, Jr.
115 Heritage Lane
Summerville, SC 29483-3110

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Ellis Necessary, GCI pastor in Morristown, TN, fell on Thursday night, April 9th, and fractured a hip and shoulder. He had surgery on Friday.

Update as of Monday, April 28 – After two weeks in the hospital, Ellis was able to return home last week and is working through his recovery from the fractured hip and shoulder. Surgery on his hip went well and his shoulder thankfully didn’t require surgery. As some of you know, Ellis runs his own small business, and being unable to work has caused additional stress. He’s grateful for your prayerful support.

Cards for Ellis Necessary may be sent here:

Ellis and Dorothy Necessary
498 Cambridge Cir
Russellville, TN 37860-9329

Dear friends,

James had his follow up with a second doctor this week, and he would like to do surgery rather than simple surveillance. It is currently scheduled for Friday, May 8. Please keep him in your prayers for the surgery, his recovery and peace of mind.

Much love,

The Newby family

Charlotte, North Carolina – Pastor Tracy Winborne

Our first responders, John, Claudia and Ashley are providing meals and snacks to over 200 homeless people on College St. One would think they are imagining a scene from a horror story right in our backyard. Hundreds of people are living in tents and without much-needed resources. Our mission is God’s mission: to witness the gospel and with limited words act by showing love. These members of Grace Communion Charlotte are taking precautions and experiencing a joy inexpressible. This is an ongoing activity for Grace Communion Charlotte. We provided funds to support our homeless and will do so every Wednesday as long as it takes or until funds are unavailable. And even then, we can hold their hands. Ashley, 19 years old, is passing out scriptures to the homeless and sharing the gospel message. We are proud of their missional DNA and know good things will come from the love poured into the community.

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Houston, Texas – Pastor Mark Mounts

We in Houston pray that all are coping with this incredible reality that we and the world are facing. All of Houston and the surrounding counties are under directives to “stay at home.” The exceptions are the usual service providers and medical staff that keep us all going. We have gone to a virtual worship format and we have also been communicating through Facebook. We are very spread out and most of our members are older and would be considered in the “high risk” category. I called one of our members who has limited mobility and he reported that his neighbors are buying him food and making sure he’s got all that he needs. He became a widower a little over a year ago. This is our prayer: Most loving God, thank you for moving the hearts and minds of those to let your light shine; even in the most troubled of times.

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Waltham, Massachusetts – Pastor Dishon Mills

The COVID-19 crisis is not good. We pray for those families around the world who have lost loved ones to this terrible disease, as well as those who are currently sick. At the same time, we serve a God who can make good things come out of bad situations. Moving our Sunday meeting and small groups to ZOOM has dramatically increased our reach. We have attracted at least one new person each week for the past three weeks. Our attendance is up 25% and our web traffic is up over 200% since the crisis began. COVID-19 has forced us to focus on relationships, which is what the church should be doing anyway. Perhaps we are in the midst of a virtual revival?

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Big Sandy, Texas – Pastor Jerome Ellard

One way we are remaining together is by phone: my wife Helen and I, and two other elder couples have divided up the congregation so that we can contact every member at least once during the week, encouraging them and asking if they need any help. We are still the body, even when we can’t physically be together. I’ve also started a “virtual prayer meeting.” Several of us used to meet at church on Tuesday evenings for a time of intercessory prayer. I’m now sending out a prayer list to all our members that have email, asking them to pray in their homes on Tuesday evening or at any other time during the week, adding other things they know about to their prayers. I send my Sunday message summaries to the local paper. I’m looking at other ways that we can continue to share the hope we have in Jesus through his word. We are asking everyone to keep up with each other and we look forward to being able to be together again soon!

Join me in celebrating David Borum and Elizabeth Mullins, who completed their GCI USA Pastoral Residencies this year.

David completed his residency on January 24. He served as a Pastoral Resident with Pastors Linda and Tim Sitterley with Grace Communion Eugene and Grace Communion Salem in Oregon. David brings wit as well as a depth of reflection and inclusive spirit to his pastoral ministry. Ministering alongside David, I’ve experienced laughing over a sarcastic joke one minute and a soul-deep conversation the next.

Elizabeth completed her residency on April 3. Elizabeth served as a Pastoral Resident with Pastor Anthony Mullins with Grace Communion Hickory in North Carolina. Elizabeth brings great compassion for those of God’s children hurting and oppressed and a heart on fire for God’s healing and restorative justice to her pastoral ministry. Ministering alongside Elizabeth I’ve experienced being challenged into uncomfortable depths with Jesus that lead to growth and a little bit of holy mischief.

Below, we asked them to speak about their ministry and review their experiences and takeaways from their time spent in the GCI Pastoral Resident Program.

 

Cara Garrity
Development Coordinator

 

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Elizabeth

I’m very passionate about how God conforms us to Christ’s image in the context of God’s Body. My faith is not merely a private, individual transaction between God and me. God’s story has always been one of renewing, redeeming, and restoring a people! We grow in love and desire for God and experience God in the relational community of the Church. And the Church is the beautiful Bride of Christ!

I have been shaped by the Pastoral Resident program by sharing community with and learning from my cohort of other pastoral interns and residents. The intentional leadership development I received was also an important piece. Pastoral leaders must possess a love and desire for God and an understanding of theology, of course. I learned that leading and discipling others in a healthy church goes beyond this. Healthy leadership is a skillset that can be refined. Personally, healthy leaders are growing in emotional intelligence, self-awareness, boundary-setting, time management, and the development of nourishing habits and rhythms. Interpersonally, healthy leaders are growing in the skills of team-building, communication, empowering and calling up others, and change management.

I served in Grace Communion Hickory in North Carolina. Since our congregation was a relaunch into a new neighborhood, we decided my role would include serving as the Community Developer. My role evolved to include the Champion of the Love Venue, also.

In addition to falling deeper in love with Jesus’ Church, my time in the Residency program demonstrated how important it is to be a local, community church. It’s very difficult to discern how to participate with Jesus’ renewal in my neighborhood without proximity and daily presence. Having a laser focus on one square mile surrounding our church building has had a huge impact on how we love our neighbors.

David

Since the age of 16, I have been involved in some form of ministry. Over the years I have participated in everything from street evangelism, youth ministry, worship leading, jail ministry, leading home groups and preaching. The most memorable time in my life was when I spent two years in full-time ministry in The Philippines with Youth With A Mission. My hope is that by the end of the year I will be a lead pastor somewhere within GCI.

The Pastoral Resident program afforded me the opportunity to take a good hard look at pastoral ministry within GCI. Through the program I was able to assess what my strengths and weaknesses were and to learn how to work together with others in ministry. Through the Pastoral Resident program I was made fully aware of my need to be dependent on the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. The program positioned me to develop a heart for God’s people.

I served two congregations: my home church in Eugene, Oregon, as well as the Salem, Oregon, congregation an hour away. Serving two congregations helped make me aware of how different a culture can be from congregation to congregation. I found that I needed to tailor my sermons and approach to people in these congregations based on their specific needs.

I will always have fond memories of our annual resident/intern retreats that were held in Ohio and Tennessee. Having the Regional Director also serving as my lead pastor gave me the privilege of meeting many other pastors/leaders in the denomination. It gave me a good sense of the vision and mission of GCI. I am grateful to Tim Sitterley for his trust in where God was leading me and affording me the opportunity and the autonomy to pursue what God had been placing on my heart in how to serve the church.