Category: Stay Connected

The GCI congregations in Ghana have, over the last few years, seen an increased desire to pray, worship and draw nearer to God. This is particularly evident in members in their 40s and younger. They find opportunities to be more intentional in their walk with God. New media is used innovatively.

Four interesting examples include:

1. 21 Days of Fasting and Prayers – This is linked to Ghana’s annual 7 Days of Fasting and Prayers, which take place in early January each year. This fasting and prayer period is extended to 21 days for those willing & interested.
2. Weekly Prayer and Worship on Zoom – This is a 1-hour meeting that takes place on Tuesday evenings each week and is led by volunteers. Zoom is an online meeting room, and most join using their mobile phones. Members briefly discuss Bible passages, worship and pray.
3. Quarterly All-Night Thanksgiving, Worship and Prayers. This takes place four times a year at the church campsite from 10 pm to 3 am.
4. Daily 1-hour Prayer and Worship on Zoom During 21 Days of Fasting. This takes place at 7 pm each evening during the 21 Days of Fasting in January.

 

Blessings,
Glowen Kyei Mensah
Member, GCI Ghana

 

You Are Loved!

As I was sitting watching virus updates the other day with my wife, I heard a lot of horns blowing outside our front door. It was a bit disturbing, so my wife and I looked out the window with concern, thinking something was wrong. To our delight, we witnessed a very touching sight. There were seven cars that were driving through the neighborhood. Each car was decorated with signage and other decorations. The signs had messages such as we love you, we miss you and we can’t wait to be with you again. These were teachers and faculty from the local school district who took a moment of their lives during this dark time we are facing to share a message of love to their students and their parents.

It put joy in my heart to see that moment of goodness in humanity in the face of the ugly side of recent happenings in our world. These teachers and faculty members showed many people in the neighborhood a great example of what giving someone a moment of light in the darkness looks like. I truly believe that moment will impact the little girl who was outside with her mom learning to ride a bike and watched this caravan go by. What I learned from this is that we never know how what we do will impact the life of another, but we must be mindful of what we do when the opportunity presents itself. Do we ignore the moment, or do we engage with the Holy Spirit in that moment he shows us the opportunity to love others as we love ourselves?

The dark times that humanity faces have a tendency to keep us in realms of fear and doubt. However, when our Incarnate Lord Jesus came to us, he did the same thing these teachers did, albeit in a more impactful way for all humanity. Watching these teachers declare their love and dedication to these students in the midst of something where these young people probably don’t fully grasp the magnitude of the danger at hand reminded me to look to Jesus as he declares his love and dedication to us. Isaiah 63 captures this story of love and restoration from dark times very well. How beautiful it will be when these students and teachers are reunited in the fullness of the relationship they share, just as we anxiously await the reunion with Jesus realized in the fullness of the relationship he desires with us into eternity. Thank you, teachers of the world, for your love and dedication, and thank you, Lord Jesus, for your love and dedication to all humanity.

Stay safe, blessed and loved!

Terry McDonald
Lead Pastor
Living Grace Fellowship (GCI)
Kansas City, MO

Having a church family means we don’t have to be isolated even at this unprecedented time. We refuse to buy into fear and anxiety. How? By staying connected to Jesus and each other.

Grace Communion Richardson (Texas) has been using this time of “social distancing” to move ahead on several communication projects to help with this. We phoned each member to check in, and at the same time we updated their contact information and communication preferences in our Planning Center (http://planningcenter.com) system. In the coming weeks we’ll be using Text In Church (http://textinchurch.com), which syncs with Planning Center, to encourage our members. Previously we’d used it only to connect with visitors. We’ll also produce an updated member directory to help members keep in touch with each other more easily.

Checking in with members revealed several needs. A couple of people didn’t have internet access; another member helped them hear the live-streamed service through the telephone. A few others had run out of toilet paper and paper towels and couldn’t find any in stores; other members delivered the items the next day. We’re using our member’s Facebook page to share needs like this as we discover them.

Christine Ojih and Nadine Santibanez are making face masks and encouraging others to do so to provide to neighborhood hospitals. A nurse friend in one of our hospitals shared how the shortages are even beginning to impact availability for the kiddos in the children’s cancer ward.

Like many churches, we immediately moved our services online using Facebook Live. After the first Sunday, we started using OBS (http://obsproject.com) software to produce a more professional broadcast. Member Barry Ford, who runs the company Future Broadcast, (http://www.futurebroadcast.biz) used his professional skills to take live performances from several praise team members recorded in their homes to produce combined worship videos, which we added to the livestream.

The livestreams have been well received and had hundreds of views from members and those outside the church. One watch party drew viewers from all over the world. This is one way we can share the hope we have in Christ in this time of uncertainty. We believe we are attracting attention from people who do not regularly attend church or yet have a relationship with Jesus.

Like many GCI congregations, we have a high number of seniors who fall in the most vulnerable category of the virus. Please pray for continued protection and peace for all seniors around the globe.

Please pray that this crisis will point many people to Jesus, our constant source of hope, especially in times of trouble.

In his peace and hope,
Pastor Gabriel and Christine Ojih

 

This month the GCI Media Team opened the GCI Creative Community group on Facebook. This group is a connecting point and resourcing space for GCI Creatives. This includes multimedia team members, Hope Venue Champions, worship team members, pastors, and anyone else who serves in their GCI congregation. We serve one another by creating a safe space to share ideas, give feedback, and discuss best practices, all while having fun and expressing our God-given creativity!

This group was born out of a desire to support, connect with, and learn from fellow GCI creatives. We want to support you, our community, with the tools you need for successful creative ministry and alignment across our fellowship. If you are a GCI creative and would like to join the group, please click here. There are 4 steps to complete before pressing “submit.” To best serve you and create a safe space, please answer all three questions, and read and agree to the guidelines, before clicking “submit.” Thank you!

 

On Sunday, February 9, we had the privilege of ordaining Dr. Kerry Magruder during our worship service at GC Surrey Hills, Oklahoma.

Dr. Magruder serves as Chair of the History of Science Collections, Associate Professor of Bibliography and as Associate Professor of the History of Science at Oklahoma University (OU) in Norman, Oklahoma. Kerry joined the faculty at Grace Communion Seminary this semester and is currently teaching our class on Trinitarian Perspectives on Faith and Science.

Kerry and his wife Candace have been a part of our congregation in Oklahoma City the past three years. We are excited to have them as part of our church and seminary families and look forward to gleaning from Kerry’s education and experience.

He deeply loves God and is especially gifted at explaining the beauty and depths of Incarnational Trinitarian theology.

Michael D. Rasmussen
Superintendent, North America & Caribbean
Regional Director, Central US

Carolyn Cooley was ordained as an elder and commissioned as an Assistant Pastor in Grace Communion Fayetteville (North Carolina) on Sunday, February 23, in front of a large gathering of family and friends.

Those friends included GCI pastors and members from congregations in Raleigh, Wilson, Hickory and Wilmington, North Carolina. Carolyn’s husband, Pastor Billy Cooley, led the ordination ceremony and invited all ordained elders to the stage to participate in laying on of hands and prayer. This celebration brought particular joy to acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s good nurturing work with, in and through Carolyn.

 

Anthony Mullins
GCI Regional Director, Southeast
Pastor, Grace Communion Hickory
Podcast Host, GC Podcast and Gospel Reverb

In early March, before quarantines were set in place, Grace Communion Cleveland Men’s Ministry Team went to the City of Life Mission to serve a meal. Our church purchased the ingredients and the men prepared and served the meal with the assistance of the kitchen staff. They served two groups of about 50 people. We look forward to what is next for our Cleveland, Ohio men’s group.

We are also celebrating partnering with Fairfax Elementary School in our church community to provide a meal for another shelter we support. Church members did the cooking. The teachers and staff donated $211 to provide a St. Patrick’s Day meal of corn beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and dessert for about 50 women and children who live in the shelter.

We are praying for our next steps and for all that is done. To God be the glory!

Tamar Gray
Pastor
Grace Communion Cleveland

The following article was originally published on the GCI Philippines website. Click here to view the original article.

Like gold, Grace Communion Urdaneta has proven its malleability as it withstood challenges and embraced victories leading to the celebration of its 50th founding anniversary March 1, 2020. True to its theme “Celebrating God’s faithfulness: Past, Present, and Beyond”, our congregation in Urdaneta (Philippines) gave all the glory not on its ability to adapt nor its resilience but on God’s faithfulness to the church.

The 142 participants coming from seven congregations all over Luzon: Manila, Cabanatuan, Binmaley-Mangaldan-Lingayen, San Carlos, Curva, Santo Rosario, and Baguio, together with the host church enjoyed the bright sunshine, scenery and sun-warmed sand as they joyously commemorated the founding at PTA Beach Resort, San Fabian, Pangasinan.

The festivity started with praising the Lord through hymn singing followed by a short devotional from one of the District Directors of Northern Luzon, Pastor Adonis Caguioa, emphasizing that the Father rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferring us into the kingdom through the Son with whom we have redemption. He emphasized the continued faithfulness of the Lord in the church’s spiritual journey.

The National Director and Asia Superintendent, Dr. Eugene Guzon, delivered the message focusing on the faithfulness of our Lord who is at work in our lives and the church from the very beginning up until now as we continue to participate in his work. A short message of gratefulness was given by Grace Communion Urdaneta Senior Pastor, Dr. Napoleon Meimban, which then led to the commemoration of the Lord’s Supper.

To encourage the church and to attest to God’s faithfulness, Abraham Ortiguero, son of the late pastor Pedro Ortiguero, gave a testimony on how the church started and his journey through the transition. Antonio Beatriz, a pioneering member of GC Urdaneta and now a member of GC Pampanga, also shared his experiences when he was still with the congregation, with some anecdotes making the members laugh.

Catching-up, fellowship, and numerous chuckles accentuated lunchtime as everyone shared a sumptuous buffet. A brief meeting of the pastoral teams of the different congregations present came about after lunch to keep everyone updated on the direction of the church. Dr. Eugene Guzon facilitated the meeting.

Before diving into the nearby beach to enjoy the waves, the participants took part in a group photo to memorialize the event. And to cap the glorious occasion, three were baptized: Richelle Condrillon and Chantal S. Bolisay of Grace Communion Cabanatuan, and Brian Torio of Grace Communion Binmaley.

It was a golden moment for everyone witnessing the celebration knowing it is the Lord’s faithfulness that made the church reach 50 years and will make the church reach beyond.

By Rachelle Flores Garcia

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the postponement of the 2020 Denominational Celebration in Charlotte. We have deliberated among the Managers, sought counsel from our Superintendents, and been in constant prayer. So, in the best interest of our global family, we have determined that postponing the gathering to July 2021 is the right thing to do.

We have included a letter from Pam Morgan, Operations Coordinator, explaining the details for all who have registered and the procedures for getting your refund. We are extremely grateful to the 900 plus people who registered early and displayed enormous enthusiasm about coming together to celebrate the hope we have in our Lord Jesus. Please hold onto that enthusiasm and we will celebrate with exuberance in 2021.
To give you further input as to why we have made this hard decision, allow me to share insights from three of our Superintendents.

“The Denominational Celebration is about four months from now. In between, some countries will hit their peak of coronavirus infection while some will be at the tail end of infections and others will have just recovered. The global bell curve will cover all of us to one degree and another. What will follow, as you know, are the effects of this aftermath. There are too many uncertainties with this rapid spread of Covid-19. With the current situation, attendance for the July 2020 Denominational Celebration will be negatively affected. Therefore, calling off 2020 celebration to July 2021 has more probability for Covid-19 to have run its full course. Your hard work with Home Office managers is appreciated.” – Kalengule Kaoma, Superintendent Africa

“Today we have entered our Church fast here, and our love and prayers are with you and the Home Office, trusting He will guide you in all things. It’s just a month ago that you and Susan were in Australia, and all the members were so encouraged by your presence and your messages of love, faith and hope – the grace of Jesus. We did not realise what was ahead at that time, but more than ever before, as the normalities of life are being stripped away with the uncertainties and ever-increasing restrictions over our lives, we hold on to the assurance of where our lives are anchored, in the love, faith and hope we find in Him, the true Vine – can’t help thinking of how we are all attached across many miles, and one in spirit in Christ. Since my last update, the number of infections has almost tripled, and we see the beginnings of the spike in Australia now. Travel bans are in place indefinitely, with estimates ranging from anywhere up to 6 months for things to be cleared. It’s difficult to pin a timeframe, but we are praying for God’s intervention and our prayers are with you all, for His love, guidance and protection as we face these challenges together.” – Daphne Sidney, Superintendent Australasia

“Some years ago, we had to cancel an All-African conference on short notice due to a threat related to terrorism. Many of our delegates had saved their own money in order to buy their airline tickets and were not able to get a partial or a full refund. The estimate at the time was that maybe as much as $40,000 had been lost collectively in airfares for African delegates. I don’t know where everyone is re whether tickets are bought already or not, but, perhaps, the more notice given, the greater the likelihood of some kind of refund; or, if tickets not bought yet, then not much spent internationally so far? Just to say that since the last update, the situation in Europe has intensified, and a complete lockdown is planned in some areas for up to three months at least. This makes advance planning of any sort extremely difficult.” – James Henderson, Superintendent Europe

These accounts paint a very clear picture that the responsible decision is to postpone. In my thinking, how could this gathering be a true, impactful celebration if so many of our international brothers and sisters were unable to participate? Therefore, we will continue to plan for an amazing, inspirational denominational event with the caveat that it will take place in July 2021 and the expectation that we can meet as a collective family.

We apologize for any inconveniences this has caused you, and we appreciate your patience. Thank you for your prayers and your faithful support during this long season of challenge, and may we all continue to rest in the assurance we have in Jesus.

Greg Williams
President Grace Communion International

 

Click here for refund information

Many of you knew Jim Friddle. He died peacefully around 1:00 p.m. last Wednesday. Prayers for his family would be much appreciated.

Cards can be sent to:

Stephen Friddle
9932 Robbins Drive #103
Beverly Hills, CA 90212