Category: Stay Connected

After a few initial training sessions in 2019, we sat down with one of our TTC leaders, Rick Shallenberger, to answer a few questions about TTC, a training experience GCI is offering leadership teams in the coming year.

What is the purpose of TTC? TTC stands for Transformational Team Communication, and that’s exactly its purpose, to help teams communicate more effectively in order to be more effective. TTC focuses on the 5 Voices we all have (Pioneer, Connector, Creative, Nurturer and Guardian), and how to use them effectively in a team environment. Though each of us has access to all five voices – or methods of communicating ideas – we also have a foundational voice, one we use more than the others. Others in the team have different foundational voices and if we encourage each person on the team to give what their foundational voice offers, the team is stronger, more productive and communicates more effectively. TTC focuses on the strengths of each voice as well as the challenges – weapons system – each voice uses under stress.

How is it helpful for leaders? About 82 percent of people feel their contribution in a meeting is undervalued or unheard. This is because some voices are stronger – louder and more forceful – than others. Some voices are future-focused while others are present-focused. By listening to all the voices in a team environment, we make fewer mistakes, better team decisions, and all feel they are part of the decision-making process. Communication increases dramatically when you believe your voice is being heard and valued. Better communication leads to better relationships, which leads to healthier leaders, which leads to healthier churches.

Will it impact members? Absolutely! When the team is communicating effectively, members also feel heard and learn to trust the team. It leads to team-based, pastor-led congregations, and members all benefit from the greater communication and relationships being built. Another plus in learning how to listen to and appreciate the strengths of each voice is that there is an increase in feeling valued and giving value to others. The tools shared in TTC will benefit leadership teams, congregations, and pastors, as we learn to listen to and value what others bring.

Bill Winn, Pastor of the Hanover, Virginia, congregation, graciously gave us a review of his experience attending TTC Training.

TTC training was eye-opening for me. The value of this training for our ministry leaders and our general congregation cannot be measured in dollars, but it took a significant financial investment for GCI to provide it, and we are grateful.

The Father, Son, and Spirit desires that our churches and our leadership teams function as healthy as they are able. TTC engages the way we each naturally communicate and seeks to call out the best expression of our voices and then to call us up to the highest level of faithfulness to the church. We at Grace Communion Hanover are immensely grateful for GCI’s investment in Transforming Team Communication.

It was like looking in a mirror. The investment GCI has made in time, finances, and human resources to provide Transforming Team Communication is of such great value that to fail to take advantage would be a tremendous loss. Thank you GCI for providing such insightful training.

TTC is transforming the way my team and I communicate. I think that’s the point. So far we are finding liberating joy in learning how to best use our voices and how to hear others in love. The generous contributions to GCI make this sort of training possible and as a direct beneficiary of those donations, I wanted to write to say thank you.

On Saturday, October 26^th, during our Celebration in Ocean City, Maryland, surrounded by pastors and members from the Eastern part of the nation, Regional Director Randy Bloom announced his upcoming retirement. Randy has decided to step down as Regional Director on May 1, 2020. It is with some sadness and yet excitement for Randy and the next phase of his life, that I share this news with you all.

Randy and his amazing wife Deb, have been a blessing to GCI for the past 44 years. Randy was hired as a Ministerial Trainee in 1975 and has pastored four congregations since. He has also served as a District Superintendent, Regional Pastor and currently as Regional Director. Randy was the brave soul who pioneered our Church Multiplication Ministry (CMM) and our Church Planting Ministry, for which we are eternally grateful. Thankfully, Randy is not finished serving our denomination nor the Body of Christ. Randy has been nominated and accepted a position on the GCI Board of Directors. He will also continue to be an instructor for Grace Communion Seminary. Let me give a shout out for his Church Planting Class which is outstanding, one of the best I’ve taken.

Also at the Celebration in Ocean City, after much prayer and discussions, it was also announced that Jeff Broadnax will replace Randy as the Regional Director for the Eastern Region. Jeff is currently serving as Randy’s Associate Regional Director and is spending time getting to know the pastors and members within the region.

On May 1, 2020, Jeff will step in as the Regional Director. Jeff joins our team with many years of experience. He was ordained as an elder in 1989 and has served in pastoral positions in nine different congregations across five states from the west to east coast. He has worked with teens and young adults across the nation as well as our Generations Ministry Coordinator (GenMin). He also teaches the Trinitarian Youth Ministry class for Grace Communion Seminary. Along with Jeff, we are blessed to gain the wisdom and insight of his lovely wife Karen.

We are thankful God continues to provide qualified individuals who love God, this denomination and all her members. I pray you all have a blessed week.

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

Saturday, October 26, Grace Communion Big Sandy hosted its annual Fun ‘n Fall festival. Pastor Jerome, Helen, and the congregation spent weeks preparing the church grounds for games and activities to bless the families in their community with wholesome fun.

It was a successful day spent connecting the church and community through fun seasonal activities. Saturday morning, the Rotary Club held its popular Waffle Breakfast at our church building. Then, after many hours of preparation and set-up, the Fun ‘N Fall carnival started. The event featured a Pecan Festival, Kid Zone, train rides, a bounce house, games and more.

Key helpers in the church and community included Rick Peterson and his team, along with the volunteers from Big Sandy High School and Elementary School, the Lions Club, Sally Allen and SFG, our Big Sandy Police Department and Mayor Parsons. It was a joyful time of fun and togetherness.

Sunday worship was led by Carlos Gutierrez and his team. They sang hymns and songs from the 17th century to the 21st century, showing the great continuity of praise and thankfulness that is a hallmark of the Body of Christ. To celebrate Pastor Appreciation month, all the pastors were honored for their service to our congregation. The Sunday service featured a heartfelt message from retired Pastor Sonny Parsons on God’s continued blessings upon us. It was a big weekend of thankfulness at Grace Communion Big Sandy.

 

 

Pastor Anthony Gachanja, regional director for East Africa, shared the following in his monthly church report.

Our GCI conference this year was held in the outskirts of Nairobi. The attendees were invited from all congregations across Kenya. We were blessed to have two attendees from our neighboring country, Uganda. The height of the conference was the commissioning of the church building in Nairobi. Both events were conducted by Kalengule Kaoma, Superintendent of Missions in Africa.

Save the Date!

 

Cape Town

GCI’s Cape Town south church had a very busy Pastor Appreciation weekend. They started off the Sunday service with a blessing of children. Next, Grant Erasmus was commissioned to lead the worship ministry. The service was concluded by honoring the pastor couples in appreciation for their service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zambia

The Solid Rock congregation presented Regional Director Takalani Musekwa and Elder Johan Retief with a certificate of appreciation and an after-service feast as a thank you for their good and faithful work with the local church and GCI as a whole.

 

Baguio

At GC Baguio, the team of pastors was honored by being called to the front of the service to speak about their months, years, or in some cases, decades of leadership within the church. They were presented with gifts from the youth and honored through word and song from members of the congregation.

 

The following statement was first published in a press release online here.

Grace Communion Derby Receives 2019 Best of Derby Award

Grace Communion Derby, in Derby, Kansas, has been selected for the 2019 Best of Derby Award in the Church category.

Each year, the Derby Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Derby area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2019 Derby Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Derby Award Program and data provided by third parties.

The Derby Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Derby area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Derby Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Derby Award Program

CONTACT:
Derby Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@2019awardadvisory.net
URL: http://www.2019awardadvisory.net
For More Information: https://derby.2019awardadvisory.net/s8a9hn6j_GRACE-COMMUNION-DERBY

Here is a note to any who over the years have been supporters of the winter “shoebox mission trip” by Crossing Borders, and to any folks who want to know how they can help now.

Did you know this December 6-9 will be CB’s 14th winter trip (and 28th mission trip overall)? Some of you have been a part of that ride for many years, and we thank you very much. As always, we need the support of folks like you to make these trips actually happen, and to be able to share blessings from God with the folks we go to serve in Mexico.

We need:

Shoebox gifts – Boxes filled with necessities and fun stuff for children. Last year we had a decrease in the number of shoeboxes donated, so we had to ration the number of boxes we could share with each ministry partner and event. I pray that this winter we can increase the number of shoeboxes we can give away to those cute kids made in God’s image, and who actually NEED and appreciate the items in the boxes. If you or your group can provide shoebox gifts, that’s wonderful. If you know of some other group that could help with this, please let them know about the need and the blessing, and point them to our website for details. Go to: www.cbmission.org and click on the Shoebox Ministry tab. Boxes can be shipped directly to our housing facility on the border, and they need to arrive there no later than December 5.

Prayers – We are in the midst of our detailed planning for the upcoming trip. There are multiple contacts to be made (often through difficult communication channels), safety and financial issues to consider, an events schedule to be decided upon, applications flowing in, the health and spiritual challenges of our Mexico ministry partners, travel plans to arrange, shoeboxes to prepare, ship and receive, and more. We solicit your prayers as this final month fills up with preparation and then the actual event happens on December 6-9 when up to 28 CB missionaries spend two days reflecting the love of God, the joy of Jesus, and the hope of the Spirit to hundreds of adults and children in some very needy places in Mexico.

Other miscellaneous items – People also make or purchase blankets (adult-size and baby-size), quilts, scarves, homemade toys, heavy cloth totes with handles (great for moms of infants), baby items such as powder, lotion, pacifier, onesies, rattles, baby bottles, diapers etc. (which we pack up onsite in the totes). Be creative; it’s all good! (NO clothes or shoes, please [except for the baby items]).

If you have questions, feel free to call either Lee Berger, director (903-746-4463) or Steve Solari, assistant director (615-480-0826).

Save the Date!

 

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of Jim Kissee, Pastor of the GCI church in Springfield, Missouri. After a long fight with cancer, Jim passed away Saturday, October 19. The following is his obituary which was first published on his tribute page at Adams Funeral Home.

Jim loved and he lived. He was a kind and caring person who valued faith and family above all else. He believed in forgiveness, had immense biblical knowledge, and wanted people to know hope and love through Jesus Christ.

James Everett Kissee was born on June 29, 1943 to Sherman Everett and Goldie Katherine Kissee. He grew up on a farm with four brothers in Marshfield, Missouri. Jim married Kaye Pyle on June 7, 1969 and they had three children – Jim, Janna, and Joe.

Jim was interested in sports from a very young age and had a particular fondness and aptitude for basketball. He excelled as an athlete and continued to put high importance on discipline, mental strength, and physical activity throughout his entire life.

After high school, Jim played basketball for two years at Arkansas City Junior College in Kansas and then for two years at the University of Arkansas where he earned his first Bachelor’s Degree. After graduation he moved to Big Sandy, Texas to attend Ambassador University, where he earned his second Bachelor’s Degree. It was there that he met Kaye and found his calling in life to minister and teach. Education was a lifelong passion for Jim. During his time as a professor at Ambassador, he earned both a Master’s Degree and a Doctorate from Texas A&M Commerce.

Jim’s love of helping others through education and counseling made a lasting impact on countless lives. Some of his fondest memories were of the years he spent teaching, counseling, and working with students at Ambassador University. He encouraged us and others to embrace and love one another, to share knowledge unashamedly and without fear, and to strive to reach our highest potential.

Jim was a pastor, faithfully served the Lord, exemplified positivity and always had a hopeful outlook on the future, even in the face of adversity. He loved his family and got great joy from his grandchildren.

Jim’s earthly body succumbed to cancer Saturday, October 19, 2019 but he continues to inspire. He will be remembered by family and those close to him as a caring intellectual that exhibited great strength and grace.

Jim is survived by his wife Kaye; son Jim Kissee; daughter and son-in-law Janna and Nate Jones, grandchildren Zander and Lilah; son and daughter-in-law Joe and Rachel Kissee, grandsons Andrew, Evan, and Isaac; and brothers Archie, Les, and Bob Kissee; and many beloved in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents Sherman and Goldie Kissee, his brother John Kissee, and numerous other loved ones.

 

Cards and letters may be sent to:

Mrs. Kaye Kissee
601 N 36th St
Nixa, MO 65714-7558