The couple celebrated their wedding day at a beautiful lakeside location in Belmont, North Carolina, joined by their immediate families. The ceremony was officiated by Charles Fleming, father of the bride, and included blessings from their mothers, Carmen Fleming and Marge Hartman.
Michelle and Jeffrey will call Belmont, North Carolina, their home.
“I love what I see happening in this denomination at this time; I really believe that God is at work in GCI.”
Discover Michael Mitchell’s story as a GCI Ministry Coach in Kingston, Jamaica. Click here or on the image below to see the full profile.
On May 30, the Grace Communion Pikeville congregation celebrated its ninth anniversary of serving free meals to our neighbors. For several years, we offered Easter and Christmas meals to our community. But nine years ago, we sensed God was telling us to do more. We sought to understand what the “more” was, and we felt God telling us to feed people meals on a regular basis, more than twice a year. And the community kitchen was born.
We started by serving a meal at the end of each month. Over time, we adapted as we discerned the needs in our community and felt an urging by God to do more. We went from serving a meal a month to a meal a week. Then in 2020 during Covid, we began serving meals two days a week and have continued to do so.
God has made the way for us to be able to serve and provides the means to do so, often in very unexpected ways. Through the hard work of our volunteers and community partners, we serve an average of 800 meals a week.
We are truly privileged to be able to share the love of Jesus to our community through our meals. Our motto is found in Matt. 25:35 “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat …”
Debby Bailey, Pastor
Pikeville, KY, US
Discover the transformative power of Christ’s love in our new series, GCI Testify. Witness firsthand the impact of the Spirit in and through GCI, as members from our global fellowship share testimonies of Jesus. Click here to view previous testimonies; scroll to “Archive” at the bottom of the screen for the full list.
On April 26-28, Grace Communion Cleveland hosted their 20th annual LiLY Women’s Conference. LiLY is an acronym for “Living life for you (Jesus).” With a record attendance of 91 women, our conference highlighted the theme “Reunion” (Luke 15:20).
Pastor Tamar Gray opened our weekend on Friday night with a “Getting to Know You” session. It was followed by praise and worship with our talented worship band.
Saturday morning, after praise and worship, Rose Hamrick, GCI Chief Financial Officer, spoke. Her message, “In My Father’s Arms,” told the story of how God carried her through her struggles in life preparing her for her current job. Her encouragements included: God pursues us and wants to have a relationship with us; we are never alone; we can have our own ideas and plans, but God’s plans far surpass ours.
Robyn Dykstra, guest speaker and author, led the remaining sessions on Saturday. Sharing her testimony, she encouraged us to not hang on to the old and lean into God’s goodness because he sees, hears, and loves us.
Saturday evening ended with a panel discussion led by Rose Hamrick. The ladies shared how the Lord has been moving in their lives.
On Sunday, the families of attendees were invited to our service, where Pastor Tamar Gray preached on our theme Bible passage. She highlighted how the father gave his returning son a robe (covering his child), a ring (signifying that he was back in good standing), and sandals (letting everyone know his son is not a servant). The older brother’s lesson reminds us that we do not have to work for God’s grace, we already have it.
Save the Date: Our 21ST annual conference will be held on April 25-27, 2025. Follow us on Facebook@lilywomensconference for more information.
By Rosa Hulse, Women’s Ministry Leader
Cleveland, OH, US
“I can feel that there is a lot changing and happening here, and I love seeing people grow individually.”
Meet Alexander Brandt, GCI pastor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Click here or the image below to read his full profile.
International Women’s Day was observed on March 8. On the following Sunday, GCI India held a special women’s celebration. The congregation expressed gratitude for the service and leadership offered by the women of the congregation. The worship service was led by our women. The ladies’ choir led the congregation in a soulful time of worship.
Ms. Selina and Mrs. Joshila Philips gave the messages. Ms. Selina explained how inner beauty transcends external beauty through the examples of Rachel and Leah. She focused our attention on Jesus, who is the portrait of absolute beauty with a gentle and quiet spirit. Mrs. Joshila spoke about the importance of women’s leadership in various aspects of the church, focusing on the example of Deborah. Deborah was an Old Testament judge, prophetess, and military strategist who played an important role in freeing Israel. She encouraged the women of the church saying that God bestows all women with unique gifts. Women are to bring that forth and serve the church and society with their gifts.
Pastor Praveen closed the service with communion. As a token of appreciation for the women of the congregation, a sumptuous lunch was arranged and enjoyed by everyone!
By the GCI India Newsletter editors,
Shanti Nirale
Praveen Kumar Chintha
On Sunday, March 24, Pastor Timothy Brassell and his wife, Donna Brassell, were honored for their 25 years of devoted service to GCI. The celebration was hosted by their congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. Pastor T (as he is mostly called) and Donna were presented with a plaque and 25-year watches by East Regional Director Jeffrey Broadnax. These gifts serve as tangible symbols of appreciation for unwavering dedication, steadfast leadership, and tireless commitment to God’s ministry in GCI. The celebration included refreshments and fellowship following the Sunday service.
In Tim’s own words, what he enjoys most about being a GCI pastor:
“What I enjoy most is proclaiming the Good News of the relational God-Father-Son-and-Holy-Spirit revealed in Jesus the Christ freely! I enjoy declaring, against the wisdom of the world, that every human being belongs to God in the most profound way in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ alone, before they can think, say, or do anything about it! Therefore, when they hear the proclamation, each should freely repent, receive, and participate in Relationship with the Father through the faith freely given them by Jesus through the Holy Spirit!
I share this every way I can, everywhere I can, beginning with those I am closest to. I love relating, thinking, living, and speaking out of the love and life of the Father-Son- Holy-Spirit-God — with sign religion that points to God but without religiosity, and right in the middle of the deep brokenness Jesus still faithfully and graciously comes to meet us!
I greatly enjoy being in a world-wide fellowship of ever-reforming, loving, humble, accessible, free, God-honoring, and risk-taking people. (They have to be risk-taking, they called, hired, and put up with ME! Ha!)”
We are immensely grateful to you, Pastor T, and Donna for your dedication, wisdom, and guidance in pointing us to Jesus Christ as God’s Good News in Living Person. You have been a relational pastor and under shepherd, guiding us with compassion and courage, inspiring us through God’s steadfast grace and faith, impacting our lives and community for God. As we celebrate this significant milestone, we express our deepest appreciation for Jesus’ sacrificial service and friendship through both of you. We congratulate you and pray for continued blessings and years of fruitful participation in Christ’s ministry ahead.
Your legacy is one of love, unity, and transformation, as you continue to proclaim the good news of the relational God revealed in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You are leaving an indelible God-honoring mark on our hearts and community here in Baltimore!
CONGRATULATIONS!
From your GCI family in Baltimore, MD
