Category: Stay Connected

Congratulations to Hands for Christ Community Church, GCI’s congregation in Staten Island, NY. They recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. Here is a report from Pastor Mary Bacheller, who planted the church and continues serving as its lead pastor.

What an exciting day it was—celebrating five years of God’s graciousness in leading our deaf church all these years. We have grown to trust God as he sends the Holy Spirit to each of us.

We were pleased to have with us as guest speakers GCI President Joseph Tkach and his wife Tammy, Regional Pastor Randy Bloom and his wife Debbie, Pastor Al Barr and his wife Edna, and Pastor John Newsom and his wife Vicki. Each played an important role in the planting and subsequent growth of Hands for Christ. As shown in the video below, the celebration began with a worship service with our deaf choir expressing its dedication in signing the songs “Made to Live for You” and “We Believe.” The service also included Communion.

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/TwuPAgmDoro.

As shown in the pictures below, the service ended with Communion and was followed by the 140 participants moving to the celebration hall for more fellowship, food and learning more about Hands for Christ’s future, which will (if all goes as planned, and as finances permit) include translating the Bible into American Sign Language (ASL).

On September 27, the youth group at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship (GCI’s congregation in Big Sandy, TX), gathered on the track of a local football stadium. The reason was to raise funds for the national St. Jude Children’s Hospital Run/Walk to End Childhood Cancer and the Gladewater, TX, Truman W. Smith Children’s Care Center. New Beginnings challenged their group of 50 young people to be a “Force4Good” by accumulating as many laps on the track as they could in 20 minutes. After a light sack-lunch supper, they took off, carrying with them a 3×5 card, which adult members of New Beginnings then punched each time they completed a lap.

The adults present cheered them on and weren’t disappointed—when the cards were tallied, the youth had run or walked 253 laps, or over 63 miles! The church pledged to donate $1 per lap and several corporate and individual sponsors made donations that brought the total raised to over $1000. The young people were reminded that, as Jesus said in Matthew 25, whatever you do for the least of these, you’ve done for Jesus.

Mission Developer Rod Matthews talks with GCI Pastor Wong Mein Kong from Malaysia concerning recent mission developments in Myanmar (formerly called Burma).

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/cupHI6ywDXs.

Last month, GCI members from congregations in Saskatchewan, Canada, gathered for a Fall Retreat at Manitou Beach, a resort village located on Little Manitou Lake, east of Saskatoon. The weekend started on Saturday as the participants (pictured at right) heard a presentation from Western Superintendent Bill Hall, asking these questions about our calling as Christians:

1. What does your calling mean to you?
2. What things do you fear when facing the future as a Christian?
3. What are your fears regarding GCI and the future?
4. Do you think you could be part of the solution?

Bill’s presentation was followed by supper, then time in the pool at the Manitou Springs Resort Hotel and Mineral Spa. The pool (pictured below) has water from Little Manitou Lake, which has a mineral density three times saltier than the ocean, and is often referred to as the Dead Sea of Canada. At the concluding church service on Sunday, Bill carried on with the weekend theme by asking, “What cross will you have to bear?” (Matt. 16:24). His message was followed by communion and a final blessing.

In the video below, GCI Mission Developer Charles Fleming interviews GCI Pastor Robert McKinney about the disciple-making approaches Robert and his ministry team use in their congregation and community in Nassau, Bahamas.

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/Xb3aQF4KF10.

This update is from GCI Pastor Doug Johannsen who attended the retreat reported on below.

As we grow together in understanding and appreciating the relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we find the Trinity moving us to see the importance of growing together as a group. This realization motivated some of us to attend the “Spiritual Discernment Retreat” conducted recently in Farmington, MN, by the Odyssey in Christ ministry. The retreat focused on helping groups practice life rhythms that lead to improved spiritual discernment as a community. The approach taken was in line with Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi:

This is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. (Phil. 1:9-11)

Practical applications shared at the retreat included sessions on presence, silence and solitude, ways of life discernment, decision-making, discerning God and self, environmental discernment, group discernment practices and creative expressions.

The retreat was followed by a worship service and meal shared by all four GCI congregations in the Twin Cities, MN, area. Dr. Larry Hinkle, Odyssey in Christ Director, gave the sermon titled, “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality”.

Here, from Mission Developer John McLean, is a video report on GCI’s work in Australia. John emphasizes that mission must start (and continue) by connecting relationally (incarnational ministry!).

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/g1TBIoaro10.

This summer, SEP UK celebrated its 50th year of holding youth camps in Scotland. Here is a video update from James Henderson, GCI leader in the UK and Europe:

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/0Escqe4N5aE.

This week, GCI’s blog, The Surprising God, marks ten years of exploring the content and application of incarnational Trinitarian theology. The first post was written by GCI Pastor Timothy Brassell, and GCI Publications Editor Ted Johnston has managed the blog and been its principal author since late 2007. For more details about the blog, click here.

Thirteen GCI members gathered recently in Phoenix, AZ, for “Journey to Wholeness in Christ,” a retreat hosted by the Odyssey in Christ (OIC) ministry. Several participants were from the Philippines. Others came from the state of Washington and Phoenix.

Facilitated by Larry Hinkle (GCI pastor and OIC director) and co-facilitated by Lorilee Immel (Ashland Theological Seminary doctoral candidate), the retreat helped participants rest in the Lord’s presence on a personal journey to wholeness. Through sessions on prayer, the three R’s (rest, receive and respond), limbic exercise and silent awareness, participants learned to more fully experience the God’s presence, resulting in moments of healing, renewal and transformation. As a retreat highlight, skits were presented in which participants portrayed the playfulness of little children.