Category: Stay Connected

GCI members Lloyd and Mary Elwell, leaders in GCI’s congregation in Rochester, NY, founded a ministry in January this year that they call Hidden Pearls. Its mission is to reach out to cognitively-delayed people and their families in the area surrounding their church building, to help them comprehend the gospel and to provide pathways for them to be included in all aspects of Church life.

According to the Elwells (pictured at right), “Our thinking was to reach out to and disciple both the cognitively-delayed and their families.” In ministering to this focus group, Mary and Lloyd emphasize all aspects of Christian life based on personal experience—their youngest son is cognitively-delayed and Mary is involved professionally with the cognitively-delayed. Their oldest son also brings to the ministry the perspective of a sibling.

At first, the Elwells envisioned that their focus group would come to their church. They prepared brochures and began passing them out to agencies and other contacts in the community. In January they started to hold meetings but found it difficult to get participants to the church. Scheduling of staff and availability of transportation was a problem, so they changed their strategy. After receiving permission, they began holding the meetings at a group home that serves this focus group. Now they have a small group with all six housemates in the home participating (they are pictured below participating in one of the small group meeting learning activities).

Each meeting has a “remember phrase” that sums up the main theme of the lesson. During the meeting there are discussions, questions are answered, and there is lots of fun and a snack. One participant has closed the meeting with prayer on several occasions. Often the group home staff sits in and helps. Several have commented on the small group to staff at other group homes. The Elwells hope to see the number of small groups serving this focus community multiply.

One of the ways GCI Pastor Jeffrey Broadnax reaches out to the community nearby his congregation’s place of meeting is by serving as a chaplain to the Grove City, OH, police force. Pastor Jeff (second from left in the picture below) was recently honored for his service as a police chaplain by being one of two people given the Hometown Hero Award for the greater Columbus, OH, area. A local radio station and Credit Union took nominations for the honor from community members and the Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Columbus nominated those who were given the award. Congratulations Jeff!

Here are links to reports on recent developments in GCI-Philippines:

• Recent baptisms.
• Leaders participate in missions conference.
• ACCM conducts course in pastoral care.

As noted by John McLean, GCI Mission Developer for Australia,

2018 is truly a year of transitions, reminding us that change is an inevitable part of life and a continuing reality of our walk of faith and Christian journey.

After 45 years of committed service to our denomination in both ministry and administration, Rod Matthews has retired from GCI employment. In a GCI-Australia Pastors’ Conference last month, attended by GCI President Joseph Tkach and Vice President Greg Williams, Rod and his wife Ruth were honored for their many years of service. According to John,

We thanked God for Rod and Ruth, and their many years of service, and prayed for God’s continued blessing into the future. Rod has served in different capacities in different countries, including Australia, the USA, the Philippines, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and travelled into Nepal and Bangladesh. And probably more besides!

I know you will join us here in Australia in congratulating Rod and Ruth for their considerable labors of love, endurance and hope—their ministry in Jesus Christ through all the ups and downs of our collective journey. Please join us in praying for God’s blessing on them as they retire. Rod will continue on the New Zealand Board for some months. And a further denominational farewell-retirement celebration will be held for Rod and Ruth and other retiring Mission Developers at an upcoming conference in Charlotte to be held in October of this year.

Cards may be sent to the Matthews at:

Rod and Ruth Matthews
PO Box 402
Varsity Lakes, QLD 4227
AUSTRALIA

Many GCI churches are celebrating the graduations of their teen and young adult members from high school, college, vocational schools, etc. Here are reports on celebrations in two GCI congregations.

Jenners, Pennsylvania

Here is a report from Bruce Metz, who pastors GCI’s Jenners congregation:

We recently celebrated the graduation of five high school students. They each selected a favorite song to be sung at the worship service. The sermon, from Acts 2, compared the birth of the New Testament Church as a new beginning to the graduates’ new beginning as they move forward in their lives. Though it was an exciting time for the first disciples as the church began with 3,000 new converts, it was also a bit scary. Just as the graduates are excited by their futures they too are a bit concerned about the unknowns ahead. Just as God empowered the New Testament Church with the Holy Spirit, he will empower the graduates by guiding their lives into the future. The congregation prayed for and presented gifts to all five graduates and then joined in a picnic honoring them after the church service.

Big Sandy, Texas

Here is a picture of the high school graduates honored by the Big Sandy congregation:

The GCI congregation in Big Sandy, TX, recently celebrated its 65th anniversary. Visitors came from several area congregations that sprang from this congregation over the years. A theme that ran through the comments of the participants was the willingness of the pioneer members to sacrifice in serving one another, producing an ethic of fellowship that endures in the Big Sandy congregation to this day.

GCI Ministry Coaching recently conducted a Coach Clinic for GCI pastors and ministry leaders. The clinic, which was held in Titusville, FL, was hosted by Charles Fleming. Anthony Mullins, GCI’s Coordinator of Ministry Coaching served as trainer. Most of the 12 participants (some are pictured below) came from the Caribbean (including the nations of Grenada, Martinique, Bahamas, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago). Others came from the U.S. (Florida, California and North Carolina).

According to Anthony Mullins, Coach Clinic participants spent two days

learning the empowering rhythms of intentional coaching conversations, mastering the dynamics of the C.O.A.C.H Model of coaching, and seeking to understand how coaching relationships can be implemented in pastoral leadership, discipleship and in developing emerging leaders.

Here are comments from participants:

The Clinic was a liberating experience. This has opened up a new way of connecting and seeing my own needs. (Elisha St. Louis)

It was a great learning experience. (Robert McKinney)

It was an exciting and delightful coaching session. I am praying for powerful renewal in our churches. (Kernani Cheny)

The Coach Clinic was timely—God’s timing. (Clifton Charles)

Anthony also noted that

upon returning home, several of the pastors have implemented a coaching posture in their leadership meetings, are using coaching in their personal relationships, and are charting a course for how coaching can enhance and facilitate discipleship within their congregations. Some of them are planning to host coach training in their areas next year. In the U.S., Daniel Leon and Elizabeth Mullins are taking the necessary steps to complete being certified as GCI Ministry Coaches.

GCI congregations in the UK and Ireland gathered on June 17 for a denominational conference in Northampton, England. Guest speaker Gary Deddo (pictured at left) gave two presentations: “Worship and Witness: Life as if Jesus is Lord of the Church,” and “Worldview and Vocation: Life as if Jesus is Lord of All.” During the conference, GCI European Director James Henderson commissioned Gavin Henderson, Pete Mill and Barry Robinson as the 2019 National Ministry Team for the UK and Ireland.

Hands for Christ Community Church, GCI’s congregation for the deaf in Staten Island, NY, was blessed with a wonderful baptismal day recently. Six members were baptized into Christ in Pastor Mary Bacheller’s swimming pool. Here are pictures and a video (Pastor Mary is in the dark blue shirt):

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/uQA8sPzUiRg.

Grace Christian Church, GCI’s congregation in Waltham, MA (Boston area), recently conducted a community-wide event called the Kaleidoscope Festival. According to GCI Pastor Dishon Mills, the congregation established and coordinated the event—determining its theme and theological foundation, designing its logo and other graphics, recruiting other event partners, securing donations for raffles, recruiting vendors, obtaining necessary city permits, recruiting and managing volunteers, setting up the space, and providing advertising. Dishon gave this report:

God has gifted our church to be multigenerational and multiethnic, and we wanted to share that with our community. We also heard from our community that many people were feeling our society was getting more and more divided. In particular, Waltham recently had a few ugly incidents as it adapts to its changing demographics. The Holy Spirit used all these things to guide us to create an event that would celebrate diversity and seek to heal man-made divisions. In addition to the joy that comes from participating in the work that Jesus is doing, our members got to build relationships with dozens of our neighbors. Since the event emphasized open conversation, we got to talk about the gospel in a relaxed, welcoming environment. We incentivized visiting the various community engagement tables, so most guests got to talk with someone who was different from them. Since God made us for relationship, this is part of what living and sharing the gospel means to us.

One of our volunteers, who is currently homeless and having a lot of family problems, was beaming throughout the event because it made her feel seen and useful. Another volunteer, one of our members, had a 45-minute conversation with a man about Jesus. The conversation started with him saying he didn’t believe in God and ended with him saying he wanted to visit our church. I had a wonderful conversation with a man who had negative experiences with religion. Interacting with us and being at the event made him want to hear more about our church. I will be having lunch with him soon. We had similar conversations throughout the festival. A captain in the Waltham police force told me that the city needs more events like this and he would be happy to be involved in the future.

Our church received a lot more visibility in the community as a result of this festival. As we continue to reach out, we believe we will become known as “the church that creates community.” Though sharing the gospel is our primary goal, we feel that events like this will attract people to our congregation due to the relationships that are being formed.

Here is a video from the festival:

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/YD8czI8uPTA.