GCI Mexico held its annual youth camp in December with 45 campers and 8 counselors. The camp was held at Club Primavera in the state of Morelos, just outside Cuernavacas, Mexico. Pastor Natanael Garcia was camp coordinator, assisted by a committee of emerging young leaders.
The camp began with an inspiring worship service at the Mexico City church were the youth gathered from different parts of the nation to depart to the campsite. The camp theme Activate rang out throughout the week as Pastor Cruz and others developed it on a daily basis: activate God’s love, activate your faith, activate my passion and service and activate God’s calling. Jorge Hernandez Arroyo, a young pastor in the Mexico City area was guest speaker and Alfredo Mercado (Mexico’s National Leader) also participated. Here is a video of the camp (on YouTube at http://youtu.be/J6mt7RvhYIE):
Participating in the camp provided the youth with an opportunity to bond as a GCI family while being challenged in their faith and spiritual growth. The Mexican youth are grateful to the Jon Whitney foundation and to GCI’s Southern California Spanish-speaking congregations for their financial support in making the camp a reality.
GCI-USA congregations in the Upper Midwest recently held Snowblast 2017—their annual family-style event that has been going on for about 20 years in various locations in Minnesota. This year it was held at Inspiration Point on Spitzer Lake near Alexandria, MN. There were 64 people in attendance representing all age groups (see picture below—click it to enlarge).
Activities included ice fishing, tubing, show-shoeing, crocheting, ice skating and game room fun. Though temperatures ranged from -12 F the first night to about +24 by the end of the weekend, folks in these Northern climes know how to dress for cold weather.
The event included times of worship with wonderful music provided by the worship team and messages focused on the theme of “living in community with family, in church and in our neighborhoods.” Messages were given by Becky Deuel (Appleton, WI), Tom Kennebeck (Orr, MN), Troy Meisner (Rochester, MN) and Doug Johannsen (Minneapolis/St Paul, MN).
We reported two weeks ago on what GCI in the Philippines is doing to help people recover from the devastation caused by typhoon Nock-ten (called Niña locally). Here is an update from GCI-Philippines National Director Eugene Guzon.
In the last 65 years, 6 typhoons struck the Philippines on Christmas Day. This was the seventh. Its sustained winds were as strong as 100 mph with gusts exceeding 160 mph. While this was not as strong as the super-typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines in November 2013, it sent about 180,000 people to various shelters.
When I landed at Legazpi Airport on December 28, 2016, there was little impact on the vegetation and homes in Legazpi City, though there was no electrical power. Thankfully our members there were spared physical harm. We had no casualty reported as of this time. The brunt of the damage was in the form of totally or partially damaged houses in at least five Church areas (Tabaco, Cotmon, Sta Teresita, Minalabac, Naga). We are still waiting for reports in other outlying areas, but as of now, these are the areas with urgent needs for relief.
In addition to our assessment visits and relief missions, we hosted a potluck in Cotmon on January 1. Though the church was barely usable, the members invited their neighbors for a thanksgiving New Year’s day service. About 120 attended. A medical mission also was conducted on January 2 for 42 families in Cotmon. A follow-up assessment and relief mission was conducted on January 8-10 for about 50 families, with the help of our members in Metro Manila. Other members conducted relief missions, distributing about 300 relief packs (food, blankets, clothes, etc.) in several villages in Polangui Albay. We also brought two generators to provide standby power in remote areas. Local officials estimate that it will take about a month or two before electricity will be restored in the whole province.
Initial support was given for relief and partial purchase of needed materials for the members to have shelter and replacement of damaged household items. What is aggravating the situation is the continuous rains they are experiencing, which also affects Metro Manila.
We are grateful for the financial assistance that we have received from GCI’s Disaster Relief Fund that is administered from the United States.
If you would like to contribute to the Disaster Relief Fund to assist in disasters like this one, click here.
In the U.S., February is Black History Month—a time to highlight and celebrate the substantial contributions of African-Americans to the development of our nation. To add to your celebrations as a congregation, we recommend use of the video below. It celebrates the history of GCI’s South Side Chicago church, which has a long and storied history of African-American leaders and members who contributed, often at great personal cost, to the development of both their congregation and the whole denomination. We celebrate and honor these brothers and sisters in Christ.
As noted in the Church Administration Manual, GCI-USA Church Administration and Development (CAD) is a team of administrators and developers working together to “serve and develop pastors who serve and develop churches, who live and share the beautiful, inclusive gospel of Jesus.” In keeping with that mission, and in accordance with available resources, Greg Williams (GCI Vice President, CAD Director, and Supt. of U.S. Ministers) recently implemented changes to CAD’s structure and staffing.
Two team members have left GCI employment for new chapters in their lives, Charles Albrecht, who worked 29 years for GCI, is now a financial analyst at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. NancyAkers, who worked 33 years for GCI, retired on January 20 (click here for a report on her retirement party). On behalf of GCI, Greg expressed his thanks: “A big, heartfelt thank you to Charles and Nancy for their sterling service to our pastors and churches over the course of the past three decades. Their faithful service and spirit of love have made a significant, positive difference!”
The CAD Office team now includes:
Pam Morgan, previously with GCI’s Accounting Office, now serves as CAD’s Operations Coordinator and Archives and Records Center Manager.
Michelle Fleming, previously a teacher in Florida, now serves as CAD’s Communications and Training Coordinator.
Ted Johnston, previously a U.S. Regional Pastor, now serves as Special Assistant to the CAD Director and Publications Editor. (Ted works from his home in Alabama.)
The CAD Church Administrationteam now includes five U.S. Regional Pastors: Tim Sitterley (West), Rick Shallenberger (North-Central), Mike Rasmussen (South-Central), Randy Bloom (Northeast) and Paul David Kurts (Southeast). Former Regional Pastor Lorenzo Arroyo now serves as Consultant to Tim Sitterley and Heber Ticas.
The CAD Church Developmentteam now includes three National Coordinators:
Jeff McSwain serves as Church Development National Coordinator (coordinating the work of the Church Development team) and Intern Program National Coordinator.
Heber Ticas serves as Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM) National Coordinator, Liaison to Spanish-Speaking U.S. Churches, and Ecclesiastical Supervisor for GCI-Mexico.
Need CAD assistance? Feel free to contact any of the team members listed above, or contact the CAD Office by phoning 626-650-2330, or by emailing church.administration@gci.org.
The article below is from Ross Jutsum of State of the Heart Ministries. Ross met recently with Joseph Tkach and shared the following report. Ross then wrote it down at Joe’s request.
Ross Jutsum
In 2016, I had the pleasure of visiting GCI congregations in 21 U.S. states, in Dubai, the United Kingdom and Canada. Two of the most memorable visits were to small churches, some of which GCI-USA classifies as “fellowship groups.”
Rockford, Illinois
In late October, I was invited to serve in the delightful Abundant Grace fellowship group in Rockford, Illinois. It’s served by Pastor Luci Cramer and her husband Carl, and hosted in the home of my friends Mike and Kathleen Hembree. After worshiping and fellowshipping in this intimate setting with eight brothers and sisters, we began preparing an evening meal to be served to over 200 men, women and children that Sunday evening at Rockford Rescue Mission. Various local churches volunteer to prepare the meal and provide a worship service one Sunday evening each year to enable the staff to have an evening with their families.
I was blessed with the opportunity to lead a 40 minute time of worship and praise with these delightful folks. Then, during dinner, I played background music, consisting mostly of favorite songs of those in attendance. There was a wonderful spirit of gratitude and joy on the part of those being served, but even more, the handful of dear brothers and sisters who did the serving!
Fort Myers, Florida
The week before Christmas I was invited to Fort Myers, Florida, where the small GCI congregation there, named Abundant Grace Fellowship, is served by a pastoral team made up of Hugh Steiginga, Sarah Faulkner and Bonnie McQueary.
On the Friday afternoon, I was privileged to give a Christmas program at the Shady Oaks Retirement Home where one of the church’s members resides. Due to requests by the residents, the program ran almost two hours instead of the planned one hour! On Saturday, I shared a similar program at Brookdale Senior Living, where another member lives. At both venues, our small but precious GCI group was having a major impact—regularly bringing joy, hope and comfort to these seniors in their twilight years.
On the Sunday in downtown North Fort Myers, we geared up to lead a Christmas worship service at the church, followed by serving several dozen (mostly homeless) folks a delicious lunch, and then joining in a lively singalong of well-known Christmas carols. The providing of a meal and a safe place is something our Fort Myers group does not only on every Sunday but also at noon on Wednesdays. Talk about making a difference in the local community!
I was moved by the incredible dedication of this small group of members and grateful to be included in these priceless opportunities to be “His hands, and lips and eyes.” Once again, I was filled with pride to belong to this Grace Communion family of believers who live out the Romans 12 admonition regarding worshipping God with our very lives!
Typhoon Nock-ten, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Niña, recently devastated parts of the Philippines on Christmas. Here is a report from GCI-Philippines National Director Eugene Guzon, that reports on the work GCI is doing to help in the recovery efforts. His report begins with a video, then continues in writing after that.
In Tabaco City, we met with the leaders of congregations in Bicol province to discuss needs and to distribute financial support for affected members. We also provided a generator for their use. Earlier GCI relief efforts distributed 300 packs of goods to communities in Polangui, Albay. Other initiatives included a thanksgiving service on January 1 in the damaged church hall in Cotmon (attended by about 120), and a dental outreach mission on January 2, with 43 beneficiaries. A follow-up visit was conducted in mid-January, bringing more relief goods from GCI’s Quezon City and Manila South churches, and financial support from the Philippine’s National Office.
GCI members in Bicol still need our help. Based on our evaluation, there are about 25 families in Cotmon, 25 in Tabaco, 51 in Teresita, along with several other families in Camarines Sur who sustained partial or total damage to their homes and crops. Thank you for your prayers for these people and, as you are able, your financial assistance (see the note below).
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Note: If you or your congregation would like to assist financially, the best way to do so is by contributing to GCI’s Disaster Relief Fund. For instructions, click here.
This update is from GCI-Netherlands national leader Frans Danenberg.
We recently held a joyful inaugural service at Jesus Grace Church—an African GCI congregation planted in Koog aan de Zaan in the northern part of the Netherlands. Visitors from Rotterdam, Hoorn, Tiel, Almere, Leeuwarden and even Norway, joined in the celebration, which included music and inspiring messages. To begin with, the new church will meet twice a month as it moves forward in faith to spread the gospel, helping people know Jesus Christ. We appreciate your prayers for the further development and growth of this new church. Here are pictures from the first service:
