Category: Stay Connected

In May, Dennis Richards and I flew to Suva to visit our brothers and sisters in Fiji. Saturday was largely devoted to meetings. The Fiji Pastoral Team met first, then the Board of Trustees. And there was a meeting for members interested in ACCM studies.

The Pastoral Team is comprised of Frank and Emily Boyd, Jope Uqeuqe, Teisa Mataika, and Eugene Panuve. The discussion was centred around how the church is progressing and serving the members’ needs. Jope reported on some of his recent phone calls and visits to the local members. Eugene presented an update on the youth ministry. The Fiji church is well endowed with youth, making up about 30% of the congregation. Frank Boyd delivered a wide-ranging “State of GCI in Fiji” report.

The Board of Trustees are Dennis Richards, Emily Boyd, James Panuve, and Jope Uqeuqe. Dennis announced that he was stepping down as chair. James Panuve was appointed as the first local board chair. Congratulations!

Dennis updated the board on the strategic directions being implemented as we pursue the vision of “Healthy Church” in the region. He acknowledged the work of compiling the constitution and other relevant documents so that GCI could be accredited as an official religious body in Fiji. He noted the installation of Frank Boyd as Fiji senior pastor in August.

He concluded the 4-page report saying, “Again, thanks for your ongoing help and support. Our challenges are continually moving and at times seem steep, but God is good (all the time), and it is marvelous to watch how he so often intervenes. I find this encouraging and empowering, reassuring me that we are on the right track and have his blessing, regardless that patience seems to always be asked of us.”

After lunch Epeli Nakautoga, Jason Raki, and Joanna Wainibuli joined the group for the ACCM meeting, where Dennis encouraged the attendees to make the most of the ACCM opportunities. He explained the importance and value of continued learning together in community, using the ACCM courses as a forum for coming alongside one another and growing together in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Rex Morgan, Pastor
Auckland, New Zealand

We gathered recently at Paris Landing State Park located on Kentucky Lake for a very special occasion, three baptisms.

I began with a recounting of Acts 2—the first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection. You may recall that the Jewish community questioned Peter about what was going on after the disciples received the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Peter told them and then reminded them of all that the Jesus they had killed had done. Their eyes and minds were opened at that moment to who Jesus was—the God whom they worshipped! In their angst and remorse, they cried out, “What should we do!” Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized because your sins have been forgiven!”

Pastors Doug Tomes, Ed Peters, and I entered the cool, clear water that feeds into Kentucky Lake from the Tennessee River, and we baptized husband and wife, Kevin and Kayla Shaw, and Jayden Fielder on a beautiful, sunny May 28. It was a glorious event attended by 20 family members and friends.

Here are their stories:

“I would like people to know that we are a little group of people that are on fire with the love of Jesus. We are a group of people that have been given a great, liberating deliverance, and we want to share that deliverance with others.”

Check out this month’s GCI Profile to get to know Dan Krupp, Associate Pastor in Woodbine, GA. To read his full profile, click here or the image below. #WeAreGCI

On Friday, June 30, the Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) Commencement was held during the Denominational Celebration in North Carolina, U.S. The last commencement was in 2017 in Orlando, FL; this commencement was for students who completed their studies 2018-2023.

There were 19 candidates for a Master of Pastoral Studies, 12 candidates for a Master of Theological Studies, and two candidates for a Master of Divinity. Twenty graduates attended the commencement. The student address was given by Audie Santibanez, GCI Deputy National Director of the Philippines.

Testimonials of Graduates

The GCS training has changed me as a person as well as a minister of the gospel. I have no doubt, I am adequately equipped for the work. As it says in Luke 12:48, “to whom much is given much is required.” I plan to use what I have been given to develop more leaders who will in turn develop more leaders. That way these leaders will be equipped to share the gospel with more people. —Anthony Gachanja, Regional Director, East Africa

Within a very short time, what I was learning in the seminary classes started to infuse every aspect of my ministry. Many members commented on how my sermons had grown in depth and richness after I had been taking seminary classes for a couple of years. The books I acquired for my classes make me feel like I have a gold mine of theological knowledge sitting on my bookshelves that I will be able to mine for the rest of my ministry vocation. —Al Kurzawa, Pastor, Seaford and Morwell, Victoria, Australia

The unique aspect of GCS is the awesome learning environment of family. This is not an ordinary educational experience that is distant. We know each other well—faculty, staff, and students. We learn from each other in a trinitarian experience of mutual indwelling that makes the GCS experience so profound. Accordingly, we can relate this experience back to our congregations, not just as knowledge, but a true experience of what true relationship in this common journey can bring. —John Newsom, Pastor, Queens, New York, US

My first ever GCS class was with New Testament Survey, and I was still a reluctant student until about halfway through that class. But it was the beginning of something magnificent. What I did not want at first has turned out to be one of my greatest blessings. God has used my classes with GCS to bring spiritual renewal to my life. Something I did not expect but I’m immensely grateful for. —Audie Santibanez, Deputy National Director, Philippines

Grace Communion Seminary serves the needs of pastors and others engaged in Christian service who want to grow deeper in relationship with our Triune God and to be able to serve in the church more effectively.

The mission of GCS is to equip men and women for church-based ministry. We accomplish this through quality graduate-level distance education programs in biblical, theological, and pastoral studies grounded in biblical, Christ-centered, historically orthodox faith and worship.

Learn more about GCS here.

To reflect God’s faithfulness through the generations, this year GCI hosted the 2023 Healthy Church Challenge. The Healthy Church Challenge prompts GCI members aged 8-17 to creatively express what healthy church means to them.

• • • I love Jesus because____.
    • I know Jesus loves me because____.
    • One way I share the love Jesus has given me is____.

And praise God, because he is at work in our midst—the Healthy Church Challenge entries from these incredible young people are evidence.

On 5 February 2023, the GCI congregation in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands celebrated its 10-year anniversary. We thanked and honoured God with exuberant songs, in a service led and provided by the women of the congregation. Seventy-five people attended, including several guests.

Pastor Matendo Makoti explained that we should never be discouraged. God’s work is sometimes slow with setbacks and successes, but always know that your efforts are not in vain in the Lord! “But let us give thanks to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Together with me, Pastor Matendo Makoti stood at the cradle of the congregation. We are also very grateful for the wise counsel and support from Santiago Lange, the then mission developer from Germany.

At the end of 2011, I met Matendo, his family, and his brother-in-law, Kuba Kone. They had come to the Netherlands from the refugee camp in Kenya, under the resettlement programme. They were settled near Leeuwarden. Leeuwarden is a city/municipality in the province of Friesland.