Category: Stay Connected

Here is a video in which GCI President Joseph Tkach provides highlights of GCI, working together, “on mission with God” in 2015.

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/2M1KGaMkZl4.

Here from Vicki Hart and Tammy Johnson is a report on a women’s conference recently held at Christ Community Church—one of GCI’s congregations in the Cincinnati, Ohio, metro area.

The Unlocking the Treasure Within women’s conference was God-breathed from start to finish. On Friday evening Keysha Taylor led us through praise and worship as we “rolled out the red carpet” for our God. Jan Taylor then had us look in the mirror, and challenged us to see there the image of Jesus. Erin Campbell then charged us to take out our spiritual shovels to get prepared to start “diggin’ up” our treasure. Her story of going from atheist and addict to devoted Christ-follower was captivating.

Saturday was interspersed with powerful preaching by Erin Campbell, a testimony and presentation by Tammy Johnson on using flags in worship, along with a message on using the keys that unlock our treasure, as well as dance and song. Matt Campbell gave a moving message called “I’m Sorry” in which he made an apology on behalf of men for some of the wrongs done to women. His presentation evoked a powerful response. The day ended with evening performances from the women in attendance. There were songs, poems, a testimony, and dance, as well as delicious homemade desserts. The highlight for Saturday night was a drawing for a quilt by Augustine Shannon from Florida made especially for the conference. The conference ended Sunday morning as we joined the host congregation in worship. Erin Campbell preached another powerful message and Jan Taylor gave the Communion message. Vicki Hart, the conference coordinator, gave closing remarks.

GCI’s Tipp City, Ohio, congregation (Crossroads Christian Fellowship) has been actively connecting with the surrounding community for many years, utilizing multiple outreach strategies and programs in doing so. Below is an account written by Jen Cruea, one of the congregation’s newer members, who now leads Free Market—one of the congregation’s outreach ministries.

If someone had come to me a couple of a years ago, and said “you will be a beloved child of God and help your community any way you can,” I probably would have laughed and thought they were crazy. But that’s exactly what happened and here is my story.

In the early spring of 2012, I noticed I was always tired and cold. I had constant headaches and was very irritable. I thought that it was taking my body longer to bounce back after having my third child. I went to the doctor and they found vitamin deficiencies and told me to rest and take care of myself. They referred me to a specialist that told me my antibody level was extremely high and they were concerned. In 2013 I found out I had a lump on my thyroid. They said they wanted to do a biopsy. I was very scared because I was only 26. I have always believed in God but had never developed a relationship with him because I didn’t know how. I was not raised in church and had only been to a handful of them as a child. I started to pray hard and often. I told God that if it was cancer, I wasn’t ready to die. I had so much more to live for and so many things to do, including raising my three children with their father, my husband. I also told God that if it was my time to go it was just that, my time. The day I got the biopsy results back, I felt an unusual calm. And when I received the good news I was cancer-free, I wanted to continue my relationship with God but I still didn’t know how. Little did I know I wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

In the fall of 2013 the turning point came in my life. My husband was starting a new job, which I wasn’t very comfortable with him taking. I honestly didn’t know why—I don’t like change, so I thought that was it. On the last day at his previous job, I came down with what I thought was a stomach bug. I was very sick and weak. It passed in a few days, and we resumed our normal life, but the sickness kept coming back. I was always nauseated and shaky. I couldn’t eat and the peak finally came in December just before Christmas (I had lost 60 pounds since October). I woke up one morning in a full blown panic-attack. I went to the ER where I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I left there with five medications and went to a doctor the next day for a follow up. I left his office with two more medications. I was absolutely terrified that I would have to live this way the rest of my life. I started seeing a Christian therapist who encouraged me to start my relationship with God. Then my husband was laid off from his new job and one of his coworkers told him to go to a church named Crossroads Christian Fellowship to get some food for our family. I went to what Crossroads calls their Free Market to get the food, but I got much more. Not only did they have clothing, toys, housewares and food, but they also provided direction for me into the Christian lifestyle.

A few weeks later we attended a Sunday service at Crossroads for the first time. I was nervous but also excited! So were my husband and children. We started to attend Bible study and worship services regularly. I never knew a church could love someone they just met! But that’s how God works. This past January, our pastor, Jim Valekis, asked me to serve as the coordinator of the Free Market. Then this summer he asked my husband to serve as the director of ONE Market. We are loving what we do to help the community, and most importantly to bring people to Christ, just as we were.

Crossroads has given me the open door I needed to start my journey as a Christian in a safe, non-judgmental, loving environment. I’ve grown so much as a person and child of God since coming here only a short while ago. The church has given me many experiences I never thought possible or even imagined. Just as the word “ONE” in One Market stands for Our Neighbors Empowered, that’s exactly what the congregation has done in empowering me to be a better person in every aspect of my life. I have never felt so confident before or so loved. Crossroads has so much to offer everyone! It is a wonderful place to be!

Last week, Greg Williams, director of GCI-USA Church Administration and Development, sent a letter to all US pastors concerning a meeting he held recently with a group of our female pastors. For the benefit of all Weekly Update readers, we’ve reproduced that letter below. Feel free to respond in the “add a comment” box below.

Recently I had the privilege of gathering with six of our female pastors for a time of rich conversation and a delicious meal (ending with a decadent seven-layer chocolate dessert!). It was such a wonderful occasion that I felt prompted to write this summary letter to each of you.

The purpose of our gathering was to give these pioneering female pastors opportunity to share ministry joys and challenges, recount their journeys in GCI pastoral ministry, and share their hearts with me as superintendent of GCI-USA ministers. Though at different stages and seasons in life and ministry, they have much in common and displayed deep appreciation for each other, providing a wonderful atmosphere of openness and trust in our meeting.

Prior to meeting, I had sent the participants a list of questions to guide our discussion. The answers they shared showed a great deal of wisdom about life and ministry. Below are some of their key insights. I think all our pastors and ministry leaders (both women and men) will find these points instructive and encouraging. I also hope they inspire other women to follow them into GCI pastoral ministry.

• See how God has been preparing you since youth with the various experiences you have gone through and the faithfulness the Lord has displayed in your life.
• Balance training and experience.
• Get all the training you can both inside and outside the church.
• Serve out of your passion and experience (these factors seem to remain with you throughout life).
• Know how to identify the voice of the Holy Spirit and sense God’s calling on your life. There will be a nagging sense of insecurity unless you have this settled.
• Hearing the Spirit’s voice for your personal life, and for the life of your church, are not separate voices—most often they are married together.
• Your role as a pastor is to be a “sign post” pointing people to Jesus.
• Allow the Holy Spirit to be the agent of change – as a pastor, you don’t have the ability to transform other people.
• Build relationships with other female pastors for encouragement and mentoring.
• Be open to sharing your personal struggles with your congregation so you can journey forward with prayerful support.
• Have safe relationships outside the congregation you pastor, where you can share and process your burdens.
• Grow an extra layer of skin—you have to expect that some men and women will not accept you as a pastor because you are a woman.
• Be secure in your identity. Knowing that you are, first and foremost, “in Christ” allows you to properly view your gender, personality, marital status, etc.
• Establish healthy boundaries for your family. Your spouse may be a ministry partner, or passively supportive, or simply uninvolved.
• Be comfortable organizing and operating with a ministry team. Help your team operate out of their giftings and passion.
• Your relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit is your highest priority!

When I asked the group what advice they would give our pastors and churches, a common, resounding plea was that congregations make space for women in leadership at all levels. They also noted they want to see women and men serving side-by-side within our churches, facilitating the best expressions of God-designed femininity and masculinity.

I want to thank each of the six female pastors who met with me. As pioneers, they have blazed a trail for other women to follow. Because of them, and other women like them, GCI doesn’t merely accept women as pastors, we actively invite and welcome into this important role, those women who the Lord prepares and calls to serve his church in pastoral leadership.

I’m proud of these brave women, and am humbled and blessed to have spent a day listening to their important voices.

This update is from Pedro Rufian, a GCI pastor in Spain.

Fifty-five people recently attended a GCI conference in Majorca, Spain, with the theme, “A celebration of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ.” Members attended from Barbados, Germany, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Spain, the U.S. and the U.K.

God blessed us with a variety of Christ-centered messages including “The dancing God,” “Christ, our Sabbath” (from Santiago Lange, pictured at left), “Debt and forgiveness, law and grace,” “How am I not going to love you?,” “God is love, what does that mean for you?,” and “Living as victorious in Christ.” The group enjoyed a talent show and family dance. Some hotel clients and staff attended some of the services and the talent show. God blessed us with his loving presence as we celebrated in harmony what he did, is doing, and will do for us all through Jesus Christ our Savior, Lord and Friend.

This update is from Hector Barrero, lead pastor of GCI’s congregation in Bogota, Colombia.

About 100 people gathered recently for our annual marriage seminar, which is a primary way we reach out to the unchurched community around us. The theme of the seminar was Renewed in His Love. Guest speakers (pictured at right) were Raymond Olson, pastor of our congregation in Juneau, Wisconsin, and Alvaro Palacio, pastor of one of our congregations in Toronto, Canada. Raymond’s daughter, Roberta Olson, who has been involved in missionary work in Mexico and Central America, also presented. We appreciate the willingness of these guests to help out!

The seminar was held at the Marianela Retreat Center, two hours drive from Bogota. As shown in the pictures below, during the seminar, eight couples renewed their marriage vows (they had been married for from 25 to 41 years), and one young man was baptized. Congratulations to them all!

This update is from Jerome Ellard, lead pastor at GCI’s congregation in Big Sandy, Texas.

The rain didn’t douse the enthusiasm of the volunteers and attendees at this year’s Fun ‘N Fall celebration held on Saturday, October 31, from noon to 4:00 PM at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship in Big Sandy. The purpose of the event, which we’ve held annually for several years, was to provide a means to connect our congregation to the people who live in our community. By gathering information about our guests, we have the means to develop those connections by inviting them to future events, our small groups and to our church services.

Due to the rain, we moved the event inside our church building. Fun games for the whole family filled our sanctuary and fellowship hall, as the building became an inside carnival. There were free hot dogs and drinks, popcorn and frozen chocolate yogurt for all, as well as many door prizes, drawings for two Wal-Mart gift cards and a cake walk. In addition, the Big Sandy police and fire departments each provided a vehicle for young participants to experience. Volunteers from the Lion’s Club provided free eye exams for 48 people. All had a good time.

We extend our thanks to several businesses in the community who provided their support to what has become a truly community-based event.

This update is from Dustin Lampe, lead pastor at Christ Fellowship Church, one of GCI’s Cincinnati, Ohio, metro area congregations.

Now that it’s fall, nature once again is entering a state of dormancy. But as that occurs, my congregation is coming alive as we take significant steps toward becoming truly community-focused. As we do, new relationships are blossoming! Twice in October we went knocking on doors within the neighborhoods surrounding our church building. Our goal was to meet people and invite them to upcoming community-oriented events at our church.

The first event, held the last two weeks in October, was a Pumpkin Patch. Members were out on our front lawn for eight hours each day selling pumpkins and hosting fall-themed children’s games, a cornstalk maze, and offering smores around a fire encircled with bales of hay as places to sit and talk. Though this event helped us raise funds for the second event, most importantly it gave us opportunity to share God’s love with the people who stopped by.

The second event was a Harvest Festival held at our church facility on October 31. To the Pumpkin Patch set-up we added inflatables, a pony ride, live music, additional games, a lady on stilts making balloon animals, face painting, and lots of free food (including more of the smores cooked over the open fire). The festival was attended by hundreds of people. As a result, men, women and children are getting connected to Christ through our congregation, serving as his hands and feet. In this way we are following Christ’s call to create space within which mission and relationships happen. It’s a joy to see!

Our two outreach events with the associated time in the neighborhoods, gave our members opportunity to connect with people “outside the walls” of our church. Through these connections we’ve had opportunity to invite people to church, to welcome them in, and to offer them opportunities to embark on a pathway of discipleship that is all about encountering our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. In this way we’re putting “feet” to where our hearts and mouths are.

Though it’s been hard (but not impossible) work, we all would testify that it has been an unspeakable joy. Making changes in our outlook and habits can be scary and unfamiliar—such change requires making adjustments. But without a doubt, the change we’re experiencing at Christ Fellowship Church is beautiful to behold.

We want to thank the GCI ministers who traveled to Cincinnati to help with our Harvest Festival. Their participation was part of a GCI-USA Outside the Walls consulting event. Special thanks to Heber Ticas (national coordinator of GCI-USA Church Multiplication Ministries), who leads Outside the Walls consulting. He helped us capture a bigger vision and implement useful methods for community-focused mission. We plan to continue the momentum gained by hosting additional events throughout the coming year and beyond. Doing so will help us connect further with the community surrounding our church building. We look forward to joining Jesus who already is on mission there!

Penticton, B.C., Canada, was the beautiful location for two inspiring conferences held around the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday in October.

Engage 2015

Teens and young adults enthusiastically participated in Engage 2015. The 3-day conference included four sessions facilitated by Greg Williams, director of GCI-USA Church Administration and Development and co-creator of the GCI-USA Generations Ministries’ Journey With the Master program. The young people learned their relationship styles, considered their spiritual gifts, and learned how to better engage with God and others. Highlights of the weekend included zip-lining and a Thanksgiving banquet combined with the Thrive conference delegates.

Thrive

Thrive conference participants enjoyed a week of inspiring worship, messages, fellowship and activities that included a Thanksgiving banquet with an update on GCI-USA hosted by Greg Williams and his wife Susan. Other events included a potluck dinner and activities on the historic S.S. Sicamous, a visit to the Summerland Sweets Factory and Winery, a garden tour, catered lunches, movie night and game night. A generous donation of about $2,000 was presented to the Penticton Food Bank as an expression of love for the community. Delegates were encouraged to thrive in their Christian journeys, not just survive.

This update is from Anthony Mullins, national coordinator for GCI-USA Generations Ministries (GenMin).

The GenMin Advisory Council (pictured below with several guests) met recently in Southern California to review progress from the last year and prepare and plan for the future. In our strategic planning, we had clarity around our focus for 2016. In GenMin, we are calling 2016 The Year of the Child as a mantra for our intentional efforts to share the gospel and disciple the youngest children among us. It’s our intention to bring awareness and provide resources to help GCI-USA churches in their children’s ministries and to encourage our camps to provide mini and/or junior camp programs to tweens and children.

GenMin is in the process of forming a team of competent and available children’s ministers to help churches and camps as needed. Susi Albrecht and Nancy Akers have agreed to serve on this team and others will be added. We plan to promote a curriculum to children, for use in churches, each quarter in 2016 and tell stories of best practices churches and camps are using to minister to the youngest. We have other exciting developments in GenMin and I’ll be sharing those soon.

Paul Young, best-selling author of The Shack and Eve, stopped by our meeting and spent a few hours with us and gave an update on the movie being made based on his best-selling book The Shack. Several young adults and teens also joined us to have honest dialogue about church life and the best way forward for our camps and short-term mission trips.

Note: in 2016, GenMin will be hosting two Converge conferences: Converge East will be held at Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center in Mt. Sterling, Ohio on March 4-6, 2016 and Converge West will be at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino, California on April 15-17, 2016. For additional information, click here.