Category: Stay Connected

GCI-Canada hosted two youth camps this summer: SEP Silver Meadows and Camp Connections. Here are reports from each one.

SEP Silver Meadows

This camp was held near Edmonton, Alberta. The 64 campers from several Canadian provinces (and one from the U.S.) were served by 37 staff members (3 were GCI interns). God’s love and blessings were evident. Despite heavy rains in surrounding areas (a near wash-out at the nearby Calgary Stampede), the camp was blessed with beautiful weather after the first day.

The camp theme, Celebrating the Grip of God’s Love, was addressed in morning worship, chapels after breakfast, and evening worship. An afternoon reflection time used the “I am Second” video series, where famous individuals share testimonies about the grip God has on their lives. A spiritual highlight at camp was the baptism of two long-time campers in Lake Nakamum.

Camp activities included wall climbing, paintball and tubing—activities the campers would typically not have access to during the year. Camp concluded with a NoT-alent show where the campers were entertained with various talent acts. This was followed by a graduation ceremony where six senior campers were presented with Bibles and invited to come back as staff members next year.

Here is a video of the camp (teen session):

On YouTube at https://youtu.be/bUXzWYU-ao8.
For the pre-teen session, see the video at https://youtu.be/fUjTjjj5Ngg.

Camp Connections

This camp hosted 73 campers—21 more than last summer. The campers were welcomed into a loving, Christ-centered environment where they enjoyed a myriad of activities. Junior campers learned about the gifts of the Spirit while senior campers explored what it means to embark on a journey with Christ.

2016 was the inaugural year for Camp Connections’ Leadership in Training program. The young leaders not only learned, they served—contributing to the camp through a legacy project involving the finishing of canoe paddles that will be part of the camp’s equipment. The young leaders received separate messages and classes focused on helping them prepare for future leadership roles.

Among the campers were 19 refugees from various cultures and a young man from Restoring Hope Ministries, a street youth mission in Ottawa. As a result of fund raising support from various individuals and organizations (including the Peddling Kilometers program, which raised $17,000!), we were able to give financial assistance to all of our campers.

This report is from Tim Maguire one of GCI’s Mission Developers in Africa.

I recently received news of an attack by rebel forces in Canivete, Mozambique. We have a church in that small town, and though members there have not been injured, two have had their homes burned down and have lost all their possessions. Please pray for peace and that sanity will prevail. If Mozambique returns to a state of civil war, it will set the country back decades, and sharing in our Lord’s ministry there will become extremely difficult. Words of encouragement can be sent to our members there by emailing manuelvascomorrumbala@gmail.com.

This report is from Anthony Gachanja, who visited GCI’s congregations in Kenyan refugee camps.

Last weekend, Pastor Stephen Kinoti and I visited our two churches in the Kakuma refugee camp in the northern part of Kenya. Our idea as we left Nairobi was to go and encourage our brothers and sisters who are refugees due to the instability in their home countries. But during our visit, they ministered to us as much as we ministered to them. We learned that the joy of our Triune God is not dependent on earthly possessions, or where one lives. The joyful singing and the quality service we experienced there gave testimony to the fact that our brothers’ and sisters’ living conditions, though substandard by any definition, are nothing compared with the joy they experience in their relationship with our Savior.

We had sessions with leaders because we felt a need to ground them in Incarnational Trinitarian theology, which they had no problem grasping. We also had sessions for couples aimed at strengthening their families. And we had sessions aimed at helping the young discover who they are in Christ.

In their worship services they enjoy a variety that is not common in many places. We also shared meals together, we had three baptisms, and seven babies were blessed.

Pastor Kinoti, in expressing his joy for these churches, said, “When I was coming this way, my expectation was that I would find people with low morale because of their poor living conditions and the fact that some are separated from their families. I thank God because I am going home with a testimony of amazing things God does for his people. ”

This report was compiled from material provided by Assistant Camp Director, Leslie Asare-Akoto.

GCI in Ghana recently held their youth camp (called YEP Camp) with the theme “Come to Jesus” from Matthew 11:28. The 37 staff members served 49 campers age 12 to 18. The campers came from throughout Ghana and included a few from Liberia who are living in the refugee camp at Buduburam. Most campers were supported financially with grants from the Jon Whitney Foundation.

The camp, directed by Pastor Francis Ablordeppey, featured swimming, music appreciation, soccer, soft-ball, fireside chats, volleyball, hiking, Christian living classes, and Bible studies. Other activities included dancing, film shows, lectures, ice-breakers, debate, variety entertainment, Bible quizzes, a “prayer and exaltation night,” and a banquet.

Campers went into the surrounding communities to inform parents and their wards about the youth camp and its benefits. They shared some brochures and invited children in the community to attend the camp’s opening day. As a result, 36 children from the community (pictured above) visited the camp, partaking in some of the camp activities and enjoying lunch and a presentation from the camp director.

The campers toured the Ghana Air Force Base in Accra (picture at right). On the trip back to camp they visited a trade fair and shopping mall. During camp, ten campers accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and were baptized.

Camp ended with a banquet where campers and staff were awarded. Many campers shared how camp had helped them do many things they had not done before, both physically and spiritually.

 

New Life Fellowship (GCI’s Baltimore, Maryland, congregation pastored by Timothy Brassell) recently hosted an Outside the Walls (OTW) event. Pastors, ministry leaders and interns from other GCI congregations traveled to Baltimore to assist and join in the training.

A day of training was held on Friday. It focused on the “paradigm shifts” characteristic of churches experiencing renewal. It also addressed some of the structural modifications that facilitate renewal, including clear and consistent community-to-congregation “connecting points.”

The training was conducted by Heber Ticas (National Coordinator of GCI Church Multiplication Ministries and Lead Pastor of one of our Southern California churches) along with Dustin Lampe (Lead Pastor of one of our Cincinnati, Ohio, congregations). Both shared examples of the renewal that is occurring in their congregations.

On Saturday morning, as part of the training, participants went into the community around the church to invite neighbors to a “block party” that was held at the church that afternoon. Though it was an extremely hot day, many neighbors attended the fun-filled event, which featured live music, food and games for the kids.

The goal of the block party was to provide a hospitable presence for the church in the community, thus creating relational “spaces” where long-lasting relationships might be forged. New Life achieved this goal by meeting their neighbors in a non-religious, non-threatening fashion. Block party participants were invited to a worship service held the next day that included a special “blessing of children” ceremony.

Here is a short video with excerpts from a couple of block party music performances by Intern Xiara Lee and Pastor Timothy Brassell (on YouTube at https://youtu.be/1-Z3noIRkw0).

Recently, three of GCI’s Southern California congregations—New Covenant, New Hope and NewLife—gathered at a park in Arcadia for what Pastor Bermie Dizon described as “a great reunion of three congregations coming together for worship and a picnic.” Here are video highlights:

On Vimeo.

This report is from Jeff McSwain, National Coordinator of the GCI-USA Ministry Development Team.

A group of us recently met in Durham, North Carolina, for GCI’s third annual Orientation for U.S. Interns and Pastoral Residents. In addition to these young emerging leaders, Orientation participants (pictured below) included sponsoring pastors, coaches and various members of GCI’s Church Administration and Development (CAD) team.

Interns

The women and men participating in the GCI-USA Intern Program are given a chance to explore vocational options in a two-year-long Christian discipleship program that combines higher biblical-theological education with hands-on, practical ministry leadership experience. Instead of spending hours on administrative tasks or other pastoral duties such as preparing sermons and doing hospital visits, our Interns spend their time “outside the walls” of our churches, engaging with their communities through some sort of outreach-centered ministry expression.

Pastoral Residents

Those serving as Pastoral Residents (apprentice pastors) have either graduated from the Intern Program or come to us with extensive ministry experience. Other than age and experience, the Pastoral Residents are just a step away from being assistant pastors, senior pastors or church planters. A pastoral residency is a time when these women and men shadow an experienced senior pastor, doing the things and learning the patterns that are typical in the life of a pastoral minister.

I’m thrilled to report that after two years of vocational exploration in our first class of Interns, Jillian Caranto and Andy Rooney (pictured at right) have felt led to pursue the next step, which is to serve as Pastoral Residents. We congratulate them both!

Comments and pictures

The time we experienced together in Durham was truly rich. It was a blessing to hear first-time attendee Lauren Reierson say she felt rejuvenated and loved—ready to get out and engage with her community. That’s what we were shooting for! Following are additional comments and pictures from our 2016 Orientation.

From the inspiring worship, to the intimate breakouts, to the laughs during meals, the 2016 Orientation was unlike any of the others I’ve attended. There is a newfound level of spiritual rapport and healthy camaraderie between the Interns and Pastoral Residents, which is only a taste of what the Holy Spirit is doing for the future of GCI and its young leaders! (Jillian Caranto, Pastoral Resident with Pastor Bermie Dizon)

I’ve been taught to look at the kingdom of God as “already-not yet,” but it often seems a lot more “not yet” than “already.” That wasn’t true at Orientation! It was so encouraging to be immediately loved and accepted by such an incredible group of people. (Justin Cole, 1st year Intern with Regional Pastor Randy Bloom)

It was great to be able to dig into the theology of GCI a little more, and to ask questions and get a better general understanding. The most impactful thing for me was the experience of authentic community. I’ve always been aware of the inclusive community that GCI fosters, but it still astounds me every time how amazingly loving and accepting we are. In a moment when I was truly afraid and deeply doubting God’s calling for me, my community, my family, immediately surrounded me. It showed me that I’m not called on my own. God, through his Holy Spirit, is with me AND doing the work for me! It also showed me that God has blessed me with an incredible community who will have my back and point me back to Jesus when I am afraid. (Xiara Lee, 1st year Intern with Pastor Tim Brassell)

It was a unique experience of learning about the Intern Program through deep fellowship, theological engagement and seeing awe-inspiring examples of those theological commitments lived out in the Durham area. It was challenging, fun and moving. (Eddie Lowe, 2nd year Intern with Pastor Dishon Mills)

Getting together with my GCI brothers and sisters under the banner of Jesus was amazing! Our future as a denomination is so bright! There was so much love there! (Ceeja Malmkar, Pastoral Resident with Pastor Mike Rasmussen)

The young adults involved reveal a bright future for GCI. They truly are sold-out for the Trinitarian theology described in Scripture and will no doubt gain (and teach) a much deeper understanding of this Good News as time goes on. What a gift! (Associate Pastor Mike Urmie)

Momentum building

At this Orientation I saw powerful, Holy Spirit momentum building in the ranks of our younger generations. My friend Greg Williams, Director of our CAD team, saw it too. Here are his reflections on the 2016 Orientation:

I was overwhelmed by the variety, depth, personalities, talents and passion of these young women and men. They expressed deep love for the Lord and deep bonding with one another. They are so smart—it’s almost intimidating—yet they are personable and fun-loving. GCI is blessed to have these young people in our circle of trust and love. I invite the churches who host them to make space in their hearts and ministries to allow them to grow and shine. Our Interns and Pastoral Residents are a huge part of the renewal movement happening within GCI. Thank you Holy Spirit for joining them with us!

On to GCnext

GCnext is about planting seeds for GCI’s next generation. Toward that end, we will be holding a GC Next gathering in Durham over the upcoming Martin Luther King holiday weekend (January 13-16, 2017). The event, which will gather 18-28 year-olds from across our GCI nation, is led by Andy Rooney and our other Pastoral Residents. Many of us sense that it will be another pivotal moment in the development of future GCI leaders. Click here for additional information, including registration.

We want to express our thanks to the congregations that are financially supporting our Intern and Pastoral Resident Programs through donations to our GCnext fund. The fund also supports the GCnext work of Generations Ministries and Church Multiplication Ministries. If your congregation would like to join in, click here to learn about the fund, which advances our GCnext vision and mission.

GCI’s church in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines, recently celebrated their 15th anniversary as a congregation. They did so by reaching out to the community by conducting a medical mission. In partnership with two local agencies, they served 245 adults and children. Each participant received counseling, followed by assistance related to their identified physical, emotional and spiritual needs. All were fed a full meal. These interactions provided ample opportunity to pray with those being helped, and to share with them the gospel of Jesus. Many said that they felt encouraged, having found hope in the midst of their trials.

For the past 13 years, Mike Stewart and Debby Bailey (members of the pastoral team at Grace Fellowship in Pikeville, KY), have been the driving force of an annual Christian music concert named JULY JAM (Jesus Unconditionally Loves You. Just Ask Me). Youth and young adults are the primary target audience for this free outdoor Christian music event held in one of Pikeville’s parks.

The purpose of JULY JAM is to share with area youth the love of Jesus through Christian music. A primary goal is to help them understand that there is an alternative to a life of drug use. Pike County has one of the highest per capita rates of death due to drug overdose. This year’s concert, headlined by national recording artist, Among the Thirsty, was held July 30. More than 350 people attended. The event received coverage in both local newspapers (pictured above).

This update is from Christine Ojih whose husband Gabriel serves as lead pastor at Pathway of Grace Church (a GCI congregation in Dallas, Texas).

“I just hope it’s not boring!” lamented 3rd-grader Amya when asked about her hopes for the summer by her Pathway of Grace Church Vacation Bible School (VBS) small group leader. In all, 50 individuals from the church and surrounding community participated in the VBS at this GCI congregation, in Mesquite, Texas. Twenty adult volunteers, including a Spanish-speaking staff member from the elementary school across the street, came together with 30 children and teens for five evenings in June to study how putting on Jesus, the full armor of God, helps us “stand strong against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11).

One parent from the community representing one of five new families who got involved at Pathway because of VBS said, “I don’t know what you guys are doing here, but the kids love it!” Another new child shared, “My uncle has a lot of things planned for us kids this week but I’m missing it. I want to be at Bible school!”

Pathway’s VBS was kicked off with a Saturday Community Family Fun Day where families were invited to bring their children to enjoy bounce houses, carnival games and face painting, along with slider burgers, popcorn and snow cones. At the Fun Day, children and teens were invited to register for the VBS.

Best of all, the fun didn’t stop when VBS week was over. Youth ministry team member, Teri Herrmann, who leads Pathway’s school-aged children’s ministry, took the lead to provide ongoing activities throughout the summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kids have the opportunity to learn more about Jesus and how he is revealed to us through some well-known Bible stories while also enjoying crafts, games and meals together with the friends they made at VBS. Field trips to the skating rink, movie theater and Ranger’s Ballpark offered a special opportunity to get out on the town to many children who might otherwise sit home and play video games or watch TV all summer.

Judging from her enthusiasm—showing up an hour before events start and not missing a single summer activity so far—it seems Amya’s hope for a “non-boring” summer has been fulfilled. Likewise, Pathway of Grace’s hope of demonstrating God’s love that came near in Jesus to families in our community has also been fulfilled and a new hope has emerged—the hope that we can develop ways for even deeper, more meaningful and more consistent involvement with our young community members.