Category: Stay Connected

SEP Mexico was held on December 28-January 1 a couple of hours from Guadalajara, Mexico. The youth camp provided a great time of worship, learning, relationship-building and spiritual nurture for 35 campers and 9 staffers from different parts of Mexico including Mexico City and Francisco Villa—a community in the state of Tamaulipas (near the U.S. border) where there is much danger due to drug cartel activity.

Speakers for most of the camp were Pastor Heber Ticas (pictured teaching at right) and his wife Xochilt Ticas. Through their messages, campers were immersed in the love of the triune God as they engaged in various topics including God’s universal love, forgiveness, our true identity, and God’s plan for relationships. The youth also had a great time participating in games and sports (mainly soccer and volleyball).

Morning sessions at camp were divided into two tracks. Some of the oldest campers participated in the leadership development track with Pastor Ticas while the rest took part in the discipleship track with Natanael Cruz, pastor of the GCI church in Mexico City. The discipleship track developed topics from the general camp sessions, presenting the loving, inclusive nature of our Savior.

The highlights of the week came on Wednesday and Thursday:

• During a time of prayer and worship on Wednesday morning, it was evident that the Holy Spirit was moving us to set aside scheduled presentations to give him room to work in a a special way in and through our youths. Many tears were shed as hearts were being healed by the love of the Lord that gripped those who were present.
• On Thursday morning Heber and Xochilt shared their story of 24 years of marriage as an introduction to the topic of One Flesh (God’s plan for marriage). This topic really connected with the youth, especially the young ladies.

Reflecting on the camp experience, Heber wrote this note:

At SEP Mexico we saw clearly that the Spirit is working in the lives of our young members in Mexico. We are thankful for the hard work that the Mexico camp committee did in making the camp a success. We also are thankful for the financial support from the Jon Whitney Foundation, the GCI Southern California Hispanic District and other partners in GCI-USA and GCI-Canada. Without their generosity it would have been difficult for many of the campers to attend.

GCI’s congregation in Bogotá, Colombia, recently conducted “Caritas Felices” (Happy Faces) as a Christmas-themed outreach to needy children living in a poor community on the outskirts of the city. Over 170 children were served. Members had picked the name of a child before the event and purchased a gift for them to receive. The children were also given a meal (over 190 sandwiches served). A Christmas play was presented to show the children the importance of the Incarnation of the Son of God.

Christ Community Church (one of GCI’s Cincinnati, Ohio, area congregations) partnered with an organization called Artsy Fartsy in hosting a Christmas party for neighborhood children on December 12. Thirty-six children from a neighboring apartment complex attended along with children from the congregation. Activities (pictured below) included crafts, face painting and breaking a piñata full of candy. The children made a Christmas chain with each of their names on it and hung it on a Christmas tree. Church members served lunch and each child was given a winter hat, gloves and socks. The families were presented with a storybook on the strength of love for one another. The party ended with a blessing.

Christ Community Church has partnered with Artsy Fartsy for about a year in ministering to under-served children in grades 4-6 who live in an apartment complex in the neighborhood where the church meets. Artsy Fartsy gives the children opportunity to explore their creativity through painting, acting, sewing, clay molding, cooking and baking. Members of Christ Community Church assist with these monthly meetings, spending time with the kids and building relationships. The congregation is committed to building connections with the local community and serving the community with Christ’s love.

How can the church respond to the refugee crisis? Here, in an update video from Greg Williams (Church Administration and Development director), is what a group of GCI congregations have been doing:

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/83MUlW-ndBk.

This update is from Crossing Borders director, Lee Berger.

In December, for the 10th year in a row, Crossing Borders mission trip attendees delivered shoeboxes full of gifts to needy children in Mexico. Thanks to our generous partners (churches, school groups and others) who provided the shoeboxes full of gifts, we blessed over 1000 children with tangible expressions of God’s love. In addition to the shoeboxes, our partners provided over 125 handmade blankets and quilts, 50 cloth totes filled with infant supplies, dozens of pairs of shoes and other items.

As seen in the pictures below, there were smiles of joy all around as the children received giftboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene articles, toys, candy and other needed and fun items. But of even more importance were the smiles, hugs, prayers and words of encouragement given by the missionaries to the children and their parents.

Due to a record number of applications, we had to turn away many who wanted to join us on this trip (those not accepted were deferred to a future trip). Given the large number of those accepted (38), we formed two teams and thus were able to visit twice as many churches, children’s homes and other ministries as before. Thankfully, we had a record number of shoeboxes and other gifts with us!

It’s been a joy for many of our team members to return to the same places in Mexico each year, where we’ve watched children grow from toddlers to teenagers. Along the way, we’ve built friendly relationships with onsite ministers: pastors, orphanage directors and other ministry leaders. It’s a joy to partner with them in sharing with people messages, drama, prayer, games and gifts—all for the one purpose of sharing with the children and their families the good news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

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The next Crossing Borders trip is this summer (June 18-26). It will be a week of life-changing mission ministry. The most benefit is gained by attending the full week, but we also offer half-week options. For details, check out our website at www.cbmisison.org or call me (Lee Berger) at 903-746-4463.

GCI’s congregation in Pikeville, Kentucky recently was featured in a report by a local TV station telling of the congregation’s outreach to the community, which involves providing a free meal twice each month. To watch a video recording of the TV report, click on the image below, or click here.

Greg Williams and Charles Fleming recently team-taught a weekend intensive in Dallas, Texas, as part of the Christian Leadership course offered by Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM). Seven men and women pastoral leaders participated (they are pictured below with Greg and Charles).

Various Christian leadership topics were addressed during the three-day intensive, including how to develop an operational style of leadership that is both team-based and pastor-led. This approach fits well with GCI’s modified-episcopal system of governance. Greg Williams elaborated:

In GCI we place a great deal of emphasis on prequalifying and then training our lead pastors. We then place on them a great deal of trust to lead their congregations. In that leadership role, we call on them to recruit, train and empower a team of able ministry leaders and then meet with that team regularly to discuss, pray and deeply consider the ministries that are involved in advancing the disciplemaking work of the congregation. We also expect our pastors to utilize their Advisory Council, which brings together a cross-section of members that help keep the pastoral leaders informed concerning the general mood and attitude of the congregation. We expect that our lead pastors will work closely with these leaders to establish, communicate and then execute a clear vision and mission for their congregation. As part of that work, the team will establish and then operate in accordance with an annual budget aligned with the agreed-upon vision and mission. Also, the team will work through the challenges it encounters, including conflict within the team. An effective lead pastor develops trust and credibility with the team, seeking consensus in discerning how the Spirit is leading the team forward. In the few cases where consensus cannot be achieved, the lead pastor is called upon to make the final decision.

Here are comments about the Christian Leadership intensive from some of the students:

Thanks to everyone involved in offering this class. It was an amazing three days of learning and building friendships. The class gave us the opportunity to not only learn leadership skills and applications, but also to see them in a perspective of how Christ leads us so we can in turn lead others. I came away with an excitement to serve. The friendships made in the close-knit environment of the intensive are wonderful. I look forward to other classes in the future.

It was awesome! We covered day-to-day practical things and items to dream towards for our congregations. It was interactive and open to any of our questions. The format was great—Greg and Charles were very accessible.

This was a great way to take an ACCM class. Every aspect was a learning opportunity. I came away with an increased knowledge of leadership and a love for others. The structure of the class and time outside the class gave me the blessing of getting to know everyone in the class. I came away blessed with new knowledge and new friends.

It was uplifting to be together in an intimate setting for three days with people who treasure God’s love and want to share that love with our church and future members that God will bring to us. To see the passionate dedication of Greg and Charles was truly inspiring. I believe this intensive class will spur us to grow into our future responsibilities as we transition into a more active pastoral role.

Established or emerging leaders interested in participating in an intensive course like the one described above are encouraged to let the GCI-USA CAD office know of their interest. We plan to offer more intensives like this in the future.

Here are links to articles giving updates on events in GCI-Philippines:

• Christmas celebration in the Santa Rosa church: http://my.gci.ph/gci-sta-rosa-celebrates-the-greatness-of-christ-with-kids/ (pictured at right)
• Singles’ camp in Pangasinan: http://my.gci.ph/where-he-leads-me-i-will-follow/
• Missions exploration in Dubai: http://my.gci.ph/missions-exposure-trip-dubai/

This announcement is from Gary Moore, national leader of GCI-Canada.

A couple of years ago, Joseph Tkach began encouraging GCI’s mission developers and national leaders to think about the future leadership of the church. He advised us that by our early 60s we should begin to put in place a leadership transition plan. He made it clear that he wasn’t implying anyone needed to retire at 65, but rather that there should be in place a plan for transition before attaining that age.

As I thought about my transition plan, I was reminded that the role of national leader (sometimes referred to as national director) calls for a certain mix of gifts. Though no one person has all the needed gifts (I serve as testimony to that!), certain key gifts and skills are needed. Beyond the foundational characteristics of faith in God, understanding of his word, moral integrity and loyalty, good pastoral skills, an ability to work as an administrator and make a budget work, and ability to communicate both verbally and in writing are all important, even essential. And so in putting together my transition plan I considered all these factors plus knowing that the individual who would eventually replace me would need to be some years younger than I in order to provide for at least a number of years of stable service in the role.

As I carefully went through all our staff and our fine group of elders in Canada, the one who seemed to most fit the requirements of the job was Bill Hall. Bill served in office and administrative roles for 17 years at the national office (1981-1998) and from then to the present (1998-2015) for over 17 years as a church pastor. So he has good experience in both the office and administrative environment as well as many years serving the membership in three Canadian congregations. Further, Bill has served as managing editor of GCI-Canada’s Northern Light and Northern Light Digest. He has excellent communication skills, both verbally and in written form.

I discussed the idea with Joseph Tkach and he was very supportive. The board of GCI-Canada also needed to be involved, as they are the legal employer. They expressed their full support. Bill Hall is willing to take on the challenge, which I greatly appreciate. The responsibility brings with it great days, and challenging ones, but I firmly believe that with God’s guidance and strength, and the support of us all, Bill will serve the church and ministry well.

The first phase of this transition is for Bill to assume the position of office/business manager for the church in Canada. He is scheduled to move to British Columbia on July 1 and begin to take on these duties. Once Bill adapts to this new role and is comfortable, perhaps toward the end of 2017, I’ll begin to introduce him to other aspects of the national ministry leader responsibilities. At this point, my plan is to retire at the end of August, 2018, following our Canadian national conference that summer.

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

Twelve of our members recently completed our ministerial studies program. We presented them with diplomas at a church service (eleven are pictured below).

These students spent about two years in the program, completing eight classes covering theology and various aspects of ministry. Class titles included Biblical Panorama (introducing the books of the Bible), Pastoral Theology, The Life of Christ (the Gospel of Matthew), Acts of the Apostles (the work of the Holy Spirit), and Experiencing God (utilizing the book of the same name by Henry Blackaby).

Congratulations to the graduates!