Category: Stay Connected

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.

This update is from Emmanuel Okai, GCI pastor in Ghana, Africa.

Since 2001, GCI-Ghana has been running educational institutions as a way to serve the communities in which we operate. Our philosophy has been to provide the best spiritual, intellectual and social environment for children in our church areas.

Currently we are operating two schools. The first, founded in 2001 in our church hall is known as Kutunse Ambassador International School (see pictures below). It now has classrooms and a computer lab with 14 personal computers.

There are 14 teachers who assist in running the school which serves pre-school, elementary and junior high aged children. Six groups have graduated from the school and some of the pioneer students are about to complete college degrees. The second school, located near Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, is known as GCI Basic School. It currently has an enrollment of 60 pupils ranging from pre-school to fourth grade.

 

Here is an update from GCI mission developer Rod Matthews concerning GCI’s congregations in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

My wife and I recently flew with Rex Morgan to Vanuatu to visit our congregation in Naveli during their annual family conference. We were met at the airport by Vanuatu’s local pastors, William Davies and Billy Taren (pictured at right with Rex). Together we traveled to Naveli, stopping along the way at village stores to buy supplies. Because the country is in the depths of a drought few fruit and vegetables are available. We bought some canned fish. When we pulled into our church grounds in Naveli I saw that they were beautifully kept, an uplifting reflection of the God we worship.

Their meeting hall accommodated the more than 60 people who attended the services held each day, which were introduced by the children singing and hymns in French and English. The rest of the service was in Bislama, the local version of Pidgin English, with translations by William Davies for the English language messages from Rex and me. I introduced them to their Melanesian brothers and sisters in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. I wished there had been electricity and the equipment to show pictures. God places us in the Body as it pleases him, and his pleasure is seen in the people of this congregation—remote but a vital part of a globe-girdling entity. We talked about how Jesus is the focus of our life and work, of how he came to reveal the Father, of how his presence in us through the Holy Spirit means we will reflect his characteristics such as humility and service regardless of where we live, of how he embraces our humanity through the events of his life, and the special significance of his resurrection to us and all humanity.

On the day before we left, we drove a few miles along a narrow rough track to a pool in a barely running stream coming down from the mountains to baptize two young people—Dao and Maria. The day was hot and the water was cool. In this most idyllic location, they made a public acknowledgement of their salvation in Christ, and we all rejoiced with them.

As a fellowship, we can thank God for the faithfulness of the local people, ably led by local pastor Billy Taren, with the coordination and dedicated, long-time support of elder William Davies who lives on the northern island of Santo and who travels to the church once every 2-3 months. Special thanks also goes to Rex Morgan who, in his love for the people there, has traveled to Vanuatu at least once a year for 37 years to provide pastoral guidance and encouragement and to keep strong their link with our church in New Zealand. In the words of Paul in Romans 15:33, we say to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Vanuatu in their native language, “God yu we i stamba blong pis blong yumi, hem bambae i stap wetem yufala evriwan” (which in English is “The God of peace be with you all”).

Early this month, we learned that a total of 33 people were baptized in GCI congregations in Liberia and Uganda. Those baptized included a 99 year old man and a 13 year old teenager. Below are photos of the baptism ceremonies: Liberia in the top row and Uganda in the bottom row. Our congratulations to all!

Here are reports from several recent GCI conferences.

Philippines

GCI-Philippines recently held a five-day conference in Baguio City with more than 1,000 in attendance. The theme was Celebrating Kingdom Life Now. Featured speakers included Greg Williams (pictured at right), director of US Church Administration and Development; and Larry Hinkle, US pastor and director of Odyssey in Christ ministry. For more about the event, click here.

Canada

The Toronto East and Cornerstone Christian Fellowship congregations of GCI-Canada recently hosted a conference titled Life in Christ, Life in the Trinity. Guest speakers Gary and Cathy Deddo (pictured below) gave sermons and lectures covering the basics of Incarnational Trinitarian theology and its implications in the Christian life. More than 90 people attended, including visitors from neighboring congregations.

Madagascar

Thirty GCI members from Madagascar met recently in Foulpointe on the Indian Ocean coast for a conference titled Joy of Sharing in Christ’s Glory. Activities included organized individual “quiet time,” beach and Bible games, a picnic and evening worship. Two ordinations occurred during the conference: Pastor Daniel Rakotondrabary was ordained an elder to serve members in the Antsirabe congregation, and Angele Rafirangason was ordained a deaconess to serve the Antananarivo congregation.

Nigeria

GCI’s churches in Nigeria held a four-day conference in the neighboring nation of Benin. The theme was God is faithful. God’s presence was evident in the worship with singing, praise and prayer, along with several special music performances. Various events were held, including a leader’s meeting, singles/youth forum, a women’s meeting, Bible Study, video presentations on Incarnational Trinitarian theology, a variety night and an elderly citizens’ forum. A highlight of the conference was the baptism of two teenage girls.

Denmark

GCI-Denmark recently held a conference with the theme Our Christian Journey. Sermons addressed the nature of the journey at personal and collective levels. A highlight was the baptism of 80-year-old Chresten Emil Madsen who for eight years has translated GCI publications in the Norwegian and Danish languages.

Here is a video that tells the story of a drive-in prayer outreach conducted by one of GCI’s congregations in Southern California.

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/8d0MJsKApLY.

Members of the 4/14 Window Group of the GCI congregation in Santa Rosa, Philippines recently traveled to Davao, Philippines, where they shared their abilities and other resources in assisting with children’s ministry. To read about this outreach event, click here.

This update is from Anthony Gachanja, GCI’s national director for Kenya. Anthony has been visiting GCI members in congregations scattered across Kenya, bringing them encouragement. Recently, the members have been reciprocating by visiting Anthony and his wife Jane at their home (they are pictured at right on another occasion with Charles Albrecht and Joseph Tkach).

Here in Kenya we are doing quite well. We thank God for his grace. An interesting trend has been happening—members of our churches have been visiting my family here at our home, and this has really encouraged us. Some of the groups have called these visits, “a time for paying back.” According to them, they have visited us for two reasons: To show us they have been appreciating our visits to their churches, and to get to know our home. Three churches have visited us in the last three months and a fourth is working on a time for their visit. Our house is open to all. The photos below were taken during these visits.