Category: Stay Connected

GCI-Mexico recently held its annual conference for pastors and leaders in Guadalajara. It featured lively worship, fellowship (lots of food!), and teaching sessions addressing theology, mission and women’s issues. GCI members and guests from Mexico came from as far away as Tijuana (north) and Veracruz (south). The guest speakers who came from the U.S. were given a warm Mexican welcome with mariachi music, folkloric dance, fine dining and sightseeing. Conference highlights included the ordination of GCI-Mexico’s first female pastor, and the announcing of the up-coming hand-off of supervisory leadership of GCI-Mexico from Lorenzo Arroyo to Heber Ticas.

Alfredo Mercado, GCI national leader in Mexico and lead pastor of the Guadalajara church, led the ordination of Irma Selena Venegas de Soto (pictured at right). Selena has been leading worship, teaching and preaching in the local church for some time. She also is an educator with a master’s degree and teaches at a private school. Selena and her husband, pastor Luis Soto, along with their children Alejandro (24) and Andrea (17), are long-time members of the Guadalajara church. Both Selena and Luis have a strong missional focus in their ministries, which involve gathering, evangelism and making new disciples. They currently are planning the planting of a new church in Guadalajara. Our congratulations to Selena!

During the conference, Greg Williams (pictured at left), director of U.S. Church Administration and Development, represented GCI president Joseph Tkach in announcing that Heber Ticas will be the new ecclesiastical supervisor for GCI in Mexico starting January 1, 2017. Heber, who will continue as U.S. national coordinator for Church Multiplication Ministries, will add the leadership role in Mexico ably filled for about five years by Lorenzo Arroyo. Heber worked at Lorenzo’s side most of that time, making for a seamless leadership transition. Our thanks to Lorenzo and congratulations to Heber!

Heber will continue what Lorenzo began—leading the gospel work in GCI-Mexico in a Christ-centered, missional direction that emphasizes disciplemaking, growing churches and planting new ones. Plans are already in the works for Pastor Natanael Cruz and his Mexico City congregation to host an “Outside the Walls” (OTW) event in the future.

Greg gave the conference keynote address on the topic of church renewal and preached a motivating and uplifting Eastern Sunday sermon. Lorenzo’s wife Rita Arroyo (pictured at right with Selena), joined with Presbyterian pastor Rosario Salgado Cervantes in giving inspiring messages to the women. Rita also gave the women hand-crafted gifts that she had made, along with gifts from women involved in the GCI-USA Connecting and Bonding ministry.

Heber’s wife, Xochilt Ticas (pictured at right), led a devotional for the pastors and leaders and participated in missional workshops. Heber introduced Outside the Walls through a series of talks on mission in the community, and preached the Saturday sermon. Lorenzo gave talks on the theological and philosophical effects of dualistic thinking on western thought over against the unitary framework of Incarnational Trinitarian theology.

Thanks are extended from the members in Mexico to the churches and individuals in Canada and the U.S. who helped make this conference possible.

This update is from GCI-Canada director Gary Moore.

My family and I had the pleasure of visiting the Montreal-area GCI congregations (French and English) for a combined Palm Sunday service. The French youth band (top picture below) did a superb job leading us in a bilingual worship. The service included a lovely potluck meal, and the fellowship went on for three hours. It was a great time of togetherness and worship.

GCI’s congregation in Jacksonville, Florida, recently hosted an Outside the Walls training and community outreach event. Here is a short video, some pictures and a related cartoon.

Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM) coordinates Outside the Walls training and events as part of renewal church consulting services provided by Church Administration and Development. Congregations receiving these services are trained in incarnational outreach, assimilation through hospitality, and other approaches to joining Jesus in reaching outside the church walls to connect with non-churched people, then assist them in becoming mature followers of Jesus within the fellowship of the congregation.

To learn more about these consulting services in the U.S., click here and contact your regional pastor.

GCI in the Philippines is celebrating both the baptism of new members and the completion of 50 years of membership by one of its pioneer members. To read more, click on the links below.

• http://my.gci.ph/baptisms-at-gci-tabaco-city/
• http://my.gci.ph/adela-argate-celebrates-50th-year-as-gci-member/

On March 11-13, Jannice May and her assistants hosted the 11th Connecting and Bonding conference in Lexington, Kentucky. The theme, Why Talk to God?, was based on Jeremiah 33:3.

The joy-filled, prayer-charged and word-based conference brought together 20 women (pictured above). United by their high calling in Jesus, the group relaxed, laughed, cried and shared from the heart. Wives of retired pastors were honored for their many years of faithful service. Worship minister Keysha Taylor led times of powerful worship. Pastor Jeanne Moore, the main speaker, showed the group the importance of maintaining balance in all aspects of life, and led the group through the Lord’s prayer as a guide for their prayer life. The group watched and discussed the movie “War Room” and a recorded message from Dr. Sylvia Hart Frejd on the “digital invasion” and the necessity of staying connected to Jesus, ourselves and others. A highlight of the conference was a white elephant gift exchange where their love for one another was tested (in jest, of course).

The group left with batteries recharged and a readiness to share what they had experienced with others back home.

We were delighted to learn of recent baptisms in the GCI congregations that meet in the towns of Tilburg and Tiel in the Netherlands. Here are pictures:

About 200 people representing all age-groups attended the GenMin Converge East conference on March 4-6 near Columbus, Ohio. For information about the event, including pictures, click here. Plenary speakers included CAD Director Greg Williams, Pastor Timothy Brassell, GenMin Coordinator Anthony Mullins, Elizabeth Mullins and National Ministry Development Coordinator Jeff McSwain.

Below is a video of Jeff’s presentation, which summarized the theological basis for Celebrate the Grip, the theme for this year’s Converge conferences and the teaching curriculum for GenMin’s 2016 camps.

For information about Converge West to be held in April in Southern California, click here.

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/kFRPd3vfTU4

This update is from GCI-Philippines National Director Eugene Guzon who returned recently from a trip to the Arab state of Dubai where we have several GCI members.

I traveled to Dubai with Jean Baptiste Sibomana (JB), an African national who is from Burundi. JB had spent several years in the Philippines completing a Masters in Divinity degree. He then returned to Burundi where he helped plant several churches. In 2014 he returned to the Philippines to start work on a doctorate. JB and his family have been attending GCI’s Crossway Fellowship in Manila where he started giving messages and is involved in the parenting ministry at our Christian school.

We spent ten days together in the Persian Gulf area visiting members in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We’re happy that our members in that region are recovering from a church split that occurred two years ago. New people have begun to attend—some are from GCI Philippines working in Dubai.

One of our Filipino missionaries, Cecilia Bangay, has been in Dubai since November. She joined us in conducting a spiritual formation retreat with about 25 members. She hopes to find a job so she can remain in Dubai helping minister to our members. With her help, we now have three small groups operating. We believe these groups are the best way to serve the needs of the members and to reach out to others who are predominantly overseas workers and professionals.

During my visit, U.S. music minister Ross Jutsum joined us for a night of worship and fellowship that included Filipinos, one from England, and several from nations in Africa (including Uganda, Ghana and Burundi), along with some new contacts from Dubai. This multi-ethnic group is now meeting to study the book of John as we work to disciple people in the way of Jesus.

Here from Neil Earle is a report on some of the celebrations of Black History Month in GCI congregations in the United States.

All across our fellowship and across this vast land, GCI congregations showed respect and appreciation for Black History Month during February. Doing so has particular relevance in GCI, which has been mixed-race almost from its beginnings. Some of our U.S. churches have former Tuskegee airmen in their midst, and members who walked in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, which helped ignite the modern civil rights movement.

GCI’s congregation in Bellflower, California, had a special slide show in February highlighting significant contributions by African-Americans that have bettered the lives of all people in this country and worldwide. Lead Pastor Larry Dietrich commented:

Black History Month was established to give due credit and recognition to African-Americans. We wanted to make sure that all our members were made aware of their contributions, whether they are inventions, progress or break-throughs in fields like medicine, agriculture and many others. We also honored those patriotic individuals in our past or in our midst whose lives and efforts stand out from the crowd.

GCI’s Glendora, California, congregation held its 20th celebration of Black History Month. Lead Pastor Neil Earle commented:

We usually start with a Call to Worship that could be a Negro spiritual or something reflective of the vast African-American cultural contribution. We make sure the hymns reflect that as well and there are usually readings offered from significant members of the Black community such as Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King, Jr. or Dr. Carter Woodson who started Black History back in the 1920s.

This year’s special guest speaker at the Glendora celebration was Celestine Olive (pictured at right), assistant pastor of GCI’s Eagle Rock, California, congregation. As an African-American woman growing up in Texas, part of a family of 12 children, Celestine explained how she quietly but steadily broke through glass ceilings of race and gender. “I discovered that God had his own personal plan for me,” said Celestine, “and that being in his hands were the only hands that mattered.”

In Cincinnati, Ohio, George Hart, the lead pastor of GCI’s Christ Community Church (CCC) leads a chapter of the Office of Reconciliation and Mediation (ORM), a parachurch ministry associated with GCI. CCC leader Sandra Hamilton is responsible for Black History Month celebrations. The congregation hosted three events this year—inviting in a group called Ebony Strings for a mini-concert of black spirituals; providing an update given during church life featuring African-American women who share their culture through song, dance and sign language; and hosting a Gospel Jazz band (featuring Michael Wade, pictured below) during their annual “Soul Food Potluck” after church.

“Cincinnati is a good spot to celebrate Black History,” George Hart reminds his congregation and visitors. Built on the Ohio River, the city was a transit point for the Underground Railway where abolitionists ferried runaway slaves to the Northern states. “This rich background comes to life every February and our events are well-attended,” says Pastor Hart.

“Black History Month has many benefits,” comments Neil Earle, a history teacher for much of his life. “It reminds us all of a time when Christian ministers such as the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Medgar Evars and Andrew Young preached and taught and prodded the country to make real change, often at the cost of their lives.” George Hart adds: “I feel as a pastor it’s important to foster learning about each other to ease the fear and suspicion.” Commented one visitor in Glendora: “The black story is the American story, is the Christian story, and that is something to celebrate.”

This update is from Tim Maguire, GCI’s mission developer in the southern part of Africa. He requests prayer concerning significant problems being encountered by the people of the African nation of Mozambique where we have many members.

Political instability

There is great disagreement between the ruling and opposition political parties, which is creating human and material damages on the roads. We ask for your prayers so that these two parties can cease their striving and bring peace and stability to the people.

Drought and famine

The people of Mozambique are plagued with the problem of drought that has led to famine. Their crops are drying up for lack of rain since the middle of December. The crops, including maize (the main source for food there) are wilting. This has created despair in the country with food prices rising and people asking, “Where will we find money to buy food? How can we live without food?”

Our GCI members in Mozambique are being affected by this natural calamity, suffering from hunger and not knowing when it will end.

We will be sending $25,000 to Mozambique this week from the GCI Disaster Relief Fund (described below) to provide food for our members there during this drought.

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GCI Disaster Relief Fund

If your congregation has a heart to help members impacted by major disasters like the one in Mozambique, probably the best way to do so is to donate to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund helps provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs such as food, water, medicine, clothing, temporary housing, home and/or church hall repairs, temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency needs. Monies received into the Fund that are not immediately needed will remain in the Fund to be allocated in future disasters. In previous years, money from this Fund has been used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.

If your congregation would like to donate to the Fund, your treasurer can set up a one time or monthly donation through the GCI Online system (http://online.gci.org) by logging in and selecting Church Giving under the Treasurer tab.

If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. Send the donation to:

GCI Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
P.O Box 5005
Glendora, California 91740