Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On Tuesday this week we taped three interviews for You’re Included with theologian C. Baxter Kruger in our Glendora studio. Last month, we taped four interviews each with Jeff McSwain, founder of Reality Ministries and Dan Thimell, Associate Professor of Theological and Historical Studies at Oral Roberts University. The first interview with Dan Thimell is currently featured on the home page of our website. The photo shows Baxter Kruger on the You’re Included set with host Mike Feazell.
San Fernando, California
From Pastor and DPL Heber Ticas:
Last Sunday we had 306 people in attendance with 140 children being blessed and prayed for. It was the second service of the year for which the members invited local families to bring their children so we could bless them. After the service we served hot dogs and cheeseburgers and provided a play area with games and jumpers for the kids.
. 
. 
Africa Summer Teaching Mission Opportunity:
There is an opportunity for two to travel to Malawi, Africa, and teach in our GCI-owned elementary school. You will be staying at the school and working closely with the school administration. This six-week opportunity begins June 21. The school term runs to September 17, but we are planning to stay only six weeks. If you would like to stay longer, we can make arrangements for that.
This opportunity is only available for women this year. We hope to have further opportunities in later years. The main cost will be your airfare, and there will be some minimal costs while at the school. If interested, we are considering adding a short safari as part of the mission trip. Those details will be forthcoming.
We are looking for qualified teachers or students enrolled in nationally accredited elementary education degree programs. If interested, please contact Rick Shallenberger at Rick.Shallenberger@wcg.org or Rick@cfcnext.org for further details. You can also write to Christ Fellowship Church, P.O. Box 13609, Hamilton, OH 45013.
From Dennis Richards:
The Christchurch congregation welcomed its new pastor, Philip Baldwin, and his wife Susan on October 24. There is little doubt that Philip’s arrival is an answer to prayer for the Christchurch group, which has been without a resident pastor for more than a decade. As it happens, the move to Christchurch is an answer to Philip’s and Susan’s prayers too. Their move to New Zealand came about when a position opened for Susan, an ordained Anglican priest, to be the new vicar of Darfield in rural Canterbury, a short distance south of Christchurch.
Happy Birthday to Curtis May
Curtis May was surprised by shouts of “happy birthday” when he opened the conference room door at our Glendora office. It was his sixty-fifth.
Happy Birthday to Charles Fleming
At the Orlando regional conference, we sang happy birthday to Charles Fleming, even though he did not disclose the number of years he was celebrating. He told us that he is working on being a “geezer.”
Orlando Conference
We finished the final 2009 U.S. regional conference last weekend with the added blessing of having French-speaking and Spanish-speaking pastors in attendance. Roger LaBelle translated the sessions into French for Patrise and Kernani Cheny from Martinique.
. 
.
Larry Hinkle, Hector Barerro and others took turns with Spanish translation for Julio Fernandez from Argentina, Sonia and Luis Orozco de Vengoechea from Baranquilla, Colombia, and Jose and Berta Rodriguez from Guadalajara. We also celebrated the Rodriguez’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Sponsor a Pastor for the July 2010 International Conference
As we look forward to next year’s international conference, I’m sure we all agree that it would be wonderful if we could help pastors from isolated, underprivileged areas be able to attend with us. This hope could become a reality if some of our congregations with the means and desire could sponsor a pastor and spouse for the 2010 conference.
Some congregations might want to direct a portion of their international missions budget toward this need. If your congregation would like to be involved, please contact Charles Albrecht (charles.albrecht@gci.org), who will help you select a pastor to sponsor. Smaller congregations might want to combine resources to sponsor a pastor. Charles can also help you coordinate a joint effort.
Prayer Requests and Updates
Kenn Allbright
Please join us in prayer for co-pastor Kenn Allbright of Good News Christian Fellowship in Lufkin, Texas, who has been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a muscle disorder that causes weakness with activity and difficulty swallowing, among other symptoms. There is no known cure for myasthenia gravis, but treatment can result in prolonged periods of remission. Kenn is currently staying with his son near Houston and hopes to begin treatment soon. He is scheduled to see a specialist today (Wednesday).
Cards can be sent to him at his son’s address:
Kenn Allbright
550 Club Dr. Suite 215
Montgomery TX 77316-3190
Marj Friddle
With the help of a wheelchair, Marj was able to join Jim at the Orlando conference last weekend as she continues to recover from her knee surgery and the painful manipulation needed to remove scar tissue from the previous surgery. On the last day of the conference, she was leaving the wheelchair for short walks to stretch the knee. The Friddles expressed their deep thanks for the prayers and encouragement.
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach
We held a 3-day seminar October 9-12 at a private resort in Arbelaez, which is three hours by car from Bogota. On Saturday, four of our leaders spoke on the Trinitarian love of God. Sunday, we had workshops on inner healing. On Monday, four leaders spoke on how to take God´s love to the world. We closed the seminar with Communion.
We were visited by Raymond Olson, his wife Denise and daughter Roberta from Wisconsin. This was Raymond´s fourth trip to Colombia. Raymond presented a devotional every morning. The Harbor Missionary Church that Raymond pastors helped sponsor the attendance to the seminar of many people, and they sent some supplies for the Sunday school.
For the fourth year in a row, the New Covenant Fellowship of Glendora, California, sponsored a literature table October 2-4 at the 70th annual Rancho Cucamonga Grape Harvest Festival in Rancho Cucamonga. The results were encouraging, even with cold windy weather and a stiff recession.
At the Festival, the Glendora church gives away free literature, mostly published by GCI’s Office of Reconciliation Ministries. This includes the Reconcile newsletter, the ORM video, the award-winning DVD “A Time To Reconcile” and other relevant literature. This year New Covenant Fellowship partnered with the Cops and Clergy Network of the Inland Empire, a caring agency for young people up against the drugs and gang threat in the Inland Empire, some of whose 500 gangs are controlled by drug lords in Mexico.
Even though the tough economic times caused a significant drop in attendance, our 2009 Dells Celebration was, in my opinion, the best ever. Our theme of “From Exclusion to Inclusion” was thoroughly covered by sermons and workshops held throughout the four-day event at the Kalahari Resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Dells.
Pastor Tracy Porter and his staff conducted children’s church concurrently with the main worship sessions. The children were brought on stage Sunday morning where they sang and signed “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” Tracy also taught them the Hebrew alphabet song, which they sang to the entire audience. He commented that he was amazed that they learned it in less than two days as it had taken him over two weeks in a college class!
A senior’s breakfast was attended by about 80 seniors. Joyce Wendt, a member of the Wausau, Wisconsin, pastoral team, hosted the event. Joyce and the Olson brothers from Wausau performed live music. Let me say that you haven’t lived until you’ve heard them sing a song about Lutefisk (a Norwegian invention of dried fish). The song was way, way better than the fish. The Wausau congregation may well have the most active nursing home ministry in our denomination.
The 6th annual Luton Ladies Day, September 20, began with morning coffee at registration before organizer Daria Fowler welcomed about 35 delegates. Morning and afternoon sessions opened with worship hymns led by Tina Sullivan and accompanied by Shirley MacLean.
