Events - April 2010

Upcoming Event: Church-Next Training

Church Administration & Development is glad to announce the Church-Next Training schedule for 2010. Church-Next Training is Trinitarian-based and designed to introduce pastors and other ministry leaders to the key principles and processes for starting healthy new congregations in GCI.

This year Church-Next Training will be conducted in two sessions at two locations.

Part 1: April 8-10, in Tipp City, OH

Part 2: September 9-11, in Staten Island, NY

Materials discussed in Part 1 will not be duplicated in Part 2. Both sessions combine to provide the entire training experience. The time between each part is to be used to apply lessons learned.

Church-Next Training is also for pastors, ministry leaders and members working together for church health and renewal. CNT is also ideal training for young and emerging ministry leaders.

Church-Next Training includes:

• Trinitarian principles and practices for participating in Jesus’ mission
• Church planting values
• Clarifying and communicating a vision for church planting
• Identifying a focus group or community
• Developing a church planting team
• Developing culturally relevant ministries and worship services
• Trinitarian-based evangelism, gathering people
• … and more

For more information and to register, visit cmm.gci.org or contact Randy Bloom at Randy.Bloom@gci.org.

Recent Events Having a Blast in the Snow   Snowblast 2010 at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch near Stewartville, MN, was enjoyed by 65 people of all ages from Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. The event began Saturday noon (Jan. 16) and ended Monday morning, the 18th. The theme this year centered on freedom, making choices, and the consequences of those freedoms and choices on us and others. We noted that the themes of freedom and choices are evident in all the stories in the Bible. Those stories also remind us that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are constantly at work to redeem and transform our poor choices to include us in the freedom they have always had. These topics were discussed in several messages, dorm chats, and Christian Living sessions. Other activities included snow tubing, snow shoeing, making pottery on a pottery wheel, arts and crafts, making peanut brittle, photography, practicing worship leading, playing cards, board games, as well as horse rides in an indoor arena and a night-time sleigh ride courtesy of two draft horses, "Bill and Barney." Recent heavy snowfall made the scenery a winter wonderland. Fog early each morning further coated the trees with magnificent ice crystals. Truly a masterpiece done by the Master! Doug Johannsen

School and Church in Columbia In Barranquilla, on the Caribbean coast of Columbia, a GCI congregation meets in Gimnasio La Rivera School (see photos at right). The school is 25 years old and educates some 260 students from pre-school, elementary, high school and basic technical levels every year. Sonia Orozco de Vengoechea (pastor of the congregation) founded the school in 1984, and has been the principal since then. The school serves families who are in the lower or middle socioeconomic levels. For various reasons, the school does not participate in government financial aid. We sustain ourselves with God’s help, with some small contributions from parents, and a few students in some classes. From the school’s scarce resources, it scholarships some of the more needy children. The beautiful and important thing is that some of these have become Christians, since in the school we plant the seeds of the gospel in the young children, teenagers, teachers, parents, relatives and friends. For me as principal of the school and pastor of the church in Soledad, in the metropolitan area of Barranquilla, Colombia, it is a challenge and an interesting experience. My experience here has been as teacher, mother, counselor, friend, and evangelist...thanks be to God for this wonderful opportunity! Sonia Orozco de Vengoechea

Fortieth Anniversary in Kalamazoo, MI

The congregation in Kalamazoo, MI, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Nov. 14, 2009. The church began in December 1969 with George Meeker as the pastor.

There were 100 in attendance from various churches, including two past ministers: Wilhelm Mandel and Ken Williams. Mr. Mandel gave a message on friendships and how they are formed and maintained.

Mr. Williams, now a regional pastoral leader based in New York, who served for nine years in our area, gave the main message, "Finding where God is working and become a part of it."

For special music, Cheryl Erickson sang "I will sing a new song."

A luncheon and program followed. Art Thomas, assistant pastor, was the Master of Ceremonies. Cassady Haines read our history, and long-time member Twila Jones read a poem. Cleophus Sturdivant sang "He." Catharine Sturdivant did a praise dance to "Holy Spirit Fall on Us." Cleophus and Catharine also did as the closing number "I Bow My Knee."

Roger Abels is presently the pastor. The church is involved with building schools in Ghana, The Voice of the Martyrs, several outreach programs and donations to various charitable organizations, including overseas missions.

Cleophus & Catharine Sturdivant

Teen Featured in Local Paper

Thanks to Lisa Rose of The Star-Ledger, an excellent article was published in the Dec. 27, 2009 Sunday edition about Nicole Thompson, who has a bright future ahead of her. She is 17 and a high school senior with a 4.0 grade point average. She has been attending 24-7 Community Church in Newark, NJ, with her mother and three sisters since she was 7 years old. She was baptized in November 2009.

Click here for the article about her: http://blog.nj.com/iamnj/2009/12/nicole_thompson_talented_high.html

Franklin K. Howard

District Pastoral Leader Visits Tucson

Glen Weber, our DPL, made his first official trip to Grace of God Fellowship in Tucson, AZ, on Dec. 12. Glen and his wife Connie met with the Pastoral Team members Tom Landess and Ted Millhuff with their wives at the Landess home. Our third member of the Pastoral Team, Anne Rice, was in Dallas at the time.

On Dec. 13, Glen gave the sermon and officiated at the blessing of eight children, assisted by Tom and Ted. After services we enjoyed a potluck dinner and fellowship.

Ted Millhuff

An Unusual Baptism

On Jan. 3, at Grace of God Fellowship in Tucson, AZ, Pastor Tom Landess gave a sermon on "The Significance of Baptism." In the middle of the sermon he stopped, and all the members went into the baptistery, where Tom baptized Yolanda Foster. We then returned to the chapel, where

Pastors Tom, Ted, Anne and the congregation laid hands on Yolanda and with prayers welcomed her into the body of Christ.

Tom then finished the sermon, and after a closing song we all went into the fellowship hall and had a potluck dinner and rejoiced with our new sister in Christ.

Ted Millhuff