The Easter Preparation season is a time of preparing ourselves to receive from God a fresh and joyous grace. By Rick Shallenberger, Equipper Editor and US Regional Director Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. Many in the orthodox Christian world keep 40 days of Lent and focus on penance. But … Continue reading "Easter Preparation Season" Read the article
Like a great waterwheel, the liturgical (Christian calendar) year goes on relentlessly irrigating our soul, softening the ground of our hearts, nourishing the soil of our lives until the seed of the word of God begins to grow in us, comes to fruit in us, ripens us in the spiritual journey of a lifetime. —Joan … Continue reading "The Journey of Reorientation" Read the article
By Bret Miller, GCI IT Manager The number one way many people find a church to visit is by searching on the internet. This means investing time in developing a good website is vital. A good website should tell people about the church. What’s a church service like? Where is it? When is it? If … Continue reading "A Good Website – What’s Stopping You?" Read the article
By John McLean, Director of ACCM The GCI Worship Calendar is designed to focus our worship and attention directly on Jesus – his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, and the giving of the promised Comforter. Each one of us has our own personal story. Our stories are—naturally!—very important to us. Our birth, growth, adulthood. … Continue reading "The GCI Worship Calendar: Celebrating His Story" Read the article
What does a guest think when they experience your worship service? By Randy Bloom, Regional Director, Northeast “Honey, we have some new neighbors. Let’s invite them over for dinner.” “That’s a great idea, let’s do it. What should we fix for dinner?” “Oh, I don’t know. Let’s just have our leftovers from the other day. … Continue reading "Worship: Putting Others First" Read the article
In our constantly connected and fast-paced world, the call to worship is an opportunity to intentionally attune the hearts and minds of the congregation to our glorious God. It is powerful to remember that God is the one who calls to us and to corporately reflect on the same truth about his character and involvement … Continue reading "Church Hack – Call to Worship" Read the article
By Heber Ticas, Superintendent of South America Growing up in the church and after 20 years of pastoral ministry, I have often witnessed how church attendees tend to gravitate to those with whom they have an established relationship. This is natural; however, the downside is that guests who visit a church for the first or … Continue reading "Welcoming Guests" Read the article
In the last GCI Update letter, Clarity, President Greg Williams explains the importance of clear communication. He emphasizes: As we collectively move forward toward Healthy Church, let’s not allow miscommunication to be a roadblock. Please access the vast array of ministry tools designed to serve you where you are in the journey and please feel … Continue reading "GCI Worship Calendar" Read the article
A comparison of Zechariah’s and Mary’s response to the Angel Gabriel Written by Daphne Sidney, Church Administration GCI-Australia The Gospel of Luke seems best placed to explore this comparison. Luke was a highly educated man, trained as a doctor (Col. 4:14) and most probably a Greek. With Luke being a Gentile, he understood what it … Continue reading "Responding to Gabriel" Read the article
Advent PowerPoint with a graphic for each candle lighting and the accompanying scripture. Many GCI congregations celebrate Advent by having an Advent wreath on a table in the front of the sanctuary. The wreath encircles three purple candles and one pink candle. There is a white candle at the center of the wreath, representing Christ … Continue reading "Venue Resources: Advent PowerPoint" Read the article
