by Pastor Sam Butler Fundraising—it was the last thing I wanted to do! Asking people for money was, for me, like pulling teeth—painful and unpleasant. That was how I felt until 12 years ago when the congregation I pastored in Michigan started a food pantry. We moved our meeting location with the intent of engaging a particular … Continue reading "Lessons learned about fundraising" Read the article
This article is from Paul David (PD) Kurts, regional pastor of GCI’s Mid-Atlantic Region. PD also serves in the North Carolina Air National Guard. Some years ago I was watching a television program on the National Geographic channel, which depicted a pygmy tribesman trying to catch a monkey (you know, the other white meat) to … Continue reading "The life-giving power of generosity" Read the article
This article is from CAD team member Randy Bloom. Randy serves as the Regional Pastor of the Eastern Region of GCI-USA. This we know: Our God is generous! We know this because we see all that, by grace, the Father has generously done for us and shares with us in Christ, by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:1-8; … Continue reading "Nurturing a culture of generosity" Read the article
Here are reports from GCI churches in Texas, Ohio and Florida that are rebuilding. All three have participated in GCI’s Outside the Walls (OTW) training with Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM). The training included a major community outreach event, which by God’s grace has led to new members in all three. Pathway of Grace Church – Mesquite, … Continue reading "Rebuilding larger congregations" Read the article
Many of our smallest congregations are trying new ways to join Jesus in reaching out to new people. In the article below, Bob Miller, who pastors GCI’s church in Birmingham, Alabama, shares his congregation’s story. Fellowship group-sized congregations often see themselves as too small to make an impact beyond their immediate members. That was our … Continue reading "Rebuilding smaller congregations" Read the article
This article is from Janet Morrison who directs Great Commission Trips, one of GCI Generations Ministries’ mission organizations. The first time I saw them was at LAX—seven Congolese refugees from the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi coming to a new world, a new culture. Though they had heard many things about the U.S., they did … Continue reading "Helping a refugee family in Los Angeles" Read the article
This article is from Fraser Henderson, one of the pastors in GCI’s Ottawa, Canada, congregation. It’s hard to describe what it’s like arriving in Canada in the dead of winter. The -13 degree Fahrenheit weather is likely to elicit a curse even from those with robust reigns on their tongues. For the refugees, despite the … Continue reading "Welcome home to Ottawa" Read the article
In this article, Nova Musafiri, a refugee who settled in Canada, tells his story. I left my country in April 1993 because of security issues: students were arrested, beaten to death and tortured because of a dictatorial regime, which reigned for over 30 years. I did not have a choice, but had to escape in … Continue reading "Nova’s story" Read the article
This article is from Regional Pastor Rick Shallenberger. Rick works with pastors and congregations in the upper Midwest and also serves as a contributing editor for Equipper. GCI has two chartered churches in Cincinnati, Ohio. Christ Community Church (CCC) on the east side is pastored by George Hart, and Christ Fellowship Church (CFC) on the west … Continue reading "Here’s what renewal looks like" Read the article
This article is from Calvin Simon who pastors New Creation Community Church, GCI’s congregation in Norfolk, Virginia. As a pastor, I’m always on the lookout for resources to use in discipling people in the way of Jesus. Our congregation wanted a monthly discipleship class, so we started by studying the GCI booklet, The God Revealed … Continue reading "Recommended discipleship resource" Read the article
