Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – 9 February 2025
Psalm 138:1-8 • Isaiah 6:1-13 • 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 • Luke 5:1-11
Coming Events to Diarise:
Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 8 February 2025
Pastoral Conference: 20-23 March 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
What do Christians Believe? What do you believe?
If you were to meet a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist, and they ask you what Christians believe, how would you explain it in a brief and succinct way? When I grew up in the Reformed Church, we recited a Creed every Sunday and I have memorised it since then. A Creed is a Statement of Beliefs.
As I grew in the faith, what I used to recite with little understanding has become the cornerstone of my belief system as a Christian. In one of this week’s passages, Paul repeats to the Corinthians what he believed was of utmost importance to their faith.
He writes, “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand… For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Cor. 15:1,3-4)
The early church took these things which were of “first importance” and formulated a universal Statement of Christian Belief. It is called the Apostles’ Creed. It states what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 that I quoted above, and it is based on what is taught by the Gospels and the Book of Acts. If ever you were to be asked what you believe as a Christian, perhaps you can use this Creed to explain your faith. It covers everything we believe in. Here it is:
I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, descended into the place of the dead, rose again from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, who will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Church, the communion of believers, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
My prayer for this week is that we may all become familiar with this statement of our faith, and find ways to use it effectively to preach the gospel. Amen
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Building Fund: Please continue to pray for our building fund and other financial needs of the church in 2025.
Pastoral Conference 2025: Please pray for the pastoral conference coming up in March 2025.
Have a blessed weekend!
Shalom!
Takalani
___________________________
REPEAT ANNOUNCEMNTS NOT TO BE READ IN CHURCH SERVICES
NATIONAL BUILDING FUND NOW OVER R1.2 MILLION
The National Building Fund has now passed R1.2 million. The balances for the various congregation are as follows as at the end of December 2024:

Please support your congregation’s Building Fund by contributing additional offerings monthly or once off to the dedicated bank account as follows:
· Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
· Name: GCI Building Fund
· Account No: 6304 180 7835
· Deposit Reference: Name and Surname
You can also fundraise as a group or alone. You may have items that you no longer need or use which you can pawn and donate the funds, or approach friends and family who may be able to donate to the fund. If you need a letter to request donations please feel free to contact me.
Monthly Day of Prayer and Fasting –Saturday 8 February 2025 (2nd Saturday of the Month)
Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 8 February 2025. Please see the dates for the rest of the year below, and diarise accordingly.
Please find some video links on Prayer and Fasting if you want to know more. Here are the links:
1. Fasting- The Forgotten Spiritual Discipline – https://youtu.be/7MgrVj_w9sY
2. Fasting Questions and Answers 1 – https://youtu.be/Mkk3U2KvPHg
3. Fasting Questions and Answers 2 – https://youtu.be/CghD-uxBbFk
4. Fasting Question and Answer #3 – https://youtu.be/ajKaWRgreLw (Question #3: How should I fast? Are there different types of fasts?)
Future Days of Prayer and Fasting:
· February 8
· March 8
· April 12
· May 10
· June 14
· Jul 12
· August 9
· September 13
· October 11
· November 8
· December 13
December 2024 ISSUE OF FACE TO FACE PUBLISHED
Our December 2024 issue of the online Face To Face magazine has been published. Please find it here: Face To Face
The Invisible God became visible
Online Bi-Weekly Bible Study
Next Bible Study on 19 February 2025
Please diarise and join the biweekly Online Bible study every second Wednesday at 19:00. The current series is: The Book of Acts.
To connect to the biweekly Bible Study, here are the details: Click
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89054374373?pwd=NFZVaFJjVGxqQjc5K0YyeWEzVVZMUT09
OR enter the details below to join the meeting:
Meeting ID: 890 5437 4373
Passcode: GCI2021
Time: 19:00
OFFERINGS: (should Christians pay a tithe?)
Even though some churches are not able to meet, we urge you to continue to give your weekly Thanksgiving offering that you would normally give during church services. The bank details for EFT and Cash deposits are below:
The Banking details for both the weekly Thanksgiving Offerings and the monthly Freewill Offerings are as follows:
EFT PAYMENTS
GRACE COMMUNION INTERNATIONAL-S.A –
Account No: 593 800 27523 – FNB Current Account Number
Ref. NameSurname Church
Please reference your offering so that we can send a receipt.
CASH PAYMENTS
GRACE COMMUNION INTERNATIONAL-S.A –
FNB Account No: 74451599946
Account Type: 32 Day Notice account
Ref. NameSurname Church
Please reference your offering so that we can send a receipt.