Fifth Sunday of Easter Preparation – 6 April 2025
Psalm 126:1–6 • Isaiah 43:16–21 • Philippians 3:4b–14 • John 12:1–8
Coming Events to Diarise:
Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 12 April 2025
Denominational Conference 2026 – 23-26 July 2026, Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As we approach the end of Easter Preparation, our minds need to start reflecting on what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. When we look back at the first disciples, the impact of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection was life-changing for them.
When Paul came face to face with the Jesus who was crucified and rose from the dead, his whole world and worldview were turned upside down. He spent the rest of his life spreading the news of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. His whole career changed. He left everything behind to follow Christ. “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” (Phil. 3:7 NLT)
When you come to know who Christ is, everything pales into insignificance. What you used to value becomes worthless. Having seen the glory of Jesus and understood the power of the resurrection, “Mary took a half-litre jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.” (Jn. 12:3 NLT)
The perfume was worth an annual salary for an average person. Imagine that! Think of your annual salary being wasted on expensive perfume, and that perfume being poured out in one instance, because it is worthless compared to who Jesus is.
This Easter we must reflect deeply about who Jesus is and how valuable he is to us. When we sing “Jesus is worth more than gold”, do we comprehend what we are saying?
My prayer for this week is that we may grow in our knowledge of Jesus this Easter. Amen
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Building Fund: Please continue to pray for our building fund and other financial needs of the church in 2025.
Bereaved Families: Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, and the children they left behind.
Have a blessed weekend!
Shalom!
Takalani
___________________________
REPEAT ANNOUNCEMNTS NOT TO BE READ IN CHURCH SERVICES EVERY WEEK (please repeat as and when necessary)
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 March 2025:
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 12 April 2025 (2nd Saturday of the Month)
Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 12 April 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:
· April 12
· May 10
· June 14
· Jul 12
· August 9
· September 13
· October 11
· November 8
· December 13
March 2025 ISSUE OF FACE TO FACE PUBLISHED
Our March 2025 issue of the online Face To Face magazine has been published. Please find it here: Face To Face
Use the gifts we have been given
Online Bi-Weekly Bible Study
Next Bible Study on 16 April 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.