13th Sunday after Pentecost – 7 September 2025
Psalm 139:1–6, 13–18 · Jeremiah 18:1–11 · Philemon 1:1–21 · Luke 14:25–33
Coming Events to Diarise:
Annual General Meeting – 31 August 2025
Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 13 September 2025
Regional Leadership Conference – 5 – 7 December 2025
SEP 2025 – 13 – 20 December 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.
In South Africa, the start of September marks a beautiful transition from winter to summer. The birds are returning from their winter migrations, filling the mornings with song. September is also a season of preparation, when we begin looking ahead and planning for the year to come. In our congregations, this means working on budgets and ministry plans for 2026.
Last week, we held our Annual General Meeting. Thank you to everyone who attended. Together, we reviewed our financial position for 2024 and reflected on the state of GCI in South Africa.
One of the key steps as we plan for the future is developing annual ministry plans for our three avenues of Faith, Hope, and Love. I encourage all ministry teams to prepare detailed plans for 2026. At our March conference, we practiced using the planning tools to guide this process—now it’s time to put them into action. Please meet with your teams to work through your Ministry Action Plans, keeping in mind that effective planning must include budgeting. Resources are vital for ministry.
Jesus reminds us about the importance of planning and budgeting in one of this week’s passages:
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” (Luke 14:28).
If we do not plan carefully, we risk having ministry plans we cannot execute.
As of the end of August 2025, our income is 5.6% below budget, and 2.1% below 2024 income. Thank you to everyone who faithfully supports the ministry. Our giving is not just financial. It is spiritual. It is part of the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. In the same passage above about planning and budgeting, Jesus said: “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27). Supporting the work of the gospel is one way we take up the cross for Christ’s sake.
My prayer this week is that each of us may discover afresh what it means to carry the cross and follow Jesus in every part of life. Amen!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Sick Brethren: Please continue to pray for the brethren who are suffering from various sicknesses.
Offerings: Please continue to pray for the offerings and needs of the church as we count down to the end of 2025.
Have a blessed weekend!
Shalom!
Takalani
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Regional Leadership Conference – 5 – 7 December 2025
We are pleased to announce a Special Regional Leadership Conference taking place from 5 to 7 December 2025 at Aruka.
GCI President, Dr. Greg Williams, and his wife Susan will be joining us as the special guests, along with the Superintendent for Africa, Pastor Kalengule Kaoma and all Africa Regional Directors.
A special worship service is scheduled for Sunday, 7 December, and all members are warmly invited to attend. Please watch out for more details soon.
SPIRITUAL EQUIPPING PROGRAM (SEP) 2025 – Applications Open
Applications for SEP 2025 are open. The closing date for applications is 21 September 2025. A non-refundable deposit of R600 is payable by 30 September 2025. The balance is payable by 31 October.
Please read the terms and conditions on the application form. The application form must be completed online by computer or mobile phone. To access the application forms click below:
Camper Application Form 2025 (13-18 years)
Vacation Bible School Form (9-12 Years)
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REPEAT ANNOUNCEMNTS NOT TO BE READ IN CHURCH SERVICES
NATIONAL BUILDING FUND NOW OVER R1.4 MILLION
The National Building Fund has now passed R1.4 million.
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 13 September 2025 (2nd Saturday of the Month)
Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 13 September 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:
· September 13
· October 11
· November 8
· December 13
AUGUST 2025 ISSUE OF FACE TO FACE PUBLISHED
Our August 2025 issue of the online Face To Face magazine has been published. Please find it here: Face To Face
Online Bi-Weekly Bible Study
Next Bible Study on 17 September 2025
Please diarise and join the biweekly Online Bible study every second Wednesday at 19:00. The current series is: The Book of Proverbs.
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.