18th Sunday after Pentecost – 12 October 2025
Psalm 66:1–12 • Jeremiah 29:1, 4–7 • 2 Timothy 2:8–15 • Luke 17:11–19
Coming Events to Diarise:
Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 11 October 2025
National Church Board – 15-16 November 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.
This Saturday we have our monthly day of prayer and fasting. Three quarters of 2025 are behind us. I think this week we must pause and reflect on the blessings we have received this year.
In Luke 17, ten lepers cried out to Jesus for mercy. All ten were healed, but only one returned to give thanks. What made the difference? Gratitude. The other nine received physical healing, but the thankful one received something greater—wholeness. Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.” His gratitude opened the door to a deeper blessing.
Gratitude is not just a polite response. It’s a posture of the heart. It recognizes God as the source of every good gift and keeps our hearts tender and humble. In a world filled with complaints and comparisons, gratitude helps us see the invisible hand of God at work even in the ordinary moments of life.
When we live with gratitude, we stop taking grace for granted. We stop saying, “I deserve this,” and start saying, “Thank you, Lord.” Gratitude transforms ordinary meals into feasts and ordinary people into joyful witnesses of God’s faithfulness.
If you will be participating in prayer and fasting this weekend, I encourage you to spend time thanking God for all his blessings year to date: for life, family, the church, and even for challenges that are shaping your faith. Reflect on answered prayers, growth, and lessons learned this year. Let your gratitude be visible and vocal, like the healed Samaritan who “praised God in a loud voice.”
I want to remind the congregations to continue working on their Ministry Action Plans for 2026 across the three ministry avenues of Faith, Hope, and Love. These plans will guide our focus and budgeting as we align with God’s mission in our communities.
My prayer this week is that we may all be engulfed by a sense of gratitude that permeates every moment of our lives. Amen!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Coming Events: Please pray for the coming events in the next two months that everything goes well.
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. Income is still below budget.
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.
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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 11 October 2025 (2nd Saturday of the Month)
Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 11 October 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:
· October 11
· November 8
· December 13
SEPTEMBER 2025 ISSUE OF FACE TO FACE PUBLISHED
Our September 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 15 October 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.