Weekly Update 11 January 2026

by Takalani Musekwa | Jan 9, 2026 | News

1^st Sunday of Epiphany – 11 January 2026

Isaiah 42:1–9 • Psalm 29:1–11 • Acts 10:34–43 • Matthew 3:13–17

Coming Events to Diarise:

Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 10 January 2026

Denominational Conference 2026 – 23-26 July 2026, Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA. (Registration Open) – To Register, Click Here:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings in the name of the Triune God revealed in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this, it means you have crossed the threshold of 2025 and have now completed the first week of 2026. That alone is reason to pause and give praise. We thank God for his mercies that are NEW every morning—new every week, every month, and every year. This moment is more than a turn of the calendar. It is not just a new day, a new week, a new month, or even a new year. Our Triune God invites us into a lived experience of newness—again and again. May this be a year in which you truly encounter that newness. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

As we enter the season of Epiphany, we are reminded afresh of who God is, as revealed in Jesus Christ. Epiphany calls us back, year after year, to the true nature of God and his posture toward humanity. Throughout history, people have often shaped their ideas of God by projecting human traits onto him—imagining God through the lens of parents, siblings, leaders, pastors, or personal experiences. But God is not a magnified version of any human being. He is like no other. The clearest and truest revelation of God is found in Jesus.

One Epiphany passage that has always brought me deep assurance is Isaiah 42, which speaks prophetically of Jesus as the Servant of the Lord:

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (v.3).

This is not really about reeds or candles. It is about us. When we feel fragile, bent, or close to breaking, Jesus does not finish us off—he restores us. When our flame is flickering and our strength feels almost gone, he does not extinguish it—he gently protects it until it burns again. Isn’t it striking that when we celebrate birthdays, we blow out candles, when in reality our lives testify to a God who has not blown out our candles, but has kept them burning? Jesus does not put out our light. He lights it, guards it, and keeps it alive. May he light up your 2026.

I do not know how you are starting this year. You may feel worn down, close to breaking, or like your fire is barely alive. Or you may be entering the year with optimism, energy, and excitement. Wherever you find yourself, this promise remains true: God desires your restoration, and he intends for your light to keep shining. He does not “put out a dying flame” (Isaiah 42:3, CEV).

My prayer for this week, and for the year ahead, is that as we step into 2026, we may experience the fire of God afresh—renewed, strengthened, and upheld by his gentle grace. May we be spared from breaking down, and instead be built up in hope. Amen.

PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES:

SEP: SEP took place at Aruka from 13 – 20 December 2025. Apart from a few minor injuries during activities, the camp, which included a Vacation Bible School for the children was a great success. One of our campers from Johannesburg was baptised when he got back.

For the third year running, we awarded several awards to youth ministries that are living and sharing the gospel through the ministry avenues of Faith, Hope and Love. I am extremely encouraged by the ministry programs that our youth are involved in at their local churches. Our December camp is now a celebration of what is happening with the youth ministries throughout the year. The winners for the Youth Ministry Awards for 2025 were as follows:

Youth Ministry of the Year (Hope Avenue): GCI Polokwane

Youth Ministry of the Year (Faith Avenue): GCI Johannesburg)

Youth Ministry of the Year (Love Avenue): GCI Solid Rock

Emerging Youth Leader of the Year: Stanley Cizungu (GCI Bertrams)

Overall Youth Ministry of the Year: GCI Johannesburg

Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you to all of you who were praying for a successful camp.

Sick Brethren: Please continue to pray for the brethren who are suffering from various sicknesses.

Offerings 2025: The Offerings for 2025 ended the year in the red at -2.43% below budget, and only 1% above 2024. What is encouraging is that eleven out of the twenty congregations met or exceeded their budgets. The nine that did not meet their budgets were significantly below budget, thus causing the shortfall.

Thank you to all of you who continue to be faithful stewards of what God is blessing you with. As we look to 2026, I pray that you may experience abundant blessings.

Have a blessed weekend!
Shalom!

Takalani

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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 10 January 2026 (2nd Saturday of the Month)

Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 10 January 2026. 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:

· January 10

· February 7

· March 7

· April 11

· May 9

· June 13

· July 11

· August 8

· September 12

· October 10

· November 7

· December 12

DECEMBER 2025 ISSUE OF FACE TO FACE PUBLISHED

Our December 2025 issue of the online Face To Face magazine has been published. Please find it here: Face To Face

Is Christmas pagan or a Gospel Proclamation?

The Voice in the Wilderness

Living in Christian Freedom

Online Bi-Weekly Bible Study – 14 January 2026.

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