Weekly Update – 22 February 2026

by Takalani Musekwa | Feb 20, 2026 | News

1^st Sunday of Easter Preparation

Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7 • Psalm 32:1–11 • Romans 5:12–19 • Matthew 4:1–11

Coming Events to Diarise:

Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 7 March 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.

This week we enter the sacred 40-day journey of Easter Preparation—also known as Lent. This is not merely a season on the church calendar. It is an invitation.

In the early church, these 40 days were devoted to deep discipleship and preparation for baptism. New believers—and even mature ones—were guided into a richer understanding of what it truly meant to be baptised. Baptism was never treated as a ritual alone. It was an immersion into the life of God Himself—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

To understand our baptism is to understand who God is. We are baptised in the name of the Father who loves, the Son who saves, and the Spirit who renews. When the early church sought to understand baptism, they found themselves standing before the breathtaking reality of the Triune God of grace—revealed in Jesus Christ and made known by the Holy Spirit.

This season invites us into that same discovery. Over these next 40 days, I encourage you to lean in. Seek to understand more deeply what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus are not peripheral truths—they are the very heartbeat of our faith. Without them, there is no church. Without them, there is no hope. As Paul declares, we preach Christ crucified, Christ raised on the third day, Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, Christ who is coming again to establish His kingdom.

This is the Jesus we follow. This is the Jesus we proclaim. This is the Jesus we are invited to know more intimately.

This season also reminds us of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness before the launch of His earthly ministry. It was a season of fasting, testing, clarity, and preparation. In the wilderness, Jesus faced temptation—but He also demonstrated unwavering trust in the Father and confidence in the Word.

And so this season calls us to disciplined discipleship. It is a time to reflect honestly on ourselves—on the patterns, desires, and distractions that draw us away from God’s path. It is a time to return to Scripture, to let God’s Word shape our thinking, anchor our identity, and strengthen us against temptation. As Jesus answered the tempter with “It is written,” so we too are formed and fortified by the living Word.

My prayer for you this week is that these 40 days will not pass as routine religious observance, but as a holy encounter. May this be a season where you grow in awe of our Triune God, deepen your understanding of His grace, and renew your devotion to the One who died and rose again for you. Amen!

PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES:

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

Aruka: Aruka continues to struggle to break even. Please continue to pray for more business. Please check out the update on Aruka that was sent out.

Have a blessed weekend!
Shalom!

Takalani

___________________________

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 7 March 2026

Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 7 March 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:

· 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 – 4 March 2026 – New Series on Ephesians

Please diarise and join the biweekly Online Bible study every second Wednesday at 19:00. The current series is: The Book of Ephesians.

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