Weekly Update – 27 September 2026

by Takalani Musekwa | Sep 25, 2026 | News

18^th Sunday of Pentecost

Psalm 78:1–4, 12–16 • Exodus 17:1–7 • Philippians 2:1–13 • Matthew 21:23–32

Coming Events to Diarise:

Singles & Young Adults Retreat – 2- 4 October 2026

Bi-weekly Online Bible Study – 7 October 2026

Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 10 October 2026

Women’s Monthly Bible Study – 13 October 2026

GCI Africa Regional Conference, Harare, Zimbabwe – 11-13 December 2026

Spiritual Equipping Program (SEP) – 12-19 December 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

One of this week’s scripture passages discusses the root problem of human behaviour and problems in society. This problem is one of the central themes in the Gospel of Matthew. Read the following passages:

• “…he (Jesus) taught as one who had authority” (7:29)

• “…by the authority of the prince of demons he casts out demons…” (9:34)

• “It is only by the authority of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (12:24)

• “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” (21:23)

• “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (28:18)

Throughout the gospel of Matthew, we are confronted by Jesus’ authority. The biggest question to us as the readers of the Gospel of Matthew is whether we will accept his authority or not. At the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus himself declares that ALL authority has been given to him, in heaven and on earth. He commands us to go into the world to tell the world that there is ONE who has all authority in the universe.

To illustrate the issue of authority, Jesus told a parable. A Father had two sons. He asked the first son to go work in the field, and he flatly refused, and told his Father that he won’t go. However, he later changed his mind and went. When the first son said no, the Father went to the second son and asked him to go work in the field. The second son said he would go, but ended up not going.

Jesus asked a question: Which son did what the Father wanted? In other words, which son respected the Father’s authority? Of course the first son respected the Father’s authority. Respect for authority is not shown by what we say, but what we do. Actions speak louder than words. It does not help to say you will do something and yet not do it. Sometimes, as believers we are guilty of saying “Yes” to Jesus, but we refuse to do what he asks us to do. We call him Lord, but he has no authority over our lives. We want to be our own lords. Like the first son, we are challenged to repent and subject ourselves to Jesus’ authority.

My prayer for this week is that we may come to accept Jesus’ authority over our lives, not through our words only, but through our actions. Amen!

PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES:

Offerings: Our budgeted income is now 3.2% above budget as at the end of August 2026. It is now 7.9% higher than 2025. Thank you for your continued generosity as God has blessed you. May your blessings overflow.

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

Have a blessed weekend!
Shalom!

Takalani

NATIONAL OFFICE UPDATE

Gill Khoury will be away from 9 – 30 September. Any disbursement requests will be processed as normal by Carrie and Nowakhe. Please let me know if there is anything you need assistance with during that time.

SEP GROCERY DRIVE UPDATE

Thank you to those who have already pledged to support the SEP Grocery drive. The following items have been pledged to date:

Items	Kg, Litres Estimates	Pledged
Mealie meal	30kg (10kg bags)	2
Rice	10kg (1 x 10kg bag)	3
Samp	10kg (4×2.5kg bags)	1
Flour	10kg (2x5kg)	1
Longlife milk 6 pack	48	1
Baked beans	20 tins	20
Apples	2 boxes	2
Campers		2

In order to keep the cost of SEP low, we are asking for donations of grocery in kind or cash. If you are able to donate a bag of potatoes, rice or mealie meal, please complete the attached form and indicate your selection. Please add a comment on how many items you are able to provide, for example, 2 bags of 10kg rice, etc. The attached form will guide you on how to indicate your donation. The donation can be delivered to a Pretoria address which we will provide to those who have pledged at the end of November.

NB: Please see at the bottom of this update for the quantities required for each item, and what has already been pledged.

SEP Grocery Donations Pledge

https://forms.gle/CX1xJjXzSrMccgnd7

SINGLES & YOUNG ADULTS RETREAT.

A Singles and Young Adults Retreat is being planned as follows:

Date: 2-4 October 2026

Venue: Aruka, Bela Bela

Cost: R1600 per person, including all meals, plus a complimentary copy of Marriage is Not Obsolete by Pastor Takalani Musekwa. To book, please complete the booking form here: Singles & Young Adults Retreat.

SPIRITUAL EQUIPPING PROGRAM (SEP) 2026 – Applications Open

Applications for SEP 2026 are open. The closing date for applications is 27 September 2026. A non-refundable deposit of R600 is payable by 30 September 2026. The balance is payable by 31 October.

Please read the terms and conditions, camper and staff fees, and other details on the application form. The application form must be completed online by computer or mobile phone. To access the relevant application form click below:

Camper Application Form 2025 (13-18 years)

Vacation Bible School Form (9-12 Years)

Staff Application Form

___________________________

REPEAT ANNOUNCEMNTS NOT TO BE READ IN CHURCH SERVICES

Women of Faith Monthly Online Bible Study – 2^ndTuesday of the month

The National Women’s Ministry has started a women’s monthly bible study every second Tuesday of the month, from 7pm to 8pm. The next Bible Study will be on the 13^thof October. Please diarise it and join.

NATIONAL BUILDING FUND NOW OVER R1.7 MILLION

The National Building Fund has now exceeded R1.775 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 October 2026

Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Saturday 10 October 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:

· October 10

· November 7

· December 12

Online Bi-Weekly Bible Study – 7 October 2026 – 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