Weekly Update – 11 October 2026

by Takalani Musekwa | Oct 9, 2026 | News

20^th Sunday of Pentecost

Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 • Exodus 32:1-14 • Philippians 4:1-9 • Matthew 22:1-14

Coming Events to Diarise:

Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting – 10 October 2026

Women’s Monthly Bible Study – 13 October 2026

Bi-weekly Online Bible Study – 21 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!

Last Sunday’s reading was Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments. The second commandment tells us not to make idols for ourselves or worship them. Just a few verses later God repeats the point: “Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold” (Exodus 20:23).

This Sunday’s reading, Exodus 32, shows Israel doing exactly that, only weeks after hearing those words. Moses went up the mountain and stayed for forty days. The people grew restless and went to Aaron, Moses’ brother and fellow leader. Instead of guiding them, Aaron served their desires and asked for their gold earrings and made them a golden calf to worship.

It is easy to shake our heads at Israel’s foolishness. But if we are honest, we are no better. Three things in this story should make us pause.

Firstly, they could not wait. When Moses was delayed, the people assumed God had gone quiet and decided to take matters into their own hands. We often get into trouble the same way. When God seems silent, we become restless. Yet God was not absent at all. During those forty days he was giving Moses the plans for the tabernacle, the place where he would live among his people (Exodus 25:8). While they thought he had abandoned them, he was preparing to dwell with them. That longing of God to be with us is fulfilled in Jesus, the Word who became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacle) among us (John 1:14). God’s silence is never God’s absence.

Secondly, their leader played along. The people saw Aaron as a leader just like Moses. When they stopped hearing from Moses, they expected Aaron to know where they were supposed to go, and he went along with their wishes. Many churches split this way. When people grow impatient with leadership, they find someone within the church who will lead them in their preferred direction. For those of us who are pastors, it can be tempting to take the bait and build our own following. Our calling is to point people to Jesus, not to ourselves.

Thirdly, they made their idol out of God’s blessings. The gold they melted down was the very gold God had given them when they left Egypt (Exodus 12:35–36). This is a trap for all of us. We pray for a job, and once we have it, work, shopping and leisure crowd out our time with God. We pray for health, and once we are well, we forget the One who healed us. Idols are rarely made from bad things; they are usually made from good gifts God has placed in our hands.

Thankfully, God is gracious. He did not turn his back on Israel, even when they turned their backs on him. Moses stood in the gap, and pleaded for the people. He even offered to be blotted out himself for their sake (32:32). In this we catch a glimpse of Jesus, our true Mediator, who did not merely offer to, but actually gave himself for us. That does not mean sin is harmless. The calf was ground to powder, and the camp suffered real loss and pain (32:20, 35). Grace does not erase the consequences of our choices, but it does mean those choices never have the final word. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

My prayer this week is that we would remain patient when God seems silent, trusting that he is still at work, and that we would remember that however unfaithful we have been, God in Christ remains faithful and gracious to us. Amen!

PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES:

Offerings: We are now left with only one quarter of 2026. Our budgeted income is now 3% above budget as at the end of September 2026, and 7% 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

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

SPIRITUAL EQUIPPING PROGRAM (SEP) 2026 – Applications Closed

Applications for SEP 2026 have closed. A non-refundable deposit of R600 was payable by 30 September 2026. The balance is payable by 31 October.

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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 – 21 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