A Global Impact Celebration (GIC) is an annual event designed to celebrate the outreach ministries of the local church while casting a greater vision and challenge for global outreach and involvement. In 2007 Peoria First United Methodist Church held a GIC, which turned out to be a turning point. God used it to reinvigorate already-existing ministries, and to inspire greater outreach, not only to Dulac, Louisiana, but also to Liberia, Africa. Here, Charles Bush, chairman of that 2007 GIC, speaks of the event and its ripple effects in the church.

As a result of our church’s 2007 Global Impact Celebration, the significant number of life commitments for mission and the funds raised as faith-promise commitments has rejuvenated our missions program. During the GIC, the notion was reinforced that we need to serve in areas other than just our community to be true to Christ’s command in Acts 1:8. The faith-promise commitments raised have enabled us to provide scholarships for travel expenses to many mission team participants, as well as to fund more strategic initiatives.

During the GIC, the church signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Liberian Annual Conference. Since the GIC we have sent our second and third teams to Liberia. I traveled there in late 2007 and have since established a fairly active network with Liberian Methodists to help coordinate the 2008 team visit and other means of support.

The most dramatic and sustainable new mission initiative was indeed the development of the Dulac mission trips, born in the hearts of three young mothers open to the Holy Spirit who said, “Let’s make this happen.”

We became one church during the GIC: children, youth, adults of all ages, and folks from three Sunday services at two FUMC locations. A huge blessing for me as coordinator (and, I imagine, for the other leaders) was the opportunity to work with church members we didn’t know and to expand our networking within the Body of Christ. The exposure to missionaries in a variety of settings has strengthened our church’s “DNA” for missions.

What one Sunday school class can do 
During the GIC, our Sunday school class hosted one of the missionaries on Sunday morning. Touched by her testimony and concerned over the general lack of resources and equipment at her disposal, one class member asked, “What do you need?” Within 10 minutes the needs were identified and more than $1000 was raised. Just last Sunday, three class members presented a program covering their visit to Liberia in October 2008. Others have served Habitat for Humanity in Mongolia. This class developed “Buddy Ministries” with a local inner-city school many years ago. The GIC enabled the church to celebrate those community missions initiated by the class. A recent manifestation of the class’s mission focus is the large number who are attending a Spanish class to help them better communicate with Hispanic Buddy Ministries’ students and their parents.

The Mission Society’s church ministry department provides mentoring to help guide your team through the planning of your church’s GIC.

For more information, email cr@themissionsociety.org, or call us at 1.800.478.8963.

Charles Bush, coordinator of the 2007 Global Impact Celebration for Peoria FUMC.