Global Faith Institute 5th Anniversary and Christmas Gala
Global Faith Institute celebrated our fifth anniversary last Sunday evening at our first annual Christmas Gala and we have much to be thankful for as we begin our sixth year. We are especially grateful for those of you who have partnered with us in our mission, exemplifying the words in 1 Peter 4:10, which says “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
We, therefore, offer a heartfelt thank you to all who have supported us, encouraged us, and prayed for us since we started Global Faith Institute (GFI). Without your support, we couldn’t do the work God has given us to do and we are richly blessed by each one of you.
We have many volunteers who have become the hands and feet of this ministry and I thank God for each of them. This year, we decided to give formal recognition to their efforts, and to do that, we created a Spirit of America award. This award is given to the individual who best exemplifies patriotism and the spirit of our founding fathers who gave of their time, talents, and treasures to build this nation. The Spirit of America award this year went to Rob Rohrbough. Rob was the first person who took a huge leap of faith and invested in us spiritually and financially. Without his support, we would never have been able to get “off the ground.” He always had faith in us and went out of his way to help. Rob is also involved in his church and in the Republican Party. He is a man who believes in coming up with better ideas, taking action, and working daily to make this a better nation.
We’ve also initiated a Volunteer of the Year award, which is given to the individual who has helped GFI through the giving of their time and effort. Because we have so many wonderful volunteers, we wish we could give an award to each one of them. This year two individuals were named Volunteer of the Year.
Carol Eberly has actively volunteered as the leader of a prayer team. I cannot overstate the importance of the prayer teams in furthering our mission. Carol contacts all subscribers who are interested in joining her team and sends out prayer requests as needed. But more than that, by enabling the prayer teams, she is taking each and every request before the throne of God. Is it any wonder that GFI is able to do such a mighty work? Carol has also volunteered the use of her church numerous times, has assisted in registration, food service, cleanup, and anything else needed. Never one to wait for a request for help, Carol anticipates needs and seeks out requests. She does all of this while working full time and taking on multiple other responsibilities.
Vince Reyes has actively volunteered for GFI since the beginning and his contribution has been immense. Vince works full time but changes his work schedule whenever possible to help us out. He travels with me to some of my out-of-town speaking events and shows up at every event early and is always ready to help, whether it is carrying materials, selling books, or helping with registration. More than that, Vince is a sounding board for my thoughts, concerns, and prayer needs and helps keep us all informed whenever he hears of something going on that he thinks we should know about.
Both Carol and Vince have been actively involved in going to the mosque on 72nd street and praying for Muslims on a weekly basis. They understand and support our mission and we are blessed to have them on our team!
To everyone who has come alongside GFI helping to advance our mission, thank you! I anticipate great things happening in the year ahead and I’m delighted to be able to take this journey with you all!