LOCAL:
Helping Hands
Pregnancy Resource Center
Campus Outreach—Houston
Fellowship Of Christian Athletes – Bill Moore
Tyler Milliken Foundation

 
REGIONAL:
Dallas Theological Seminary

NATIONAL:
First Liberty Institute

INTERNATIONAL:
East-West Ministries
SEND (Kiev Biblical Seminary) – The Rist Family
Wycliffe Bible Translators
United World Mission – The Gibsons in Thailand
Jews for Jesus
SAT-7
Covenant Bible Institute in Uganda
East Africa Missions Church Planting
GICF – Lulwanda Children’s Home In Uganda
Samaritan’s Purse
Camino Global – Marie Velia Burger in Guatemala
Central Missionary Clearing House – The Bannerts in Serbia
Commission To Every Nation – The Robertsons In Guatemala
Urban India Ministries

Grace International Children’s Foundation (GICF) was started at GCBC during 2001 in response to the difficult circumstances of people, especially children, in Uganda as experienced during our church planting efforts. GICF’s primary activity is the operation of the Lulwanda Children’s Home in Mbale, Uganda.  The home (orphanage) opened with 25 children in November 2004 with a grand official ceremony held in June of 2005.  It has grown to currently service 125 teens and younger children (see picture below).  Members at Grace are heavily involved through child sponsorships and giving for basic operations and special projects.

Covenant Bible Institute of Theology
Grace has been supporting the Covenant Bible Institute of Theology since 1999.  CBIT is the primary institute that trains and supplies pastors for the church plants in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania sponsored by the Bible Presbyterian Church of Uganda. Grace has supported the institute through pastor sponsorships, regular giving to operating and building funds, and growing the support base.  The school is managed by the local Board in Mbale, Uganda with help from the USA Board located in Houston, Texas.  The school averages 30-40 students at various stages of study, typically graduating students every 2-3 years.  Many of the graduates go on to pastor churches but others serve as deacons and elders across the church-plant ministry.

The school finished a new building project in 2014 adding a new library, administrative block, and classrooms (see attached picture).  A new building campaign is now underway to supply CBIT with a dining hall and dormitory, two things which the National Council of Higher Education has designated as needs for the school.

More On Church Plants
One of the major missions ministry efforts at Grace revolves around the church planting efforts in East Africa.  Since our first trip in 1998 Grace has partnered with the Bible Presbyterian Church of Uganda (our in-country sponsor) to plant churches in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.  Since that time we have planted 20 churches, trained over 200 short-term missionaries, seen thousands of people trust in Jesus Christ, and introduced many other churches to the ministry.  Grace was the church that helped to open the church plant ministry efforts in Kenya in 2003 and Tanzania in 2008.  A list of the churches we have helped to plant is shown further below.

Presently Grace executes a church planting trip every two years.  Our last church plant was during the summer of 2016 in Boma Ng’ombe, Tanzania.  We had 19 team members go with us and took our first opportunity to share the gospel with several of the Massai people in the region (see attached photo of the team).

Our next trip will be June 7 to June 20 of 2018.  We will be going to the Bondo area of Kenya.  This church plant will be near Lake Victoria and the town of Siaya, where we planted a church in 2004.  We look forward to many at Grace joining the team for the first time to experience the foreign mission field first hand.

Church Plants with GCBC Participation
·         1998 – Pastor’s Conference, Exploratory Visit
·         1999 – Bulolelo, Uganda
·         2000 – Budaka & Nauyo, Uganda
·         2001 – Kanginima & Namagumba, Uganda
·         2002 – Bulucheke & Sidanyi,Uganda
·         2003 – Eldoret, Kenya (first plant) & Bubulo, Uganda
·         2004 – Siaya, Kenya & Buwabwala, Uganda
·         2005 – Sibanga, Uganda
·         2006 – Apokoro, Uganda
·         2007 – Wangale, Uganda
·         2008 – Moshi, Tanzania (first plant)
·         2009 – Komuge H.P., Uganda
·         2010 – Webuye, Kenya
·         2012 – Merikit, Uganda
·         2014 – Koena, Uganda
·         2016 – Boma Ng’ombe, Tanzania