# S6 Episode 9 | Bringing Glory To God | June 14, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edzK_QTnvyY

[00:14] Hello family and welcome to another episode of the GNN, your source for good news from our family of churches.
[00:18] I'm Luke Speckmann.
[00:20] And I'm Brandon Speckmann, and today we've got good news from the month of May from our churches around the world.
[00:25] We'll hear about mothers becoming disciples after years of seeing God work in their children's lives, young people making bold decisions to follow Jesus, and the continued growth of God's kingdom.
[00:36] We'll also spend a day with Charles in Lusaka, Zambia for a day in the life, and we'll finish with an inspiring story of a disciple whose excellence opened doors all the way to the international stage before presidents and dignitaries.
[00:51] Stay tuned.
[00:52] We begin this month with some very special Mother's Day good news from around the world.
[00:55] First, in Syracuse, New York, we celebrate an incredible family victory.
[00:59] Three years ago, Christian made the decision to become a disciple at just 15 years old.
[01:04] His mother, Carrie, supported him and attended church events, but wasn't personally interested in studying the Bible at that time.
[01:09] Yet, over the next 3 years, she watched something she could not ignore.
[01:13] She saw his character.
[01:15] Changing.
[01:18] She saw the genuine friendships he built with the disciples and the peace that came from his relationship with God.
[01:23] Carrie decided to begin studying the Bible herself, and what began as curiosity turned into conviction.
[01:29] Finally, this past month, just 1 week after Mother's Day, she made Jesus the Lord of her life and was baptized into Christ.
[01:35] The church in Syracuse is rejoicing as mother and son now stand united in God's kingdom.
[01:41] Congratulations, Carrie.
[01:42] A similar miracle unfolded across the world in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
[01:46] We have Mamsy Martha, who moved to the Netherlands with [music] her children and watched her son, Aldebert, become a disciple at the GMC in 2025.
[01:55] Though skeptical at first, she couldn't ignore the radical change she saw in his life and eventually decided to come [music] to church and see the Bible for herself.
[02:03] Through the scriptures, Mamsee confronted years of unforgiveness, self-reliance, and pride, and her heart was transformed.
[02:10] [music] In fact, she was so urgent to get right with God that she couldn't wait until Sunday and was
[02:16] Baptized on a Tuesday night.
[02:18] Welcome to the family, Mamsee.
[02:20] In Los Angeles, California, we have a story that might be one of the most urgent baptisms we've heard of in quite some time.
[02:25] Recently, Garrett Bradley had the privilege of seeing his brother Andrew make Jesus Lord and be baptized.
[02:31] At the same time, Andrew's wife Amber was also studying the Bible and reaching her own decision to follow Christ.
[02:37] As Amber continued her studies, she faced a unique challenge.
[02:39] She was pregnant and nearing delivery.
[02:42] In fact, she had already begun experiencing [cheering] contractions while still studying the Bible.
[02:47] Many people might have said, "Let's wait till after the baby's born."
[02:51] But Amber was determined.
[02:54] She insisted that she needed to get baptized before giving birth.
[02:56] With contractions already underway, Andrew and Amber were baptized together, and Andrew had the special privilege of baptizing his own wife into Christ.
[03:06] Shortly afterward, they headed to the hospital where Amber delivered their beautiful baby girl Sienna.
[03:10] What a powerful reminder that God can work in every season of life.
[03:14] Welcome to the.
[03:16] Family, Andrew, Amber, and Sienna.
[03:18] So sweet.
[03:18] In the Chicago church, we have more mom news to share.
[03:21] Ashley has been a disciple there for 33 years, continually praying for her family to be saved.
[03:29] Well, just recently this prayer was answered and her mother, Gail, studied the Bible and chose to give up everything and become a disciple.
[03:37] On a serious note, the following day after her baptism, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
[03:44] However, truly God has shown his unfailing love in rescuing Gail at just the right time.
[03:49] Please be praying for this amazing family and welcome to the kingdom, Gail.
[03:56] And to conclude Mother's Good News, we turn to Miami, Florida.
[03:58] The Miami Church currently has 15 mother and child combinations within the church, along with six additional disciple moms who live outside of Miami.
[04:06] But two stories stood out this month in a special way, and they come from the family of leaders Muhammad and Denisha Gavin.
[04:14] This amazing couple was previously leading Trinidad and upon a
[04:18] Return to the US for visa business, unexpectedly had to stay.
[04:22] However, two amazing miracles unfolded since the return, showing God determines the times and places.
[04:28] First is the story of Muhammad's mother, Cleor.
[04:30] For 10 years, Cleor watched her son live faithfully as a disciple.
[04:35] She observed his faith and his commitment to God.
[04:39] Finally, after a decade of observation, she made the decision to study the Bible herself.
[04:44] As she encountered God's word, her heart was moved.
[04:47] And in an incredibly special moment, Muhammad had the honor of baptizing his own mother into Christ.
[04:55] At the same time, another family miracle was happening for his wife.
[04:57] Denisha's mother, Tisha, began studying the Bible with the Baton Rouge Church.
[05:03] Just like Cleor, her heart was awakened by the scriptures.
[05:05] She decided she wanted to live for God and surrender her life to Christ through baptism.
[05:12] Two mothers, two transformed lives, two families now united in Christ.
[05:17] Congratulations, Cleor and Tisha, and
[05:20] Welcome to the family.
[05:21] And now it's time for Day in the Life, this month featuring our brother [music] Charles, an intern serving faithfully in the church in Lusaka, Zambia.
[05:29] Being an intern, I always reiterate being an intern at 59 years is is is really really a blessing.
[05:36] It's really really something that I feel very privileged and humbled [music] that you know, the young ones can look up to me and say they too, if I can do it at the age of 59 [music] and I'm turning 62 in about 2 weeks, if I can do it at this age, [music] it's an encouragement to to the young ones.
[05:56] My names are Charles Mwenya.
[05:59] I was baptized in 1998, September actually of 1998, uh meaning I've been a disciple for the last 27 [music] years.
[06:07] Got married um in the church.
[06:09] I have two very, very beautiful daughters.
[06:11] In fact, uh my firstborn daughter was the first uh [music] teen uh female to be baptized in the International Church of Christ [music]
[06:21] Here in Zambia.
[06:22] Uh, both are still God-fearing children.
[06:25] Uh, love them so much.
[06:28] I got divorced because of my sin.
[06:29] Uh, a lot of things happened.
[06:32] Uh, went back to my sin.
[06:35] Uh, officially got divorced in 2022.
[06:38] So, yeah, a lot of a lot of things happened.
[06:42] One thing I must uh mention, yeah, by God's grace that uh everything that was happening, God had a hand in everything.
[06:50] Cuz uh I'd have been far from God right now, but by his grace, um my my very close friend and brother uh reached out to um the ICC, the International Christian Church, and he was connected to Dr. Andrew Smalley.
[07:03] By then, Dr. Andrew Smalley was uh based in Johannesburg.
[07:08] Yeah, so we started online um restoration studies and uh both of my friend both of us, my friend and I, my brother, got restored.
[07:15] And of course, um you know, everything was online, church services.
[07:21] [music]
[07:21] Um, discipling was online.
[07:24] Wasn't an easy period of time, you know, just being restored and having everything online wasn't the best of time.
[07:32] But when the exciting time came when the church was planted finally in Lusaka, Zambia in 2023.
[07:39] As time went on, little did I know that God had his own plans.
[07:44] And um yeah, finally I was an intern at age of 59, very very exciting period of time.
[07:49] And I should mention at that point, [music] that's when we realized that I had a heart problem.
[07:55] And my heart function at that time was at 36, if I remember very very well.
[08:01] You know, my feet were swelling, but I kept on, you know, going to University of Zambia to do studies, [music] you know.
[08:09] But then later on, as an intern, after about a year, my heart function improved from 36 to 58.
[08:19] [music]
[08:19] And that definitely was thanks to God, you know.
[08:21] To date, my heart is.
[08:24] Functioning like I've never had a heart failure, you can imagine.
[08:26] That's all God's grace.
[08:28] And today, um my my day is like I wake up 4:00 4:30, that's my custom.
[08:35] I wake up 4:00 4:30, have my quiet time, uh pray.
[08:39] And then I have this other custom of praying with uh the brothers.
[08:44] Right now I I pray with three brothers.
[08:47] Uh each 1 hour each.
[08:48] One of them is just 30 minutes.
[08:50] But basically, it's an everyday thing.
[08:53] We're we're on campus, sharing our faith, studying the Bible with people.
[08:56] And uh And and something that God has really put on our hearts, and the church has been growing just with the few people that have put their hearts uh towards the reaching out to the lost.
[09:08] Uh just this year we've already had eight baptisms.
[09:13] We've had the restoration from um the the the old movement.
[09:16] We're having now a couple of people uh coming to to to to church uh from from the old.
[09:25] Movement, which is very very very encouraging.
[09:26] Yeah.
[09:29] And uh just last year, of course, the church grew by 72% an amazing thing again.
[09:33] And as time went on, something that I've always loved to do, that is the helping out the underprivileged in society.
[09:39] And in the old movement, that's what I really really did, and I loved it so much.
[09:44] And uh when again um the the the evangelist uh uh uh sort of looked at my my funny profile, was like, "Hey, you love this thing.
[09:52] Why don't we kick off Mercy in Zambia?"
[09:54] And so we kicked off Mercy.
[09:56] And just a week ago, we're finally registered in Zambia as an official, you know, benevolent wing of the church as an organization.
[10:06] With Mercy, we were able to even baptize the baptize the a sister now, a very powerful sister of ours, yeah.
[10:14] And I think finally, I'll just uh back to to to just say thank you.
[10:17] Just my gratitude to to the movement.
[10:19] You know, when you look at the the movement leadership, these are just like normal.
[10:27] People.
[10:29] You're so encouraged with the fellowship, and to see that these are the people uh spearheading the first world to to help us here in Africa, you know.
[10:38] All I would want to say is, thank you so much.
[10:41] Wouldn't be here if it weren't for your giving.
[10:43] Again, thank you very very much.
[10:46] Thank you, Charles, for your inspiring example, your willingness to serve, and your commitment to God's kingdom.
[10:52] We appreciate all that you're doing to advance the gospel in Zambia.
[10:56] Next, we also have a few announcements for the churches worldwide.
[10:58] First, we're excited to announce the upcoming publication of a new kingdom book, Faithful for Life Bible Study Series.
[11:06] A group of beloved and respected shepherds within our family of churches have collaborated to create this study series with one goal in mind, to help disciples remain faithful to Jesus all the days of their life.
[11:16] We pray these Bible studies strengthen and nourish your faith, so that on the final day, you may stand before the one who loves you most.
[11:24] Look for the book on Amazon in print and Kindle format.
[11:28] Next, we'd like to announce a day of fasting and prayer on June 19th for our annual day of mercy in all of our churches.
[11:35] Please pray that God will use disciples to impact our communities for eternity through our efforts in mercy.
[11:41] And lastly, Dr. Andrew Smalley will give us a brief update about the International College of Christian Ministry.
[11:48] Hi family.
[11:49] I'm Dr. Drew, ICCM Chancellor, bringing you love from Washington D.C.
[11:52] On behalf of the ICCM global faculty, we are excited.
[11:55] Excited to begin a new year for ICCM.
[11:57] We've updated the classes.
[12:00] We have added a third year curriculum for all the tracks.
[12:04] It's going to be an amazing time to glorify God.
[12:06] But we need you.
[12:08] We need you to go to iccm.global and get registered.
[12:11] Otherwise, we don't know who you are.
[12:13] Go to iccm.global, get registered.
[12:19] For the Americans, it's only $150.
[12:22] Uh students, 75 goes to ICCM global, 75 stays in your local church.
[12:27] And so if you're a third world student,
[12:30] We work with your minister to figure out comparable rates.
[12:31] We want to make sure everyone gets taken care of, everyone's accountable.
[12:36] And so go to iccm.global, we'll make sure you're good to go.
[12:39] Guys, it's going to be an amazing start for ICCM.
[12:42] It's a new day, it's a new way, truly it is a new ICCM.
[12:44] We're excited to have you with us.
[12:48] Take care.
[12:50] Thank you so much, Andrew.
[12:50] And now it's time for good news from around the world.
[12:54] We begin in Manila, Philippines, where God continues to bless the church with family miracles.
[12:57] This month, a married couple, Dale and Nats, were baptized into Christ.
[13:02] Adding to the celebration, Nats is the younger sister of Reymer Peralta, the church leader in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
[13:10] It's always encouraging to see entire families being impacted by the gospel.
[13:14] Congratulations to this new couple in Christ.
[13:17] In Ukraine, we witnessed a powerful example of conviction.
[13:18] David is only 17 years old.
[13:21] He's a boxer, an athlete, and a young man who loves God and desires to follow Jesus with all his heart.
[13:28] He studied the Bible with the disciples in Ukraine and finally, after much study.
[13:31] And choosing to fast from food and water, David was ready.
[13:36] And in the midst of a nation facing immense challenges, one more soul found salvation and the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.
[13:42] After giving his good confession before the church, the disciples gathered together and traveled to a nearby [music] river for his baptism.
[13:49] Welcome to family, David.
[13:50] In Mexico City, Mexico, God produced an incredible harvest during the month of May.
[13:54] Over the final two weeks of the month alone, the church celebrated seven baptisms.
[13:59] [music] What's especially encouraging is that six of those baptisms came directly from their tremendously successful women's day events, appropriately titled Brave.
[14:09] They hosted two women's days and the women [music] from all walks of life attended.
[14:14] The programs featured moving performances, lessons, heartfelt fellowship, and an atmosphere that encouraged women to seek God.
[14:21] [music] The impact was immediate.
[14:24] Three women were baptized at each event, [music] creating a wave of excitement throughout the church.
[14:28] Congratulations to the Mexico City Church for their [music] faith, hard work, and fruitful harvest.
[14:34] Elsewhere in the Latin America world sector, we want to recognize an inspiring group of faithful disciples.
[14:39] In Las Vegas, Nevada, where the majority of the church departed in 2024, these remaining brothers and sisters persevered and God has blessed it by multiplying their number to 50 souls.
[14:49] [music] In fact, at the close of the month, they had four more baptisms in one week.
[14:53] King and Shawna Burke are doing an incredible job leading Las Vegas and overseeing the church in Salt Lake City, Utah, led by Tim and Britney Wallace.
[15:01] We honor these disciples for their perseverance and steadfast [music] hearts.
[15:06] Back in Los Angeles, California, we have another encouraging story involving the next generation.
[15:11] This [music] past month, Chase Hogland was baptized into Christ.
[15:15] This baptism was particularly meaningful because Chase is a teenage son of Jesse and Lindsey Hogland, disciples of many years.
[15:22] Throughout his life, Chase has watched an example of faithful discipleship in his home.
[15:28] [music] And when sharing about his decision, he expressed something incredibly touching.
[15:33] Chase said that having a relationship with God and
[15:36] Making God happy had been his dream ever since he was very little.
[15:40] Now that dream has become a reality.
[15:41] Congratulations, Chase, and welcome to your new life in Christ.
[15:44] As we close this month's episode, we want to share an inspiring story about our brother Yannick Myanzi.
[15:49] On June 2nd, Yannick had the honor of organizing and leading the closing ceremony at the memorial to the victims of the Tutsi genocide in Paris, [music] France.
[15:58] The event was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame and French President [music] Emmanuel Macron.
[16:06] Yannick was entrusted with choreographing the final artistic presentation, which featured a moving procession led by children [music] carrying messages of remembrance and hope.
[16:15] For Yannick, the opportunity was especially meaningful because it built upon work he began in 2024, helping young people engage with the history and lessons of the genocide against the Tutsi.
[16:26] Following the event, conversations have already begun about expanding this work leading up to the 35th commemoration in 2029.
[16:34] So exciting.
[16:35] Now, family, please keep.
[16:36] Yannick and his project in your prayers as God continues to open doors and create opportunities to serve and make a difference.
[16:45] It's always encouraging to see disciples using their gifts and talents to bring glory to God, whether that's serving in a church, reaching their communities, or making an impact on a much larger stage.
[16:56] Before we go, we'd also like to wish a very happy Father's Day in advance to all the incredible fathers throughout our churches around the world.
[17:01] Thank you for your leadership, sacrifice, faith, and example.
[17:06] The impact of a godly father reaches far beyond what can be seen, helping shape families, strengthen the church, and point the next generation forward to God.
[17:16] Thank you for joining us for another episode of the GNN.
[17:17] If you liked it, share it with friends and family, and be sure to follow us on social media for daily updates on miracles happening across our family of ICC churches.
[17:28] This is Luke and Brandyn Spechtmann reporting from the GNN.
[17:31] The best news you'll ever see.
[17:49] [music]