Gilford Community Church resonates for new member

GILFORD — While national public polls show many churches are struggling with a decrease in membership, Gilford Community Church continues to grow its membership base.

“We are thrilled to continue to welcome new members to the church,” said Pastor Michael Graham. “Our message is one of inclusiveness and diversity, and I think this message resonates with a broad audience.”

This message inspired Jennie Tichich and her family to join GCC. “I feel welcomed when attending church,” she said. “This is no small thing to feel. I know what it is like to feel lonely around people.”

Tichich said she has experienced this kind of loneliness in other churches. “We've attended churches where everyone dressed and looked nice, but there was no feeling of warmth when greeting each other,” she said.

In addition to the camaraderie she and her husband, Nick, feel both during and after church in fellowship with other members, Tichich cited GCC’s youth programs — ranging from Sunday school to hiking, and holiday festivities — as another reason they decided to join the church. 

For Tichich, however, the biggest factor for her personally has been the impact GCC has had not just on her mind, but her heart. “GCC has moved religion for me from a mental construct with a set of rules on paper to an act of the heart,” she said. “I feel that we are, in fact, a faith in practice and action. We are experiencing community, sharing in the messages and showing humanity and kindness to one another.”

Graham said, “I am here to guide and ready to do all I can to bring people together. I’m not here to simply get people thinking but to encourage them to do and feel from their hearts.”