Jesus invites us to participate in his ongoing mission through missional presence. This Church Hack explores how being intentionally present with our neighbors can proclaim and demonstrate the reign of God. Consider one place where God may be inviting you to be present this week.
See the full Church Hack here.
Kingdom Living takes shape when a congregation chooses to stay rooted in its neighborhood and invest in the flourishing of the people around them. This kind of love is seen in long-term commitment: showing up and caring for children and nurturing relationships year after year. The images and stories below highlight GCI congregations that continue to build meaningful connections in their communities through neighborhood camps.
One way we live out Jesus’ instruction to let young people come to him — and not hinder them — is through the annual Richardson Neighborhood Skills Camp (RNSC).
With the theme “Frontier Skills,” this year’s camp brought together forty-nine campers ages 6 to 12, eight teen volunteers, and thirty-two adult volunteers from our membership, American Heritage Girls troops, and the neighborhood. From July 6–8, 2026, they shared practical, artistic, and relational skills in a friendly, high-energy setting from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
RNSC creates a cross-generational, relationship-building space where adults share their hearts, gifts, and talents with neighborhood children while pointing them to Jesus through four simple guidelines: Love God, Love Others, Have Fun, and Be Safe.
This year’s skills included clock-making, music, drama, dance, ice-cream and butter making, robotics, cake decorating, bicycle and auto care, soldering, Chinese language and culture, videography, chess and checkers, party planning, wreath making, STEM challenges, and more. Campers also practiced relational skills such as trust, loyalty, determination, humor, awareness, and serving. The camp concluded with a family dinner where campers shared what they had learned, including drama and dance presentations.
Feedback was enthusiastic. One parent said, “I attend a church of more than 25,000 people, and we don’t have this. Thank you for making this available.” Several campers asked whether they could return as teen volunteers, and one returning camper exclaimed, “I’d forgotten how good the food at camp is!” One parent has already begun exploring space options to help Camp continue if relocation becomes necessary.
Gabriel and Christine Ojih, Pastor and Camp Director
Richardson, Texas, US
GC Ladson’s 2026 neighborhood camp, “Mission: God’s Love Is Out of This World,” was a three-day experience helping children discover the depth, wonder, and reach of God’s love.
Through Bible lessons, worship, crafts, games, fellowship, and a special outing to Stars & Strikes, campers learned that God’s love reaches farther than we can imagine and that we are called to share it with others.
A highlight of the week was seeing adult and youth volunteers serve side by side, creating a safe, welcoming, Christ-centered environment where children could learn, grow, and build meaningful connections. The youth volunteers played an important role in encouraging younger campers, assisting with activities, and helping to create meaningful connections throughout the week.
The week concluded with children participating in Sunday worship, sharing songs they learned during camp and celebrating what they experienced together.
Beyond the activities, campers built friendships, grew in their understanding of God’s love, and experienced the joy of belonging to a caring church family.
Grace Communion Ladson is grateful for the volunteers, families, youth leaders, and church members whose prayers, support, and participation made this year’s camp possible. We give thanks to God for the relationships formed, lessons learned, and opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with our children.
Mary Robinson, Love Avenue Champion
Ladson, South Carolina, US
Thomas, remembered as “the doubter,” missed the moment when the risen Jesus appeared to the other disciples.
So the other disciples told [Thomas], “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25 NRSVUE
We sometimes find ourselves in Thomas’s shoes. Others seem to experience God’s presence more vividly. We may feel left out, questioning why Jesus hasn’t shown himself to us in the same way.
Thomas could not make himself believe. He needed Jesus to come to him. And that is exactly what Jesus did.
Eight days later, the risen Christ came to Thomas and invited Thomas to touch his wounds. Thomas’ response was powerful: “My Lord and my God!” It was a Spirit-given confession of who Jesus truly is: Lord and God.
Jesus then declared, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29).
We do not see Jesus physically as Thomas did. Yet God has not left us to create belief and trust for ourselves. We don’t always have to see to believe. Faith does not come by sight alone; faith is a gift from God.
Jesus meets us in our questions and doubts, and by his Spirit gives us faith to confess with Thomas, “My Lord and my God.”
Prayer
Our heavenly Father, thank you for giving your Son who heals us. Jesus thatnk you for sharing your faith with us and revealing the Father. Holy Spirit, sustain us daily in faithful trust and obedience. Amen.
Dr. Carlos M. Pizarro, Pastor
Quezon City, Philippines
What is Christian witness?
This month’s GCI Buzz explores how witness begins with Jesus and grows through our relationship with him. As we follow him, we’re invited to share his love through our words, actions, and everyday relationships.
Living Kingdom Culture involves getting outside the walls of the church. In a world where meaningful connections can be difficult to find, local gatherings are helping bridge the gap. By bringing people together, we can create welcoming spaces where people can build friendships, support one another, and grow together.
Summer Block Party
Families, children and bubble enthusiasts enjoyed a day of fun, fellowship and community connection as Bubbles in the Park returned on Saturday, July 18. Hosted by GC Sacramento, California, the free event began at 11 a.m. and continued throughout the day, offering a welcoming space for people of all ages to gather outdoors and enjoy the simple joy of blowing bubbles.
Guests were welcome to bring their own bubble supplies, and free bubbles were available throughout the event. In addition to bubbles, attendees could request prayer, enjoy a complimentary lunch, or take advantage of all three. Cold water and light refreshments were also provided while supplies lasted.
The event brought neighbors together while creating opportunities for meaningful conversations, family fun and community engagement. We relocated to Citrus Heights in June 2024 with the goal of building relationships and serving its new community.
GC Sacramento welcomed families again this year as children enjoyed their summer break. Attendees spent the day enjoying the park, fresh air and activities.
We developed the idea for Bubbles in the Park as a simple way to connect with local residents and provide a free family-friendly activity during the summer months.
Our hope is to continue offering events like this and become an active part of the community. We love meeting people, sharing conversations, and offering encouragement. Each year we give away hundreds of bottles of bubbles, snacks, and if they’d like, prayers. Bubbles are a reminder that some prayers are answered immediately — they ‘pop’ right away — while others seem to float for a while before the answer comes. We hoped the gathering left participants feeling encouraged and connected.
Kairis Colter-Chiaji, Pastor
Sacramento, California, US
When we are young, time moves oh so slowly! And we have a perspective that we have all the time in the world. But when we get up in years, time moves so fast, almost like a blur. Technology doubles every 18 to 24 months and is producing results that are almost uncomprehensible.
So why is it important to think about time? The faster we go and the busier we get, the more dull, deaf, and blind we can become when it comes to godly things. We can lose the ability to sense when someone needs help; we might lose the ability to want to stop and help others. In our hurry, we run right past God’s invitations and God’s opportunities without even realizing it. We also lose the ability to truly love our fellow human beings. “The love of many will wax cold” (Matthew 24:12).
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. Matthew 22:36-40
Love is patient. Love is slow-paced. Relationships — our relationship with God and our relationships with others — will grow when we are in unhurried time.
No matter what stage of life you are in, young, old, or in-between, we can adopt a mindset of unhurried time when it comes to God and our fellow humans. Sometimes we are so caught up in striving for efficiency that love seems like a luxury or even an obstacle to efficiency. Let’s take time to just talk and allow someone our precious time. Relationships are at the heart of the two great commands.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we pray that you help us develop unhurried time to develop a relationship with you and others. Amen
Randal Roberts, Associate Pastor
Maumee, Ohio, US
Citizens of the kingdom believe in one Lord, one faith, one baptism — Lord Jesus, his faith, his baptism. We are baptized into Jesus’ baptism and his faith.
And we take seriously our responsibility to disciple members for the sacrament of baptism. Here’s one GCI resource that is helpful for baptism classes: We Believe with teacher’s notes
The sacrament of baptism proclaims that we are saved by Christ alone and not through our own repentance and faith. It is a participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which our old selves have been crucified and renounced in Christ, and we have been freed from the shackles of the past and given new being through his resurrection. Baptism proclaims the good news that Christ has made us his own, and that it is only in him that our new life of faith and obedience emerges. Grace Communion International baptizes by immersion. — GCI Statement of Beliefs
Baptism is a cherished value in the life of the kingdom because it visibly proclaims the grace of God already given to us in Jesus Christ. It is not about earning God’s favor but about participating in what Christ has accomplished on our behalf. Baptism declares our union with him, our forgiveness, and our new life by the Spirit.
As an outward sign of an inward reality, baptism joyfully bears witness that we belong to God’s family and share in his redeeming love.
Join us in celebrating the following GCI baptism. Both the individual and the community celebrate the transforming work of grace already at work among us.
O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. Psalm 65:2 ESV
To hear from God is a great blessing. But it’s also a great blessing that God hears us. Consider the story of Hagar. When cast out into the wilderness, alone and desperate, she discovered that God is “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). Then in Genesis 21:17, we are told that “God heard the boy [Hagar’s infant son, Ishmael] crying.”
These statements reveal something essential about the very nature of God: He is the God who hears!
To say that God hears is to say that he is moved, that he responds, that he is personally involved. These are truths that reach their full expression in Jesus Christ. And we are told in Hebrews 4:15-16, that as our High Priest, Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses.
In Jesus, God not only hears human cries, but also enters into them. Think of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where his prayers were raw, honest, and deeply human. And though the path of his suffering was not removed, God heard those prayers. The Father was present with Jesus in his suffering.
This reshapes how we understand being “heard.” It is not a guarantee of immediate relief but of divine presence and faithful response. So, when we pray — whether our words are articulate or faltering, hopeful or weary — we are not speaking into silence. We are being heard within the very life of the triune God who hears.
Prayer
Lord, you are the God who hears — not from a distance but from within the depths of our lives. Teach us to trust that no cry is lost, no whisper ignored. In Jesus, our High Priest, draw us into your listening love, that we may find rest in your faithful presence. Amen.
Ted Johnston, Grace Communion Seminary Faculty
Foley, Alabama, US
Through education, citizens of God’s kingdom focus on equipping the members of Jesus’ Church for their contribution in the ministry of all believers. Check out the opportunities for education and equipping through ACCM.
Ambassador College of Christian Ministry is operated by Grace Communion International in Australia.
