Citizens of God’s kingdom feel that inclusive, cooperative, team-based leadership reflects our triune God. Pastors lead from a posture of multiplication, inviting others into Jesus’ mission through the Church.
Learn more from our Healthy Church resource.
GCI India Welcomes New Generation of Leaders
In a spirit of unity and renewal, GCI India joyfully welcomed a new generation of leaders into their boards, marking a significant moment of growth and transition within the church community.
The board of GCI India extended a heartfelt welcome to Miss Selina Sravanthi, Mrs. Shashi, and Mr. Ajay Allam. They were elected to serve on the board, bringing with them vibrant energy and deep commitment to the church’s mission. Their appointment reflects the church’s dedication to nurturing young leadership.
Mr. Om Prakash was elected as the Chairperson of Administrative Leadership, a role that carries great responsibility and trust. His leadership is expected to guide the church’s operations with wisdom and integrity.
The entire church community came together to warmly welcome the new leaders, offering prayers, encouragement, and support. As the boards embrace this new season, the churches reaffirm their commitment to fostering leadership that reflects Christ’s love and humility.
GCI India welcomes New Preachers
GCI India has officially expanded its speaking team, welcoming Selina Sravanthi, a longtime member and Sunday School coordinator, and Satyanarayana, the church’s translator. Both have been actively involved in ministry and are now stepping into preaching roles to support the church’s mission of delivering spiritually enriching sermons.
The church anticipates a wide variety of messages that will deepen spiritual understanding and encourage growth in faith. Members warmly express enthusiasm for the fresh perspectives they bring to the pulpit. The church looks forward to this new chapter with hope and gratitude, trusting in God’s continued work through his servants.
By the GCI India Newsletter editors,
Shanti Nirale
Praveen Kumar Chintha
By the Spirit, we can hear Scripture in the light of Jesus, even the stories we’d rather skip. Here’s an example.
[Jephthah’s daughter] said to him, “My father, if you have opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has given you vengeance against your enemies, the Ammonites.” Judges 11:36 NRSVUE
Jephthah emerged from a bad family situation to become a military leader. When the Ammonites attacked, he was recruited to fight back, and he vowed to the LORD: if given victory, Jephthah would dedicate to the Lord whatever came out of his house to meet him.
I am sure Jephthah was expecting livestock — a goat or a sheep. Instead, his only daughter, the joy of his life — ran out to greet him. Though he was lost in grief, he felt bound to keep his vow. “Dedicating to the LORD,” in Jephthah’s world, meant death and fire, so he sacrificed her.
Every time I read this story, I feel grief as if it were my own child. I also feel anger — anger that any father could believe God required Jephthah to keep this promise.
Some Bible stories are there to describe what we shouldn’t do. Indeed, some stories show us, to paraphrase Rowan Williams, how things can go so terribly wrong when we terribly misunderstand what God wants.
We understand God rightly by dwelling on the image he has given us in Jesus. We become like what we imagine, and some of our ideas about God come right out of our wrong imagination.
Prayer
May we receive the love of our heavenly Father as Jesus carries us into his presence. May we come to trust the Father as Jesus does. May the Spirit transform our regret and our grief into divine joy.
Matt Royal, Church Plant Team Member
Durham, NC, US
This devotional was adapted with permission from Matt’s blog. Read the full post here.
Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV
Read below how two congregations are sharing God’s goodness with their neighbors. Doing good is a kingdom value.
In July, 21 youths from the Chawama congregation traveled to a home for girls in Chongwe to share the love of Christ. This was our third visit, and with hearts stirred by compassion and desire to serve, we put together our little savings, resources, food, and clothes to share with our dear sisters.
The foundation is home to 17 girls between the ages of 3 to 16. These precious girls come from painful pasts, many having faced the trauma of abuse or the deep sorrow of losing their parents. It is a place filled with young hearts in need of love, hope, and belonging.
After our first visit, we were moved by compassion and a deep sense of responsibility. So, we made the collective decision to adopt this orphanage as part of our Chawama Love Avenue. What started as a visit quickly became a calling.
We took it a step further by each adopting a sister. This personal one-on-one connection has allowed us to demonstrate God’s love in more tangible ways. We have been able to all pray for our sisters by name, and they do the same for us. It also allowed us to build a more personal relationship with each of the girls.
The impact of this has been profound for the Chawama youths. These visits have been a chance to experience joy in service and to share the love of Christ. We spent time playing fun games, sharing stories, praying, singing, and simply being present.
These are not just acts of charity — they are moments of connection and affirmation of God’s love poured out through us. We listen to their dreams, share laughter, and see firsthand how love can begin to restore what life has broken.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Love is not passive, it moves, it acts, and it heals. In adopting this orphanage, we are committing not only to providing material support, but to building relationships, offering spiritual guidance, and being a consistent presence in the lives of these children. We believe that through Christ’s love, we can make a lasting impact. This is just the beginning of a journey we pray will be filled with growth, transformation, and greater things yet to come for both the children and us.
By Puisezo and Damiano Ngula, youth participants
Chawama, Lusaka, Zambia
On Sunday, August 3, the Love Avenue team of GC Belton hosted a Family Game Day and Back-to-School Giveaway. Our aim was to support the children and families of our neighborhood.
God provided beautiful weather, cooler temperatures, and warm hearts that welcomed the new faces that attended. It was a fun way to end the summer and help our local families get the school year off to a great start! The festivities included:
After our back-to-school giveaway, we have school supplies leftover. We will connect with our local school district to see if there are other opportunities to connect with individuals who could benefit. I’m grateful for our congregation’s generosity in giving to support the ministry of Christ.
I’m employed part-time with the Belton school district as a bus driver and was permitted to bring a school bus to the event as a way of promoting the giveaway. In addition to that, attendees looking for work were given the opportunity to apply for a job with the bus company.
To close the event, we provided a short ride on the school bus, which the children enjoyed immensely. This fun event was one of many ways we can serve our community!
Terry McDonald, Pastor
Belton, Missouri, US
In my early journey of faith, I used to wonder why doesn’t Jesus simply appear on an international news channel, like BBC? Surely, if the entire world saw him, they would believe and be saved. But the resurrection narratives gently correct that assumption. Even when Jesus appeared in the flesh to his own disciples, many still didn’t recognize him immediately. This prompts a soul-searching question for us all: If Jesus appeared to us today, would we truly recognize him?
The Gospels record resurrection appearances; each one unveils profound truth about Jesus’ incarnation, the nature of his glorified body, and the mystery of divine presence. A striking pattern emerges again and again — those who knew Jesus best failed to recognize him at first glance.
Mary Magdalene mistook him for a gardener. The disciples on the road to Emmaus conversed for hours without realizing who he was. Peter failed to recognize him on the shore of Galilee. Recognition came only through deeply personal, familiar encounters.
Mary recognized Jesus by his voice. The disciples from Emmaus knew him in the breaking of the bread. Peter recognized Jesus through the miraculous catch of fish. The risen Jesus is not always recognized by appearance alone, but through relationship grounded in trust and intimacy.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me … My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. John 10:14, 27
Prayer:
Father, we want to experience you in moments that etch your love deeply into our souls. May we seek a relationship so intimate that we recognize you, Jesus, without hesitation. Spirit, may our hearts be attuned to your voice and our spirits ready to receive you. Lord, grant us the grace to truly know you and to never miss when you appear to us. Amen.
By Praveen Chintha, Pastor
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Citizens of God’s kingdom take very seriously their call to disciple and share their lives with children. It’s a high priority for us as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, coaches, mentors, and friends.
Below we share a book review and recommendation. It’s a book for adults hoping to develop intentional rhythms of discipling young people.
(Please note that this is not an endorsement from GCI of the book or the author’s views.)
Recently, I attended a gathering with a group of church leaders. One person described her experience growing up in the Church. Her parents had a strong impact on her life because they regularly talked to her about Jesus, church life, and their relationship with God.
It reminded me of how important parenting is in the disciple making life of a Christian. I recently read a book by David Sunde, Homegrown Disciple: Parenting Rhythms for Drawing Your Kids into Life with God, which I found instructive on this aspect.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on you children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
At the conclusion of each chapter, the author gives very practical ideas on how a parent can enact the principles found in the above passage. These times are “teachable moments — or windows of time — woven into each day: dinnertime, travel time, bedtime, and morning time” (p. 9).
The author points to the relational way Jesus discipled a few to reach the many. “Most of Jesus’ recorded ministry was not in a classroom or even indoors. It was outside and part of daily life” (p. 11).
Sunde compares disciple making with sharing:
If you’ve been in a Christian context for a while, you likely already know that disciplemaking involves learning to share what you already have with the people around you. It’s learning to talk about the difference Christ is making in you, animating the life of Christ. To animate is to incarnate. Just as God took on flesh and blood to live among us in sending His Son, we also can become the tangible presence of Christ in how we influence others. We tend to think about disciplemaking as helping other adult believers grow in their faith, which is one accurate definition of the term. But we can also apply the disciplemaking paradigm to the role of a parent or guardian. In fact, parenting is the quintessential relationship for spiritually reproducing a living faith. (p. 2)
As parents and grandparents, we are to be living and sharing the gospel of Jesus. We can have such a positive influence on those closest to us. The author discusses the rhythms of disciple making with one chapter on each of the following rhythms: apprenticing, renewal, hospitality, community, compassion, generosity, and gratitude.
The book highlights various aspects of our Christian life and how we can live and share this life in a positive way — not only with family members, but within our communities. There are lots of practical ideas that can stimulate our thinking of how we can apply those principles in our unique situations. Perhaps you too will find it helpful and inspiring as you disciple the young people in your life.
Bob Regazzoli
Brisbane, Australia
The Sun Valley congregation, in California, US, held a special service to honor their children when they graduated. They were blessed and celebrated by the entire congregation. It was a wonderful way to show the children that they are valued and held as a high priority in the church family.
Now it’s back-to-school season for our congregations in the Northern Hemisphere. So, these rising first graders, rising sixth graders (middle school), and rising freshman (high school) in Sun Valley are headed back into the classroom, with all its joys and challenges.
See the portraits of the graduates below. Thank you, Brenda Benitez, for your devoted service to the Kids Ministry and for sharing this story so our Update readers can celebrate with Sun Valley.
Join us in praying for the children in Sun Valley and for all the children in our lives, as they go back to school. Do you have an intentional prayer practice for the children in your life? How will you demonstrate your love for them as they return to school?
(In Southern Hemisphere countries, the school year typically runs from February or March to November or December.)
Leya
Kindergarten Graduation
Mia
Kindergarten Graduation
Ariana
Primary School Graduation
Ashlin
Primary School Graduation
Jimena
Primary School Graduation
Matteo
Primary School Graduation
Grayvin
Middle School Graduation
Sergio
Middle School Graduation
The kingdom of God is the only reality out of which the Blessed Trinity has summoned us to live. Jesus has called us to join him in experiencing his life of love with the Father and the Spirit. He has redeemed humanity specifically for his kingdom life.
As we learn the rhythms of his kingdom, our lives naturally begin to take on its flavor, aroma, and culture. In what we might call “Kingdom Culture,” the foundation is always love. Love toward neighbor, brother, and sister is the guiding principle.
[Jesus] answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 NRSVUE
Admittedly it is sometimes easy to become distracted by all the stuff we need or want. The busyness of life may tempt us to lay aside the ways of the kingdom for the sake of expedience. At times, we lose our patience with others when we’re in a hurry. We may argue with a friend over politics. We may hold back our generosity to buy something we want or ignore Kingdom Culture in other ways.
However, we need not worry about those things. Jesus said, in Matthew 6:33, that his desire for us was to seek the kingdom (with all its right-relationships), and then all that other stuff would be added to us.
Here’s an exercise for our daily devotions as we seek first the kingdom. In your prayer journal, prayerfully make a list of all the things that you think do have a place in the kingdom of God. Then make a list of all the things that you think don’t have a place in the kingdom of God. Once you have made the two lists, ask God to enliven you to focus on the first one.
Prayer:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, please show me someone to love today. Amen.
By Bill Winn, Pastor
Mechanicsville, VA, US
Citizens of God’s kingdom understand that the gospel is for everyone — not just adults. We are compelled by God’s love to disciple the young people near us. Neighborhood camps are a wonderful opportunity for building friendships and discipleship. See below for resources for day camps.
Hosting a neighborhood camp is a powerful way for churches to embody and share the love of Christ with their neighbors. These camps create opportunities for children and families to experience the joy of community, engage with the gospel in tangible ways, and build lasting relationships. Whether your church is looking to start a new engagement or enhance an existing program, past camp curricula can serve as valuable resources to guide and inspire your efforts.
There are also many publishing groups that offer digital curriculum packages yearly. Here are a few that may spark some ideas:
Sparkhouse in the Summer | Sparkhouse
VBS – Vacation Bible School | Curriculum Programs & Kits | Group
Let’s engage our neighborhoods with purpose and watch God transform lives through these connections!
