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2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on
July 23-26, 2026.

Kingdom Living is participatory, relational, and missional.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” As citizens of the kingdom and co-laborers with Christ, we are sent into the world to reflect his light. Kingdom Living requires awareness of our calling and our context, seeing our neighborhoods, vocations, and even our sufferings as places where Jesus reigns and sends us.

Kingdom Living is not passive. It is a bold proclamation and a tangible demonstration. We not only speak of the reign of God, but we also show it. Our words align with our works. As image bearers, our relationships become a visible witness to the reality of the kingdom being ushered in.

During this gathering, we’ll explore what it means to live as kingdom people, active participants in God’s mission, deeply rooted in community, and shaped by the presence and authority of Jesus.

Registration opens December 1. Look for more information and the registration link in our December 3 Update issue.

Home Office Jobs Available

GCI is hiring!

Grace Communion International (GCI) is seeking qualified applicants for two full-time positions in the Home Office in Charlotte, NC, U.S.

The Operations Coordinator position is currently available, and applications are being accepted for this role. See the job description here.

The Member Service Representative/Accounts Receivable Clerk position is currently available, and applications are being accepted for this role. See the job description here.

If you would like further details on the position or would like a GCI job application, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@gci.org or 980-495-3960.

Please share this announcement with qualified candidates who may be gifted for this position at the Home Office.

From Equipper—Parable of Hidden Treasure

Join us! We invite you to read this article from Equipper.

Subscribe to Equipper today!


The kingdom of God is our true treasure.

By Paulina Salinas, MTC Coordinator and Pastor
Bogota, Colombia

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 NIV

Recently, I heard about someone who bought a house near the area where I live in Bogotá. These houses are large and very old. The owner began to remodel it and when lifting the wooden floor — what a surprise! There were three trunks full of pure gold jewelry. We might say these are very lucky people, right? The previous owners had never realized what was beneath their floor.

What would you do if you found something extremely valuable? Perhaps a better question is: What is valuable to you? What is a true treasure? Scripture tells us that material things are temporary and fleeting, like the wind (Matthew 6:19–21). So then, what truly is a treasure?

In Matthew 13:44, Jesus presents the kingdom as a treasure long buried in the field. Jesus seems to be drawing our attention to this true treasure. God’s work throughout human history has always been present. Gary Deddo wrote that the kingdom — though a reality now through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ — is hidden for the world. We are privileged to have the true treasure, God’s kingdom, revealed to us.

In this parable, the man who finds the treasure realizes its immense value, so much so that it leads him to a radical response: he sells everything he owns — and does so joyfully — to obtain the treasure. He is overjoyed by what he has found. The kingdom of God, revealed through Jesus, is a treasure of great worth that transforms our lives. It is not about personal effort to obtain something; rather, it is a joyful response to God’s grace in Christ. When Christ leads us to discover his kingdom, we do not respond out of fear or obligation, but as a loving response to receiving great treasure.

Jesus compares the kingdom of God to that treasure. He shows us what is truly valuable — or the only thing of great value for real life: knowing the true God, Jesus of Nazareth (John 17:3). That changes everything — our priorities and our true values. In Christ, we find abundant life that people so desperately seek in the wrong places. In Psalm 119:162, the psalmist says: “I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil” (NIV).

Kristopher K. Barnett, in his article, “The Kingdom of God Is Worth Everything,” writes:

The parable reveals a paradox in the Gospel message of Christ’s Kingdom. Salvation is free, yet it costs everything! God gives salvation through the Gospel. God grants access to all into His Kingdom. The Kingdom is free, but it costs everything. (pp 133–134)

So, the question for us would be: Are we aware, in our daily lives, of the value of the kingdom of God as that great treasure? What difference does that reality make in our relationships with others? In pastoral ministry, how does the testimony of the church in our communities relate to the reality of the kingdom?

From the same article, Gary Deddo writes regarding this:

Our current experience of the Kingdom, including our actions, as they are joined to the ongoing ministry of Jesus in the power of His Spirit, constitute a witness or sign of the coming Kingdom. A witness does not testify about themselves, but about a reality they know firsthand. Likewise, a ‘sign’ does not point to itself, but to another, much greater reality. As Christians, we bear witness to what is to come: the coming Kingdom.

We give thanks to the Lord for the presence of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to live in the joy and reality of the true treasure of the kingdom of God in our daily lives, here and now, even as we await the fullness of that kingdom.

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: … as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 2 Corinthians 6:4, 10b NKJV

Home Office Jobs Available

GCI is hiring!

The Grace Communion International (GCI) is seeking qualified applicants for positions in the Home Office in Charlotte, NC, U.S.

The Operations Coordinator position is currently available, and applications are being accepted for this full-time role. See the job description here.

The Member and Donor Service Representative/Data Entry Clerk position is currently available, and applications are being accepted for this part-time role. See the job description here.

If you would like further details on the position or would like a GCI job application, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@gci.org or 980-495-3960.

Please share this announcement with qualified candidates who may be gifted for this position at the Home Office.

2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on
July 23-26, 2026.

Kingdom Living is participatory, relational, and missional.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” As citizens of the kingdom and co-laborers with Christ, we are sent into the world to reflect his light. Kingdom Living requires awareness of our calling and our context, seeing our neighborhoods, vocations, and even our sufferings as places where Jesus reigns and sends us.

Kingdom Living is not passive. It is a bold proclamation and a tangible demonstration. We not only speak of the reign of God, but we also show it. Our words align with our works. As image bearers, our relationships become a visible witness to the reality of the kingdom being ushered in.

During this gathering, we’ll explore what it means to live as kingdom people, active participants in God’s mission, deeply rooted in community, and shaped by the presence and authority of Jesus.

Registration opens December 1. Look for more information and the registration link in our December 3 Update issue.

Prayer Guide—October 2025

“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.” — Oswald Chambers

Along with other members of the Body, may we join the Spirit, interceding on behalf of our fellowship. This month, we thank God for the ways he is building up leaders, blessing communities, and drawing us deeper into his love and purpose.

Download the full prayer guide here.

Would you like to receive this Prayer Guide straight to your email inbox before the first of the month? Sign up here.

Note from the President

My friend Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, posted the following statement concerning the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk:

There is universal grief at the loss of a life, but there is also grief for the moment that we’re in and polarization that has led to a very dangerous pattern of political violence … Are we (going to be) contributors to the social chaos or are we those who will solve this issue with our words rather than physical violence?

We are shocked by crimes of hate, and for me, hearing the comments about people who celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk is even more shocking. All violence (and has been far too much as of late) breaks the heart of Jesus, and it always takes me back to his compassionate display of weeping and lamenting over Jerusalem. Our spirit joins with Jesus over this fallen and broken world.

As kingdom citizens, let’s reflect Jesus by being people who lean into civil discourse, kindness, and compassion — especially when we disagree.

Home Office Part-time Job

GCI is hiring!

The Grace Communion International (GCI) is seeking a qualified applicant for a part-time position in the Home Office in Charlotte, NC, U.S.

The Member and Donor Service Representative/Data Entry Clerk position is currently available, and applications are being accepted. See the job description here.

If you would like further details on the position or would like a GCI job application, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@gci.org or 980-495-3960.

Please share this announcement with qualified candidates who may be gifted for this position at the Home Office.

2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on
July 23-26, 2026.

Kingdom Living is participatory, relational, and missional.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” As citizens of the kingdom and co-laborers with Christ, we are sent into the world to reflect his light. Kingdom Living requires awareness of our calling and our context, seeing our neighborhoods, vocations, and even our sufferings as places where Jesus reigns and sends us.

Kingdom Living is not passive. It is a bold proclamation and a tangible demonstration. We not only speak of the reign of God, but we also show it. Our words align with our works. As image bearers, our relationships become a visible witness to the reality of the kingdom being ushered in.

During this gathering, we’ll explore what it means to live as kingdom people, active participants in God’s mission, deeply rooted in community, and shaped by the presence and authority of Jesus.

Registration information coming soon!

From Equipper—Parable of Leaven

Join us! We invite you to read this article from Equipper.

Subscribe to Equipper today!


By Joshila Philip, India National Ministry Team
Secunderabad, Telangana, India

Recently, when we visited our daughter in the U.S., she introduced us to sourdough bread. (Yes! You read that right; I didn’t know about it before.) She said it was a healthier option than the typical white bread. Later, I learned from “Google university” about the sourdough method. Sourdough is a traditional method of making bread that uses a live fermented culture of flour and water as the leavening agent. It’s known as the sourdough “starter.” I also learned that there are some bakeries across the world making sourdough with starters that have been passed down over centuries, going back generations!

Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33 NKJV

The parable of leaven is one of the shortest parables told by Jesus. It’s followed by another short one, the parable of mustard seed. In both the parables, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to small things, a mustard seed and a leavening agent. A very small portion of leavening agent can leaven a large quantity of flour. While the mustard seed’s growth is visible in the plant, leaven’s action is more hidden, helping the dough increase invisibly. Leaven begins as a small portion, but the entire dough is transformed into the very nature of leaven.

Likewise, the kingdom of heaven and the characteristics of the kingdom culture — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — permeate our surroundings. Kingdom culture spreads to our family, workplace, congregation, and neighbourhood. The kingdom of heaven grows till all humanity has seen it, felt it, or experienced it. The kingdom of heaven and its culture is like yeast — at times seemingly invisible, yet it permeates the whole world. Evil, in all its ugliness, cannot stop it.

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