Issue 79
Kingdom Communication

Old Friends

By Linda Pang

Thanks to the powerful search and connection features of social media, I was eventually “found” after being out of touch with old classmates for many, many years. When I returned to my hometown in early 2025, I was amazed to be able to attend reunions with classmates from elementary school all the way through college. The first thing everyone said upon meeting was, “How many years has it been?!” What came next varied— The male classmates would often say, “Wow, I hardly recognized you!” While the female classmates, with a touch of social grace, would exclaim, “You haven’t changed a bit!”

V was a classmate from elementary school, though we were never actually in the same class. She now lives in Alaska, and we’d only interacted occasionally on LINE. But this time, we met for coffee and ended up talking deeply for two hours. Time, distance, and our very different life experiences didn’t get in the way—it felt as if we had always been the best of friends.

Why were we able to form such a close bond in an instant? V said sincerely, “Because we’re both Christians.” And it’s true—in God’s Kingdom, we are one family.

The articles in this issue repeatedly reflect the deep bond of being “one family in the Kingdom of God.”

In the Stewardship section, an article titled “Life Is a Hymn of Praise,” features an interview with Pastor Chuemay Li of the Quaker Phoebe Church. Through the formation of her life philosophy and approach to ministry, we see how she treats friends, church members, the homeless, and everyone around her—as family.

In the Knowledge & Practice section, an article titled “Walking Together in Hope,” reflects on the South Asian tsunami and the Great East Japan Earthquake. It encourages us to acknowledge the fragility of life in the face of disaster, to look to our gracious and merciful God, and to cherish every layer of relationship we have.

In the Families section, an article titled “Loving Freely in Christ,” reports on the 2025 KRC Spring Retreat. Guest speaker Rev. Cecilia Yau reminded us that to truly love God and others freely, we must model the unity of the Triune God—abiding in the Lord and allowing Him to dwell in us.

When the term “social justice” becomes overly politicized, how should Christians and the Church speak about and live out the call to “do justice, love mercy”? In this issue’s featured article, “Becoming Good Neighbors,” Kate Denson—National Director of Justice Programs at InterVarsity and organizer of DC Plunge—emphasizes that being a good neighbor also means being “neighbored.” True shalom—true justice—is found in right and healthy relationships with God, with others, with oneself, and with creation.

Doesn’t this also echo KRC’s annual theme—God, People, Self: Deeply Connected, Bearing Much Fruit?

The year 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the magazine’s founding. With over a thousand articles published in both Chinese and English, what kind of impact has Kingdom of God truly made?

Recently, we’ve received updates from some “old friends”: —An author we hadn’t heard from in years has become a missionary and even contributed a report. —Another reader, after reading a missions article, joined a short-term mission trip. —A reader reached out with interest in an article from Issue 8, hoping to contact the author. —A gospel organization published a piece that referenced content from an article in the KRC magazine written ten years ago. —A ministry leader we interviewed shared that KRC accurately captured their vision, and when meeting with a public sector official—someone he had never met before—the official brought up the magazine’s coverage.

Thank you—yes, you who are reading this—for your continued interest and support over the years. You, too, are an old friend of Kingdom of God, a beloved member of God’s family.