Santa Barbara International Christian Church

Category: Movement Stories

  • Spiritual Amnesia

    Spiritual Amnesia

    “Without vision the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 KJV

    The SoldOut Discipling Movement deeply believes in the evangelization of the nations in this generation! Therefore, this is a heartfelt appeal for all SoldOut Movement Churches to rededicate ourselves to Campus Ministry as this is the greatest “fountain of leadership” for our family of churches. Both in the past and in the present, the vast majority of our full-time ministry leaders come from this almost limitless source. Equally important are those leaders who are converted on campus, and upon graduation secure well-paying secular jobs and therefore give generously; lead Singles, Marrieds and Teen Bible Talks; and in time become our Shepherding and Deacon Couples.

    To deepen our convictions about the importance of Campus Ministry, we need to remember the miracles of the Spirit in the past through this “fountain of leadership!” All through Scripture there are warnings against “spiritual amnesia:” “Be careful that you do not forget (spiritual amnesia) the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands…” (Deuteronomy 8:11) “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge… brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love… But if anyone does not have [these qualities in increasing measure], he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten (spiritual amnesia) that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9) According to this last Scripture, when we have “spiritual amnesia” we become “nearsighted” – we cannot see far, thus we are without vision – and “blind” to how God worked in the past! And God wants us to learn from the past – both bad and good! (Romans 15:4)

    In the first century, Campus Ministry had a tremendous impact in Ephesus! “[Paul] took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the Word of the Lord.” (Acts 19:9-10) Paul focused on converting young, energetic students. Capturing the hearts of idealistic young people has sparked and sustained many movements such as the “Umbrella Revolution” presently in Hong Kong! Let us not have “spiritual amnesia” even about Jesus’ ministry where most if not all of His chosen apostles were teenagers or in their twenties!

    In the modern era of the 1950’s and 1960’s, the Mainline Churches of Christ encouraged their college age students to attend “Christian Colleges.” They reasoned their college sons and daughters would be protected from the world and find other Christians to marry. Little focus was given to the secular campuses. However, near a few secular campuses in the Bible Belt, Churches of Christ built “Christian dorms,” and a few of these “Campus Ministries” even offered accredited Bible courses to attract students to Christ. Though good-hearted, these efforts had little evangelistic impact.

    In 1967 in Gainesville, Florida, the 14th Street Church of Christ (later renamed the Crossroads Church of Christ) initiated a pioneering effort to evangelize the University of Florida. Chuck Lucas (later assisted by Sam Laing) spearheaded this endeavor. Their efforts included calling each student to “total commitment,” counting the cost before baptism, small group evangelistic Bible studies on campus (“Soul Talks”), and emphasizing “one another passages” in paired-up relationships called “prayer partners.” These heroic efforts were propelled by a vision to put dynamic Campus Ministries on every campus in America! Baptized and then inspired to go into the ministry were Sam & Geri Laing, Tom & Kelly Brown, Bruce & Robyn Williams, Martin & Carmen Bentley, Elena & me and many others. In all about 70 campuses in America were either affected directly or indirectly by this pioneering ministry.

    As time passed into the later 1970’s, these young zealous ministers (collectively called the “Crossroads Movement” or the “Total Commitment Movement”) were able to build vibrant Campus Ministries by baptizing scores of students. However, the majority of the other segments of these campus congregations were often very uncommitted to Christ. This brought conflict, divisions and factions between the College Ministry and the rest of the “members of the church.” In some cases, church splits occurred. These discouraging and disorienting challenges were likewise faced by Elena & me in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Charleston, Illinois.

    In 1979, God placed a dream into the hearts of the Lexington (Massachusetts) Church of Christ (later renamed the Boston Church of Christ). Desperate, because of dwindling to 60 members with only two baptisms in the previous three years, the elders invited Elena & me to lead the ministry. We came with a radical vision that everyone – seniors, marrieds, singles, teens not just college students – should be “totally committed” to Christ! On June 1, 1979, 30 “would-be disciples” gathered in the Gempels’ living room to make this dream a reality. In the next 12 months, the other 30 uncommitted members left one-by-one but were replaced by 103 fired-up, totally committed baptized disciples mostly off such campuses as Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts. The dream of a church of only “sold-out disciples” had become a reality! In the ensuing years, with this foundation of only disciples and a fountain of leadership from the campuses, unheard of multiplication occurred! In 1981, the Lord blessed us with 170 baptisms; in 1982 – 250 baptisms; in 1983 – 322 baptisms; in 1984 – 402 baptisms; in 1985 – 594 baptisms; in 1986 – 703 baptisms; in 1987 – 818 baptisms; and in 1988 – 1,227 baptisms!

    In 1981, sensing that sending out our newly trained ministry couples from the Boston Campus Ministry into existing congregations was “pouring new wine into old wineskins” ruining the “old wineskins” (churches) and the “new wine” (young ministers), God put on our hearts a radical plan “to plant” new congregations. (Mark 2:21-22) Each planting would consist of a ministry couple and a small group of young disciples which we believed could evangelize the entire city no matter the size of the population. (Acts 5:28) As we began to target the mega-cities of the world and as we began to study out world missions in the Scriptures, God placed the revolutionary dream into our hearts to “evangelize the nations in a generation!” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

    It was noted by both the Mainline Churches and the Crossroads Movement Churches that the Boston Ministries far outgrew them. Also important was that in 1985, Chuck Lucas resigned from the ministry for personal reasons. Therefore, from 1985 to 1988, about 2,000 college age and young single Christians came to the Boston Church and her plantings for training to be in the ministry and/or to be on mission teams from mostly the Crossroads Campus Churches. They realized that a congregation composed of only the “totally committed” of all ages was God’s plan. This “young remnant” helped to multiply the Boston Movement Churches even more rapidly. By 2001, the Boston Movement (renamed the International Churches of Christ – “ICOC” – in 1994) had multiplied into almost 400 churches composed of 135,000 disciples in 171 nations!

    As the ICOC returned in 2002 to a “more Mainline Church of Christ theology” which led to its demise and scattering by God in 2003, the Holy Spirit began to “gather a new movement” in Portland, Oregon! Sensing that the Portland Church was the “only” congregation composed of “totally committed” disciples in discipling relationships, during the next three years disciples would move to Portland from 26 different states from around America! So when the SoldOut Movement officially began in October 2006, quite different from the 1980’s, God brought together an “older remnant” composed for the most part of married couples thus making the need for an abundantly fruitful Campus Ministry all the more important to once again be a “fountain of leadership.”

    Already, many of our newly planted congregations in the SoldOut Movement are being led by those influenced by the SoldOut Movement Campus Ministries: Tyler & Shay Sears in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Ricky & Coleen Challinor in Portland, Gabe & Stephanie Reed in Eugene, Jared & Rachel McGee in Mexico City, Mike & Chenelle Patterson in Gainesville, Joel & Courtney Parlour in Syracuse, Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell in Santa Barbara, Princeton & Joy George in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, and Coltin & Mandee Rohn in Boston. Especially noteworthy is that the majority of the SoldOut Movement World Sector Leaders are campus converts from our former fellowship! Truly Campus Ministry is the foremost “fountain of leadership” for the SoldOut Movement!

    Given that 2014 is The Year of Prayer, my plea to the SoldOut Movement’s over 3,000 disciples in 55 congregations in 26 nations is:

    Pray for all fulltime Congregational Leaders to be intricately involved in the Campus Ministry. In 1979, when Elena & I moved to Boston we began a new Campus Ministry every few months: June 1979 – Boston University; September 1979 – MIT; January 1980 – Harvard; May 1980 – Northeastern University. In time, some of our students began Campus Ministries on all the other campuses. In 1981 when our first child was born, Elena continued to go to the campus and reach out to college women. However, in 1982 when the second baby came, we started a Bible Talk for Marrieds at our home on Monday nights. I continued to lead the Harvard Campus Ministry – by being on the campus five days a week – until mid-1985 when my traveling to other churches would not allow this schedule. Though Elena, the kids and I would have dinner together every night, I still led two Campus Bible Talks on Tuesday evening – one at 7:30PM and the other at 10:00PM as mentioned before till 1985.

    In 2003, with only 25 members at Elena’s & my first midweek leading the Portland Church, we had only four college students and one baptized teen – Coleen (Untalan) Challinor! Now, Elena at almost 48 and me at 49, once more “hit the campus” five days a week for several hours each day to create a “fountain of leadership” for the Portland Church! Key to building the Portland Campus Ministry – which directly and indirectly gave birth to all the SoldOut Movement Campus Ministries – was having a “Solomon’s Colonnade” where Christians could always find us and where we studied the Bible with many non-Christians. (Acts 5:12)

    Pray for our Teen Ministries to multiply. When Elena & I became the leaders of the LA Church in January 1990, there were 154 members, only one of whom was a teen. Since we already had a seasoned fulltime Campus Ministry Couple, Elena & I began the Teen Ministry with a young woman named Vicky. By 2001, the LA Teen Ministry numbered over 1,000 baptized teens! After converting the SAT tutor that worked with our children, he began to work with the high school junior and senior disciples “to up” their SAT scores so that they could be admitted into prestigious campuses where we did not have disciples. Thus we started new Campus Ministries through the fruit of the Teen Ministry.

    Pray for Friday Campus Devotionals to be led by Campus Interns and actual college students while the “Lead Congregational Couple” is present to shepherd the students. Since Bible Talk and Sunday mornings are geared to reach out to non-Christians, Devotionals are a time for college disciples to enjoy an evening of intense fellowship, singing, sharing and Bible Study to their deepen the love for the Lord and between the students.

    Pray for every college student to become a Bible Talk Leader while still in college. Therefore pray for more “All Women’s Bible Talks” so that our dear young sisters can teach! Though “commuter campuses” must have their Bible Talks during the day, pray as well for the more established campuses to have “Dorm Bible Talks,” “Fraternity Bible Talks” and “Sorority Bible Talks,” because these are best led at night thus stretching the number of hours that a fulltime worker can evangelize and teach non-Christians.

    Pray for unpaid interns to be identified while still in college. As well, pray for some of these gifted students to be “paid part-time” by the church so they do not need to have a job that “steals” their precious time and energy. Pray that upon graduation, all of these unpaid and part-time interns can be paid fulltime as they are “very inexpensive” at this point in their lives.

    Pray for all of our Lead Congregational Ministers to complete at least their ICCM Master’s Degree which will allow them to have an ICCM Extension Campus in their city. This will augment the already awesome daily discipling our campus students receive by strengthening their Bible knowledge and thus their convictions. The “ICCM – Toronto” is already inspiring our Toronto disciples!

    Pray that every one of our students will not only be able to attend the Annual Global Leadership Conference in LA, but at least one time during their “college years” each of them will be able to participate in the European Missions Conference in London, the Central & South American Missions Conference in Santiago, or the first African Missions Conference in June 2015 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast! These conferences not only expand our students’ visions, but often seeing literally millions of lost souls in a distant land allows the Spirit to stir their hearts to heed the call of God for leadership in His Kingdom!
    In closing, let us not get “spiritual amnesia” about God’s hand working through the Campus Ministry in the first century as well as in the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and the 2000’s! For many of us “remnant (veteran) disciples,” do not allow “spiritual amnesia” to take away the joy of salvation that you first felt in college. “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering… because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” (Hebrews 10:32-34) Let us support with our hearts and our finances this renewed focus on the Campus Ministry. For the younger disciples, “Remember your leaders (do not get spiritual amnesia), who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7) You too need to appreciate that Campus Ministry has been a fountain of leadership for God’s Movements in the past, and prayerfully, God will use these zealous disciples to multiply His Movement into all 196 nations in this generation! And to God be all the glory!

    Dr. Kip McKean

  • Livestream Videos from 2014 GLC

    Livestream Videos from 2014 GLC

    The 2014 Global Leadership Conference – ZION’S DREAMERS – was filled with awe-inspiring events from the “Pre-Festivities” to the closing theme song from Psalm 126 – Men Who Dream! Highlights included almost 2,000 in attendance on Sunday morning; the Second Annual International College of Christian Ministries Commencement; 13 Kingdom Appointments – seven Evangelists and six Women’s Ministry Leaders; the sending out of the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, and the Chennai Mission Teams; and the introduction of the SoldOut Movement World Sector Leaders!

    Last year, 1,114 participated in the GLC, but this year, the Lord smashed that record with 1,323 registrants from around the globe! As well for the first time, the 2014 GLC was “Livestreamed!” All of the General Sessions and several of the workshops and forums were broadcast to a countless number of souls in 52 nations: Aruba, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zimbabwe!

     

     

     

     

    Kingdom Banquet

     

     

     

     

    World Sector Forum: Australasia & India

     

     

     

     

    General Evening Session

     

     

     

     

    Women’s Session

     

     

     

     

    Final General session

     

  • Meet Your New World Sector Leaders

    Meet Your New World Sector Leaders

    “Jesus went up on a mountain side and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve – designating them Apostles – that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.” Mark 3:13-14

    THE MCKEANS ASSISTED BY THE RAJANS WILL BE SENT OUT TODAY TO PLANT CHENNAI INDIA CHURCH!
    THE MCKEANS ASSISTED BY THE RAJANS WILL BE SENT OUT TODAY TO PLANT CHENNAI INDIA CHURCH!

    Welcome to the 2014 Global Leadership Conference – ZION’S DREAMERS! Not since the first century has a “Christian Movement” evangelized the nations in one generation, yet the SoldOut Discipling Movement has deep convictions that “God desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” in the twenty-first century! (1Timothy 2:3-4) Unique to our young movement is that we are united by Jesus’ dream to evangelize the nations in a generation, and we have a definitive plan to accomplish this noble task which we call The Crown of Thorns Project.This plan is being realized as the City of Angels International Christian Church was planted in LA by 42 disciples from Portland on May 6, 2007! During the past seven years the Spirit has multiplied these disciples into over 3,000 disciples with a Sunday attendance approaching 5,000 in 55 churches, in 26 nations, on all six populated continents in the world!

    As most are aware in the SoldOut Movement, we divide every city where we plant a church into multiple regions. Under the Lead Ministry Couple for the church in each city, every region has an appointed Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader who have the charge of not only “taking care of the flock” in their responsibility, but also to evangelize all the lost of that region of the city. (2 Corinthians 10:13-17) So similarly to fulfill Jesus’ dream, we have divided the globe into “world sectors” that collectively span the globe “so that all [196] nations [of the world] might believe and obey Him!” (Romans 16:26)

    In Luke 6:12-13, it is recorded that “Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called [all] His disciples to Him and chose 12 of them whom He also designated Apostles.” In striving to parallel Jesus’ plan to focus on a few and then to present them to the rest of His disciples, after much prayer by Elena & me, we would like to introduce here at the GLC those couples whom the Spirit has put on our hearts to be the SoldOut Movement’s World Sector Leaders (WSL’s): Chris & Theresa Broom – USA North Quadrant and India; Tim & Lianne Kernan – USA Northwest Quadrant and Canada; Matt & Helen Sullivan – USA South Quadrant; Michael & Michele Williamson – Europe; Oleg & Aliona Sirotkin – Russian Commonwealth; Andrew & Patrique Smellie – Africa; Cory & Jee Blackwell – Middle East; Raul & Lynda Moreno – Central & South America; Joe & Kerry Willis – Austral-China; Kyle & Joan Bartholomew – Pacific Rim; Nick & Denise Bordieri – Movement Shepherding Couple; Tony & Therese Untalan – Movement Shepherding Couple; and Michael & Sharon Kirchner – Movement Administration and Law. For the present time, Elena & I will continue to lead the City of Angels Church in LA which through our Region Leaders disciples all of the churches in the USA Southwest Quadrant, which we have called “Judea” for the past five years in reference to The Crown of Thorns Plan. (Acts 1:8)

    Of special note in Luke 10, Jesus commissions a second group called “the 72.” (Fascinatingly in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, they are called “The 70 Apostles.”) These preachers along with “The 12,” Jesus’ family, and Jesus’ women leaders composed “The 120” of Acts 1:15. These “120” became the foundation of the church as “The 3,000” that were baptized after Peter’s Pentecost Sermon were “added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41-42) Also unique to the SoldOut Movement, and once again paralleling Jesus’ ministry, we are building a second group of unified Evangelists and Women Ministry Leaders – “our 72” – which we have chosen to call the Crown of Thorns Council. Now, let’s get to know your World Sector Leaders!

    CHRIS & THERESA BROOM

    USA North Quadrant And India

    Chris & Theresa Broom were both baptized in New York City in 1990 and 1983 respectively. When Chris first studied the Bible and saw the fellowship of the Kingdom, he shares that he had but three words in his head, “This is home!” For Theresa, “God answered the prayers of my youth by leading me to His people and the truth of His Word.” Chris & Theresa first met each other on a blind date in the Kingdom! They were married December 3, 1994 and now have two incredible children – Austin (17) and Maria (14). Of special note, the Brooms heroically led the Syracuse Church to become the first church to align itself with the Portland Church in 2006!

    CHRIS & THERESA BROOM AND THEIR CHILDREN – AUSTIN AND MARIA!
    CHRIS & THERESA BROOM AND THEIR CHILDREN – AUSTIN AND MARIA!

    After overcoming the paralyzing effects of the Guillain–Barré Syndrome at eight years old (though he still wears braces), Chris first came to NYC to “make it big” as an actor, singer and dancer! So now, in leading the New York City International Christian Church, both Chris & Theresa have a passion to reach out to the thousands of young people “in the business” in America’s largest city! Therefore, Chris & Theresa want to add “just a little” to Alicia Keyes’ famous lyrics, “New York, where the streets make you feel brand new, and the lights will inspire you” to become a baptized “difference-making” disciple of Jesus!

    TIM & LIANNE KERNAN

    USA Northwest Quadrant And Canada

    TIM & LIANNE KERNAN WITH THEIR BOYS – JUNIOR AND DAVID!
    TIM & LIANNE KERNAN WITH THEIR BOYS – JUNIOR AND DAVID!

    Tim & Lianne were both born in Toronto, Canada. Lianne became a disciple in 1997 at 19 years old largely through the influence of her father, as she had been “raised around the church” since she was 12. Likewise baptized in Montreal, Tim recounts, “I will never forget first coming to church and seeing a beautiful sister doing a song and dance routine. I turned to the brother who invited me and told him that she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. He responded, ‘First get to know Jesus, then the sisters!’” Tim was baptized just two weeks later in 2001 and married that “beautiful woman” – Lianne – on November 1, 2003! They have two dynamic boys – Junior (5) and David (2)!

    Tim & Lianne’s stand for God’s honor forced them to start a remnant group in Toronto and later in London! They have both been partners in the gospel to Elena & me since the first Portland Jubilee in 2004! Together, they have planted the Paris Church in 2012 and the Toronto Church just last month! At today’s ICCM Commencement, Lianne will receive her Masters of Ministry Degree and Tim will receive his Doctorate of Ministry Degree! With these credentials, Tim will now serve as the President and Lianne a Professor at our first extension college – the ICCM Toronto!

    MATT & HELEN SULLIVAN

    USA South Quadrant

    MATT & HELEN SULLIVAN WITH THEIR CHILDREN – RYAN, AMANDA AND MELISSA – WHO ARE ALL BAPTIZED DISCIPLES!
    MATT & HELEN SULLIVAN WITH THEIR CHILDREN – RYAN, AMANDA AND MELISSA – WHO ARE ALL BAPTIZED DISCIPLES!

    Matt was born on the East Coast in Bangor, Maine and Helen was born on the West Coast in Palo Alto, California. Interestingly, Matt became a member of the Mainline Church of Christ in Louisiana because of dating a young woman. In time, he moved to San Francisco and was baptized into Christ in 1988 through the efforts of the Crossroads Movement. In a short time, this congregation became part of the Boston Movement which became the International Churches of Christ. Helen met Matt in the San Francisco Church as she was baptized before him in 1987! Matt had fathered a child before he became a disciple, yet in the Kingdom, Matt & Helen’s dating relationship was totally pure and they married as best friends on August 22, 1992. They have three children – Melissa (18), Amanda (17) and Ryan (15). All three are faithful baptized disciples, as well as Matt’s daughter Ashley (28)!

    Matt & Helen came to the first Portland Jubilee in 2004 and moved to be with us a month later! They hold the honor of planting the Phoenix Church, the Santiago Church (our first Crown of Thorns Planting), and the Orlando Church! As well, though Orlando is only a two year old congregation, from there the Spirit has planted two more congregations – Gainesville and Houston!

    MICHAEL & MICHELE WILLIAMSON

    Europe

    Michael’s favorite quote comes from an old preacher, “Where it’s darkest, the light shines brightest!” Both Michael & Michele’s conversions are incredible stories of light triumphing over darkness! Michael, born and raised in Portland, was first met by a brother from LA, and then was met on separate occasions by over 10 others that invited him out to church! He recounts, “Only after I felt the hand of God in one day as I lost a significant relationship, $8000, my car, my apartment, alongside being arrested did I decide to be baptized on January 23, 2000!” Michele was born in Vietnam to a British father and Vietnamese mother. Though raised in Australia, the Spirit took her to Portland State University for college. There she was converted in three weeks! In time they led the Singles Ministry together and were married on March 6, 2003 just as the ICOC was falling apart!

    MICHAEL & MICHELE WILLIAMSON!
    MICHAEL & MICHELE WILLIAMSON!

    Upon Elena’s and my arrival in Portland in July 2003, Michael & Michele gave us their hearts. After having walked with us in Portland and LA, God used Michele’s British citizenship to allow the Williamsons the privilege of planting the second Crown of Thorns Church in London in 2010! Today, Michael & Michele have three children – Sharayah (Michael’s daughter – 22), Michael Adrian (9), and Little Mia (2)!

    OLEG & ALIONA SIROTKIN

    Russian Commonwealth

    OLEG, ALIONA, SOPHIA AND LYDIA IN MOSCOW’S RED SQUARE!
    OLEG, ALIONA, SOPHIA AND LYDIA IN MOSCOW’S RED SQUARE!

    Inspirationally, the Sirotkins serve as a “prototype” of the Kingdom – Oleg was born in Russia and Aliona was born in Ukraine – countries now at war with each other – but as disciples are united in Christ! Oleg had been associated with the mafia and imprisoned for reckless activity. After being miraculously freed from prison in three days, Oleg began to seek God and became a fulltime worker in the Pentecostal Church. Extraordinarily just two months after we planted the Moscow Church in 1991, Oleg was then met and “taught the way of God more accurately” and was baptized! (Acts 18:26) Aliona worked in a casino in Ukraine, became “cross ways” with her boss, and literally left for dead in the winter in the middle of a forest. One of Aliona’s girlfriends became a disciple and invited her to the Kiev Church, where she was baptized in 1993! Oleg & Aliona were married in 1995, and have two amazing daughters Sophia (13) baptized in LA and Lydia (10) adopted at two years old!

    In time, the Sirotkins led the Kiev Church to grow to an attendance of 5,000 on Sundays! Remembering those “glory days,” in 2010 while fulltime, they joined the new movement because they saw the lukewarmness in our former fellowship. Today, their vision for Moscow, Kiev and all 12 Russian-speaking countries of the Russian Commonwealth is to plant churches that bring a “greater glory” for God than ever before! (Haggai 2:9)

    ANDREW & PATRIQUE SMELLIE

    Africa

    Andrew & Patrique are both of Jamaican decent; Patrique was born in Kingston and Andrew was born in New York City! Both were baptized through the efforts of the Syracuse Church: Andrew in 2000 and Patrique in 2001. The Smellies are our “Renaissance couple!” Andrew attained a black belt in Goju-Ryu Karate, became the first African American President of Cornell University Glee Club, and was awarded a Bachelor and a Master’s Degree from this Ivy League College! Patrique is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and earned a Law Degree from Syracuse University even “arguing a practice order” before the future Supreme Court Justice – Sonia Sotomayor! They were married on August 6, 2005 and God blessed them with two phenomenal children – Naomi (3) and Isaiah (1)!

    ANDREW, PATRIQUE, NAOMI AND THE YOUNG PROPHET ISAIAH SMELLIE!
    ANDREW, PATRIQUE, NAOMI AND THE YOUNG PROPHET ISAIAH SMELLIE!

    After the Brooms planted Chicago, Andrew & Patrique became the leaders of the Syracuse Church – “the little church that could… and did” – and then the Spirit called them to plant the Washington DC Church in 2008! After training in LA for two years with Elena & me, they built up the New York City Church. Upon being asked to go to Johannesburg, South Africa and to oversee the evangelization of Africa, Andrew immediately said yes, and Patrique just cried… not tears of sadness but tears of joy for this gracious opportunity to serve the Lord!

    CORY & JEE BLACKWELL

    Middle East

    CORY & JEE BLACKWELL!
    CORY & JEE BLACKWELL!

    Cory was raised a Sunni Muslim by his mom Wazirah and pursued his dream of playing NBA Basketball! God allowed Cory to fulfill his dream as he played for the Seattle Supersonics (now the Oklahoma Thunder). He was baptized in Chicago in 1990, but the Spirit called him to LA where side-by-side Cory and I initiated the Cross and Switchblade Ministry in LA, which became over a 1,000 disciples and then renamed the South Central Region! In time, he not only baptized his mom into Christ, but Cory was selected as the World Sector Leader of the Middle East for the ICOC in 1994, where he oversaw the planting and building of discipling churches in 21 nations. After the Lord had given to Cory & his wife four incredible children – Ashley (28), Amber (24), CJ (22), Avrie (17) – she left the Lord. Heartbroken, Cory wandered in a spiritual desert for 10 years, but through Lou Jack Martinez, Cory found revival in God’s new movement in LA in 2010. It was at a LA Singles Retreat a year later that Cory met the “sister of his dreams” Jee – a former top corporate fitness trainer – who was baptized in LA in 2008! They were married just a year ago the Sunday before the 2013 GLC!

    CORY AND KIP IN 1994!
    CORY AND KIP IN 1994!

    Today, the Blackwells lead the thriving Southland Region of the City of Angels Church! Avrie is a key teen disciple in the region. Cory & Jee are looking forward to moving to the Middle East to spearhead this “sure-to-be-glorious” work for God!

    RAUL & LYNDA MORENO

    Central And South America

    Raul was born in Madrid, Spain and Lynda in Bogota, Colombia. Raul was converted in Miami at Florida International University in 1996, while Lynda – a model – first “saw the Kingdom” at a Women’s Day and was baptized in Tampa, Florida in 1997! As relatively young Christians, Raul was selected for the Caracas Mission Team and Lynda was sent by the Spirit to become an intern at six months old in the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil! They both returned from the mission field and met at a Staff Meeting in Miami! They were married on October 6, 2001 and God has blessed them with two adorable children – Felipe (9) and Bella (7)!

    RAUL, LYNDA, FILIPE AND BELLA MORENO!
    RAUL, LYNDA, FILIPE AND BELLA MORENO!

    In 2003, they were asked to lead the Santiago ICOC. Yet as everything crashed around them, the Spirit led them to Portland, Oregon where they asked Elena & me to disciple them. In 2007, they took their stand for God, discipling, and world evangelism and thus the Santiago Remnant Group began! A few months later, the Spirit took them to LA to heal. There Lynda’s previous experience in Sao Paulo and her love for the Brazilian people served as a beacon for the Morenos to being sent to plant this Crown of Thorns City. As God’s anointed for Latin America and fluent in three languages – Spanish, Portuguese and English, the Lord has grown the seven disciples on the Sao Paulo Mission Team in a little more than two years to now 100 sold-out disciples of Jesus!

    JOE & KERRY WILLIS

    Austral-China

    JOE, KERRY, ALLY AND LUKE WILLIS!
    JOE, KERRY, ALLY AND LUKE WILLIS!

    Joe – born in Nottingham, England – and Kerry – born in Penang, Malaysia but Australian in nationality – were both baptized in England; Joe in 1990 and Kerry in 1991. Interestingly, Kerry was “traveling around the world” with friends, came in contact with disciples, was baptized, and stayed in London while her friends moved on! Ironically, they met half a world away in Manila at our Leadership Conference! They were married on December 12, 1995 and have twins – Luke and Alexandra now both 16 years old! They led Northern England, Scotland and Ireland in our former fellowship!

    After initiating the Brisbane, Australia Remnant Group, the Willises moved to LA to train in 2012. They have inspired the entire movement in their faith to raise funds for missions as well as planting the Sydney Church, which has more than doubled in their first six months! Their ultimate challenge is to evangelize China. Already, the Lord is forming the Crown of Thorns Hong Kong Mission Team through the several Chinese brothers and sisters that have been baptized in Sydney! Joe’s favorite Chinese quote is by Confucius, “Heaven means to be one with God!”

    KYLE & JOAN BARTHOLOMEW

    Pacific Rim

    KYLE & JOAN BARTHOLOMEW ON THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES CAMPUS IN METRO MANILA!
    KYLE & JOAN BARTHOLOMEW ON THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES CAMPUS IN METRO MANILA!

    Kyle was born in Hilo, Hawaii in 1981 and stands 6’4” while Joan was born in Davao, Philippines in 1980 and is a little less than five feet tall! Kyle became a disciple in 2001 and starred for the UH Hilo Basketball Team, which once boasted all five starters as disciples! Joan shares this about her conversion, “I attended my first service in Hilo out of fear for my sister being led astray as I was told she was in a cult! Ironically, I quickly fell in love with the Lord and His church and was baptized before my sister Jen!” They married on August 14, 2004 and now have three gorgeous children – Brett (8), Conner (2) and Bree (5 months)!

    Kyle’s decision to attend the 2006 Portland Jubilee and his asking of the Elena & me to disciple Joan & him was the spark that “officially” started God’s new SoldOut Discipling Movement! Not only have they planted the Hilo and Honolulu Churches, but they have developed the “Hawaii 5 – 0 Plan” to evangelize the Hawaiian Islands and Guam in the next five years! Since Joan is a “Filipina,” her heritage has guided this courageous couple to plant the Metro Manila Crown of Thorns Church in June 2015!

    TONY & THERESE UNTALAN

    Movement Shepherding Couple

    TONY & THERESE UNTALAN!
    TONY & THERESE UNTALAN!

    Like our other Movement Shepherding Couple – the Bordieris, Tony & Therese are “products of world evangelism!” Both were born in Guam in the 60’s, and came from well-known families on the Island. Adding to this was Therese winning the Miss Guam Crown in 1985! The Untalans shared the following about the Guam disciples in 1997, “The entire church fasted and prayed for us to become disciples. Afterall, our children – Jonathan now (30), Coleen (26), Tesoni (23) – loved Kids Kingdom! Though we strongly considered divorce, because of the Kingdom and discipling, we will celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary this year!”

    The Untalans have been with Elena & me since our first days in Portland. Of these gallant disciples I can write like Paul, “I thank God every time I remember you. In my prayers… I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now!” (Philippians 1:3-5) The Untalans have been given the charge to oversee all of the Shepherding Couples of the SoldOut Movement.

    NICK & DENISE BORDIERI

    Movement Shepherding Couple

    NICK & DENISE BORDIERI AND THE MERCY AMBASSADORS!
    NICK & DENISE BORDIERI AND THE MERCY AMBASSADORS!

    Nick was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1959, while Denise was born in San Bernadino, California in 1967. Both consider themselves products of world evangelism, as Nick’s Nike colleague was transferred from Taiwan to Manila where he was baptized! They reconnected in Portland – Nike’s World Headquarters – during the time that Nick & Denise were considering a divorce. After two months of studying the Bible, Nick was baptized and then baptized Denise that same day in 2001! They have two extraordinary children – Sonrisa (15) and Makaela (14)!

    The Bordieris were the most instrumental couple in getting Elena & me to move to Portland in 2003. We quickly bonded over our vision to evangelize the world and our passion for athletics, since Nick was a “small college All American football player” at Trinity College! Not only do the Bordieris serve tirelessly as “Movement Shepherds” but they also are the outstanding Directors of the benevolent arm of the SoldOut Movement Churches – MERCYworldwide! The Bordieris’ favorite Bible verse is Deuteronomy 15:11, “There will always be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”

    MICHAEL & SHARON KIRCHNER

    Movement Administration And Law

    Michael & Sharon have become the dearest of friends to Elena & me. As “children of the 60’s,” Michael hails from Iowa and Sharon from Oklahoma. Sharon was baptized in 1982 at the University of Missouri led by a couple Elena & I had trained at Eastern Illinois University! Sadly Sharon fell away, but kept the truth in her heart. Michael & Sharon met while working for the Campbell Soup Company in Kansas City and were married in 1994. Michael recounts, “During our dating time, I called Sharon Wesley – “Weezie” – which I affectionately call her to this day! I started ‘church shopping’ and Sharon brought me a Bible and gently suggested that I read it! She realized I was seeking God and it motivated her to come back to the Lord! Though it took a while to get anyone to study with me, I was baptized in the Minneapolis ICOC in 2004.”

    MICHAEL & SHARON KIRCHNER!
    MICHAEL & SHARON KIRCHNER!

    When the Kirchners heard about the “new movement,” they travelled to both Phoenix and Portland to “check things out.” After “seeing the Kingdom,” they literally left $55 million dollars “on-the-table-by-retirement” from General Mills to move to LA to be a part of the LA planting in 2007. Given Michael’s skill set, he quickly became the SoldOut Movement Administrator. Sharon has a servant‘s heart that visits the sick and reaches out to the families of disciples in a powerful way. Indeed, one of the Kirchners’ favorite Scriptures is Psalm 78:72, “[We will administer] with integrity of heart and skillful hands.”

    KIP & ELENA MCKEAN

    Leaders Of The World Sector Leaders

    KIP & ELENA MCKEAN AT THE FIRST COMMENCEMENT OF THE ICCM IN 2013!
    KIP & ELENA MCKEAN AT THE FIRST COMMENCEMENT OF THE ICCM IN 2013!

    Elena & I are so privileged and humbled to lead this incredible group of disciples! Each couple has so many gifts that surpass our meager talents. Indeed, in our leadership, 1 Corinthians 1:27 is fulfilled, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things…” Elena & I stand in awe of God that He would use us – after failing Him in the ICOC – to become “in the world’s eyes” the “founders” of the International Christian Churches, MERCYworldwide, and the International College of Christian Ministries!

    In May, I could not emotionally celebrate my 60th Birthday and 42nd year as a Christian, because Elena had been diagnosed with bone cancer – an incurable cancer. After four weeks of prayer (and juicing), Elena’s oncologist (cancer doctor) said, “I’ve never had anything like this happen! Your tests have ‘changed’ from concerning high calcium levels to normal and you no longer have any ‘cancer markers.’” We realize our days are numbered, but like Hezekiah, we are praying for many more years… so that we can see the world evangelized in our day!

    I beg you, please join us in praying that the Lord will work through the World Sector Leaders, the Crown of Thorns Council, and all the hard-working disciples of the SoldOut Movement so that like the first century church, the twenty-first century church will be able to write, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing… This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under Heaven.” (Colossians 1:6, 23) And to God be all the glory!

    Dr. Kip McKean
    Dr. Kip McKean

     

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  • ACEDIA – THE FORGOTTEN SIN

    ACEDIA – THE FORGOTTEN SIN

    “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” Proverbs 13:12

    The word “acedia” has been lost to the modern English language and is the forgotten of the original “Seven Deadly Sins.” Though acedia is not explicitly named on the many lists of sins in the Bible (Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:1-5), a monk named Evagrius Ponticus (345 – 399AD), one of the most gifted intellects of his day, compiled in Greek from Scripture his list of the “Eight Evil Thoughts.” In this order Ponticus included: gluttony (gastrimargia), fornication (porneia), avarice (philargyria), hubris (hyperephania), sadness – sadness at another’s good fortune (lype), wrath (orge), boasting (kenodoxia), and acedia (akedia). Acedia is listed last because Ponticus considered it “the most troublesome of all.”

    The City of Angels Church Staff celebrates Kip’s 60th Birthday! Both Elena & Kip overcame acedia through helping each other surrender to the will of God!
    The City of Angels Church Staff celebrates Kip’s 60th Birthday! Both Elena & Kip overcame acedia through helping each other surrender to the will of God!

    A short time later, another celebrated monk John Cassian (360 – 435AD), translates Ponticus’ list into Latin but with slight variances of meanings. Cassian’s “Eight Evil Thoughts List” is: gluttony (gula), fornication (fornicatio), avarice (avaritia), pride (superbia), despair (tristitia), wrath (ira), vainglory (vaingloria), and acedia (acedia).

    Then almost 200 years later, Gregorius Anicius (540 – 604AD) – the pope known as “Gregory the Great” and called by the Protestant Reformer John Calvin “the last good pope” – compiles a list of sins derived from Cassian’s list which Anicius calls “The Seven Deadlies.” In every day terms, Anicius combines pride and vainglory as well as despair and acedia, and then adds envy. Interestingly, he “changes” fornicatio (fornication) to “luxuria” – which expands the meaning from illicit sex to intense desire… lust! In Anicius’ mind, this could be lust for power, food, drink, knowledge, money, and/or fame. Therefore, in English, the very first list of “The Seven Deadly Sins” is: lust, gluttony, greed, acedia, wrath, envy and pride.

    Over the centuries the word “acedia” has been transliterated into “sloth” on most “Seven Deadly Sin Lists,” not to mention “dropped from daily use” in the English language. But what is the definition of acedia – this once so “prominent of sins?” The Oxford Concise Dictionary of the Christian Church reads, “A state of restlessness and inability either to work or to pray.” According to Wikipedia, “Acedia is the neglect to take care of something that one should do. It is [best] translated apathetic listlessness; depression without joy… In early Christian thought, the lack of joy was regarded as a willful refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world God created.”

    The respected theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274AD) believed that acedia was that which Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 7:10 as “worldly sorrow.” Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321AD), the prolific Italian writer of The Divine Comedy, calls acedia “the failure to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind, and all one’s soul.” The seriousness of this sin is underlined by the fact that for centuries many writers have expressed that acedia’s ultimate manifestation is a “despair which leads to suicide.”

    As for me, acedia was not part of my vocabulary until I stumbled on this archaic word while casually researching “The Seven Deadly Sins.” Immediately when I read about its earlier definitions, my heart was stirred because I – for the very first time – could identify my feelings and spiritual condition from 2001 – 2003AD. These were the years that I was put on sabbatical (taken out of all leadership and influence) and then fired for my convictions about the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16- 17); about the Biblical mandate of a central leadership with a central leader for God’s people (Numbers 27:15-18; Judges 2:6-19); that discipling is a command of God for every Christian (Matthew 28:20); that the “visible church” is to be composed of only sold-out disciples (Acts 2:41-42); and that we as God’s people are commanded to evangelize the nations in our generation. (1Timothy 2:3-4)

    Blaise is one of the SoldOut Movement’s most charismatic preachers! His vulnerability particularly sharing about acedia’s suicidal temptation has drawn the many that relate to him to the power of the cross!
    Blaise is one of the SoldOut Movement’s most charismatic preachers! His vulnerability particularly sharing about acedia’s suicidal temptation has drawn the many that relate to him to the power of the cross!

    After reading what others had written about acedia, I too began to search the Scriptures. For me, Proverbs 13:12 sums it up best, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul teaches that when one is not regularly inspired by the “body and blood of Jesus” during communion that this is the reason “people in the church” are “weak, sick… and [have] fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:30) The state of being “weak” most disciples comprehend, and “fallen asleep” of course means one has fallen away but still attends church. Yet, “spiritual sickness” is a term rarely used but it “fits” acedia!

    Perhaps from these two passages one begins to understand why “sloth” in time was substituted for “acedia.” When one is physically sick, one is usually lethargic – “hurting” and thus unmotivated “to get out of bed.” So it is with “spiritual sickness” – one’s heart is hurting so badly that one “feels” that it’s just too hard “to get out of bed” to do the will of God. Sloth on the other hand is simply laziness – one “loves doing nothing” more than working for God. Acedia and sloth may look the same – no work done for God – but in fact they are very distinct. This seemly subtle substitution on The Seven Deadly Sins List may have been the beginning of Satan’s scheme “to hide” the Biblical concept of acedia from our day and age.

     

    So what is the cause of the forgotten sin of acedia – “spiritual sickness?” I believe it is bitterness in one’s soul. In Hebrews 12 the Spirit says, “Endure [all] hardship as discipline [from] God.” Since God is sovereign then everything that happens to us either God makes happen or He allows it. The Spirit says that “yes” this “discipline is painful,” but God’s purpose is to “produce a harvest of righteousness and peace…” So when hardship comes one has a choice either to become a “better Christian” or a “bitter Christian!” In other words, one “gets down and depressed” because one’s life is not going as they had “hoped.” Your hope is “deferred!” This is why Hebrews 12:15 teaches, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Many of us “picture” bitterness as a raging, hateful and loud individual. However, actually for most, bitterness makes us depressed, lethargic and withdrawn… just like Cain whose “face was downcast.” (Genesis 4:6)

    When our former fellowship crashed, Oleg’s heart gave into acedia which led him to lose his dreams, leave the ministry, and invest his talents in business. Praise God he repented and will now lead the Moscow Mission Team in December!
    When our former fellowship crashed, Oleg’s heart gave into acedia which led him to lose his dreams, leave the ministry, and invest his talents in business. Praise God he repented and will now lead the Moscow Mission Team in December!

    As I studied out this sin, I knew that I must look at the life of Jesus because He was “tempted in every way just as we are yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) In Jesus’ darkest hours in Gethsemane, He shares with His three closest brothers – Peter, James and John, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) Then He fell to the ground praying for three hours, “Father if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39) Luke adds that His prayer was so intense that Jesus sweat drops of blood. Then Luke continues, “When Jesus rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ‘Why are you sleeping?’ Jesus asked them. ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’” (Luke 22:45-46) Most notably, Jesus is tempted with acedia and overcomes through prayer and surrendering His will to God’s, but His disciples succumb to acedia – “exhausted from sorrow” – failing to even pray!

    So in retrospect in examining my own life, I was deceived by my sin and Satan. (Hebrews 3:12) Since I was a “happy pagan” before I was baptized; a “happy” young Christian; a “happy” Evangelist; and a “very happy” husband and father, when great adversity came, my heart was not like Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2) When I faced “opposition from sinful men” (some I caused by my sin against them) I grew “weary and began to lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3) I did not “see God” anywhere in my hardship but I was bitter towards those that I perceived “hurt my family and me.” Confused by Satan through the sin of acedia, I almost lost my ideals, my Biblical convictions, and my salvation. (John 8:43-44) Praise God that the Scriptures reveal “the truth, and the truth… set me free!” (John 8:32)

    During the days after the demise of our former fellowship, Lynda’s acedia caused a nervous breakdown. Today, through God’s and her husband’s unconditional love Lynda is “rejoicing in the Lord!”
    During the days after the demise of our former fellowship, Lynda’s acedia caused a nervous breakdown. Today, through God’s and her husband’s unconditional love Lynda is “rejoicing in the Lord!”

    However some nights… I still struggle with acedia – “exhausted with sorrow.” In fact, I was recently convicted by the Disney movie FROZEN. I had a dream where Elena & I were sitting in a plane and watching other passengers board. Then two “brothers” (who in my opinion) did my family and me “a great deal of harm” came down the aisle. (2 Timothy 4:14) When the first one came to me, I immediately stood up and angrily rebuked him! When the second one passed, I was even more sinful! I said absolutely nothing as I scornfully watched him pass by. I told Elena the dream in the morning and I knew I needed to repent of this bitterness that had crept back into my heart. Then a few days later, I received an email informing me that the man to whom I had said nothing had just lost a son to cancer. Elena asked if I was going to write a sympathy note… She asked three days straight! I then cried when I saw that my heart was “FROZEN!” In the movie, the only cure for a “frozen heart” is “an act of true love.” Remarkably, after I wrote and sent a warm email to this brother, I felt a peace come over me as my heart “melted” from this “act of love.” I learned that I have to “re-crucify” my bitterness and reaffirm my forgiveness, especially since none was ever asked.

    I write these things to help any others who can identify with me. Through God’s incredible mercy and patience, I now see clearly that God had to take away everything that I valued too much. Like Nebuchadnezzar – who was “driven away from people and ate grass like cattle” – God greatly humbled me (except for eating grass) making me understand that I am nothing. (Daniel 4:33) Through the “hardship” of losing all my leadership and most of my “friends,” I learned that I must live only to praise “the Most High!” (Daniel 4:34) I thank God for Elena whose fierce loyalty and love pointed me to God and gave me strength to persevere.

    I do believe that for most “remnant veteran disciples,” acedia is our “sin of choice” as our “hope” of a glorious church that would reach all nations was “deferred” by our sins! How do we repent of acedia – “the most troublesome of sins?” First of all, you must identify it in your life. Secondly, you must surrender to the sovereignty of God, embracing your hardships by asking what God wants you to learn.

    I still remember quite vividly studying with Carlos Mejia at the Good Earth Restaurant after he visited the Inaugural Service of the City of Angels Church in May 2007. At that time he shared that he was “visiting and checking out” many different churches and could not commit to any because he was “so sad” about the demise of our former fellowship and “how he was treated.” Perhaps the most impacting Scripture for him was Luke 5:31-32, “Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’” I shared with Carlos from this passage that to be “sick” is to be a “sinner” and that “repentance” makes us “healthy.” In response, Carlos repented of his acedia – spiritual sickness – that day and placed membership the next Sunday! But now when Carlos shares about that Sunday, he simply says, “I was restored to my first love!” Furthermore, today Carlos powerfully leads the Santiago de Chile International Christian Church!

    After overcoming acedia’s disillusionment and listlessness, Carlos & Lucy Mejia now lead the dynamic Santiago de Chile Church!
    After overcoming acedia’s disillusionment and listlessness, Carlos & Lucy Mejia now lead the dynamic Santiago de Chile Church!

    Be sure of this, “healing” from this sin is not a matter of time but “repentance!” Then as part of your “repentance” of bitterness, forgive those who have hurt you or you will not be forgiven. (Matthew 18:23-35) Since acedia is “the willful refusal to enjoy the goodness of God” be aware that this sin will return with his seven deadly demon friends unless you willfully “rejoice in the Lord always… [and pray] with thanksgiving… [so that] the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus… [Therefore] whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things… [Remembering you] can do everything through Him who gives [you] strength!” (Philippians 4:4-13) Even overcoming acedia! And to our Merciful Father in Heaven be all the glory!

    Kip McKean

  • Updated Crown of Thorns Project

    Updated Crown of Thorns Project

    With this year’s theme – The Year Of Prayer, the City of Angels Church Leadership has set before the Lord the following Prayer Goals for 2014. In the Spirit of Unity (John 17:11) we want to join these Prayer Goals of our mother church in Los Angeles and imitate them. (1 Corinthians 11:1):

  • Tear Down This Wall by Kip McKean

    Tear Down This Wall by Kip McKean

    VOLUME 8 ISSUE 2

    “There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe… Come to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, Open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!”

    USA President Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate of the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987.

    Last week, Reagan’s four most remembered words, “Tear down this wall” raced back into my mind with the Russian military invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in the Ukraine. In fact, in this same speech before a throng of 45,000 in Berlin, Reagan amplified this call, “Yes across Europe, the wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith. It cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.” Yet the Soviet Press Agency TASS denounced Reagan’s words as “Openly provocative, a war-mongering speech!” However, the “winds of change” were blowing as just 29 months later on November 9, 1989, East Germany opened the Berlin Wall!

    The 1991 Moscow Mission Team! (Elena is on the far right!)

    Most historians would agree that the dismantling of the Berlin Wall directly led to the “melting” of the Soviet Union’s Iron Curtain after the failed Soviet Coup in Moscow against Boris Yeltsin on August 19, 1991. As our Sovereign God would have it, the Coup perfectly coincided with the Moscow Church Planting on July 14, 1991. When “religious freedom” was embraced in Russia and the 14 satellite nations of the Soviet Union, the Spirit multiplied our 17 member mission team to have 850 baptisms that first year! By the year 2001, we had discipling churches in all 15 nations of the former Soviet Union collectively numbering 11,500 disciples!

    During the week preceding the Moscow Church Planting, we endured persecution as all true disciples must in any and every nation. In fact, my life was threatened by the father of Irina who would become our first baptism! Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own… If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18-20)

    Most disciples “expect” persecution from “the world.” The false charges against God’s new SoldOut Movement include being labeled a “cult,” and our members derided as “brainwashed” and “mind-controlled.” However, these accusations pale in the light of what many of our first century brothers and sisters endured. AJ Kostenburger writes, “The following charges were regularly leveled against the early Christians: 1) Insurrection – claiming Jesus is Lord [and King]; 2) Cannibalism – eating Christ’s body at the Lord’s Supper; 3) Immorality – ‘love feasts’ [Jude 12]… 4) Incendiaries – teaching that the elements will be dissolved and consuming fire will destroy the world [2 Peter 3:10], thus Nero fastened the blame for the Fire of Rome in 64 AD on the Christians; 5) Disintegrating Family Relationships – dividing families if a wife became a Christian, but the husband did not.” In fact, the first century historians Josephus, Tacitus and Suetonius all record the persecution of disciples to the point of death.

    Almost 80 remnant disciples came to our November 2013 Meeting to learn more about the Moscow Church Planting in December 2014!

    Of great concern is that most disciples do not expect persecution from “other Christians,” since they are unaware that Satan works through those who “masquerade as servants of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:15) Let us not forget that Jesus experienced the strongest persecutions from the “leaders of God’s people” – the Pharisees and teachers of the law. When He is talking with the Apostles in John 16:1-3, Jesus refers to such persecutions, “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” Being “put out of the synagogue” by the religious leaders should have signified that this individual was no longer faithful to God. Yet, Jesus taught that just the opposite was true – the religious leaders were unfaithful to God and the “disfellowshipped” person walked with God! When Jesus said, “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray,” He was keenly aware that this evil action of being “put out of the synagogue” would confuse naïve people – including true disciples, and even the Apostles!

    Being “put out of the synagogue” is also addressed in John 12:42-43, “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Jesus. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” This “ungodly punishment” made cowards of those who wanted to follow Jesus but did not want to lose the fellowship of their friends and the approval of their “spiritual leaders.”

    This heart-breaking dilemma is first seen in John 9 where the former blind man’s parents answer the Jewish leaders about their son’s miraculous healing, “‘Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.” The son’s courageous response to these same Jews – “One thing I do know. I once was blind but now I see” – is in stark contrast to his parents as he stands up for Jesus and is thrown out of the synagogue! (John 9:34)

    As it was in the first century so it is in our 21st century; in regards to being “led astray” by false teachers who threaten to put them “out of the synagogue,” this practice in modern terms is the act of “disfellowshipping.” In “An Open Letter To The Church” on October 17, 2006 “From the Elders and Evangelists of the Los Angeles International Church of Christ” (ICOC) to “Brothers and Sisters,” they write about God’s SoldOut Movement: “Do not attend any of their meetings. Do not engage in any conversations with them… This applies not only to your contact with Kip McKean, Sal Velasco, and Ron Harding, but also with anyone associated with this splinter group. It is important to understand that anyone who joins this faction will no longer be considered in fellowship with the LA Church.” This “disfellowshipment letter” employs exactly the same “fear tactic” – “to be put out of the synagogue” –that the Pharisees used to stop “truth seekers” from “checking out” and then following Jesus!

    The Russian Commonwealth Leaders – Fred & Alya Muratov – the Kiev, Ukraine Remnant Group Leaders; Oleg & Aliona Sirotkin – the Moscow Mission Team Leaders; and Eugen & Julia Sobolev – the Moscow Remnant Group Leaders!

    To those who dare “examine the Scriptures” about the Biblical convictions of the SoldOut Movement, they will find that we believe in the physical resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28:6); we believe that the Bible is inspired and inerrant (2 Timothy 3:16-17); we believe that repentance and becoming a disciple must come before being baptized for the remission of sins to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 4:1-2; Acts 2:38); we believe that God’s church universal includes anyone of any fellowship who has the previous convictions, but we also believe that God desires His visible church to be built and composed of only “sold-out baptized disciples” (Acts 11:26); we believe that every disciple needs discipling relationships (Matthew 28:20); we believe that autonomy for local church government is sin and we believe that a central leadership with a central leader is God’s desire in order to build a unified movement of churches. (Acts 15:13-29) This is the only way to realize God’s will and our vision of the evangelization of the nations in this generation. (1Timothy 2:3-4)

    For similar convictions in the mid 70’s, Elena & I as college students were “disfellowshipped” by many lukewarm Mainline Churches of Christ when we worshipped with the Crossroads Church of Christ who took a lonely stand for discipleship. Later, in 1988 we were “disfellowshipped” again by not only all Mainline Churches of Christ but also by our beloved Crossroads Church because we came to a conviction from the Scriptures of the need for a central leadership with a central leader to evangelize the world! Then in 2006, after three long years of tirelessly pleading with our dearly loved ICOC brothers and sisters to cast off their lukewarmness, very sadly we were again “disfellowshipped” by what was left of the ICOC largely because they had “turned back” to Mainline Church of Christ theology. Through the years, we have learned that the price of following Jesus remains the same; one will be “put out of the synagogue” and treated as a heretic.

    Dinner in November 2013 when Slava (far right) & Elena (second from left) Kapskiy decided to join God’s new movement!

    Praise God that in the past two years so many leaders from our former movement valiantly joined God’s new movement at the cost of sacrificing friendships in our former fellowship to find revival in their friendship with God. Of note internationally, these gallant disciples include: Renato & Maria Jose Tria of Sao Paulo, Brazil and the 18 disciples that followed them; Micky Ngungu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and the 151 disciples that were partners in the gospel with him; Amadou & Angele Sountoura, and the 150 disciples in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Philippe & Prisca Scheidecker and Monica Vazquez of Paris; Menno & Yuklin Zoutendijk and Renee & Anita Vermaat of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Gerson & Alexandra Higgins of Caracas, Venezuela; and Slava & Elena Kapskiy of Minsk, Belarus – who have moved to Moscow to help God gather His now bruised and scattered remnant throughout the former Soviet Union.

    From the United States in the past two years those daring leaders that joined God’s new movement include: Sal & Jen DiFusco and Ted & Sheila Karonis of Boston, Tim Power of Dallas, Matt & Marlo Lovacheff of Denver; Gary & Cyndee Ochs of San Francisco, Chris Bryant of LA, and Clay & Rashima Erickson of the Antelope Valley, as well as the 40 disciples that eventually followed them!

    On my desk is a piece of the Berlin Wall encased in plastic. Engraved at the bottom are the words, “This is a remnant of the Berlin Wall which stood as a barrier against the free exchange of ideas, information and culture. You helped bring this wall down.” It is with this spirit to help “bring this wall down” that I write the almost weekly Good News Emails. Interestingly, the programs of Radio Free Europe from 1949 to 1995 proclaimed hope and truth to those “behind the Iron Curtain.” Likewise, the Good News Email through word and picture “broadcasts” over the man-made wall of “false disfellowshipment” that God has gathered a new movement where His “Word… [once again continues] to increase (numerically) and spread (geographically)” around the world. (Acts 12:24)

    For the honor of God and for the love of His people – both fiercely faithful and those restlessly wandering – I say to my brothers of the ICOC and other fellowships of their sway, “Tear down this wall of disfellowshipment!” Tear down this wall of hostility, deceit and false accusations! As Moses challenged Pharaoh with Jehovah’s message, “Let my people go,” allow God’s people the freedom to at least “check out” His new movement. “Yes across [the world], the wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith. It cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.”

    All eight disciples of the Novosibirsk, Russia Remnant Group will move to Moscow this March!

    Some may consider this challenge “openly provocative, a war-mongering speech!” Yet the words of the Scorpions’ song – Wind of Change – again seems so very relevant:

    The future’s in the air – can feel it everywhere,

    The blowing with the wind of change.

    Take me to the magic of the moment on a glory night

    Where the children of tomorrow

    Dream away in the wind of change.

    Let the word go forth that the Spirit – the true Wind of Change – is blowing across the nations! Let us remain undaunted and prayerful in scaling and breaking down the walls of “false disfellowshipment,” thus uniting God’s people around the globe into a single movement that “dreams away in the wind of change!” And to God be the glory!

  • 2014 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) – ZION’S DREAMERS!

    2014 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) – ZION’S DREAMERS!

    Tim Kernan, the Toronto Mission Team Leader and the Director of the 2014 GLC: Based on Psalm 126, the theme for the 2014 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) is ZION’S DREAMERS! The GLC will “officially begin” Sunday, August 10th and conclude on the afternoon of August 12th! All of the sermons, lessons and classes of this year’s GLC will be based upon the books of many of “Zion’s greatest Dreamers” – Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai and Zechariah! This momentous era spans from 536 BC to around 450 BC. Their challenges and opportunities so valiantly engaged give us encouragement and hope as we confront many parallel trials to evangelize the nations in our generation!

    20140225-184108.jpg

    We are inviting you to join us for the 2014 GLC which will be held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa! (This is a two hour car ride from LAX, so best to fly directly to the Palm Springs Airport.)

    20140225-181912.jpg

    This year’s conference has a “special opportunity” and that is to purchase your 2014 Global Leadership Conference Registration Tickets early. The registration fee for this year’s seminar is $175, but from now until April 1st the “special early bird rate” is $150! (For those invited to the Church Builders Workshop on Friday, August 8th, there will be a small $20 registration fee collected at the door.) You may register for the 2014 GLC at the City of Angels International Christian Church Website – CAICC.net or you may go directly to https://glc2014.eventbrite.com. Please keep the 2014 Global Leadership Conference in your prayers!

  • Movement Article & Crown Of Thorns Project for Jan 2014

    Movement Article & Crown Of Thorns Project for Jan 2014

    With this year’s theme – The Year Of Prayer, the City of Angels Church Leadership has set before the Lord the following Prayer Goals for 2014. In the Spirit of Unity (John 17:11) we want to join these Prayer Goals of our mother church in Los Angeles and imitate them. (1 Corinthians 11:1):

    crownofthornsproject

    A House Of Prayer For All Nations

    Prayer Goals for 2014

    “Jesus said, ‘Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?’” Mark 11:17

    Excitingly, The Sydney Mission team flew into Australia on December 18, 2013! Pray for the Inaugural service of the Sydney International Christian Church on February 2, 2014
    Excitingly, The Sydney Mission team flew into Australia on December 18, 2013! Pray for the Inaugural service of the Sydney International Christian Church on February 2, 2014

    A House Of Prayer For All Nations is the title of the 2014 City of Angels International Christian Church (CAICC) Winter Workshop! Therefore, our congregational theme for the coming year will be The Year Of Prayer. However, before we venture into 2014, let us take a moment to gratefully recount some of the miracles and highlights of 2013!

    Unquestionably, 2013 was our best year… yet! At our Bring Your Neighbor Day in January, we set an attendance record of 1,377! Perhaps even more amazingly we are now averaging 1,100 at every Sunday Service! These “new heights” have been attained because the Lord has graciously added to our number 459 souls: 346 baptisms, 62 restorations, and 51 place memberships – many of whom came to us directly from our former fellowship seeking revival!

    Highlights of the year included: Our 2013 Winter Workshop – Great Among The Nations, our Women’s Day – PRICELESS, the inauguration of the CAICC Basketball League, the send-off of the Las Vegas Mission Team, our Parenting Workshop, the Labor Day Picnic And Fun Day, our Fall Retreats, and our Annual Christmas Service that included the sending-out of the sixth Crown of Thorns Mission Team – Sydney, Australia!

    The Lord has used Tim Kernan to build His Kingdom in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Chennai, and in March – Lord willing – Tim will plant in his homeland the Toronto International Christian Church!
    The Lord has used Tim Kernan to build His Kingdom in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Chennai, and in March – Lord willing – Tim will plant in his homeland the Toronto International Christian Church!

    Another remarkable highlight was in August at our Global Leadership Conference (GLC) – Prophets And Kings – where the Spirit gathered almost 2,000 on Sunday morning to witness the First Commencement Ceremony of the International College of Christian Ministries! 90 received Bachelor’s Degrees, three Master’s Degrees were granted, and one Doctorate Degree was awarded! The service ended gloriously with the entire auditorium falling to their knees in prayer before God to send-out the Denver Mission Team! Miraculously, in the SoldOut Movement’s short seven-year history, God has spread His new movement to build 51 churches in 21 nations on all six populated continents of the world!

    So encouraging as well was the Second Annual IGNITE Program! This nine day event gathered 28 of our strongest teens from around the world for a special time of bonding through spiritual strengthening, community service and fun activities. Special thanks to Ricky & Coleen Challinor for overseeing this momentous event! In the summer of 2014, IGNITE will be held in Orlando, Florida!

    While Valiantly serving the Lord in India last fall, Lianne contracted the Life-Threatening Disease of Dengue fever!
    While Valiantly serving the Lord in India last fall, Lianne contracted the Life-Threatening Disease of Dengue fever!

    As we close our thoughts on 2013, the Congregational Shepherding Couples – the Bordieris, the Kirchners, and the Untalans, the Regional Leader Couples, and Elena & I want to commend the City of Angels Church for your tremendous weekly sacrifice of $31,000, as well as an almost unbelievable $735,000 collected from our two Missions Contributions! This sacrifice not only gave us the “seed money” for the four plantings of Las Vegas, Denver, Gainesville and Sydney, but your incredible sacrifice also served to sustain the Lord’s work in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America!

    With this year’s theme – The Year Of Prayer, the City of Angels Church Leadership has set before the Lord the following Prayer Goals for 2014:

    1

    “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’” (Luke 11:1) With the daunting challenge to reach all nations in this generation, comes the realization that we will only be able to accomplish this “seemingly impossible feat” if we too learn to pray as Jesus’ disciples learned from Him. After all, it’s been 2,000years since the world was last evangelized in a generation –and this was only accomplished by the Spirit working through the Apostles’ prayers! Therefore, our first goal is to call every disciple to refocus on their personal relationship with God.

    2

    “Brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1) During the 2013 year and this firstweek of 2014, the City of Angels Church has been privileged to send out 86 of our most well-trained disciples to plant and to strengthen the churches around the world! Given this phenomenal sacrifice, our goal to once again have over daily additions will necessitate all of us walking closer to God than ever before. It is also our prayer to have a record attendance at our January 26th Bring Your Neighbor Day!

    Another specific prayer goal for “the message of the Lord [to] spread rapidly” is to plant the Santa Barbara Church today– led by Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell; to plant the Toronto, Canada Church in March – led by Tim & Lianne Kernan; to plant the Dallas-Ft. Worth Church in August – led by Tyler &Shay Sears; and to plant Moscow, Russia in December – led by Oleg & Aliona Sirotkin. Also, as of today, the Spirit is sending10 disciples from the IE Region to plant a new sector in the six Desert Cities! Argo & Anu Arneson call this effort, “Operation: Desert Storm!” Of special note, the Antelope Valley Sector –because of their tremendous growth and distant geography– will now be known as the 11th region of the City of Angels Church: the Antelope Valley Region!

    God Gathering the Russian Speaking Remnant of 50 Disciples in Moscow! The Sobolovs (Right) will Lead the Moscow Remnant Group until the Sirotkins (Center) arrive with the Mission team in December! The Muratovs (Left) will Lead the Kiev Remnant Group!
    God Gathering the Russian Speaking Remnant of 50 Disciples in Moscow! The Sobolovs (Right) will Lead the Moscow Remnant Group until the Sirotkins (Center) arrive with the Mission team in December! The Muratovs (Left) will Lead the Kiev Remnant Group!

    3

    “Then all the army officers… and all the people…approached Jeremiah and said to him, ‘Please… pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.’” (Jeremiah 42:1-In 2013, so many remnant (veteran) disciples joined God’s new movement! Of special note were: Renato & Maria Jose Tria and 16 othersfrom the sector they led in what’s left of the Sao Paulo ICOC; Chris Bryant of LA’s Southland Region; Mike & Dena Sanicola of Denver; Ronnie Gonzalez of Manila; Nimrod & Vis Malnegro of Davao; Slava & Yelena Kapskiy of Minsk; the Zoutendijks and Vermaats of Amsterdam; and of course Alex Turgeau of Port-au-Prince, Haiti! Four new Remnant Churches have formed in Haiti alone! Other new Remnant Groups include: Amsterdam, Caracas, Davao, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and San Antonio! Let us pray that even more remnant disciples join us in 2014!

    4

    “We… will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4) A significant proportion of the fulltime persons’ ministry is devoted to prayerfully selecting and raising-up new Evangelists and Women’s Ministry Leaders.Therefore, we are praying that from LA and around the movement at least five Evangelists and five Women’s Ministry Leaders will be appointed in 2014.

     

    5

    “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’” (Matthew 9:37-38) With the sending-out of so many mature and fruitful disciples over the past few years, it is no surprise that 65% of the CAICC membership of nearly 800disciples is composed of new Christians, restorations or place memberships from 2012 and 2013. Consequently, we have a tremendous opportunity to bring all of them to maturity in Christ, which includes being “fruitful.” (Luke 8:14-15) We will continue to work on the retention of these precious new disciples through the accountability of Follow-up Studies, New Christian Orientations, D-groups at Midweek Services, Spiritual Strengthening Groups, “upping the profile” of our CR Ministry, as well as raising-up at least one Shepherding Couple and one Deacon Couple in each of our 10 regions by the end of 2015.

    6

    “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,

    Tyler & Shay Sears are the Dallas –Ft. Worth Mission Team Leaders! The team is scheduled to be sent-out in August at the 2014 GLC!
    Tyler & Shay Sears are the Dallas –Ft. Worth Mission Team Leaders! The team is scheduled to be sent-out in August at the 2014 GLC!

    believe you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark11:23-24) For many young disciples being consistent with their weekly pledge as well as “coming through” with their Missions Contribution can pose a “mountain of problems.” Yet Jesus promises if we believe – in fact if we pray as if we’ve already received what we need for God’s purposes – God will give it to us! Our financial goals this year are to increase our pledges to $35,000/week and to give a 20X Missions Contribution on May 18th. Of course, if unforseen needs arise as they have in some past years, there will be a small Thanksgiving Missions Contribution in November to assure that “there [are] no needy persons among [us].” (Acts 4:34)

    7

    “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have MERCY on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13) As the benevolent arm of the SoldOut Movement, the impact of MERCYworldwide now extends to all six populated continents of the world! This year, the City of Angels Church will again participate in our movements’ global events of the Day of MERCY in June and the MERCY Christmas Toy Drive in December! Last year, the New York City and Los Angeles Churches partnered with the Red Cross for a blood drive. The Red Cross was so thrilled with this venture with the MERCY Ambassadors that they have agreed to hold a National MERCY/Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, September20th!

    8

    “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him… and to worship Him, these will I bring to my holy mountain and give them joy… in my house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:6-7) Last year to “radicalize” the ICCM students, each of them were called to either attend November’s European Missions Conference (EMC) in London or this coming February’s Central and South American Missions Conference (CSAMC) in Santiago. So encouraging to all at the EMC was the attendance of 26 of us from Los Angeles which included 10 ICCM students. Our prayer goal is not only to get every one of the now 56 Bachelor Degree Candidates to either one of these conferences or to visit an international church planting, but also to motivate as many as possible from the rest of the congregation to participate in these conferences thus sharing in “the joy in [God’s] house of prayer for all nations.”

    9

    “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church… forever and ever! Amen!” (Ephesians 3:20-21) Our last challenge is for every CAICC member to have at least one personal prayer goal that is “immeasurably more than [anything] we imagine.” This may include being on a mission team, being selected for the ICCM, becoming a Bible Talk Leader, being selected as a Shepherding or Deacon Couple, or even the conversion or restoration of someone close to you.

    In all cultures, the beginning of a new year brings hope and resolutions. Yet the world lacks the Spirit’s power to transform, so many “new year’s resolutions” quickly fade. When kneeling and tearful disciples pray, this incense prompts our Father in Heaven to unleash His Spirit and His angels to even “move mountains!” Let us all embrace The Year Of Prayer.

    And to God be all the glory!

    kip

  • A House Of Prayer For All Nations Prayer Goals for 2014

    A House Of Prayer For All Nations Prayer Goals for 2014

    VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 1

    A House Of Prayer For All Nations

    Prayer Goals for 2014

    “Jesus said, ‘Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?’” Mark 11:17

    Excitingly, The Sydney Mission team flew into Australia on December 18, 2013! Pray for the Inaugural service of the Sydney International Christian Church on February 2, 2014
    Excitingly, The Sydney Mission team flew into Australia on December 18, 2013! Pray for the Inaugural service of the Sydney International Christian Church on February 2, 2014

    A House Of Prayer For All Nations is the title of the 2014 City of Angels International Christian Church (CAICC) Winter Workshop! Therefore, our congregational theme for the coming year will be The Year Of Prayer. However, before we venture into 2014, let us take a moment to gratefully recount some of the miracles and highlights of 2013!

    Unquestionably, 2013 was our best year… yet! At our Bring Your Neighbor Day in January, we set an attendance record of 1,377! Perhaps even more amazingly we are now averaging 1,100 at every Sunday Service! These “new heights” have been attained because the Lord has graciously added to our number 459 souls: 346 baptisms, 62 restorations, and 51 place memberships – many of whom came to us directly from our former fellowship seeking revival!

    Highlights of the year included: Our 2013 Winter Workshop – Great Among The Nations, our Women’s Day – PRICELESS, the inauguration of the CAICC Basketball League, the send-off of the Las Vegas Mission Team, our Parenting Workshop, the Labor Day Picnic And Fun Day, our Fall Retreats, and our Annual Christmas Service that included the sending-out of the sixth Crown of Thorns Mission Team – Sydney, Australia!

    The Lord has used Tim Kernan to build His Kingdom in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Chennai, and in March – Lord willing – Tim will plant in his homeland the Toronto International Christian Church!
    The Lord has used Tim Kernan to build His Kingdom in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Chennai, and in March – Lord willing – Tim will plant in his homeland the Toronto International Christian Church!

    Another remarkable highlight was in August at our Global Leadership Conference (GLC) – Prophets And Kings – where the Spirit gathered almost 2,000 on Sunday morning to witness the First Commencement Ceremony of the International College of Christian Ministries! 90 received Bachelor’s Degrees, three Master’s Degrees were granted, and one Doctorate Degree was awarded! The service ended gloriously with the entire auditorium falling to their knees in prayer before God to send-out the Denver Mission Team! Miraculously, in the SoldOut Movement’s short seven-year history, God has spread His new movement to build 51 churches in 21 nations on all six populated continents of the world!

    So encouraging as well was the Second Annual IGNITE Program! This nine day event gathered 28 of our strongest teens from around the world for a special time of bonding through spiritual strengthening, community service and fun activities. Special thanks to Ricky & Coleen Challinor for overseeing this momentous event! In the summer of 2014, IGNITE will be held in Orlando, Florida!

    While Valiantly serving the Lord in India last fall, Lianne contracted the Life-Threating Disease of Dengue fever!
    While Valiantly serving the Lord in India last fall, Lianne contracted the Life-Threating Disease of Dengue fever!

    As we close our thoughts on 2013, the Congregational Shepherding Couples – the Bordieris, the Kirchners, and the Untalans, the Regional Leader Couples, and Elena & I want to commend the City of Angels Church for your tremendous weekly sacrifice of $31,000, as well as an almost unbelievable $735,000 collected from our two Missions Contributions! This sacrifice not only gave us the “seed money” for the four plantings of Las Vegas, Denver, Gainesville and Sydney, but your incredible sacrifice also served to sustain the Lord’s work in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America!

    With this year’s theme – The Year Of Prayer, the City of Angels Church Leadership has set before the Lord the following Prayer Goals for 2014:

    1

    “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’” (Luke 11:1) With the daunting challenge to reach all nations in this generation, comes the realization that we will only be able to accomplish this “seemingly impossible feat” if we too learn to pray as Jesus’ disciples learned from Him. After all, it’s been 2,000years since the world was last evangelized in a generation –and this was only accomplished by the Spirit working through the Apostles’ prayers! Therefore, our first goal is to call every disciple to refocus on their personal relationship with God.

    2

    “Brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1) During the 2013 year and this firstweek of 2014, the City of Angels Church has been privileged to send out 86 of our most well-trained disciples to plant and to strengthen the churches around the world! Given this phenomenal sacrifice, our goal to once again have over daily additions will necessitate all of us walking closer to God than ever before. It is also our prayer to have a record attendance at our January 26th Bring Your Neighbor Day!

    Another specific prayer goal for “the message of the Lord [to] spread rapidly” is to plant the Santa Barbara Church today– led by Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell; to plant the Toronto, Canada Church in March – led by Tim & Lianne Kernan; to plant the Dallas-Ft. Worth Church in August – led by Tyler &Shay Sears; and to plant Moscow, Russia in December – led by Oleg & Aliona Sirotkin. Also, as of today, the Spirit is sending10 disciples from the IE Region to plant a new sector in the six Desert Cities! Argo & Anu Arneson call this effort, “Operation: Desert Storm!” Of special note, the Antelope Valley Sector –because of their tremendous growth and distant geography– will now be known as the 11th region of the City of Angels Church: the Antelope Valley Region!

    God Gathering the Russian Speaking Remnant of 50 Disciples in Moscow! The Sobolovs (Right) will Lead the Moscow Remnant Group until the Sirotkins (Center) arrive with the Mission team in December! The Muratovs (Left) will Lead the Kiev Remnant Group!
    God Gathering the Russian Speaking Remnant of 50 Disciples in Moscow! The Sobolovs (Right) will Lead the Moscow Remnant Group until the Sirotkins (Center) arrive with the Mission team in December! The Muratovs (Left) will Lead the Kiev Remnant Group!

    3

    “Then all the army officers… and all the people…approached Jeremiah and said to him, ‘Please… pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.’” (Jeremiah 42:1-In 2013, so many remnant (veteran) disciples joined God’s new movement! Of special note were: Renato & Maria Jose Tria and 16 othersfrom the sector they led in what’s left of the Sao Paulo ICOC; Chris Bryant of LA’s Southland Region; Mike & Dena Sanicola of Denver; Ronnie Gonzalez of Manila; Nimrod & Vis Malnegro of Davao; Slava & Yelena Kapskiy of Minsk; the Zoutendijks and Vermaats of Amsterdam; and of course Alex Turgeau of Port-au-Prince, Haiti! Four new Remnant Churches have formed in Haiti alone! Other new Remnant Groups include: Amsterdam, Caracas, Davao, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and San Antonio! Let us pray that even more remnant disciples join us in 2014!

    4

    “We… will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4) A significant proportion of the fulltime persons’ ministry is devoted to prayerfully selecting and raising-up new Evangelists and Women’s Ministry Leaders.Therefore, we are praying that from LA and around the movement at least five Evangelists and five Women’s Ministry Leaders will be appointed in 2014.

    5

    “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’” (Matthew 9:37-38) With the sending-out of so many mature and fruitful disciples over the past few years, it is no surprise that 65% of the CAICC membership of nearly 800disciples is composed of new Christians, restorations or place memberships from 2012 and 2013. Consequently, we have a tremendous opportunity to bring all of them to maturity in Christ, which includes being “fruitful.” (Luke 8:14-15) We will continue to work on the retention of these precious new disciples through the accountability of Follow-up Studies, New Christian Orientations, D-groups at Midweek Services, Spiritual Strengthening Groups, “upping the profile” of our CR Ministry, as well as raising-up at least one Shepherding Couple and one Deacon Couple in each of our 10 regions by the end of 2015.

    6

    “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,

    Tyler & Shay Sears are the Dallas –Ft. Worth Mission Team Leaders! The team is scheduled to be sent-out in August at the 2014 GLC!
    Tyler & Shay Sears are the Dallas –Ft. Worth Mission Team Leaders! The team is scheduled to be sent-out in August at the 2014 GLC!

    believe you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark11:23-24) For many young disciples being consistent with their weekly pledge as well as “coming through” with their Missions Contribution can pose a “mountain of problems.” Yet Jesus promises if we believe – in fact if we pray as if we’ve already received what we need for God’s purposes – God will give it to us! Our financial goals this year are to increase our pledges to $35,000/week and to give a 20X Missions Contribution on May 18th. Of course, if unforseen needs arise as they have in some past years, there will be a small Thanksgiving Missions Contribution in November to assure that “there [are] no needy persons among [us].” (Acts 4:34)

    7

    “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have MERCY on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13) As the benevolent arm of the SoldOut Movement, the impact of MERCYworldwide now extends to all six populated continents of the world! This year, the City of Angels Church will again participate in our movements’ global events of the Day of MERCY in June and the MERCY Christmas Toy Drive in December! Last year, the New York City and Los Angeles Churches partnered with the Red Cross for a blood drive. The Red Cross was so thrilled with this venture with the MERCY Ambassadors that they have agreed to hold a National MERCY/Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, September20th!

    8

    “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him… and to worship Him, these will I bring to my holy mountain and give them joy… in my house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:6-7) Last year to “radicalize” the ICCM students, each of them were called to either attend November’s European Missions Conference (EMC) in London or this coming February’s Central and South American Missions Conference (CSAMC) in Santiago. So encouraging to all at the EMC was the attendance of 26 of us from Los Angeles which included 10 ICCM students. Our prayer goal is not only to get every one of the now 56 Bachelor Degree Candidates to either one of these conferences or to visit an international church planting, but also to motivate as many as possible from the rest of the congregation to participate in these conferences thus sharing in “the joy in [God’s] house of prayer for all nations.”

    9

    “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church… forever and ever! Amen!” (Ephesians 3:20-21) Our last challenge is for every CAICC member to have at least one personal prayer goal that is “immeasurably more than [anything] we imagine.” This may include being on a mission team, being selected for the ICCM, becoming a Bible Talk Leader, being selected as a Shepherding or Deacon Couple, or even the conversion or restoration of someone close to you.

    In all cultures, the beginning of a new year brings hope and resolutions. Yet the world lacks the Spirit’s power to transform, so many “new year’s resolutions” quickly fade. When kneeling and tearful disciples pray, this incense prompts our Father in Heaven to unleash His Spirit and His angels to even “move mountains!” Let us all embrace The Year Of Prayer.

    And to God be all the glory!

    kip