Matthew 28: 19 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Nagaraj and Miraj getting restored!

Nagaraju Myakala reports:

I, come from a Hindu background and became a disciple in December 1992. Life was great for some time. I was working for the Indian Air Force. I used to stay in Mumbai. I served in the office during daytime and evenings went serving God in the ministry. In 1994 I got married in the church. After two years, in 1996 I got a transfer to Chandigarh, in North India. I was posted there for six years. Since there was no church in Chandigarh I would go with my wife to New Delhi to attend the Sunday Service.  There we met Raja and Debbie. They were responsible for discipling me and my wife Miraj. They loved us wholeheartedly and took care of us.  In 1996 my son Stephen was born and in 1998 we adopted a baby girl whom we named as Sarah. Since there was no church there, with the help of Raja and Debbie we started a church.

In 2001 I got a transfer to Baroda in Gujarat which is located in the West of India. There too  we had no church. Raja and Debbie no longer discipled us now, since the region had changed. We tried to start a church there but were not successful. We were there for 4 years but the journey with God slowed down. Sin crept in and I started drifting away from God. I believe that’s the reason God wouldn’t bless us.  I not only started to give but also started to take bribes at work.  Also I started watching pornography on the net and this hurt my relationship with God and my wife. From 2001 to 2009, for 8 years my spiritual life only went down with no discipling from the scriptures. My lukewarm life style was not challenged and my compromised living was accepted by all. I couldn’t confess my sins to anybody in the church because I heard many disciples discussing about others’ sins. I didn’t want my sins to get exposed. After many change of locations due to my job, I took up a private job in Ahmedabad and left my wife and kids in Mumbai. This was to chiefly punish my wife by making her feel lonely. My life was so unstable.  I couldn’t trust anybody or take help. In October 2008, I really got tired of my sinful life and decided to move to Chennai and speak to Raja about all my sins and get rid of it.  But I couldn’t do that because I thought if I confess my sin I will not be able to continue in it again. I’ll have to stop everything therefore I remained silent but I always felt guilty. Once I was invited for a party given by my friend along with all the top officials.  Everyone came and the men started having drinks. I did not join them but was very much present in the party.  During the party I felt very guilty that being a disciple what am I doing here? Then I decided no matter what happens I will move to Chennai and take help from Raja because he always kept in touch with me no matter where I was and encouraged me to do great things for God.  I resigned my job and moved along with my family to Chennai. I confessed all my sins and got restored along with my wife. My family is happy here. My children got admission in a good school. I believe God will bless me also with a job in Chennai so that we all can be together and serve God. I am really excited to be in Chennai. The day I came all were there to welcome me. I met all the brothers and was really excited to serve God once again whole heartedly. I have started evangelizing again and have started studying the Bible with people. Once again I am back on my mission. I am looking forward to saving many souls in any part of India.

Hope my life encourages others too to make a decision to confess, repent and join the movement of God.

Nagaraj and Miraj along with their kids, Stephen & Sarah

Nagaraj and Miraj along with their kids, Stephen & Sarah.

Miraj Myakala reports:

I,come from a Muslim background and became a disciple in May 1993. What convicted me most was, Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins.  When I was young I was abused and therefore hated men. After one year of becoming a disciple I got married in the church. It was great to get married to a disciple but bitterness and hatred towards men entered my marriage too.  I always looked down on my husband and enjoyed pointing out his mistakes. He taught me to cook, many times I never used to pray and read the bible but he was patient and encouraged me to pray and read my bible daily. My past life was horrible and being fully aware of it, he never doubted me or brought that in our marriage I still  never respected him. God gave me the best man but I never loved him. This bitterness also crept in between me and our daughter who was adopted. I had a very bad relationship with her. When she was very young I ill treated her. Many a times I lost my temper with her and in anger beat her up. I poured out all my frustrations and failures on my daughter and she could’t do anything about it. She was very small. Today when I see anyone with a small child I remember all the days when I ill treated my daughter.  I never confessed what I actually was .In my heart I knew that if I die I will not make it to heaven. I had a good relationship with Debbie but I never confessed to her also because I wanted to look good in her eyes.  I wanted to come to her but I couldn’t because my husband was not ready to change church. I could  not speak to anybody about my life or what I felt what is happening in the church because I felt that the pattern of discipling had totally disappeared. If we would initiate for discipling it would take place otherwise we were left alone which hurt me a lot. Yes I do agree that we drifted away from God but there was nobody to reach out to us out of their way.   I didn’t have the courage to travel all alone from Bombay to Chennai and settle down there and get my life right with God. I waited patiently for God to work and persevered with my husband and finally today I am here and am excited to be a part of the Chennai Christian Church. When I landed in Chennai I was so tensed that how will I manage with all the luggage but when I reached the station, Raja and Debbie with all the other brothers and sisters welcomed us at the station. They took care of everything.  They searched a house for us which was very good and also helped us in getting admission for our kids in a good school. Till our house hold articles came we stayed in their house and there I learnt many things. I always appreciated Debbie for being a hard working woman. Nothing stopped her from doing what is right and she was always motivated to live for God. Even today she remains the same and is a great example to me. I see her as a great wife and a great mother. Being with her I learnt to be submissive to my husband, apologizing for the mistakes done and loving my children. Her life encouraged me to confess all my sins and getting back to God. I also wanted to repent of my bad relationship my husband and my daughter.  I apologized to my husband for all the times when I hurt him and put him down and also apologized to my daughter for not being a good mother to her.  One thing I know, is that I am learning to come closer to God and to my family. I am back on my mission for which God has chosen me and am looking forward to save many souls through our family. To God be the glory. Amen.

Our God-given privilege — to be fishers of men!

Now it came to pass that a group existed that called themselves fishermen. There were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry. Week after week, month after month and year after year those that called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and techniques of fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is to be the primary task of the fisherman. These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings for local fishing headquarters. The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and that everyone should fish. However, one thing they did not do… They did not fish!

In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishermen to other places where there were many fish. A board was formed by those who had great vision and courage to speak about fishing and to promote fishing in far away streams and lakes, where many fish of different colors lived. Also, the board hired staff, appointed committees, and held many meetings to decide what new streams should be considered. But the board, the staff and committee members did not fish. Large, elaborate and expensive training centers were built, whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Over the years, courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, the psychological reaction of fish, as well as how to approach and feed fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish, they only taught fishing. Furthermore, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. Presses were kept busy day and night to produce materials solely devoted to fishing methods, equipment and programs to arrange and encourage meetings to talk about fishing. Seminars, conferences and jubilees were also established to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

After one stirring seminar on the “Necessity of Fishing,” two young fellows left the meeting and went fishing. The next day, the first fellow reported he had caught a hundred fish! It turned out to be just a “fish story.” The other young man actually did catch two outstanding fish! He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it. So he quit fishing in order to have time to tell the experiences to all other fishermen. He was also placed on the fishermen’s board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it is true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their call to fish and their fishermen’s clubs. They even wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend meetings and talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men?” Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who don’t fish were not really fishermen, no matter how much they claim to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman, if year after year he never catches a fish? Is one following, if he is not fishing?*

Shay and Lynda are so excited after baptizing Vanessa Castro!

This modern parable, though at times humorous, should be a sobering reminder not to be “fishers of men” in name only. I am so encouraged by all the church plantings and remnant churches of the SoldOut Movement, and how being very serious about Jesus’ charge unites us! Every week I send out a “Good News Email” to all the leaders in the movement around the world. The following email is the good news from this week:

Greetings in the Lord! Ron Harding in Oregon reports, “127 disciples from Eugene and Portland had 212 at church for the largest joint service to date! We had one couple place membership in our Latin Ministry. Portland and Eugene were completely united as each church had one baptism, each church had several visitors, and each church had one couple there from the ICOC, who are making their decisions to join us!”

From Chris & Kerri-Sue in Syracuse, “A Syracuse University junior, Chasity, was baptized today and God blessed our prayer goal as 17 men had 14 visitors at church today! Our ‘Save the Males’ Campaign is gaining momentum!”

Andrew in Washington DC shares, “On Sunday, we had four place memberships! Pray as we begin a three-week Apologetics Series next week to move our studies to decisions on God, Jesus and the Bible!”

Olympia and Zulma – mother and daughter – rejoice after their baptisms!

DJ reports from NYC, “We had 70 at church and one came to be baptized! (Also, Derion Onekea was welcomed from the City of Angels Church in LA!) Polo was baptized in the ‘sparkling’ waters of the Hudson River after service! He is a Spanish/English speaker. We had only one Spanish speaker on the mission team (Victor Gonzalez – ‘Ventura Vic’), but now we have multiplied to 10! Nine of them are fluent in English and Spanish, so we started our first Spanish-speaking Bible Talk in Queens. We also started a Russian-speaking Bible Talk in Brooklyn with Max and Natasha, who recently moved here from Kiev, Ukraine. This coming Sunday, we will be breaking the church into four house churches: Manhattan/Bronx led by DJ and Kacie, Queens/Long Island led by Steve and Kithy Ranga, Brooklyn led by Mike Underhill and NJ/Staten Island led by George and Sharman Grima. We now have 10 Bible Talks, that meet in all the boroughs except the Bronx!

Good news from Chicago, Chris reports another man was baptized Sunday!

In LA, we had our House Church Sunday with an attendance of 445! A college woman, Vanessa, was baptized in Orange County and Son and Tanya Tran – the former leaders of our remnant group in San Francisco – placed membership in the West Region. Their 13 year old daughter, Zoe, has decided to study the Bible with Aurora!

Jesus, Crystie and the Rios family join us from Eugene, Oregon!

On the international front, Raja writes about his return to India from the Global Leadership Conference and a week with the Chicago Church, “I have been reflecting about my life and it is true that I lost my… well let’s put it this way – Kip, just like you said, I had become Scrooge! (As in the movie ‘A Christmas Carol,’ which I watched with Chris.) Afterwards, as I repented , I could feel myself being relieved of a burden. I had totally stopped enjoying life and worse, started to make others also burdened. I not only saw pride, but I was also able to see deep-rooted selfishness in me.

When I came back to Chennai, I started to have regular d-times with my son on Saturdays. The sisters had a hang out time on one of the evenings, while the brothers took care of the kids. We are also having games before the Devos. We also had a Teens Party at my home last Saturday. My prayers have changed. I had talks with my leaders and apologized to them for my sins. Thank you Kip and Elena for coming to Chennai in May and encouraging Debbie and me to start out again with only sold-out disciples. After your visit, we officially launched the church with 10 sold-out disciples on May 31st. In the last three months, we have been able to reach to a total of 20 disciples! This month we had three baptisms, and I also became personally fruitful! Last Sunday, we had our highest in attendance – 53! Please be praying for me to stay humble, work hard and care for people. I am enjoying life! Jesus Rocks!”

From Moscow, Russia, Sasha and Luiza report that two brothers were restored at their last midweek – Slava and Lieva! From Tallinn, Estonia, Argo writes, “I would love to share with you about our dear brother, Kaspar Tambaur. He was baptized in Tallinn as a 19 years old student in January 2008. Already as a few months old disciple, he is showing great convictions and faith making great sacrifices and became a real Timothy to me. Despite his studies and work, he became my right hand guy and when I’m out of town, he leads the Tallinn Church! Already in 2009, Kaspar has been personally fruitful (meeting, converting and baptizing somebody) three times! One of them was Kristjan – from Tallinn Music College and the National Piano Competition Winner – whom he baptized in January this year! Kristjan, a young man with great convictions, was imitating Kaspar’s faith and has become a real Timothy to him.

The Spirit sends Derion Onekea to the Empire City Church!

A few weeks ago, Kristjan met a very powerful and fired up student Artur in the street. Artur was baptized on Tuesday last week and the disciples are already studying the Bible with Artur’s old friend Arved and his ex-girlfriend Kelly. Both of them have made the decision to become disciples of Jesus Christ!”

Truly, our God is moving among the nations! Pray for me as this week, I should complete a modified new version of “The Church Study” and a five study “Follow-up Series” – the last study being “Persecution,” which can be used at anytime during our study with non-Christians… such as after “Discipleship” or “Light and Darkness.” I will send them to everyone by the end of the week. Until next week!

On the Sunday that the Trans placed membership, most of the West Region helps to move them in after church! (Son, Tanya, Zoe and Sydney are standing on the back of the moving van!)

As we enter into a new school year, let us consider some of Jesus’ words to His disciples, “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4) Therefore, as the Spirit leads us into “deep water” challenges that seem “over our heads” both here in Los Angeles and around the world, let us be assured that God will more than fill our nets with fish. (Luke 5:7) And to God be the glory!

Kip McKean

A capacity crowd of over 300 enjoys the incredible fellowship dinner for the Global Leadership Conference!

Go Into All The World was the theme of this year’s Global Leadership Conference and Campus Congress, as the evangelization of the nations in this generation is the motivating and unique vision of the SoldOut Movement Churches. The Conference began with the 314 participants from over 20 nations joining the City of Angels Church for Sunday morning worship on August 2, 2009.

Pictured with Elena are Matt and Helen Sullivan, Alfredo and Alejandra Aunch, Carlos and Maria Elena Gallardo – all ofSantiago, Chile and Salvador Gonzales of Monterrey, Mexico!

At this three hour service, the singing was electric; the appointment of Michael and Michele Williamson to be Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader was moving; the Global Good News Sharing by several international disciples was faith-building; India’s Raja Rajan’s communion was compelling; Chris Broom’s sermon, A Severe Famine In All The World, was creative and deeply convicting; the three baptisms – Tiffany, Miriam and Manny – were so encouraging; the placing of memberships by Josue Soriano of Honduras and Megan Bard of England were inspiring; and the restorations of Jim and Dana Fenton – the original Yugoslavia Mission Team Leaders – were eye-opening! During the fellowship, after this amazing service, several commented to me, “It’s happening!”

Jim and Dana Fenton are restored to the Lord!

The Conference continued on Sunday evening with “a great banquet!” The Downtown LA Sheraton provided a delicious and seemingly endless buffet. Then Nick and Denise Bordieri – the Directors of MERCYworldwide – reminded us of the impact on a lost world when every disciple in the movement can be mobilized for a common global effort to help the poor, needy, orphans and widows. To conclude the evening of the first day, I preached the lesson, Go Into All The World. The essence of this message was to ask why the world has not been evangelized in one generation since the first century. There are only two variables in this glorious task – God and His people. Since God has always desired – in each century – for “all men to be saved,” He is not the issue. (1 Timothy 2:1-5) Though in the last two millennia there have been a few visionaries who dreamt of world evangelism, sadly their “good intentions” have fallen short. Therefore, the issue is leadership! My main texts were from 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 on David’s Mighty Men – in Hebrew – “The Mighties.” These men first gathered around David at the cave of Adullam as men “in distress, in debt or discontented,” because of Saul’s unrighteous leadership. (1 Samuel 22:2) They became “The Mighties” because of their zeal to honor God and their loyalty to David. “The Mighties” were willing to pay the price of being outcasts, while fighting for and building a righteous Israel. This same spirit is necessary in the leadership of God’s modern day movement, if “Spiritual Israel” is to spread to all nations!

Joe, Kerry, Luke and Alex Willis!

At the end of the lesson, I presented The Crown of Thorns Project. Remembering that Jesus said to the faithful Eleven, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To evangelize the world, we must begin by evangelizing “our Judea,” the United States. In less than three years of existence, the SoldOut Movement has planted dynamic discipling churches in the four most influential cities of America – New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC – as well as in Portland, Honolulu, Hilo, Syracuse, Eugene and Phoenix. (These churches do not include several heroic remnant churches.) The US congregations will provide the needed resources – disciples and finances – to go “to the ends of the earth.”

Roland’s sister, Miriam, celebrates her baptism!

Therefore, to build on last year’s Five Year Plan, we must plan to encircle the globe with unified discipling churches on the other five populated continents. Listed are the 12 targeted international cities that form a redemptive “crown of thorns” around the world: Santiago (Matt & Helen Sullivan), Mexico City (Vic & Aurora Gonzalez), Sao Paulo (Raul & Lynda Moreno), London (Michael & Michele Williamson), Paris (Tim & Lianne Kernan), Cairo (Mike Patterson), Johannesburg (Andrew & Patrique Smellie), Moscow (Sasha & Luiza Kostenko), Chennai or Delhi, India (Raja & Debs Rajan), Hong Kong (DJ & Kacie Comisford), Manila (Kyle & Joan Bartholomew) and Sydney (Joe & Kerry Willis). It was so exciting that during the conference Sasha and Luiza of Moscow, Russia and Joe and Kerry of Brisbane, Australia solidified plans to move to LA for strengthening and further training. Of note, Sasha and Luiza were the number three and four baptisms when Elena and I planted the original Moscow Church in 1991. (The Moscow Church saw 850 baptisms in its first year!) In time, Sasha and Luiza married, went into the ministry, and by the year 2001, they led the 11,500 disciples of the 15 nations of the former Soviet Union! As He promised, our God is gathering a remnant from “the farthest horizons.” (Nehemiah 1:8-9) It’s happening!

Disciples welcoming Sasha & Luiza Kostenko of Moscow at the airport!

Monday of the Conference, the 120 students of the Campus Congress met separately. I heard that DJ Comisford and Mike Patterson delivered powerful sermons. Likewise, the church leaders gathered to hear Andrew Smellie of DC in the morning and Ron Harding of Portland that evening. Tuesday morning, the Conference continued to gain momentum when the students rejoined us, and the entire group was divided into Men’s and Women’s Programs. Michael Williamson moved the men’s hearts preaching, Satan Leads The Whole World Astray and Elena inspired the sisters with the lesson, The Light Of The World.

Andrew Smellie of Washington DC!

To conclude the seminar Matt Sullivan conveyed in tears (yes, more than DJ) an especially touching sermon, This World Is Not My Home. Matt was so transparent as he shared about his challenges on the mission field: loneliness, lust, laziness and even a competitive heart towards ministers in other congregations. This humbled us all.

Thanks to all the speakers and teachers who poured themselves out during their preaching of the Word. Thanks to Vic Jr. and Lance Underhill for providing rides and “greeting parties” for most of the Conference’s out-of-town participants. Thanks to Rob Onekea for the design of the brochure and t-shirts, as well as overseeing the video recordings.

Our Cyber-Evangelists – Jeremy Ciaramella, Rob Onekea and Ron Harding – affectionately known as the “Internet Boys” or as DJ calls them, the “World-Wide Wierdos!”

Thanks to Michele Williamson for the excellent administration of the registrations and accommodations. But most of all, thanks be to God whose Spirit gave all the leaders such an incredible sense of unity – beyond anything I have ever experienced – so much so that we believe absolutely that God will help us “go into all the nations” in this generation. Yes, it’s happening! And to God be all the glory!

Kip McKean

Manny Gonzalez is baptized!!!

The AMS Ministry serves at the Los Angeles Food Bank for the Day of MERCY!

In a well known interaction, an “expert of the Law” asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds by referencing two Scriptures – Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 – inferring that to receive eternal life, the Law of the Lord demanded (1) total devotion and commitment to God and (2) love for our neighbor. To illustrate the Scriptures, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Then, Jesus asks the “expert of the Law,” who was “the neighbor” to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The “expert of the Law” responds, “The one who had MERCY on him.” Then, Jesus commands him to “go and do likewise,” thus guiding him on the path “to inherit eternal life.”

What moves me about this passage is that the “expert of the Law” was supposedly righteous, because he knew and taught the Law of the Lord. The Samaritan, on the other hand, was considered little better than a pagan and despised by the Jews. Jesus uses this irony to drive home the point that knowing the Word of God was not the same as obeying the Word of God. In other words, one can be religious and not inherit eternal life! In the parable, the two religious men – the Levite and the priest – avoided the battered man, “the neighbor,” who was left beaten, stripped and rendered helpless on the side of the road. In contrast, the Samaritan stopped what he was doing and where he was going to care for his neighbor, who was in dire need. The two religious men who chose to ignore him – by going to the extent of crossing on the other side of the road – avoided not only observing their neighbor’s pain and suffering, but also the guilty feelings for not ministering to his needs. It was out of compassion for his neighbor, that the Samaritan showed his love and obedience to God.

The Bordieris, McKeans and Untalans during the Shepherds Retreat at Big Bear Lake!

On Saturday June 20, 2009, Denise and I were privileged to receive news about the Day of MERCY from various congregations in the SoldOut Movement around the world! I was particularly moved by the efforts of our brothers and sisters in Santiago, Chile, as they raised funds to meet two needs within their city of seven million. This new MERCY Fund will be used to pay for emergency operations for those lacking the finances for medical care, as well as helping high school students prepare for college – since only 15% of the Chilean youth go on to earn a university degree. Also moving to me was the efforts of the disciples in Syracuse, New York. They performed skits and read to youth at a local community center, as well as refurbishing a computer lab, which included upgrading computer software. In Portland and in Eugene, Oregon, they handed out clothes, sleeping bags and food to the homeless. Similarly in Chicago, they made and distributed sandwiches for homeless single moms and their children. In New York, Phoenix and DC, they also dispersed food to the poor and homeless.

Julia Nofrada rejoices after her baptism!

Here in metropolitan Los Angeles, the Day of MERCY was a time of great excitement for all the disciples of the City of Angels Church! Each region identified different local needs and therefore served the poor and needy in their communities through varying projects. In the North, the disciples ministered in a home for battered women, and served as waiters and waitresses in a shelter, feeding over 450 in a chemical recovery program. The AMS Region boxed and distributed food to the homeless of Hollywood. The Latin Ministry spent the day picking up trash in an East LA park. The East cared for an elderly widow by cleaning up her house and yard, as well as preparing “care packages” for orphans – who had recently come to California from Russia. In the Orange County Region, the disciples came together to paint and refurbish a home for a low income, elderly Vietnam veteran – who recently underwent major surgery. In the San Diego Region, the disciples assisted several low-income “neighbors” by helping them with their laundry. And finally, for us in the West, the campus and singles fed over 200 at a food kitchen, and the marrieds interacted with the residents of the adjoining homeless shelter, while handing-out sandwiches to them.

The Phoenix disciples refresh the poor with food and water!

The following morning at Sunday Worship, there was a collective, euphoric joy in our fellowship! The disciples sensed God our Father’s approval as we ministered to the “orphans, [the needy] and the widows in their distress.” (James 1:27) The buzz of the fellowship was alive with stories of disciples reaching out with the gospel to so many hopeless souls – whose burdens, trials and even the consequences of their own sins welled up in pain and depression – often medicated with drugs and alcohol. Shocking and sobering to many disciples and me was the reality that those we served – though in different circumstances – could have been us. One such individual living at the homeless shelter, where Denise and I served, was a dynamic UCLA coed. Prayerfully, since the sisters are continuing to reach out to her, she will be with us at church soon!

The New York City disciples are excited to serve the poor and needy!

The Day of MERCY was our first global benevolent effort for MERCYworldwide! Therefore, this is only the beginning. As we multiply disciples, as we multiply church plantings, and as we multiply the number of nations through a unified discipling movement, then God will “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 and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen!”

Nick Bordieri

The OC Region refurbishes the home of a Vietnam veteran!

“Go into all the world” was Jesus’ last challenge to the faithful eleven. Before most of them would die for the cause, the Spirit – through Paul – confirms their obedience, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing… This gospel has been proclaimed to every creature under Heaven.” (Colossians 1:6, 23) The great commission was not only the motivating vision for the first century church, but also it is our dream for the twenty-first century church! Biannually, the SoldOut Movement Churches celebrate a Jubilee where all the disciples in God’s new movement from all over the world strive to come together in Los Angeles. In the alternating years, a Global Leadership Conference convenes in different cities. (Lord willing, in 2011, we will meet in London, England!) This year, we are focusing on campus ministry and have called a special Campus Congress. Prayerfully, our college students worldwide will draw closer to God and to each other, thus forging relationships that will last a lifetime, and knit God’s movement with the bonds of love. For Sunday Worship on August 2, 2009, the Global Leadership Conference and the Campus Congress will meet with the City of Angels Church. In the evening, there will be a delicious banquet for all the participants of the Conference and the Congress. Monday, we will meet in separate seminars. Tuesday morning, we will all be back together for the Men’s and Women’s Programs and the concluding inspirational charge to “go into all the world!”

Registration for both the Global Leadership Conference and the Campus Congress is $95. Registration for most participants will be administrated by the church leadership in each of our congregations. However, if you are not a member of one of our congregations and would enjoy attending, please email Michele Williamson for more information at michele@caicc.net or call 503-320-7760. Accommodations for these days, is the responsibility of each participant. The Sheraton is offering an incredible deal of $129 per night for the nights during the conference, as well as three days prior and three days after this event. To receive this discount you may register online at: Click Here for Reservations or call 1-800-325-3535 and ask for the Global Leadership Conference rate. Let us pray that this historic gathering will greatly accelerate the evangelization of the nations in this generation! And to God be the glory! – Kip McKean

Love Out Loud!

2009 Women’s Day Report – Elena Garcia McKean

The amazing sisters that helped make our 2009 Women’s Day a huge success! (Elena McKean, Vicki James, Michele Williamson, Ashley Woody, Summer Reneau, Jeanne McGee, Tracy Harding and Therese Untalan)

Hear the cry, tearful eyes.
Can’t deny and wish it all away.
Will the pain ever change?
Love out loud!
Let your loving be your voice.
Love out loud!
Together we can make some noise.
Love out loud! Without fear.
Sing a song and let the whole world hear.
Love out loud!
Be His hands, be His feet,
be the people we are called to be.
Take His love to the streets.
Show compassion to a soul in need.
This is the time to break the silence and,
Love out loud!
       Jaci Velasquez

Gil is baptized by the brothers of the North Region!

The 2009 Women’s Day and our Latin (Spanish-speaking) Women’s Night were amazing! With the 100 sisters of the City of Angels Church, the Lord blessed us with 250 in attendance! The following are only a few of the heartfelt words on the response cards from both visitors and members: “Very touching! Great fellowship! God was in our presence!” “A wonderful heart-opener! Feels like sisters I can trust through the love of God.” “This has been a great experience listening to other women’s trials and how they were able to overcome and stay motivated. I hope that I can be the same way soon.” “The speakers were fabulous! Thanks so much for the honesty and the glory to God.” “I loved it! Thanks Elena – I am sobbing silently and want to study the Bible with other women.” “I could really connect with all the women. I definitely would like a personal Bible study!” “Great experience! I really believed I was here because God is calling me back home.” “Wonderful! Elena did an amazing job on the lesson! I loved her vulnerability and how she shared her life. I can’t wait to live the rest of my life for God!” “I loved it very, very, very much!” “I am praying that our dream as a movement to plant churches in every nation will be fulfilled so that all the women of the world can share moments like this!”

The Lord blessed the City of Angels Church with six baptisms this past Sunday! (left) Visiting from our sister church in Curacao are Claudette and Denise! (right)

Jaci Velasquez’s spiritual song – Love Out Loud – was the inspiration for the theme of this year’s Women’s Day. Special thanks to our very own Tracy Harding – who is leading our sister church in Portland with her husband Ron – for traveling all the way down to LA to sing this song for us! Also, thanks to Bety Garcia – who leads the Latin Ministry in Chicago alongside her husband Juan Carlos – for singing incredibly at our Latin Women’s Night! I would also like to express my gratitude to Therese Untalan for emceeing the entire program! Finally, thanks to all the brothers: Kip, Victor Sr., Victor Jr., Johnny, Gabe, Michael, Fred and especially Rob Onekea, who designed our invitations and recorded the keynote message and the sharing.(www.caicc.net)

Our 2009 Women’s Day had an incredible attendance of over 250 women!

Our 2009 Women’s Day had an incredible attendance of over 250 women! (above)

After coffee, orange juice and some tasty pastries, the English program began with the Taylor Swift song – Change – sung by Ashley Woody. Immediately following, there was not a dry eye as we watched the KNN video, The Prodigal Daughter. Adding to the moment were the powerful testimonies by Michele Williamson, Vicki James, Summer Reneau and Jeanne McGee! Then after a short fellowship break, we were moved by Tracy passionately singing the theme song. Having been touched by the words of the song, we heard the speech – Love Out Loud. I had three points: Cry Out Loud, Sobbing Silently, and “LOL.” In the first point, I shared several dark moments before I was a disciple, where I “cried out loud.” Then at 17, I was confronted with the true Jesus, who “cried out loud during His days on earth.” (Hebrews 5:7) Most impactful for my conversion were His very last words on the cross, when He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and “It is finished.” (Matthew 27:46; John 19:30) On the second point, I preached about the sinful woman of Luke 7, who silently sobbed as her tears fell on Jesus’ feet. After drying Jesus’ feet with her hair, Jesus commended her in front of all the dinner guests, “Her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much.” Truly, when we realize how much we have been forgiven, we will love much and remain faithful to God – no matter what happens!

Visiting from our sister church in Curacao are Claudette and Denise!

On the last point, I shared that since I am “technologically challenged,” I am still slowly learning how to text! However, I have learned that one abbreviation used commonly in texting is “LOL,” which means “Laugh Out Loud.” As Jesus’ disciples, I encouraged the sisters to change the meaning of “LOL” to “Love Out Loud!” Jaci Velasquez’s words expressed “LOL” so beautifully, “Be His hands, be His feet… Take His love to the streets.” I challenged both fall aways and non-Christians to seek a Bible church, where the life matches the doctrine. Only in a church where discipling – spiritual life training and mentoring – is taking place on a daily basis will the standard of Jesus’ life be sustained. God’s plan is for women to disciple the women in a congregation. (Titus 2:3-5) Having a dynamic women’s ministry in our church has helped me through many challenges in my life! In tears, I then shared that the greatest pain in my life over the past five years has been seeing Jesus’ warning of Matthew 24:9-14 become a harsh reality, “The love of most will grow cold.” I pleaded with everyone to turn to Jesus and once again, “Take His love to the streets.”

To close my lesson, I read, “Together we can make some noise. Love out loud! Without fear, let the whole world hear!” Dear sisters of the City of Angels Church, God has brought us together through all our prayers, preparations and hard work to make this Women’s Day such a special one! Now let us believe that the City of Angels Church, this deceivingly dark city of Los Angeles, and the “whole world” will be a different place, when we, as women “without fear,” “LOL” – Love Out Loud! To God be the glory!

Guest Editorial: Roger Parlour – Shepherd

(Roger and his wife Kama are good friends and exemplary disciples, who serve as shepherds in our sister church in Chicago. This is Roger’s account about Bombay, India – presently known as Mumbai. KM)

“But you, O Lord, are exalted forever. For surely your enemies, O Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’” Psalm 92:8-15

Roger Parlour pictured with his wife – Kama, daughter – Brittany and his son – Joel.

Several weeks ago, while my 21 year old son Joel was rummaging through some old cassette tapes that I keep in the attic, he came upon a message simply entitled, “The Bombay Report.” Since the Chicago Church is presently very involved in the support of our dear brother and sister Raja and Debbie Rajan in Chennai, India, this tape caught his eye. He called me several days later and told me it was imperative that I listen to it. I agreed, but never did. A month later, I was having a discipling time with one of my best friends, Chris Broom. He pulled out a portable tape player and insisted that I listen to it and tell him what I thought. I turned on the tape player and immediately a young, excited, fired-up disciple came on and proceeded to give an update on the ministry and work going on in Bombay, India in 1987. Initially, I didn’t recognize the young preacher who was speaking. After a few minutes I thought I recognized his voice, but I couldn’t put a name to it. At the 10:06 minute mark in the tape, he mentioned the names of his wife and son – Kama and Joel – and I was shocked! The speaker was me! That young, fired-up, zealous, reckless, unhindered man of God was me… over 20 years earlier! A flood of memories rushed through me of the month I had spent in Bombay back in 1987. It was during a campaign, where people from all over the world came into the city of Bombay to do nothing but eat, drink and sleep evangelism for one month – to help that young church move forward powerfully!

Jorge & Lety Lopez celebrate their baptism with disciples from the Latin Ministry!

It was one of the most exciting times in my life! Kama and I had just had our first child a month earlier and the opportunity came to go to India. India missions had been on my heart ever since I was converted in 1980 in a campus ministry on the University of Montana in Bozeman. One of our elders had traveled to India and developed connections with missionaries there. He had gotten me really interested in the work, and we often spoke of traveling there together. I remember sending flyers, care packages and letters to help people I knew were less fortunate than myself. Through the “World Bible School,” I had studied with many people there via mail. I remember the letters that would come back from those with whom I was building long distant relationships. They would repeat over and over the gratitude and desire they had to study God’s Word and to know Him. In many ways, I gave part of my heart to India. I remember the excitement of hearing the missionary reports from those who were living there.

Then in 1986 came the proclamation from Boston – Bombay was to be planted with 12 radical disciples who were willing to go with just one suitcase each – the infamous “one suitcase challenge!” My heart raced as I thought about the excitement of being free from worldly possessions and going to India – one of the poorest of nations – with hardly anything but God’s Word and a vision to win that nation for Christ. I was so inspired! A few months later, I was on a 16 hour flight to India – a dream come true! I’ll never forget getting off the plane and the smell of heat, animals and the multitudes – a smell I would never forget. That month, I hit the ground running and didn’t slow down until the last few days of my visit. It was then that Jim Blough, the leader of the Bombay Mission Team, and I went into the mountains of the interior of India and I was able to spend time reflecting on the journey God had sent me on. That month was life-changing, eye-opening and awe-inspiring!

Chris repeated his question, “What do you think about this?” My first response was sadness. My heart sank. Not because of that time in my life or of anything that had taken place. But I was sad, because I missed that young, reckless man whose zeal was so obvious. It’s not that I hadn’t done anything recently. Less than two years ago, I had again moved my family to help plant another church – the Chicago International Christian Church – stepped out on faith in some specific situations, helped some men get baptized, and started to raise up a young man to lead a Bible Talk. I had done some fairly memorable things as of late. Where then was this gloom coming from? After some meditation and further conversations with different people it came to me – it was the absence of passion in my walk with the Lord! Over the years obedience had not been one of my weaknesses. Many times I have had to wrestle with being obedient, but when the rubber meets the road I love God and want to do God’s will in my life – often because I’ve experienced the results of not being the obedient child. I am the dutiful servant. I’ve learned to be obedient from my study of God’s Word and discipling. I’m mature enough and have been around enough to know what’s right. What I realized was that a lot of the passion behind what I do was missing. Somewhere between the 1987 “Bombay Report” and 2009, my passion had significantly dwindled. Not to say I haven’t been excited at times or been zealous – but much of the passion of a close, personal, tearful walk with my God had smoldered to a flicker. This was my wake-up call! I needed to “fan into flame the gift of God.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

David proclaimed, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.” Palms are lush trees that in many historical cultures were symbols for such ideas as victory, peace and fertility – the same virtues our lives as Christians need to exemplify. David said they would “flourish” – grow vigorously – like a disciple, passionate in his or her relationship with God, grows in their faith and righteousness. David said, “The righteous… will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.” Some cedars are hundreds of years old, tenaciously anchored in the rocky mountains surrounding Lebanon. Again David paints a vivid picture of the passionate man or woman of God – tenacious in contending for the faith – unyielding to the world around them and to the “flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16) For those of us who have been in the “courts of our God” for some time and are not planning on going anywhere soon, we will flourish as long as the fire is still burning. “[We] will still bear fruit in old age, [we] will stay fresh and green,” and we will proclaim loudly, “He is our Rock!” However, over the past two decades, Kama and I are heart-broken over the many that have extinguished the Spirit’s fire in their own lives. Be mindful, that as with all fires, the Spirit’s fire must constantly be rekindled. Fuel must be added through an unyielding respect for, vigorous study of, and intensive passion for God’s Word. Our prayer lives must go beyond a mundane, structured set of requests to our Maker. We must have David’s heart to be close to God, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God… My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 42: 1; Psalm 63:1) And when that heart isn’t present, we must pray Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” A change of heart will only come after a change of mind. Passion comes with a decision to be passionate. Only when decisions are made will change be forged.

I write this on my 49th birthday, and I’m feeling every year of it! What a trip it’s been! I realized on my 36th birthday, that I had been a disciple in the kingdom of God for longer than I’d been in the world – a true landmark in my life. I realized what a privilege that was to have walked with my God for the majority of my life! Even though everyone is a special “dearly loved child” in God’s eyes, few can say that they’ve been in the kingdom longer than in the world. Hopefully through God’s new movement, there will be many more disciples able to make this claim. That will mean two things: that the saved are staying saved, and that the following generations are being reached with the gospel – able to carry the baton after us “old dinosaurs” are taken to glory! That was my 36th. This is my 49th year, and I realize 50 is around the corner and glory is closer than ever!

Since that evening with Chris listening to that fiery young buck, this old buck has made some decisions. Since then I have lost about 15 pounds, wept before my God, had some energetic study in the book of Romans, and have worked at sharing my faith daily. I’ve tried to love and serve my wife in new and different ways, and have been in weekly Bible studies. Perfect? No. But the decision has been made. My heart is changing. The fire is being rekindled!

As I reflect today on my life, I think about all the mistakes I’ve made and all the folly I’ve been involved with. As I prayed this morning in tears, I was so grateful for the grace of God for bringing me this far. I am grateful for what my eyes have seen – the gospel going to so many of the nations of the world, seeing lives changed, marriages rescued, and children given a hope for their future. I am so grateful for my beautiful wife, who could have been disgusted so many times and left – with good reason! Studying the Bible with men who have been on the brink of this tragedy, I realize that could have been me – and probably should have been me. But as Paul said God’s grace has rescued me time after time. And I think of my kids and how grateful I am for the direction their lives have taken – again in spite of me and my sins of anger, selfishness and pride. I think of their love for God, His kingdom, and the lost, as well as for people in general. I am so proud of them. In 2009 alone, Brittany – my now 19 year old daughter – baptized four young women, and Joel has been personally fruitful three times! In all this, I truly sense what David felt when he wrote, “You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me.” At this crucial hour in God’s young movement, our congregations are preparing for missions contributions in April. I want to challenge every disciple in every one of our churches to reflect on your lives and all that God has done for you. Then together, let’s “fan into flame the gift of God” by giving “even beyond [our] ability,” thus igniting a bonfire, who’s light can be seen in all the nations! (2 Corinthians 8:3)

Roger Parlour

God Is Moving All Around The World!

Shirly, Malar and Debbie rejoice during the baptism of Catherine (second from left)!

“Paul reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles… When the brothers in Jerusalem heard this, they praised God!” Acts 21:19-20

INDIA – Raja Rajan
Sonia, as a teenager, used to babysit [Debbie and my] children in New Delhi. Sonia got into a relationship, but her relationship broke and the police had to get involved to rescue her. Upon hearing this, she was beaten up by her family members. Sonia had lost all hope. She took 70 sleeping tablets one evening and went to bed. It was a miracle that Sonia survived… Debbie was in touch with Sonia over the phone. None of her family members wanted her. She decided to move to Chennai to be with us for a few months. She came here on October 2, 2008. We studied the Bible with her. Sonia got baptized on November 2, 2008 and continues to stay with us!

Debbie and Sonia were going for their regular follow-ups, when they met a woman on the stairs – her name was Uma. Uma was married and had two young sons. Her in-laws were “Christians” and since she was a Hindu, she was rejected by them. Uma decided to accept “Christianity” and changed her name to Catherine. Her mother-in-law still treated her like a servant. Almost every day, she had to hear screams and shouts from her mother-in-law… Since she was not much of a help in the [family business], her mother-in-law wanted to get rid of her. So her son, Catherine’s husband, poured kerosene (gas) to light her up. Catherine somehow managed to escape to her parent’s place. After a few weeks, her parents refused to keep her and dropped her back at her husband’s place. Her husband tried to kill her again, but this time she left town. Catherine came to Chennai and after selling her gold chain had some money to live on. She got herself into a hostel and managed to find a job. It was a few months later, when Debbie and Sonia met Catherine.

Catherine came to church, studied the Bible and was baptized into Christ! Other good news: we have started a Corporate Bible Talk in the heart of Chennai and a brother Jinu Thomas, the Vice President of a Christian Political Party, has been restored! Please be praying for the SoldOut Movement churches in India – Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, as well as the 24 sold-out disciples in the Chennai Christian Church! Thanks to our sister churches in Chicago, Hilo and Syracuse who are supporting Debbie and me to be able to serve God in the full-time ministry! We are working hard and giving our best!

Larry & Christy Wilson place membership from San Francisco!

AUSTRALIA
Thank-you so much for your Luke Series Sermons! I’ve been listening to them on my ipod, trying to get spiritually back on track. For the last four years I’ve been struggling with everything. I joined the Melbourne Church of Christ in 1991 and was part of the original Fiji Mission Team. I was the first to get kicked out of the country for sharing my faith, which was after someone baptized the son of an immigration official… In the meantime, I got treatment for bipolar which is a mental illness. I’ve lost my mother to cancer, my eldest brother took his life, and my other brother was missing for six years as a drug addict… The [churches in Australia] have fallen asleep. There are few to no new members at church, and everybody seems to be comfortable. The preaching is lackluster and the spirit subdued. Would you consider sending a mission team to Melbourne? I need to be held accountable in a church that really cares about my spiritual life. Australia needs fired-up committed Christians!!! I’m turning 40 next year and I am unmarried. I’ve got nothing to live for, but being with Jesus. God is good, Amen. Kip, please get back to me.

The East Region celebrates Danny Carillo’s baptism!

MEXICO
Good day! I´m from Mexico City, and I just read about your new movement! Until I read about it, I had lost all hope for my family to become disciples… Many things happened in my church and some of them are very strange. Can you tell me what happened? I have so many questions, because where I am at in Mexico it is spiritually dead. I have read that God’s new movement will plant a church in Mexico City in 2011. Can you send a mission team any sooner?

TEXAS – Kris and Tiffany Taylor
We are grateful for God’s church and we owe a lot of people here for their help and support. However, in my heart for a long time I have been angry, bitter and rebellious towards God. I lost faith, hope and love towards this whole church thing and life in general. I’ve been critical toward the lukewarmness within the ministry, but I myself was looking at everybody else’s sin and not my own. About two weeks ago, I decided to take a good inventory of myself and I realized it’s not about me and my wants and needs, but about Jesus being my Lord. In a nutshell, I set out to be different and started sharing the good news with some of my friends about my vision about evangelizing the world starting with having ministries in every town in Texas. Somehow you came up in conversation and I was told “Kip looks for people who are disillusioned like you to plant churches.” I went to what deceivingly was called, “your website” – www.kipmckean.com and read some more negative things about you. Yet I also listened to a Chris Broom sermon, read one of his articles and then read your profile on your official website – www.kipmckean.org. These things changed my heart around to believe. I had stayed home from church that Sunday, because I was sick, though my wife attended. When she came home, I told her that I am not coming to church anymore and that I am joining Kip’s ministry in evangelizing the world! For the last week, I have been listening to your sermons. I am amazed at the clarity you bring to evangelism from Mark, Luke and Acts. I can’t stop listening to the sermons; they strengthen my convictions and it feels like I’m seeing the Word for the first time! My heart has never been this eager! (Editor’s Note: Chris and Tiffany visited the City of Angels Church at the end of December. After participating in our worship service and after much prayer, they moved to Los Angeles to join us this first week of February! KM)

NORWAY
I am a part of the church in Oslo, Norway. I would like to thank you so much for the studies on the City of Angels Church website with the audio alternative for the First Principles Series. It has helped me a lot lately as I am studying the Bible with two women here. It has helped me to come back to a stronger conviction and also a conviction of calling others to follow Jesus. Thanks ever so much!

KANSAS
I am a former member of the Wichita Church of Christ in Kansas and was part of the ICOC for many years… I recently heard through Delphi Forums (where I found your email as well) that you are having Mike Patterson move to your congregation. I felt I should warn you about some things that are dangerous about this young man. He is very persuasive... Sadly, the Wichita congregation I was part of was never the same since he moved and took all the campus leaders with him [to Portland], because of his teaching. He has a very strong personality, that can even convince adults and I worry about the mentality he puts in people, that if you are not for him you are against him. I have followed some of his sermons since he has been in Phoenix and I don’t think anything has changed. This link I found has you on it as well as Mike Patterson, and I hope you’re concerned that you are being grouped with this teaching… (Editor’s Note: Hebrews 10:32 challenges us, “Remember after you receive the light… sometimes you are publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.” We are not only honored to be standing “side by side” with Mike, but our dear brother will be moving to the City of Angels Church in August, to become the leader of the new South Region centered in Long Beach! KM)

Dave Swann and Tony Arana

WASHINGTON
I listen to your sermons regularly and watch very closely what happens in LA. It is safe to say that I have personally experienced a weakening of my spirituality as time has gone by and I have reached a point where I feel that if I don’t get urgent and get some help that I’m going to die. I feel like I have gone from a man that knows his place in the world with purpose and vigor to a man that’s just barely hanging on. Whose fault is that? Mine. Ultimately I claim full responsibility for my own salvation and walk and I have to own that. I’m ashamed of it, deeply… My wife and I had another long talk about all things spiritual and she asked me what I needed in order for me to do well. I had to think about that a bit and then it dawned on me. I need to be surrounded with like-minded men. When I joined the church in the 80’s, I joined a body of believers that were devoted to certain things and you know what they are. Most importantly, discipleship, loving accountability, a constant higher calling, being told from time to time that I needed to “repent.” Herein lies the problem. Since the “big crash” it seems that the churches that I have been a part of have slowly made a departure from these practices. I also know that this doesn’t surprise you. I have made several efforts to help create these dynamics, but it just seems to fall on deaf ears. Having said all this, I’ve known you long enough to know what you would say. A.) Move to another city where there is a discipling church. B.) Start one. Either option would be extremely hard for my family due to several reasons. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts.

GEORGIA – Perry and Linda Tipton
Dear Kip and Elena, We just wanted to take some time to let you know all the ways we are grateful for your leadership. We’re grateful that you are able to forgive others (especially those who call themselves disciples) who have slandered and persecuted you. Without forgiveness the Lord of the Harvest would not be blessing the movement under your leadership the way that it is now being blessed. We’re grateful for the online ministry of the City of Angels Church that explains what happened… We were then able to put the pieces together why the former churches of the ICOC were hurting in so many ways because of autonomy. We’re grateful that you are willing to go into battle and start from “ground zero”… We’re grateful that you return phone calls. Not calling or returning phone calls is something here that has been referred to as a “common disease.” We’re grateful that you don’t use the word “busy.” We’re grateful for the unity in the new movement. We’re grateful for your perseverance. Kip and Elena, we love you as our father and mother of faith in Christ!

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – Lola Lof
I want to thank all of you for your prayers concerning our Second Anniversary Service! We saw God’s hand on that celebration! We were blessed with 234 people in attendance! If 50 disciples in Kinshasa can do this, it’s clear that God is working in His church! Another good news is the restoration of our brother Bruno! His wife has felt the need to be restored too! Also at the end of the day, many people who heard the sermon “Life to the Full” were impacted and expressed the need to study the Bible. My great joy is that some brothers and sisters who got weak in faith are now fired up and ready to start studying the Bible with the visitors who came to the service. WOW! God is really awesome!

“In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out – until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.” Exodus 40:36–38

Ron & Tracy Harding now lead the Portland International Christian Church!

Throughout the Bible, the presence of God among His people is obvious! Of the tenth and final plague “Moses said, ‘Every first born in Egypt will die… there will be loud wailing throughout Egypt… But among the Israelites [no one will die]. Then you will know the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’” God made the “distinction” between Egypt and Israel obvious! When the Israelites traveled through the desert, they were inspired to see the cloud of the Lord above the tabernacle and were surely comforted at night by the glow from the fire in the cloud. God’s presence – by day and by night – was obvious! God’s will – to stay or to go – was equally obvious! At the battle of Jericho, the walls fell when the Israelites marched around the walls for seven days and then blew their trumpets. God’s presence and power were obvious! Though few in comparison, Gideon’s 300 routed 135,000 Midianites! It was obvious, God was with His people.

Matt was baptized last Sunday and is pictured here with disciples in the Orange County region!

Saul’s jealousy of David, his crushing defeat by the Philistines, and his suicidal death made it obvious that God had left him. (1 Samuel 16:14) David’s victory over Goliath, his triumphs over the enemies of God’s people as a general, and at Adullam, the gathering around David of the Mighty Men, who were “in distress, in debt or discontented” by the godless leadership of Saul, made it obvious that the Lord was with David. (1 Samuel 22:1-2) Though Israel and Judah were divided through those years, by God making it obvious that David was the king “after His own heart,” in this way, God united His people. Our God does not want His people to “waver between two opinions.” (1 Kings 18:21) On Mount Carmel, Elijah exposed the false teachings of the 450 prophets of Baal, when the fire of God consumed only his water-drenched sacrifice! Once again, God made His faithful few – obvious!

“I will be with you always” is God’s promise when those who follow Jesus “go and make disciples of all nations.” When Paul wrote a generation later “this gospel has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,” it was obvious that Jesus’ dream to go to all nations was fulfilled! Often in the dark times of church history, the presence, the will and the power of God are not obvious, because lukewarmness permeates the hearts of those who claim to be His people. Illuminating the darkness, Jesus says to the lukewarm, “You do not realize that you are… blind.” (Revelation 3:17)

Our newest sister Violeta, pictured with her husband!

In October 2008, the SoldOut Discipling Movement celebrated our two year anniversary! In retrospect, the seeds of a new movement were planted in Portland, Oregon in the early days of Elena’s and my ministry in 2003. However, the Spirit formally initiated this movement through the pruning of the Hilo International Church of Christ (ICOC) in the fall of 2006. At its zenith, the Hilo ICOC had 100 in attendance with 60 disciples. After the ICOC leadership’s return to a more mainline theology in 2002 and the ensuing Kriete letter in 2003, the Hilo Church, like most ICOC congregations, was reduced to half its peak membership. Since God had not blessed the Hilo Church with a baptism for over a year, Kyle Bartholomew, the newly hired minister, decided to attend the 2006 Portland Jubilee. After seeing Portland as his only hope, he asked Elena and me to disciple him and his wife, Joan, and rebuild the foundation of the Hilo Church to be only SoldOut disciples. Upon arriving in Hilo, two ICOC evangelists outwardly opposed our efforts. That Sunday, the Hilo Church divided. The 12 who remained united with us had 20 baptisms in the next year! Now two years later, the church created by the ICOC still has not had a single baptism. Interestingly, after experiencing firsthand the refreshment of repentance by the 12 of the Hilo Church, Joe and Mary Santos decided to begin a remnant group in Honolulu. A little more than a year later, they had grown from two to 14 disciples. Then in June 2008, the City of Angels Church sent the Honolulu Mission Team of 10 disciples led by the Bartholomews to join the remnant group. In the first 19 weeks after their inaugural service, there have been 19 additions: 11 baptisms, three placing memberships and five restorations! In stark contrast, the Honolulu ICOC, whose evangelist had opposed our efforts in Hilo in 2006, has witnessed his once 1,000 disciple fellowship dwindle to less than 200. They have had only four baptisms for this entire year. Both the presence – and absence – of God is obvious in the Hawaiian Islands.

The City of Angels Church was planted in May 2007 by Elena and me with 40 disciples from Portland. Among our “partners in the gospel” were: Nick & Denise Bordieri, DJ & Kacie Comisford, Victor & Sonia Gonzalez, and Vic & Aurora Gonzalez. The Lord blessed us in our first 18 months with 150 baptisms and 70 restorations! During these months, compelled by the Spirit, other powerful couples joined us. These “partners in the gospel” included: Michael & Sharon Kirchner, Lu Jack & Cathi Martinez, Carlos & Lucy Mejia, Marty & Cathy Wooten, and Ken & Liliana Zindler. Unparalleled in recent memory, is a “baby church” sending out 37 disciples on three mission teams: Honolulu, New York City and this Sunday, Portland! Even after the Holy Spirit sent out these teams, the City of Angels Church has 220 members with almost 400 on Sundays! Some have suggested that the LA ICOC with 5,000 disciples and 400 baptisms last year is by far the strongest ICOC church in the world, and they may well be right. Yet, one must not forget that over the past six years since the ICOC leadership’s return to mainline theology, over 6,000 disciples have either fallen away, moved away or walked away from the LA ICOC! Jesus said, “Each tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Luke 6:44) The City of Angels Church with 40 disciples had 101 baptisms in our first year! Extrapolated, the 5000 members of the LA ICOC baptizing 400, sadly means every 40 LA ICOC members saw only three baptisms in that same year’s time. Though we are few in comparison, the difference is obvious.

The Sold-out Movement “spread rapidly” from Portland into all the United States. (2 Thessalonians 3:1) The twin plantings of New York City and Washington DC on September 14, 2008 are preaching the Word! DJ Comisford reports that the Empire City International Christian Church (ICC) has seen the Lord add to their mission team of 20, four baptisms and one restoration! Andrew Smellie of Washington DC praises God for adding three baptisms, two restorations and nine placing memberships to their 18 member mission team! The two year old church plantings of Chicago and Phoenix are also multiplying disciples. Chris and Theresa Broom have inspired the Chicago Church to increase from 29 to 104 disciples. Starting 2008 with 75 disciples, God has blessed the Chicago Church with 30 baptisms already this year! The 14 disciples of the Phoenix Mission Team led by Matt and Helen Sullivan, presently in Santiago, Chile, joined the small remnant group led by Chris and Sonja Chloupek. Two years later, there are 70 disciples and their campus ministry at Arizona State University, the largest university in America, has grown from six disciples in January to now 26!

To inform those who are now just beginning to consider joining God’s new movement, we are composed of two types of congregations. First are the “church plantings,” which are initiated with mission teams led by trained full-time couples. Therefore, these churches multiply disciples quickly. Secondly, there are “remnant group churches,” which grow more slowly. For the most part, these churches are led by untrained, but gallant disciples. Their desire is to be a part of a discipling movement whose central leadership holds to the motivating vision to evangelize the world in a generation. The remnant group often forms the base to which we send a mission team, as we did to Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles and Phoenix. In the United States, we have dynamic remnant groups in Las Vegas, Reno, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco. Orlando is unique and more of a “church planting” as this congregation is led by a trained couple, Anthony and Elizabeth Eckels. They started in March 2008 with just the two of them and now have 17 disciples, which are able to support Anthony full-time!

To be commended for their sacrifice of disciples and finances for the mission teams are our sister churches in Hilo, Hawaii; Eugene, Oregon; and Syracuse, New York. These congregations joined us directly from the ICOC. Up to this time, they have retained the “ICOC” name. So that these churches can be identified by those who want to participate in the new movement, all have agreed to adopt the distinctive nomenclature of “International Christian Church.”

Overseas the movement has advanced into 17 more nations: Australia, Canada, Curacao, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Russia, Sweden, Tanzania, and Ukraine. Recently in September, new churches were established in Ecuador and Suriname. In the Central and South American region, through the heroic stand of Raul and Lynda Moreno and the continued efforts of the Sullivans, our sister church in Santiago, Chile has grown from 29 to 60 disciples in one year! The San Pedro Sula, Honduras Church started by Dorian and Rosa Bonilla has grown from 16 to 93 in two years! One enthusiastic brother promised, “When we break 100, I’ll slaughter and cook a cow for the church to celebrate!”

More good news from abroad: The London Remnant Group, led by Tim and Lianne Kernan, hosted the second European Missions Conference on October 17-19, 2008. Remnant disciples seeking revival and fellowship came from the British Isles, the United States, Scandinavia, Europe and Africa! In Africa, inspiring so many has been the conversion of the denominational preacher, Michael Orieny. Michael has personally established two new congregations, baptizing 20 disciples in Nairobi, Kenya and 24 new converts in Tanzania! Finally, and very excitingly, there are now five churches in India – Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai – all under the oversight of Raja and Debbie Rajan, our new full-time workers supported by Chicago, Hilo and Syracuse.

Perhaps the greatest highlight of our second year is the establishing at the 2008 Jubilee of our central leadership for the SoldOut Discipling Movement! Humbled and prayerful by this responsibility are: Nick & Denise Bordieri, Chris & Theresa Broom, DJ & Kacie Comisford, Andrew & Patrique Smellie, Matt & Helen Sullivan, Tony & Therese Untalan and Elena & me. After this historic moment, the most encouraging event for Elena and me is the emerging of the remnant group in our beloved Portland. Three weeks ago, Elena and I were in Portland preaching the Word, pleading with disciples to no longer “waver between two opinions.” We called them to examine the obvious, and make a decision as to where God wants them to worship, using the Scriptures and not sentimentality as their guide. In the three years of our ministry in Portland, God grew the church from 25 to almost 400 disciples with over 500 in attendance on Sundays! The Comisfords were so moved that they wrote, The Portland Song, commemorating the gathering of a remnant of mighty men and women from all over the world that was “in distress, in debt and discontented” by the unbiblical changes in our former fellowship. DJ and Kacie sang, “Welcome to Portland, Oregon! Where the rain’s a pourin’! Hope your soul feels at home! All the people criticizing, but we’re just baptizing! Got plenty of H2O! Hey – O, Welcome Home!” By grace, God chose rainy Portland as the birthplace for the new discipling movement.

Upon our leaving to plant the City of Angels Church, the leadership of the Portland ICOC slowly drifted to a more mainline theology that included autonomy. Unsuccessfully confronting them were Tony & Therese Untalan and Michael & Michele Williamson, who then moved to be with us in LA. Soon after the 2008 Jubilee, the Portland ICOC leadership formally renounced being in the new movement. Consequently, scores fled to several churches in the new movement. Yet, others who believed in the dream could not move. So, from the influence of Jeremy and Amy Ciaramella of Eugene, as well as our visit, there are now 41 disciples (25 English, 16 Latin) in the Portland Remnant Group! Today, from the City of Angels Church, we will be sending out the Portland Mission Team to join these noble hearted disciples. On the team from Los Angeles are Ron and Tracy Harding, who will lead the new Portland International Christian Church, and Gordo Esparza. Joining the team from Phoenix are Marcel Turner and Janelle Rushen, and from Eugene are JB Firman and Whitney DiLoreto. The Portland ICOC, which was once the fire igniting a revival that glowed around the globe, now only has around 200 members remaining.

Words cannot express our joy that there is now a “likeminded” sister church in Portland, who shares “the same love being one in Spirit and in purpose.” (Philippians 2:2) In fact, the remnant group is so full of gratefulness and love that, as with all of our churches, if placed into the fellowship of the City of Angels Church, it would be impossible to make a “distinction” between the Portland disciples and the City of Angels members. Truly, in the new movement through Timothys such as Ron, Jeremy, Kyle, DJ, Vic Sr., Vic Jr., Andrew, Carlos, Lu Jack, Tim, Chris, Matt, Raul, Raja, and Michael, the same doctrine and life can be found “everywhere in every church.” (1 Corinthians 4:15-17) I pray that I will live to see 30 years of this new movement. Then, as Paul wrote to his generation, so I too will write at the end of my generation, “the world was evangelized in our day!” To God be the glory!

Kip Mckean

God has moved our hearts here in Chennai – family group leaders, campus students, other leaders – to build His temple. We are amazed by what God is doing. We started on February 3rd with just one couple and ever since God has been adding to our numbers daily. Today, we are 19 committed disciples. Still many are in the process of making decisions to rededicate themselves to God.