EDITORIAL BY DR. TIM C. KERNAN
[Editor’s Note: In many respects, the planting of the City of Angels International Christian Church (CAICC) on May 6, 2007 was the beginning of God’s new SoldOut Movement! Therefore, the CAICC Bulletin from that first day’s publication became the “Millennial Harbinger” for God’s honor, His great people and His great commission of the evangelization of the nations in this generation. Yet, the Spirit has called Elena & me to serve Him in more of a traveling ministry focusing for a week or two on our key congregations both inside and particularly outside the United States. It is therefore with great joy that I hand over the last of my responsibilities associated with leading the City of Angels Church – the Editorship of the CAICC Bulletin – to the more capable pen of Tim Kernan, the Lead Evangelist of the CAICC and dear son in the Gospel. As Tim & Lianne have already taken Elena’s & my beloved City of Angels Church to unpreceded heights in attendances, baptisms and contributions, I believe the same will hold true of the CAICC Bulletin as Tim will sound this trumpet for God’s glory! Elena & I assisted by our precious sister Karen Maciel will continue to detail the miracles of the movement in the monthly Good News Emails. Please keep us in your prayers. We are family… to the end, Kip McKean]
TODAY, AT THE 2016 GLOBAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, RD & APRIL BAKER AND THE DUBAI MISSION TEAM ARE BEING SENT OUT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 6:18-19
Jesus came to start a REVOLUTION! Jesus’ radical dream was the ember of a spiritual fire that in one generation consumed the entire world by giving inspiration to men and women in the grip of spiritual destitution. This dream envisioned the poor to become rich in good news; those in dungeons of hopelessness to break free of sin; and the blind to have a vision for the future of God’s people! For Jesus, the very Kingdom of God would expand at such a rate so as to change this dark, putrid world as a light dispels darkness and reveals beauty and as salt gives flavor. He pictured a future for all mankind which “no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
ANDREW & PATRIQUE SMELLIE AND KIP & ELENA MCKEAN AT THE LAGOS ICC INAUGURAL SERVICE WHERE GOD BLESSED THEM WITH 155 IN ATTENDANCE AND 3 BAPTISMS!
Jesus’ church represents the only lasting refuge in a world of sin and pain. Of all the revolutions in history, the true Christian Church was the only one to truly free mankind. Every other effort to “be good without God,” in other words to offer solutions to the world’s problems without Divine direction, has ultimately failed to last. Gamaliel’s words echo in our ears, “If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men!” (Acts 5:38-39)
Every disciple is called to be a leader in this REVOLUTION! We are small in number, but what we lack in numbers we make up for in commitment to our cause. We back up our words with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Luke 10:27) As the American Revolutionary Samuel Adams once wrote, “It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
KOLBY GRAY & REBECCA RICO ARE BEING SENT BY THE SPIRIT TO THE MIGHTY LONDON CHURCH TO AID IN THE EVANGELIZATION OF EUROPE!
Consider what we, as a band of SoldOut Brothers and Sisters empowered by His Spirit have been able to do around the world:
Lagos, Nigeria: This Tenth Crown of Thorns Planting is the pillar church for all of Africa! They celebrated their Inaugural Service just one month ago on June 26, 2016 with 155 in attendance! With a mission team of 11 courageous souls led by the indomitable Andrew & Patrique Smellie, God added to their number the eight in the remnant group and 11 baptisms, 1 restoration and 2 place memberships! So after one short month, the Lagos International Christian Church now numbers 33 sold-out disciples!
Manila, Philippines: At the Manila ICC Inaugural Service on June 7, 2015, the Lord blessed them with 306 in attendance! In their first year, God added to this amazing congregation 166 souls – 132 baptisms, 25 restorations and 9 place memberships directly from our former fellowship who were seeking revival! In the calendar year of 2016, so far they have witnessed 102 additions – 82 baptisms, 18 restorations and 2 place memberships from the ICOC! Kyle & Joan Bartholomew have been used so powerfully by God as the Manila ICC is now 189 radical disciples! Another highlight of 2016 for the Manila Church was on Sunday, June 19th at the First Austral Pacific Rim Missions Conference, where the first ICCM Commencement Ceremony was conducted outside of the United States! The ICCM – Manila’s first four graduates were: Gina Dela Pena, Anna Malnegro, John Malnegro and Cathy Manresa!
THE ESTEEMED FIRST GRADUATES OF THE ICCM – MANILA: CATHY MANRESA, JOHN MALNEGRO, ANNA MALNEGRO AND GINA DELA PENA!
Mexico City, Mexico: This congregation – lead powerfully through the Spirit by Carlos & Lucy Mejia – has grown from 59 disciples on January 1, 2016 to now 107 revolutionaries for Christ today! However, their most extraordinary news is the founding of the SoldOut Press International – the new publishing house for our movement! Carlos serves as the President of the Board and Kip McKean is the Vice President. The Editor is the esteemed Hector Gomez and his Associate Editor is Lucy! Today, they will officially unveil their first book: ELEVATE – Jesus’ Global Revolution For Women by Dr. Elena Garcia McKean!
Moscow, Russia: This incredible beacon of light was planted in February 2015 and is the Eighth Crown of Thorns Church! The Moscow ICC is led by a very dear couple to the entire movement – Oleg & Elena Sirotkin! With 17 on the mission team and 33 in the remnant group, in the Moscow Church’s very first year, they recorded 49 baptisms, 27 restorations and 10 place memberships! At their First Eurasian Missions Conference just three months ago, God blessed them with 289 participants! Excitingly, in Russia’s fifth largest city, the Spirit has initiated the Nizhny Novgorod Remnant Group led by Sergey & Elena Lamenkyn!
MATT & HELEN SULLIVAN (RIGHT) HAVE RAISED UP ANTHONY & ELIZABETH ECKELS, WHO HAVE PLANTED THE HOUSTON AND TAMPA CHURCHES!
Bogota, Colombia: In a dark city known for its drug trade, the light of Jesus’ REVOLUTION began to shine in April as the five-person mission team from Mexico City was joined by the 26 in the remnant group initiated by Hector & Adriana Gomez. At the Bogota ICC Inaugural Service, they had an amazing 140 in attendance! So in just three months, God has grown this planting through baptisms and restorations to 49 on fire disciples!
Chennai, India: The Seventh Crown of Thorns Planting had 101 additions their first year – 94 baptisms and 7 restorations! When I think about this sister congregation, so nobly led by Raja & Debs Rajan, I think of our theme Scripture for the movement this year in 1 Peter 5:8- 9, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your FAMILY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD is undergoing the same kind of trials.” Month after month in the Good News Email, heroic accounts of disciples persevering by faith through hardships such as flooding and starvation, as well as horrific persecutions have inspired the entire movement! Lord willing, at the First South Asia Missions Conference in November, the Chennai Church will be sending out their first planting to Bangalore, India!
ADAM ZEPEDA, THE DYNAMIC YOUNG EVANGELIST, RETURNS TO SÃO PAULO TO WORK SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH RAUL MORENO – HIS FATHER IN THE FAITH!
There are so many miracles around the globe that we only take the time to mention the mighty churches in London, England; Santiago, Chile; and São Paulo, Brazil! In the States, the SoldOut Movement now has thriving congregations in such metropolises as New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco and our newest planting in Seattle! Added to the impact of the churches is that each SoldOut Movement Church is a “branch” of MERCYWORLDWIDE and every disciple is a MERCY Ambassador! Also the IGNITE Teen Program just finished up their 2016 week-long training event entitled, EVEN GREATER THINGS!
We also must mention one of the greatest miracles in our generation, the founding of the International College of Christian Ministries! Today, July 31, 2016 at the REVOLUTION Global Leadership Conference, the Fourth Commencement Ceremony of the International College of Christian Ministries (ICCM) will be celebrated! Awarded will be 65 BA Degrees, 5 Master’s Degrees and 1 Doctorate Degree to be given to my dear friend Andrew Smellie! Last year, added to what is now known as ICCM – LA were the extension campuses: ICCM – Manila, ICCM – Portland, and ICCM – São Paulo! This year, new extension campuses will be established in Boston, Massachusetts and so excitingly in Lagos, Nigeria! This “dream become reality” was made possible when the Lord answered our prayers on August 16, 2012 as the California Bureau of Postsecondary Education approved our application for the founding of the ICCM. We received the “Verification of Exempt Status” which allows the ICCM to grant accredited Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Ministry according to “our” Biblical doctrines and standards.
THE FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED BY SOLDOUT PRESS INTERNATIONAL IS DR. ELENA GARCIA MCKEAN’S DOCTORAL DISSERTATION, ELEVATE – “JESUS’ GLOBAL REVOLUTION FOR WOMEN!”
KAREN MACIEL (LEFT) AND REBECCA RICO CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF AN EXCITING NEW CHAPTER IN EACH OF THEIR LIVES!
Another highlight today is the sending out of the Tampa and Dubai Mission Teams! The Tampa Mission Team is led by Anthony & Elizabeth Eckels. Remarkably, Tampa will be our third church in the state of Florida! The Dubai, United Arab Emirates ICC will be our Eleventh Crown of Thorns Planting and our pillar church for the evangelization of the Middle East! The valiant couple RD & April Baker will serve as the leaders of this amazing church! So in just nine years, God has multiplied the 42 disciples on the LA Mission Team from Portland into almost 5,000 disciples in 68 churches, in 31 nations on all six populated continents of the world! Indeed, this is not a movement of men, but the modern day movement of God!
As we near the end of the Crown of Thorns Project Phase #1, we now have planted eleven of the twelve pillar churches. Just as the last leg of a marathon is the hardest, we must now complete Phase #1 of the Crown of Thorns Project with the same fire and zeal with which we began! So next year, to celebrate the sending out of the Twelfth and Final Crown of Thorns Mission Team – Hong Kong, China- the GLC will be held in Manila, Philippines! Lord willing, August 3-6, 2017 will be the dates for this historic event in the tenth year of the movement!
Like the farmer sowing in tears, we are already beginning to reap with songs of joy! (Psalm 126:4-6) Let us dig deep and draw closer to God than we ever have! I would like to challenge every disciple in all the USA Churches to get out in front of our Thanksgiving Special Missions Contribution and put aside at least $100 towards our personal goals by the end of this August! This is the goal of the City of Angels Church. As the American thinker William James once wrote, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
It is an honor to be together with all of you here at the 2016 GLC! Just one question is to be answered by every participant over the next three days: Are you ready to join Jesus’ REVOLUTION?
In His Majesty’s Service,
Dr. Tim C. Kernan