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Dear Charles,
Greetings from Orlando, Lagos and Los Angeles! It has been a very exciting and historic month since our last Good News Email on March 26th! Not only have Elena & I been encouraged by visiting the incredible Orlando and Lagos Churches, but history was made as John Causey – arguably the most influential ICOC Evangelist – and his lovely wife Emma joined God’s new Movement on April 9, 2017 by placing membership in the West Region of the City of Angels ICC! Since Elena & I will be traveling tomorrow, this will be an abbreviated – but prayerfully faith-building – Good News Email! And to God be all the glory!
Andrew & Patrique Smellie – the Africa World
Sector Leaders – stand as one with Kip
& Elena to evangelize all the nations
in this generation!BREAKING NEWS
CAICC Bulletin – April 16, 2017 – Editor’s Note by Kip: First and foremost, I hold John Causey to be a very dear brother and friend. So it gives me unfathomable joy to share with you that John and Emma Causey officially placed membership in the City of Angels ICC on April 9, 2017, thus joining God’s new SoldOut Movement! John was baptized in 1979, as the first baptism of the Indiana State Campus Ministry. Emma was baptized through the efforts of the same Campus Ministry in 1982. They married in 1984. In 1989, the Causeys heard the call of God and entered the full-time ministry. During the 1990’s, God used the Causeys to powerfully lead the Chicago Church, the London Church and the Metro Region of the LA ICOC, which we call the Southland Region.
At LAX, 75 City of Angels Church Disciples
enthusiastically greeted John & Emma
Causey after their flight to move from
Indianapolis to LA by singing We
Love You With The Love
Of The Lord!
After the ICOC’s return to Mainline Church of Christ theology in 2002 and the ensuing falling away of thousands after the Kriete Letter in 2003, John became very involved in HOPEworldwide as a spokesman and a board member. In 2010, John was elected a founding member of the ICOC’s Service Team of Eight who worked in collaboration to oversee what remained of the ICOC even though these congregations embraced autonomy. (The Service Team does not have a set leader.) Of note, John was re-elected to the Service Team every year until his resignation last fall. Also, John was the Coordinator for the LA ICOC Staff Meetings. In addition to these charges, John discipled the Church Leaders of the ICOC’s Asia Pacific and Oceania Regions, who have a collective membership of over 10,000. With all of these responsibilities, John was arguably the most influential Evangelist in the ICOC until his self-imposed sabbatical and resignation from all responsibilities in October 2016. During these years, our beloved sister Emma developed a dynamic leadership training program for mothers and daughters called “Fine Pearls for Divine Girls”. Please read John’s remarkable account (REMEMBER THOSE EARLIER DAYS) in our April 16th Edition of how the Spirit led the Causeys into God’s SoldOut Movement – in this our Year of the Impossible! (You can view the article in its entirety here: http://www.caicc.net/remember-those-earlier-days/.)
Kip introduced John & Emma at the West Region
April 9th Service where the Sisters of
Encouragement – Elena and Coleen –
welcomed the Causeys with flowers
and Starbucks Gift Cards!
Kip & Elena presented John & Emma with an
upside down globe engraved with the words
“The Dream” to welcome them into
the SoldOut Movement!
The following is John’s closing paragraph to his historic article, REMEMBER THOSE EARLIER DAYS: My heartfelt desire is that we all understand that we have lost 14 years, and we dare not waste any more. My dream and prayer is for all disciples to be gloriously united. Imagine if our dear brothers and sisters in the ICOC would return to their radical Biblical convictions on leadership, discipleship and the evangelization of the nations in our generation that we all shared in the 1980’s and 1990’s! Imagine the glory to Jesus if disciples “remembered those earlier days, after [we] received the light,” change their convictions, and come together in THE Movement of God! Imagine the joy of hugging each other here on earth and singing with each other when we all make it to Heaven! If what I have shared resonates with you, please contact me. Emma and I would like to humbly serve as a bridge between the McKeans and anyone (especially leaders) who may have been hurt during the McKeans’ leadership of the ICOC from June 1979 to August 2001. Kip and Elena have graciously offered to sit down with us and anyone who in good faith longs to be reconciled. We know our hearts were healed and reconciled to them as they explained their spiritual journey and sincerely apologized for their shortcomings and past sins. Emma and I are revived and are exceedingly honored to be a part of the ICC Family of Churches! Excitingly in the past 10 years, the Spirit has multiplied the 42 sold-out Portland Disciples that planted the City of Angels International Christian Church into over 5,000 disciples, in 76 churches, in 31 nations on all six populated continents of the world! Clearly this is not a movement of men, but THE very Movement of God! To God be all the glory!
RD Baker – Lead Evangelist of Dubai and April’s husband – wrote on Facebook late night April 12th from the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles: An incredible ending to one of my most frightening days! Today at 12:50PM, my wife suffered a heart attack that stopped her heart and pulse for over four of the longest minutes of my life. It was so harrowing witnessing April leave her body. By His grace, God performed a miracle through the hospital staff and revived her. Tonight we sang songs and prayed over her as family members [both physical and spiritual] gathered!
Encouraged by the prayers and presence of the
LA Saints, April is all smiles just six hours
after her heart attack!I’m so grateful for her mom Robin [a disciple in the East Region], who rushed to be by April’s side and comforted me in my distress and anguish; for Kip McKean who calmed me down and prayed with me; for her sisters Jennifer and Celina; for her doctors and nurses; for the many who came to see April like Michael Kirchner, Brian & Anna Ramirez, Joshua & Belinda Christensen, Princeton George, Carol & Tony Castillo, the Southland ICC Brothers with Ron Harding and many others who prayed for her around the world. We are so encouraged and proud to be part of this family! We love you family! (Praise God! April is out of the hospital and recovering! KM)
April’s mom Robin – a disciple in the East
Region – rushed to April’s side
immediately after her
heart attack!
In the ensuing days, so many came
to encourage RD & April!
Upon Kip & Elena’s arrival, Kip read to April
the always encouraging Psalm 23!
On Saturday, April 15th – just four days after her heart attack – April Baker Facebooked the following good news about Dubai: FAMILY!!!!!! Please help me celebrate the baptism of Michelle Ocampo – Mitz Ocampo-Torcelino’s sister! This DEEPLY encourages my HEART!!!! RD & I are beyond proud of the Dubai ICC!!! Even through this tough time of my dilemma preventing RD & me from returning to Dubai four days ago, they have kept their focus on making disciples and building family!!! God’s Kingdom cannot be shaken!!!! I am SO encouraged right now as in the last 12 weeks God has blessed my incredible Dubai Church Familia with 11 baptisms!
No longer in the hospital, April continues her
relatively speedy recovery with the
encouragement of her awesome
husband RD and friends
like the Causeys!
Tim Kernan – GLC Director: The 2017 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) for the first time will be celebrated outside the United States signifying that the SoldOut Movement is truly a worldwide family! This historic event will be on August 3-6, 2017 at the Makati Shangri La Hotel in the heart of Metro Manila, Philippines! We are centering all the lessons on the Book of Revelation. The inspirational theme for the 2017 GLC is VICTORIOUS from Revelation 15:2-4, “Those who had been VICTORIOUS over the beast… held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty… All nations will come and worship before you!'”
All of the sermons and classes at the 2017 GLC –
VICTORIOUS – will center around the
Book of Revelation!During this epic occasion, Saturday, August 5th will be devoted for every MERCY Ambassador to serve in some of the poorest communities of Metro Manila! On Sunday Lord willing, highlights will include the Fifth Commencement of the International College of Christian Ministries and the Spirit sending out three Mission Teams: Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (Florida), Cebu (Philippines), and Hong Kong (China) – the Twelfth (and last) Crown of Thorns City!
Kyle & Joan Bartholomew – the Metro Manila Church
Leaders – are working sooooo hard to host all
of us at the 2017 GLC in Manila!Our Prayer Goals are for 250 Filipino Disciples and 600 International Disciples to participate in the 2017 GLC as this will allow us to financially break-even! The cost for registration will be $225 for those outside the Philippines and $40 for Filipino Disciples. To register go to https://glcvictorious.eventbrite.com.
Presently, the less than two year old Metro Manila
Church is 230 Disciples… and counting!We are encouraging every Church Leader Couple, every Shepherding Couple and every LA Region Leader Couple to stay at the Shangri La Hotel as we have agreed in our contract to have at least 400 room nights. The cost of a room (which includes an incredible breakfast) is $110/night plus tax.
The gorgeous Makati Shangri La Hotel!There are many considerably less expensive hotels in the area that others may select online. If you choose to do so, strive to find an option that is in or close to Makati as the traffic in Metro Manila is considered by some to be the worst in the world! To register at the Makati Shangri La Hotel go to http://www.shangri-la.com/reservations/booking/en/index.aspx?hid=SLM&group_code=INT310717&check_in=20170731&check_out=20170809.
Princeton George has been selected as the
Emcee for The Fifth Kingdom’s
Got Talent – KGT5!Please be making your plans to participate in the 2017 GLC as this is a once-in-a-lifetime event!
Oleg Sirotkin – Lead Evangelist of Moscow: On Thursday night, May 4th is the Speakers Dinner for the 2017 EURASIAN MISSIONS CONFERENCE (EAMC)! The actual conference will begin Friday morning, May 5th and conclude Sunday afternoon, May 7th! The theme for this year’s EAMC is ALL NATIONS! Our speakers include: Kip McKean of LA, Michael & Michele Williamson of London, Cory & Jee Blackwell of Chicago, Raja Rajan of Chennai, Jay & Barb Shelbrack of New York City, Argo & Anu Arneson of Kiev, Kaspar & Ashley Tambaur of Stockholm, Dima & Tanya Serafonov of Moscow, Anthony & Cassidy Olmos – the Paris Supplemental Mission Team Leaders, and the soon-to-be Kolbe & Rebecca Gray of London!
The theme for the SECOND EURASIAN MISSIONS
CONFERENCE came from Matthew 28 –
ALL NATIONS!The Best Western Hotel will be the site for all of the EAMC! The hotel address is 105613, Moscow, Izmailovskoye Shosse, 71, 3B. Registration for those coming from out of Moscow will be $150 USD and can be paid at the conference! The highlight for our Second EAMC will surely be the sending out of the Kiev Mission Team led by our dear friends Argo & Anu Arneson! Please keep us in your prayers!
Matt Sullivan – Lead Evangelist of Orlando: Greetings from the Sunshine State! We are so grateful that Kip & Elena were able to come to Orlando for the weekend of March 31 – April 2, 2017! During this time, final plans were made for the planting of the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Church this summer! Since Helen & I are leading the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Mission Team, pivotal to our going was the selection of a new Ministry Leader Couple for the Orlando Church. I am excited to announce that the Holy Spirit has set apart for this great task our dear friends Chris & Sonja Chloupek! They will be returning to the full-time ministry as of May 1st so that they can further train under us before we leave for Miami in late June.
Congratulations to Chris & Sonja Chloupek
who will become the new Orlando
Church Leaders in June!The actual send-off for the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Mission Team will be at the 2017 GLC in Manila! Prayerfully at least 30 on the team will make it to the GLC! Please pray that this summer the Orlando Church can send 50 disciples for this effort and the other churches in the Eastern USA World Sector will be able to send another 20! Oh yes, it was so good to have Kip’s parents – Admiral & Mrs. McKean – out for church again on the Sunday that Kip spoke!
Kip’s parents – Tom & Kim – will celebrate their
89th Birthdays this year and their 65th
Wedding Anniversary!And to conclude services that day, my daughter Amanda was fruitful with her best friend from her Winter Park High School days – Valeria!
Richie McDonnell – Lead Evangelist of Washington DC: The DC Church had an awesome Easter Sunday Service in front of the USA Capitol Building! First of all, the Lord blessed us with a total attendance of an amazing 241 at the service!
In the shadow of the USA Capitol Building,
Richie preached to an audience of
240 on Easter Sunday!Incredibly, four souls were added to the church on Sunday, as a brother was restored, and three were baptized into Christ! So that week the church had six additions – one restoration and five baptisms!
On Easter Sunday, the DC Church
witnessed three baptisms
and one restoration!To end the service after the baptisms, we had a great Easter Egg Hunt for the children and a delicious pot-luck lunch!
At our Leaders Meeting, we read through John Causey’s article Remember Those Earlier Days, and the group was very encouraged and inspired as some disciples in the church were baptized under Emma’s & his leadership in DC back in the day! It truly was a glorious day for the Lord! We are family… to do the impossible!
Joe Willis – Lead Evangelist of Sydney reports on the Hong Kong Spying Out the Land Trip: “Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. ‘Go, look over the land,’ he said, ‘especially Jericho.’ So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.” (Joshua 2:1) I have been a Christian 27 years and it never gets old or ceases to amaze me the adventures that God sends us on! It has definitely been one of the greatest privileges and joys to live out this Scripture in modern times in Hong Kong with my mate, Chi Leong – the Hong Kong Mission Team Leader!
Joe and Chi took off from Sydney to Spy Out
the Land in Hong Kong!Chi was baptized in Chicago and was generously sent to Sydney to train for the Hong Kong Mission Team! Chi could have stayed with the American Dream, but he is a disciple set on building God’s Kingdom not his own. Chi financially supported himself for 18 months using all of his $26,000 in savings to train and become the first Chinese Evangelist in God’s modern day Movement!
Chi was appointed an Evangelist by Joe Willis at
the 2016 GLC! He became the first Chinese
Evangelist in the SoldOut Movement!Our Spying Out the Land Trip was to find a church venue, housing for the disciples, to work out how to set the church up legally and financially, to rescue a disciple, and to claim each Hong Kong Campus for God! We arrived on Easter Saturday with Chi in charge of directions! Then we booked into our Hong Kong sized hotel! Everything here is smaller than what we are used to… much, much smaller! Also much, much more expensive!
Chi’s and Joe’s “spacious” hotel room for
their Spying Out the Land Trip!Our first full day was Easter Sunday, very fitting really, as we set about praying and looking for a venue for the new Hong Kong International Christian Church! (Website: http://hkicc.hk/) We spent the day walking, praying, and knocking on doors going into every church we could find, asking if we can use their church building for our services. Since it was Easter, they were all open which gave us a great idea of how many people attend on one of their busiest times! We then set off to pray around the campuses and claim them for God. “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.“ (Joshua 1:3)
Chi embraced God’s calling to preach the Word
in Hong Kong which in turn will become
the Jerusalem for all of China!Then onto the largest campus of all – Hong Kong Polytechnic University with 29,000 students where our evangelism brought immediate results as our new friend Hogan said he would come to our First Service in four months‘ time.
Chi and Joe prayed over the largest campus in the
city – Hong Kong Polytechnic University!Then we went up the hill to the Open University of Hong Kong with 16,000 students!
Chi prayed that the Open University of Hong Kong
lives up to its name of being “open!”Centre stage at this university was a statue of Confucius whose teachings permeate the hearts of many of the Chinese people.
In joining the SoldOut Movement in 2006, Joe
unknowingly practiced one of Confucius’
teachings, “Our greatest glory is not in
never falling, but in rising every
time we fall!”We also encountered the temples where people still pray to worthless idols expecting them to answer.
In Psalm 106:37, the Spirit refers to
idols as demons!The next day, Easter Monday, we set off to claim more campuses for Christ! The first was City University of Hong Kong with its 19,000 students!
Chi has a great vision for the City
University of Hong Kong!
At City University, there are ready made
venues for Bible Talks!
We then walked over the highway that led into the centre of Hong Kong and on to the Hong Kong Baptist University with its 8,000 plus students! We really liked this campus, as it is God-focused!
Joe and Chi were enthralled by Hong Kong Baptist
University, because of the likelihood that its
students are more Jesus-focused
than other colleges!Tuesday saw us claim our last university in central Hong Kong, the very international University of Hong Kong with its 27,000 students!
The Fist and Palm Salute has a history of more
than 3,000 years! When doing the Fist and
Palm Salute, you can say “Kong Hei
Fat Choy”, “Nice to meet
you” to others!Yours and our many prayers were answered as after only three full days we secured our venue for the Hong Kong ICC! So the Hong Kong ICC Inaugural Service is set for Sunday, September 3rd, at 4:00PM on the 17th Floor of the Sino Cheer Plaza, 23-27 Jordan Street, Kowloon. This amazing location is only one minutes’ walk from the Jordan Train Station!
Please consider coming to the Hong Kong Inaugural
Service on Sunday, September 3rd at 4:00PM
on the 17th Floor of the Sino Cheer Plaza,
23-27 Jordan Street, Kowloon!We then set off to find accommodations for the mission team! I am glad we did because the one we were going to get – that seemed too good to be true – was! How should I say this: It was in a very dubious area, a bit like where the spies in Jericho ended up! More prayer! And yes, you guessed it! God granted us two beautiful houses for the first two months!
The Hong Kong Sisters’ Household!
The Hong Kong Brothers’ Household!
Our ascent to Victoria Peak – the highest point on the Island of Hong Kong was my favourite moment of the trip! We took the Tram to transverse the incredibly steep hillside!
Chi and Joe were inspired by the views during
the steep ascent in the Victoria Peak Tram!
There we prayed and praised God as we looked out over this city of 7.5 million! Our view was originally obscured by the clouds, yet as we prayed God pulled back the clouds to allow us to be moved by the immense number of lost souls and then weep over the city. “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it.” (Luke 19:41) I have never really understood this Scripture emotionally until this moment. This just reinforces to me that you have to live out the Scriptures to really understand them.
As God pulled back the clouds unveiling the
city of Hong Kong, Joe and Chi wept!Our last mission was to meet up with Ernest Chau who was originally converted in Gainesville and is now stuck in Hong Kong until we arrive in August. What an encouraging time we all had together! Although in a difficult situation, Ernest opened up his heart to us. Afterward, we had such fun! I allowed Ernest and Chi to choose the food, and I am now converted to eating native! But there is a limit, as when Chi tried to get me to eat cow stomach!
One of the goals of the Spying Out the Land
Trip was to “rescue” Ernest (center)!
This Joe and Chi did!Chi and I will never forget this week together! Here is the reality though… To get this church started it is going to take a lot financially! The minimum wage here is $4.50 USD per hour (35 HKD), and those apartments that we secured by the universities, which despite the incredibly good photos are tiny, are costing us $2,950 USD a month ($23,000 HKD) each! The ratio of wages to cost of living here is totally out of proportion. That is why the landlords have no problem with you putting eight people in an apartment of that size; some even advertise them as suitable for eight people! So that is where your Special Missions Contribution is going: housing, flights, venues, deposits, church banners and the list goes on!
Hong Kong is the only politically “partially
free” city in all of China!There will be seven people on the Hong Kong Mission Team: Cain, Dean “The Machine”, Chi, Kandice, Naomi, Jess and Themis! Only three will be able to get a job in Hong Kong as they are locals! So three will be on staff and one may have to live in mainland China and commute daily into Hong Kong. So for the initial time there, they will be fully supported by the Special Missions Contributions that you continually give. The three sisters are giving up their “Australian Dream” of comfortable living, high wages and 27 days holiday a year to go back to their “homeland” to preach!
Pray for the Hong Kong Seven!If you are having a hard time in your heart giving this year, please know that we use every dollar frugally and with as much care and prayer as we can. Chi, the whole mission team and I want to thank you for every dollar you give! We are literally turning your dollars into souls as we will not only save souls in Hong Kong, but also Macau, Chi’s birth place, and then mainland China with its population of 1.357 billion people! Pray for the “Hong Kong Seven” to take thousands to Heaven!
HEADLINE NEWS
The Lagos Spring Workshop
Andrew Smellie – Lead Evangelist of Lagos: “When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men [and women] who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126:1-3) Words cannot express the joy felt by all 35 Lagos Disciples when we greeted Kip & Elena – our dear Father and Mom in the faith – at the Lagos Airport on Tuesday afternoon, April 18th! They stayed but five days; however the impact of their jam-packed schedule will echo into eternity!
As well, Jacques Groenewald of Johannesburg was welcomed at the airport on Wednesday!
Jacques Groenewald (center) – the Johannesburg
Remnant Group Leader – and the new Kampala
(Uganda) Remnant Group Leaders, Ezekiel
(left) and James, were greeted at the
airport with the song, We Love You
With The Love Of The Lord!They came to preach at the Lagos Spring Workshop entitled, LIVING THE DREAM AS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS! On Wednesday, after Patrique & my very encouraging d-time with the McKeans, they had dinner at out apartment with the Staff enjoying such Nigerian food delicacies as Egusi Soup, Fried Rice, Coconut Rice, Jollof Rice, Pounded Yam and Croaker Fish!
Then Kip preached to the Staff to believe in MULTIPLYING MIRACLES by setting an exemplary example so we can build extraordinary groups! We all recommitted ourselves as the leaders to be effective in our evangelism by having weekly visitors and striving to be personally fruitful!
Before Kip’s lesson, each Staff Member shared
good news from their local ministries!Thursday morning, the McKeans met with Ariel Hazelton – who will be appointed a Women’s Ministry Leader at the Manila GLC, Kate Awara – our radical Woman Campus Leader, and Tina Nwachukwu – one of the vibrant national mission team members and now Bible Talk Leader – for morning coffee! Kip was very impressed that Ariel’s name in Hebrew means “Lioness of God!”
Kate Awara (left), Ariel Hazelton (center), and
Tina Nwachukwu were very grateful
to spend time with Elena!Then the McKeans had a productive lunch with the “Man of Nigeria” – Benedict Atason – and his awesome wife Felicia! Amazingly, Kip and Benedict were born in the same year – 1954 – and were baptized in the same year – 1972!
Just one week ago, Benedict – the “Man of Nigeria” –
and his lovely wife Felicia moved from Umuahia
to Lagos to join Andrew & Patrique in building
the Jerusalem of Africa – Lagos!In the late afternoon, the McKeans met with GoodHope Atason – Benedict’s oldest son and the Lagos Church Administrator – and his lovely wife Bonita! Following at dinner, the McKeans met with two of our strongest remnant couples – Bolaji & Chinyere Atkinfenwa and Paul & Bernice Ede – both former full-time ministry couples in the ICOC!
Paul & Bernice Ede – a former full-time ICOC
Couple – recently moved from Abuja,
the capital of Nigeria, to Lagos!Friday morning, Kip guided GoodHope and me with the finances and building a list of Nigerian converts in other churches around the world that could potentially move back to Lagos and greatly strengthen our work! Then at lunch, the McKeans met with another very gifted remnant couple – Tony & Jacinta Adamu! Tony was on the original Lagos Mission Team sent from London to Lagos in 1990! He is the only original mission team member still in Lagos!
GoodHope embraced Simon & Ashley Ajayi who
gloriously served the Lord as members
of the 11 on the Lagos Mission Team!
Sadly, the Ajayis had to return to LA
as they could not secure jobs.That Friday night to begin the workshop, Kip & Elena encouraged the Lagos Disciples by sharing about the amazing GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD! Then Kip powerfully delivered a message entitled, THE DREAM! The examples of disciples who have “fought the good fight” even to the point of death inspired us to be “dangerous dreamers” as we sow the Gospel with tears! I was amazed at Kip’s smoothness as the lights went out several times – as they often do in Lagos – but Kip just kept on preaching the Word!
Andrew & Patrique delivered the
Welcome for the Lagos
Spring Workshop!
Bolaji Atkinfenwa – the Shepherd of the Lagos
Church – ignited everyone’s heart with
a powerful prayer!
Tony Adamu led the vivacious song,
There Is A Joy…
And a conga line formed circling the entire room!
The Lagos Church gathered with great anticipation!
Kip delivered the sermon – THE DREAM – about
Jesus building His Movement that
evangelized the nations
in 33 years!
On Saturday were our Men’s and Women’s Programs that called us to higher levels of faith in our core convictions! Elena for the sisters and myself for the brothers spoke on DANGEROUS DREAMERS! The titles of the classes included: Bible Study That Reveals The Dream; Prayer That Sustains The Dream; Evangelism That Shares The Dream; and Discipling Times That Purify The Dream! It was a phenomenal time of inspiration that also included feedback and a Q&A time to strengthen the disciples!
Josh Ajayi – the “Jack of all trades” for the Lagos
Church – gets the Morning Men’s Program
off to a terrific start with his vibrant
song leading!
Andrew solemnly preached the lesson,
DANGEROUS DREAMERS!
Iggy Odighizuwa gave a short charge on Bible
Study That Reveals The Dream!
Tony preached on Evangelism That
Shares The Dream!
During the Afternoon Women’s Program, Patrique
and Chinyere Atkinfenwa presented Elena
with a beautiful Nigerian Dress!
Elena vulnerably shared from her life
as she preached on the theme,
DANGEROUS DREAMERS!
Ariel shared from the Scriptures about
D-times That Purify The Dream!
The gifted Women’s Speakers: Chinyere, Patrique,
Elena, Kate and Ariel!
To close out Saturday night, Kip gave a masterful 90 minute presentation on THE HISTORY OF THE MAINLINE CHIRCHES OF CHRIST, THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST, AND THE SOLDOUT MOVEMENT – THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES which equipped us to win the remnant!
To open the Saturday Evening Session, Iggy
gave a brief charge on Bible Talks and then
led a Mock Bible Talk that the Campus
Ministry performed!
Though Dolapo is from a Muslim background,
her selfie captured the joy and unity
among Christian Sisters!
Then on Sunday, the 65 Lagos Disciples had 132 in attendance! (We have 70 sold-out members but two were sick with malaria and the three others were traveling.) We began the service with our seven Bible Talk Leader Couples introducing their Bible Talk members and then sharing their Bible Talk Goals! The Lagos Bible Talks are known as: The Regulators (Campus), Hope, Hackers, Professionals, Soul Studio (AMS), SAN (Saving All Nations), and Missions!
Just a few minutes before Sunday Church began,
Jacinta (left) and Omobola helped Elena
with her African headdress!
After helping Elena, Jacinta put the final
touches on Kip’s new agbada!Then we announced the birth of the Kampala, Uganda Remnant Group! Kip – who is my discipler and best friend – preached an inspirational lesson from Matthew 25 that called us all to a decision, ARE YOU READY!
Keying off Alicia Keys’ and Jay Z’s New York
State of Mind, Ariel and Charles sung
Lagos State Of Mind!
Kip preached from Matthew 25, ARE YOU READY?
The always exciting Lagos Kids Kingdom!
To close the service, we witnessed a campus student, Miracle, be baptized! Miracle wept with tears of joy as she shared how grateful she was for the sisters who inspired her to believe in God and become a disciple of Jesus!
That night a very tired but fired up Kip & Elena boarded a plane and headed home to LA!
FAMILY NEWS
Chennai: God blessed Arul & Kirti Francis with a beautiful baby girl! Her name is Keren Jael Francis!
Congratulations to Arul & Kirti on the birth
of baby Keren Jael Francis!Gainesville: Congratulations to Marcel & Tia Turner who on Wednesday, April 19th at 2:15PM celebrated the birth of their gorgeous daughter Selah Lee! On Facebook, Selah’s new Dad wrote above her picture, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)
Let’s welcome little Selah Lee Turner
to God’s Worldwide Family!Mexico City: Congratulations to Cesar & Luisa Rios who were gloriously married by Carlos Mejia on April 15th!
Carlos & Lucy so adore the newlywed
couple Cesar & Luisa Rios!
Santiago de Chile: Manuel & Claudia Palma were married on April 9, 2017! They work full-time for the church in Santiago, and Lord willing, the Palmas will be sent in October of this year to lead the Quito (Ecuador) Remnant Group!
Congratulations to Manuel & Claudia Palma,
who Lord willing, will begin to lead the
Quito Remnant Group in October!
Sydney: In Sydney, we had our first newborn ever in the church – Levi Tweneboa – whose proud parents are Lennox & Keira!
This picture of the Tweneboa Family was taken at
Sydney’s African Worship Service where
Lennox preached to a record
crowd of 124!Los Angeles – AMS Region: Congratulations to Lance & Tina Nuguid on the birth of Brandon Luke Ventura Nuguid was born April 4th weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long! Brandon is the first boy of the Nuguids!
Little Brandon Luke Ventura Nuguid was
so fired up to learn that he has three
older sisters to spoil him!
West Region: Congratulations to Jesse & Lindsay Hoagland of the West Region! Their beautiful baby boy, Aiden Michael Hoagland, was born on April 6, 2016 at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 inches long! He’s the newest and cutest member of the West Family!
Congratulations to the Hoaglands on the birth
of their beautiful baby boy – Aiden Michael!West Region: Congratulations to Herb & Hilary Lemus who were united in Christ this past Saturday, April 22nd!
After three incredible years of pure dating,
Herb & Hilary had a fairy-tale wedding
where they kissed for the first time!LOCAL LA NEWS
Greetings from sunny and beautiful Southern California! First of all a massive thank you to Cory & Jeraldine Blackwell of the mighty Chicago ICC for hosting Lianne & me this week! We were blown away by your love and hospitality! Everyone needs to visit the Chicago Church if you have not already!
After the Kernans traveled to Chicago for
a Spiritual Enrichment Weekend, Cory
and Tim have become the
best of friends!
We are now back in LA where God has truly blessed the Church in an incredible way! On Tuesday at Staff, John Causey defined the word “push” for us today! P.U.S.H: Pray-Until-Something-Happens! We are officially pushing hard here in LA! Having John & Emma with us is an impossible dream come true for so many disciples around the world and they are leading the way for many of more remnant disciples for remnant disciples that are seeking revival! Also, two weeks ago, the Lord blessed our Bring Your Neighbor Day with 1,546 in attendance! We now have a record number of people studying the Bible, and Lord willing, God will give us an incredible harvest of baptisms! So, in the first 115 days of 2017, the City of Angels Church has had 126 additions – 103 baptisms and 23 restorations! The whole church is really excited about making April our most fruitful month of 2017… so far!
Kevin – a UCLA Student baptized in April – is ready
to fight for the Lord alongside his new best
friends: Alejandro, Alfredo,
Ricky and Carlos!
On May 6, 2007, the City of Angels Church held their Inaugural Service where the 42 Portland Disciples on the LA Mission Team led by Kip & Elena were blessed with 324 in attendance! So after sending out Mission Teams to Honolulu and New York City in 2008, Portland and Santiago in 2009, San Diego and London in 2010, São Paulo in 2011, Boston, Orlando, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Mexico City and Paris in 2012, Port-au-Prince Haiti in 2013, Dallas Fort Worth and Toronto in 2014, Chennai, Sydney, Moscow, Manila and Stockholm in 2015 and Seattle, Lagos and Dubai in 2016, not counting many leaders sent to reinforce these teams, the City of Angels International Christian Church is now set to celebrate at 10th Anniversary Service on May 28th!
A new era has dawned in LA for the City
of Angels Church under the dynamic
leadership of Tim &
Lianne Kernan!We are inviting all the surrounding congregations to join us for this historic celebration! This service is going to be one to remember! Please pray for us as we pray for you!
EDITORIAL
Nationals Called To Go Home
ON THURSDAY, APRIL 20TH I WROTE THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO THE SOLDOUT MOVEMENT CHURCH LEADERS: Greetings from Lagos! The Lagos Church has become one of the great joys of Elena’s & my lives! Amazingly, the Lagos Mission Team of 11 from LA – who were joined by a remnant group of eight – had an astounding Inaugural Service on June 26, 2016 with an attendance of 135! Excitingly, the Lagos ICC now numbers exactly 70 sold-out disciples! Yet, the three months that the Spirit of Jesus blocked Andrew & Patrique from returning in order to secure their three year visas took its toll as the Lagos Church saw just a few baptisms and several fall aways. Already three on the Mission Team had to return to LA as they could not secure jobs and visas. This has greatly reduced our trained workers who can study with people all the way to baptism! (Matthew 9:37)
Knowing that the harvest is plentiful, Jesus
multiplied Himself into both men and
women disciples! Discipling is His
only plan to reach the nations!Therefore, the Lord put upon my heart to plead with all of you – the SoldOut Movement Church Leaders – to teach before baptism and disciple after baptism that all Nigerian passport carriers (that are not married to citizens of other nations) need to return to Nigeria to help their people! If they are students, we need to encourage them to first finish their precious degrees.
For the entire continent of Africa, Nigeria boasts the
largest population (182,000,000), the highest
Gross Domestic Product, and the largest
city – Lagos, with a population
of 21,000,000!I talked to Andrew & Patrique about this and they said, “But we have tried to get Nigerian nationals to move ‘home’ after graduation, and no one wants to come.” I said, yes, but now they are disciples! I see two basic problems: 1) It is almost every Nigerian’s dream to study abroad (in the USA, England, Australia, etc.) and then stay… So in essence the Nigerian Dream is the American Dream! The American Dream is preached against by Jesus in His Parable of Building Bigger Barns. Do not let our Nigerian brothers and sisters succumb to the deceitful sin of greed in the form of materialism! 2) The other reason Nigerian nationals do not return ‘home’ is sadly you, the Church Leaders. After you have worked sooooo hard to baptize them, then expended sooooo much energy to mature them, the Nigerian national becomes one of your key leaders… and you do not want to lose them! Yet a Bible Talk Leader in America or England is a sure-fire Evangelist in Nigeria!
A valued member of the Lagos Mission Team, Josh
was born in London, carries an American
Passport, and is in the process of
securing his Nigerian Passport!So consider my paraphrasing of Hebrews 11:24-27, “By faith Iggy – the Nigerian national of LA who came on the Lagos Mission Team – when he had grown up, refused to be known as an American. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God in Lagos rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. Iggy regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of America, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith Iggy left America, not fearing his family’s anger (who all live in America); Iggy persevered because he saw Him who was invisible.” Iggy is now the very effective Campus Minister for the very fruitful Lagos ICC!
Three generations of preachers: Kip disciples
Andrew and in turn Andrew disciples Iggy!I am asking everyone addressed on this email to send to Andrew Smellie by Sunday, April 23rd, the names and email addresses of all Nigerian passport carriers except those married to disciples of other nations. If you are addressed on this email please confirm to me that you have done this or that you have no Nigerian nationals… yet! Pray for us all to have the heart of being a worldwide family where we are anxious to help each other succeed even to our detriment! It is sooooo vital to disciple the hearts of nationals to WANT to go home and save their people! Thanks for your partnership in the Gospel!
Tina and Elena would like to welcome all Nigerian
Nationals to fight the good fight in the
Mighty Lagos Church!
After sending this letter out, the very next day, I received 13 names of campus and single Nigerian nationals in congregations outside of Africa! I am reminded of Paul’s passion for “his” people, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel… My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they be saved.” (Romans 9:1-4; 10:1) To imitate Paul’s heart for God, as a movement we must dedicate ourselves to discipling the hearts of our converts from other nations to go home and save their people! The Chicago Church did this with Chi Leong and now he will spearhead the evangelization of the 1.4 billion people of China! Yes, it is a remarkable sacrifice for disciples to go to their homelands, but Jesus left the glory and comfort of Heaven to come to earth to save us! Let us imitate Jesus who was willing to “do anything, go anywhere, and give up everything” to save a lost world!
Naomi Smellie is so happy to have a
loving family all around the world…
especially her Grandpa Kip &
Grandma Elena!For those of us in America, remember, “To whom much is given much more is expected!” (Luke 12:48) Please join Elena & me as we have already exceeded the call for our Missions Contribution on May 21st! And to God be all the glory!
We are family… to do the impossible,
Kip
One Man in God's Army 