Lynda Moreno Appointed Women’s Ministry Leader

“Above all, love each other deeply…” 1 Peter 4:8

Lynda’s appointment as Women’s Ministry Leader inspires her young disciple Shay to dream for the ministry!

What a huge victory for God and an incredible inspiration to God’s family (especially our sisters) to witness Lynda appointed a Women’s Ministry Leader at our Sunday Congregational Service on June 6, 2010. My heart is so stirred by how deeply Lynda loves God, His church and His mission. God has powerfully worked through Lynda’s gifts – in both the English and Spanish Ministries – as our Orange County women have been one of the most fruitful ministries in the entire City of Angels Church!

Lynda was born in Bogota, Colombia on March 14, 1972. When she was six months old, she moved with her parents to the United States. They eventually settled in Tampa, Florida and this is where Lynda spent the next 24 years of her life. Lynda grew up in a strict Latin home, where only Spanish was spoken. She learned English while attending public schools. In 1989, she participated in a pageant and won the title of Miss Colombia of Tampa. This led to opportunities to become a runway model, as well as to do “print work” to earn the finances needed to attend college. Lynda graduated from the International Academy of Merchandising and Design with a BA Degree in Interior Design in 1995.

Upon graduation, Lynda worked as a receptionist for an architectural firm and soon was promoted to assistant designer. While working at this job, Lynda shared, “I was going to clubs every weekend, sometimes traveling to parties as far away as New York City. I got involved in a serious, yet unhealthy relationship with a guy that I met at one of these clubs. I eventually became engaged to this man thinking that this would fulfill me. Yet sadly, I was so unsure of what I actually wanted that I began a relationship on the side with a man at work. Even as a non-Christian, I knew this was messed-up.”

It was at this point of desperation that Lynda’s cousin invited her to a Women’s Day in Miami, so aptly entitled for Lynda, Courage Under Fire! Lynda wanted to go and get away from the confusion and emptiness in her life. The Women’s Day was nothing like she ever experienced before. Lynda shared, “I saw God for the first time and had hope for my life.” Two months after the Women’s Day, Lynda was baptized into Christ on September 9, 1997 largely through the efforts of the Tampa International Church of Christ (ICOC).

Coltin and Lance poured themselves out to restore Carlos to the Lord!

Six months later, Kip (my amazing husband and the World Missions Evangelist for the ICOC) asked her to move to Sao Paulo, Brazil to serve as a missionary intern. Lynda’s zeal and intellect allowed her to learn Portuguese quite quickly. She was trained for the ministry by Barbara Porter, while serving in the AMS (Arts, Media, Sports) Sector of the Sao Paulo Church. Lynda recounts, “While I was in Brazil, we had a Women’s Day that I will never forget. We had so many visitors that we rented an indoor soccer stadium! Elena was our guest speaker! That day God blessed me with four visitors – one of which was my sister, who flew down all the way from New York City!”

When Lynda’s visa to Brazil had expired, the Spirit gave her the opportunity to be a full-time intern in the Miami Church. She began co-leading their Singles Ministry with a dynamic, godly man – Raul Moreno! Knowing that her choices in men had been a disaster in the world, for the entire time that Lynda was a Christian she prayed, “God, choose for me the man who will love me as ‘Christ loved the church’ and lead me to Heaven.” Lynda shares, “By the grace of God, the Miami Singles Ministry started growing rapidly. There was so much energy and such a profound sense of family. We would have ‘themed parties’ constantly, because the ministry loved to have fun together. During this time, I was able to watch God work through Raul and I fell in love with his purity of heart and his enthusiasm for God. Raul and I started dating in April 1999 and God made His choice for me very clear as Raul sited from Ephesians 5:25 on our first date as a dating couple saying, ‘I’m going to love you as Christ loved the church.’ With my prayer answered, I knew Raul was the man with whom I wanted to spend my life and I’m grateful that he felt the same about me.”

Two months later, the Spirit moved Raul and Lynda to Buenos Aires, Argentina to lead the Campus and Teen Ministry. After a year of witnessing incredible miracles, the Morenos were married in 2001. A week after their return from their honeymoon, they - “without grumbling or complaining” – moved to Santiago, Chile to fulfill the need for leadership in the Singles Ministry. (Philippians 2:14) After a very fruitful year for the Morenos, their church leaders had a baby with severe special needs, which were best cared for in the States. So in 2002 as newlyweds, Raul & Lynda were asked to “stand in the gap” and lead the 400 member Santiago Church. (Ezekiel 22:30) What was supposed to be a temporary appointment became the five most difficult years of Lynda’s life.

Valentine and “Big Mo” celebrate Valentine’s restoration!

In 2003, the “Kriete Letter” was publicized and all of our sister churches were able to read the letter online. Lynda recalls, “This letter was filled with lies and unanswered halftruths. The movement exploded and most of the churches went into an uproar. The movement was fractured as most churches embraced the false doctrine of autonomy. These now autonomous churches were filled with autonomous disciples. The majority of people on staff were fired and made a spectacle of, as the congregations they served tore them apart.”

At first in Santiago, the impact of the letter was muted. Raul & Lynda read the letter to the church, made copies, and discussed the unbiblical principles espoused by the letter openly. Lynda remembers, “However, Raul & I were not trained enough to guide our congregation through such a jungle of opinions and false doctrines. Though we in the Santiago Church did not give up discipling, our leaders in Miami did – both locally and as our overseeing mentors. We felt abandoned and sin insidiously crept into our church and the spirit of the church started to die. It was at this time that I found out that I was pregnant with Felipe. Though I was overjoyed at the prospect of being a mother, my pregnancy was extremely difficult. During my last three months, I had constant contractions that landed me in the hospital where Felipe was born prematurely in the eighth month of my pregnancy. I became embittered with the crashing of the movement and even began to feel abandoned by God.”

In 2004, our oldest son Sean spent an eight month study abroad program in Santiago. The Morenos deeply loved Sean and had him over constantly for dinner and to watch Laker games, as well as watching over him spiritually. Sean really wanted Kip and me to come and visit him in Santiago. Since our finances were sparse, I used our frequent flyer miles and had an incredible time with our son and his dear friends – Raul & Lynda! While in Santiago, I shared all about what the Lord was doing through the Portland Church. Raul began to follow Portland’s website and was so excited that he asked to visit. Upon seeing first-hand the Portland Church in early 2005, Raul & Lynda asked Kip & me if we would disciple them and their beloved Santiago Church.

Michaela and Courtney are both fired-up about God’s plan to prosper them as new members of the City of Angels Church!

In 2006, after another challenging pregnancy where Lynda was bed-ridden, Bella was born. In October of that year, God started His new movement through His Spirit’s work in Portland and the events that unfolded in Hilo, Hawaii. In late 2006, Raul decided not to be a part of the new movement hoping he could help reform the ICOC from the inside. By the summer of 2007, his church poisoned by ungodly outside influences and slanderous letters against Kip, and with Lynda on the verge of what all would agree was a nervous breakdown, Raul phoned Kip and said that he wanted to join the new movement because he now believed that this would be the only hope for the salvation of the world. In August 2007, when Raul gave the call as the lead evangelist of the Santiago Church to be a part of a movement whose vision was the evangelization of the nations in this generation through discipling, sadly only 27 joined him and Lynda. This only furthered Lynda’s disillusionment and depression. Concerned, we asked Lynda to visit LA for a month, as her faith was extremely frail. Strengthening her walk with God during that time were Nick & Denise Bordieri, Ken & Liliana Zindler, and Michael & Sharon Kirchner. When she returned to Santiago, Lynda shares that during those dark days, “Raul carried me and the church.”

“Old guys rule” – Perry and Bob relax after Bob’s victorious baptism!

In the summer of 2008, funds were raised for Matt & Helen Sullivan to go to Santiago and lead our sister church, and for Raul & Lynda to come to the City of Angels Church and lead the Orange County Region. In humility, Lynda expresses, “I was in need of spiritual ICU.” (Intensive Care Unit) The first year in LA was a time of healing through Bible study and prayer with Raul, d-times with Kip and me, and once more going out and sharing her faith. The second year, the Spirit lifted-up Lynda and through her deep love for God and the sisters around her, scores of women have been baptized and restored, inspired by how God mended her broken-heart.

I count Lynda as one of my dearest sisters. Her focus on pleasing God rather than men, her uncanny intuitive wisdom to meet the needs of those around her, and her ability to “laugh at the days to come” indeed, “clothe [her] with strength and dignity.” (Proverbs 31:25) Lynda, through your pain – through which the Spirit brought humility, conviction and a deep love for the sisters – God has made you into one of the most effective of our movement’s Women’s Ministry Leaders! Te amo muchísimo!

Elena Garcia McKean