Our Third Anniversary Service!

“When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly… Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised God!” Acts 21:17-20

The leaders of the Kiev International Christian Church: Oleg & Aliona Sirotkin and their two wonderful daughters – Sophiia and Lydiia!

Our Mothers Day Service was also the Third Anniversary Service for the City of Angels International Christian Church! The Lord blessed us with six baptisms – five at the service and one later that evening! Also, five courageous disciples were sent out by the Spirit to the mission field: Terry Stonebarger to bolster the recently planted San Diego Church; Ricky Challinor and Coleen Untalan, who will serve as full-time summer interns while leading the new Guam Remnant Group; and Oleg and Aliona Sirotkin, who will be planting the Kiev International Christian Church – where a remnant group of 75 awaits their arrival!

The Inaugural Service of the City of Angels Church was May 6, 2007. The Spirit initiated our congregation through the tireless efforts of the 42 sold-out disciples sent from Portland. So exciting for each of us has been the “multiplying effect” of planting and building discipling churches, where every member is a sold-out disciple. During these past three years, the City of Angels Church (now 256 disciples) has sent-out 68 disciples that have planted five churches: Honolulu (45), New York City (74), Portland (81), San Diego (19), and soon Kiev (77). Also sent-out from LA is the present leadership for our sister churches in Washington DC (51) and Hilo (31), as well as money and disciples to support Santiago, Chile (70). So in just three years, God has multiplied the original 42 into almost 700 disciples with a total Sunday attendance of over 1,000 and a weekly contribution of $22,000!

To give us some perspective, the Lexington Church of Christ (later renamed the Boston Church of Christ) was the congregation where the Spirit initiated the “Boston Movement,” which in time was called the International Church of Christ. On June 1, 1979, the “30 would-be disciples” in the Lexington Church gathered in Bob & Pat Gempel’s living-room. By the year 2000, the Lord had multiplied them into 135,000 disciples in 171 nations with 392 churches and an average attendance of 200,000 every Sunday! Interestingly, Ron Harding – the SoldOut Movement’s Cyber-Evangelist and Church Historian – reports that by the third year anniversary of the Boston Church, their membership was 450, their attendance was 600, and their weekly budget was $6,500. Of note, it was only after their third anniversary that the Spirit sent out their first two church plantings – Chicago and London! Indeed, God is once again fulfilling His promises to those who follow His plan of “making disciples” motivated by His dream for the evangelization of the nations in this generation! (Matthew 28:19-20)

After Brandon’s baptism, the Onekea Family – Rob, Burgandie, Derion and Brandon – are all united in Christ!

Since February of this year, the City of Angels Church has met in five Regional Services – North, South, East, West and Orange County – for three of the four weeks in the month. Therefore, our monthly “All Congregational Worship Services” have become an incredible celebration and reunion! Sunday’s Mothers Day Service began with joyous singing and to honor the many mothers in attendance, each was presented with a beautiful red rose. After this, gifts from the “Sisters of Encouragement” were given to the “Courageous Five,” who were being sent to the mission field. Of note, was the semi-precious gem globe – turned upside-down – presented the Sirotkins in honor of planting Kiev. Following this presentation, Aliona and Oleg were commissioned Women’s Ministry Leader and Evangelist for the new movement.

During this ceremony, I shared with the congregation that Oleg and Aliona had been the church architects that built the Kiev International Church of Christ to 3,000 disciples with an attendance of 4,000 every Sunday. (Sadly, today this church – a casualty of the International Churches of Christ return to mainline theology – languishes with less than half that number.) Then I gave Oleg a Bible, which I inscribed with the following words:

To my dear brother Oleg,
God destined you to preach. In 1995 – through the Spirit – I sent you to Kiev to build God’s Church. This you and Aliona did. Yet along the way, you lost the Bible I gave you. Sadly, along the way, many lost the Word that God gave us. Today, I gladly give you this second Bible, as today our God has raised-up a new movement to give us a second chance to see His dream become a reality – the evangelization of the nations in this generation. Jesus challenged the Twelve to take the gospel from “Jerusalem, to all Judea and Samaria, and [then] to the ends of the earth.” Your charge is to evangelize Kiev, all Ukraine, and then the entire former Soviet Union!
Therefore, “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.” Thanks for your friendship and loyalty. Your partner in the gospel, Kip.

Lord willing, a few days after the Sirotkins’ arrival back in Kiev, I will meet up with them. Then, we will “count the cost” with each of the 75 in the remnant group. (Luke 14:25-33) After laying this foundation, the Inaugural Service of the Kiev International Christian Church will be on June 13, 2010.

Jill and Dena baptize Mary, Dena’s mother, in the Pacific Ocean on Mothers Day evening!

Since it was Mothers Day, Sunday’s lesson was based on the life of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, simply entitled – Our Mother Of Faith. The points from my Genesis text were: 1) Building A Life,2) Imperfect But Perfect, 3) Radical Vision, 4) True Righteousness, and 5) He Laughs, which is the literal translation of Isaac, the name of Sarah’s son! The first letter from each point spellsBIRTH, as this lifechanging event is what makes a mother! During the lesson, mothers and mothers in the faith were honored, as well as the City of Angels Church, which had become the “Mother Church” of the movement by giving birth to so many daughter churches.

Tammy is so fired-up to be a sold-out disciple!

Communion was particularly moving as Michael and Michele Williamson – fresh from their visit with the London Remnant Group – tearfully expressed their joy of “communing” with the disciples in London on the previous Sunday. They shared that the 12 member London Mission Team will leave LA at the Jubilee and then be joined by the 33 disciples (and counting) of the London Remnant Group. They concluded their thoughts by giving us a vision, that someday there will be a “worldwide communion” with disciples in every nation of the world.

Mothers Day was so exciting, as the OC Latin sisters and Esau, who was baptized last week, rejoice with Esau’ mother Norma after her baptism!

Baptisms are always a highlight on any occasion, but especially on Mothers Day! Of the six baptisms two were college students and a teen from purely “Gentile backgrounds.” Particularly moving was the baptism of Norma Lopez by her son Esau, who became a Christian last week, as well as Brandon Onekea’s baptism. Brandon is the youngest son of our dearly beloved Shepherding Couple – Rob and Burgandie, and the younger brother of Derion, who flew back from New York City to celebrate the entire family being united in Christ! Also, later in the evening, our new sister Dena baptized her mother in the Pacific Ocean!

Coltin and Matt give Dillon some last words of encouragement before his baptism!

For the conclusion of our service, everyone knelt down on their knees as our Shepherds – Nick Bordieri and Tony Untalan – prayed over each of the “Courageous Five.” As I reflect on that great day, perhaps most encouraging to me were the thoughts about Elena, my beloved wife and awesome mother to our children, written by DJ Comisford – the Evangelist of our sister church in New York City. He wrote for the weekly “Good News Email” the following account of their Sunday Service:

We had a great Mothers Day Service in NYC! We had flowers for all the moms and many young Christians brought their moms with them to church. Natasha Potapov shared with us for communion how being a mom helps her understand the cross, as this was her first Mothers Day as a mom! I got to share in my lesson about my spiritual mom, Elena McKean. She’s protected, disciplined and put up with me for years and has been the example of a spiritual and submissive disciple and wife for my Kacie. I knew that she truly loved me like a son at a Staff Meeting back in the Portland days. I was extremely thirsty and went to the fridge to get a drink. She usually had only water and organic junk. But when I opened the fridge this time, I saw a bright, shiny green bottle of Mountain Dew, the nectar of God. Elena had bought it just for me! Knowing how healthy she is, I knew she must have cringed as she bought it, but she encouraged me greatly. Thanks Elena for everything you have done for Kacie and me. We are lucky (and so is our whole movement) to have such a great spiritual mom!

What a Mothers Day! And to God be the glory!

Kip McKean