"Jesus said to the apostles, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'" Mark 15:15-16
(Editor's note: Every Monday I receive reports from many of the SoldOut Movement Churches about the many ways that our God had moved in their congregation the previous week. I compile these reports into one "Good News Email" that I send out to all of our leaders around the world. Here is the "Good News Email" from 4.26.10. KM)
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| Immediately following Jon’s baptism, the West Region brothers who studied with him rejoiced! (Jon is third from the left.) |
Dear All, as it is written, "Like cold water to a weary soul, is good news from a distant land!" (Proverbs 25:25) Upon our return this past Tuesday from our whirlwind trip to Santiago, Elena and I were totally exhausted. Yet all the "good news" from all of you throughout the world has encouraged and refreshed our souls!
Chris Broom of Chicago writes: Our missions goal was $60,000 and today God blessed us with a contribution of $63,650! I am so proud of the church's sacrifice during these difficult financial times. Also, please continue praying for both the Rajans' (India) and Willis' (Australia) visa situations as I know both couples long to be with us! Now, we focus all our financial energy on the Jubilee! God also blessed us with two baptisms this week: Devin has become our first brother at Malcolm X College of Chicago, and Ryan (one of our brothers at the University of Illinois at Chicago) baptized his mother Crystal today!
DJ Comisford of New York City reports: Three campus students baptized on Sunday!
Chris & Kerri-Sue Adams share: God has moved so much over the past week since Steve & Kithy Ranga arrived from New York City to Syracuse! They are zealously wrapping their arms around the church and vice versa! Just ask Steve about the banana pudding one sister cooked them! We are quite confident that God is bringing a great harvest! "Coincidently," we've also had many Africans come to church and begin to study in recent weeks. And last Sunday, many of these friends heard Andrew & Patrique Smellie - the West Region Leaders of LA and the Johannesburg Mission Team Leaders - share powerfully for our contribution via amplified cell phone about their vision for Africa! Hearing their voices moved many hearts, not to mention tears of joy and gratitude to overflow. We are so proud of all the ORANGE sold-out disciples today, as God used us to CRUSH our Missions Contribution Goal of 45K by gathering almost 52K and still counting! We had 107 out for church today, who not only heard Steve preach by the Spirit's power, but who also saw the Word of God being lived out in "Spirit and in truth." What Paul said to close out Ephesians is how we feel about all of you, "Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."
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| Cecilia (second from the right) is baptized in the ocean after the South Region bonfire on Saturday evening! |
Chris Chloupek of Phoenix reports: Praise God! Today, we reached our missions goal of $45,000! Our goal was 15X, which is $42,000. God has blessed our giving in a big way! We had 163 in attendance. We also had a woman restored to our fellowship, who came from the ICOC in Phoenix. Sonja and I are planning faithfully to move to LA in June. Chad and Raelyn Wilson will be coming over in July to be with us, as we assume the leadership of the North Region, which prayerfully will soon give birth to a new AMS Region!
Carlos Mejia joyfully writes: To top off an encouraging weekend filled with a fundraising car-wash for our Missions Contribution, a Campus and a Marriage Devotional, and my 12th Wedding Anniversary to the wife of my youth and best friend, Lucy Mejia, God added two more to our number! Today Mia and Akiah were baptized into Christ! Mia is a single woman who found the church through the efforts of our Web Ministry, which is faithfully led by Chuck Hess. She had been searching for a church and joined our "Meet-Up" group. Once she decided to study the Bible, she quickly realized that this was no ordinary church, but that it was the Kingdom of God! Akiah who is married with children moved to DC from Chicago in January and was met by Janice Garcia, who recently placed membership with us. As Akiah studied the Bible, her teen son has been inspired as well and today he began his own Bible studies. After his mother's baptism he said, "I can't wait for it to be my turn!" We are truly humbled and grateful for what God is doing. Today's two baptisms mark the seventh week of "weekly baptisms" for the DC Church! And to God be the glory!
Vic Gonzalez Jr. of San Diego shares: The last two weeks have been amazing!!! With 20 Disciples, we have averaged 40 at church the past two Sundays! (Today, my wife and I had two visitors each!) Last week, God brought one more soul into the Kingdom of the Light as Chris Stark a US Navy Sonar Tech was baptized into Christ! Also, LA was so kind to send Johnny Carrillo to place membership! And Dave Swan of LA encouraged the Mission Bay Church by doing communion and having 10 visitors himself! (His mother Violet is one of the three faithful disciples that were waiting for the San Diego Mission Team from LA.) Dave shared in tears how grateful he was for the Mission Team from LA. This week, my awesome wife Aurora baptized Marilyn Green, our first baptism at the University of California San Diego - UCSD!!! Marilyn is the little sister of Christina Cregg. Christina was baptized in the ICOC, but was restored into Gods new movement late last year after being gone for 15 years! She shared in tears at the baptism about God's faithfulness. With Marilyn's conversion, we now have disciples on four different campuses in the San Diego metro area! Also, the Lord has blessed us financially - with a pledge of $857, our contribution last week was $1,182 and this week, He gave us $1,234! Brothers and sisters, let's keep praying those impossible prayers!
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| Travis and Cecy are filled with joy as they are welcomed into the North Region! |
Maria Hart of Curacao writes: God has grown our small congregation of 12 disciples as of January, to now 19 disciples! Yesterday evening, Judy Van Loon was baptized! She studied the Bible for three weeks and was anxious to start a new life. Her husband was baptized just last week despite having Parkinson's disease and being 78 years old. She was so so grateful that she sent a bouquet of flowers to us as a congregation! Right before going into the waters, Judy shared that she had been looking for the truth for 13 years! She is also the "fifth fruit" of our new sister Mayo, who was baptized just four months ago! To God be ALL the glory!
Kyle Bartholomew shares: Greetings from warm Honolulu! This Sunday, we took up our Missions Contribution and God blessed us with a contribution of $21,500! Now with a little help from God, we plan to put Evan and Kelly Bartholomew on staff as soon as possible! Also, keep us in your prayers, as there are many studying that are close to getting baptized. Aloha!
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| Adam celebrates with Joey and Ricky after his baptism! |
Matt Sullivan of Santiago, Chile reports: This past week was incredible! Kip and Elena came down and totally encouraged and inspired the church! Also, Helen and I had a much needed time of fellowship with the McKeans! We did not have simply a "d-time", but a "d-day" - we spent an entire day just with them and I gotta say, "I love discipling!" We are completely rejuvenated! On Saturday morning, many disciples went to the airport and we had a "mini-fiesta" at the airport for the arrival of Nick, Denise, Makaela and Sonrisa Bordieri. On Sunday, Kip preached an incredible lesson and our first student from USACH (University of Santiago Chile) was baptized! On Monday, the Bordieris - the Directors of MERCYworldwide - and us went to Talca and Constitucion - where the devastation from the earthquake was the most severe. It was so bonding, as we ministered "side by side" the rest of the week helping earthquake victims. Truly, our God and His church is being glorified through all the efforts of MERCYworldwide! Finally, yesterday we saw a married woman, Clara restored. Her husband was baptized in November and she was so inspired by the changes in him that she came back! It has been an incredible two weeks! Thanks to the LA Church for sending the McKeans and the Bordieris to us! Truly, the Kingdom is forcefully advancing in South America!
Such a great week in LA! The Lord blessed us with three more baptisms and a non-push Sunday attendance of 497! (A record!) We are praying hard for Oleg & Aliona Sirotkin's return to Kiev, Ukraine in early May, as well as - at that same time - Ricky Challinor & Coleen Untalan's going to lead our new sister church in Guam for the summer!
In closing, here is the encouraging report from our North Region Women's Leader, Michele Williamson - soon to be in London: There is nothing more heartwarming than witnessing the Word of God bringing families together! (Malachi 4:6) Well, hearts were on fire in the North Region of the City Of Angels Church as our God was glorified, when we witnessed Erick Garcia - our second teen - get baptized! So impressive was his heart to jump right into a study out of the waters of baptism with "Big Jay" (another teen on fire for God), who our first teen, Christian Casarez, met! The fire blazed a little higher as Jordan Bogartz and Bo Foley - more "Kingdom Kid" teens - want to start studying! It was faith building to see Ronnie and Leyda Garcia, who have overcome so much in their lives, welcome their son into the Kingdom! Many of the visitors were blown away. One gentlemen, who's on pace to get baptized next week, not only stayed through Bible Talk Leaders Meeting, but then shared at the meeting, "Been to a lot of Bible study groups in the past, but I have never been to a church like this!" Please pray for the North to continue having "BAD DAYS FOR THE DEVIL!!!!!!!!"
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| Ronnie & Leyda Garcia are so fired-up after their son, Erick, was baptized! |
Now that most of our Missions Contributions are behind us, in May let's all be praying and working to register for the 2010 World Missions Jubilee every member of the SoldOut Movement in America, and as many as possible from our international congregations! And "to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever! Amen!" (Revelation 5:13)
Your partner in the gospel,
Kip