Report: 2008 World Missions Jubilee

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth, proclaim His salvation day after day! Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples… Then all [who celebrated the ark coming to Jerusalem] said ‘Amen’ and ‘Praise the Lord’!” I Chronicles 16:23-24, 36

“Declare His Glory Among The Nations” was the compelling theme for the 2008 World Missions Jubilee! 750 gathered for this celebration from seventeen nations: Canada, Chile, Curacao, England, Estonia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Ireland, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Suriname, Sweden, Togo, United States and Zimbabwe! The highlights of the Jubilee were the four baptisms: Jose Moreta, Myky Harris, David Granados and Gabe Reed; all the main speeches; the appointment of Nick and Denise Bordieri as the worldwide coordinators of our new “HOPE” organization, and their announcement of a contest to come up with a name for our new nonprofit, benevolent society; the Friday night concert; and on Sunday, the sending-off of the New York City and Washington DC Mission Teams! Our God is moving “beyond anything we could ask or imagine… to bring Him glory in the church” through the less than two year old Sold-out Discipling Movement!

Prior to the conference on Saturday July 26, the City of Angels House Church Leaders gathered for the going away party at the Velasco’s home for the twenty member NYC Mission Team. At the party, Victor and Sonia Gonzalez of the Latino Ministry prepared an awesome Mexican meal of beef, chicken and carnitas (pork) tacos! In honor of DJ and Kacie, Mountain Dew was the beverage of choice! There was an hour-and-a-half of tear-filled sharing. Then, the two foot tall “Empire State Building cake” was cut and served “ala mode!” We closed by singing to the future Empire City International Christian Church, We love you with the love of the Lord!

On Sunday July 27 before the Jubilee, the NYC Mission Team led every aspect of our worship service, from ushering to communion, as well as the singing and the sermon! DJ titled his farewell sermon, “The Way of Love.” Keying off our recent study of the “journey section” of the book of Luke, where Jesus is “the Way,” DJ challenged us from I Corinthians 13 to be the church that practiced “the most excellent way” of love. Elena and I are so proud of DJ and Kacie.

Then on Tuesday July 29, we had our usual staff meeting at the Zindlers’ home. Many church leaders from around the world had come early for the Global Leadership Conference on Wednesday. Immediately after I read, for the first time, our young movements’ Five Year Plan, “the place where [we] were meeting was shaken!” (Acts 4:31) This 5.4 magnitude earthquake produced spontaneous applause and shouting! Mike Underhill read Acts 4:31 and all were confident that our God was giving His “Amen” to our plans. We then prayed for boldness to evangelize all the nations in this generation. I can only imagine what magnitude of earthquake God would have sent if we had a 10 year plan!

David’s uniting of Israel and Judah was cemented by choosing Jerusalem as the new capital for the central government of the Hebrew people. By bringing into Jerusalem the ark – which was the very presence of God – the city of David became Zion, the one center of worship. Somewhat similarly at this Jubilee, the central leadership of the Sold-out Discipling Movement was formalized. This was announced on Wednesday morning July 30, at the Global Leadership Conference. After the conference, we held the first official meeting of the primary leadership group for the Sold-out Discipling Movement. Gathered in a unified spirit were the shepherding couples – Nick and Denise Bordieri and Tony and Therese Untalan – and the Evangelists and Women’s Ministry Leaders – Chris and Theresa Broom, DJ and Kacie Comisford, Andrew and Patrique Smellie, Matt and Helen Sullivan and Elena and me. In the future others will be added. This decision-making group will, Lord willing, evolve into our World Sector Leaders for the new movement!

At this meeting, as well as later at our Sunday meeting, we discussed the details of The Five Year Plan’s six plantings: London (2010), Miami (2010), Johannesburg (2011), Mexico City (2011), Paris (2012) and Hong Kong (2013). Also, specific couples are now on our prayer list to plant San Diego (2009), Detroit (2010) and Sydney (2010), thus adding more plantings to the plan during the next two years. Discussed and agreed upon was the new “HOPE” contest, as well as the decision that each church in our family of churches would contribute 2% of our weekly contribution to our new “HOPE” organization, starting January 2009. Another decision arrived at was that the church plantings will contribute $125/ month to our movements’ Internet Ministry and Outreach – partially supporting Jeremy Ciaramella on UpsideDown21.org, as well as sustaining Soldoutdisciples.com in LA. Then on Wednesday evening, 85 elders, evangelists, women’s ministry leaders and interns “broke bread together” at the Speakers’ Dinner.

Thursday morning I met with our Internet Ministry Leaders. This included our Cyber-evangelists: Jeremy Ciaramella, Ron Harding, Rob Onekea and Andrew Smellie. Also in attendance were several “Web-deacons” each of whom serve their local church by maintaining and updating each of their congregation’s websites. Decided at the meeting was for Rob Onekea to oversee the production of a new “KNN-like” monthly video to be seen on each of the 32 churches’ websites of the Sold-out Discipling Movement. Also, Ron Harding announced that all the bulletins of my ministries – from Boston (1979-1990) to Los Angeles (1990-2001) to Portland (2003-2007) to City Of Angels (2007-the present) – will be available on our website for everyone to remember God’s victories, to learn from our past mistakes, to document the unprecedented spread of the Boston Movement (later called the International Churches of Christ) from Boston into 171 nations, and to document the dissolving of the ICOC’s central leadership through the sad and destructive return of the ICOC to mainline Church of Christ theology, especially autonomy. Also chronicled is the unparalleled rising-up of the Sold-out Discipling Movement (which holds to the original vision and doctrines of the Boston Movement) from the ashes of apathy and lukewarmness pervasive in most of the ICOC churches. (For more information on this chronicling of our movement - see http://www.caicc.net/ourmovement/)

Thursday afternoon, several of the brothers came together in Hollywood for our annual Jubilee basketball game. Continuing with the theme of glory, the championship game was won with an unbelievable 3-point shot by Ron Harding as he was falling out of bounds! Thursday evening, the Jubilee officially opened with vibrant singing and the dynamic preaching of DJ Comisford on the theme “Exchanging His Glory.” Friday morning, Steve Johnson spoke on “Ever Increasing Glory.” Throughout the day, there were sessions on practical ministry and world missions. Also on Friday, the Spanish-speaking program commenced. Dorian Bonilla, Raul Moreno and Victor Gonzalez Sr. were the main speakers. Friday evening was the concert. The Comisford’s sang a song from each period of their spiritual lives – Cincinnati’s dark days, For Your Glory; The Portland Song, then The Hollywood Song and Disciple Sandwich. Hopefully in the near future, we’ll hear The Empire City Church Song! After the concert, I addressed the seminar and shared The Five Year Plan. Saturday morning, the Bordieri’s gave their vision for the new “HOPE” organization. Then, we heard a creative and inspiring presentation from Lu Jack and Cathi Martinez and Michael and Michele Williamson on how to get our hearts, minds and souls set to worship God in church. Andrew Smellie closed out the morning, preaching a powerful sermon on “My Father’s Glory.” The remainder of the day was spent in fellowship and many of the disciples went to Universal Studios.

Sunday was the grand finale! The Sullivan’s gave a moving communion, Chris Broom preached an awe-inspiring sermon on heaven, “The City of God’s Glory,” and then the New York City and Washington DC Missions Teams were called on stage. Upside-down “gem globes” were presented to each of the 42 members on the two mission teams. After falling on our knees, a stirring prayer was led by Nick Bordieri and Tony Untalan. We closed out with the anthem, Men Who Dream! The image of David “dancing with all his might” as he brought the ark to Jerusalem best describes the feeling in all our hearts during the Jubilee. Like those in Jerusalem, who celebrated the ark’s historic arrival by listening to David’s psalm of celebration in I Chronicles 16, we too, at the end of the historic 2008 Jubilee, said collectively and in unison, “Amen and Praise the Lord!”

Kip McKean

World Missions Evangelist