Did you know that according to the Barna Research Group, only 9 percent of professing Christians hold a Biblical worldview? This stunning statistic would then logically translate that there may not be much difference in the lifestyles of a believer and a non-believer. Wow! Our worldview then, or we could say, our lens or view of our world, is very critical indeed. We can look at the world through the lens of subjective opinion, the lens of a particular ideology, the lens of personal experience (good or bad), the lens of our upbringing, the lens of popular culture, etc., or we could embrace an objective standard in which viewpoints and perspectives can be carefully measured.
It’s been said before that you can be a “Christian in your heart without being a Christian in your head”. The point of this statement implies a lack of renewal through insufficient knowledge and training in the Scriptures. Romans 12:2 exhorts us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Our minds (i.e. our thoughts) are a crucial and critical component of our precious faith. We are further exhorted to note that, “As a man THINKS in his heart, so is he.” Our lives and destinies can follow our patterns of though, for good or for bad. God is graciously inviting us into His plan and purpose for the world by lovingly giving us His Word whereby we measure all things. We are commanded to “Love the Lord our God with all of our mind…” thus right concepts about God and the world He created are imperative to our well being.
We as a church have a wonderful opportunity to sharpen our Biblical thinking skills as we participate in this Saturday’s, “The Truth Project”. This training seminar, a project of Focus on the Family, is designed to realign our thinking Biblically in the areas of God, man, philosophy, government, family, ethics, work & labor, science, history, and a host of other important topics that shape our world. Please plan on joining us from 9am to 12:30pm in room 204 at King’s Park as we together examine God’s Truth. We will only come forth more confident and competent in our view of this wonderful life God has given each of us. Please come and be a part!
I would like to begin this letter by thanking you for the privilege of allowing me to serve you. As I look around the world, I never cease to be amazed by the faithfulness I see demonstrated at this church. As you know, our country is still recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Many non-profits across the nation had to make Draconian cuts due to the fact that their donations plummeted. Furthermore, highly respected Christian ministries were forced to make massive layoffs in order to survive. However, King’s Park did not have to lay off a single staff member; this is due to your faithful giving. While donations to most non-profits were down in double digits, KPIC donations were only down 3% in 2008 and 2% in 2009. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to pastor such a faithful people.
When I think of the trials many of you have endured, as well as the overall state of our economy, I am reminded of the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:2: “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity”. Whether you gave out of abundance or out of poverty over the last year, I would like to highlight what exactly your giving was able to accomplish. For the last two and a half years, we as a church have embraced the cause of the destitute and the forsaken like never before. We gave more to the poor during this time than at any other point in our history. Through your rich generosity ministries like the Mirembe House and Stop Child Trafficking Now were uniquely blessed. Let me take a moment to highlight each of these strategic ministries.
Friends of Mirembe
“Mirembe House continues to be an enormous blessing financially, emotionally and spiritually to some of the neediest children in Africa. You are making a difference in the future leaders of Africa, and we at the African Children’s Choir are extremely grateful.”
Julia Barnhart Tracy, ACC Director
The Mirembe House provides a restful and healthy home for at-risk African orphans within the African Children’s Choir. This world famous choir has performed everywhere from the White House to American Idol. They have been used to raise awareness for both HIV/Aids epidemic in Africa as well as the plight of orphans worldwide. After seeing them travel across the United State without a home base, we decided to adopt them. Over the past two and half years, we have had the privilege of giving $400,000 to the needs of the African Children’s Choir through our Friends of Mirembe Campaign.
Stop Child Trafficking Now
“Without the support of King’s Park International Church, SCTNow would not have made it off the ground. From providing administrative offices and volunteers, to contributing significantly to the donor drive and the Walks, KPIC played an essential role in the success of our organization.”
Katy Bennett, National Campus Director for SCTNow
This year KPIC was also instrumental in the founding of a non-profit designed to bring freedom to some of the most oppressed humans in the world. Stop Child Trafficking Now was used by God to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the purpose of raising awareness and funds to help eradicate sexual slavery in the United States and abroad. Without your faithful giving this ministry would not exist today; without this ministry countless young boys and girls would continue to be enslaved in this contemptible trade.
As we look toward the next year, and the next decade, I want to assure you that the KPIC family will always be in the vanguard of those who are actively caring for the world’s hurting and broken. As a family, KPIC is and will continue to be committed to alleviating the suffering of a broken world both at home and abroad. However, we also realize that the greatest impoverishment is spiritual. Mother Teresa said, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.” This year I am praying that each and every one of you will be used by God to touch the hurting and the broken with the Gospel. In closing, I would like to remind you of the amazing promises of God to those who give both their finances and their life to the poor.
Proverbs 19:17:
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 11:25:
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
Proverbs 28:27:
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.
We gave.
We continued our support for the world-famous African Children’s Choir through the Mirembe House and Mirembe Capital Campaign, to-date raising over $75,000. Stop Child Trafficking Now was birthed and broadcast in our midst. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised to help eradicate sexual slavery.
We grew.
The King’s Park average Sunday service grew 4%. Since their start in 2007, the Chinese and Hispanic congregations have been on the rise: the Chinese congregation is outgrowing their space in the World Prayer Center, and Celebracion Hispana attendance grew almost 50% in 2009, from around 60 to 100.
We went.
With missions to Jamaica, Taiwan, Uganda, New York City, Durham’s Cornwallis Community, the college campuses, our LIFE Groups, and Reality Youth, not only did we rack up on frequent flyer miles, we saw people say “yes” to following Jesus, the greatest miracle on earth.
We partied.
Celebrate the Nations, a Pentecost Sunday event, and our Re:Connect Friends and Family Reunion were added to our list of annual celebrations, including God Loves This City and Fiesta.
We built.
As much as we do, the aim is always to see lives changed for the Kingdom of God. And what a privilege it is to know we do that every day.
A few years ago, I spent an hour somewhat concerned reviewing gospel tracts displayed in the lobby of a church. As a technical writer, I had to admire the writers’ ability to lay out the sequential steps toward completing the specified process. As a Christian, I was saddened to see what these tracts left out.
A few simple things ….for instance: the Kingdom of God, including the King. If Jesus received any air time in these publications, He appeared more a means to an end, a “salvation appliance.” The focus seemed to be on that axis of the universe: Me and My needs for the advertised commodity, salvation.. which could be earned by completing some easy steps.
The typical tract can present Jesus as the means to the most important end, the Eternal Self. This is one reason why it rings hollow, and is so unconvincing to the contemporary reader. In a world deluged with, baptized in, the cult of Self, people yearn, long, and cry out for something greater than their mere selves to live for. And a gospel that simply offers yet one more consumer good sounds like something far less than good news.
I like the way G. K. Chesterton put it:
“Christianity came into the world firstly in order to assert with violence that a man had not only to look inwards, but to look outwards, to behold with astonishment and enthusiasm a divine company and a divine captain. The only fun of being a Christian was that a man was not left alone with the Inner Light, but definitely recognized an outer light, fair as the sun, clear as the moon, terrible as an army with banners.”
A King has barged onto the historical stage, and conscripted us into His service. And it is a noble service, a call to leave this realm better than we found it, for His delight. God loves the world He created, and yearns to see it restored. He redeems us as His agents towards that end. See John 3:16 — what was it that God so loved?
We have a God who is far more than a pacifier for our souls. The gospel is the good news that the King has come, and things are going to change. And we have a piece of that action, we are in on the fun, and the world will never be the same.
King’s Park is partnering on the ground with international and Haitian-based relief efforts. We believe that partnering with local, reliable sources will be our best effort to resource long-term rebuilding efforts in this country.
Please contact Missions Pastor Wayne Graham at wayne.graham@kpic.org with questions or more on how you can be involved.
Best Cookie 2009 goes to Rhonda Jeffers! Jeffers took the gold at our Annual Cookie Contest, coupled this year with a Family Christmas Movie night.
“No family secret or anything, just something I threw together yesterday,” says the cookie pro.
Want a taste? Here it is:
You’ll need:
1 package of sugar cookie mix
3 oz of cream cheese (softened)
1 stick of butter (softened)
1 egg
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
1 can cream cheese icing
finely chopped pecans for garnish
Cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy, add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the cookie mix. Mix until soft dough forms, stir in the pecans. Bake in 350-degree oven 8-10 minutes or until edges start to brown and cookies are set.
Microwave the icing for a few seconds (until it’s kinda runny), drizzle over cookies and sprinkle finely chopped nuts over the icing. Voila!
Why are we making such a big deal about getting a tree from Green Acres of Cary this year?
Well, they’ve decided to give the African Children’s Choir (ACC) 10% of their profits. As a church, we have taken in these beautiful little treasures, and as a result, we take responsibility for their financial needs.
We launched the Mirembe Capital Campaign (named “Mirembe” after the house we have given to supporting the ACC) on November 8th, which was the beginning of our efforts to pay off remaining debt and garner monthly funds for the ACC.
He’s the guy who’s speaking this weekend at ReConnect.
All we know is:
1. He wants a “VJ” — a video jockey. You know, to Google images WHILE he’s preaching his sermon on relationships. Don’t worry, we don’t know what that’ll look like, either. We’re pretty excited.
2. He’s called a “futurist” — means he’s from the future. Or headed there. One of those has to be true.
Each Tuesday, Children’s Pastor Eric Syfrett posts a video for his Children’s Ministry team. There’s a shout-out for Fiesta at the end, but check out the wisdom of one of the 5 year-olds attending KPIC last Sunday! What’s God up to in your world?
