DECEMBER 2018
ISSUE NO. 3
KINGDOM GAZETTE
THE BIRTH OF JESUS
BY FIRST LADY ROGERS PAGE 6 THE BLESSED LIFE
SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH REGGIE HARPER PAGE 13
GOOD EVANGELISM
BY NICHOLAS HALMON PAGE 8
A CHILD IS BORN & A SON IS GIVEN
BY PASTOR ROGERS PAGE 4
A Child Is Bor n and A Son is Given Isaiah 9:6- For unt o us a child is born, unt o us a son is given:
encourage you to do the same. As you move into this season of joy and laughter, remember to acknowledge God every day for His kind gift to Christmas is one of the most notable times of the us, ?His Son.? We should practice gratefulness, in year. It?s a time when we come together with addition to contentment, as we move into the family, share gifts of love and spend time reflecting holidays. We are so blessed to live in a country on the year gone by. The retail industry gets where we have freedom and the pursuit of geared up for what will probably be its most happiness at our finger tips. Let this holiday profitable quarter due to the multitude of people season find you satisfied with a cup of hot that will make purchases great and small. While chocolate and fond memories of just how good none of the aforementioned practices are wrong, I God has been in giving us His son. Allow the love want to encourage you to not overlook the reason God and the thought of Jesus?birth to be all you for the season. Isaiah prophesied that a Child need to smile all the way into the New Year. I would be born and a Son would be given. Jesus want to wish Christ is that Child and needless to say, our everyone a Merry Heavenly Father gave Him to us to cause our lives Christmas and a to be abundant and eternal. If you are like me, you Happy New Year, are still trying to figure out how to pay the debt of enjoy your love back to God for giving us His only Son. I do not blessings! have enough money in the bank, time in a day, Warmest Regards, neither words in my vocabulary to repay God for Past or Gabe giving me this precious gift in the form of Jesus. However, I can and will give God my life and I
December 31, 2018 10:00 PM
The Bir t h of Jesus
The bi rth of Jesus Chri st, second to Hi s resurrecti on, i s the most i mpactful event i n human hi story. Hi s bi rth was no ordi nary bi rth. Hi s was the bi rth of the most uni que, si gni fi cant Person i n hi story. Hi s bi rth was the i ncarnati on of God Hi mself. The Bi ble records i n John 1:14 that ?the Word became flesh and dwelt among us?. Thi s means that God Hi mself stepped out of eterni ty and i nto ti me to become a man of flesh and blood. The fact that God Hi mself became a man, whi le li vi ng a perfect, si nless human li fe, i s undoubtedly profound and i ts si gni fi cance i s somethi ng that we should never wri te off as a neat, fami li ar, chi ldhood Chri stmas story. The si gni fi cance of Jesus?bi rth i s found i n the answer to the questi on WHY? WHY was Jesus born? It i s i mportant to
understand that si nce the fall of man, redempti on has been the moti ve for all that God would do. The purpose of Jesus?s bi rth was a major part and the fi rst step to God?s over-all redempti ve plan for humani ty. WHY was Jesus born? Si mply put, Jesus Chri st was born, to di e, for my si ns and yours (Galati ans 4:4 ? 5)! That i s wonderful news! God loved the world so much that He sent Hi s Son to di e for our si ns affordi ng us the opportuni ty to one day li ve wi th Hi m eternally (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). We embrace thi s truth and the love of God by recei vi ng the gi ft of Hi s Son as Savi or and LORD (Romans 10:9 ? 13).
Lady Rogers
"Legisl atureMakingMonumental Advancements TowardsOverturningAbortion" By: Nichol asHal mon Most recently in November of this year the Ohio House of Representatives passed the most restr ictive abor tion bill in the United States to date. The recent bill known as the "Hear tbeat Bill" would effectively restr ict Ohio abor tionist from per for ming abor tions on a fetus that has a detected hear tbeat. A baby's hear tbeat usually can be detected by an ultr asound as early as 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 weeks of gestation. The case in Ohio now awaits the for mal decision of the senate and the incoming gover nor, Mike DeWine of whom has already stated earlier this year that he suppor ts the bill and will sign it into effect.. Continuing to stand up for the unbor n is definitely something that we as the body of Chr ist have to remain bold in doing because of cutthroat opposition from var ious liber al and women's r ights or ganizations. To add to the context, maybe the most fiercest advancement to date towards the over tur ning of Roe v. Wade is the recent news in October coming out of the state of Alabama. Their Supreme Cour t recently heard a case where a man was found guilty and sentenced to death for a double homicide murder of his pregnant girlfr iend. He appealed the decision to the state's highest cour t and ar gued that the fetus
was not legally a separ ate per son and that he only should have been char ged with one count of homicide. After the Supreme Cour t of Alabama voted to uphold the fetal- homicide r uling, the recently elected Alabama Supreme Cour t Chief Justice Tom Parker wrote this in a statement to the U.S Supreme Cour t, "I ur ge the Supreme Cour t of the United States to reconsider the Roe exception and to over r ule this constitutional aber r ation. Retur n the power to the states to fully protect the most vulner able among us." While I'm not a female by any measures nor do I relate per sonally with any women's issues I do believe that cer tain feminine groups are purely gaslighting other women into believing that abor tions are mor ally r ight and that women can do whatever they want with their bodies without any lasting consequences. To cap this all off is the fact that as believer s we do know that anyone can be redeemed from any sin or mistake because of the Blood of Jesus Chr ist that was shed on Calvar y to save us from the deathly eter nal power of sin. By confessing and repenting to God of our sins no matter how gr ave it may be we are confident that we are for given and redeemed.
" Good Evan gelism " By: Nicholas Halmon Individual evangelism is a prevalent subject today amongst the community of Chr istianity and is one of the most effective ways that an individual comes to know Chr ist in lordship. While we sincerely pr ay and hope that the name of Jesus will continue to become more prevalent and unashamed of amongst society, we also know that evangelism outside the four walls of the church is greatly needed now more than ever before with the ar ising of prevalent liber al and false religion movements making their way through societies cor r idor s. One obser vation that tr uly pushes me is the fact that almost ever y Sunday, Pastor Roger s has a recently invited per son sitting in the audience. Pastor always encour ages each of us to go out, share the gospel, and invite other s to our church through different str ategic effor ts. That's tr uly motivating to see in itself and with the holidays approaching, we each have ample oppor tunity to proclaim this objective tr uth to other s.
As I was watching a movie a few months back, a man was visiting his elderly mother of whom he hadn't heard speak much. While sitting with her in the nur sing home she attentively mur mured this power ful statement, "Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn't want them tur ning to God. The sin is like a jail cell except it's nice and comfy that people don't see the need to leave until one day time r uns out and the cell door slams shut and then it's too late to accept and receive Chr ist for all eter nity." I thought this was a ver y power ful soundbite of which no one can ignore the tr uth behind it. With so much going on today, people tr uly need to know about Jesus, the r isen Savior who died and made it possible for us to have an eter nity with him. 1 John 5:4- 5 says,"For ever y child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victor y through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God."
Holiday Bak in g CHRISTM AS SUGAR COOKIES By Jon Austin 1 cu p u n salt ed bu t t er 1 cu p su gar 1 egg (r oom t em p) 1 t sp van illa ext r act 1/ 2 t sp alm on d ext r act 2 t sp bak in g pow der 3 cu p all pu r pose f lou r
Dan iel Fast Ready Recipe STUFFED PEPPERS By Danielle Johnson 5 Bell Pepper s (an y color ) 2 cu ps of br ow n r ice 1 cu p of can n ed black bean s 1 cu p of can n ed cor n 1 r ed on ion 1 t easpoon of salt 1 t easpoon of pepper
1. Pr eh eat oven t o 350 degr ees
Han df u l of cilan t r o (ch opped, f or gar n ish )
2. Add bu t t er t o t h e bow l of you r st an d m ixer or an y ot h er m ixer an d cr eam on m ediu m h igh .
1 cu p Tom at o sau ce (an y k in d)
3. Wit h t h e m ixer on low , slow ly add su gar an d t h en t h e egg. 4. Don't f or get t o scr ape t h e bow l
2. Br in g w at er t o a boil in a sau ce pan f or t h e r ice. Wh en w at er is boilin g add r ice. Cook r ice u n t il it ?s t o you r lik in g, n ot h ar d
5. Tu r n m ixer on low an d add ext r act s (van illa an d alm on d). M ak e su r e all in gr edien t s com bin ed f u lly
3. In t h e m ean t im e, dice h alf of r ed on ion an d 1 bell pepper . Also ch op a h an df u l of cilan t r o f or gar n ish
6. Add t h e bak in g pow der an d t h en t h e f lou r (h alf cu p at a t im e u n t il f u lly in cor por at ed).
4. Heat u p a sau t ĂŠ pan w it h a lit t le olive oil. Sau t ĂŠ on ion s an d pepper s u n t il f r agr an t . Rem ove f r om h eat
7. Rem ove t h e dou gh f r om t h e bow l place on f lat cou n t er t op, r oll ou t in t o a f lat disk abou t a 1/ 2 in ch t h ick t h en cu t ou t cook ies in t o Ch r ist m as lik e sh apes an d bak e at 350 f or abou t 6 t o 9 m in u t es. 8. Let t h em cool on a cook ie sh eet u n t il f ir m t o t r an sf er cook ies, t h en f r ost w it h bu t t er cr eam or glaze icin g.
1. Pr eh eat oven t o 350 degr ees
5. Wh en r ice is f in ish ed, in a lar ge bow l com bin e black bean s, cor n , cook ed r ice, pepper s, on ion s, an d t om at o sau ce. Add salt an d pepper 6. Cu t r em ain in g bell pepper s in h alf , r em ove t h e in sides. 7. St u f f each pepper h alve w it h f illin g. 8. Bak e f or 30 m in u t es in a casser ole dish . Wh en don e gar n ish w it h cilan t r o
Meet Danielle Johnson
It?s that time of year again when we buy gifts for our family, friends, and give to charitable causes. Although we know that Christmas comes around every year, we usually aren?t prepared to spend our money on gifts, decorations, etc. Creating a budget will help ensure that you are prepared and will prevent you from overspending. Here are a few budgeting tips to avoid feeling overwhelmed during the holidays: 1. Be purposive to plan a realistic budget for Christmas. Determine how much you want to spend and can afford for Christmas. 2. Save a small amount of money each month. Start saving in January and throughout the year to be prepared for holiday spending. 3. Set up a direct deposit with your employer to go directly to a Christmas savings account. 4. Use smartphone apps to assist you with budgeting. Apps such as EveryDollar make it easy to create a budget and track your spending. 5. Adjust your budget to compensate for any unplanned life changes. Life is full of changes and your budget may need to be tweaked to account for those changes. Just remember to go back to the normal saving amount. 6. Consider using cash or your debit card instead of credit cards. People tend to spend more money using credit cards opposed to cash or their debit cards. 7. If you are going to use a credit card, use a card that offers cash back or other reward perks that will benefit you. 8. Do your research! Look for coupons, online promo codes, and free shipping when purchasing online to save money. 9. Compare prices of the items you want to get the best price. Some stores carry the same brand however their prices may be different. 10. Don?t forget to give God what belongs to Him. Include your tithes and church offerings in your budget.
2019 Plan n in g & Goal Set t in g 2019 is almost here! As we approach 2019, everyone?s preparing to write their New Year ?s resolutions or deciding what they are going to do differently in the New Year. While those resolutions last only a few months, we usually resort back to our default lifestyle and wait until the next year to make resolutions again. You may be wondering how can we break the cycle of making resolutions that we don?t keep? We can break the cycle by planning short term and long-term goals. Short and long-term goals are necessary to ensure that we stay on track to get the results we desire. Short-term goals should be goals that you want to accomplish in a short time period of less than a year. Long term goals are typically longer goals that can be accomplished in a year or longer. Why is it important to set goals? Setting a goal helps us stay focused. If you don?t know what you?re trying to accomplish, you will not obtain it. The book of Habakkuk states ?Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.? Writing your vision and running with it is the same as setting a goal and accomplishing it. You should visualize what you want to happen and put steps in place to see it come to fruition. How do you accomplish and meet your goals for 2019? Find an accountability partner. KCC has Discipleship Partners (DPs) to help you create Individual Discipleship Plans (IDPs) to assist you with setting and achieving goals in the following domains: spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial. An accountability partner will hold you accountable to your goals and help make sure you fulfill them. Make sure your goals are realistic. Unrealistic goals such as losing 50 lbs. in a month or becoming a CEO of a fortune 500 company with no experience will set you up for failure or cause you to give up without trying. Be determined to see the end no matter what it takes. Determination is the key factor in accomplishing any goal. If are determined to achieve your goal, then you will posture yourself to overcome any obstacles with planning and preparation. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and 2 Timothy 4:7 reference a race that was finished with determination, discipline and self-control. In conclusion, don?t settle for a new year ?s resolution that won?t last but create goals where you will see lasting results. Cerelia Branham
Meet Danielle Johnson Dan ielle Joh n son join ed KCC in Novem ber 2017. Sh e cu r r en t ly w or k s as a m an ager at Spoon's Food Tr u ck . Dan ielle en joys cook in g, w at ch in g spor t s, spen din g t im e w it h f am ily an d f r ien ds an d t r yin g n ew f ood/ r est au r an t s. Wh en ask ed w h at led h er t o join KCC, sh e st at ed "a f am ily m em ber t old m e abou t KCC so I decided t o com e an d visit . I loved it an d Past or 's t each in gs!"
Upcoming Events December 31st - NYE Servi ce Jan 12th - Grow Your Busi ness BB&T Sem i nar Jan 18th - Si ngles Gam e Ni ght Jan 24-26th - Leadershi p Conference Jan 27th - Vi si on Sunday Feb 3rd- Men?s Super Bow l Party Feb 15 -Youth Fun Ni ght M arch 15th - Si ngles Book Study M arch 29th - Marketplace Mi ni stry
Happy New Year !
Th e Blessed Lif e
R
eggie Har per exudes the meaning of having "The Blessing on your Life." Reggie is a native to Raleigh, NC and moved to Charlotte, NC in 2016 to attend college. Reggie is now a junior at UNC- Chr alotte with a major in Computer Science with a concentr ation of Cyber Secur ity, and a minor in Communications. With tremendous growth over the last two year s and a greater focus on God, Reggie has officially become a member of Kingdom Chr istian Church with an amazing testimony. Charlotte was not Reggie's fir st choice, but it was definitely God's choice. Reggie intended to stay in Raleigh to attend school, but then he lear ned about the Levine Scholar ship through a school counselor. This counselor was not assigned to Reggie, but she recommended Reggie and he applied for it. Now Reggie's entire four year s of school are covered, in addition, to four summer exper iences. Coming up on his second semester of his junior year, Reggie has now exper ienced a 23 day wilder ness leader ship camp with no technology, an inter nship with USO of Nor th Carolina based at the air por t, a study abroad tr ip to Afr ica, where he swam with the sharks, and now working on his pre- professional inter nship with Bank of Amer ica.. Reggie attr ibutes his success to making Jesus fir st in his life and Lord over his life, and realizing that we cannot do anything without Him. Reggie was also r aised to be dr iven and to always have goals in mind. That is held to be tr ue as Reggie is scheduled to complete his Bachelor s and Master s degree in
five year s instead of the typical six. When Reggie star ted at UNC- Charlotte, he read about being able to obtain his Bachelor s and Master s degree in a shor ter per iod of time, so he went to the gr aduate school counselor and asked what he needed to do to star t this progr am. The counselor advised him to make sure he had a high GPA and was involved on campus; and Reggie did actually that. When it came time to apply to the progr am he applied with a 4.0 GPA, was involved with tutor ing, became a Teacher Assistant and got involve in leader ship oppor tunities at the College of Computing & Infor matics. By just getting involved and making sure he did what he was instr ucted, to God be the glor y, star ting next semester, he will star t classes that will count towards both his Bachelor s and Master degree. Before he gr aduates under gr ad he can have up to 15 credits completed, so half of the degree will be complete and it will only take about one year or less to fully complete his master s. Before Reggie gr aduates he will star t an inter nship as a Business Analysis at Bank of Amer ica. This is a "Big Deal!" The inter nship will allow him to be a liaison between business par tner s and the development team. So when the business par tner s need a cer tain software application or ser vice from the development team, he gets the specifications from the business par tner s and tr anslates them into technical jar gon for the development team. This is a great oppor tunity because Reggie gets to use all his degrees while not feeling like he is just working behind the scenes; and when he completes the inter nship he can be offered a full- time position with Bank of Amer ica. Reggie is just one example of those living "The Blessed Life" at KCC, but when you see him lets congr atulate him on his Godly success, and say "We are happy for YOU!"