From the Desk of Bishop Thomas

It is hard to fathom that spring is here and this month we are celebrating the glorious resurrection of our Lord. I am hoping that each of you are bonding with your congregations to make this Easter a most memorable one. Christ died for our sins and for us to know the wondrous relationship of the Father. That is our message: Christ’s sacrifice and the Father’s love. I am asking each of you to mobilize your leadership to make the worship services of this season enlightening, empowering, and effective in conveying this message. I believe in God for people to be saved and for the light to shine in darkness. Report back on your efforts and reach out if you need helps with your plans. Each member of our executive council is ready to help and to help churches partner together to develop plans and programs. His sacrifice was His life, but His free gift to us is life, and that message must be heralded this season.

Let me plant the seed for our annual conference July 18-20. The theme is: Ministry Based on Big Dreams "For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

Our format will be very similar to last year’s format and some of our topics are:  How does the clergy leader awaken, feed, and mature imagination? Imagine challenges and opportunities for the church—Christian persecution, secularism, automation (driverless cars, robots, and digital homes).  Imagine church with all the generations present and spiritually hungry and much more. 

I believe this is going to spur thinking in our churches about what we can do to help persons find Christ and His fellowship. We don’t want to just maintain our churches; we want our churches to become movements for the kingdom. We want you registered, and we want you to register your church leaders, ministry workers, staff, and lay members. I am asking you to register early. Let me say that again. Early. The registration will be available on the website in two weeks. I am hoping for 600 attendees at this year’s conference. 
It is a great time for members to get together and get to know each other.  There are many other conventions and associations you may attend, but I am encouraging you to register your members and leaders so that you will be ready for a dynamic new outpouring in your church. Last year was phenomenal and we are still hearing of the changes churches have made to be more effective. Be sure to check back on the website regularly and see updates for the KACP 2017 Conference.

We do want to make sure that our communication with our pastors and churches is strong. We have sought a structure that enables every member and church to be able to reach out for support. Those leaders will be sending you an email reaching out so that you can maintain their contact information and the fellowship. Ours is a unique organization and we want each church and each pastor to gain from our collective strength.

Finally, our retreat this year was powerful and productive. Our time was spent looking at our Myers-Briggs Type Indicators and it was helpful to all in attendance. Some of you might want to explore this with your staff or even go deeper in for yourselves, and I would be open to helping you accomplish that. If you were not at the retreat and would like to do the personality inventory, let me know and we can schedule. I think it is a powerful tool for self-awareness and leadership, so do not hesitate to contact me about having a seminar for your leaders, staff, or for yourself. I have found that most of our people problems can be addressed through better self-awareness and by better understanding the people God has us working with.

Enjoy this season of Lent and minister knowing that I am praying for you and with you. God is going to mightily manifest Kingdom power and we will be conduits for its flow to God’s people.

I am looking forward to seeing you in July and staying in touch with you till then.

Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr.
Presiding Prelate

Dear KACP,

I hope you are doing well and adjusting to the fast pace of the New Year. Our prayers are with our members who have started the year with the loss of a loved one. Please continue to keep them in your prayers during this difficult season. Just yesterday, it seems as if we were preparing for Christmas and New Year’s, and now both are behind us and January is coming around the last turn on the track.

Remember, this is the time for us to set direction and offer training on the vision that we have for our church. The vision for a church year is really not just for the year, but it’s to inject and infuse new ideas and concepts into the DNA of the church. Much of what we introduce this year will bear fruit in the years to come. Bring in your leaders and set the course; help them to understand the church the Lord has sent you to nurture and develop. Together we will be an amazing witness for Christ, as we each grapple and wrestle with the nurturance needed to grow such a church.

The KACP Retreat was simply awesome. We learned, we laughed, and we lifted up the churches of the fellowship. I thoroughly enjoyed leading the workshop on The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The learning was insightful, leading us into extraordinary self-awareness. Many of you mentioned that you would like this workshop for your staff and/or leadership. I am more than willing to facilitate this.  It would be my pleasure to have an opportunity to interact with your group at this level. Just contact me and we can work out the details. I really believe that God empowers us to become self-aware, and when we do reach this self-awareness, the work of the Kingdom moves at a new pace.

Let me also remind you to save the date for our Annual KACP Conference in Baltimore on July 17*-20, 2017. We are planning a dynamic experience and we are looking for our KACP churches to be in attendance in large numbers. We will begin the online registration in February and we need you to register early so we can plan appropriately. Our theme this year is: Ministry Based on Big Dreams: Loosing the Imagination (Luke 1:37)

We are looking for full participation from our membership this year, and we want the membership to invest and bring their staff, leaders, and members to the conference so they too can become inspired to do even more for the Kingdom of God. Make the investment.  Bishop Dwayne C. Debnam’s office will be sending out invoices and it is important that you get your dues to him in the time allotted.  

Finally, be sure to check the website regularly as we are updating content on a regular basis. 

I am looking forward to seeing and chatting with you soon. 

In His Name,

Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr.

* Complete information will follow regarding Monday, July 17th Pre-Conference Activities.

The Easter season is upon us. In the liturgical calendar, the seven Sundays after Easter are reserved for the resurrection. This Easter was electric and many of you have reported that it was a time of great excitement. I really believe God is doing a new thing and we are beholding a massive shift in the paradigms we known. An awakening is beginning and we must rise to the occasion, helping to open the eyes of those who desperately want to see.

I must admit I am excited about what I see. I am challenged to be the pastor that understands the times and ministers accordingly. I have the desire to employ my resources to make me competent and I have the faith to stay confident. This is God's church and we are God’s servants. I am sure that you feel the Easter excitement. The resurrection reminds of the unconquerable Christ. Even death failed at the attempt and because He lives we live.

In July, we are readying for our time together and our Opportunity to grow and below. I am hoping that you will bring your members and leaders to the annual meeting so that as one church we can hear the message God has for us. We have a dynamic program and it will offer us a dialogue with great minds and leaders. Many of our members have made friends at other churches and this is a time for those relationships to be renewed. The website carries all the information about the meeting and the hotels that are available. I look forward to the time we spend each year and cherish the relationship I am developing with each of you.

Register now, letting us know who is coming and how many so we can be prepared upon arrival. Let's make this the best conference yet. Sign up for the Golf Tournament on Monday and enjoy the week in "BMore!"

See you in July!

From The Bishop

Pastors, I hope this note finds everyone doing well. The season of Christmas is here and the commemoration of the birth of Jesus is the height of our celebration. I am thanking God for another year and for the opportunity to once again reflect upon the birth of my savior and the gift of God given to change our lives. There is no gift that matches what god has done in Jesus. Mary and Joseph traveled over a dusty road and winding path to get to the place where his birth was prophesied. They have to make a journey, one marked by suffering and pain.

God brought Jesus into the world through the basement door. He comes into the world through the pain, suffering, humiliation, and embarrassment of his parents. He is truly acquainted with grief as it starts with the announcement of his birth. Mary and Joseph had no idea that they were playing a role ion the plan of God. They thought God was in their plan. He wanted his son born in this fashion so that no one could ever say that he did not understand their pain. He knows all and feels all.

The Christmas season is about God feeling what we face, God knowing what we face, God experiencing what we face, God enduring what we face, God resolving what we face, and God liberating us from what we face. This story is not about a baby who does miracles; rather is  about a child who grows up in the challenge, takes on the challenge, and then wins the challenge on Calvary. It is a victory over time. Some of us need to embrace that truth today. God is going to give us victory over time. We may not see it today, but it is coming. In the fullness of time, the baby reached maturity and manhood and when he did he challenged life until it fell prostrate before him. This is the message of Christmas; let’s tell it everywhere we have opportunity.

Don’t forget our retreat in January. It will be off the chain and you will be blessed. We are looking at Spiritual Direction and I am sure we will be steadied by these sessions. Call the office of our General Secretary, Dr. Curtis, if you have questions.

Let me end by wishing to each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!