ICC Response

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as a commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” -Joshua 5:13-14a

To Our Beloved Church Family,

The scripture above is a reminder that despite attempts to divide God’s kingdom on earth, there are no “sides” in God’s church. There is only one side – God’s side – and there is only one Enemy, the Devil. As the Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 2:2 to the church in Philippi, “… make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above ourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” The Spirit’s admonition through the Apostle Paul is clear: pride divides, but humility unifies. Anyone who claims to be “righteous” yet participates in discord and divisiveness is “zealous to win you over, but for no good.” (Galatians 4: 17a)

It has come to our attention that a faction has broken off from our Sold Out Movement of Churches, calling themselves the “Restored Church Worldwide.” This group is led by the former Lead Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader of the City of Angels International Christian Church, Jason & Sarah Dimitry, and encompasses churches within their former geographic sector, including San Francisco, Denver and Las Vegas. It was initiated during a LA Congregational Devotional on Friday, October 18th, to the shock and confusion of many disciples who were lured away under the guise of a “devotional.” Sadly, we know that our enemy, the Devil, is eager to accuse, deceive, and destroy God’s kingdom on earth, and can use anyone to achieve his wicked schemes. As a result, many sincere disciples have been deceived and led astray by “fine-sounding arguments,” turning their backs on the very movement which served to save their souls. (Colossians 2:4)

As the leadership of our churches worldwide, we want to take this opportunity to apologize for the pain that has been caused to so many disciples who have felt coerced into “choosing” a side in this matter. We are simply unworthy servants striving to do God’s will. That said, please allow us to review the facts below to clarify the false narratives that have been portrayed.

1. Harboring deceit and the removal of church funds to support their faction (Proverbs 26:24)

This new faction, the “Restored Church Worldwide,” had been secretly organized for months by its collective leadership group, namely Jason Dimitry, Kyle Bartholomew, Evan Bartholomew, and Fernando Chavez, without any discussion with the World Sector Leaders or Movement Shepherds of the City of Angels Church. Despite the fact that Jason Dimitry was specifically asked to address the rumors to this effect by multiple ICC leaders including Raul Moreno, Michael Williamson, and Michael Kirchner, he categorically denied it, deliberately lying to cover his deception. At the LA Congregational Devotional, Jason stated that he was “strategically deceitful” for over 3 months, referring to an obscure reference in 1 Samuel 16:1-3 about Samuel being hesitant to go to Jerusalem in fear of his life. Obviously, Jason had no threat to his life, yet he developed a false doctrine to justify his deception and twisted the scriptures to suit his narrative.

We serve a God of truth, not lies. Jesus did not build his ministry on lies. As the Apostle Peter stated in 1 Peter 2:22, “He (Jesus) committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” Proverbs 26:24 is clear, “Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their heart they harbor deceit.” Under no circumstances is lying righteous. In order to remove any voices of truthful dissent from the City of Angels Church, Jason Dimitry and Jason Woody also removed Tony & Therese Untalan, Michael & Sharon Kirchner and Jeremy & Amy Ciaramella from the church platforms. This is shameful behavior, as the Untalans and Kirchners serve as Movement Shepherds, and all including the Ciaramellas have faithfully served the LORD since the foundational days of our movement.

Another deceitful example of this faction’s leaders was displayed by the removal of $100,000 in the LA Church account by running payroll for all of its region leaders under the guise of a “severance payment.” Sadly, they left only $250 behind. Steven Grizzle, one of the former CAICC region leaders, confirmed to a LA disciple that the extra money he received was “severance.” By California law, severance pay is based on internal negotiations and church policy. Severance is not taken, it is given. It is not something you are entitled to, yet these men convinced their administrators to go against church policy to do so. This is financial impropriety and misappropriation of church funds. It has also been confirmed that the Dimitrys have used some of the funds to pay for the security deposit and first month’s rent on their new home and reimbursed themselves for expenses. It may come as a shock to many that the Dimitrys’ salary was the highest in the movement – more than any other ministry staff couple, including the World Sector Leaders and Shepherds.

2. A lack of love and concern for foreign missionaries despite claiming to be committed to world evangelism. (2 Corinthians 8:3-4, 16)

By leaving God’s new movement, this faction has essentially turned their backs on the many foreign missionaries who are serving in Africa, South America, Eurasia and beyond. If the entire LA Church is deceived into not giving further missions, several of these heroes in the faith would have to return home as there would be a loss of financial support. Is that a commitment to world evangelism? The Apostle Paul speaks of the heart of the Macedonian churches in 2 Corinthians 8, testifying that “they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability … urgently pleading with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.” This decision to pull away from God’s new movement is endangering the lives of these missionaries, many who have sacrificed careers, left family and endured harsh conditions for the sake of the gospel. The Dimitrys, as leaders of this faction, are ignorant of these circumstances, as they have no foreign missionary experience in the 3rd world, having never led a church outside of the United States. As the prophet Ezekiel states in chapter 16:49, “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”

3. Slander, selfish ambition and a lack of willingness to make every effort for unity. (Ephesians 4:3)

In their letter entitled,” An Open Letter to the ICC,” many false allegations were given against John & Emma Causey, as well as character assassination and slander towards Tim & Lianne Kernan and our movement leaders, Raul & Lynda Moreno. In regards to the Causeys, much of their claims were based on gossip, as only 6 people of the 62 members of the faction that signed the letter had ever contacted the Morenos or Causeys. When there was news regarding potential issues in Chicago, an investigation was made, and the Morenos took several trips to Chicago in the spirit of Deuteronomy 13:14 to “inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.” The Causeys took responsibility for their sins and humbly asked for forgiveness. However, another faction member, Caleb Cohen, falsely accused John Causey of adultery and financial impropriety. John Causey reached out to Jason Dimitry, yet he refused to respond. After discipling from Raul, he finally called John a few weeks later. Is that a sincere “plea for unity?”

It should be noted that this “Open Letter to the ICC” was not sent to the World Sector Leaders or Movement Shepherds beforehand for discussion. It was simply sent out on a public forum in order to lead many astray without hearing the “other side” of the story. As Proverbs 18:17 states, “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.” Their goal was to convince naive disciples about their abundant growth compared to the rest of the movement. Sadly, not all of the churches in the “Dimitry Family of Churches” are doing well, according to his metrics. For example, the Denver Church grew by 15%, yet sadly, they had a 95% fall away rate. Despite the challenges of this year, several world sectors in our movement had similar growth rates, including the Africanus WS, Austral-China WS and the European World Sector, which grew by 20%. The LA Church this year has grown by 16%. In addition, the selfish ambition and envy of this faction is evident, as there is much man-focus and idolatry of numbers. (James 3:16) While we desire the world to be saved as urgently as possible, we do not worship numbers. We worship the God of the numbers.

We acknowledge that we have challenges in our movement in terms of growth and
retention. That said, we will tackle this issue with love, faith and humility. Starting a new movement and leaving your brothers behind is an easy thing to do, but is it righteous? It is like a husband leaving his older wife in order to be with a new young girlfriend. It sounds exciting at first, but the consequences cannot be escaped.

In closing, the truth is simple: it is not about “who” is right, but “what” is right. This faction is not about godly division, but rather a selfish and prideful attempt to have their “own kingdom.” To claim that they are separating from God’s new movement due to “godly division” is to presume that all of the disciples in the ICC are apostate and lost. This is simply arrogance and rebellion, pure and simple. They claim to have the heart of David, but in actuality they have the heart of Saul. As the prophet Samuel stated about Saul’s character in 1 Samuel 15:23a, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”

If you are a disciple who regrets being forced into choosing sides, you are welcome to join other like-minded disciples by attending the City of Angels Congregational Park Service this Sunday@ 10AM at the Marina Vista Park (5355 E Eliot Street, Long Beach, CA, 90803). For those who are feeling captive to the decisions of the leaders of this faction, please note that remnant groups are already forming to gather those who are loyal to God and His new movement. For more information, please contact Raul Moreno or any World Sector Leader. All of the World Sector Leaders and Movement Shepherds are committed to rescuing as many disciples as possible from those who hope to deceive, divide and destroy
their faith. May God give us the strength as we fight the Devil’s schemes and display to this lost generation the unity that shows us to be Jesus’ disciples. (John 17:23). We choose to be on God’s side.

In His Service,

The ICC World Sector Leaders & ICC Movement Shepherds

Dr. Raul & Lynda Moreno (Leaders of the World Sector Leader Council – Latin America WS)
Cory & Jee Blackwell (The Promised Land World Sector)
Dr. John & Emma Causey (The Northern Federation World Sector)
Ors. Tim & Lianne Kernan (Tribe World Sector)
Dr. Andrew & Patrique Smellie (African us World Sector)
Ors. Matt & Helen Sullivan (SAGES World Sector)
Dr. Michael & Michele Williamson (European World Sector)
Dr. Joe & Kerry Willis (Austral-China World Sector)

Tony & Therese Untalan (Movement Shepherding Couple)
Dr. Nick & Denise Bordieri (Movement Shepherd – MERCY Worldwide)
Dr. Michael & Sharon Kirchner (Movement Shepherd – Administration & Law)