BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

1 0 : B V O V of repentance and the promise of God's Love and Redemption for all mankind. Returning late one cold evening from an evangelistic service, Booth took notice of the poor sleeping under the London Bridge and was overcome with compassion. At that moment, he knew he had to do something to help the homeless. The LORD called, and Booth answered. In 1865, Booth and his wife, Catherine, opened The Christian Revival Society in the East End of London (yes, another "East London"). There, they conducted services every evening and on Sundays, ministering to society's most needy, including alcoholics, criminals and prostitutes. Soon after, they established "Food for the Million" soup kitchens. Large bowls of soup and bread were offered to the poor. Lodging houses provided the homeless with a safe haven from the bitter winters. In 1878, the name of the organization's name was changed to Salvation Army. It was modeled after the military, complete with its own flag, uniforms and marching bands. The "soldiers" would "put on the armor" for evangelistic meetings and ministry work. Booth became known as "The General." The army grew rapidly. Operations spread all over the world—the United States, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Jamaica—58 countries in all. Booth preached more than 60,000 sermons and traveled some 5 million miles. No small task for one man. And certainly no small army to keep motivated and inspired. Every year, Booth would send a telegram to all of his "soldiers" as they carried on the monumental task of helping people make it through the season. Because of the excessive costs involved, his telegram had to be short. For the last telegram that he ended up writing, he wrote and rewrote until he arrived at just one word. It was one word that had to inspire his entire army. That word was…OTHERS! Let's make an adjustment to our thinking as we enter 2024. The vision from God will flow once we make the decision to meet the needs of others. And, once we are obedient, the provision for the vision will flow mightily. KCM Vision Board My wife, Terri, and I are the senior pastors at EMIC. I am also the CEO of the ministry and she is the CVO (Chief Visionary Officer). Together, we have many projects on our KCM vision board. how to fly. He even designed a stretcher to fit into an airplane. When all the requirements were completed, The LORD supplied a beautiful twin- engine, turboprop aircraft. They converted the interior of the aircraft into a flying ambulance and began airlifting patients! One day, Pastor André thought to himself, What in the world am I doing? I am a pastor, not an ambulance flyer! The LORD answered him: You called out to Me when you saw a need. No one else answered that call. You gave Me the opportunity and I placed the vision in you. The vision produced the provision for what you needed. They continued to fly; then a businessman called. "Sir, I have been watching what you are doing," the man told Pastor André. "I have a jet airplane that I want to give you. It is bigger, better and faster than what you are currently flying." The LORD manifested a jet because of their obedience to help others. He told Pastor André, If you will do what I ask you to do for others, you will never lack in what I will do for you. The Roeberts shared several stories that you will see on Inside the Vision. But the bottom line is this: The driving force behind every vision they have had was in meeting the needs of others. That is very scriptural. Philippians 2:4 in the New American Standard Bible-95 states, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." Everyone needs to get a vision for someone else. For us here at KCM and EMIC, our highest motivation for vision is meeting the needs of others. We understand that everything will fit into place when our motivation is right. As Pastor André puts it, "Ask what you can do to get involved with a vision of helping others. Get your eyes off yourself and get them on others." How To Inspire an Entire Army With One Word This all reminds me of a story I have often shared around Christmastime. It's the story of the Rev. William Booth, a military man of sorts. His arsenal was not stocked with rifles and cannons, but rather with Bibles, food, clothing and the message of salvation. He was a soldier of The LORD. In the early days of his ministry, Booth was a prominent Methodist evangelist. He majored on the necessity "Vision is not about us. Vision is about others. "

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