To: RCF Members and Friends

From: Senior Pastor Kotane Gilbert

Delivering the Promise of Restoration – Our vision for 2022 and beyond.

Dear Church Family,

Greetings and blessings to you and your families. I want each of you to know how much I love and
appreciate you and your families. My heart longs to see the time when we can all safely worship
together again. Whether you have moved on or are still with us, know that you are truly missed and
loved.

As I reflect on this past year, all I can say is “Glory be to God” for he walked me through some of the
most challenging experiences of my life. Step by step, day by day, I witnessed firsthand the healing
power and glory of the Lord. What I will say about 2021 is that God is good, and His grace and mercies
have carried RCF through the storm and he is moving us into the land of promise!!! With that said, I’m
ready to move forward and I pray you are too. The Lord has my total focus on Restoration Christian
Fellowship and our move into 2022. This is why I am writing this open letter to you today.

When I transitioned into the role of Senior Pastor, it was very clear to me that I was not stepping into
the shoes of my beloved Pastor Felix as we have walked lock step since the onset of this ministry. Praise
God I’m not alone in this journey as the Lord is right by my side along with you, and together we will see
this vision to the end. The Lord has prepared me to lead and shepherd the flock in my own spirit and
heart, under his anointing. He blessed me with the gift of Prophecy long ago and it is at this moment
that He has asked that I use this gift to move our church forward into the next season of ministry. As I
and others have stated from the pulpit over the last several weeks, our journey into the new land of
promise is nothing more than what we have been working towards over the last 21 years of our
ministry. The Lord has taken Moses (Pastor Felix) home, and He has called and anointed me to lead His
flock forward. The Prophecy He has provided to me is not new, it has been with us from the very start.
Our ministry was, is now, and will be in the future to RESTORE people to their rightful place with God
and each other. We are now ready to move into our next season of “Delivering the Promise of
Restoration“ to all who come through our doors seeking deliverance.

You may say are we a not doing this now? My response is that the LORD wants us to be more
intentional, disciplined, effective, and planful in how we do it. We cannot deliver on a promise without
having a well scripted vision, process, or plan. Proverbs 29:18 reads “Where there is not prophetic vision
the people cast off restraint but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Our vision has always been
embedded in our commitment to Belong, Believe, and Behave. My vision is for us to build our church
operation around these three attributes.

BELONG – 1 Corinthians 15:23 reads “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming
those who BELONG to Christ. We have to create a stronger environment of belonging across our
congregation. We are God’s chosen people; we can no longer have a spirit of discord and opposition

across our church body. This has to change in 2022. We will not drag our past into 2022. This has to
change.

BELIEVE – Hebrews 11:6 reads “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw
near to God must BELIEVE that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” We must effectively
teach ourselves and others about the GOD we serve. This will continue to be at the heart of our ministry
in 2022.

BEHAVE – Psalms 23:3 reads “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s
sake.” Our ultimate goal in our Christian walk is to be led by the holy spirit in all we do and BEHAVE.
This is true “Restoration.” In 2022, we will work for true restoration for our members, families, and
world.

This month I am taking a short sabbatical to refresh my spirit and spend quality time with my family. I
believe the Lord is allowing me this time to ensure I am totally prepared for what’s next. While getting
some much-needed rest and relaxation, I will be praying for our church family and our transition into
2022. Upon my return I will continue work on getting our house in order to meet the promise of
Restoration. During my installation service Bishop Johnson referenced Matthew 9:17 which reads
“Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins
are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” No longer can we
rely on our prior approach to do what’s new in 2022. We will have a new organizational and operating
structure for our church in 2022. I will talk more about this as the year closes. Until then please join me
in keeping our church, our leaders, our members, and our community in your prayers.

 

​