From: Kyle Bartholomew
On: April 1, 2018Dearest Church Family,
I am writing to you — each of the churches that I have served at or overseen in the last 11
years. As I think of each congregation, I can vividly see the faces of so many with whom I was able to personally witness make decisions to follow Jesus! I think of those whom were present long before my arrival and yet helped me, as together we labored to bring glory to God. I remember the long nights, the early mornings, the laughs, the tears, the victories and the defeats. You trusted me, gave me your hearts and together we witnessed God move among us. I felt for you as I felt for my own children, only wanting the best, and hoping to never hurt you or let you down.In the last few years of my life, I began to severely drift from my relationship with God, despiteHis many blessings. I am reminded of a Scripture that had always scared me as a young Christian, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy
8:10-11)As I had forgotten the Lord, I stopped leading my family and as a result, Joan and I began to have very serious marriage problems. Sadly, rather then turning to God, I turned toward the world to dull my pain. In 2017, I allowed the pain of my personal life and the temptations of my flesh to lead me into the sins that many of you have come to know: impurity, drunkenness, and finally adultery. I sent a letter of resignation to Kip as the World Sector Leader for the Pac Rim and the Evangelist of the Metro Manila International Christian Church in early July, as I knew I had become unfit to be called a disciple, let alone to lead. Upon the
completion of the 2017 Global Leadership Conference, I was relieved of all responsibilities and returned to my hometown of Hilo, Hawaii with my children. Upon arriving in Hilo, I did not want to pretend I was a disciple any longer, as I knew that I had fallen away.
In early January, after fighting through six months of a deep acedia, anger and depression, I “came to my senses” and realized that although my marriage was over, I had failed my children, failed the churches, and ultimately failed God, yet there was still hope. I remembered a Scripture I had taught to many of you while still faithful about a man who had failed similar to me. “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.” (Acts 13:36) Since I was still alive, I reminded myself, “God can’t be done with me yet,” and made a decision to return to the Lord to be used in any way that He would choose.
Since January 1st, I have been faithful to spending time with God, and although not perfect, I once again began striving to please God on a daily basis. I am a broken man, weakened by my failures, and in agony over the reality that I have let those that I loved as my own children down in such a significant way. I want to personally apologize to all of the churches that I led as my sins, hurt your faith, damaged your hearts, and dishonored the name of our God. I am an unworthy servant and simply ask for you prayers in the hope that even I, may once again attain the most valuable title there has ever been in God’s church: a “disciple of Jesus.” In conclusion, I want to thank the Hilo Church Leadership and Kip and Elena McKean for helping me to be officially restored today on April 1, 2018, Easter Sunday.
By God’s Grace,
Kyle Bartholomew