Around the Region Newsletter of the Asiz Pacifc Region of The Global Church of the Nazarene for Saturday, 24 May 2014
May 24th, 2014 Volume 2 / Issue Number 20
In This Issue
Featured Video
Save the Date...1-4...August...2014...Rendezvous Plus
Regional Prayer Requests.
There's An App for That!.
Upcoming Events
Subscription Center
Are you looking for an incredible adventure? Try a GAP Year Experience in Australia!
Meet Janary Suyat de Godoy - Asia-Pacific Region's New NYI Coordinator!
Leaders of three Asian Districts meet in Tokyo - Discuss Growing Crisis
Update on Situation in Thailand - ONU Ministry Team doing well
World Mission Communication
Featured Video
KILOP - Papua New Guinea
Channel
Creating Communications
that Connect!
Click on the YouTube icon above to watch select videos in Korean, Spanish, and Tagalog
Monitor the web, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.
Website Coverage
FB: Asia Pacific Nazarene
Twitter: @APNazRegion
Web: asiapacificnazarene.org
SAVE THE DATE
1-4
AUGUST 2014
Rendezvous Plus
What: All Young Adult All Nazarene All MK Event
When: 1-4 August 2014
Arrive by afternoon on the 1st, leave by mid morning of the 4th
Where: Golden Bell, Colorado
Who: All Post High School Nazarene MK's from around the world are invited through age 26 years
How: Event Costs are covered
Transportation is the MK's expense
Expect: Great fellowship, worship, learning, and discovery together!
Watch the
www.asiapacificnazarene.org
website for more information.
You can also email:
rendevousplus@nazarene.org
for more information.
Regional Prayer Requests
19-May-2014
Updates from the Solomon Islands - Via the Millers
Update on the Flooding / Disaster:
Thank you for your prayers. Our district team has done well. We want to thank you for your involvement in Nazarene Compassionate Ministry. Due to supporters like you we placed a water tank at each of our affected churches and were able to provide relief food and clothing. We are thankful that most of our Nazarene families were minimally affected and among our Nazarenes there were no loss of life.
The new bailey (one lane) bridge to replace the washed out one, is to arrive today from New Zealand. It is to arrive on the same ship that our crate leaves on.
Passing of a long time Nazarene:
Brother Alan Efo went to be the Lord on Saturday afternoon. He suffered a stroke in 2013. He lost some of his mobility and his speech has been slurred ever since. Please remember his wife Grace and their 8 children and 10 grandchildren. Since Alan and family joined the church in 2001, Alan has been a staunch supporter and pillar of the Zion Church, serving on the church board and for many years as church treasurer. His funeral was yesterday (Monday) in the Zion church, with Rev. Alick Hagi officiating.
Pastor's Wife is recovering:
Lydia Kaisi, a pastor's wife from Nukukaisi church, was recently sent to Honiara, National Referral Hospital. Continue to pray for her as she has now been discharged but is under medical care. She needed blood transfusions and we are thankful that she is out of the hospital now.
Pastor attacked by a pig:
Prayer is requested for Pastor John Zedrach, Pastor of our Macedonia Church, who was recently attacked by their family pig. He is in Honiara, undergoing daily dressing of his leg. I understand he reached down to pick up a stone and the pig attacked him, maybe as a defensive move since the pig is normally quite docile.
There's An App for That!
Teaching the Articles of Faith to a
Generation of Smart Users!
Media with a message!
Your World Mission Communications
Asia-Pacific Team!
Don't Miss The Action
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1 to 4-August-2014
Rendezvous Plus
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Are you looking for an incredible adventure? Try a GAP Year Experience in Australia!
Nazarene Theological College (NTC) Brisbane
Click here to view on Website
If you are finishing your 12th grade this year, or simply wanting a new challenge, why not consider signing up for a GAP year at NTC?
Just wanting some time out for reflection and investigation-whatever your age or educational level?
The Gap Year is also available alongside a VET (Vocational Education Training) Certificate IV program.
Nazarene Theological College - Brisbane offers a tremendous
atmosphere for learning!
NTC offers an exciting new "one year of your life" program in which you will have opportunities to explore how to understand the Bible better and serve the Lord more effectively.
This one year program includes the Kimberley Mission Experience, a three week mission trip run in June to several remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The NTC GAP year experience incorporates the Diploma of Christian Studies, a fully accredited award (which qualifies for FEE-HELP if you are an Australian Citizen, but you don't have to be a citizen to sign up for the GAP year). At the end of the program, your credits can be rolled into a continuing award, or possibly even count as elective credits at University. The GAP Year experience can also be done at graduate level, or even as a non-accredited award.
Download the NTC Gap Year Brochure and visit the NTC GAP Year Facebook page for more information.
APPLICATIONS
We are currently inviting applications to join us on the Kimberley Mission Experience for 2014. If you're inspired and interested, we would love to hear from you! You can:
•Email Kenny Wade, our GAP Year Program Director, at ntcgapyear@ntc.edu.au
•Download the 2014 Kimberley Mission Experience Application Form as a PDF.
Meet Janary Suyat de Godoy - Asia-Pacific Region's New NYI Coordinator!
Asia-Pacific Region
Click here to view on website
Hello Everyone! My name is Janary Suyat de Godoy and I am your new Asia-Pacific Regional Youth Coordinator. I know some of you may be wondering who am I, so let me share some things about myself.
I am from the Philippines and I am one of the pastors of Metro Manila District. When I was appointed to serve as the Regional Youth Coordinator, it was a time of big changes for my life. At that time I was recently married to Anderson Godoy and we both finished our Master of Divinity degrees at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. We both love the Lord and would like to serve Him wherever he leads us.
I am an outgoing person that has a passion to serve the children and the youth. I believe that the young people are an important part of God's Kingdom.
I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the age of 9, after I had an accident that almost cost my life. Although I grew up in a Christian home, it was after that moment that I really placed my faith in Jesus and understood how much He loves me and the whole world.
Soon after that, I was able to attend youth groups and camps that influenced my life in many ways. It was in my relationships with the youth and my leaders that I got to know the Lord more. It was in these moments that I grew in my relationship with Jesus and I received His call for my life to become His servant: to be a pastor and a teacher of God's Word.
I have a passion to preach and teach the Word of God and to build relationships within the body of Christ. I believe greatly in discipleship, and walking together as we follow Jesus.
Two years ago, I was given the opportunity to be one of the missionaries of 12:7 Serve, a group of 12 young people from the different regions of the Church of the Nazarene, that served in 7 sites of the Mesoamerica Region. In these six months of traveling to different sites, the Lord made it clear for me that He wants me to become a missionary. It was one of the highlights of my journey in following Jesus.
Now that I am married with Anderson, both of us sense God's call
to serve in Asia and we are affirmed when He opened the doors for us to serve in Japan. We are excited to serve the Lord together as missionaries at Okinawa Christian School International. We will be serving as Chaplain and Bible teachers and we would get the chance to partner with the young people of Japan and our Nazarene churches there.
This is the time of New beginnings for Anderson and me. I am very excited to serve our young people in the region and I am now currently working with passionate Field Youth Coordinators serving in the different fields and districts of our region.
I hope that you could include us in your prayers as I walk this journey with our youth leaders, and help each other become like Christ and make Christlike disciples in the nations. I am very excited to serve and meet many of our very own young people that are a major force in our church today.
If you would remember us, here are our prayer requests.
1.Please pray that God would give me wisdom as I serve as Regional Youth Coordinator. That I would be sensitive to where He is already working and what He is doing in the lives of our youth.
2.Please pray that the Lord's way would happen in the whole visa processing for Japan.
3.Please pray for God to prepare our hearts as we will soon face a new culture.
4.Please pray that God would help us as we study the Japanese language.
5.Please pray that the Lord would open doors for friendship with the Japanese people so that we could be Jesus' reflection of love to them.
6.Please pray for our marriage, that we would continue to grow deeper in our love for each other.
Thank you and hope to get to know you more!
Leaders of three Asian Districts meet in Tokyo - Discuss Growing Crisis
Tokyo, Japan
Click here to view on website
District Superintendents and key district leaders from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, met together in Tokyo, Japan, with regional director Dr. Mark Louw on May 19 - 21. Their purpose was to discuss ways the three regular districts could work together to advance the Mission of the Church to make Christlike Disciples on the Asia-Pacific Region. Dr. Louw and the three District Superintendents, Rev. Han, Gi Dong of Korea, Rev. Tang, Shi-Li of Taiwan, and Dr. Ishida, Manabu of Japan, were joined by various other leaders from the districts and the regional office.
On the opening night, host district superintendent Dr. Ishida outlined the development of Christianity in Japan and highlighted some of the current challenges facing the Church. The current Christian population of Japan is 0.7%, but if trends continue, this figure will be 0.6% in 20 years.
Aging Population in Japan, Projected Percent 65+ by year. http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/lee20120926
One of the challenges is the unsuccessful attempts to reach
Japanese young people, which has resulted in a steadily increasing average age for church members. Several of our Nazarene pastors are in their 70s, and two of our current pastors are over 80 years old.
Another challenge is that rather than the Church influencing society through the high moral standard of its members, the result has too often been that the society has influenced the Church. The Church's overemphasis on the personal nature of salvation has weakened the communal aspect of the Faith, according to Dr. Ishida's analysis.
Dr. Ishida called on the Church to reaffirm the reality that we are God's Holy people, called to live according to a truly Christian belief and value system, confronting the structures of the world. We should be conscious of the fact we are a "Counter Community" to secular society, a "Blessed Minority" with a clear mission and mandate. A positive note was that there seems to be an increasing number of women being called into the ministry. Japan Seminary President, Dr. Sakamoto, Makoto, reported that of the 10 current seminary students, 9 are female.
Aging Population of Japan. http://www.telegraph.co.uk
In the discussions over the following two days, it became clear that the Church in these three developed nations faces many of the same challenges in terms of aging populations, affluence, secularism, and the need for a passionate well-trained clergy. The leaders spent time praying together that God would give wisdom to address these pressing issues.
Taiwan DS Shi-Li Tang expressed the need for Taiwan to revive and expand its theological education program so that more young people can be prepared for ministry. Dr. Louw concurred that the key is the pastor, citing Manual paragraph 605: The perpetuity and effectiveness of the Church of the Nazarene depends largely upon the spiritual qualifications, the character, and the manner of life of its members of the clergy"
"Our pastors are too sleepy. We must regain the power of the Holy Spirit," said DS, Rev. Han, Gi Dong. He further said that a priority must be to recover the health of the Church in Japan and Korea and Taiwan.
As a follow-up, Dr. Louw challenged each of the districts to do a careful self-analysis so that the seriousness of the challenges become clear to all. Once the problems are known and "owned," the next step is to answer the question "So what?" What are we going to do about these challenges we have outlined? What are some concrete steps to address the problem? The idea of a regional "Think Tank" to grapple with the issues from a regional theological perspective was discussed.
The leaders of the three districts were encouraged by the times of sharing, discussion, prayer, and fellowship. Rev. Han expressed great pleasure in this historic visit to the nation of Japan.
"You are my first Japanese friends," Rev Han told Dr. Ishida. "And this is the first time in my lifetime to visit Japan. It only took a 2 hour flight, but it took 62 years for me to finally visit."
The Tokyo meeting was the third annual meeting of the district leaders from the three districts. Tentative plans were made for a meeting in Korea in 2015.
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Submission: Regional Office Personnel
Update on Situation in Thailand - ONU Ministry Team doing well.
Asia-Pacific Regional Office
Click here to view on website
The global Church of the Nazarene and the Asia-Pacific Regional Office have been keeping a close eye on the political developments in Thailand over the past week.
On Thursday, it was announced that the military had seized power in an effort to bring calm to escalating protests within the country.
Our in country personnel are reporting that all is currently calm in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and that the ministry team from Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) that is currently in country, is doing well with no concerns at this point. Please keep in mind that international media often provides somewhat biased reviews on actual situations.
The Southeast Asia Field, Regional Office, and Global Missions Team are monitoring the situation closely.
Your continued prayers for the peaceful resolution of the the ongoing political crisis are greatly appreciated!
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The Story!
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This newsletter is a ministry of your Asia-Pacific Regional Communications Office. Please submit questions or comments to: Regional Communications Coordinator
Connie Lou Aebischer - Editor - Around the Region News
World Mission Communications Asia-Pacific
Ortigas Avenue Extension
Taytay, Rizal, Philippines
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