Nazarene Communications Network Weekly News Summary for Friday, 19 December 2014Africa:
Cabo Verde Nazarenes respond to continued volcano eruption
Fogo Island, Cabo Verde
Fogo island awoke November 23 to the eruption of the Pico Volcano. The initially slow-moving lava has since increased speed to up to 30 kilometers per hour, and scientists estimate the lava flow could last more than 50 days.Lava destroyed two villages, including homes, livestock, and farms, in the Chã das Caldeiras region near the top of the volcano. The region, which is one of the most fertile of Cabo Verde and a center of tourist attraction, could be totally destroyed if the eruption continues at the current pace.
"The people need a lot of help," said David Araujo, Cabo Verde district superintendent. "Chã das Caldeiras may disappear and with it, a lot of history and a thriving economy. More than 1,200 people — mostly women and children — need housing, clothing, food, and livelihood for their future."
The government ordered area residents to evacuate to three centers (Achada Furna, Monte Grande, and Mosteiros).
"Soon after the news, I met with the president and the prime minister, whom I assured that the Church of the Nazarene, as always, will stand by the people of the islands," Araujo said. "As the district superintendent, I challenged the Nazarenes to pray and fast for divine intervention in favor of the affected church and population of the island. At the same time, a campaign was launched to raise money and food for the victims of the volcano."
Four days after the eruption began, a Nazarene Disaster Response team comprised of two pastors and two lay people left Praia, the capital, for Fogo island with about a thousand pounds of food, water, bedding, and clothes. Since then, a team of 20 people (11 pastors and nine laity) has been in the three reception centers, distributing food and providing counseling.
General Superintendent Eugénio R. Duarte, a native of Brava, Cabo Verde, praised the response of local Nazarenes to the situation.
"The expression of solidarity among the nationals of Cabo Verde, including those of the diaspora, has been one of the most powerful manifestations of unity in our history," he said. "The local Nazarenes are contributing to the unity with compassion and making the best possible use of available means to join other Christians and all people of goodwill in an excellent effort to mitigate the suffering of so many."
The NDR team prayed with people and conducted spiritual activities, particularly with believers among the displaced. The team also met with representatives of municipalities and reception centers to define the work to be developed.
"They require a lot of spiritual help, advice, prayers, and guidance," Araujo said. "This is one of the biggest challenges facing the Church of the Nazarene in Cape Verde in recent times. The church has been growing a lot. It is time to help with bread, shelter, and the Word of God."
The response team will remain on the island for at least six months to assist with aid distribution, hygiene education, clean-up, and the resettlement of families. Doctors and mental health professionals will also travel to the island to provide medical support and counseling. In addition, the NDR team will use the JESUS film and prayer services to share the hope of Christ with those who have been displaced.
How to help
Prayer is requested for those affected and for relief efforts.
"Each prayer and every other help provided will make a difference," Duarte said. "Recuperation from the damage, not least of which is the spiritual and emotional repair, will take a significant amount of resources."
Donations can be made online through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries by clicking here.
To send donations by mail, make checks payable to "General Treasurer" and send them to:
Global Treasury Services
Church of the Nazarene
P.O. Box 843116
Kansas City, MO 64184-3116
Be sure to put 124437 in the Memo area.
In Canada, make checks payable to "Church of the Nazarene Canada" and send them to:
Church of the Nazarene Canada
20 Regan Road, Unit 9
Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3
Be sure to put 124437 in the Memo area.--Out of Africa, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, NCN News
Asia Pacific
GMC Flags of the Nations: Guam
Global Ministry Center
Since September 1, 2009, each week the Church of the Nazarene's Global Ministry Center (GMC) proudly flies a flag of one of the many nations in which the denomination is present in ministry. Leaders were invited to send a national flag to be flown at the GMC alongside the flag of the United States*. The national flags rotate weekly, and photos of them raised are sent to the church leaders of that country.This week: Guam
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Guam in 1971.
Guam had a population of 160,378 in 2013. That same year, Guam reported one organized Church of the Nazarene. Guam has 131 total members.
Guam is a part of the Micronesia District on the Asia-Pacific Region. Micronesia is a Phase 1 district.
For more information on Guam, click here.
Previous flags featured:
Argentina
Aruba
Belize
Benin
Bolivia
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Chile
Colombia
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
France
Gabon
Germany
Ghana
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Conakry
Guyana
Haiti
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Liberia
Madagascar
Mali
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Paraguay
Peru
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
South Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Togo
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Venezuela
Additional World Areas
NOTE: Some countries cannot be represented in this project in order to maintain security of those working there.
* = The weekly highlighted flag is raised on the middle of three poles in compliance with U.S. government protocols. It flies to the left of the GMC host-nation United States flag, which flies above the host-state flag of Kansas. The Christian flag flies on the third pole.
The Global Ministry Center is the mission and service hub of the Church of the Nazarene.
Creative Access Area residents attend Course of Study class
Asia-Pacific Region
Asia-Pacific Communications recently received the following update from David Philips, field strategy coordinator for Southeast Asia, about a Creative Access Area:Questions in the upper room were the order of the day as a group of pastors and pastoral students gathered for another class in the Course of Study in one of our Creative Access Areas.
A mixture of men, women, teens, and middle aged students gathered in a country where even holding the classes is still technically illegal.
The local pastor, whose home hosts the class, reaches out to the children of his community offering free tutoring in math and science and helping them with their home work.
Growth is slow in this country but steady, and the new batch of 14 students promises good things for the gospel in the years to come.
Please continue to pray for those who are working and serving in areas closed to the open expression of the gospel.--Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region
Vanuatu Nazarenes arrange first JESUS film showing
Black Sand, Vanauatu
Seven years ago, a Work & Witness team from the USA assisted in showing the JESUS film in Black Sand, but the showing was plagued by technical difficulties. This year the Vanuatu Nazarene evangelism team gathered to pray for a movement of the Holy Spirit as they prepared to show the film at the outdoor revival at Black Sand Church of the Nazarene.The event started with more obstacles. The church had no electricity to offer for the outdoor campaign, and when Pastor Gideon asked another family who did have electricity, they said it would cost at least $100 for the three nights. Another pastor from the area saw the need and met the need, providing the power necessary to run lights, keyboard, and speakers.
As the revival began, people from the community started coming.
"We could count more than 100 the first night, but we knew there were many more who stood in the shadows or behind fences, or just inside their nearby homes," said Sylvia Potter, a team member in Vanuatu. "They listened to the messages that proclaimed the good news that our lives can change through the power of Jesus Christ living in us."
Each night more than 50 people came forward during the invitation to pray, and more than 75 people came forward on Sunday night to ask Jesus to forgive them and come into their hearts for the first time. In addition, more than 50 came forward to pray about other concerns.
Many of the people who came to the revival services would never step foot inside a church. Potter prayed with one woman on Saturday night who told Potter that she wanted to come to the church for a long time, but didn't feel like she could. The woman prayed for God to forgive her and come into her life. The next morning, she and her three children came and worshiped at the Black Sand church.
"This is the first time that anyone other than Nazarene missionaries have organized such an event for the Church of the Nazarene," said Peter Isaac, Vanuatu district superintendent.
Continued prayer is requested for the evangelism team as they prepare to hold a December crusade in Etas, where there are no established churches.--Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region
Eurasia
Nazarene scholar helps prepare complete collection of Whitefield letters
Manchester, England
Geordan Hammond, senior lecturer in church history and Wesley studies at Nazarene Theological College-Manchester, is setting out on a two-year journey to help assemble the first of a multi-volume critical edition of George Whitefield's complete letters. The letters will shed light on Whitefield himself, early Methodism, the Evangelical Revival, John and Charles Wesley, and the early evangelical movement — all of which provide key insight into the doctrines of the Church of the Nazarene.Hammond will spend February 2015 to February 2017 working alongside David Ceri Jones at Aberystwyth University in Wales on the research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust.
"Dr. Hammond's perspective, training, and experience provide the perfect background for him to help provide an insightful and scholarly context for these Whitefield letters that will shed new light on this significant part of the worldwide revival of spirit-filled religion," wrote Richard P. Heitzenrater, professor emeritus at The Divinity School, Duke University.
Whitefield is recognized as a leader of the 18th century transatlantic Evangelical Revival and a co-founder of the Methodist movement. A critical, scholarly edition of his correspondence has yet to be produced. The project will bring together more than 2,000 letters between Whitefield and other contemporary theologians and thinkers, including John and Charles Wesley, Americans Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin, and Count Zinzendorf, leader of the German Moravians.
"These letters give a remarkable insight into the nature of early evangelical spirituality and allow historians and theologians to piece together a much more textured understanding of early evangelicalism," Jones said.
Whitefield's known correspondence is scattered among dozens of libraries, primarily across the United Kingdom and the USA's east coast. Hammond and Jones will spend significant time traveling to study and transcribe the letters, as well as providing notations as they assemble the first volume.
"The most complete edition of Whitefield's works was published after his death in 1770," Hammond said. "Parts of that have been republished and new portions of his works that are not in that edition are in individual books and journal articles. The main task is to put together a list of where all the letters are located, assemble them in a volume, and provide annotated notes to introduce theological concepts, people, places, and events mentioned in the letters."
The completed work will complement a recently completed volume of Jonathan Edwards' personal letters and the partially completed collection of John Wesley's and Charles Wesley's correspondence.
"NTC is excited that Dr. Hammond has this opportunity to explore the letters of George Whitefield," said Deirdre Brower Latz, NTC-Manchester principal. "For decades, as a college, we have been formed by our vision to serve as a resource for the wider Christian community, learning from the past and being a resource for the future. I have no doubt that as Dr. Hammond plunges into the archives, what will emerge will be of service to the church and we are pleased to be part of enabling this."--NTC-Manchester
South America
Bolivia seminary graduates 10 students
Munaypata, Bolivia
Seminario Nazareno del Área Central celebrated the graduation of 10 students 7 December at Munaypata Church of the Nazarene in Bolivia.The students received either a Diploma in Theology or bachelor's degrees in theology through a partnership with Southern Cone Nazarene Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Those present at the ceremony included South America Regional Theological Education Coordinator Jorge Julca, the district superintendent, seminary faculty, pastors, and local church members.
The seminary trains ministers within the Church of the Nazarene in Paraguay and Bolivia. This was the first year for the seminary's new director, Isaí Murga Cornejo.--Church of the Nazarene South America Region
USA/Canada
Retired Georgia district superintendent passes away
Barnesville, Georgia
Harold Latham, district superintendent emeritus of the Georgia District, passed away December 10 following a brief hospitalization. He was 89.Latham served the Georgia District from 1982 to 1995 as superintendent and was a faithful, dedicated servant of God. Prior to his superintendency, Latham pastored congregations across the U.S. He also had a distinguished military career before pastoring, serving in four major invasions during World War II.
Funeral services were conducted December 15 in the Barnesville, Georgia, Church of the Nazarene with Georgia District Superintendent Roy E. Rogers, Barnesville Pastor Lonnie Grant, and Patrick Latham, a grandson, officiating. Interment followed in Columbus, Georgia. An honor guard of pastors lined both sides of the road in tribute as he was transported to his final resting place.
Harold Latham is survived by his wife, Mary, two sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.--NCN News submissions via Georgia District
Powell to lead Kentucky District
Louisville, Kentucky
By Sarah Glass for NCN News
General Superintendent Gustavo A. Crocker announced the appointment of Brian Powell as superintendent of the Kentucky District.He follows General Superintendent Emeritus W. Talmadge Johnson, who was appointed interim superintendent after Kentucky District Superintendent D. Eugene Wells passed away suddenly in September.
Powell begins his assignment February 1.
"I was speechless after my conversation with Dr. Crocker on Friday," Powell said. "It's an honor to receive the call to lead the Kentucky District. I am humbled. My commitment to the mission of the Church is unwavering. I believe with all of my heart that God is going to do amazing things."
Currently the lead pastor of Decatur, Illinois, First Church of the Nazarene, Powell led Raleigh, North Carolina, First Church of the Nazarene from 2005 to 2013. He was also the founding pastor of Triad Covenant Life Church of the Nazarene in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Powell received a Bachelor of Arts from John Wesley College, a Mast
er of Theological Studies from Houston Graduate School of Theology, a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from Nazarene Theological Seminary.
Brian and his wife, Heather, reside in Decatur, Illinois. They have three children — Jake, a senior at Olivet Nazarene University; Amaya, who is in ninth grade; and Kacey, whom they recently adopted from China, is in seventh grade.
Collegiate
Trevecca offers Leadership and Cultural Change Certificate
Nashville, Tennessee
Trevecca Nazarene University now offers a Leadership and Cultural Change Certificate to provide professional development for businesses and organizations with the purpose of enhancing leadership skills, inspiring strategic thought, and creating a healthy and vibrant organizational culture.The Leadership and Cultural Change Certificate, a four-course sequence appropriate for persons who have earned a bachelor's degree, will teach the fundamentals of leadership and culture and is strategically designed to move a student from developing a personal leadership philosophy and understanding leadership theory to the higher levels of leadership philosophy: understanding and shaping culture and strategic thinking.
Leaders in Nashville assisted Trevecca in the development of this leadership certificate. Derek Young, president/founder of Young Motivational Group (YMG), Inc. and a corporate trainer for many of Nashville's leading companies, was a major contributor. Additionally, leading CEOs and COOs in Nashville were involved in shaping the program.
The four courses in this new program are Personal Leadership Development, which focuses on self-examination and self-awareness; Concepts of Organizational Leadership, which teaches an understanding of leadership theory; Organizational Culture and Change, which emphasizes analysis and reading of culture and wrestling with change; and Strategic Thinking, which prepares the student to think differently in a rapidly changing world.
Students who complete this certificate program will be eligible to apply their credits to Trevecca's Master of Organizational Leadership Program.
"Trevecca's administrators are excited to offer this certificate program, delivered online in an engaging technological environment which will enhance the learning experience," said Tom Middendorf, Trevecca's vice president for Academic Services. "Having advisors who work with some of the nation's most successful companies (e.g., Dollar General, Tractor Supply Company, TRICOR, Skanska, Cracker Barrel, The Salvation Army, and many more) ensures that this program is focused on the needs of corporate leaders."
For more information about this new program, contact Teresa Geuy (615-248-1351 or tgeuy@trevecca.edu). Trevecca is accepting applications now, and the first class starts February 23, 2015.--Trevecca Nazarene University
MVNU awarded full accreditation for nursing program
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon Nazarene University's nursing program received full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university initially received a five-year accreditation when the program began. The recent visit was the first full accreditation visit, and accreditation was awarded for the maximum span of 10 years.
CCNE, an autonomous accrediting agency, contributes to public health by ensuring the quality and integrity of nursing programs. The agency provides accreditation for baccalaureate, graduate, and post-graduate programs. While all nursing programs must be approved by the Board of Nursing in their respective states, national accreditation demonstrates a school's desire to exceed state requirements and invite additional oversight.
MVNU's accreditation process began with an extensive, written self-study based on CCNE standards and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing essentials. The document provided a detailed assessment of congruence between the university as a whole and the nursing program in particular, as well as the quality of the nursing program's curriculum, nursing faculty qualifications, and the program's success in achieving student and program outcomes.
Following submission of the self-study, a CCNE team of nurse educators and practicing nurses traveled to MVNU for a multi-day visit. During the visit, the team examined additional documents, visited classes and clinical sites, and met with numerous individuals and groups representing stakeholders for the nursing program. Following written recommendations from the accreditation team, MVNU's nursing program was given an opportunity to make an institutional response. Team recommendations and the institutional response were presented to the CCNE Accreditation Review Committee, which awarded MVNU's nursing program the maximum CCNE accreditation of 10 years.--Mount Vernon Nazarene University
MVNU launches 4+1 Master of Ministry program
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Traditional undergraduate students in religion and ministry at Mount Vernon Nazarene University are now able to earn a bachelor's degree and a Master of Ministry degree in just five academic years with the university's new 4+1 M.Min. program.Students will take normal undergraduate courses during their first three years and courses that meet both the undergraduate and graduate program requirements during their fourth year. They will graduate in May with their undergraduate degree and then be fully enrolled in the graduate ministry program, completing the M.Min. just one year after completing their bachelor's degree.
"This 4+1 program reflects our commitment to provide our religion and ministry students with as much preparation as possible at the best value," said C. Jeanne Serrão, dean of the School of Theology and Philosophy. "Statistics show that the better prepared a pastoral candidate is, the longer and more effective their tenure in pastoral ministry."
Students who wish to enroll in this program will apply at the beginning of their fourth year. All current MVNU religion and ministry undergraduate students with a GPA of at least 3.0 are guaranteed enrollment. Credits from this program can also be transferred into a Master of Divinity degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary, all on the campus of MVNU.--Mount Vernon Nazarene University
GMC News
Global Ministry Center Christmas schedule
Lenexa, Kansas
While there will be no staff at the Church of the Nazarene Global Ministry Center Wednesday, December 24, 2014, through Friday, January 2, 2015, if an emergency need arises for communication of information during the Christmas holidays, please leave a voicemail message at the following number: 913-577-2720. That number will be checked at least once each day.Note: NCN News will resume its weekly schedule January 9. Breaking news will be posted to ncnnews.com.
Resources
GMC employment opportunities
Global Ministry Center
By NCN News Staff
The following positions are available at the Church of the Nazarene's Global Ministry Center:Nazarene Compassionate Ministries — Computer Programming Coordinator
The person in this position will lead NCM's development team in developing and maintaining NCM's Web applications, systems, and websites.
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Inc — Mentoring Coordinator
The person in this position is responsible for the NCMI Compassion Kids Mentoring Initiative and will support the expansion of mentoring and youth development activities across the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries network. For a full description of the position, click here. Applicants should send a resume or CV to ncmi@ncmi.org.
Pensions & Benefits USA — Technology Specialist
This position will assist the technology supervisor in coordinating the technology resources available to each department within the Pensions and Benefits USA office by making sure internal and external education/training efforts are meeting P&B requirements. This includes benefit plan system development, Web development, document storage/retrieval, and equipping staff with the necessary computer/phone equipment.
About
Located in Lenexa, Kansas, the Global Ministry Center is the administrative, mission, and service hub for the denomination's ministries in 159 world areas. All GMC positions report to this location. To obtain additional information, please call (913) 577-0500 and ask for Human Resources.
Our Non-Discrimination Policy
The Church of the Nazarene Global Ministry Center offers equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, sex, or veteran status. The Global Ministry Center is an "at will" employer.
Our Faith-Based Organization
We are a faith-based organization. Acceptance of our Christian Code of Conduct is required and membership in the Church of the Nazarene is required for certain positions. The GMC and applicable remote work sites are smoke, alcohol, and drug free Christian workplaces.
Application Processing
Our Human Resources Office receives and processes many employment applications annually for a limited number of positions. While we regret that we cannot respond to each applicant, we do contact those individuals possessing the skills, education/training, and experience that best match the requirements of the open position for which the application was submitted.
An application must be completed by all applicants and an application must be completed for each position for which one wishes to be considered. Applications are retained for one year. Resumes are not necessary for entry-level positions, but they are preferred for professional level positions. Resumes may be submitted by mail.
Applying for Employment with the GMC
Application forms may be requested by calling (913) 577-0500, emailing bsikes@nazarene.org, or obtained in person from Human Resources at the Church of the Nazarene Global Ministry Center, 17001 Prairie Star Parkway, Lenexa, Kansas, 66220, Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 4:30 Central Time. Completed applications may be mailed or emailed to the attention of the Human Resources Office.
For more information, see the GMC's Human Resources page by clicking here.
In Memoriam
Global Ministry Center
The following is a weekly listing of Nazarene ministers and leaders who recently went home to be with the Lord. Notices were received December 15-19, 2014. Wanda (Phillips) Mathews, 79, of Hermitage, Tennessee, passed away December 16. She was the wife of retired minister James Mathews, who served in Tennessee, West Virginia, Florida, Oklahoma, Iowa, Minnesota, Georgia, and Indiana.
Dean Wessels, 91, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away December 18. He was a retired minister and former director of Pensions & Benefits USA for the Church of the Nazarene. He is survived by his wife, Roxie (Moore) Wessels. (story)
Former Pensions and Benefits director remembered
Olathe, Kansas
Dean H. Wessels, longtime director of Pensions and Benefits USA for the Church of the Nazarene, passed away December 18 in Olathe, Kansas. He was 91.Wessels was the first full-time director of the pension and benevolence work for the Church of the Nazarene, starting in 1955 as an assistant to M. Lunn, executive secretary of the Department of Pensions. He was first elected executive secretary of Ministerial Benevolence in 1956, and retired as director of Pensions and Benefits USA in 1994.
Under Wessels' leadership, the denomination's ability to assist ministers was transformed from a benevolence arrangement that offered assistance in emergencies and at death to a financially sustainable model. In 2014, the program he worked to create distributed $44 million to some 14,000 active and retired ministers, widows, and church-employed laypersons in the form of retirement benefits, life and disability insurance, emergency medical assistance, and other services.
"The legacy and impact of Dean Wessels has been widespread, and continues to make a difference in the lives of his fellow ministers and their widowed spouses," said Don Walter, Wessels' successor as director of Pensions and Benefits USA. "He was a man who looked at things the way they were, decided they could be better, and then went to work to make it so. While others could get caught up in endless deliberation and debate about what to do and how to do it, Dean went to work and did it."
A native of Dallas, Texas, Wessels planned to be an accountant, but changed plans to follow his high school sweetheart, Roxie Ann Moore, to Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University). He left in his junior year to join the war effort, training to be a pilot in the Naval Air Corps, but the war ended before he received his assignment.
Upon returning to civilian life, Dean and Roxie married, and he completed a degree at Bethany, graduating magna cum laude in 1946. He subsequently worked for General Motors, where he was invited to participate in an elite management development program, but declined the offer. Instead, he accepted God's call to preach. Soon thereafter, Dean and Roxie moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to pursue ministerial training at the newly opened Nazarene Theological Seminary.
During his seminary years, Wessels pastored Canaan Hill Church of the Nazarene in Lawson, Missouri, and also worked as assistant to John Stockton, general treasurer of the Church of the Nazarene. He was ordained in 1948. Upon graduation from NTS in 1951, he accepted the pastorate at Coffeyville, Kansas, Central Church of the Nazarene before moving on to First Church of the Nazarene in Abilene, Texas. He served only a few months in this assignment when, in 1955, general church leadership asked him to return to Kansas City to assist M. Lunn. Because of Lunn's significant responsibilities with the Nazarene Publishing House, most of the benevolence work was turned over to Wessels almost immediately.
When he first came to Nazarene Headquarters, Wessels started out promoting ministerial involvement in the Social Security program. He went on to use his administrative gifts to establish qualified plans such as the Nazarene Tax-Sheltered Annuity in 1963, which allowed churches to contribute to their pastor's retirement on a tax-free basis; the Nazarene Individual Retirement Account in 1982, which allowed a tax-advantaged way for ministers to save additional money for retirement; and the Basic Pension Plan (1971), which offered monthly retirement benefits for all qualified ministers based on years of service dating back to the church's beginning in 1908.
The Basic Pension Plan created an immediate unfunded liability for the denomination. Wessels devoted himself to the promotion of a program of apportionment payments by churches and districts into a Pensions and Benevolence Fund. In 2014, Nazarene churches and districts in the USA paid $13.4 million to what is now called the Pensions and Benefits Fund.
"Dean's vision, constant attention to detail, and a tenacity for the mission of 'Serving Those Who Serve' laid foundations which have impacted the lives of thousands of parsonage families, retirees, and widowed spouses," Walter said. "Our ministers have lost a true friend."
Wessels is survived by his wife of 69 years, Roxie; two children, Vickie Morsch and Mark Wessels; six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
Services for will be held at 4 p.m. December 28 at Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene, officiated by General Superintendent Jesse C. Middendorf. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be private. Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home of Olathe, Kansas, is in charge of arrangements.--Pensions and Benefits USA
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section on ncnnews.com by clicking here.
Note: Please join with us in prayer for the families who have lost loved ones. Click on names for full stories, funeral information, local online obituaries, and/or guest books (if available). To submit an entry of a minister or church leader, send to submitnews@ncnnews.com.--Compiled by NCN News
Viral UPS video features Colorado Nazarene
Colorado Springs, Colorado
By Sarah Glass for NCN News
Ernest Lagasca, a 26-year UPS employee, sees many of his customers several times a week. One such customer is Carson, now 4 years old. Lagasca began delivering special formula to Carson's house several times a week soon after he was born. Carson would watch for the UPS man from inside the house, until one day Lagasca invited two-year-old Carson outside to see his truck. The two developed a special friendship and Carson looked forward to visits from the UPS man. Carson even had his parents buy him a UPS uniform to match his friend, whom he affectionally refers to as Mr. Ernie.
"UPS was made aware of the story of Carson and I about a year ago, and an article was written about it for the UPS website," Lagasca said. "This fall, UPS contacted me to ask me if I wanted to present Carson with a UPS truck as part of the Wishes Delivered campaign. Later I found out that they were flying a crew out to make a video of this presentation."
Through the Your Wishes Delivered campaign, UPS donates $1 per submitted wish to one of three charities — The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Toys for Tots Literacy Program, or The Salvation Army, a sister denomination to the Church of the Nazarene.
In the video, Lagasca delivers a miniature UPS truck to Carson, who dons his UPS uniform to make special deliveries to his neighbors. The "Driver for a Day" video quickly went viral with more than 2,500,000 views as of Friday morning.
Lagasca is surprised by the video's popularity.
"I really only thought that people who visited the UPS website would see it," he said. "I had no idea that it would be shared through social media like that."
Lagasca, who has been a member of Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Colorado Springs for 30 years, tries to connect will all his customers.
"I always show interest in my customers and what is going on in their lives and in turn they show interest in my life as well," he said. "My job can be thankless, mundane, and physically taxing, but yet God has given me peace, contentment, and strength to represent Him through my day."
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Christmas Message to the Church of the Nazarene
Global Ministry Center
from the Nazarene Media Library by clicking here. To view the video, click the play icon below.
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