Missionary Renegade: It's all about our students from Carla Sunberg, Nazarene Theological Seminary President for Monday, 26 October 2015

Monday, October 26, 2015

It's all about our students from Carla Sunberg, Nazarene Theological Seminary President for Monday, 26 October 2015

NTS: PREPARING KINGDOM LEADERS
IT'S ALL ABOUT OUR STUDENTS
Dear Friends,
Over the past week I have been reflecting on all that God is doing here at NTS — in and through our students. Last weekend as I was perusing Facebook, I noticed all the photos and posts about the places our students are ministering. I was overwhelmed to realize that on any given Sunday our students are spread over a vast territory sharing the love of Jesus with those in need.
Last Sunday as I was worshipping at KC First Church, I discovered nearly three rows of pews filled with NTS students engaged in the service. One of our students was helping to lead worship; the next thing I knew he was leading that congregation to sing in Spanish and somehow the tears just began to flow. Here they are — becoming KINGDOM LEADERS! Isn’t that what it’s all about!
On Monday, I had the joy of providing lunch for our first cohort of the new KC Spanish DMin degree. Dr. Mario Zani, Dr. Roger Hahn and Prof. Wilfredo Canales made up the NTS leadership team that journeyed with the 11 students over a 2-week period of time, wrestling with ministry in our increasingly diverse and complicated world. Over the weekend, these DMin students spread out and ministered throughout the KC district. They made an impact — off and on the campus!
Then on Thursday evening, a group of church planting students came to our home for supper and fellowship. What a way to top off my week! Each shared what God was doing in and through their ministries. They are in love with Jesus and are serving him from Iowa to Texas, Kansas City to Nashville, and beyond. We ended the evening in prayer and I felt blessed to have simply been a part.
You see, God is at work in and through the students at NTS! We are making substantial changes, building capacity and reshaping the Seminary for a sustainable future. There is no question: God has been raising up KINGDOM LEADERS through NTS for 70 years! And now, I need your help to build a foundation for the next 70 years. Would you partner with me in supporting NTS?
First: would you commit to being a prayer warrior? We need many to commit to lifting the mission of NTS up in prayer on a regular basis.
Second: your regular ongoing financial support is vital to building a strong foundation for the future. Regular gifts to our annual fund ultimately make it possible for our students to receive an education and to be formed into the minister that God has called them to be; they enable us to respond to unexpected needs, recruit and retain top-notch faculty, and focus on our mission of preparing KINGDOM LEADERS. Please prayerfully consider partnering with NTS at one of the levels below, or at the level to which God might lead you to give:

SILVER LEVEL & CLUB 300 ($300/yr or $25/mth): Your $300 gift assists us in preparing KINGDOM LEADERS for the future. As a “thank you”, you will receive a 50% discount on a membership to the NTS Center for Pastoral Leadership (CPL) website. Click here to give.
GOLD LEVEL ($1,000/yr or $83.33/mth): Your $1,000 gift assists us in building our capacity to support students who are called to prepare for their work in God’s kingdom. As a “thank you”, you will receive a free membership to theNTS CPL website. Click here to give.
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE ($5,000/year or $416.60/month): Your $5,000 gift is a partnership with NTS to assist us in building our capacity to more effectively grow and sustain the ministries which are part of Dr. Sunberg’s vision. Your investment will be used in part to fund the President’s Leadership Grant, which provides full-ride grants to first year students who have been highly recommended as leaders. As a “thank you” you will receive a free membership to the NTS CPL website. Also, Dr. Sunberg will host an annual gathering of those who are a part of the President’s Circle. This circle of supporters will receive an invitation to meet together with theologians, ministers, and biblical scholars for a weekend of robust theological conversation around some of the important issues of our day. Click here to give.
Thank you for partnering with us and making an intentional investment in PREPARING FUTURE KINGDOM LEADERS.
Blessings,