Where Worlds Meet - October 2015
Inside this month’s edition of Where Worlds Meet, you will:
find out how Nazarenes in Croatia, Armenia and elsewhere are assisting refugees from Syria, and how you can help;
get information about how to promote this year's thank offering in your local church;
learn what happened when the youth of Ukraine organized a mission trip to work with unchurched teens in Moldova;
see photos of the first week of classes at the Nazarene school in Lebanon;
and more.
Download the October edition of Where Worlds Meet.
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Inside This Issue:
Pg. 4 l Preparing for the annual thank offering for global missions Pg. 5 l Ukraine youth go on mission to Moldova
Pg. 6 l Bangladesh districts unite for NMI conference
Pg. 7 l Children at the Nazarene School in Beirut start a new year Pg. 8 l M+Power volunteer goes to Nepal for the Study of War and Peace to discuss the current situation and plans for the future, as well as to pray together.
____________________________REFUGE CRISIS IN CROATIA By Carol Skinner, Special to Eurasia Region Communications
More than 120,000 people have entered Croatia on their way to Austria and
Germany. Nazarenes are providing support on their way.
Since mid-September, when Hungary shut its borders to migrants traveling on foot from the Middle East, more than 120,000 people have entered Croatia on their way to Germany and Austria to seek refugee status, according to the Croatian website http://www.24sata.hr/
Nazarene missionaries in Croatia joined hands with numerous nonprofits and other agencies to provide assistance to the travelers as they pass through the country.
In late September, Trino Jara, coordinator of Eurasia Region and
Global Holistic Child Development Ministries for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, and representatives for Heart to Heart International came to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, to meet with
Nazarenes and believers from other denominations at the European Center for the Study of War and Peace to discuss
the current situation and plans for the
future, as well as to pray together.
The group included Nazarene
missionaries in Croatia Dave and Betsy
Scott, missionaries in Hungary Bob
Skinner and Carol Skinner, as well as
short-term missionaries Chris and Karen
Lewis, Ashley Huber, and numerous
believers from other organizations and
churches.
The Lewises came from Scotland in
September to specifically volunteer with
ministry to the refugees in Hungary, then
moved to Croatia when Hungary closed
its borders in mid-September. Having
registered as volunteers with the Red
Cross, they are now working in what is
being called a “tent city” in Opatovac,
where the Red Cross is registering
refugees and providing them assistance.
Their activities have ranged from picking
up trash, distributing tents, blankets and
sleeping bags, serving soup and tea, as
well as connecting with the refugees to
answer their questions and calm their
fears.
The Scotts and Huber are also
working in Opatavac, as well as Bapska.
“These have been amazing
opportunities to help people directly,
because at the time no special approval
or registration was needed to be with
the refugees in these places,” wrote
Carol Skinner. “This has afforded many
opportunities to talk with the refugees,
answer questions, or at least calm their
fears of the next step.
Betsy wrote: “As a result of the
meeting, Chris took the initiative to
reach out to a pastor in Syria to ask about
translating a text from English to Arabic.
So, we made cards to give to people
with beautiful, soothing, caring words of
encouragement - just a sweet note to let
them know we care about what they’re
going through and, most importantly,
stating that if they need prayer, to send
an email to the address listed. We printed
and laminated them so as to protect them
from the weather. We hope this ministry
of encouragement helps people feel cared
for and that they would feel the peace of
Jesus on their journey.”
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Armenian
Nazarenes
assist
refugees By Pastor Rita Lao, Special to Eurasia Region Communications
According to the United Nations
Refugee Agency, 17,000
Syrians -- primarily of ethnic
Armenian background -- have found
refuge in Armenia since the start of
the Syrian civil war in 2010.
Leaving their belongings,
houses, shops, factories, extended
family members, they have come to
Armenia, hoping to provide a safe
environment for their children and
families. All of them have to start
from zero. Their experiences are
very different from the Armenian
context. They have challenges and
difficulties finding jobs, starting
small businesses, paying for rent and
daily expenses, and adapting to the
new life in all its aspects.
For most of them, the unknown
is a paralyzing factor for their daily life. They don’t know what has
happened to their houses and shops. Others don’t know how long they
will have to stay in Armenia, and to deal with unemployment and lack of resources.
The government of the Republic of Armenia has been trying to support many of the families by providing Armenian passports to those with an Armenian background. Nongovernment organizations, independently or in partnership with the United Nations Armenia, have been initiating some short-term relief assistance programs and microbusiness loans. However, daily details and challenges that many of those families face are usually unattended.
The Church of the Nazarene in Yerevan, Armenia, has been
establishing relationships with Syrian families, and many needs have started to be uncovered in the process. Below is the story of a family and its encounter with the Yerevan church:
A family of four -- the mother and her 12- and 6-year-old sons and
9-year-old daughter -- arrived in Armenia in May 2014. The father and the grandfather had been kidnapped and killed by a militant group, and the mother had been receiving threat calls from the group. Armenia became their only haven.
Arriving to the new land was not easy. The mother has to deal with the growing needs of the three children, for whom life has become a big question mark. They have to deal with loss, anger, fear, frustration and questions that so many times remain unanswered.
After coming to a church service, the family started to develop
relationships with the church members. The identified needs are
vast, and the church has started to initiate support by tackling different need areas.
Home visits and food items are being provided according to need. The mother is being encouraged to follow cake baking and decorating
classes to start a small business. The church is planning to assist her in equipping her kitchen for that home business.
One of the church members, also a Syrian, is teaching her how to make waxing for goldsmith production, so that she can have some pocket money through this skill.
The young son is attending karate classes in his school for free. The older wanted to attend, too, but because of lack of resources, the mother did not give him her consent. Finding this activity a way for the boy to release and learn to control his anger and negative emotions, the church decided to fund this activity and let the older
boy attend the karate classes, as well.
The church has also taken into account the possible need for
professional psychological support in the near future.
The church assists individuals and families by networking and
referring them to services they need, finding apartments for rent, looking for employment and orienting them in business development issues. The church would like to also provide more services for the families, such as providing school support sessions for the children who have a hard time adapting to the Eastern Armenian dialect and Russian language in the school.
The church is also trying to have funds to support a number of families in attending skills development classes, and starting home businesses. Along the process, the church is looking forward to further enroll the parents and children in the church life, and bring them to a relationship with the church and a growing relationship with Christ, which will be their ultimate anchor that will sustain them in their new life and its challenges and
difficulties.
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Related reading
• Read how Nazarenes positioned across the Middle East and Europe
have been responding to refugees on the move: http://tiny.cc/ympd4x
• Nazarenes in the Middle East have been working with Syrian refugees for years. Read how local churches in Lebanon have been serving the refugees in their midst: http://tiny.cc/gopd4x
• The Eurasia Region reported on how local churches in Jordan have
been helping refugees among them: http://tiny.cc/9ppd4x
• Watch this video about how a church in Lebanon made a difference for one refugee child: http://tiny.cc/hvpd4x
• Video: A Nazarene school in Lebanon is not only ministering to
Lebanese children, but to Syrian refugee kids who were without hope for continuing their education: http://tiny.cc/hwpd4x
• Read how God revealed himself miraculously to a refugee, and how
a local Nazarene church helped her understand the truth: http://tiny.cc/84pd4x
• As an immigrant in a foreign country, Hamadi met a Christian who was not afraid to introduce him to Jesus: http://tiny.cc/15pd4x
• Download a guidebook for tips about how to care for refugees in
your own community: http://tiny.cc/86pd4x
How to respond
Share
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries has developed several resources,
including bulletin inserts and a PowerPoint presentation to educate your congregation or Sunday school class on the refugee crisis. Visit http://www.ncm.org/refugees.html and then click on “church resources.”
Give
Churches and individuals around the world can support efforts to minister to refugee families through local Nazarene churches by giving to the NCM Refugee and Immigrant Support Fund.
In Germany, please donate through Helping Hands e.V., IBAN: DE56
5075 0094 0000 022394, SWIFT-BIC: HELADEF1GEL.
For other countries, please give through your local church or district, designating your gift to the NCM Refugee and Immigrant Support Fund.
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Developing The Future
We are debtors to give him the GOSPEL in the same measure we have received it.[Phineas F. Bresee
“Developing the Future” is the theme of the 2015 Thanksgiving, or Thank, Offering. As we remember the Lord’s unfailing love, the psalmist calls on us to “sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his
works with songs of joy” (Psalm 107:22). We join you in prayer and preparation for this annual emphasis in the Church of the Nazarene. Through this offering given to the World Evangelism Fund, we do
more together than we ever could alone. God receives our humble gifts and uses our generosity to accomplish amazing things — in language schools, church plants, mission hospitals, and many other
ministries.
Every time we choose to serve God by giving back, we become a part of God’s future — a future that spreads into eternity as people around the world come to a saving knowledge of Christ. The 2015 offering celebrates how our gifts help spread the gospel, both now and in the future.
In Psalm 22, the writer praises God and calls on all people to worship the Lord. He declares that the greatness of God will be obvious because of what God will do. Through the World Evangelism Fund, the Church of the Nazarene is able to share His greatness
and goodness with people everywhere.
Praise God for how He has used our gifts in the last year:
• 702 missionaries and 310 missionary kids were deployed from 35 world areas.
• 378 people joined the Church of the Nazarene every day. That is 16
people per hour!
• 143,870 students were enrolled in Nazarene preschool, primary, and
secondary schools.
Let’s reflect on the many ways in which God has blessed us, and imagine what God will do through our generation and those that follow as we continue to serve Him.
The offering will be received on 11 October 2015 in Canada and 22
November 2015 globally. (Please note that not all areas will receive the offering on these dates, depending on the calendar of each field or district.)
Resources will be available at nazarene.org/generosity in English,
Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Korean. If you have questions, contact Stewardship Ministries at stewardship@nazarene.org.
Yours in Christ,
The Board of General Superintendents
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Ukraine youth team goes on mission in Moldova By Zee Gimon with Andrei Manakov, Eurasia Region Communications
What is a good first step in sharing
the Gospel with someone? Getting to
know that person and establishing a
relationship with them. This principle
was chosen as the main one during the
youth camp that took place in Chisinau,
Moldova.
“It was quite an interesting
experience,” said Andrei Manakov,
one of the team leaders from Ukraine.
“On one hand, we were tired after the
all-Ukrainian summer youth camp, but
at the same time we were excited about
the opportunity to serve teenagers at the
KENT youth camp.” KENT stands for
“Who If Not You?” (“Кто Если Не Ты”
in Russian)
Altogether, there were 11 leaders from
Ukraine, ranging in age from 17 to 30,
who came to help, as well as four people
from the U.S.
There were 35 non-Christian teens
at the camp. Only three of them visited
the church before and heard about
Jesus and salvation. For everyone else,
it was something new and not quite
understandable. This caused the team to
make decisions on things that are usually
standard; for example, what songs to sing
if none of the teens knew the worship
songs?
Most of the teens came from singleparent
families -- someone did not
have a father, someone did not have a
mother. Thus, it was difficult for them to
understand: “How can it be true that God
loves me, even if my parents left me?”
The first several days, it was very
difficult to earn teenagers’ trust. The
team did not try to force them to read the
Bible or tell them something special. The
main goal was to show the Christian way
of life by setting a personal example.
“We allowed God to work with their
hearts and it was wonderful to see how
the ice began to melt,” said Manakov. “It
was especially wonderful when we had
small groups and could share our own
testimonies with our kids and tell about
our very own journey to God and with
God, how our lives have changed when
we accepted Christ.”
And God worked miracles. Twenty
out of 35 answered the altar call, asked
Jesus to be their Savior, and started
coming to the Church of the Nazarene
in Chisinau, Moldova, where Iryna
and Sergey Talalay are serving as
missionaries. The KENT Club meetings
now gather 15 to 20 people each week.
Considering that these were the teens
who did not even want to hear about God
at the beginning of the camp, this is a
victory.
“Right now, we really need a leader
for that particular ministry, because we
have so many ideas for this club and one
day a week is not enough. And when
it comes to teenagers, we can’t just
rely on Sunday services to maintain a
meaningful relationship with them,” said
Irina Talalay.
The KENT Camp was only the
beginning of a great adventure and
Manakov shared the team’s plans for
the future: “We are now working on
gathering financial support for another
trip to Moldova to spend more quality
time with the teens there. It is wonderful
to see God at work so vividly.”
“I was glad that God gave me this
opportunity to go to Moldova and serve
there. This has been my first mission
trip outside of Ukraine and I was happy
I could share the Gospel with kids,”
said Anna, one of the group members.
“Besides, God has worked in me through
this camp because I have learned to trust
God and rely on Him more in my daily
life.”
Please join the Ukrainian and
Moldovan teams in praying for the
teenagers who began their faith journey
and for a leader for the KENT Club
ministry who would take this initiative to
the next level.
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Bangladesh districts unite for mission conference
One hundred
and thirty people
gathered in
Bangladesh,
representing
all three of the
country’s districts,
to celebrate
missions and
to learn more
about how to be
involved.
In early September, the three districts
of Bangladesh united for a mission
conference, with the objectives of
having inter-district fellowship, sharing
information and experiences between
districts, developing good relationships,
encouraging participants to be active
in the ministry of Nazarene Missions
International (NMI), and to learn more
about God’s mission to the world. It
was the first such conference since
2010, when Bangladesh divided from
one district into three districts due to
rapid church growth.There were 130 in
attendance.
The field strategy coordinator for
South Asia presented about the Church
of the Nazarene denomination’s values,
faith and how Nazarenes can be involved
in mission work. Other topics during
the conference included helping kids to
be mission minded, balancing ministry,
family and career, and teaching youth to
change the world.
There were times of worship and
prayer. Several shared their personal
testimonies.
“It was an effective conference and I
believe God touched people’s hearts for
mission work, for unreached people,”
said Silvia, the NMI president of the
Northwest District. The conference
encouraged participants to be more
faithful to the Lord and use their life for
God’s glory.”
Learn more about NMI at www.
eurasiaregion.org/nmi
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BACK TO SCHOOL
IN LEBANON
The Nazarene Evangelical
School in Lebanon is
one of several Nazarene
schools in the Middle
East. The 200+ students
returned to classes at the
end of September. Among
them are a number of
Syrian refugee students
on scholarship through
Nazarene Compassionate
Ministries.
The schools combine children from
different faiths or denominations, but
they all attend chapel, study the Bible
and learn about Jesus. The schools
focus on teaching children to overcome
differences and to love one another.
Watch a video about life at the school in
Lebanon: https://vimeo.com/85333554
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M+POWER
volunteer
goes to
Nepal By Gina Grate Pottenger, Eurasia Region Communications
Christian Bangert (center)
is spending 3 1/2 months
in Nepal, supporting local
leaders in earthquake
aftermath ministry.
At the beginning of September Christian Bangert, of
Gelnhausen, Germany, left for a 3 ½ month assignment
as an M+Power volunteer, working with the Nazarene church
in Nepal.
He is filling a support role for the Nepal leadership as they
work on plans for helping people to rebuild after the April
2015 earthquake, as well as to establish 10 child-focused
community development centers for long-term ministry in
carefully selected communities.
M+Power is a Eurasia Region initiative to match up willing
volunteers with short and long-term service opportunities
throughout the region.
Bangert is among the first of three people from the region
to serve with M+Power. A chemical engineer, Bangert has
participated in a number of short-term mission teams from
Germany, working in South Asia and Eastern Europe; most of
his previous trips lasted a week or two. So, this is the longest
ministry trip he has done, and it’s also the longest time he has
spent outside his native Germany.
Prior to leaving for Nepal, Bangert attended the Eurasia
Mission Orientation (EMO) in Büsingen, Germany, in May,
one of two held in the region this year to prepare potential
volunteers for cross-cultural ministry.
“Wherever I go with Work & Witness teams, I have this
feeling in my heart that this is what I’m passionate about. Now
I’m done with my studies. [I thought] if it’s God’s plan, I’ll
take the first step, and I did this, and everything just fell into
place and worked fine. I really think that God was calling me
because I could also see that He’s working,” he said in a video
interview from the Nazarene district center in Kathmandu.
One sign for Bangert was that his company allowed him to
take the 3 ½ months off work for the trip.
Since being in Nepal, Bangert has been assisting the local
Nepal team with visiting earthquake-hit communities, and in
preparing a project proposal which they have submitted to
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. The proposal includes
goals to build 50 new, earthquake-proof houses and to do
70 partial constructions. They also want to establish 10
child-focused community development centers in three to
four districts where there is currently no Nazarene or church
presence.
While Bangert has traveled widely on mission trips before,
it is quite different to go without a team, and be gone longer
than a week or so, he said.
“In a team you work much more in a shorter time and
it’s more stressful and you don’t get the chance to have deep
relations with people,” he said. “Here you have time to build
relations and get a deeper feeling and understanding for the
culture.”
One of his favorite memories during his time in Nepal so far
was when he went with the local Nazarenes to a village in the
mountains. When they arrived, many of the people were out in
the street because of a festival that was under way.
“I started to connect to the children and after 5 to 10 minutes
I was chasing them all through the town and we ran and played
and had so much fun. It was a wonderful time.”
Language and culture barriers have not prevented Bangert
from having meaningful interactions with the local people.
“I don’t understand their language, but still they receive
you with an open heart. They’re friendly and kind. That was
something very special to me.”
Bangert had advice for others in Eurasia who may be
considering serving as volunteers cross-culturally somewhere
else in the region: “If you have that feeling on your mind and
your heart, then pray about it. But not just pray about it -- try and
see if God opens the doors, because if we just sit and just pray
and don’t try, nobody will come knocking on your door, most
probably.”
If you would like to explore volunteerism on the Eurasia Region,
visit www.eurasiaregion.org/volunteers
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“The King will reply,
‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for
one of the least of
these brothers and
sisters of mine, you
did for me.’”[Matthew 25:40]
Do you have pictures of your
church ministry in Eurasia that you
would like to share with the region?
Send them to communications@
eurasiaregion.org and we’ll consider
posting them on our Facebook page.
www.eurasiaregion.org
Tips for helping refugees
As a tidal wave of people moving from
the Middle East engulfs Europe, many
Nazarenes are asking how they and their
local churches can practice hospitality
by effectively ministering to the complex
needs of these relocating people.
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
(NCM) has provided a booklet with
a wide range of ideas for how local
churches can organize to meet numerous
practical needs of immigrants, from
low-investment to medium-and highinvesment
involvement.
Some tips include giving immigrants
an orientation tour of the new city where
they find themselves; offering language
classes; or providing safe spaces for
displaced people to visit during daytime
hours.
The booklet also describes ways to
be culturally sensitive to the religious
and gender differences of people coming
from the Middle East, as well as the
particular needs of those fleeing war
zones and traumatic experiences.
The booklet urges churches to involve
a refugee or asylum seeker from the
community to identify needs and plan the
church’s response.
To access this booklet, visit http://
www.eurasiaregion.org/wp-content/
uploads/2015/09/Responding-toRefugee-Crisis-version-4.9.15.docx
Feel free to circulate it within your
local churches and districts.
To give to the work of NCM and local
churches who are serving Middle East
refugees across the Eurasia Region, visit
http://www.ncm.org/refugees.html.
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for the millions of people displaced by war and violence in the Middle East. Ask God to bring peace to these areas, and safety to the people. Pray for the Church around the world as it seeks the most effective ways to show God’s love to these people.
- Please pray for God to be very present among the teachers, staff and students at the Nazarene schools in the Middle East. Ask God to help the students to learn well, to love one another and Jesus, and to carry the lessons they are learning into their families and communities.
- Pray for Christian Bangert and the other M+Power volunteers as they serve in new cultures. Ask God to provide all they need to be effective and to learn and grow. Also, ask God to send more volunteers into the harvest.
- Pray for the Nazarenes in Bangladesh, to implement what they learned and heard from God at the NMI convention in early September.
- Christ commands us to pray for more workers for the harvest in Luke 10:2: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (NIV). Pray that God would raise up and equip new workers across the region.
Where Worlds Meet is the monthly
newsletter for the Eurasia Region
of the Church of the Nazarene. To
subscribe, e-mail communications@
eurasiaregion.org or visit
www.eurasiaregion.org.
We welcome stories, photos and
prayer requests. E-mail submissions to
communications@eurasiaregion.org
Gina Pottenger, Comm. Coordinator
gpottenger@eurasiaregion.org
Randolf Wolst, Website Designer
rwolst@eurasiaregion.org
Arthur Snijders, Regional Director
awsnijders@eurasiaregion.org
____________________________
Transforming Our World: In Christ • Like Christ • For Christ
Eurasia Regional Office • Postfach 1217 • 8207 Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Phone (+49) 7734 93050 • Fax (+49) 7734 930550 • E-mail whereworldsmeet@eurasiaregion.org
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