Saturday, August 13, 2016

The Missionaries Jay and Teanna Sundberg's Newsletter, The Africa Region Newsletter, The Asia-Pacific Region News letter, and The Global Church of the Nazarene Communication Network News for Saturday, 13 August 2016

The Missionaries Jay and Teanna Sundberg's Newsletter, The Africa Region Newsletter, The Asia-Pacific Region News letter, and The Global Church of the Nazarene Communication Network News for Saturday, 13 August 2016
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A Newsletter from the Sunbergs in Central Europe with Jay & Teanna Sunberg for Friday, August 12, 2016 "WELCOMING REFUGEES / AUGUST 2016"
SUNBERG SUMMER
A Summer of TravelWe are writing this letter during a period of rest after a long summer of ministry travel that began the first week of June and ended the 30th of July. We were non-stop on the summer 2016 road.
One of the biggest summer highlights has been watching our girls engage in their own ways with people who have been displaced.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS *Sophia sitting with journal open in the midst of hundreds of refugees and frantically taking down their stories in a Belgrade park (Serbia).
*Jenna walking fully clothed in jeans and a t-shirt into the lake to join her friends, who happen to be refugees. As an escape from the Greek heat, everybody was fully clothed, including women fully dressed in hijab and robes and all were sitting in the river.
*Lydia spent many afternoons coloring with small kids at a picnic table in a camp - on one day, several fathers asked if Lydia's dad was around for a conversation. Luckily, he was not.
*Lexi has been interning as our media specialist. Thanks to her, Courage for the Journey has Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, plus a Facebook page. We strongly encourage you to visit and share those sights. #stayconnected
PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY
-as Sophia chooses a university,
-as Lexi serves as the junior class chaplain at Trevecca,
-as Lydia immerses herself in sports,
-and as Jenna begins her freshman year of high school.
-Pray that each would grow closer to and more like Jesus as they walk with him.
PRAY FOR OUR KIDSWe are one of many families on the field attempting to balance parenting and ministry in healthy, God-honoring ways. No matter where you go, kids are a huge piece of our tapestry - their demographic includes at-risk Roma and refugee populations all the way to boys and girls with pastoring or missionary parents.
Please pray
-as more than 10,000 refugee kids are missing
-as many minors make this journey alone
-as Nazarene iniatives in Bulgaria show Roma kids finishing high school
-as ministry families soak in these last weeks of summer vacation together
If you feel led to support our family financially, there are 2 ways to do it.
A LOVE GIFT helps to stretch our tight family budget and is used towards practical items like coats, boots, school supplies, Lexi's airfare home at Christmas, and groceries for our family. We can decide how the money is spent. It is not tax-deductible and not a charitable donation.
A DEPUTATION DONATION helps with ministry and tools/items that make ministry possible: a car, furniture, medical insurance, retirement, as well as grass-roots ministry. It is tax-deductible and is a charitable donation. We are required to ask for permission to utilize the funds. It cannot be spent on personal items.
If the Lord has enabled you and you feel led to partner with us financially, we are grateful. Please click on either link option for donation details or email Teanna at TSunberg@me.com



VIOLENCE BEGETS REFUGEESThe 12 year-old eyes of a girl-child tucked under a kitchen table watched her world, person by person, take their last breath on planet earth. The recipe of blood and gunfire mixed with the sound of her family singing as they defended themselves. Her voice had warbled to a halt long ago, she could not remember when she had stopped singing; but, she remembered the exact moment that the last voice, the voice of her cousin, died away. He was 15 years old.
It took 3 days for the 20 people in her house to die. Three days of sitting tucked in the bottom of the house, in the kitchen, under a table, vulnerably experiencing war. Three days of listening to her family beg her for help as their bodies faded into death. There were 13 people in the kitchen. Eleven of them were girls.
When the final note of the singing faded to silence, the soldiers found her there. Pulling her from under the table, they took her from family member to family member, made her look at the corpses, and demanded that she identify the leader. In the midst of the carnage, they found her 7-year old sister still alive. She begged the soldiers to take her sister to the hospital and they promised to do so. They lied.
They abused her.
Eventually, she became one of a group of survivors who had been captured during the war. There she remained until the war ended.
Though it sounds like it is pulled from an article today, this is actually a Kosovar story. The year was 1998. The events happened as the former Yugoslavia dismantled.
In July, we stood outside the very kitchen window where tragedy happened. In trying to process the stories of violence, the heartbreak, the brokenness, TNU professor, Dr. Timothy Green said this,
"In the Genesis of our Bible, there is violence. In the end [Revelation], there is violence. And tucked in the middle, there are refugees. In between violence, there are always refugees." 
The truth of our field: we have war-torn places from the last 2 decades that continue to be in conflict today. We know what it is to be refugee.
Today, our field is welcoming refugees from other war-torn places of our planet: from Syria, from Afghanistan, from Iraq and other parts of South Asia and Northern Africa. In total, 1.5 million souls since September 2015 have impacted our Central Europe Field.
HOW WE ARE RESPONDING TO DISPLACED PEOPLE ACROSS THE BALKAN HIGHWAY
In The Republic of Macedonia, there are a small number of refugees stranded in a sort of 'no man's land'. Nazarenes from Kosova, who were once refugees themselves, make a weekly journey to minister here.
We Do: Intentional conversations, distribution of aid, networking with other NGOs and churches to bring help.
In Denmark, refugees are being settled by the government into temporary housing while people apply for and await refugee status.
We Do: intentional relationship building, resettlement programs, and cultural adaptation - local Nazarenes are leading the way and organizing events.
In Croatia, the government is working towards accepting its EU quota of 1600 people. The vast majority are in temporary housing and we are partnering with other NGOs and offiicials to help individuals adapt themselves to Croatian culture.
We Do: Intentional conversations, ESL, psycho-social programs, partnership with NGO's and officials.
In Serbia, numbers are rising and exceeding the ability of camps to provide safe housing after a July mandate from Hungary that imposes harsher responses to people crossing the border. People need food and humanitarian organizations were forced to turn away large numbers, including children, who needed a hot meal.
We Do: intensive time in the Central park meeting immediate aid needs, partnering with humanitarian organizations, intentional conversations.
In Greece, more than 60,000 people have been stranded since mid-March unable to continue their journey to safety due to EU decisions that closed borders. The vast majority of people are now living in camps and waiting to be placed in cooperative EU countries.
We Do: Daily visitation and relationship making, crafts with kids, distribution of aid when needed, partnering with other NGOs and churches, ESL, supporting Middle Eastern teachers who are trying to make school happen in camps.
Interconnectedness: Greece is not on the Central Europe Field. It belongs to the Western Mediterranean Field, under the leadership of Bruce McKellips. Courage for the Journey functions as a cross-field partnership lending our refugee experience and resources to the West Med Field.
In the hardest places: We are assessing opportunities to address asylum seekers in 2 countries on our field that are cited as the most dangerous for people. In these 2 countries, there are numerous stories of police brutality and beatings, dogs being loosed on humans, and theft harassment. 
THE REFUGEE In Croatia, in Serbia, in the Republic of Macedonia, in Greece, the Church is serving refugees, most of whom come from other religious backgrounds. God has called indigenous leaders, missionaries, and many volunteers of all ages to participate. Over the course of this summer, help has come from 10 different countries representing: WORK&WITNESS, MPOWER, NYI, 365M, & LOCAL CHURCHES.
And representing 4 Nazarene Universities: TNU, PLNU, MNU and NNU
Courage for the Journey, the Central Europe Field response to refugees, began in September 2015 when more than 3,000 refugees were stuck in Budapest's Keleti Train station. We were there distributing aid and have been intentionally present across the Balkan Highway since then.
It is our uncompromising belief that God is moving in. The violence creating nearly 60 million displaced persons globally is a tragedy. Across our field alone, 1.5 million men, women and children have journeyed with tattered pieces of hope searching for a life of peace. They are moving in to our neighborhoods and we welcome them.
We dare to believe that God is breaking down the walls of the church and that we, as a church, have need of this change. In the hospitality that is shared between a people called 'refugee' and a people called 'the church' there are valuable lessons for all of us about the One who moves in and brings peace. May His kingdom come today in us.#courageforthejourney #centraleuropenaz
HOW YOU CAN HELP US
RESPOND to the negative narrative. Learn about the current refugee situation by reading across political lines, seek out refugees where you live and hear their stories, interact with us on social media or invite us to share our story with you or your congregation. Then, as you grow in knowledge, share that knowledge.
Need a Sunday School lesson?
PRAY for an end to the wars in the Middle East, for safety for those forced to flee, for wisdom to meet needs, to speak peace, and to holistically respond in Christ-like ways. Pray for courage for the journey for all of us.
SHARE your time and skills with our virtual team. We have several projects that focus on advocacy and education. Do you have skills in editing, publishing, podcasting, app development, web page development and hosting?
Send us an EMAIL and let's talk about options.
VOLUNTEER - come for several months to 1 year and help. EMAIL us.
GIVE so that we can continue to provide food, clothes, shoes, tents, and social / educational projects. 100% of your donations go straight to refugee response specifically in Central Europe.DONATE here.
CALLING ALL NMI PRESIDENTS
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
How can we help you inform and educate your churches about the refugee situation and the Church/NCM response in Central Europe?
SHORT VIDEOS
ARTICLES
SUNDAY SCHOOL MATERIAL
SPEAKERS
OTHER IDEAS
LEXI has been involved in Refugee Response while she is here at home. As she comes back to Trevecca this year, she has weekends available to come to your church and speak/educate on the topic.
EMAIL us at tsunberg@eurasiaregion.org with your suggestions - one word or a paragraph - and/or requests for Lexi to speak.
TOWARDS A FLOURISHING CHURCH.
We feel God leading us to grow towards being an increasingly Flourishing Church. We understand the concept as an intentional focus on the 7 Characteristics defined in the Nazarene Essentials document.
  1. Passionate Evangelism
  2. Intentional Discipleship
  3. Purposeful Compassion
  4. Meaningful Worship
  5. Transformational Leadership
  6. Church Development & Planting
  7. Theological Coherence
In February, we called district superintendents together to define the elements of a flourishing church and realigned field resources to make funding available. Districts can apply for a grant to facilitate ministry in any one of the 7 areas.
In September at our Field Conference, we will be unpacking 3 of these themes and talking about best practices.
#flourishingchurch
Copyright © *2016* *Jay & Teanna Sunberg*, All rights reserved.
The Global Church of the Nazarene - Central Europe
Mandulafa Utca 10
Budapest, District 22 1224 · Hungary
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"Out of Africa August 2016 Newsletter: Condolences to the Chambo Family" from The Africa Region of the Global Church of the Nazarene i Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa
My Dad, Rev. Manuel Filimao Tsambe Chambo has passed into glory on 4 August 2016. He was 78 years old. I sure would have loved to have him around for many more years, but I know that he is home with Jesus. We will miss him dearly and my heart cries out for my mother, Rev. Bessie Luisa Tsambe Chambo, as she mourns and grieves the loss of her husband, friend, ministry partner and love.
My father was an amazing godly man, preacher of the Word, leader and, above all, a wonderful, excellent godly father. While I am saddened by his sudden death, I rejoice and celebrate a life well lived and the amazing impact that he made in my personal life, in the family, the church and the communities where he served and lived. Looking forward to see you on the other side, Dad![Dr. Filimao Chambo, Africa Regional Director]
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Empowering Women in Liberia
Liberia was ravaged by the Ebola crisis as well as ravaged by civil wars over the last decades. This has taken its toll on all the people, but the women have bore the brunt as their men have been killed in war.
Visiting the Nazarene Women's Project (NAWOP) in Ganta, Liberia, I was instantly impressed with the diligence of the girls who were busily stirring cornbread batter and who had already baked sumptuous potato bread muffins. They also had bread dough rising in pans ready to bake in the innovative round aluminium oven, heated with coals placed underneath and on top.
In partnership with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, this ministry has been in operation since 2001. Edith N'Boyou, a pastor's wife and the founder of NAWOP, whose slogan is "Empowerment from Productivity", explained that the aim of the project was, "...For the people to be empowered to help their families and community and to be a witness. . . to share their Christian faith with people in the area." Not only do the girls learn to make baked goods during the nine month program, but they also learn the process of batik and soap making. The program also includes a spiritual element, as the girls study the Bible during daily devotions.
NAWOP has helped countless girls over the years. Grace Daniels, 24, a student and the current class president of the group shared that the program, "[Has been] a big help. It helps me learn how to manage and set-up a business." Not only does the program benefit its students, but the baked goods that they make provide healthy snacks for the children of the adjoining church-run school, as well as providing goods (soap and batik) for the community.
When asked about her future goals for the program, Edith shared that she hopes to incorporate a showroom for her goods so that people in the community can more easily see and buy the products. I can personally vouch for the potato bread muffins, as the verse, "Taste and see that the Lord is good," comes to mind. (Psalm 34:8)[Mrs. Monica Carr, Missionary, West Africa]
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Six Churches Organized on the Zimbabwe West District
In 2002, Rev. Noah Sibanda graduated from Africa Nazarene University (ANU) in Nairobi, Kenya, with a Masters degree in religion (MAR), but also had a degree in leadership. In August of that same year, Rev. Sibanda returned to his home country of Zimbabwe, and he was asked by the DS of the Zimbabwe West District to move to Gweru. The DS asked him to take-over a small church in the city of Gweru, which is the 3rd largest city in Zimbabwe.
Although the city is large, there was only one church in the entire city. Realizing this, Rev. Sibanda knew that the first work he had to do was win souls for Christ and then train them so that he could have a team of "soul winners".
Phase two of Rev. Sinbanda's vision was to start an extension centre for theological studies. His first class had 12 students, all of them from his church. In 2012 after four years of class, 12 students from Mkoba Church of the Nazarene graduated with a diploma in theology at the Nazarene Theological College of Central Africa.
Rev. A. Nyoni, DS Zimbabwe West
The third phase of the vision was to plant new churches. The team in the Gweru Zone has successfully planted new church. Along with the soul-winning, they have been planting new churches and have, so far, planted 13 new churches on the zone. Six of those churches are large enough to have dedicated pastors, and also well informed congregates in holiness teaching and Nazarene doctrine.
It was a joy on the 17th of July 2016 to witness six church plants being organised by the Zimbabwe West District Superintendent, Rev. A. Nyoni. The churches organized were Woodlands, Game Park, Riverdale, Mkoba North, Ascot and Quarry Churches of the Nazarene.
We praise God for the good work God has done through this amazing team of "soul-winners". [Rev. Noah Sibanda, Zimbabwe West District, Gweru Zone]
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Water Well--Bringing Hope to a CommunityCollege View is a newly established community in Sanniquellie in the Nimba county on the Liberia Central District Church of the Nazarene. College View became accessible in 2011 and gained its name from the Nimba County Community College, the only government-formed institution of higher education in the Nimba province. The town of College View only has one road that leads to it, limiting its accessibility for a population of 10,000 people, which has been growing rapidly in recent years.
A Typical Water Well
Like most new and growing areas in Liberia, it lacks roads, schools, clinics and potable water. However, this new area has two major churches with one of them being the Church of the Nazarene.
Despite its natural beauty, College View suffers a water crisis every dry season, or winter. A standard borehole that goes down about 50-75 ft that accesses a poor aquifer only supplies water during the rainy season and costs $100 (USD). The water, however, is not drinkable. Digging a well that would access potable water from a hand pump costs at least $1000. This cost has made it difficult for a family or community to dig such a well due to poverty and the country's lack of infrastructure.
The people of College View get their water from two private pumps that both run dry during the winter, leaving residents with no option but to fetch water from the community college's hand pumps, which also run dry. The security agents at the college sell the water for 50¢ (US) per 20 liters. Since the dry season lasts from December through April, large families have to use more money--perhaps $50-$100 for the four months--to get water for drinking, cleaning, washing, cooking and bathing. In addition to the cost, fetching water is the job of women and school-aged children who then must wake-up very early to fetch the water and arrive late to school. One teenager named Layti, said, "During the dry season, I usually went to school very late, because I had to fetch water from the college about 20 minutes walk from my house."
Although Liberia is rich in biodiversity and groundwater, its infrastructure is weak and the people are too poor to finance a water well themselves. But in July of this year, World Hope in partnership with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries was able to drill a well down 167 feet that has brought clean, potable water for the first time for the people of this community.
The community has taken ownership of this project by helping with the drilling and monitoring of the project. There is also a committee in place to care for and maintain the pump. The community chairman, Chief Peter Vonleh, describes the hand pump project as a great relief given the community, adding, "We will do everything to maintain the pump and keep it running."
Chairlady elected for the hand pump, Madam Louban, speaking to women in community, said there is a need for the women to take full responsibility of the water pump because they and their children are the primary users of the pump.
Some in the community have noted the number of people using the pump and have expressed concern that the well will run dry. Engineers have confirmed that the pump was drilled into a porous aquifer that will never run out of water, no matter what season of the year. The community has placed open and closing times on the pump, but only to keep the pump from being damaged, not because of the water supply.
Madam Cooper Duo, who donated the land on which the pump sits, said the impact of the project is beyond significant. "We have suffered water crisis over the years, and we need to maintain this God-given opportunity, so that our children don't start suffering again," said Madam Duo.
The community of College View is thankful for this gift of water and hope for their community and the people of their community. [Mr. Wellington G. Patrick]
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PRAYER REQUESTS
  • Remember the family of Dr. Filimao Chambo as they mourn the loss of Dr. Chambo's father, Rev. Manuel Chambo, who died suddenly on the 4th of August. 
  • Missionary, Rev. Friday Ghanda, was involved in a car accident in Tanzania. Rev. Ghanda is fine and recovering, but his vehicle took extensive damage. Pray for his continued recovery and quick and reliable repair of his vehicle. 
  • Continue to pray for the situation in South Sudan. There has been some renewed violence. 
  • Pray for the NYC Africa 2016 that will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 14-18 December 2016.
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ABOUT THE REGION
The Nazarene Church is in 42 countries in Africa, with more than 600,000 members in six fields.
What would you like to see in Out of Africa?
Email us at news@africanazarene.org.
English / Français/ Português
@NazAfrica
Mrs. Shelly Miller, editor
Africa Region Church of the Nazarene
17 Botes Street
Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa
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Asia-Pacific Regional Communications from The Asia-Pacific Region of The Global Church of the Nazarene in Rizal, Manila, Philippians' Around The Region News...Manila Connection Vision 4.4.1, Purpose & Passion Collide - Pearline's story, PNG Praise, Meet our Enoch, Jobs Available, Single Biggest Decision a Leader Makes, and Much More! for Saturday, August 13, 2016 Volume 4 / Issue Number 29

Nazarene News from Around the Globe
(Bold Items - Latest News)
Africa:
Eurasia:
South America:
USA / Canada:
Collegiate:
Resources:
Passings:
Engage Magazine:
Missions Lifestyle
  1. Missions is not a destination and it is not a duty, it is a lifestyle, and is woven into the fabric of who we are as the Church of the Nazarene.
  2. Missions is more than checking the boxes on the forms that you submit every year at District Assembly time.
I believe that every local church no matter how small or large should be actively involved in missions...in their immediate area and outside of their comfort zone. Because it is when we step outside of our comfort zone that Jesus meets us and steps in.
Missions is outreach on every level, and must start first with reaching out to God in prayer, and then to our immediate area. If we are focused on prayer and seeking God's direction, then He will lead us outside of our comfort zone. As long as we only work in what we are comfortable with, it will be just that, us working. But as soon as we step outside of that zone of comfort, God works.
Questions? Comments? Click Here.
Developing Leaders by Stan Toler
The Single Biggest Decision Every Leader Makes
One Choice that Defines Your Legacy
Much of the training you'll receive as a leader will focus on practical skills-delegation, time management, staffing, and so on. Those things are all important. A leader who can't manage a team is like a carpenter who can't swing a hammer.
However, the biggest decision you will ever make as a leader has nothing to do with budgets or scheduling or even creating alignment around the mission. The one choice that will define your leadership and your legacy will be indicated by your answer to this simple question:
Am I doing all of this for myself, or for others?
  1. Self-focused leaders aren't always easy to spot because personal ambition can masquerade as a big vision. Pride sometimes looks a lot like passion. And pettiness can be mistaken for a dedication to excellence.
  2. Self-focused leaders always give themselves away in the end. 
In time, they alienate team members with personal demands, a victim mentality, taking credit for others' achievements and blaming everyone for their own failures. Their selfishness becomes the lid on their leadership.
  • Great leaders are always focused on others. 
This was the hallmark of Jesus' ministry, for he said that "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). I've tried to apply that principle to my own leadership, and I've noticed it in every great leader I've observed.
  1. The greatest entrepreneurs are bent on meeting a need in the marketplace-that is, in people's lives.
  2. The greatest pastors have a far deeper passion to lift up Jesus and to see souls saved than to receive accolades.
  3. The greatest artists and educators have a vision to improve the lives of others, not just their own.
No matter where you are in leadership-from the frontline manager of a small department to the leader of a great nation-this is the question that will define your legacy: Is this all about you, or are you doing this for others?[Stan Toler]
Share The Story!
BLOG, CURRENT, EVENTS, FEATURE, SOUTHEAST ASIA, URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS
PRAYER REQUESTED FOR PEACE AND WISDOM- *** PRAISE UPDATE!
Thailand: Let us all lift Thailand in prayer, as citizens participate in a very important political event this coming weekend.
The repercussions of this event are considered critical to the economic and political conditions of the nation. With this in mind, the country has imposed stricter security measures to ensure that the event will go smoothly and peacefully. While violence is not expected, gatherings and demonstrations that are intended to be peaceful might turn confrontational and escalate. Citizens and tourists are advised to stay alert and exercise caution. They are asked to avoid areas where there are protest events, large gatherings or security operations. Instructions and restrictions issued by the local authorities must be strictly followed.
Please pray that the event will be peaceful, and its result would lead to the betterment of Thailand. May God guide and give wisdom to the participants as they make life-changing decisions that will shape their nation’s future. May they be instruments of peace and compassion during this time of uncertainty. Pray for the protection of everyone- citizens and tourists alike.
Update as of 10-August:
Praise God for his protective love! Our representatives from Thailand happily shared that the event turned out peaceful. The result from the event that the nation hoped for was achieved. Succeeding events geared to further solidify the country’s political direction are well under way. Thank you for praying with us!
BLOG, SOUTHEAST ASIA, URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS
DISEASE TAKES LIVES OF CHILDREN IN MYANMAR–PRAYERS NEEDED
Myanmar: In less than 2 months, more than 30 children have died from an unknown disease in northern Myanmar. The disease gives difficulty in breathing and has been reported as being contagious. Most of the children who were affected have been 5 years old or younger.
The Church of the Nazarene has significant work in Myanmar.
Please pray for Myanmar, the families of the children and that the Lord will provide in this time of need.[Download Disease Takes Lives of Children in Myanmar--Prayers Needed as PDF]
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Aparri Church of the Nazarene Requesting Prayer for Rain ***UPDATE- Answered Prayer!
NEWS, PHILIPPINE-MICRONESIA, URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS
APARRI CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE REQUESTING PRAYER FOR RAIN ***UPDATE- ANSWERED PRAYER!
Members from the Aparri Church of the Nazarene in the Northern Philippines, are requesting prayer for rain. They are reporting that there has been a drought since the month of May. This is especially difficult in the provinces where so much depends upon gardens.
Please lift this area of the Philippines in prayer.
_________________________________
Update as of 01-August 2016:
Our prayers have been answered! Typhoon Nida entered the Philippines over the weekend, passing through Northern Luzon, particularly Isabela and Cagayan. Aparri is part of Cagayan province.
Image courtesy of PAGASA
There were no major damages or casualties reported, but the typhoon brought rain that the people badly needed. You might say that the typhoon was a blessing in disguise!
Let us continue to pray for more rain to come to Aparri, and for the workers in their church as they continue to disciple the people in the community.[Download Aparri Church of the Nazarene Requesting Prayer for Rain ***Update- Answered Prayer! as PDF]
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Fire Damages New City Church in Metro Kaohsiung, Taiwan
BLOG, CHINESE MINISTRIES, CURRENT, FEATURE, TAIWAN DISTRICT
FIRE DAMAGES NEW CITY CHURCH IN METRO KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN
Taiwan: On Wednesday, July 27th, 2016, fire broke out in the second story office area of the New City Church of the Nazarene in Metro Kaohsiung, Taiwan, pastored by Zhu Shanshan (Esther). The preliminary investigation indicates that the fire most likely started in an electrical device.
Drying out sound equipment damaged by water.
Smoke damage was seen throughout.
The church members are coming together to help clean up and salvage contents of the church.
Fire most likely started in an electrical device.
Much work to be done in salvaging equipment.
Smoke damage was significant on the second floor.
We are praising God that no one was hurt in the fire. Clean up is underway as the church comes together to salvage what they can and begin making repairs.
Video of the fire and recovery from New City Church.
The office equipment was badly damaged and the second floor sustained significant smoke damage. Water from the sprinkler system, while extinguishing the fire, caused significant water damage to much of the building and contents.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters as they work hard to clean up the building and salvage as much as they can. Pray for unity as they move forward and continue to be a light for Christ in this city.[Download Fire Damages New City Church in Metro Kaohsiung, Taiwan as PDF]
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Most Up-to-Date Prayer Requests & Praise Reports for the Global Church - Prayer Mobilization Line.
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Manila Connection - Vision 4.4.1 What's It All About?
Manila, Philippines
The Spirit of the Lord was truly present this past week (August 8-12) as District Superintendents, Field Strategy Coordinators, Ministry Coordinators, and special guests gathered together from across the Asia-Pacific Region for a conference in Manila.
The purpose for the gathering...to seek the Lord's leading, grow in knowledge of Christ-like leadership, and to prayerfully commit to a common vision and strategy for reaching the Asia-Pacific Region for Christ.
Vision 4.4.1
What's it all about?
Click here to find out
Feed My Sheep!
Singapore
2,000 years ago, a Galilean fisherman named Peter was profoundly impacted by three simple words from Jesus:
"Feed my sheep."
In November of 2015, those same living words from Jesus began to burn into the heart of Pearline, a young lady from one of our Southeast Asia nations. Like Peter, she also was a follower of Jesus, and like Peter, Jesus' words were to profoundly impact the direction of her life.
Like most faith stories, Pearline's got off to a rocky start. But by the grace of God, she has come through and continues to follow the path that God has laid out for her.
Read Pearline's story here, and may it ignite your faith in Him even more!
APNTS, BLOG, CHURCH PLANTING, CURRENT, EDUCATION, FEATURE, SEALANDS,URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS
FEED MY SHEEP!
Singapore: 2,000 years ago, a Galilean fisherman named Peter was profoundly impacted by three simple words from Jesus:
“Feed my sheep.”
In November of 2015, those same living words from Jesus began to burn into the heart of Pearline, a young lady from one of our Southeast Asia nations. Like Peter, she also was a follower of Jesus, and like Peter, Jesus’ words were to profoundly impact the direction of her life.
Pearline grew up in a Buddhist family. When her young sister Theng Hoon, became a follower of Jesus in 2009, Pearline did not approve. She and the rest of her family ridiculed her sister for her faith. Theng Hoon was working in the city nation of Singapore and came in contact with the House of Bread, the Nazarene church plant in Singapore. The group began to pray for Pearline and the rest of Theng Hoon’s family.
Pearline faced a personal crisis in 2013. In her distress, Pearline called out to many gods in different names but only God in the name of Jesus came to her rescue and her life was radically transformed. Although the challenges remained, she could now face the future knowing that the One living inside of her was greater than any giant she would face. Pearline grew rapidly in her walk with Christ and became a part of the House of Bread (HOB). She began to use the gifts and graces God had given her and became one of the lay leaders in HOB.
Singapore participants at the October 2015 Emerging Leaders’ Conference. Pearline is third from right. Her sister, Theng Hoon and husband Bozhi are on the left.
The Rocky Mountain District in the US caught the vision of planting the church in Singapore and at their June 2015 NMI Convention, gave a generous offering for “Church Planting and Leadership Development” in this Asian city nation of 5.5 million people. As a result, Pearline and four others from HOB participated in a regional Emerging Leaders Conference organized by the Nazarene Church in October 2015. During those days of worship, prayer, and training, Pearline began to more clearly hear God’s voice for the next phase of her life.
In the following months, on multiple occasions and through various means, Jesus’ words to Peter to “Feed My Sheep” (John 21) began to take on new life and meaning as the Spirit applied these words to Pearline’s own situation. She already had a university degree in Industrial and System Engineering and a very good supply chain managerial position with a multinational consumer goods company. Her career was growing but she began to sense God’s calling to a different path. She began to consider theological study.
The New Testament reveals how Jesus’ words to Peter impacted him as he lived out the rest of his life in sacrificial ministry for His Lord. It is yet to be revealed how God will direct Pearline in future ministry. But for now, she is confident that He is calling her to further prepare by enrolling at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) in Manila, Philippines. Oswald Chambers writes,
“What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes.”[Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest”, August 5 devotional]
Pearline’s first day at APNTS.
And so on August 9th, Pearline arrived on campus at APNTS. She is the first person from the Church of the Nazarene in Singapore to pursue full-time theological studies.
  • Pray for Pearline and the other new students at APNTS as they follow God’s calling in their lives. Last semester there were 231 students enrolled in various programs through APNTS including on-campus students and those enrolled in various extension programs.
  • Pray for those who are a part of the growing Church of the Nazarene in Singapore. Pray that others will hear God’s call and prepare for expanded ministry.
  • Pray for Pearline and Theng Hoon’s family, that they might come to know the transforming power of Jesus.
Feature Image – House of Bread in Singapore.[Submitted by: Dave Hane, Personnel Coordinator (Asia-Pacific Regional Office)][Download Feed My Sheep! as PDF]
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Praises from Papua New Guinea!
Papua New Guinea
DS Kamda Kanzpena is on the front row- left
The power of God is at work in Papua New Guinea according to DS Kamda Kanzpena.
Kanzpena reports praises of men who found the strength to walk in the ways of the Lord without fear.
A short but powerful testimony! God is truly working in the lives of the people in Papua New Guinea! Let us continue to pray for the communities and their churches, that more people will come to know and accept God's power and love!
Follow the link to read the story on our website!
BLOG, FEATURE, MELANESIA SOUTH PACIFIC, NEWS, URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS
PRAISES FROM PAPUA NEW GUINEA!
Papua New Guinea: The power of God is at work in Papua New Guinea according to DS Kamda Kanzpena.
Kanzpena reports praises of men who found the strength to walk in the ways of the Lord without fear. Men who were once instruments of darkness are now openly declaring God’s power without hesitation. Christians are encouraging each other with testimonials and personal experiences of God’s grace in their lives.
After a Christian prayed for a paralyzed man and took him to a hospital, the man is now able to stand on his own praising God alongside other believers.
Please continue to pray for the churches in the North Coast District. Pray that more testimonies of God’s power and love would be shared and experienced by the people and for the people.
— Feature image: District Superintendents from the Melanesia South Pacific Field and Korea National District – during a recent leadership training conference. DS Kamnda is on the front row, left.[Download Praises from Papua New Guinea! as PDF]
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Missionary Profile: Enoch Tee
Engage Magazine 
Enoch Tee is a graphic designer and photographer for World Mission Communication on the Asia-Pacific Region, based in Manila, Philippines. He began his assignment in 2014. As part of his service, he develops visual arts pieces such as logos and banners for the region, and also conducts usability testing and research for websites. With his camera he provides photojournalism, including at events.
Get to know Enoch even better and how he is using his God-given talents for Kingdom Impact! We at World Mission Communications Asia-Pacific are truly blessed to be working with such a gifted individual!
Be inspired! Read the full interview here!
Missionary profile: Enoch Tee
Enoch Tee is a graphic designer and photographer for World Mission Communication in the Asia-Pacific Region, based in Manila, in the Philippines. He began his assignment in 2014. As part of his service, he develops visual arts pieces such as logos and banners for the region, and also conducts usability testing and research for websites. With his camera he provides photojournalism, including at events.
He says: "These are the behind the scenes work of the Church, but these are also vital to the mission of spreading the Gospel -- telling what the Lord is doing through the Church and telling it in an informative, accurate, honest and compelling way to energize believers and reach non-believers."
In addition, he serves as a worship arts in informal settlement (slum) communities and creative access areas. In this role he "teaches art to children in these communities to identify and support their skills but also as therapy -- teaching them to identify who they are, what community context they are living in and how the church is important in it. The focus is on growing young leaders in the Church from these communities. Because of their struggles early on in life, God will build them up into strong leaders for the Church, so it is important for them to have peace and perspective that art can bring to them and their congregation."Enoch tells more about how God prepared him to serve as a missionary and what he is doing.

Engage: How did you first recognize God’s call to be involved in missions?

Enoch: In 2012 my pastor and family, Grant Zweigle, in Vancouver First Church, British Columbia, Canada, had confirmed their calling to go on mission in the Philippines. In 2013 I was between jobs and was encouraged by Grant and Brent Cobb, [the former regional director for Asia-Pacific,] who visited my church. When I applied I was told that it could take years to find a suitable mission and that most likely it would be to teach English in Korea.

Within days of my application I was contacted by Todd Aebischer [communications coordinator for Asia-Pacific Region] for a position with World Mission Communications doing design, web, photography, which is exactly my training and vocation. Within a year I raised my funds and arrived in the Philippines before the Zweigles. Grant Zweigle has been my pastor and mentor for nine years, Aisling Zweigle encouraged me to work with children (which is now the heart of my ministry) and Graiden and Abram Zweigle were kids I taught in Sunday School. For them to be with me here is a miracle.

Engage: What is your favorite aspect of what you do in your present assignment?
Enoch: Working with children: They bring more life and joy to the church, I’ve also always had ease in working with them. In the church in the Rowenas Informal Settlement there is no shortage of kids to play/work with. I taught art there weekly and it became my adopted home church here. When I first arrived I would let them use my camera to take pictures and soon all the kids came to expect it. So when I walked into the community all the kids (maybe 20-30 of them) would rush to welcome me and to use my camera.
Working with my passion for the arts: Growing up I was always creatively minded, going through art school and design school I never would’ve thought that it was something that would take me on mission. I had always considered my skill as something separate from God and my faith. Now it is a daily encouragement that God can use anything for his glory. Creativity is a gift from God and it is what we use to give back to God.
Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in carrying out your work?
Enoch: Small cultural differences that throw me off: Being Asian and growing up surrounded by Asian infuences I thought it would lessen my culture shock. Instead it just gave me a different type of culture shock. One example is when I speak English in public. When they see me they think I’m a Filipino, so when I only speak in English they think I’m showing off. Many times I have had to overcome this first impression when meeting new people.
Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment that has happened in your current assignment.
Enoch: While teaching art at a refugee school in a creative access area, I met a 5-year-old boy who was in his first week of school. This was traumatic for him because he had never had any formal education before. It was also traumatic because this was the same week that his father took a second wife, essentially leaving him and his mom. This boy would cry and disrupt class; he would even run out of the school. Because I was teaching art he clung to me because [art] was fun for him and he decided that I was OK. After two weeks of me teaching there, he had calmed down significantly, he wouldn’t cry and would actually laugh and enjoy class. Art can bring peace to children in difficult situations. Furthermore, in his culture they have a very negative and stereotypical view of Christians. At least for this boy he will grow up knowing that the stereotype is wrong because of the Christians running and teaching that school.
Engage: How do you maintain a close relationship with God in the midst of the demands of missionary service?
Enoch: The World Mission Communications office has daily devotional time in the morning and this really helps to keep my personal devotionals on track. Because we are a communications office we receive and share many uplifting stories and prayer needs from the region, plus all of the workers at WMC are leaders in their local church or even pastors.
Engage: What are the rewards of what you do?
Enoch: The purpose keeps my encouraged daily. Working with my creativity is always fun and challenging. Working with kids is always joyful.
Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that you have come to love or embrace?
Enoch: They celebrate everything.
Engage: What do you like to do for fun?
Enoch: Biking, painting, photography, camping, hiking, kayaking
Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment?
Enoch: Don’t be too strict about your job requirement. Be open to do whatever, whenever and however.
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Continue to be encouraged through Enoch's creativity- check out his video blog too!
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How Not to Lose Your Identity in Ministry
Christianity Today
"What do you do?"
I'd been asked the question a hundred times before, but this time was different.
This time, I didn't have a job title or a paycheck to inform my answer. I no longer held a position of leadership in ministry, nor did I have a people with whom to exercise my gifts and talents, my callings, and my God-given leanings.
The writer shares her sentiments on submitting herself to the demands of ministry that led her to feel tired and burnt out, losing herself in the process. Even in ministry, setting boundaries and taking care of one's self is extremely important. By knowing your identity in Christ, you will be able to serve Him effectively.
Are you stressing yourself too much in ministry, running in different directions, trying to please everyone in the community? Don't! Remember, ministry IS qualitative, NOT quantitative!
Are you on the verge of forgetting who you are? You must definitely read this! Follow the link and find out what to do before it's too late!
How Not to Lose Your Identity in Ministry
When I took a break from ministry, I realized I’d lost more than my job. by Cara Meredith
“What do you do?”
I’d been asked the question a hundred times before, but this time was different.
This time, I didn’t have a job title or a paycheck to inform my answer. I no longer held a position of leadership in ministry, nor did I have a people with whom to exercise my gifts and talents, my callings, and my God-given leanings.
So I didn’t say anything. When she, a stranger I’d never meet again, asked me a second time, I gave her the most honest answer I could muster: “I’m between jobs right now.” I paused. “I’m taking care of my son.”
“Oh.” She nodded, unsure of what to say in response.
Did not having a job really make or break a conversation? Should I have told her instead who I’d been and what I’d done and how I was slated to finish my seminary degree in less than two months’ time?
But I didn’t. Our conversation ended as soon as it began, and her lack of response confirmed what I’d been feeling all along: I didn’t know who I was without a job in ministry. I felt like I’d lost my very identity. And I don’t think I’m the only one who’s ever felt that way.
Sometimes, when we’re not operating out of our most healthy selves, a position in leadership can go to our heads. I had poured myself into a job, a people, and a community, unknowingly letting them become the very essence of my soul. Sure, Jesus lived in the depths of my insides, too, but he shared the space. So invested was I in theirhearts that when I left—when they were no longer a regular part of my life and we didn’t share the common bond of ministry—I felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath me.
I wondered if they meant more to me than I meant to them. And I wondered why this bugged me so much.
While I was tooting Jesus’ horn left and right, I was also making myself the shiniest star out there. Ministry had become all about me. And to be honest, it wasn’t all that enjoyable.
It didn’t help that I was tired, that I’d left no room in my schedule for margin and rest. For a while, I blamed it on the demands of ministry. I blamed it on weeknight expectations and weekend expectations and summer expectations. I blamed it on everyone and everything else, never seeing my lack of boundaries or lack of rest as the problem.
But the truth is I was exhausted. I was tired of fighting to be seen as equal to my brothers, when I believe Jesus has already destroyed gender barriers. And I was tired of feeling torn in a million different directions, trying to do and be all to the community I served and to my family at home. I was tired of how I clung to lies of “not enough”: the volunteers who were not enough, the time in the day that was not enough, and the money that was never enough to do all God wanted us to do and accomplish through the ministry.
Here’s the thing: ministry is qualitative, not quantitative. It’s not about numbers, but it’s about the stories and the heart. It’s about how God is making his way in and through a whole bunch of messy, imperfect, beloved humans.
But sometimes, without proper boundaries and soul care, this multi-layered, overly nuanced, full-of-messy-humans job can become really unhealthy. We can feel like we’ve lost our identity in the midst of trying to help others find theirs.
If you feel like you’re on the verge of forgetting who you are, consider one of these next steps before it’s too late:
1. Take a break.
A role in church leadership can make us feel like we carry the world on our shoulders, while simultaneously spinning a thousand different Jesus-plates a minute. But all this doing for the Kingdom can also make us forget the One we sought to serve in the first place. So take a day off every week and guard that day as if your life depends on it, because it does. In addition, block off one full day each month for a day of solitude. If your denomination or organization offers employees an extended sabbatical every few years, by all means, do whatever you have to do to enter into this gift of time away.
2. Turn off your phone.
It’s one thing to schedule a break; it’s another thing to purposefully disengage from social media, email, and texting for 24 hours a week. Relationships are at the heart of a job in ministry. Our parishioners are not just those we work for or serve with—they’re also our friends and our community. But if we’re always “on,” if we always quickly respond to anything and everything that comes our way, we’re not getting the break we desperately need and deserve. If you’re unwilling to truly step away from your job for a day, it may reveal something deeper going on. Perhaps you think you’re more important to the ministry than you should, or you believe the buck has to stop with you. Examine what is going on in your heart and then determine to spend time away from your phone—and any other form of communication, for that matter.
3. Spend time with God.
Here’s the truth: I had forgotten how to commune with the Holy apart from my ministerial duties. It sure was easy to be with God if I had a sermon to write or a newsletter article to pitch. I knew where to look if I needed to scrounge up a scriptural piece of encouragement for a spiritually hungry student or a struggling non-profit board meeting. But somehow I’d forgotten how to be in all that doing. If this is you, consider yourself lucky: you have the opportunity to get to know Jesus all over again, as if for the first time. So sit down and enter in. Know that your relationship with God is not dependent on what you can do for him, but instead wholly and fully dependent on his love for you.
4. See a spiritual director.
If your toe is broken, you go and see a doctor. If you’re feeling like there might be unrest or discontent in your soul, go and see a spiritual director. These are people who have been trained in the art of spiritual direction. They are not there to hear about how well your ministry is doing. Chances are, they couldn’t care less how funny or poignant you recently were for the cause of Christ. Spiritual directors exist to enter into communion with you and with God, and to listen to the state of your soul. So let them do their job, and they may provide some necessary fuel to your weary soul.
5. Be honest.
It takes guts and bravery to be honest with ourselves and with others, to reach out to someone else when we realize something has gone awry in our heart and soul. Don’t buy into the lie that you’re alone, or that you’re somehow immune to feelings of discontent or questions of calling. Don’t buy into the lie that just because you’re “on the top” you have to pretend to have it all together. Instead, you can be most confident that he who began a good work in you really will carry it on to completion, even if it’s a little messy and muddled and uncertain along the way. Reach out to someone who will listen and who can help you navigate the path that’s already been laid out ahead of you.
The truth is that ministry in and of itself is not just a job or a paycheck. It’s not even merely a way of life, but it’s the very heart and soul of a person. It connects with the unique people God has made us to be, with our callings, with our gifts. And sometimes this makes it difficult to separate our ministry from our identity.
At the end of the day, though, God loves you simply for being you—not because of your role or title. So take care of your soul, the very essence of who you are. Invest in your relationship with God, and don’t lose sight of who you are, regardless of what you do. For he calls you daughter and he calls you free. And you, dear one, matter deeply.
Cara Meredith is a writer and speaker from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a member of the Redbud Writers Guild and co-host of Shalom in the City's monthly book club podcast. She holds a Masters of Theology (Fuller Seminary), and can be found on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' Summer Magazine Released!
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
The latest edition of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' (NCM) Magazine has been released (Summer 2016).This edition features inspiring and challenging stories of the church in action such as:
  • Hope for a Victim of Human Trafficking
  • A church in Ukraine, ministering to families displaced by political violence.
  • Drops of Mercy from Sierra Leone
  • After Ebola
  • Redeeming Grace
  • And so much more! Don't miss out on these amazing stories!
Click here to know your options on how to access a copy!
APNTS Career Opportunities
Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary
Know what's in store! Click here to view their website!
Latest WMC News Video
Pastor Reaches Thousands, Church Opens Hostel, Taiwan Church Damaged by Fire!
Great Missions Moment Service Opener
Download now - click here
New Mobile Application Connects The Word With You...And Your Heart!
Asia-Pacific Region
INITIAL PUBLIC LAUNCH!
Does engaging the Word of God truly lead to life transformation?
The Center for Bible Engagement has surveyed more than 200,000 people, ages 8-80, across 20 countries, 75 denominations and most major religions.
What did they find?
The Power of 4 Effect
APNaz Connect is the Asia-Pacific Region's Mobile Application to help you and those whom you are discipling, actively engage the Word! An included spiritual assessment will customize the app to deliver scriptures that speak to you personally. Sign up for a specialized devotional track on a topic of interest like Anger, Worry, When Life Hurts, Growing Spiritually, Engaging the Scriptures, and more.
Take a moment and find out what the Power of 4 Effect is and how to download the app by clicking here!
CURRENT, DISCIPLESHIP, FEATURE, NEWS, REGIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW MOBILE APPLICATION CONNECTS THE WORD WITH YOU…AND YOUR HEART!
Asia-Pacific Region: Does engaging the Word of God truly lead to life transformation?
The Center for Bible Engagement has surveyed more than 200,000 people, ages 8-80, across 20 countries, 75 denominations and most major religions.
What did they find?
The Power of 4 Effect
A key discovery from the CBE research is that the life of someone who engages scripture 4 or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. In fact, the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically the same as the lives of non-believers.
In response to this research, the Asia-Pacific Region has partnered with Back to the Bible and goTandem, in developing a mobile application that brings the Word of God to you each daily, through scripture that is personally relevant to where you are in your spiritual journey.
How does it work?
Sign up and open an account.
Select the frequency and time of day when you would like scripture delivered.
Personalized scripture will come to you via the app.
Read the scriptures, reflect on the questions, make notes about your thoughts right in the app.
Select one of the many devotional tracks that are available.
Track your engagement statistics.
Download the APNaz Connect Mobile application from either the iOs App Store or the Android Play Store.
  • Set up an account
  • Answer a short survey (this is personal and confidential) no one from our organization has access to the results. This survey will give you a spiritual profile, identifying strengths and areas for growth. Scripture will then be selected and sent to you that is related to your spiritual assessment.
  • Choose when you would like to receive scripture and how often. From once to multiple times a day.
  • Select a track!
Tracks are special devotional or training content that will be delivered to you daily referencing specific topics. Currently there are tracks on:
  • Anger
  • Engaging the Bible
  • Spiritual Growth
  • When Life Hurts
  • Worry
  • More tracks will be coming soon!
Do you have a friend you are discipling? Have them sign up and then they too will receive scripture each day, designed specifically for them! Walk with them through one of the tracks! Share with your friends on social media from the app, your thoughts and insights! Track your personal engagement statistics!
Engage the Word today through
APNaz Connect![Download New Mobile Application Connects the Word with You...and Your Heart! as PDF]
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General Assembly Just One Year Away. Will You Help Us? We Need to Hear from You!
Regional Announcement
As General Assembly 2017 draws closer and planning increases by the day, the Church of the Nazarene's General Secretary's Office requests opinions from Nazarenes around the world on their expectations for the event.
The denomination's 29th General Assembly and Conventions are 21-30 June 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
To submit your thoughts and ideas
click here!
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Around the Region News Archive
Asia-Pacific
Do you remember seeing a particular story in one of our weekly newsletters?
Are you wishing you could send a copy of a previous newsletter to a friend? Be sure to check out the Around The Region Weekly Newsletter Archive.
Click here to find out more about the Archive.
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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 Aebischer - Editor - Around the Region News
Writers: Ingrid Kiper, Laurice Maggay
World Mission Communications Asia-Pacific
Ortigas Avenue Extension
Taytay, Rizal, Philippines
Around the Region is released each week on Saturday. If you have news to share, please forward to our office by Friday at noon (PHT).
Strategic Partners Ltd
Ortigas Avenue Extension
Kaytikling, Taytay, Rizal, Manila 1920 Philippines
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The Global Church of the Nazarene News: "Changing lives through Nazarene Compassionate  Ministries" from The Global Church of the Nazarene Communication Network News "This week in the Church of the Nazarene..." Volume 1632 for Friday, 12 August 2016-------
Daily bread: Livestock project helps secure food, future for families in Armenia
Maralik, Armenia
By raising sheep, Anna Hakobyan can provide milk for her family and sell wool for income.There are six adults in Anna Hakobyan’s household, but none can find a stable job in Armenia. Every year, Anna’s husband leaves their village and travels to Russia, hoping to find work for a few months at a time.
“In the community where we live, there are not too many job possibilities, and everything seems very hopeless,” Anna says.
Once part of the Soviet Union, Armenia became independent in 1991, and the industries once linked with Russia declined. With few natural resources and closed borders, the costs for imports are high — and nearly everything is imported.
The best job opportunities in the country are in the capital, Yerevan, but the average monthly salary of 55,000 to 72,000 Armenian drams ($115 to $150 U.S. dollars) barely pays for an apartment, which costs at least $120 at the most basic level. Anyone coming from outside the city struggles with the high cost of living, especially when the harsh winters cause the cost of utilities to skyrocket.
More than 80 percent of the population survives on bank loans or has to pawn family heirlooms. Most men, like Anna’s husband, rely on finding work in Russia. But in the past few years, lower salaries abroad have forced entire families to begin to migrate.
Despite this, Anna perseveres in her village, Maralik. Like most people there, she scrapes by on “survival agriculture,” raising whatever meager crops she can manage to grow during the warmer season and storing a small harvest for the difficult winter months.
A man stores grass for the winter months.Even in the heat of the summer, families must think about the winter. Maralik is located in the Shirak province, where temperatures in the winter can drop to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. When they can, people in the villages store food and wood for winter. With few forests, though, wood is expensive. Those who have animals dry and store the dung to heat their houses. Many rural families can only afford to heat one room in the house, so during the winter everyone lives together. Those who can’t afford even that live without heat altogether.
Anna’s family was chosen last year to receive sheep to raise for milk and wool through a compassionate initiative of the Nazarene church. With this new promise of an income, their future finally felt brighter.
A year later, the eight sheep Anna’s family received have given birth to six new lambs. The family now enjoys regular milk from their sheep and can sell wool and manure to buy healthier food, heat, and other necessities.
"The project seemed to be a light in the darkness and a hope of starting something that will take care at least of basic needs of the family,” Anna says.
Have you any wool?
Sheep and chickens have become the Nazarene church’s response to the high unemployment throughout Armenia’s Shirak province, especially in rural villages of Maralik and Akhuryan.
Moved by the increasing difficulties families face, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries partnered with Foods Resource Bank to address the problem of hunger and poverty. Now, three years in, the church and communities are working together to help local families raise sheep and poultry to generate the milk, wool, eggs, and manure that provide the stable incomes families need to improve their well-being.
To date, 30 families like Anna’s have joined the sheep project in Maralik, and 30 have received chickens in Akhuryan.
Most of the participants have some experience raising sheep or chickens, but they gain more knowledge and confidence from training that addresses skills such as how to recognize and treat diseases and infections, how to protect livestock from wild animals, where to get better prices for grain and vitamins, and how to find grass and prepare for winter.
“The training about taking care of the animals and also about nutrition and hygiene for our families was very helpful and gave us a lot of knowledge,” Anna says. “Every year we are getting more experience in raising animals.”
Participants from the first two years of the project are now able to give back, too. Many still attend training sessions so they can help the new beneficiaries by sharing their own experiences and insight.
Participants also agree to share 25 percent of their earnings with the project so that another family in the community is able to start their own small business next. Compassion keeps multiplying.
“We are very happy seeing the results of the project when we have access to the wool, milk, manure, and lambs,” Anna says. “Now we are dreaming and hoping to grow the project. Our goal is to make it into a family business. Even if it does not become a big farm, we know that we have the animals and that we are able to take care of at least our winter needs.”
And for Anna, the changes to her family’s well-being are evident.
“My life is different, as the project is something that I am mostly managing, which gives more importance to me as a woman,” she says. “My son is doing very well; a very happy boy. I am very grateful to be part of this project.”
So much love
Gevorg Serobyan is able to provide for the nine members of his family thanks to the sheep project.
To feed the nine members of his family, Gevorg Serobyan used to rely on the potatoes, greens, and beans his family could grow on a small portion of land in front of their house. Gevorg is a war veteran, and his mother suffers from problems with her back. With three children — one only three months old — and no stable source of income, Gevorg and his wife struggle to meet their daily needs.
Fortunately, they had experience raising cattle and pigs, so when the sheep project came to Maralik, Gevorg’s family saw it as hope for a better future. They received eight sheep, which have since given birth to four lambs. The wool their sheep produce is a valuable commodity, used in Armenia to make the blankets and mattresses that are essential during the cold winter months. With wool and milk, Gevorg can trade in local markets to gain different types of food, clothing, and shoes for his family.
Before she received her chickens, 59-year-old Siranush Babudzyan didn’t know what food security felt like. Her husband and two grown sons could find only occasional work, and with four grandchildren depending on them and one son facing critical health problems, the compassionate project came as a gift from God. Siranush is taking great care of her chickens, and thanks to income from selling eggs, she is now able to provide daily bread for her family.
“The project was a real blessing for me and my family,” Siranush says. “Not only do we have unlimited access to eggs, but also we are able to exchange the eggs in the local market and get bread, pasta, sugar, tea, sausages, etc. Now I know even in need, at least the daily basic needs of my family are provided.”
Siranush Babudzyan and her husband know what food security feels like now.
Because of their experience and the relationships they formed through the food security project, Siranush and her grandchildren started to attend the Nazarene church in their community.
“Through the project, I experienced so much love and compassion by the church people,” Siranush says. “The church helped my family with chickens without any conditions, but only with love and care, teaching me to be responsible, helping other people, and teaching me very important values in the church.”
She adds, “I have learned the love of Jesus Christ in my life.”[Republish with permission from the Summer 2016 edition of NCM Magazine]
Read more
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West Africa churches create community change through WASH
Africa Region
Water, sanitation, and hygiene are essential for healthy living, but in Sierra Leone and Liberia, these basics are not a given.
In Sierra Leone, a 2012 survey of 28,000 water points conducted by the government’s Ministry of Water Resources showed that 52 percent of peo­ple in rural areas have no access to safe water, and as many as 40 percent of the water points provide water consistently only during the rainy season. In Liberia, 37 percent of people living in rural areas do not have access to improved water sources.
Access to toilets is even less. According to the World Bank, 17 percent of people in Liberia and 13 percent of people in Sierra Leone have access to improved sanitation. Worldwide, almost 90 percent of childhood deaths due to diarrheal diseases are caused by contaminated water, lack of sanitation, or inadequate hygiene. In fact, Sierra Leone has the highest rate of under-5 mortality in the world, in large part due to what theWorld Health Organization calls the “poor situation with water, sanitation, and hygiene.”
Local Nazarene churches in Sierra Leone and Liberia have been working to address the problem in many communities they serve. Through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, the Church of the Nazarene and World Hope International have partnered to create comprehensive WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) projects in more than 15 communities in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The projects combine safe-water wells, pit latrine toilets, and hygiene education.
Wellington Patrick, a Nazarene youth leader on Liberia’s Central District, says water becomes especially scarce during the dry season from December to April because most people do not have access to deep-water wells. He points to College View, Liberia, as an example community. There, he said, “Teens will have to wake up around 5 a.m. to fetch water to bathe for school during the height of water shortage.”
The water crisis not only affects physical health, but it also affects education in both Liberia and Sierra Leone. Collecting water in families falls primarily to women and girls. As a result, girls are often late to class or forced to miss school altogether.
A teenage girl in College View named Lisa* said, “During the dry season, I usually went to school very late, because I have to fetch water … about 20 minutes walk from my house.”
In July, through the new WASH project, the Church of the Nazarene in College View was able to install a new well that is about 165 feet deep, making it possible for the community to consistently access safe water for the first time.
A community member named Madame Cooper Duo donated her land for the well.
“The impact of the project is huge, beyond significant,” she said. “We have suffered a water crisis for years, and we need to maintain this God-given opportunity so that our children don’t start suffering again.”
The projects are targeting rural communities in both countries that were affected by the Ebola crisis. According to WHO, lack of clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene helped spread the Ebola virus in West African countries including Sierra Leone and Liberia. Comprehensive WASH projects can help prevent future outbreaks of Ebola or similar diseases.
James Fullah, who pastors the Amazing Grace Church of the Nazarene in Ogoo Farm, Sierra Leone, understands the impact Ebola had on communities personally. He lost his wife, Isatu, to the virus in February 2015, and one of his daughters tested positive for the disease but survived.
After the church installed a safe-water well in his community, Fullah said, “We praise God, and we are very glad about this well. We thank God for it because people are suffering for water in this community. We didn’t have pure water. We only got water from streams and very dangerous places. … This is a safe place. A lot of families will benefit from this well.”
Musu Allieu is a member of the Ogoo Farm community’s new water committee, which is responsible for ensuring the well is properly cared for and functioning. She expresses gratitude for Nazarene church’s efforts to provide for the needs of her community.
“God is in this kind of church,” she said. “It’s like when Jesus said, ‘When someone is hungry, give food. When someone is thirsty, give water.' The people have God in their hearts.”
Joseph Bangura, who pastors the Monkey Bush Church of the Nazarene in Sierra Leone, said part of what makes the WASH projects successful is that they aim to serve the entire community, not just church members.
“This is the help of our church,” he said. “I have a church that makes me biggo [proud]. Holiness shows love. Anyone can get water here. People in the community say, ‘You extended love without even knowing us.' Jesus extended His love through us.”
Sierra Leone District Superintendent Vidal Cole emphasizes the role of local churches as agents of change in their community.
“As a church, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the things that affect our people,” he said. “We should not just seek to affect the spiritual needs of our people. When we meet community needs, we send a strong message to our communities that we care about them. I believe that’s the way Jesus ministered in His days, and we have been called to do nothing less.”
Visit ncm.org/wash to learn more about or to support the WASH Project in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
For more stories about the church’s work, see ncm.org/blog.
*Children’s names are changed for their protection.[Nazarene Compassionate Ministries]
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Nazarenes design 'Hub' for community, creativity in Croatia
Zagreb, Croatia
In a country where being in a community is part of the culture, Nazarenes wanted to provide a place where people could develop holistically in a spiritual community.
Missionaries Dave and Betsy Scott provided the impetus. With friends, volunteer missionaries, and local partners, they opened The Hub after starting and running a charity shop for a few years. As time passed, they saw the need for a larger, additional space where they could develop community activities and plant a church, so they began looking for a new space. About two years ago, they found a former bakery big enough for both. After renovations, the building became what is now known as “The Hub.” For about a year and a half now, it has been fulfilling its purpose in the community.
The community center’s name is neutral in that it is not religious because The Hub also the headquarters of their Croatian nonprofit and it is in English because English names are popular in Zagreb. Dave chose the name because of his love of fixing and repairing bikes for others. The hub is the center of the wheel, so it represents a place where things and people come together and is also the place from which the rest of the wheel extends. The Scotts hope it will be a place of both gathering and sending.
Over the last year, The Hub took shape as the couple hosted events such as afternoon tea and creative workshops. One of the first consistent events was a Bible study with only two other ladies, Dalia and Sanja, apart from Betsy. About five months later, a small group also began gathering weekly for a church meeting.
“We always wanted to have a church that was Croatian-led,” Betsy said.
Some of the leadership team are U.S. volunteers, but they have also drawn Croatian people who have caught the vision and have helped to take ownership of The Hub and church plant.
Unemployment in Zagreb is high, just like all of Croatia, which reports a 15 percent rate of unemployment. Many people would like to start their own businesses to earn money but lack the financial support, confidence, or knowledge to take the next steps. In January, Dalia and Sanja started a project at The Hub called “Valuing Life” to support and promote women’s initiatives in holistic ways. This monthly community event is a place where women can empower and help develop each other.
“We started this project because in Croatia there is a bad situation with jobs and finances, and many women have ideas but they don’t have opportunities to develop those ideas,” Sanja said.
The Hub has filled a need to help develop a sense of community, but with “Valuing Life” it has become a place to show women their dreams are possible.
“Valuing Life, to me personally, is a very beautiful way: gathering women that are presenting to our community their created business ideas and initiatives that sustain them and the lives of their families,” Dalia said.
Women are invited to speak and share their entrepreneurial ideas. They provide time for questions and answers with the speakers and have a time of discussion to help the speakers gain another perspective for pursuing their dreams.
“The Hub is a help for them to promote their own businesses,” Sanja said.
Sanja has also been giving her business idea a start.
“I’m selling healthy cakes. I like to do raw food cakes,” she said. “So I make them and people can try and buy them. The most popular is made of strawberry, cashew nut, and nuts. It’s all raw ingredients; it has no sugar or flour and people just love them.”
Men also have a place to grow together and build relationships through a weekly Bible study and movie night at The Hub. Other activities include game nights, conversational English classes, creativity nights, and Sunday worship services. The Hub seeks to always be holistic in meeting needs.
Between 10 to 30 men and women participate in these weekly activities, forming the supportive and loving community that the Scotts and their team dreamed of.
“I found home,” Dalia said.
Ashley Huber has been a missionary in Croatia for about three years. She went to Croatia as a church planter to work with the Scotts. They were able to start building a church based on Croatian culture.
“As a church planting team, we didn’t want an American church here in Croatia,” Huber said. “We wanted a Croatian church here in Croatia.”
Although building relationships takes time, she added, “God is in this. God’s hand is in it. And it’s His timing and not ours. And just building relationships here takes a very long time, and listening to all the women talk, either at Valuing Life or when we are at our Bible studies or creativity nights, is a blessing. Just being able to participate in the kingdom of God here has really shaped who I am, and it has shaped my belief in God.”
Huber prays that God may allow her to one day see the women at church be the ones fully leading The Hub.
“The protestant churches here in Croatia aren’t known for allowing women to have a leadership role,” she said. “It’s really unheard of in this community, so we just pray all the time that God may use the women. Seeing God work through them has been the biggest blessing.”[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
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Vernon Lunn remembered
Olathe, Kansas
Vernon Lunn, a lifelong Nazarene layman and General Board member for 24 years, passed away August 8. He was 93.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he was one of seven children born to Mervel and Alma Lunn. Vernon attended Westport High School in Kansas City and Pasadena Nazarene College (now Point Loma Nazarene University). His studies were interrupted by World War II, where he served as a first sergeant in the Army Air Force Engineers, a branch of the Air Force responsible for building runways. He received a Battle Star in the Okinawa Invasion.
After the war, he returned to Kansas City and worked for 16 years as merchandise manager for the Sears Mail Order Plant in Kansas City. In 1965 he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he joined a new company, Alexander Hamilton Life Insurance Company. Entering the company in the sales division, he soon joined the management team and eventually became senior vice president. When he retired in 1988, he had served the company for 22 years. At his retirement dinner, an employee said, "Well, we won’t be losing the head of the company, but we sure will be losing the heart!”
Vernon followed in the footsteps of his father, Mervel, who directed the Church of the Nazarene's Pensions and Benevolence department from 1940 to 1956, by serving on the department's board. Between 1960 and 1989, Vernon served for 24 years on the Church of the Nazarene's General Board as a member of the Finance or Pensions and Benevolence committees. He also directed Indianapolis Project '93, the first service project held before the denomination's General Assembly and Conventions, and led the International Layman's Retreat for 16 years.
Vernon later returned to Kansas City and has lived in Olathe for 28 years. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, daughters Sharon Clair (Bill) and Susan Denham (Bob), and son, Kevin. He has five grandchildren: Aubrey Parker (Taylor), Ashley Clair, Crystal Campbell, Carter Clem, and Meg Lunn.
A memorial celebration will be held at 6 p.m. August 22 at College Church of the Nazarene in Olathe. Visitation with the family will be from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. with further visitation with the family and reception in the fellowship hall from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kansas City Rescue Mission, 1520 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO 64108, or the College Church of the Nazarene Benevolent Fund, 2020 E. Sheridan St., Olathe, KS 66062.
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Asia-Pacific
Myanmar church initiates clean water evangelism after well installation
Yangon, Myanmar
Community members near 4 Mile Church of the Nazarene have been praying for an accessible and stable clean water supply. Their prayers were finally answered in June.
In cooperation with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, the church was able to successfully install a tube well in the community. In the past, the community had only a hand-dug well on the church campus, which dries up every summer. As a result, people around the church had to collect water for drinking and cleaning from distant wells. Some even had to buy water from sellers. With the new tube well, the community has easily accessible access to clean water.
Now that there is readily available water, 4 Mile Church can host more ministries and events, especially during the summer. Since the church is able to provide the local people access to clean water, they are able to reach out to them and build better relationships.
Jubilee Thanga, zone coordinator in Yangon, said the well is now open to everyone in the village. Many are coming to get drinking water.
“I hope and pray that Pastor Ma Wah and the 4 Mile Church leaders will have a wider contact with new people and plant small groups to plant churches in Taungoo Area," he said. "I am planning to help the church in their strategy of clean water evangelism and to conduct outreach programs in this very well.”
The Church of the Nazarene in Myanmar is grateful to God for blessing them with people who made the water project possible.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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South America
Flags of the Nations: Brazil
The flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky spanned by a curved band inscribed with the national motto, within a gold rhombus, on a green field.
Since September 1, 2009, the Church of the Nazarene's Global Ministry Center (GMC) proudly flies a flag each week 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: Brazil
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Brazil in 1958.
Brazil had a population of 204,259,812 in 2015. That same year, Brazil reported 627 Churches of the Nazarene, 542 of which had been officially organized. Brazil has 149,833 total members.
Located on the South America Region, Brazil has 10 Phase 3 districts, seven Phase 2 districts, and two Phase 1 districts. For more information about the South America Region, visit samnaz.org.
* = 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.
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USA/Canada
Multicultural Ministries celebrates first year of Ethnic Leadership Development Initiative
Orlando, Florida
In September 2015, the USA/Canada Multicultural Ministries office launched the Ethnic Leadership Development Initiative to coach, mentor, and cultivate the next generation of young leaders from different ethnic groups on the USA/Canada Region through a two-year program. The ethnic facilitators assisted in the selection process of these leaders from their own particular people groups to represent their ethnicity or ministries.
The selected participants and ethnic facilitators came together from July 28 to 30 in Orlando, Florida, to conclude one year of coaching and training by program facilitators Errol and Rhonda Carrim. A graduation ceremony was held and a certificate was given to each participant for completing a year of Leadership Coaching and Development. In addition, leadership development training was conducted by General Superintendent Emeritus Stan Toler, USA/Canada Regional Director Bob Broadbooks, and Pastor Oliver Phillips of the Lake Como Connexions Church of the Nazarene in Florida. Ethnic Leadership Initiative participants will focus their attention on the transition from coaching into the second phase of their two-year journey: the mentoring relationship phase.
The gathering concluded with a time communion and prayer.[USA/Canada Multicultural Ministries]
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MNU announces new ministry camp for high school juniors, seniors
Olathe, Kansas
MidAmerica Nazarene University announced a new Ministry Leadership Institute program. The Call is a one-week camp offered next summer, June 5 to 9 or 12 to 16 at MNU. Pastors, professors, and other ministers will lead high school juniors and seniors during a week meant to help them discover what their call means and equip them for the beginning of ministry.
Ron Jackson, assistant professor of youth ministry at MNU, directs this effort and brings more than 30 years of experience in ministry to the project. Speakers and trainers will offer seminars, service learning, and fun activities around Kansas City. Participants will live on campus and be joined in the residence hall by a pastor couple who will serve as dorm “mom and dad” for the week.
“There will be a worship component," Jackson said. "MNU SERVEteams will be involved and full-time Christian ministers will be the leaders. Building a relationship with those one can model or even be mentored by is one of the most important things that can happen next to the theological training.”
Organizers want to bring the cost for campers to about $99 through the use of scholarships provided by a grant. The actual cost of the camp will be between $290 and $350, which includes food and lodging as well as seminars and activities. Registration opens in January 2017 at which time participants may apply for the scholarships.
There are plans for the camp to be offered each year and Jackson is forming a board of directors made up of MNU alumni pastors to advise the growth and direction of The Call. Jackson says he expects a deadline to apply for scholarships to be set for March 2017. To learn more and apply for a scholarship, bookmark mnuthecall.org and visit the site in January 2017.
The project is made possible by a $600,000 Lilly Endowment’s High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, which seeks to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues, and examine how their faith calls them to lives of service. MNU received the grant in December 2015.
The endowment is giving $44.5 million in grants to help a select group of private four-year colleges and universities around the nation to create the institutes. The grants are part of the endowment’s commitment to identify and cultivate a cadre of theologically minded youth who will become leaders in church and society.
An additional grant to the Forum for Theological Exploration will establish a program that will bring together leaders of the high school youth theology institutes to foster mutual learning and support.[MidAmerica Nazarene University]
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NNU announces head women's basketball coach
Nampa, Idaho
Northwest Nazarene University Athletic Director Kelli Lindley announced the hiring of Steve Steele as the new head women's basketball coach.
"We feel incredibly blessed to have someone with Steve's background, experience, and character taking over our women's basketball program," Lindley said. "Having already coached in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Steve understands what it takes to compete at this level and the challenges and opportunities that exist."
Steele spent the last five years as a top assistant in the NCAA Division II West Region, including the last three years at GNAC rival Seattle Pacific. He was also a top assistant at Concordia Irvine, his alma mater, for two seasons prior to his time at SPU.
"First of all, I'm humbled and flattered that Kelli would consider me," Steele said. "I'm excited to work at NNU; there's a lot of great people and talent here."
Steele graduated from Concordia Irvine (California) in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in religion, earned an Education Specialist Credential from National University (California) in 2005, and received a master's in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia Irvine in 2013.
Prior to his five years experience as a top collegiate assistant, he spent 12 seasons as a top assistant at California powerhouse Brea Olinda High School, where his team won the 2009 national championship and had a combined record of 360-49.
Steele also taught special education and general education for 13 years at Brea Olinda and El Camino Real High Schools while coaching in California.[Northwest Nazarene University]Read more

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In Memoriam
The following is a weekly listing of Nazarene ministers and leaders who recently went home to be with the Lord. Notices were received August 8-12, 2016.
Max Case, 87, of Marysville, Ohio, passed away August 8. He was a retired minister, serving in Ohio. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Wanda Whittenbarger, in 1991 and is survived by his second wife, Geneva (White) Case.
Manuel Filimao Tsambe Chambo, 78, passed away August 4. He was a pastor, serving in Africa, and the father of current Africa Regional Director Filimao Chambo. More information will be posted as it is made available.
Philip Chatto, 89, of Farmingdale, Maine, passed away August 5. He was a retired minister, serving in Vermont, Maine, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Florida. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margie Chatto, in 2012.
Vernon Lunn, 93, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away August 8. He was a member of the Church of the Nazarene's General Board for 24 years and led the International Layman's Retreat for 16 years. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn. (story)
Luis Ordonez, 80, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away July 29. He was a retired minister, serving in Florida. He was preceded in death by his wife, Corazon Ordonez, in February.
Leonard Skodak, 94, of Big Rapids, Michigan, passed away August 4. He was a retired minister, serving in Wisconsin and Michigan. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred Skodak, in 2002.
Lois Snow, 74, of Bradenton, Florida, passed away August 10. She was the wife of retired minister M. Ray Snow, who served in Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina.
Donald Thurman, 82, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, passed away August 11. He was a retired minister, serving in Iowa and California. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joanne Thurman, in July.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join 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 news@nazarene.org.--Compiled by NCN News Read more

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Human Resources
GMC employment opportunities
People are our most valued resource. Our committed employees are involved in "Making Christlike Disciples in the Nations" in 159 world areas.
The Global Ministry Center Human Resources Office professionals strive to deliver the highest possible service to our employees, and are responsible for the recruitment, placement and retention of qualified individuals to staff the ministry and administrative positions of the GMC. The many employee services include compensation and benefit administration, payroll, employment, employee relations, training, counseling, organizational communication and events, and workplace programs.
*Volunteer opportunities for GMC ministries are available now. Email bsikes@nazarene.org for details.
Employment Opportunities
Financial Services — Senior Administrative Assistant (Full time)
Office: Financial Services
Title: Senior Administrative Assistant
Description: This position works under the direction of the general treasurer/financial officer and provides administrative and clerical support to the general treasurer/financial officer, the Nazarene Financial Services administrative director/Donor Services manager, and the Global Treasury Services administrative director/controller (as directed).
Mission Personnel — Temporary (Full time)
Office: Global Mission
Ministry: Mission Personnel
Title: Temporary
Description: The responsibilities for this position include assisting with missionary administration and research projects, as well as assisting with mobilization with various tasks relating to application, screening, and training of volunteers and/or candidates.
To obtain additional information, please call 913-577-0500 and ask for Human Resources.
Location of our Positions
The GMC is the administrative hub for the Church of the Nazarene denominational ministries in 159 world areas. The GMC is conveniently located in Lenexa, Kansas, with easy access to I-35 and I-435 and within short driving distance to Kansas City International airport. All GMC positions report to this location.
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. Resumés are not necessary for entry-level positions, but they are preferred for professional level positions.
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 U.S. Central Time. Completed applications may be mailed or emailed to the attention of the Human Resources Office. Read more
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Lay leaders: July 2016
Sunday School and Discipleship Ministry International's The Discipleship Place congratulates the following individuals approved by their pastor and local church board to receive a certificate of lay ministry. Upon approval, they will complete lay ministry courses.
  • Bradley Barnard, New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene, Northwest Indiana District
  • Brenda J. Bryant, Hope Community Church of the Nazarene, Wisconsin District
  • Charlie Bush, Gig Harbor Church of the Nazarene, Washington Pacific District
  • Sarah Fortner, Trinity Church of the Nazarene, MidSouth District
  • Theresa M. Guensch, Indian Head Church of the Nazarene, Mid-Atlantic District
  • Casey Higgins, Rockbridge Church of the Nazarene, Virginia District
  • Sara Jiminez, Oasis of Hope Church of the Nazarene, Southwest Indiana District
  • Ken Turney, Vancouver Church of the Nazarene, Washington Pacific District
The Discipleship Place also congratulates the following people who completed courses in the month of July:*
  • Barbara Beck, Copperas Cove Church of the Nazarene, South Texas District Telling the Old Testament Story of God
  • Matthew Knittle, Village of Oak Creek Church of the Nazarene, Arizona District
  • Exploring John Wesley's Theology
  • Cindy Lewis, Prescott First Church of the Nazarene, Arizona District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Practicing Wesleyan Holiness Spiritual Formation
  • Monyama Petrus, Seshego Church of the Nazarene, South Africa District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Practicing Wesleyan Holiness Spiritual Formation, Telling the Old Testament Story of God
  • Tracey Philen, McCoy Church of the Nazarene, Louisiana District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Exploring John Wesley's Theology, Exploring Nazarene History and Polity
  • Glenda Samuel, Roseau Church of the Nazarene, Dominica District Children's Ministry
  • Michelle Yeutter, Cozad Church of the Nazarene, Nebraska District Exploring Nazarene History and Polity
Please note: The above individuals are being recognized because they contacted DiscipleshipPlace.org to request a certificate of completion. Many individuals complete courses but do not contact organizers to be recognized.[Compiled by DiscipleshipPlace.org of Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries International] Read more
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