www.engagemagazine.com for Wednesday, October 18, 2017 Issue #124
Web Site Tip: Do you have a story to share about how God is using your local church in His mission to your community or somewhere else in the world? Send us your story idea: engagemagazine@nazarene.org.RECENT ARTICLES:
Nazarene presence officially recognized in Curaçao by Richard GammillA young Dutch couple accepted the challenge of taking a new message of faith to a small Caribbean island with a mosaic of religious traditions and post-Christian secularism. As a result, this year the Church of the Nazarene officially recognized the presence of the Nazarene church in the island of Curaçao.
Jonathan and Lissett Petrus met each other in the south of the Netherlands and joined the Church of the Nazarene in the city of Breda. They were married there and experienced six years of gratifying involvement in the local church. Then they took jobs on the island of Curaçao, an independent country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. God blessed them with two beautiful children, Nathan and Talitha.
Even before they left their home country, Jonathan had felt God leading him into some kind of Christian ministry. That sense of calling never left him even after he moved his family to their new home away from Europe. A few years later, God clarified his calling when Nazarene visitors came to the island.
Leaders of the Nazarene church in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico (known as the Mesoamerica Region) in 2014 were exploring how to start Nazarene work in Curaçao. Nazarene Pastor David Gill, from the Dominican Republic, went to Curaçao for an artist’s event and made some contacts. Missionary Bernie Slingerland later visited the island to follow-up with those contacts, and made new ones. Nazarenes talked to each other from Mesoamerica to the Eurasia Region, and finally the Netherlands, and that’s how they learned that there were Nazarenes – the Petrus family – already on the island.When they reached out to him, Jonathan realized this was God’s assignment for him.
Now for more than two years Jonathan and Lissett have been seeking ways of bringing the holiness message to this mixed race population of 155,000 people. His goal is to move in a steady pace, as God directs and opens doors, while laying a solid foundation for a sustainable work. He has been working full time while establishing contacts, conducting discipleship and Bible study groups and, for a year, leading a Sunday morning worship service in their home. He reached out first to the Dutch-speaking population and is becoming acquainted with those who speak Papiamentu, a Portuguese, English, and Dutch Creole spoken in all levels of society.
Members of Crossroads Church of the Nazarene, in Maryland, USA, have made several visits to the island, engaging in projects that create goodwill and build relationships. Crossroads members Richard and Karen Brash are working closely with Jonathan and Lissett, and together registered the Church of the Nazarene in Curaçao as a part of GENESIS, the Mesoamerica initiative to start churches where there is little or no Nazarene presence. Former Pastor Kevin Hardy has a mentoring relationship with the fledgling church planter. Their faithful support is crucial.
“Christians on the island find it difficult to get away from mere form and into a personal relationship with Christ,” says Jonathan. “But some are finding a new way, the way of holiness. I am able to say, ‘Let me explain to you.’”
Jonathan has made friends with people who have many questions regarding traditional Christian practices, such as fasting. “I tell them, ‘God is looking at the heart, not just following some rules. He wants a personal relationship with you.’”
Through conversations like this, Jonathan has helped many find a more meaningful understanding of Christ. Some have joined his Bible study group; several attended the worship services in their home, while others have moved back to Holland. The challenge is to help people in a post-Christian culture to confront their own lack of faith and become open to allowing God to fill that void in their life.
To initiate these conversations, Jonathan follows a pattern taught by Michael Frost in his book Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People. Frost calls it BELLS: Bless, Eat, Listen, Learn and Send. Jonathan says this low-key approach enables him to build relationships of trust that permit him to show a long-term interest in people who reveal a growing awareness of their need for spiritual reality.
Crossroads Church has recently increased its level of support, enabling Jonathan to work fewer hours at his job and devote more time to his studies and his ministry. The Maryland congregation is helping with the costs of his online studies with Nazarene Bible College, including sending textbooks to the island.
Brash reports that his church is planning two upcoming Work & Witness trips to the island, in January 2018 and the following summer.
“The plan is to build relationships with the people of the island,” says Brash. “We will work alongside other organizations that serve people and be the hands and feet of Christ.”
Next January a small team from Ellicott City will assist the local staff at a children's hospice. A larger team will go to the island the following summer to tile the floor in a children's pavilion that serves children with critical needs, while ministering to those children.
These team efforts build new relationships through which they demonstrate to the island community that the Church of the Nazarene cares for them in spiritual and practical ways. The teams follow the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:35-40: “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ . . . The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Jonathan’s church is one that cares about people and reaches around the world to bring healing and the Good News of the Gospel message. The island work is steady, with seeds of witness and faith already planted, saving the lives of people choosing to follow Jesus.
For more information, go to www.nazarenecuracao.com. Pray with Jonathan and Lissett that God will continue to honor their vision of bringing a life-changing message to their adopted island.
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Nazarene presence officially recognized in Singapore by Dave HaneIn late 2005, then Regional Director Rev. Verne Ward began to explore the possibility of moving the Asia-Pacific Regional Office from Manila, Philippines, to Singapore. Located just off the southern tip of Malaysia, this city nation is a travel hub for Asia, a gateway to areas where the Church of the Nazarene is not yet established.
Some call Singapore a “Vertical Village” since its 5.8 million people live on an island approximately 26 miles long and 14 miles wide. It has the second highest population density of any nation in the world.
Others see it as the “Antioch of Asia.” Like its first century counterpart, Singapore is a place of wealth and refinement, a leading world-class city, a place of great beauty and commercial importance, a city abounding in leading education centers. And like Antioch, Singapore is a strategic city for the expansion of the Kingdom of God. Within a radius of seven hours flight time from Singapore lie 30 countries, 3 billion people, and 900 people groups unreached by the gospel of Jesus Christ.Ward, along with other regional office personnel, made several exploratory trips to Singapore to evaluate opportunities and meet with other churches and mission organizations. The plan was to have a minimal infrastructure in the regional office that included the functions of regional communications, finance, and personnel. All other ministry coordinators would be located across the region in highly functional teams connected together in a virtual office setting.
In one of those early exploratory trips, Dr. Robert Solomon, the Methodist Bishop of Singapore, warmly welcomed the Church of the Nazarene to join in the task of making disciples and forming communities of faith in this strategic city.
Although its Christian population is significant (11(18.1) percent), there are also great numbers of workers from some of the unreached and under-reached countries of Asia living and working there.
The regional office team was excited at the chance to be involved in hands-on church planting along with their administrative responsibilities. A major factor standing in the way of such a move was the cost of office space and housing for four families. But Dr. Hudson Taylor’s quote, “God’s work done in God’s ways will never lack God’s resources,” was to be proven true once again. In an amazing sequence of events, God laid it on the hearts of some dedicated Nazarene investors to help provide four apartment units and a regional office facility.
The great adventure
In the summer of 2006, four missionary families moved to Singapore to embark on a great adventure for God. It was an exciting and painless move for the nine MKs (missionary kids) since they moved en masse and all enrolled together in an excellent Christian international school. God had already prepared the way by sending a Nazarene couple to teach at the school the year before. They were a great help to our families during that initial year.
The registration of the regional office as an official Singapore company was relatively easy. Government processes and procedures are clearly spelled out and strictly followed so there were few surprises. However it would be over 10 years before the Church of the Nazarene could be officially registered in the city-state. Those years were filled with many challenges, victories, disappointments, and learning opportunities.
Seeing the person in front of you
The 5.8 million people in the city nation of Singapore represent an intriguing religious composition. A recent survey lists the population as 33.9 percent Buddhist, 14.3 percent Muslim, 11.3 percent Taoist, 11(18.1) percent Christian, 7.1 percent Catholic, and 5.2 percent Hindu.
Over 16.4 percent list their religion as “none,” a group who think of themselves as “free thinkers.”
Given this mix of diverse religions and the high population density, one would expect to encounter much ethnic and religious tension. In fact, there is little such tension. Religious harmony is highly valued and guidelines are strictly enforced. But the laws designed to maintain religious harmony mean some conventional evangelism and church planting strategies are not allowed.
The regional office team in Singapore was greatly influenced by Neil Coles’ book Organic Church. Since each team member had full-time administrative assignments in the regional office, it was clear that ministry would have to happen “organically,” in the course of their daily lives as followers of Jesus. No one was a full-time church planter. They were simply full-time followers of Jesus called to make disciples.In addition to the missionary team, God brought to Singapore a number of Nazarenes who were teaching or studying and who shared the vision of making disciples. Together, they began focusing on the people God was bringing in front of them each day, looking for the “man of peace” to whom God might be speaking: the taxi driver; the guard at the condominium; the international student; the teenagers on the community basketball court; the cashier at the local grocery store.
On one occasion, a regional office family learned about some individuals from Myanmar wanting to improve their English skills. The family opened their home to offer English classes on Sunday evenings. The stories they studied were either from the Bible, or had a Christian theme. As relationships deepened, a ministry to people from this nation began that continues today.
On one Sunday morning, another family was late for the local church they were attending. As they boarded the public bus, they met a graduate student from China who was visiting the same church by herself for the first time. She had just prayed, “God, if you are there, send someone to sit with me in church today!” She was amazed that her prayer was answered so quickly by a God she was not sure even existed. The family invited her to sit with them during the service and afterwards she accepted an invitation to lunch at their home. The conversation led to them watching the JESUS film together, after which she accepted Christ as her savior. With the help of a Nazarene school teacher, they started a ladies’ Bible study.
Another team member and a Christian graduate student started a philosophy discussion group and invited secular graduate students to discuss topics such as euthanasia, free will, ethics and metaphysics. The discussion leaders watched for indications that God was at work in the hearts of participants and prayed for opportunities for deeper conversations.
One family opened their home to international students who were studying in Singapore to help them improve their English and give them a loving family environment. Christmas and Easter seasons became great times of outreach with some students hearing the stories of Jesus’ birth, life and resurrection for the first time. They began to meet every Sunday afternoon for lunch, fellowship, worship and Bible study. One Christmas, the group learned that “Bethlehem” meant “house of bread.” Since there was always fresh, warm homemade bread for lunch, the group began to call themselves “The House of Bread,” or HOB for short.
Another team member and a Christian graduate student started a philosophy discussion group and invited secular graduate students to discuss topics such as euthanasia, free will, ethics and metaphysics. The discussion leaders watched for indications that God was at work in the hearts of participants and prayed for opportunities for deeper conversations.
One family opened their home to international students who were studying in Singapore to help them improve their English and give them a loving family environment. Christmas and Easter seasons became great times of outreach with some students hearing the stories of Jesus’ birth, life and resurrection for the first time. They began to meet every Sunday afternoon for lunch, fellowship, worship and Bible study. One Christmas, the group learned that “Bethlehem” meant “house of bread.” Since there was always fresh, warm homemade bread for lunch, the group began to call themselves “The House of Bread,” or HOB for short.
And slowly, the community of believers began to grow. Jesus was building His Church! Some years, there were eight or 10 baptisms in swimming pools or on the beach. Some years, there was only one. Many who were touched by the ministry were students who moved on to graduate school or to work in other countries. But the core group continued to grow.Registration of the church
In late 2012, Rev. Mark Louw became Asia-Pacific Regional Director, and continued to encourage the development of the local church. Finally, in February 2016, the legal process was completed, and the Church of the Nazarene Singapore was officially registered.
Today, the House of Bread is a vibrant organic church composed mainly of young professionals. What started out as an outreach to international students 10 years ago now has several married couples. Toddlers and newborn babies add new, exciting challenges and opportunities. Another worship group composed of workers from Myanmar meets several times month for worship and fellowship. An English class meets every Sunday evening. During the week, smaller groups meet, including a men’s group, a ladies’ group, a discipleship group, and a philosophy group.
Many of the new believers are interested in ministerial training, and plans are underway to offer the Nazarene Course of Study modules, which are preparation for ordination, as night and weekend classes. One young lady responded to God’s call to further training and is studying full time at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary in Manila, Philippines.
The church is involved in the sponsorship of refugee children, as well as in local ministry to the elderly. Local outreach activities include game and movie nights, weekend retreats, and an annual 5 K run. Short-term mission trips beyond Singapore have helped to increase members’ compassion for those in need in other Asian nations.If you were to visit the Church of the Nazarene in Singapore, you would not see an impressive building. However, you would meet people whose lives have been radically changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who are passionate about making Christ-like disciples, in Singapore and beyond.
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Mission briefing: 10/40 Window by Howard CulbertsonAbout 30 years ago, missiologist Luis Bush coined the phrase “10/40 Window.” He did that to focus attention on a specific area of the world where millions of people have little or no access to the Gospel.
Bush asked believers to draw an imaginary rectangle on the globe, from 10 degrees north of the equator up to 40 degrees north of the equator, and stretching from western most Africa to just east of Japan. Pointing to that imaginary oblong “window,” Bush pleaded with the Church to mobilize prayer, people and resources to evangelize and disciple people in all of the unreached and least-reached people groups in the northern half of Africa, the Middle East, and the areas once ruled by the ancient Babylonian and Persian empires as well as much of Asia including India and China.
The statistics from that 10/40 Window can be staggering. Two-thirds of all people on earth live in that rectangular area. Almost all of the world’s 55 least-evangelized countries are in the 10/40 Window. Half of the world’s least-evangelized large cities are in the 10/40 Window. The majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs live in the 10/40 Window.Sadly, the 10/40 Window is also home to 8 out of 10 of the poorest of the earth’s poor.
Many areas in the 10/40 Window are places that Nazarene Global Mission Director Verne Ward describes as “where the Church is not yet.” With just 10 percent of the current global Christian missionary force deployed there, that situation is not changing very rapidly. Unfortunately, almost 9 out of 10 of the people living in the 10/40 Window today remain outside the reach of current evangelistic efforts.
In several 10/40 Window countries, Christians suffer physical persecution and even death for their faith. Due to anti-Christian hostility and stringent government restrictions, many missionaries in the 10/40 Window have become creative in how they evangelize and disciple people. Many of the countries will not give visas to religious workers. So they have been labeled Creative Access areas. For these and other reasons, Patrick Johnstone, of Operation World, has called this area the “resistant belt.”Drawing attention to the evangelistic task yet to be done, the visually dramatic 10/40 Window concept has inspired many to offer themselves for missionary service in some of the world’s most difficult and challenging places.
Clearly, the countries of the 10/40 Window are not the only places that need missionaries. So, this is not a call to remove missionaries from other areas of the world and send them all to the 10/40 Window. The 10/40 Window countries are not the only ones in the world with sinners needing missionaries to cross cultural and language barriers to tell them about God’s redeeming grace. However, the 10/40 Window does contain huge blocs of people who, by any definition, are today unreached and unevangelized. We must pray that God will call more and more laborers into the countries in the 10/40 Window harvest field!
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Nazarene college in England brings together Korean pastor and families hoping to start a church by Gina Grate PottengerA group of Korean families were looking for a temporary pastor to help them form a church in Manchester, England.
That was the word that spread from Manchester to a contact in London and back to Manchester, where Eun Ho Kim and MiJa Wi were approached this past January while still involved at Nazarene Theological College (NTC).
Eun Ho had been volunteering at NTC in maintenance while MiJa completed the last two years of her PhD research and writing. After her graduation in October 2017, they planned to move to the Philippines.
That was still about a year away, so they invited what they thought was a group of just two to three families to their apartment on campus. Car after car pulled into the parking lot, and soon they realized their small room was not large enough to accommodate what was actually 10 families. So they moved over to the chapel to discuss the group’s needs.
After prayerfully considering their story, Eun Ho and MiJa agreed to offer support while the new church plant found their direction.
“From the first meeting onwards, [Eun Ho] was very understanding of our situation,” said Joon Kim, a founding member. “He was very empathetic and that’s what we need. Within the church board, we agreed we would like to have him in a permanent basis.”
Formerly a pastor of a Korean church in Australia until 2015, Eun Ho says he has always had a pastor’s heart for Korean immigrants. He said goodbye to the church in Australia when he and MiJa were married and he joined her in Manchester while she completed her studies. But his calling did not waver.
While getting to know the city, he realized there were many Korean students at the University of Manchester, and he thought about starting a Bible study for them. But he believed he would not be in the country long enough to invest in starting a ministry, so he waited.“When [this] church came, actually that all met together,” he said.
What started out as a temporary support to the families as they organized their church has turned into a permanent role as the newly organized church’s pastor couple. The couple have set aside their plans for the Philippines, and applied for – and received – residency visas to remain in the UK.
MiJa (far left in photo below), who was still in her final year as a PhD student with NTC, joined Eun Ho in supporting the congregation, including participating in the weekly ladies' Bible study.
“We have high expectations,” Joon said of the role of a pastor’s spouse. “Nobody will admit it, but we all do. She absolutely meets everything and beyond. As a couple, they do make a lot of sacrifices for us."Yedam Korean Church was officially organized as a Nazarene church on the British Isles South District, and now worships in the NTC chapel on Sundays afternoons, followed by a community meal in the campus café.
On 8 October, the growing congregation, along with many people from other Nazarene churches in the city, came together to officially induct Eun Ho as the church's pastor.
The congregation is developing its vision for reaching out to the city of Manchester. They gave an offering to NTC’s hardship fund for students, and also are sending volunteers to help in the Friday night asylum seeker ministry at another Nazarene church in the city.“[Eun Ho’s] full of energy,” Joon said. “He wants to do things the right way. He’s outward looking; he wants to go out and reach people, especially young people.”
“The congregation is very open and actually quite excited about it,” Eun Ho said. “It’s not looking toward a Korean church, being a good Korean community and having social meetings. I want them to be equipped by the word of God to serve the local community here, especially refugees and asylum seekers and the marginalized in the UK, since they live here. Even though they themselves are strangers, I still want to challenge them to serve others, especially those who are less privileged in the UK. That’s one vision.“Second, especially for the students,” Eunho added. “We have several hundred [Korean] students in Manchester. We want to reach out to them so they can be growing in God’s word here while they are studying abroad. Wherever they go after they study, they can serve others.”
Sarah Jin is a recent graduate of the University of Manchester, and has lived in England longer (14 years) than she lived in Korea (7). However, attending the church with her family and playing the piano in worship keeps her in touch with her culture and heritage.
“I miss Korean culture,” she said. “When I come here, it reminds me of home.”She and other youth stay after the Sunday meal to discuss the pastor’s sermon and what it means.
Since some families are mixed Korean- and English-speaking, services include translation of song lyrics, scripture and the sermon.
“It has a strong Korean flavor, yet we still want to be open to others,” Eunho said.The congregation is also thankful to be able to use the chapel at NTC for their meetings. Joon said that its location, with garden spaces and away from a busy road, make it more family friendly than other locations they have tried, and “by far the best."
"We feel really safe here,” he said.
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Video: Life-giving water by Mesoamerica RegionA church in Huixtla, Chiapas, Mexico, partners with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to bring clean drinking water and health training to low-income families.
A church in Huixtla, Chiapas, Mexico, partners with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to bring clean drinking water and health training to low-income families.
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