Engage Magazine: A Global Mission Magazine of the Global Church of the Nazarene for Friday, 18 July 2014 Issue #80

Engage Magazine: A Global Mission Magazine of the Global Church of the Nazarene for Friday, 18 July 2014 Issue #80
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UK man walks 1,200 miles for charity by Gina Grate Pottenger

Kevin McCann woke up one morning and decided he wanted to walk 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) from the northernmost tip of Scotland, called John o’ Groats, to the southernmost point of England, called Land’s End. And he would do it for charity.
Fifteen months later, McCann (photo left with wife, Ruth) is 40 days into his 80-day “end-to-end on a shoestring” walk. He’s walking from 3 June to 19 August, with eight days off. His goal is to raise 10,000 British pounds (17,000 USD) for two causes: New Hope Ashton, a ministry of his local Nazarene church in Ashton-Under-Lyne, in the Greater Manchester area, which helps people with alcohol and drug addictions to become and stay sober; and to help the Church of the Nazarene to drill clean water wells in villages of India and Africa where small children must walk several hours a day to bring buckets of fresh water to their families.
The fresh water wells are a project which the British Isles districts have adopted through Nazarene Missions International’s 100th anniversary project, in which NMI gathered enough mission projects from around the world for every Nazarene district globally to finance a project on another district. (Read more.)

[Welcome to the NMI 100th Anniversary
100 Years, One Mission, Eternal Opportunities
Goal—100 percent participation
by each of 461 districts globally
We ask each district to select one of more than 1,400 initiatives (projects) generated by regional and ministry partners.
Completion Date—October 2015 
The actual date of the NMI 100th Anniversary is 8 October 2015. Each district should complete an initiative by the end of 2015. Districts, please send a photo and summary of the initiative you complete. We can help you tell the exciting story! Your experiences will encourage others!
Project History 
• NMI’s 50th Anniversary: $150,000 to construct a hospital in Papua New Guinea 
• NMI’s 75th Anniversary: $885,484 for evangelism in Hong Kong/Chinese communities worldwide. 
• NMI’s 90th Anniversary: $2.5 million for "Books for Pastors—Tools for Ministry"
Challenge
As each district completes an NMI 100th Anniversary initiative, investments could total more than
US$4 million. By reading the cover memo on this Web page, see how your district can help achieve
the largest NMI Anniversary investment in Nazarene history.
Initiatives
You can access more than 1,400 initiatives here. We provide options to view:
Lists by regions to click from initiative to initiative;
EXCEL spreadsheets—EXCEL spreadsheets assist searches for initiatives by region, world area, or financial range.
Guidelines 
Also on this Web page, you will also find a link to Guidelines, which explain how each district can select
an initiative, confirm a selection with the NMI office team, and receive specific instructions to insure that 
your gifts will be applied to the initiative you have requested.
Gratitude
Thank you for participating! May each of 461 districts experience abundant blessing as you meet needs on another district. May the Lord bless you!
Promotional Items
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PowerPoint Slide 1  •   PowerPoint Slide 2]
“I wanted the walk to be a walk of witness. I didn’t want it to be just 80 days of selfish indulgence,” McCann said during an interview from his halfway point at a friend’s home.
Ruth walked part of the trail with him in the beginning, and other friends have joined him for sections of the walk at various points along the way.
He admitted that he doesn’t routinely walk for pleasure, so the walk was entirely about reaching a goal and helping the charities he had chosen.
“I don’t particularly do walking as a hobby. I don’t particularly enjoy walking, this is a project for me. I’m an “A to B” person. I’m enjoying parts of the walk, [but] for me that’s the motivation: to be a challenge and to raise as much money as I can.”
McCann didn’t want any donations he received to cover costs for his walk, so he called churches across the United Kingdom and asked if families would be willing to open their homes to him at each stopping point. He expected a few would respond positively, but was overwhelmed with the offers. Accommodation for 78 of his 80 nights on the trail are being provided free, ranging from private homes to bed and breakfasts to one four-star hotel. All his meals have been covered as well.
He began fundraising before he ever hit the trail. His daughter’s church, Bethel Church of the Nazarene, in Nampa, Idaho, U.S., challenged its children’s group to cover the cost of one fresh-water well. The children were asked to walk a certain distance carrying heavy buckets of water so they could understand what children in developing countries have to do every day to help support their families. The children then raised $1,600 for one well, and the adults raised another $2,000 – a total of more than 2,000 British pounds.
McCann also received permission to set up a display advertising his walk outside his local grocery store, and passersby gave him about 600 pounds (1,000 USD) a day for several days. His church raised a further 350 pounds (600 USD). And a local businessman promised to sponsor his walk at one pound per mile.
The journey has so far earned a total 7,500 pounds, so he is well on his way to his overall minimum goal.
McCann had a T-shirt printed that advertises his charity walk. People who see him on the roads will stop to ask him what he’s doing and why. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to not only talk about the causes he’s raising money for; he shares his motivation – love for Jesus Christ. People frequently pull cash out of their pockets and hand it to him.
The experience has changed his perspective on the differences between believers and nonbelievers, as well as the differences between believers who worship in varying denominations and traditions.
“It’s reinforced with me that we Christians don’t have the monopoly on kindness,” he said. “I have met some extremely kind, generous people that don’t claim a faith.”
While many of the meals and over-night stays are being provided by Nazarenes across the British Isles North and the British Isles South districts, much of the support is also being provided by people who are not Christians, or are not Nazarene.
“I’ve stayed with people from many different churches … that have different traditions than we have – the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterians.” He also stayed at a Catholic retreat center. “I didn’t agree with all of their theology, but their love for God was without question, the love for Christ was beyond question and it helps me to break down some of my prejudice.”
One time, as he walked past a beer garden, several men who had been drinking, called out to him loudly, asking if McCann was religious. McCann walked over to the group and shared his testimony.
“To my amazement, they got money out of their pockets and gave it to me,” he said. “Everybody just put the pints of beer down and applauded me as I left. It was a good opportunity to witness of my faith. If I had just gone to the beer garden to testimony, they would have just swore at me and (sent me) on my way.”
“BISD are very proud of Kevin McCann as he walks from John O’Groats to Land’s end,” said BISD Superintendent David Montgomery. “Two worthy causes, New Hope Ashton and fresh water wells NCM, part of the Nazarene Missions International 100th anniversary project, are receiving much needed publicity and funding through his endeavours, and many Nazarene churches are also supporting the projects as Kevin arrives at their location.”
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Storytelling catches fire as new discipleship and evangelism strategy by Gina Grate Pottenger

What started out as training around a new discipleship method turned into a revival.
More than 100 national leaders and lay people from across Papua New Guinea met earlier this year to train on how to tell Bible stories orally. They were so convicted by the lessons they were gleaning from the stories that they began to confess their sins, repenting one after another. Some apologized to others, and those offered forgiveness for the offenses. Soon, everyone had fallen to their knees, crying and praying together.
“During these training sessions we literally were in the midst of revival type of Spirit, as God … was bringing scripture and the truth of scripture and the reality of scripture alive in the hearts of our leaders,” said Harmon Schmelzenbach, the field strategy coordinator for the South Pacific Field on the Asia-Pacific Region.
Ray Neu, the oral language coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene, led the training around the new Bible storytelling method called Tell THE Story. He also said that same spirit of revival has marked several other trainings conducted in Bangladesh, Singapore, Indonesia, South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya (photo left).
Tell THE Story is set to spread to each of the denomination’s six world regions as part of the Church of the Nazarene’s new global strategy to disciple and equip believers among the 70 percent* of the global population who cannot or do not read, or prefer not to read.
How it started
Ray Neu, formerly a missionary with his wife Becki, in Belize, began exploring storytelling as a form of teaching and discipleship while he was an instructor in Belize, through the extension program from the Nazarene Theological Seminary in Guatemala. He noticed that he had difficulties in translating abstract theological concepts and ideas to the pastors who were in his class. And they weren’t always able to integrate those concepts into their ministry outside the classroom.
“They’re finding around the world that our Western (educational) model is not effective in transferring information,” he said. “For most of us that have gone through our education, a lot of our study is not really internalized. We remember it long enough to take the test, get our grade and move on. Afterwards, we don’t really remember that stuff.”
Before going to Belize, Neu (photo right with Becki) attended a storytelling workshop taught by another organization and afterward decided to try teaching through narrative in his seminary classes. He began telling Bible stories instead of lecturing, followed by discussion questions. The students’ participation level, comprehension and memory of the concepts greatly improved.
In 2013, Sunday School Discipleship Ministries International (SDMI) under Nazarene Global Mission was charged with training the church around the world,  introducing orality methodologies through “Tell THE Story.”  The SDMI coordinator for each region will work with leadership throughout their regions to multiply the training, thereby spreading the method across the church.
“Orality has been a Global Mission issue for a long time,” said Nazarene Global Mission Director Verne Ward. Nazarene Global Mission has not been the only ministry concerned about reaching those who can’t, don’t or won’t read. For decades, dozens of Christian organizations, such as the International Orality Network, Every Home for Christ, Wycliffe, Mission Aviation Fellowship, and Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Cru),have rallied to disciple and train oral learners.  Bible Story Telling is widely represented online with many free, downloadable resources.
For many years the Church of the Nazarene denomination – in different attempts to address the need for oral teaching and training tools – has utilized things such as the JESUS film, or audio Bibles powered by rechargeable solar batteries. Yet, JESUS film equipment sets and audio players cost money.
“All of those require technology,” Ward said. “And as much as we love technology, when it comes to the bush and availability and so on, you run into limits. This storytelling method is only limited by a person’s ability to tell a story and to ask questions, which means almost any person can use this.”
How it works
The trainer is a facilitator, not an instructor. He/she tells a Bible story from memory then asks the group members to take a few moments to re-Tell THE Story to one another. Next, the trainer, Tells THE Story again, making intentional errors, the group corrects the errors.  Everyone then has listened to the story at least three times and is able to engage in these five open ended questions:
What did you like about the story?
What did you not like about the story?
What hidden truth did you learn from this story?
If you could be any character, who would you be or not be and why?
What truth will you apply in your own life this week?
“With 12 people in a room, we might get 12 different expressions from that story,” Ray said. “People get the concept of the story and then they find the truth in the stories and find them much better working together in a group. And they remember because they find it rather than me telling them.”
The process is so simple that once the training is over, every participant should be able to tell a Bible story and ask the five questions in any setting, whether it’s a Sunday School class, a vacation Bible school, a Bible study or a casual encounter with a friend or even a stranger.
Telling Bible stories is easy because 75 percent of the Bible is in narrative format. According to Mark 4:33-34, “Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.” (NIV)
“There’s nothing new, but it’s kind of a refreshing of an old methodology that Jesus used, yet we’ve not been exposed to in the Church of the Nazarene,” said Woodie Stevens, Global SDMI director. “Because of the enormous shifts in our world, we’re finding we need a fresh approach. We need an additional way of teaching the truth so that it will stick in the hearts and minds of people.”
Multiplying exponentially
So far, Tell THE Story is not only sticking, it’s multiplying naturally as enthusiasm spreads.
Schmelzenbach said that after the training in Papua New Guinea, a participant emailed him to say he had been telling Bible stories as part of his evangelistic work.
“He had pictures of two brand new church plants in which they’re incorporating [Tell THE Story] in the process of establishing brand new churches. They are training people from ground zero using [Tell THE Story] and using it first of all to proclaim and explain the gospel. The desire is to ingrain in their DNA as new Christians this is the expectation: This gospel will become alive inside of you in a straightforward manner that you can accurately duplicate using these techniques they’ve been trained in.”
Schmelzenbach said many other districts have been sending back reports that they’re using Tell THE Story for both discipling existing believers and winning new believers.
Marvin Gerbig, a retired Nazarene pastor in the U.S., attended several Tell THE Story trainings, including two held at the denomination’s Global Ministry Center this year. Gerbig began applying what he learned by telling stories and facilitating discussion among his Wednesday night men’s group several months ago and now has trained one of the men to take over. He has also started three other adult groups around Tell THE Story.
“A lot of people have not had a chance to talk about what they see in the Bible,” Gerbig said. “They’re encouraged to share these stories and speak the truth they see to others. They’re coming to learn and go speak.”
Laura Mata-Bolandi, who attends the Samuelson Road Church of the Nazarene in Rockford, Illinois, also attended a Tell The Story training in Kansas. She started a ministry for Hispanic mothers and kids in her city, and integrated storytelling into the meetings.
“The Lord had been calling me to do His works, but I said, ‘Lord, I’m not a pastor. I don’t know how to talk to people about you.’”
Tell THE Story was her answer.
After seeing storytelling work so well to disciple the women in her group for moms, her mother in Costa Rica wanted to start a group there. She gathered friends and neighbors and met with Mata-Bolandi over Skype for training. Now her mother has a second storytelling group that has grown from 7 to 18 people over three weeks. Her sister was so impressed that she wants to start another group in another part of Costa Rica. Mata-Bolandi also has a friend in Dominican Republic who also started a group with her through Skype.
Another Tell THE Story training is being held at the Global Ministry Center in Lenexa 22-24 July.
“It is designed to reproduce leaders who will reproduce themselves wherever they are,” said Stevens.
*Statistic provided by the Lausanne Movement. http://www.lausanne.org/en/blog/1779-the-70-orality-and-the-mission-of-t...
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El contar historias se convierte en la nueva estrategia de discipulado y evangelismo by Gina Grate Pottenger
Lo que comenzara como capacitación centrada en un nuevo método de discipulado se ha convertido en un avivamiento.
Más de 100 líderes y miembros laicos de todo Papúa Nueva Guinea se reunieron a principios de este año para capacitarse en cuanto a cómo contar historias bíblicas en forma oral. Ellos recibieron tal convicción mediante las lecciones que recibían mediante las historias, que comenzaron a confesar pecados y a arrepentirse uno tras otro.  Algunos se disculparon con otros, y estos ofrecieron perdón por sus ofensas. Prontamente todos cayeron sobre sus rodillas, llorando y orando juntos.
"Durante estas sesiones de capacitación nos encontramos literalmente en medio de un espíritu de avivamiento, ya que Dios (...) estaba haciendo patente la verdad y la realidad de la Escritura en los corazones de nuestros líderes.," dijo Harmon Schmelzenbach, el coordinador de estrategia del Campo Sur-Pacífico de la Región Asia-Pacífico.
Ray Neu, el coordinador de lenguaje oral de la Iglesia del Nazareno, lideró la capacitación centrándose en el método narrativo llamado Contar LA Historia. Él también dijo que el mismo espíritu de avivamiento ha dejado su marca en varios otros talleres de capacitación llevados a cabo en Bangladesh, Singapur, Indonesia, Sudáfrica, Etiopía, y Kenia.  
Contar LA Historia está listo para esparcirse en cada una de las seis regiones mundiales de la denominación, como parte de la nueva estrategia para discipular y equipar a creyentes dentro del 70 por ciento* de la población mundial analfabeta, o que prefiere no leer.
Cómo comenzó
Neu, quien supo ser misionero junto con su esposa Becki en Belice, comenzó a explorar la posiblidad de utilizar la narración como manera de enseñar y discipular mientras que trabajaba como instructor en Belice. mediante el programa de extensión del Seminario Teológico Nazareno en Guatemala. Él se dio cuenta de que tenía dificultades al traducir conceptos e ideas teológicas abstractas para los pastores que se encontraban en su clase. Y ellos no siempre podían integrar esos conceptos a su ministerio luego de abandonar el salón de clases.
"Alrededor del mundo se están dando cuenta de que nuestro modelo educativo occidental no es efectivo para transferir información.," dijo Neu. "Para la mayoría de nosotros que hemos recibido este tipo de educación, mucho de lo que hemos estudiado no ha sido efectivamente internalizado, Recordamos lo suficiente para poder pasar los exámenes, obtener nuestro título y así seguir adelante. Luego de eso, realmente no recordamos mucho."
Anteriormente a dirigirse a Belice, Neu concurrió a un taller de narración impartido por otra organización, y luego de ello decidió intentar enseñar mediante el método narrativo en sus clases de seminario. Él comenzó a contar historias de la Biblia en lugar de dar lecciones, y luego procedían a realizar discusiones al respecto. El nivel de participación de los estudiantes, así como su comprensión y memoria de los diferentes conceptos mejoraron grandemente.
En 2013, el Ministerio de Discipulado y Escuela Dominical (MIDE), bajo la Misión Mundial Nazarena, recibió la orden de capacitar a la iglesia alrededor del mundo, presentando metodologías orales a través de Contar LA Historia. El coordinador de MIDE de cada región trabajará junto con el liderazgo a través de sus regiones para multiplicar la capacitación y de este modo esparciendo el métido a través de la iglesia.
"La oralidad ha sido un tema de interés de la Misión Mundial durante un largo tiempo," dijo el Director de la Misión Mundial Nazarena, Verne Ward. La Misión Mundial Nazarena no ha sido el único ministerio que se ha preocupado por alcanzar a quienes no pueden o no desean leer. Durante décadas, decenas de organizaciones cristianas tales como la International Orality Network (Red de Oralidad Internacional), Every Home for Christ (Todo Hogar para Cristo), Wycliffe, Mission Aviation Fellowship (Asociación de Aviación Misionera), y Campus Crusade for Christ/CRU (Cruzada de Campus para Cristo), han promovido el discipulado y la capacitación de manera oral. La narración bíblica tiene una gran representación online gracias a varios recursos de descarga gratuita.
Durante muchos años, la denominación de la Iglesia del Nazareno--en varios intentos por suplir la necesidad de enseñanza y herramientas orales--ha utilizado materiales como la Película JESÚS o las Audio Biblias operadas mediante baterías solares. Sin embargo, los equipos necesarios para la Película JESÚS y los reproductores de audio son costosos.
"Todos estos requieren tecnología," dijo Ward. "Y si bien amamos la tecnología, ésta no siempre se encuentra disponible y uno se encuentra con limitaciones. Este método narrativo sólo se limita a la habilidad de la persona al contar la historia y al realizar preguntas, lo que implica que prácticamente cualquier persona puede utilizarlo."
Cómo funciona
El capacitador es un facilitador, no un instructor. Él o ella cuenta una historia bíblica de memoria y luego le pregunta a los miembros del grupo que tomen unos instantes para volver a contar la historia a otra persona. Luego, el capacitador cuenta la historia una vez más realizando errores intencionales, y el grupo corrige los errores. Para entonces todos han escuchado la historia por lo menos tres veces y tienen la oportunidad de participar de las siguentes preguntas abiertas:
¿Qué aprendió acerca de la historia?
¿Qué fue algo que no le gustó acerca de la historia?
¿Qué verdad oculta aprendió con esta historia? 
Si usted pudiera ser cualquier personaje, ¿quién desearía o no desearía ser y por qué?
¿Qué verdad aplicará en su propia vida durante esta semana?
"Con 12 personas dentro de una habitación es posible que tengamos 12 expresiones diferentes de la misma historia," dijo Ray. "La gente entiende el concepto de la historia y luego encontrarán la verdad en la misma, y la encuentran con más facilidad trabajando en grupo. Y luego lo recuerdan porque ellos mismos hicieron el hallazgo en vez de que yo se los contara."
El proceso es tan simple que una vez que la capacitación culmina, cada participante puede contar la historia bíblica y realizar las cinco preguntas en cualquier lugar, ya sea en la clase de escuela dominical, en una escuela bíblica vacacional, un estudio bíblico o en un encuentro informal con un amigo o incluso con un extraño.
El narrar historias bíblicas es fácil ya que el 75 por ciento de la Biblia es en formato narrativo. Según Marcos 4:33-34, "Y con muchas parábolas semejantes les enseñaba Jesús la palabra hasta donde podían entender. No les decía nada sin emplear parábolas. Pero cuando estaba a solas con sus discípulos, les explicaba todo." (NVI)
"No es nada nuevo, pero es una refrescante y antigua metodología utilizada por Jesús, a la cual sin embargo no hemos sido expuestos en la Iglesia del Nazareno," dijo Woddie Stevens, director mundial de MIDE. "Debido a los enormes cambios en nuestro mundo, nos estamos dando cuenta de que necesitamos un nuevo encare. Necesitamos una manera adicional de enseñar la verdad para que permanezca en los corazones y las mentes de la gente."
Multiplicándose exponencialmente
Al día de hoy, Contar LA Historia no sólo está echando raíces, sino que se está multiplicando naturalmente con el esparcimiento del entusiasmo.
Schmelzenbach dijo que luego de la capacitación en Papúa Nueva Guinea, un participante le envió un mensaje de correo electrónico par decirle que él había estado narrando historias bíblicas como parte de su tarea evangelística.
"Él tenía fotografías de dos nuevas iglesias en las que estaban incorporanto el Contar LA Historia dentro del proceso de plantación de iglesias. Ellos están capacitando a personas desde cero utilizando este método y utilizándolo antes que nada para proclamar y explicar el evangelio. El deseo es el de codificar su ADN como nuevos cristianos con la siguiente expectativa: éste evangelio cobrará vida dentro tuyo en una manera evidente que puede ser duplicada utilizando las técnicas en cuanto a las cuales has recibido capacitación."
Schmelzenbach dijo que muchos de los otros distritos han estado enviando informes de que están utilizando el Contar LA Historia tanto para discipular a creyentes existentes, así como para ganar a nuevos creyentes.
Marvin Gerbig, un pastor nazareno retirado en los Estados Unidos, concurrió a muchos eventos de capacitación de Contar LA Historia, incluídos dos que se llevaron a cabo en el Centro de Ministerio Mundial de la denominación durante este año. Gerbig comenzó aplicando lo que había aprendido al contar historias y facilitando la discusión entre su grupo de hombres de los miércoles de noche hacía varios meses, y donde había preparado a uno de los hombres para hacerse cargo. Él también ha iniciado otros tres grupos de adultos centrados en Contar LA Historia.
"Muchas personas no han tenido la oportunidad de hablar acerca de lo que ven en la Biblia," dijo Gerbig. "Ellos son animados a compartir estas historias y a hablar acerca de la verdad que encuentran junto a otros. Ellos vienen a aprender y van a hablar."
Laura Mata-Bolandi, quien concurre a la Iglesia del Nazareno de Samuelson Road en Rockford, Illinois, también concurrió a un evento de capacitación de Contar LA Historia en Kansas. Ella comenzó un ministerio con madres e hijos hispanos en su ciudad, e integró el modelo de narración en sus reuniones.
"El Señor me había estado llamando a hacer Su tarea, pero yo dije, ' Señor, yo no soy pastora. No sé cómo hablarle de ti a la gente.'"
Contar LA Historia fue su respuesta.
Luego de ver lo bien que funcionaba el modelo narrativo al discipular a las mujeres de su grupo para madres, su madre en Costa Rica decidió empezar un grupo allí. Ella reunió amigos y vecinos y se reunieron junto a Mata-Bolandi a través de Skype para recibir capacitación. Ahora su madre tiene un segundo grupo de narración que ha crecido de 7 a 18 personas en poco más de tres semanas. Su hermana está tan impresionada que que desea empezar otro grupo en otra localidad de Costa Rica. Mata-Bolandi también tiene una amiga en la República Dominicana, quien también quiere iniciar un grupo junto a ella mediate Skype.
Otro taller de capacitación de Contar LA Historia se estará llevando a cabo en el Centro de Ministerio Mundial en Lenexa del 22 al 24 de julio.
"Está diseñado para producir líderes que se reproducirán donde quiera que se encuentren," dijo Stevens.
*Estadísticas provistas por el Movimiento Lausanne. http://www.lausanne.org/en/blog/1779-the-70-orality-and-the-mission-of-t... 
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'I never thought I would be a pastor' by David and Sylvia Potter

During the recent pastor retreat held at the beach on Eratap Point, Pastor Meriam stood and said, “I never thought I would be a pastor.”  She went on to share how the Lord has faithfully led in her life and now she sees that God has a plan for her.
Meriam has been part of the Church of the Nazarene family almost from the very beginning.  Perhaps the first time we became acquainted was at a ladies' Christmas party that was held at our house in December 2003.  We had been holding worship services on the front veranda of our house at Malapoa for a few months.  Many of the women who came to the party were related to Meriam -- her mother, sisters, sister-in-law -- and all were her friends.

Ladies Christmas Party 2003 with Natalie Ward
Meriam is in the second row wearing glasses
Malapoa had been her home since 1980, the year Vanuatu gained its independence from England and France.  Here is what she shared with us in an interview about her early years:
“I grew up on the east side of Efate Island in a small village called Forari.  When I was old enough my parents sent me to a French school. My family attended a church in the village but there was no change in the way they lived.  My daddy was an alcoholic.  Sometimes when he was drunk, my mother and I had to leave our home to be safe.
“My daddy went to Port Vila to find work.  In 1980 when Vanuatu became independent, my family all moved to Port Vila and made our home in an area called Malapoa.  In 1983, a group of evangelists talked to my daddy and he saw that his life was not right.  Then our home changed!  He began to train me in reading the Bible, and our family joined in worship together.  But, after some time, the [extended] family left us at Malapoa and went to their own homes because of disagreements.
“I wanted the good life to continue.  In 1990, I found a church called Trinity Church that was running a Bible study near my home and I joined it.  It was in that Bible study that I made my personal decision to follow Jesus and to do His work.  I stayed in this church and grew spiritually.  I had been praying for God to give me a husband, and at 20 years old, I married my husband David Naunga.  I enjoyed being a Sunday School teacher.  But, then the church leaders had a disagreement and the church split up in 1996.  We did not join another church until 2003 when Nazarene missionaries moved to Malapoa and began holding services."

2004 Charter members L to R: Joe Iamtang, Meriam Naunga and Susan Wilson
Meriam quickly showed her interest in being a follower of Christ and got involved in the weekly activities of the church.  She was one of the three charter members who joined the Church of the Nazarene on December 19, 2004.  She lovingly cared for the young people in the church and was pleased when she was asked to be youth leader.
When we began the pastoral training program in January 2006, Meriam was one of the students in the first class.  She and her husband had been planting a church near their current home outside of Port Vila.  A team of college students from Point Loma Nazarene University had come to Port Vila in the summer of 2005.  Part of their ministry was to hold a kid's club near her home and then shared the Jesus Film in the evening.  Meriam continued to reach out after they left.

Some of the Vanuatu delegates to the
2006 Nazarene Holiness Conference in Fiji.
Leimawa is standing right of District Suprintendent Gabriel Kaulo from Papua New Guinea.
Meriam was working in her vegetable garden with a neighbor lady who had become her friend.  While she was working, Meriam shared the gospel with Leimawa who then prayed to receive Christ as her Savior.  Meriam continued to disciple Leimawa who was one of the first two Christians to be baptized in the Church of the Nazarene in Vanuatu.
In February 2006, Meriam and her husband and Leimawa attended a Nazarene Holiness Conference in Fiji where Leimawa shared her testimony.
Meriam received her district pastor's license in 2011 when she was assisting the district superintendent, Rev. Peter Isaac, in pastoring the Eluklom Church of the Nazarene.  At our last district assembly, Meriam was asked to become the pastor of Vila North Nazarene Church where many of the people who still live at Malapoa are now attending even though it is a long way from their homes. The congregation meets in a rented classroom for worship each Sunday.  
Pastor Meriam said, "We are still looking for land where we can build a church at Malapoa." Rev. Isaac said that "Meriam has already taken in seven new members this year and has started another membership class with seven more people who want to join the church. She is a good leader."
Meriam said, "I have a deep desire to do God’s work; it makes me glad and I feel satisfied serving Him as pastor.”  
When we asked Meriam if being a woman pastor is a challenge to her, she said, "Even though women are not respected as leaders in Vanuatu, I feel that I am respected as a pastor in my church."
Meriam's family is also involved in ministry. Her husband David is the district treasurer. Her oldest child, Rona, is now in her final year of secondary school and is applying for scholarships to continue her education in accounting and computers in New Zealand. Rona recently assisted in the Children's Camp as a puppeteer with her cousin Susie. Meriam said, "I'm glad that my daughter is following the road that I've walked."

Pastors and Wives Retreat 2007
Front row: Revs. Peter and Jenny Isaac, Meriam Naunga, and Esther Taso
Back Row: Pastor David Taso, David and Sylvia Potter, and Joy and James Johnson.
Pastor Meriam was one of two pastors who attended our first pastor retreat in Vanuatu in 2007.  Today there are four other district licensed pastors and four local licensed pastors who are serving the Lord in the Church of the Nazarene.  When we first arrived in Vanuatu in 2003, we began to "ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth workers into his harvest field," and God has faithfully been answering that prayer!  We thank the Lord for Pastor Meriam and her great contribution to the building of God's Kingdom in Vanuatu. -- Reprinted with permission from the ministry blog of missionaries David and Sylvia Potter.
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Evangelism during the World Cup in Brazil by Andrew Lemos

Manaus is a Brazilian city, capital of the state of Amazonas, and the main financial, corporate and economic center of the northern region of Brazil. It is a historic and a port city, localized in the middle of the largest tropical forest of the world. It is the most populated city in Amazonas and in the Amazon, with a population of 1,982,179 people and it is one of the most known Brazilian cities worldwide. Today, the Church of the Nazarene in Manaus, where pastor Manoel Junior is the leader, is going through a peculiar time in its 13 years in the city. Brazil, after 64 years of history, is again the host of the World Cup Games, and the capital of Amazonas was elected as one of the host cities for the games.
Before us is the opportunity to take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to a great number of people, not only Brazilians, but also people coming from England, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, Honduras, Croatia, Cameroon, United States and many other countries, who come to Manaus to do ecotourism, too. The Church of the Nazarene in Manaus, with the collaboration of its ministries and members, has decided to follow Christ's command to "go," starting here in our Jerusalem, with the goal of making it just the beginning that will boost us to go to the Judea and Samarias of our nation, and, God willing, to the end of the world.
Today, we are still a small group, formed by about 20 active members. However, like the 300 of Gideon, we do not act with shyness before this century that tries to silence us. We make our voices sound even louder, through evangelistic presentations using drama, creative evangelism with bracelets, cubes, robes, wordless book, symbols of salvation, signs near traffic lights, public sermons, all of these in public squares where the World Cup games have been shown, on the streets, near the soccer stadium, the airport, bus stops, wherever God sends us.
We are still in the middle of the World Cup, and hundreds of people have heard the message of the cross through this initiative and, surely, many more will hear it. For that reason, I ask the prayer support of our Nazarene brothers and sisters, so that each seed that we have planted may find a fertile soil in the hearts of the ones who have heard us, and may the Holy Spirit of God convince them of the Truth.
I also ask for prayers for our lives, so that the Lord may give us physical and spiritual strength to continue advancing and overcoming the barriers that come before us.
If you would like to find out more about our activities and access all the pictures and videos of the evangelisms, access the website: www.unesdo.org or our Facebook pages (Igreja do Nazareno de Manaus or Unesdo – União Evangelística pela Sã Doutrina), or videos available on our Youtube channel called UNESDO - União Evangelística pela Sã Doutrina: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS42I0hFAGSzxxeOlB5u5mA. May God continue to give us grace, and may this blaze that has burned in our hearts, burn in every man and woman who carries over him/her the Wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Crecimiento explosivo en Haití crea oportunidades de Trabajo y Testimonio by Gina Grate Pottenger

Darin y Tonya Kucey (segundo y cuarta desde la izquierda en la foto), misioneros que sirven como coordinadores de Trabajo y Testimonio en Haití, expresaron incredulidad y desaliento al visitar al pastor nazareno Civil a comienzos de este año,  viendo donde él y su familia han vivido desde que Haití fuera devastada por un terremoto hace cuatro años.
“Él y su familia se encontraban viviendo literalmente en un chiquero,” escribieron los Kucey en su blog ministerial. “El superintendente de distrito del Distrito Centro Sur proveyó la únca alternativa de alojamiento en el distrito: un galpón para cerdos. Debido a que el galpón es muy pequeño, se ha colocado una decrépita carpa a su lado para proveer más "refugio" para los hijos pequeños del pastor Civil y para su madre anciana.” (Fotografía a continuación)
Los Kucey dicen que muchos otros pastores nazarenos están viviendo en edificios que fueron dañados por el terremoto, o en refugios hechos de hojas de palmera o de lonas.
“Ochenta y cinco porciento de nuestros pastores viven en extrema pobreza,” dijo Tonya.
Siendo la nación más pobre del hemisferio occidental, las necesidades de los nazarenos en Haití ya eran grandes incluso antes del terremoto. Cuatro años desde el terremoto que tomó las vidas de unas 160 mil personas y que desplazó a 1,5 millones de personas, el mundo parece haberse olvidado pero las necesidades y la destrucción no han sido resueltas (cifras provistas por la Agencia de Desarrollo Mundial de Los EEUU).
Según un informe de NPR del mes de enero, 150 mil personas todavía viven en campamentos (http://www.npr.org/2014/01/12/261723409/four-years-after-earthquake-many...).
Muchos de quienes viven en estructuras permanentes no tienen espacio adecuado. Una de esas personas es Robert, a quien los Kucey conocieron durante un proyecto de Trabajo y Testimonio en Jacmel, Haití.
Robert, 20, (foto a la derecha) es uno de tan sólo dos miembros de su familia inmediata que sobrevivieron al terremoto; él perdió a su madre, a su padre, y a cuatro de sus hermanos. Él y su hermana viven con dos de los hijos de ella, así como con dos de sus primos, en una estructura de tan sólo una habitación que es a penas lo suficientemente grande para que quepa una cama doble, según reportaron los Kucey en su blog ministerial.
A pesar de estas dificultades, la Iglesia del Nazareno está creciendo a un ritmo muy veloz en Haití. La denominación tiene más de 650 iglesias en Haití, y es la denominación protestante más grande del país. En 2012, el ministerio de la Película JESÚS contó 11 líderes misioneros realizando actividades de evangelismo en partes de Haití; este año hay 37 líderes zonales. En 2013 hubo 2.442 decisiones por Cristo durante el correr del año; este año, tan sólo desde enero a marzo hubo 834.
Durante el año 2013, 388 miembros se unieron a la iglesia a través del ministerio de la Película JESÚS. Durante los primeros tres meses de este año solamente, 400 miembros más se han unido. En 2013, 28 iglesias nuevas fueron organizadas. En los primeros tres meses de este año se organizaron 22 iglesias más.
El crecimiento aumenta la necesidad de pastores y edificios, lo que significa que hay mayores oportunidades para el ministerio de Trabajo y Testimonio en Haití que nunca antes. Los edificios de iglesia son de gran utilidad e importancia en Haití.
“Estos representan estabilidad, una presencia en la comunidad,” dijo Tonya. “A menudo son utilizados como escuelas, para clínicas médicas y para capacitación. Son utilizados durante tiempos de desastres naturales como puntos de referencia para recibir ayuda.”
Cuando las congregaciones superan la capacidad de los hogares, las carpas, o las capas de hojas de palmera bajo las que se reúnen, a veces los nuevos creyentes dejan de concurrir y se pierden, según dijo Darin.
Es por eso que, al verse enfrentados con una diversidad de necesidades importantes, incluyendo la necesidad de una casa pastoral y un edificio de iglesia, el liderazgo de distrito a continuación del terremoto decidió enfocarse primero en la necesidad urgente de tener lugares de adoración, los cuales pudieran atender varias necesidades de la comunidad simultáneamente.
En enero, Carlos Saenz, el director regional, le sugirió al liderazgo de Haití que expandiera su enfoque de construcción para incluir también escuelas. En Haití, entre 80 y 90 por ciento de las escuelas son operadas por iglesias o por organizaciones privadas, y 50 por ciento de todos los niños no asisten a la escuela, según los Kucey. Esto significa que muchas personas jóvenes que están aceptando a Cristo y recibiendo un llamado al ministerio pastoral pueden carecer de educación.
Durante su apremio por construir iglesias, además de construir escuelas, Darin y Tonya se encuentran trabajando con ingenieros y arquitectos para realizar diseños para la construcción de una casa pastoral y calcular su costo de construcción.
“Hace poco un equipo se comunicó con nosotros, considerando venir. Ellos nos preguntaron, ‘¿Cuál es la mayor necesidad en Haití?’ Eso nos tomó por sorpresa. Tuvimos que detenernos por un minuto, y luego dijimos, ‘Todo.’ Es como tratar de beber de una manguera de bomberos. Es demasiado,” dijo Tonya.
En 2014 hay agendados 10 equipos de construcción que vendrán a trabajar con las estructuras, pero los Kucey dicen que podrían dar alojamiento al doble de personas en un año – hasta dos equipos por mes.
Un equipo que puede recolectar $20.000 (dólares americanos) puede enviar el dinero por adelantado para que los nazarenos locales puedan comprar los materiales y comenzar a construir los cimientos de concreto, así como realizar el trabajo de albañilería antes de que el equipo llegue. Una vez que el equipo llega, ellos trabajarán junto con los nazarenos haitianos para completar el edificio de iglesia en tres días. Luego inaugurarán la nueva iglesia con un servicio de adoración combinado para celebrar.
Como la mayoría de los equipos que vienen son de Norteamérica, los Kucey ponen cuidado en asegurarse de que no establezcan una dinámica en la que los equipos hagan cosas por sus hermanos haitianos, sino que trabajen junto con ellos.
“No podemos venir y arreglar las cosas por ellos, sino estamos causando daño a los haitianos al hacer las cosas en su lugar,” dijo Tonya.
El reglamento en juego es que una congregación local haitiana debe estar preparada para proveer el material, arena y agua para el proyecto, así como el alimento y alojamiento para los albañiles que harán el trabajo inicial. Si la congregación no está lista para hacerlo, entonces se les pide que lo planifiquen antes de que se pueda agendar un equipo de Trabajo y Testimonio para que venga y les ofrezca su ayuda.
Para acelerar el proceso de proveer espacios para que se reúna el creciente número de congregaciones, los Kucey están buscando nuevos tipos de estructuras que sean baratas y rápidas de construir. Una idea es la de proveer una "iglesia de patio" – una estructura temporal con un techo en el que los miembros se puedan reunir mientras que aguardan la construcción de un edificio permanente.
Este mes, un equipo de California trajo un toldo diseñado para un auto – pilares de acero y una lona que proveerá espacio para unas 35-40 personas que iniciarán una iglesia, para ver si algo de este estilo funcionaría. Darin también está investigando distintos tipos de estructuras hechas de madera.
Los Kucey se sienten sobrecogidos debido al ritmo de crecimiento y las conscuentes necesidades de nuevas estructuras.
“Nuestra oración es, ‘Señor, ayúdanos.’ Necesitamos una estrategia y el apoyo de la iglesia mundial, que vengan a ayudarnos a crear estas estructuras y a seguir el ritmo de lo que Dios está haciendo.”
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Explosive growth in Haiti creates opportunities for Work & Witness by Gina Grate Pottenger
Darin and Tonya Kucey (second and fourth from left in photo), missionaries who serve as Work & Witness coordinators for Haiti, expressed incredulity and dismay when they visited Nazarene pastor Civil earlier this year and saw where his family has lived since an earthquake devastated Haiti four years ago.
“He and his family were literally living in a pig pen,” the Kuceys wrote on their ministry blog. “The district superintendent of the South Central District provided the only alternative housing available on the district: a pig pen. Because the pig pen is so small, located beside it is a decrepit tent providing further ‘shelter’ for Pastor Civil’s small children and elderly mother.” (Photo below.)
The Kuceys say that many other Nazarene pastors are living in earthquake damaged church buildings, or under shelters made of coconut leaves, or in tarps.
“Eighty-five percent of our pastors live in extreme poverty,” Tonya says.
As the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere, the needs of Nazarenes in Haiti were great even before the earthquake. Four years since the earthquake that killed up to 160,000 people and displaced 1.5 million, the world seems to have moved on, but the needs and destruction are by no means resolved. (Figures provided by the US Agency for International Development.)
According to an NPR report in January, 150,000 people are still living in camps (http://www.npr.org/2014/01/12/261723409/four-years-after-earthquake-many...).
Many of those who do live in permanent structures don’t have adequate space. One such person is Robert, whom the Kuceys met during a Work & Witness project to Jacmel, Haiti.
Robert, 20, (photo right) is one of only two members of his immediate family to survive the earthquake; he lost his mother, father and four of his siblings.  He and his sister live with two of her children as well as two of their cousins in a one-room structure that is just large enough to fit a double-sized bed, the Kuceys reported on their ministry blog.
In spite of these hardships, the Church of the Nazarene is growing at an increasingly rapid pace in Haiti. The denomination has more than 650 churches in Haiti, and is the largest Protestant denomination in the country. In 2012, the JESUS Film ministry counted 11 missionary zone leaders doing evangelism outreach in parts of Haiti; this year there are 37 zone leaders. In 2013, there were 2,442 decisions for Christ in the course of the year; this year from January to March alone there were 834.
In the entirety of 2013, 388 members joined the church through JESUS Film ministry. In just the first three months of this year, 400 more members joined. In 2013, 28 new churches were organized. In the first three months of this year, 22 more churches were organized.
The growth increases the need for pastors and for buildings, which means there are greater opportunities for Work & Witness ministry in Haiti than ever before. Church buildings have great utility and significance in Haiti.
“It represents stability, a presence in the community,” said Tonya. “It’s often used for school, for medical clinics and training. It’s used in a time of natural disasters as a reference point to receive help.”
When congregations outgrow the homes or tents or sheets of coconut leaves under which they meet, sometimes new believers stop attending and fall away, Darin added.
That is why, when faced with a diverse array of pressing needs, including pastor housing and church buildings, following the earthquake district leadership chose to focus first on the urgent need for places of worship that could simultaneously meet numerous other needs in the community.
In January, Carlos Saenz, the regional director, advised leadership in Haiti to expand their building focus to include schools. In Haiti, 80 to 90 percent of schools are operated by churches or private organizations, and 50 percent of all children do not attend school, according to the Kuceys. This means that many young people who are accepting Christ and receiving a call to pastoral ministry may be poorly educated.
While racing to build churches and now turning their attention to school buildings, Darin and Tonya are working with engineers and architects to draw up workable designs for pastor’s housing and what it would cost to build them.
“We had a team contact us recently, considering coming. They said, ‘What’s the greatest need in Haiti?’ That took us off guard. We had to stop for a minute, and we said, ‘Everything.’ [It’s like] trying to take a drink out of a fire hydrant. It can be overwhelming,” Tonya said.
In 2014, 10 construction teams are scheduled to come and work on structures, but the Kuceys say they could accommodate double that number in a year – up to two teams per month.
A team that can raise $20,000 can send the money ahead of time so that local Nazarenes can purchase the materials and begin laying the concrete foundation and do the mason work before the team arrives. Once the team gets there, they  work alongside the Haitian Nazarenes to complete the church building in three days. Then they inaugurate the new church with a combined worship service to celebrate.
As primarily North American teams come in, the Kuceys are careful to ensure they don’t establish a dynamic in which teams are doing things for the Haitian brothers and sisters instead of with and alongside them.
“We cannot come in and fix it for them, we’re actually harming Haitians by doing it for them,” Tonya said.
The policy in place is that a local Haitian congregation must be prepared to provide rock, sand and water for the project, as well as to feed and house the masons who will lay the groundwork. If the congregation is not ready to do that, they are asked to move in that direction before a Work & Witness team will be scheduled to come and partner with them.
To speed up the process of providing places for the growing number of congregations to meet, the Kuceys are looking for new types of structures that are cheap and fast to raise. One idea is to provide a “patio” church – a temporary structure with a roof in which the members can gather while they wait for a permanent church building.

This month, a team from California brought a canopy designed for a car – steel poles and canvas that would provide space for 35-40 people starting a church, to see if something like that would fit the bill. Darin is also looking into types of structures made from wood.
The Kuceys feel overwhelmed with the pace of growth and the resulting needs for structures.
“Our prayer is, ‘Lord, help us.’ We need strategy and the support of the global church to be able to come and help us to get these structures to keep up with what God’s doing.”
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