ARMENIAN FACILITATOR, DR. PAUL DOCTORIAN REFLECTION
Immigrants in the Bible: For such a time as this!Jacob, son of Isaac, father of Joseph, as immigrant:
The Lord said to Jacob: "... I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:15
For the safety of his life, Jacob had to leave Canaan and travel to a foreign land. On the way to Harran, when he reached a certain place, an unknown place, a lonely place, he set camp for the night for the sun had set. That is where the Lord met him in a dream and made the promise to be with him.
At Harran, the dwelling place of his uncle, Jacob was to take a wife for himself. If Jacob would have known that finding a wife would have lasted twenty years, would he have taken that trip?
After Jacob's return from Harran, God said to Jacob, "I am God Almighty be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." Genesis 35:11-12
Later on in his life, when Canaan (land of milk and honey) was in a famine, again Jacob had to leave and go this time to Egypt. God had sent Joseph, son of Jacob, to Egypt. Although sold to slavery, Joseph testified, "...to save lives God had sent me ahead of you." Genesis 45:5. The question again is: If Jacob would have known that his descendents were going to be slaves in that foreign land - if Jacob would have imagined that God's people were walking into captivity that would last for four hundred years - would he have made that journey? Even if it meant seeing his beloved son Joseph again! Yet in his ears and heart, God's promise was clear, "I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
God spoke and said, "Jacob! Jacob! I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again." Genesis 46:2-4
When the time drew near for Israel (Jacob) to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "... Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." Genesis 47:29 "... I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers." Genesis 48:21
So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them: they carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him there.
Practical lessons from this reflection:
1. In lonely places of our lives, God is there to sustain us.
2. God's promise is always true; to never leave us, never forsake us.
3. At crossroads of our lives, God speaks to us again.
4. In places where we feel comfortable, famine happens - God allows us to cross borders.
5. Even when great abundance and freedom turns to slavery, unwavering trust in God will see us through to the Promised Land.
6. God's promises hold true not only for us but, if we stay faithful, for our descendents.
SNAPSHOT
New Statistics for the Year 2014 Recently Released
Congregations - 5 * Total Members - 260 * AVG Worship Attendence - 368
CALL FOR PRAYER
"Lord, make me be aware of your presence, hear your voice, when other things take my attention - even as beautiful as angels ascending and descending."
Rev. Junior Sorzano, Multicultural Congregations Facilitator's mother has been struggling with her health.
Rev. Joseph Knight, Multicultural Congregations SRT Member during his move and transition
Rev. Kevin McGinnis - GallbladderTests
2015 Conferences and events
ENTE - Online education for Hispanic students
Rev. Clifford Lewis, pastor of the Harbor Community Church on the Virginia District lost his 32 year old son suddenly. Cliff jr., lived in Albuquerque. The funeral will be Saturday @ 11:00 am@ New Life Baptist Church in Albuquerque.
Continued recovery for Rev. Alexander Shabo
Please e-mail multi@nazarene.org to submit additional prayer requests
EVENTS
February 16 - 19, 2015 - Samoan Pastors and Wives Retreat- Kent, WA COTN
For more information contact Rev. Taulima Oge at taulimapoto@yahoo.com
April 27 - 30, 2015 - Arab Pastors and Laymens Conference USA/Canada
Billy Graham Training Center Ashville, NC
For more information contact Rev. Jad Ghrayyeb at hope@vopg.com
June 26 - 27, 2015 - Portuguese Ministries Conference, Brockton, MA Nova Alianca
For more information contact Rev. Benedito Monteiro at bcmonteiro11@gmail.com
July 16 - 19, 2015 - Samoan Conference USA/Canada
Clarion Hotel Anaheim Resort - Anaheim, CA
For more information contact Rev. Taulima Oge at taulimapoto@yahoo.com
July 16 - 18, 2015 - African Nazarene Minister’s Conference USA/Canada
Location of Conference – Mid America Nazarene University
Register online at http://www.usacanadaregion.org/african-ministries
For more information contact multi@nazarene.org
July 17 - 19, 2015 - Black Ministries SE Regional Fellowship, Birmingham, Alabama
For more information contact Bill Allen at cfcnaz.bill@att.net
July 23 - 25, 2015 - Native American Ministries Conference, Bethany First COTN
For more information contact John Nells at jrnells07@gmail.com
September 8 - October 1, 2015 - Korean Ministerial Conference USA/Canada, Dallas, Texas
For more information contact Rev. Stephen Lee at slee4j@sbcglobal.net
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR - DR. ROBERTO HODGSON
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Ethnic Facilitators and SRT members for your attendance and workshop participation at M-15. We have received many positive comments that the conference went well. Praise the Lord!
People appreciated the inspiration, fellowship and prayers as well as the information and training provided during the conference. Obviously there were many people working tirelessly in the planning and organization to see to many details, and a lot of resources were put into the conference and more importantly, there were also hundreds of people praying for the M-15 conference.
As the DCPI/CPE Manual states: “THE POWER PRINCIPLE: Prayer is the indispensable source of God’s power and wisdom…”.
Multicultural Ministries vision is to encourage the development of strategy and initiative to reach the USA/Canada mission field through the visionary leadership of the ethnic facilitators, and their strategy committees.
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