Cheonan, South Korea
APNTS president returns to Korea Nazarene University
Im, Seung AnThe Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary Board of Trustees announced current APNTS President Im, Seung An was elected the seventh president of Korea Nazarene University. He assumed the new role on February 16.
Effective February 17, APNTS Board of Trustees Chairman Kafoa Muaror assumed the role of interim president of APNTS. Muaror, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, appointed Shionel Blas Gesite as officer in charge, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the school. These interim assignments will remain in place until the Board of Trustees holds its next meeting in March and the search for a new president is completed.
Im has served KNU in several capacities in the past, including president (2005 to 2012), vice president, director of the University Development Office, dean of the theological seminary, academic dean, director of the Planning Office, chaplain, professor, and lecturer.
The Asia-Pacific Region would like to extend sincere appreciation to Im for his dedicated service to APNTS.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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Manchester, United Kingdom
Conference gathers evangelicals to consider response to Islamic revival
About 50 people from throughout Greater Manchester, UK, participated in the Manchester Centre for the Study of Christianity and Islam’s conference, Evangelical Responses to Islamic Revival, in January to seek a deeper understanding of people of the Muslim faith so they are better able to love and serve them in meaningful ways.
Birthed out of its relationship with Nazarene Theological College-Manchester, where the conference was conducted, the centre is designed to equip people and churches at the grassroots, both within and beyond the Nazarene denomination, to seek out encounters with Muslims in their own communities.
The conference attracted a wide range of participants, from a layperson hosting several Muslim women in her home to local church pastors, theology students, and workers from numerous denominations and nonprofit organizations.
Pastor Kirsten Jeffery, on staff at Longsight Church of the Nazarene, said she attended the conference because “we have a large community of Muslims around us, but we don’t have very much contact with them at all.” She hoped she could learn to equip the church to better reach out to their neighbours. She said the networking proved valuable for her work going forward.
Martin Accad, director for the Institute for Middle Eastern Studies in Beirut, Lebanon, offered the perspective of an Arab Christian on the conflicts in the Middle East. He asked those in the West to be aware of the history and geopolitical situation in their attitudes and actions, because these actions affect — sometimes negatively — the Church there.
“It’s amazing; I’m learning so much," said Graham Dow, a retired Anglican leader. "The quality of the speakers is incredibly high quality… To build up a network of people of this quality is staggering.”
Dow said the “measured” presentations by the speakers "challenged" some of his views and taught him a deeper understanding of Islam and the people who adhere to that faith.
“The message of the conference is that there are hundreds and thousands of Muslims searching for God,” he said.
Planning for the conference began several years ago against the backdrop of the Arab Spring and the growing Syrian refugee crisis, the expulsion of Middle Eastern Christians, and the spread of fundamentalist religious ideology. The conference wrestled with theological issues, as well as the context of Islam in Great Britain and beyond, and considered the role of believers from a Muslim background in the Church. In fact, the objective was to bring together experts and practitioners to explore theological issues, as well as the context of Islam in the UK and beyond.
Speakers included respected Christian names in the field such as Martin Accad, director of the Institute for Middle East Studies in Beirut; Salim Munayer, director of Musalaha, who lives in Jerusalem and is working for reconciliation in the Middle East; Michael Lodahl, professor of theology and world religions at Point Loma Nazarene University and author of Claiming Abraham: Reading the Bible and Qur’an Side by Side; Greg Livingstone, founder and former director of Frontiers International Mission Society, and Philip Lewis, retired lecturer in peace studies at Bradford University and interfaith adviser to successive Bishops of Bradford, and founder of Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity, and others.
The presentations and seminars covered numerous areas, such as reconciliation between faith groups; the distinctions between different sects, tribes, and major branches of Islam; how to dialogue with Muslims about faith; whether to utilize the Qur’an when talking with Muslims about faith; understanding Israel and Palestine today, and the refugee crisis and the Church.
NTC-Manchester founded the center in 2014 under the directorship of Dwight Swanson, a senior lecturer in biblical studies for nearly 20 years, and Canon Phil Rawlings, the Church of England’s interfaith officer in Oldham, UK. Rawlings is completing doctoral studies in the area of Christian engagement with Islam and has a longstanding interest in caring for Muslim neighbours as an inner-city minister.
The centre develops specialist classes and programmes to more firmly and deeply root Christians in the tenets of their biblical faith while at the same time preparing them for participating in informed, respectful, and loving dialogue with Muslims.
MCSCI is available to Nazarenes on the Eurasia Region and globally who would seek out learning, dialogue, and equipping for interaction with their Muslim neighbors. For more information or to listen to audio recordings of the conference keynote speakers, visit mcsci.org.uk.[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
Manchester, United Kingdom
Conference gathers evangelicals to consider response to Islamic revival
About 50 people from throughout Greater Manchester, UK, participated in the Manchester Centre for the Study of Christianity and Islam’s conference, Evangelical Responses to Islamic Revival, in January to seek a deeper understanding of people of the Muslim faith so they are better able to love and serve them in meaningful ways.
Birthed out of its relationship with Nazarene Theological College-Manchester, where the conference was conducted, the centre is designed to equip people and churches at the grassroots, both within and beyond the Nazarene denomination, to seek out encounters with Muslims in their own communities.
The conference attracted a wide range of participants, from a layperson hosting several Muslim women in her home to local church pastors, theology students, and workers from numerous denominations and nonprofit organizations.
Pastor Kirsten Jeffery, on staff at Longsight Church of the Nazarene, said she attended the conference because “we have a large community of Muslims around us, but we don’t have very much contact with them at all.” She hoped she could learn to equip the church to better reach out to their neighbours. She said the networking proved valuable for her work going forward.
Martin Accad, director for the Institute for Middle Eastern Studies in Beirut, Lebanon, offered the perspective of an Arab Christian on the conflicts in the Middle East. He asked those in the West to be aware of the history and geopolitical situation in their attitudes and actions, because these actions affect — sometimes negatively — the Church there.
“It’s amazing; I’m learning so much," said Graham Dow, a retired Anglican leader. "The quality of the speakers is incredibly high quality… To build up a network of people of this quality is staggering.”
Dow said the “measured” presentations by the speakers "challenged" some of his views and taught him a deeper understanding of Islam and the people who adhere to that faith.
“The message of the conference is that there are hundreds and thousands of Muslims searching for God,” he said.
Planning for the conference began several years ago against the backdrop of the Arab Spring and the growing Syrian refugee crisis, the expulsion of Middle Eastern Christians, and the spread of fundamentalist religious ideology. The conference wrestled with theological issues, as well as the context of Islam in Great Britain and beyond, and considered the role of believers from a Muslim background in the Church. In fact, the objective was to bring together experts and practitioners to explore theological issues, as well as the context of Islam in the UK and beyond.
Speakers included respected Christian names in the field such as Martin Accad, director of the Institute for Middle East Studies in Beirut; Salim Munayer, director of Musalaha, who lives in Jerusalem and is working for reconciliation in the Middle East; Michael Lodahl, professor of theology and world religions at Point Loma Nazarene University and author of Claiming Abraham: Reading the Bible and Qur’an Side by Side; Greg Livingstone, founder and former director of Frontiers International Mission Society, and Philip Lewis, retired lecturer in peace studies at Bradford University and interfaith adviser to successive Bishops of Bradford, and founder of Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity, and others.
The presentations and seminars covered numerous areas, such as reconciliation between faith groups; the distinctions between different sects, tribes, and major branches of Islam; how to dialogue with Muslims about faith; whether to utilize the Qur’an when talking with Muslims about faith; understanding Israel and Palestine today, and the refugee crisis and the Church.
NTC-Manchester founded the center in 2014 under the directorship of Dwight Swanson, a senior lecturer in biblical studies for nearly 20 years, and Canon Phil Rawlings, the Church of England’s interfaith officer in Oldham, UK. Rawlings is completing doctoral studies in the area of Christian engagement with Islam and has a longstanding interest in caring for Muslim neighbours as an inner-city minister.
The centre develops specialist classes and programmes to more firmly and deeply root Christians in the tenets of their biblical faith while at the same time preparing them for participating in informed, respectful, and loving dialogue with Muslims.
MCSCI is available to Nazarenes on the Eurasia Region and globally who would seek out learning, dialogue, and equipping for interaction with their Muslim neighbors. For more information or to listen to audio recordings of the conference keynote speakers, visit mcsci.org.uk.[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
Read more
Jordan, Eurasia Region
Jordan churches welcome refugees
Nazarene churches in Jordan have been providing a place for refugees to receive love, respect, and service for the last four years.
In fact, those three words are what the entire ministry is based on, according to Pastor Khalil, who serves a Nazarene congregation in Amman, Jordan.
Many of the refugees who arrive have already endured bombings, violence, or persecution. They arrive exhausted and fearful.
“We are here," Khalil said. "We want to build the bridges, by love.”
More than 11 million people have been forced from their homes in Syria since a civil war broke out in the spring of 2011. Approximately 6.5 million people are displaced within the country, and another 4.5 million have fled to other countries as refugees. Most of those who fled are living in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Lebanon.
Many of the children who have been displaced have gone years without any sort of formal education. Ten-year-old Yana (not her real name) arrived in Jordan with her family after their house in Syria was threatened by airstrikes.
“When I left Syria, I felt a wound in my heart,” she said. “I left it because we had no choice. Otherwise, I would have stayed in it, because it is my country and it will always be.”
For a year, Yana continually asked her mother when she might be able to go to school. In Syria she could not read or write, and she hadn’t learned to speak English. Through a relative, they found a Nazarene school that provided scholarships and education for children living as refugees. Now, Yana not only feels safe, she also dreams of becoming a teacher or principal herself.
“When I entered the Nazarene school in Amman, I learned a lot of things,” Yana said. “I finally felt that I was in a safe environment.”
Schools like Yana’s are one part of how the Nazarene churches in Jordan have been ministering to refugee families for the past few years since refugee families began coming into their communities. The church provides food, blankets, medicine, and other basics. So far, they have helped more than 4,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq.
“The church here has been very good to us,” said a refugee named Sabha, a single mother with five children. “The situation is not easy. I am in need of money for the children, for their school. I haven’t even bought them clothes. Then, there is the rent, electricity and water to pay. … At least we feel safe, and we can sleep with ease now.”
Syrians are not always welcomed by the rest of the Jordanian population who feel refugees might endanger scarce jobs and other resources. But that doesn’t stop local Nazarene churches.
“You know, we have to change our perspective, our thinking — how we are thinking of these people,” Khalil said. “We don’t want to reject them, because as a Middle East people this is our chance to receive them. They are coming to our church. We need to support them, because, supporting, this is Jesus’ ministry. When He fed the 5,000, He couldn’t send them back to their homes with nothing.”
When refugees arrive in Lebanon or Jordan, they typically come with little more than what they are wearing. Most live in tents and inadequate shelters in their new country.
“We cannot be silent as a church," said Pastor Zaki, who serves a local Nazarene church in Amman. "When we see people come from their countries with nothing, literally with nothing, only their clothes, we have to do something, as a church, to share with them what we have and to share with them also, the love of our God.”
The refugees in Jordan have all fled their homeland because of violence or persecution. They crave safety, a hopeful future, and dignity.
“I want my kids to do well in school,” Sabha said. “I wish not to have troubles and for my kids to remain safe."
Nazarene churches in Jordan have been working to develop additional ways to provide basic needs, as well as supplies for the future. They point back to the Bible when they speak of their ministry to refugees.
“If you read Matthew 25, Jesus, he said … ‘When I am hungry, you feed me.' This Scripture really touched our hearts. And when we started to serve the refugees, we felt we are feeding Jesus himself,” Khalil said.
Through education, food provision, housing assistance, and more, Nazarene congregations in Jordan are responding to the needs of refugees. Through love, respect, and service, the church is offering hope for the future and a glimpse of God’s love.
To learn more about the Church of the Nazarene’s refugee response, visit ncm.org/refugees.
How to help
Pray
Pray for wisdom for church leaders in Europe and the Middle East as they minister to refugee families in Jesus’ name. Pray for peace for children and adults who have been traumatized. Pray for health for families who are sleeping outside or in inadequate shelters in the cold and rain. Pray for the presence of God to be felt and a spirit of peace to reign in the midst of crisis.
Give
Churches and individuals around the world can support efforts to minister to refugee families by giving to the NCM Refugee Support Fund. Donations will be used to provide both immediate relief aid and long-term resettlement assistance. To send donations by mail:
In the U.S., make checks payable to "General Treasurer" and send them to:
Global Treasury Services
Church of the Nazarene
P.O. Box 843116
Kansas City, Missouri 64184-3116, United States
Be sure to put 125347 in the Memo area.
In Canada, make checks payable to "Church of the Nazarene Canada" and send them to:
Church of the Nazarene Canada
20 Regan Road, Unit 9
Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3, Canada
Be sure to put 125347 in the Memo area.
In Germany, donate through Helping Hands e.V., IBAN: DE56 5075 0094 0000 022394, SWIFT-BIC: HELADEF1GEL.
For any other country, give through your local church or district, designating your gift to the NCM Refugee and Immigrant Support Fund.[Nazarene Compassionate Ministries]
Jordan, Eurasia Region
Jordan churches welcome refugees
Nazarene churches in Jordan have been providing a place for refugees to receive love, respect, and service for the last four years.
In fact, those three words are what the entire ministry is based on, according to Pastor Khalil, who serves a Nazarene congregation in Amman, Jordan.
Many of the refugees who arrive have already endured bombings, violence, or persecution. They arrive exhausted and fearful.
“We are here," Khalil said. "We want to build the bridges, by love.”
More than 11 million people have been forced from their homes in Syria since a civil war broke out in the spring of 2011. Approximately 6.5 million people are displaced within the country, and another 4.5 million have fled to other countries as refugees. Most of those who fled are living in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Lebanon.
Many of the children who have been displaced have gone years without any sort of formal education. Ten-year-old Yana (not her real name) arrived in Jordan with her family after their house in Syria was threatened by airstrikes.
“When I left Syria, I felt a wound in my heart,” she said. “I left it because we had no choice. Otherwise, I would have stayed in it, because it is my country and it will always be.”
For a year, Yana continually asked her mother when she might be able to go to school. In Syria she could not read or write, and she hadn’t learned to speak English. Through a relative, they found a Nazarene school that provided scholarships and education for children living as refugees. Now, Yana not only feels safe, she also dreams of becoming a teacher or principal herself.
“When I entered the Nazarene school in Amman, I learned a lot of things,” Yana said. “I finally felt that I was in a safe environment.”
Schools like Yana’s are one part of how the Nazarene churches in Jordan have been ministering to refugee families for the past few years since refugee families began coming into their communities. The church provides food, blankets, medicine, and other basics. So far, they have helped more than 4,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq.
“The church here has been very good to us,” said a refugee named Sabha, a single mother with five children. “The situation is not easy. I am in need of money for the children, for their school. I haven’t even bought them clothes. Then, there is the rent, electricity and water to pay. … At least we feel safe, and we can sleep with ease now.”
Syrians are not always welcomed by the rest of the Jordanian population who feel refugees might endanger scarce jobs and other resources. But that doesn’t stop local Nazarene churches.
“You know, we have to change our perspective, our thinking — how we are thinking of these people,” Khalil said. “We don’t want to reject them, because as a Middle East people this is our chance to receive them. They are coming to our church. We need to support them, because, supporting, this is Jesus’ ministry. When He fed the 5,000, He couldn’t send them back to their homes with nothing.”
When refugees arrive in Lebanon or Jordan, they typically come with little more than what they are wearing. Most live in tents and inadequate shelters in their new country.
“We cannot be silent as a church," said Pastor Zaki, who serves a local Nazarene church in Amman. "When we see people come from their countries with nothing, literally with nothing, only their clothes, we have to do something, as a church, to share with them what we have and to share with them also, the love of our God.”
The refugees in Jordan have all fled their homeland because of violence or persecution. They crave safety, a hopeful future, and dignity.
“I want my kids to do well in school,” Sabha said. “I wish not to have troubles and for my kids to remain safe."
Nazarene churches in Jordan have been working to develop additional ways to provide basic needs, as well as supplies for the future. They point back to the Bible when they speak of their ministry to refugees.
“If you read Matthew 25, Jesus, he said … ‘When I am hungry, you feed me.' This Scripture really touched our hearts. And when we started to serve the refugees, we felt we are feeding Jesus himself,” Khalil said.
Through education, food provision, housing assistance, and more, Nazarene congregations in Jordan are responding to the needs of refugees. Through love, respect, and service, the church is offering hope for the future and a glimpse of God’s love.
To learn more about the Church of the Nazarene’s refugee response, visit ncm.org/refugees.
Pray
Pray for wisdom for church leaders in Europe and the Middle East as they minister to refugee families in Jesus’ name. Pray for peace for children and adults who have been traumatized. Pray for health for families who are sleeping outside or in inadequate shelters in the cold and rain. Pray for the presence of God to be felt and a spirit of peace to reign in the midst of crisis.
Give
Churches and individuals around the world can support efforts to minister to refugee families by giving to the NCM Refugee Support Fund. Donations will be used to provide both immediate relief aid and long-term resettlement assistance. To send donations by mail:
In the U.S., make checks payable to "General Treasurer" and send them to:
Global Treasury Services
Church of the Nazarene
P.O. Box 843116
Kansas City, Missouri 64184-3116, United States
Be sure to put 125347 in the Memo area.
In Canada, make checks payable to "Church of the Nazarene Canada" and send them to:
Church of the Nazarene Canada
20 Regan Road, Unit 9
Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3, Canada
Be sure to put 125347 in the Memo area.
In Germany, donate through Helping Hands e.V., IBAN: DE56 5075 0094 0000 022394, SWIFT-BIC: HELADEF1GEL.
For any other country, give through your local church or district, designating your gift to the NCM Refugee and Immigrant Support Fund.[Nazarene Compassionate Ministries]
Read moreRed Oak, Texas
Texas churches rebuild, lean on each other after tornado
Pastor Ron Adams stands inside Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene (The Dallas Morning News photo).Kevin Taylor doesn’t like going to his church too often these days.
“Every time I see it, I say, ‘Wow, wow, wow,’” he said.
Only the frame remains of Harvest of Praise Ministry, the church Taylor and his wife, Debra, founded a few years ago. It was one of two churches either destroyed or heavily damaged when a tornado struck the Glenn Heights area the night of December 26.
The other is Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene, which is in Red Oak but almost within sight of Taylor’s church in Glenn Heights. Donald T. Shields Elementary, which suffered heavy damage, lies between them.
“There was no mourning,” Pastor Ron Adams said. “We just jumped straight into the repair.”
Adams’ church is in better shape than Taylor’s. The sanctuary at the Church of the Nazarene was destroyed, but much of the rest of the structure remains and is fixable, Adams said.
The pastors have leaned on each other — as well as other nearby churches — to move on.
Adams and Taylor had worked together before the storm and are even closer now, they said.
“He checked in on us that night,” Adams said of Taylor. “We stayed in communication and resolved to be in unity.
“Just to see the denominational walls come down has been special. Jesus said to Peter, ‘I am going to build my church.’ He didn’t say ‘churches,’ but we as people have come along and built divisions. Not anymore.”
Eventually, the sanctuary of Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene will be rebuilt in a different part of the church and will face Ovilla Road. The space that once was the sanctuary will be home to three classrooms and a playground.
“It can’t happen fast enough,” said Adams, who also is a member of the Glenn Heights City Council. “I’m itching to see it go up again.”
Until that happens, both ministers are hosting services at temporary locations — in nearby church space.
“You hate to see this happen, but everybody is optimistic and looking forward to the new sanctuary,” said Taylor, whose congregation includes about 200 members.
Until the new facility is built on the same site as the old one, Taylor’s church meets in the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church in Red Oak. The cost of rebuilding has been estimated at $700,000 to $1 million, Taylor said.
“I’m so encouraged by what we are getting ready to do,” Taylor said.
Adams’ cost estimate has been tagged at about $750,000, he said. In the meantime, his 110-member congregation meets at Ovilla United Methodist Church’s historic chapel, which was built in the 1880s.
Both churches were covered by insurance.
Glenn Heights officials estimate the tornado left an estimated $10 million in residential damage, communications director Millicent Williams said.
Many homes have been reduced to slabs, but others still have debris in front of them because their owners still haven’t been found, Williams said.
Aid was slow in coming to the city of 13,000 because few people had heard of it, Williams said.
“We’ve been called ‘that area just to the north of Midlothian’ or ‘north of Ovilla’ or, ‘That’s Red Oak,’” Williams said. “Once people knew about us and realized we were an actual city, then help was forthcoming and there were fewer barriers.”
In addition, 14 residents were extracted from structures but no one was hurt, Williams said.
Taylor was in the church when the storm hit, getting some tables to donate to a function. His wife sat outside in a truck parked near the front entrance.
“There was thunder and lightning when I got here, but no rain,” Taylor said. “I went inside, turned the alarm off, and started hearing a sound like dirt being thrown against something. Then the doors started moving inward and twisting.”
Taylor remembered shouting to his wife: “Stay in the truck, stay in the truck!”
He used one of the tables to shield himself and got down on his knees and crawled toward the sanctuary and the other end of the building, where he figured he’d be safer, he said.
“I thought I had made it down the hallway, but once it was over, I saw that I had only crawled a couple of feet,” he said.
Although steel beams and other pieces of the church fell in around him, Taylor wasn’t pinned. But on the other side of the church, where he thought he would be safest, the walls had completely crumbled inward.
His wife was jostled in the truck but wasn’t hurt, Taylor said.
“It was so dark that you really couldn’t see anything until the next morning,” Taylor said. “When I finally saw it, I thought, ‘How did I come out of this?’”
Adams and his wife were at a Mavericks game the night the storm hit, but they left as soon as their phones were barraged by text messages.
“The sanctuary has fallen,” one said.[Republished with permission from The Dallas Morning News]
Texas churches rebuild, lean on each other after tornado
Pastor Ron Adams stands inside Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene (The Dallas Morning News photo).Kevin Taylor doesn’t like going to his church too often these days.
“Every time I see it, I say, ‘Wow, wow, wow,’” he said.
Only the frame remains of Harvest of Praise Ministry, the church Taylor and his wife, Debra, founded a few years ago. It was one of two churches either destroyed or heavily damaged when a tornado struck the Glenn Heights area the night of December 26.
The other is Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene, which is in Red Oak but almost within sight of Taylor’s church in Glenn Heights. Donald T. Shields Elementary, which suffered heavy damage, lies between them.
“There was no mourning,” Pastor Ron Adams said. “We just jumped straight into the repair.”
Adams’ church is in better shape than Taylor’s. The sanctuary at the Church of the Nazarene was destroyed, but much of the rest of the structure remains and is fixable, Adams said.
The pastors have leaned on each other — as well as other nearby churches — to move on.
Adams and Taylor had worked together before the storm and are even closer now, they said.
“He checked in on us that night,” Adams said of Taylor. “We stayed in communication and resolved to be in unity.
“Just to see the denominational walls come down has been special. Jesus said to Peter, ‘I am going to build my church.’ He didn’t say ‘churches,’ but we as people have come along and built divisions. Not anymore.”
Eventually, the sanctuary of Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene will be rebuilt in a different part of the church and will face Ovilla Road. The space that once was the sanctuary will be home to three classrooms and a playground.
“It can’t happen fast enough,” said Adams, who also is a member of the Glenn Heights City Council. “I’m itching to see it go up again.”
Until that happens, both ministers are hosting services at temporary locations — in nearby church space.
“You hate to see this happen, but everybody is optimistic and looking forward to the new sanctuary,” said Taylor, whose congregation includes about 200 members.
Until the new facility is built on the same site as the old one, Taylor’s church meets in the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church in Red Oak. The cost of rebuilding has been estimated at $700,000 to $1 million, Taylor said.
“I’m so encouraged by what we are getting ready to do,” Taylor said.
Adams’ cost estimate has been tagged at about $750,000, he said. In the meantime, his 110-member congregation meets at Ovilla United Methodist Church’s historic chapel, which was built in the 1880s.
Both churches were covered by insurance.
Glenn Heights officials estimate the tornado left an estimated $10 million in residential damage, communications director Millicent Williams said.
Many homes have been reduced to slabs, but others still have debris in front of them because their owners still haven’t been found, Williams said.
Aid was slow in coming to the city of 13,000 because few people had heard of it, Williams said.
“We’ve been called ‘that area just to the north of Midlothian’ or ‘north of Ovilla’ or, ‘That’s Red Oak,’” Williams said. “Once people knew about us and realized we were an actual city, then help was forthcoming and there were fewer barriers.”
In addition, 14 residents were extracted from structures but no one was hurt, Williams said.
Taylor was in the church when the storm hit, getting some tables to donate to a function. His wife sat outside in a truck parked near the front entrance.
“There was thunder and lightning when I got here, but no rain,” Taylor said. “I went inside, turned the alarm off, and started hearing a sound like dirt being thrown against something. Then the doors started moving inward and twisting.”
Taylor remembered shouting to his wife: “Stay in the truck, stay in the truck!”
He used one of the tables to shield himself and got down on his knees and crawled toward the sanctuary and the other end of the building, where he figured he’d be safer, he said.
“I thought I had made it down the hallway, but once it was over, I saw that I had only crawled a couple of feet,” he said.
Although steel beams and other pieces of the church fell in around him, Taylor wasn’t pinned. But on the other side of the church, where he thought he would be safest, the walls had completely crumbled inward.
His wife was jostled in the truck but wasn’t hurt, Taylor said.
“It was so dark that you really couldn’t see anything until the next morning,” Taylor said. “When I finally saw it, I thought, ‘How did I come out of this?’”
Adams and his wife were at a Mavericks game the night the storm hit, but they left as soon as their phones were barraged by text messages.
“The sanctuary has fallen,” one said.[Republished with permission from The Dallas Morning News]
Read more
Kansas City, Missouri
NTS Center for Pastoral Leadership hosts first MLK Week
The Nazarene Theological Seminary Center for Pastoral Leadership hosted a series of service projects, worship services, panel discussions, and dialogues the week of January 18 to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and to address issues of race, privilege, and the responsibility of the church. The week was made possible through a grant from the USA/Canada's Region's Multicultural Ministries Office.
Staff and students began the week by serving at a local nonprofit in the Kansas City area on Monday. That night the NTS community also joined the city-wide celebration honoring King at Metropolitan Baptist Church.
Wallace Hartsfield, associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Central Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of KC Metropolitan Baptist Church, preached in a special chapel service Tuesday, January 19, at NTS to honor King. Hartsfield’s message was centered around the themes “Our greatest attribute is our diversity," "Our greatest advantage is our unity," and "Our greatest attainment is our humanity.” A diverse group of pastors from across the metro area also participated in the service, sharing Scriptures and prayers of lament, healing, and hope.
“In addition to services honoring Dr. King, we also wanted this week to be a time when we could create space for honest dialogue about race and social justice," said Dana Preusch, CPL director. "Our panel on Wednesday led us into a very candid conversation about issues of racism and privilege and helped us to begin to think about how we as a church must respond.”
Panelists and workshop leaders included Wallace Hartsfield (Central Baptist Theological Seminary), Angela Sims (St. Paul School of Theology), Charles Tillman (Richmond, Virginia, Woodville Church of the Nazarene), Montague Williams (Eastern Nazarene College), Brandon Winstead (Killearn United Methodist Church, Florida), and Deth Im (People Improving Communities Through Organizing).
Many of the panelists noted that they had no choice in engaging race, as it extends from their personhood and social situation. Sims said conversation alone does not work in truth and reconciliation, noting that if we do not speak truth in the midst of privilege, we cannot embrace reconciliation. Williams noted it is important to remember that words matter, and that when it comes to race, truth is caught up in the narrative that often includes painful stories of exclusion.
Hartsfield challenged the idea of truth and reconciliation, stating that needed to define “whose truth” and "whose reconciliation." Hartsfield noted “objective truth” often actually assumes a Western European perspective rather than including the perspectives and realities of people of color. If we are talking about this country, he said, there is no time when African Americans have been constituted as full participants — full human beings.
Charles Tillman noted that for black pastors to fully participate in the life of the church, there has to be a platform for real respect and understanding. Winstead noted that we need to have conversations around power, history, and money if we really want to challenge congregants to address the “nitty gritty” stuff that shapes congregational life.
Deth Im, serving as moderator, asked panelists to help those in attendance begin to think about how the church needs to respond. Hartsfield noted that in order to properly address and find the truth, we have to begin with people that have never had an opportunity to be full participants. He explained conciliation is the primary task, the hard work.
On Thursday, January 20, Williams, Winstead, and Tillman led a lunch dialogue with local youth pastors, continuing the conversation around racism and youth ministry specifically. Ministers were challenged to avoid thinking of race as an “addendum” to their regular curriculum and plan, but rather see it as something that is a part of all they do. Later that evening, a similar group gathered back at the seminary to watch the documentary “We are Superman: The Transformation of 31st and Troost.” Chuck Sailors, former director of the Kansas City Urban Youth Center (which was located at 39th and Troost), led a dialogue after the showing.
“The conversations that we had this week are important,” said Jesse C. Middendorf, CPL executive director. “We plan to make this an annual event; however, I think we were all challenged to see that conversation is not enough. May God give us the courage to do the hard work that needs to be done in order that our churches might reflect the kingdom of God more fully.”
Sessions from the week were recorded and will be able on the CPL website. Click here to find out how to become a member, giving you access to a wide variety of ministerial resources.
Click here to download Theology To Go, a take-home journal of resources written by several of the week’s participants and others. This year's Tom Nees Social Justice Award winning paper was written by NTS student Tim Hahn and is included in the journal. Hahn presented his paper, “Lest We Forget Thine Agony: Racial Reconciliation, Memory, and the Wounds of Christ,” to the NTS community.[Nazarene Theological Seminary]
Kansas City, Missouri
NTS Center for Pastoral Leadership hosts first MLK Week
The Nazarene Theological Seminary Center for Pastoral Leadership hosted a series of service projects, worship services, panel discussions, and dialogues the week of January 18 to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and to address issues of race, privilege, and the responsibility of the church. The week was made possible through a grant from the USA/Canada's Region's Multicultural Ministries Office.
Staff and students began the week by serving at a local nonprofit in the Kansas City area on Monday. That night the NTS community also joined the city-wide celebration honoring King at Metropolitan Baptist Church.
Wallace Hartsfield, associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Central Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of KC Metropolitan Baptist Church, preached in a special chapel service Tuesday, January 19, at NTS to honor King. Hartsfield’s message was centered around the themes “Our greatest attribute is our diversity," "Our greatest advantage is our unity," and "Our greatest attainment is our humanity.” A diverse group of pastors from across the metro area also participated in the service, sharing Scriptures and prayers of lament, healing, and hope.
“In addition to services honoring Dr. King, we also wanted this week to be a time when we could create space for honest dialogue about race and social justice," said Dana Preusch, CPL director. "Our panel on Wednesday led us into a very candid conversation about issues of racism and privilege and helped us to begin to think about how we as a church must respond.”
Panelists and workshop leaders included Wallace Hartsfield (Central Baptist Theological Seminary), Angela Sims (St. Paul School of Theology), Charles Tillman (Richmond, Virginia, Woodville Church of the Nazarene), Montague Williams (Eastern Nazarene College), Brandon Winstead (Killearn United Methodist Church, Florida), and Deth Im (People Improving Communities Through Organizing).
Many of the panelists noted that they had no choice in engaging race, as it extends from their personhood and social situation. Sims said conversation alone does not work in truth and reconciliation, noting that if we do not speak truth in the midst of privilege, we cannot embrace reconciliation. Williams noted it is important to remember that words matter, and that when it comes to race, truth is caught up in the narrative that often includes painful stories of exclusion.
Hartsfield challenged the idea of truth and reconciliation, stating that needed to define “whose truth” and "whose reconciliation." Hartsfield noted “objective truth” often actually assumes a Western European perspective rather than including the perspectives and realities of people of color. If we are talking about this country, he said, there is no time when African Americans have been constituted as full participants — full human beings.
Charles Tillman noted that for black pastors to fully participate in the life of the church, there has to be a platform for real respect and understanding. Winstead noted that we need to have conversations around power, history, and money if we really want to challenge congregants to address the “nitty gritty” stuff that shapes congregational life.
Deth Im, serving as moderator, asked panelists to help those in attendance begin to think about how the church needs to respond. Hartsfield noted that in order to properly address and find the truth, we have to begin with people that have never had an opportunity to be full participants. He explained conciliation is the primary task, the hard work.
On Thursday, January 20, Williams, Winstead, and Tillman led a lunch dialogue with local youth pastors, continuing the conversation around racism and youth ministry specifically. Ministers were challenged to avoid thinking of race as an “addendum” to their regular curriculum and plan, but rather see it as something that is a part of all they do. Later that evening, a similar group gathered back at the seminary to watch the documentary “We are Superman: The Transformation of 31st and Troost.” Chuck Sailors, former director of the Kansas City Urban Youth Center (which was located at 39th and Troost), led a dialogue after the showing.
“The conversations that we had this week are important,” said Jesse C. Middendorf, CPL executive director. “We plan to make this an annual event; however, I think we were all challenged to see that conversation is not enough. May God give us the courage to do the hard work that needs to be done in order that our churches might reflect the kingdom of God more fully.”
Sessions from the week were recorded and will be able on the CPL website. Click here to find out how to become a member, giving you access to a wide variety of ministerial resources.
Click here to download Theology To Go, a take-home journal of resources written by several of the week’s participants and others. This year's Tom Nees Social Justice Award winning paper was written by NTS student Tim Hahn and is included in the journal. Hahn presented his paper, “Lest We Forget Thine Agony: Racial Reconciliation, Memory, and the Wounds of Christ,” to the NTS community.[Nazarene Theological Seminary]
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The Marion Star photo
Ohio church members offer kisses to community
Marion, Ohio
(The Marion Star, February 11) If somebody comes up and plants a Hershey's kiss, or a whole pack of kisses, on you this week, don't be surprised. It's probably just a member of the congregation of Marion First Church of the Nazarene.
The church is in the midst of its Kiss Marion project, which, according to Outreach and Young Adult Pastor Gregg Parkman, is intended to express the love of God in a practical fashion to residents of Marion County. Kiss Marion is part of a larger church outreach called So Random, which started in 2015.
"We actually do it twice a year," Parkman said. "The first one typically happens in February, with the theme being Kiss Marion. We do a second one in May when we distribute Coca-Cola all throughout Marion. It's called Coke and a Smile Day. We just go out and bless people with a can of Coke and follow up with a random act of kindness."
For the rest of the story, click here.
Toler Brothers to debut new album
Bethany, Oklahoma(NewsOK, February 13) The Toler Brothers will debut their new album "West Virginia Live" at a concert set for 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 3100 N Rockwell.
The public is invited to attend the free event hosted by the Rev. Jim Hill and Calvary Church.
Raised in one of the poorest counties in America, the Toler Brothers — Stan, Terry, and Mark — didn't have a radio in their West Virginia home. Their entertainment was singing around an old upright piano in the living room.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Stories to share? Send them to news@nazarene.org.[Compiled by NCN News]
Auckland, New Zealand
New Zealand pastor passes away
The New Zealand District and the Asia-Pacific Region are grieving the sudden death of Pastor Vipul Kharat January 24. He was on holiday in his hometown of Buldana, India, when he suffered severe back pain. His brother, Moses, a medical doctor, rushed him to the hospital, but Vipul suffered a second heart attack and passed away almost instantly. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and his 12-year-old son, Sameer.
Born on 30 November 1963 in Buldhana, Vipul was a third generation Nazarene. His grandfather, Waman H. Kharat, was ordained by former General Superintendent J. B. Chapman in November 1937, becoming one of the first ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene in India. Vipul was a younger son of former District Superintendent and Bible Training School principal D. M. and Vishranti Kharat.
Vipul has pastored All Nations Church of the Nazarene in Auckland, New Zealand, for the past 23 years. When he arrived as a newly married 28-year-old pastor, it was a small, elderly, mostly caucasian congregation. During the years that followed, the church was transformed into a vibrant, multicultural congregation, which in turn has given birth to several other language-driven congregations.
Pastor Vipul was a dynamic preacher with a great love for people. He touched the lives of all classes of society, from homeless people to scientists with PhDs. He was in demand as a speaker and teacher, especially in the area of contextualisation and how to reach people of other faiths with the transforming grace of God. Vipul was a graduate of the Nazarene Theological College in Brisbane, Australia.
The All Nations church will be open for viewing January 29 from 11 a.m., followed by a family service at 7 p.m. The funeral service will be at 1 p.m. January 30 at Life Church, 60 Rockfield Road, Penrose. After the service, there will be tea and light refreshments.
Prayer is requested for the Kharat family, the All Nations church family, and all of those impacted by Vipul’s sudden passing.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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Sun Lakes, Arizona
Gene Fuller remembered
Curtis "Gene" Fuller, retired pastor, evangelist, and district superintendent, passed away January 27. He was 84.
Fuller was born January 30, 1931, in Union Springs, Alabama. He accepted Jesus as his personal savior at a holiness camp when he was 14 and began preaching at 16 on the circuit of churches in southern Alabama. He had a radio show in Alabama at age 17 where he preached the gospel on the air.
He later attended Kletzing College in Iowa where he met his wife, Evelyn Schultz. They married on August 7, 1952, just before he transferred to Olivet Nazarene College ( now University) in Illinois for his last two years of college.
On May 19, 1985, Southern Nazarene University honored him with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
Fuller was ordained in the Church of the Nazarene in 1952. He and his wife, Evelyn, served the denomination for more than 64 years. Over the years, he organized or helped organize 41 churches and missions. He pastored four churches for a total of 14 years in Streator, Illinois; Pensacola, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama, and Springfield, Illinois and served as district superintendent for Virginia, West Texas, and Central Florida. He was one of the youngest district superintendents ever appointed at age 37 and one of the longest serving at 32 years. When he retired, he served as executive pastoral consultant for his son, Pastor Mark Fuller, at CrossRoads Church of the Nazarene in Arizona and Grove City Church of the Nazarene in Ohio. Gene was also the author of The Hallelujah March, which chronicles the 75 years of the Church of the Nazarene in west Texas.
Gene and Evelyn have two children, Mark, who is married to Sue Fuller and is pastor of Grove City Church of the Nazarene, and Jeanne Mowry, who is married to Jimmy Mowry. In addition, they have five grandchildren: Lindsay Gibson, Courtney Gaston, Kelly Fuller, and Tyler and Travis Mowry, and three great-grandchildren: Ellie and Caleb Gibson and Francis Mowry.
A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. February 6 at Crossroads Church of the Nazarene in Chandler, Arizona.[NCN News submissions]
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Panama, Mesoamerica Region
Missionary kids prepare for culture change at Rendezvous
Nine missionary kids from the Mesoamerica and South America regions met in Panama this month for Rendezvous. A global Church of the Nazarene initiative, Rendezvous helps prepare missionary kids for culture-to-culture transition and navigate leaving their parents’ home to re-enter their passport culture for college or work.
During the five-day event, MKs participate in a variety of challenges, games, group discussions, and worship sessions aimed at helping them discover that despite the shifting cultures around them (Ephesians 4:14-16), their identity and personality is found in Jesus Christ.
The MKs gathered at a ranch on the Caribbean coast of Panama, where group sessions were held in an open-air bohio. The MKs led worship each night while teaching each other songs from their own cultures on the field. Throughout the week, MKs and leaders were able to share their stories, explore their identity and values, talk about moral choices the MKs will face in their upcoming transitions, and discuss topics such as the advantages of being transcultural, healthy ways to handle money, and the realities of culture shock. Each participant was also given a personalized coaching session to explore their strengths based on the Clifton StrengthsFinder.
"Throughout the week, it was evident that there were many who were praying all over the world in real-time and many who had been praying in the days leading up to [Rendezvous]," said Mark Tarrant, Rendezvous coordinator. "God did some real work in the lives of these nine MKs, and we trust and pray that through the ministry of Rendezvous He will continue to do wonderful things in the lives of all our missionary families in the days ahead! The Global Mission Department, the Mesoamerica and South America regions, and the Rendezvous leadership team would like to thank you all for your prayers, and support for this and future Rendezvous events on each of our regions!"
Free time included hiking through the Panamanian jungle to a river where the MKs spent an afternoon swimming, an afternoon at the beach where they were surprised by a cluster of baby tarantulas in the midst of a worship gathering; cooking ‘smores and bamalates (banana, marshmallow, and chocolate treats) around a campfire, and a day of tourist activities in Panama City, and a visit to the Panama Canal.[Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region]
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Tokyo, Japan
Global NYI Council makes historic visit to Japan
For the first time, the Global Nazarene Youth International Council met in Japan for its annual meeting. Regional youth coordinators and staff from the Global NYI Office met January 15 to 19 at the Japan District Office to talk about how the young people of this generation can join God’s mission in making Christlike disciples in the nations.
"It is such a blessing to be a part of a church that has members from all over the world," said Janary Godoy, Asia-Pacific regional youth coordinator.
In addition to meetings in Tokyo, council members visited and preached at various churches in the Kantō area.
Diego Lopez, regional youth coordinator for Eurasia, and Shannon Greene from the Global NYI Office visited Gakuen Church.
Justin Pickard, regional youth coordinator for USA/Canada, and Brooklyn Lindsey, Justice Movement advocate, went to Aobadai Church.
Ronald Miller, regional youth coordinator for Africa, and Erin Knocke from the Global NYI Office went to Koiwa Church.
Milton Gay, regional youth coordinator for Mesoamerica, and Lisa Aparicio from the Global NYI Office went to Sangenjaya Church.
Jimmy de Gouveia, regional youth coordinator for South America, and David Gonzalez, Global NYI chair, went to Shimo-kitazawa church.
Godoy and her husband, Ánderson, went to Oyamadai Church.
On Sunday, Global NYI Director Gary Hartke preached at Meguro Church and Japan NYI District President Shouei Abe Sensei led an NYI rally that afternoon.
"It is so exciting to be with the brothers and sisters on this side of the world and experience the way they worship our Lord Jesus," Godoy said. "We had an amazing fellowship that evening over temaki sushi.
"We are also very grateful for the help of the interpreters that have used their gifts and talents to help share God’s Word and build connections with the people in Japan."[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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MesoamericaFlags of the Nations: Haiti
Flags of the Nations: Haiti
The flag of Haiti features two horizontal bands coloured blue over red, defaced by a white panel bearing the coat of arms. The coat of arms depicts a trophy of weapons ready to defend freedom and a royal palm for independence. The palm is topped by the Cap of Liberty.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: Haiti
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Haiti in 1950.
Haiti had a population of 10,110,019 in 2015. That same year, Haiti reported 665 Churches of the Nazarene, 638 of which had been officially organized. Haiti has 124,182 total members.
Located on the Mesoamerica Region, Haiti has three Phase 3 districts and eight Phase 2 districts. For more information about the Mesoamerica Region, visit mesoamericaregion.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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Bourbonnais, Illinois
Olivet president selected Citizen of the Year
John Bowling has called Bourbonnais and Kankakee County home for 33 consecutive years, and he continues to do so to this day.
There is no shortage of people who are thankful the longtime president of Olivet Nazarene University has chosen to stay put, especially when you consider he has had numerous opportunities to move on.
“John is a nationally recognized figure,'' said Phil Kambic, president and CEO of Riverside Medical Center. “For him to want to live and remain in Kankakee County is a blessing for the area.”
It's a decision Bowling has grappled with several times. In 2005, he was elected to the prestigious position of general superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene. He declined, but when elected again in 2009, he accepted before quickly undergoing a change of heart and rescinding the offer to remain at Olivet.
Those opportunities are well known to the public, and there have been others as well. An international publishing company invited him to pursue its presidency, as have several other universities. He has given at least some consideration to all of them, but always has come to the conclusion that Olivet is the place he should be. The reason is two-fold.
“I have come to realize there is a special quality to leadership in one place over a long period of time,” he said. “The careful growth and development of a university takes time, and I felt that if I would stay at Olivet, I might be able to strengthen the university in ways that could not be done during a shorter term of leadership.”
The other factor that has compelled Bowling to stay is what he has found off campus.
“I also think that it takes time to genuinely become part of one's community,” he said. “My appreciation for the people of the Kankakee area has deepened across the years, and I feel an obligation to do all I can to enrich our shared life.”
Because of Bowling's devotion to Olivet and the community at large, he has been named the Daily Journal Citizen of the Year for 2015. The newspaper has honored top citizens since 2002, and this is the 10th consecutive year it has awarded a Citizen of the Year honor.
The award coincides with a couple of historic landmarks for Olivet. It celebrated the 75th anniversary of its move to Bourbonnais in 2015, and this year marks the 25th year Bowling has been the university president, a job he took after spending eight years as the pastor of the College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais.
At a community celebration held last fall to mark the anniversary of the relocation, Bowling directly addressed an issue which had not been often discussed in the public forum. He spoke of the initial uneasy relationship between Olivet, the fairly new Church of the Nazarene, and its predominately French-Canadian Catholic neighbors in Bourbonnais. He spoke of how the two groups operated independently and basically kept their distance from each other.
Then he spoke of how the barriers dissolved and a strong, thriving relationship has formed, and he continues to speak about it.
“My sense is that the relationship between Olivet and the surrounding communities has never been better, and I am so thankful for the many ways the community enriches the life of the university,” Bowling said. “Over time, we have become good friends and family. Olivet graduates teach in our schools, help run our area businesses, work in our hospitals and social service agencies, and raise families in our various neighborhoods.”
Bowling tends to deflect credit for helping the relationship grow, and is more apt to praise his predecessors as president, Harold Reed and Leslie Parrott Jr.
Those men certainly planted the roots, as Jeff Hammes, president of Peoples Bank of Kankakee County, can attest. At the same time, Bowling has furthered the relationship like no one before him.
Hammes' grandfather, Romy Hammes, was a prominent Catholic businessman in the immediate post-World War II era, and despite the perceived friction between people of his faith and those of the Nazarene faith, he developed a strong relationship with Olivet's leader.
“One of the earliest inroads came when Dr. Reed and my grandfather became good friends,” Hammes said. “Since then, Dr. Bowling has opened the doors wide to the community.”
Hammes points to Olivet's ability to draw the Chicago Bears here as the NFL team has held training camp on the campus since 2002. He refers to community events that take place on the campus, such as the numerous Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra performances. He also points to the outreach efforts of Olivet students, who perform volunteer work for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army.
Bowling also is proud of the outreach, especially since it comes from the segment of the Olivet community he values the most. It's a consistently growing segment, as enrollment has more than doubled during Bowling's tenure and Olivet has set records for enrollment year after year for the past decade or more.
“I genuinely like the many varied aspects of my job, but the students are my primary focus,” he said. “The university exists for students, and they have the potential of making a huge impact in the world.”
The student body holds Bowling in similar esteem.
“It seriously feels like Dr. Bowling is always with students,” said Spencer Allen, a 20-year-old junior from Bourbonnais who is studying electrical engineering. “From seeing him at basketball games and having the whole student section chanting his name until he acknowledges us, to showing up at all the school events, Dr. Bowling's presence is definitely always felt on our campus.”
While Olivet has upheld its strong spiritual commitment over the years, Bowling has even embraced one of the current crazes of modern society.
“I love that Dr. Bowling is always up for a good selfie,” Allen said. “There's so many of them out there, including a whole month dedicated to who could get the best one with him.”
No one exactly knows what will prove popular in the coming years, but Bowling already has set his sights on the future. Olivet's strategic plan is called Vision 2022 and calls for an additional $50 million in campus construction by the time that year has passed.
The expansion would come after Olivet invested $180 million in new construction and renovated buildings throughout the past decade. Those projects have brought two new jewels to the campus, the Hawkins Centennial Chapel, which was completed in 2010, and the Perry Student Life and Recreation Center, which was finished in 2012.
Bowling realizes it will be a challenge to realize the vision, but it's not like he hasn't conquered challenges before. Ten years ago, he climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
“That is a mountain of a different kind,” Bowling said of Vision 2022. “But should be just as exhilarating and rewarding.”[Olivet Nazarene University via The Kankakee Daily Journal]
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In Memoriam: January 29, 2016
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 January 25-29, 2016.
Roy Berkley Jr., 77, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passed away January 25. He was a retired minister, serving in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. He is survived by his wife, Carol Berkley.
Miriam Coleman, 87, of West Columbia, South Carolina, passed away January 26. She was a retired minister, serving in Georgia. She was preceded in death by her husband, retired minister Frank Coleman, who served in Ohio and Georgia. Frank Coleman passed away in 2007.
Rosa Galvez, 90, of San Diego, California, passed away January 10. She was the wife of retired minister Jaime Galvez, who served in Hawaii.
John Flowers, 96, of Boring, Oregon, passed away January 22. He was a retired minister, serving in Oklahoma, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. He is survived by his wife, DeLoris Flowers.
Curtis "Gene" Fuller, 84, of Sun Lakes, Arizona, passed away January 27. He was a retired minister, evangelist, and district superintendent, serving in Iowa, Illinois, Florida, and Alabama and leading the Virginia, West Texas, and Central Florida districts. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Fuller. (story)
James "Jim" Kester, 80, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away January 23. He was a retired minister, serving in Kentucky and West Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Mary "Kathleen" (Nutter) Kester.
Vipul Kharat, 52, of Auckland, New Zealand, passed away January 24. He was a minister, serving at All Nations Church of the Nazarene. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne. (story)
Douglas McAdams, 84, of West Liberty, Ohio, passed away January 20. He was a retired minister, serving in Ohio. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary McAdams, and is survived by his wife, Judith (Andrews) McAdams.
Allan Miller Sr., 90, of Camas, Washington, passed away January 21. He was a retired minister, serving in Oregon. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Miller.
Lewis Swope, 96, of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away January 22. He was a retired minister, serving in Michigan and Indiana. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lena Swope, in 2011.
Gerald Van Tine, 80, of Canton, Illinois, passed away January 22. He was a minister, previously serving in Illinois. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Van Tine.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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Global praise reports and prayer requests
Global praise reports and prayer requests
Recent praise reports and prayer requests from NCN News, Nazarene Missions International, and JESUS Film Harvest Partners include:
PRAISES
Asia-Pacific staff member in remission
Liza Halbrook, a system and network administrator at the Asia-Pacific Resource Center, is in remission after being diagnosed with stage 2 non-Hodgkins lymphoma 10 months ago.
Pastors' child hit by car
Bruno Huamán, age 6, was struck by a car Friday on the way home from school. After being rushed to the hospital, Bruno was able to go home the next night with only bumps and bruises. Neighbors are saying it is a miracle he wasn’t hurt worse. His parents, Lenilde and Consuelo, pastor the Nazarene church in Ambato, Ecuador.
JESUS Film - Benin
"I am giving everything I have to God," said Christine, mother of two, in Benin. "I am happy to have seen theJESUS film. From what I saw and what I have learned, Christ gave His life to save humanity. He suffered, even for bad men, in order to save us who are lost. I am glad He protects us and gives us His peace and hope, so we can love and serve Him in all we do."
JESUS Film - Panama
"I told the Lord, if He wanted me to see the film, my grandson had to get well," shared a grandmother in Panama. "God is so good! I called my daughter before leaving my house, and she told me my grandson was better. I am a new believer today after seeing the film."
PRAYER REQUESTS
South America floods
More than 160,000 people were evacuated from their homes along the borders of Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay due to major flooding recently. Nazarene churches have been serving as shelters and emergency aid distribution centers. Click here to support local church efforts through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.
HEALTH-RELATED REQUESTS
Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr.
Retired missionary Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr. was hospitalized recently after exhibiting signs of a stroke. The MRIs did not show conclusively whether there was a stroke, and the doctors are not certain what they are dealing with is beyond the reality of progressive Parkinson’s. They’ve found infection in his system and the indication is that this could contribute to the symptoms.
Harmon’s wife, Beverly, writes: "I really can feel the presence of God very close to me. Please let everyone know how much I appreciate their prayers!" The Schmelzenbachs served in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the U.S.
Carol Zurcher
Retired missionary Carol Zurcher was recently hospitalized in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, USA, where she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She is now at home recuperating with the help of her daughter and son-in-law. Carol and her late husband, Norman, served as missionaries on the Africa Region for 37 years.
MORE...
For more global concerns and continued requests, see the NMI Prayer Mobilization Line by clicking here or JESUS Film Harvest Partners by clicking here. To share additional praises or prayer requests, please use the comment section below or see the Prayer Mobilization Line's Facebook page.
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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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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JFHP seeks communications coordinator
Olathe, Kansas
JESUS Film Harvest Partners currently has an opening for a communications coordinator. This position is responsible for developing and implementing consistent short-term and long-term communications strategies, as well as for ensuring consistent JESUS Film Harvest Partners branding in all communications, including the website, mobile apps, and promotional materials. This position will also develop and manage an effective social media presence for the organization.
This full-time position will be on-site in the Olathe, Kansas, office.
The qualified candidate will possess a degree in communications, marketing, or related field or equivalent experience and be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Strong verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to work well under pressure are necessary to this position. All candidates should share the organization's conservative Christian values.
Please submit resumes to mhofer@JFHP.org. [JESUS Film Harvest Partners]Read more
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Manila, Philippines
Asia-Pacific education leaders gather to discuss future
Global Education Coordinator Dan Copp address a group of educators from across the Asia-Pacific Region.
During the second week of February, 45 delegates, speakers, and guests from across the Asia-Pacific Region and the international Church of the Nazarene gathered in person and through video conferencing software in Manila, Philippines, to address regional education matters. The event brought together Nazarene school chancellors, principals, presidents, academic deans, field strategy coordinators, field education coordinators, and regional leaders.
Leaders reviewed the Regional Course of Study Council’s curriculum work, which has been in process for over a year, discussed global education and clergy development, and examined emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities regarding education on the region.
“This gathering of educators from 13 Nazarene schools is the first of its kind on the Asia-Pacific Region and may well be a quantum leap forward in the mission of the Church of the Nazarene,” said John Moore, Asia-Pacific regional education coordinator. “Educators unanimously affirmed the value of this strategic collaboration and are making plans to follow up with a later conference to follow through with implementation, accountability, and strategic planning. We invite our friends to pray with us over the future of education on the AP Region!”
Guest presenters included Global Education Commissioner Dan Copp, International Board of Education Administrative Director Tammy Condon, Point Loma Nazarene University President Bob Brower, and PLNU Provost Kerry Fulcher. Eurasia Region Education Coordinator John Haines presented an interactive session over the Internet.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
Asia-Pacific education leaders gather to discuss future
Global Education Coordinator Dan Copp address a group of educators from across the Asia-Pacific Region.
During the second week of February, 45 delegates, speakers, and guests from across the Asia-Pacific Region and the international Church of the Nazarene gathered in person and through video conferencing software in Manila, Philippines, to address regional education matters. The event brought together Nazarene school chancellors, principals, presidents, academic deans, field strategy coordinators, field education coordinators, and regional leaders.
Leaders reviewed the Regional Course of Study Council’s curriculum work, which has been in process for over a year, discussed global education and clergy development, and examined emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities regarding education on the region.
“This gathering of educators from 13 Nazarene schools is the first of its kind on the Asia-Pacific Region and may well be a quantum leap forward in the mission of the Church of the Nazarene,” said John Moore, Asia-Pacific regional education coordinator. “Educators unanimously affirmed the value of this strategic collaboration and are making plans to follow up with a later conference to follow through with implementation, accountability, and strategic planning. We invite our friends to pray with us over the future of education on the AP Region!”
Guest presenters included Global Education Commissioner Dan Copp, International Board of Education Administrative Director Tammy Condon, Point Loma Nazarene University President Bob Brower, and PLNU Provost Kerry Fulcher. Eurasia Region Education Coordinator John Haines presented an interactive session over the Internet.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
Read more
Eurasia
Flags of the Nations: Italy
The flag of Italy features three equal and vertical bands, making it a tricolor flag. The hoist side has a green band; white forms the center band; and the outer stripe is red. The red and white parts of the flag were borrowed from the official colors of the Milanese flag, and the green was added to represent the Civic Guards of Milan. When hung vertically, the flag is to be rotated 90 degrees. The green is said to represent hope and joy, the white symbolizes peace and honesty, and the red stands for strength and valor. Another interpretation of the Italian flag's colors is that the red shows the violent struggle to become a unified and independent nation, the green symbolizes the landscapes of Italy, while the white represents the snow-capped Alps. (via mapsofworld.com)
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: Italy
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Italy in 1948.
Italy had a population of 61,855,120 in 2015. That same year, Italy reported eight Churches of the Nazarene, all of which had been officially organized. Italy has 367 total members.
Located on the Eurasia Region, Italy is a Phase 1 district. For more information about the Eurasia Region, visit eurasiaregion.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.
Eurasia
Flags of the Nations: Italy
The flag of Italy features three equal and vertical bands, making it a tricolor flag. The hoist side has a green band; white forms the center band; and the outer stripe is red. The red and white parts of the flag were borrowed from the official colors of the Milanese flag, and the green was added to represent the Civic Guards of Milan. When hung vertically, the flag is to be rotated 90 degrees. The green is said to represent hope and joy, the white symbolizes peace and honesty, and the red stands for strength and valor. Another interpretation of the Italian flag's colors is that the red shows the violent struggle to become a unified and independent nation, the green symbolizes the landscapes of Italy, while the white represents the snow-capped Alps. (via mapsofworld.com)
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: Italy
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Italy in 1948.
Italy had a population of 61,855,120 in 2015. That same year, Italy reported eight Churches of the Nazarene, all of which had been officially organized. Italy has 367 total members.
Located on the Eurasia Region, Italy is a Phase 1 district. For more information about the Eurasia Region, visit eurasiaregion.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.
Read more
USA/Canada
Nazarenes in the News
Nazarenes in the News is a compilation of online news articles featuring Nazarene churches or church members.
Northwest Indiana Times photoIndiana church hosts Night to Shine
Valparaiso, Indiana
(The Northwest Indiana Times, February 13) In a purple rhinestone-studded ball gown, Lee Anne Bettenhausen flashed her megawatt smile as she belted out “The Climb” on the karaoke stage.
Bettenhausen said the tune is a theme song, of sorts.
“It’s always been a fight for me to move ahead,” said Bettenhausen, of Valparaiso.
Celebrating their triumph over their challenges, Bettenhausen and other adults with special needs reveled at Night to Shine, a “prom night” sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation on Friday at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Now in its second year, Night to Shine is a worldwide celebration for adults with special needs. This year, more than 200 host churches in 48 states and eight countries hosted Night to Shine on Friday for nearly 30,000 adults with special needs, thanks to grants from Tebow’s foundation.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Night to Shine gives guests night to remember
Susan O’Leary Times Correspondent
Susan O'Leary, The Times
Guests pose on the red carpet Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Susan O'Leary, The Times
Guests smile at a preview of their professional photo shoot Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Guests dance to music Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Lee Anne Bettenhausen sings Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” in the karaoke room Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Lindsey Newell smiles as she finishes her complimentary ride in a limousine Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Bradley Tucker and his “buddy,” Melissa Webber, enjoy the music Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
VALPARAISO — In a purple rhinestone-studded ball gown, Lee Anne Bettenhausen flashed her megawatt smile as she belted out “The Climb,” by Miley Cyrus on the karaoke stage.
Bettenhausen said the tune is a theme song, of sorts.
“It’s always been a fight for me to move ahead,” said Bettenhausen, of Valparaiso.
Celebrating their triumph over their challenges, Bettenhausen and other adults with special needs reveled at Night to Shine, a “prom night” sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation on Friday at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Now in its second year, Night to Shine is a worldwide celebration for adults with special needs. This year, more than 200 host churches in 48 states and eight countries hosted Night to Shine on Friday for nearly 30,000 adults with special needs, thanks to grants from Tebow’s foundation.
When Eric Wood, a VNC pastor, heard about Night to Shine a few months ago, he phoned Ellen DeMartinis, Opportunity Enterprises CEO and a church member, to determine her interest in partnering to host the event.
“It took a millisecond for me to say ‘yes,’” DeMartinis said. “We were thrilled and excited.”
VNC and OE staff planned the event, which included a red carpet walk, a professional photo shoot, complimentary limousine rides and karaoke singing. Pizza, chicken nuggets, mostaccioli, donuts and cheese and crackers lined a buffet, and guests dunked fresh fruit in a chocolate fountain and enjoyed ice cream for dessert. A disc jockey spun tunes in the church’s main worship area where diners worked off their dinners busting moves to dance numbers by Bruno Mars, Rick James and Michael Jackson.
After their red carpet treatment, volunteers placed crowns and tiaras on each of the 285 guests.
“Every single person is made to feel like the king and queen God made them to be,” Woods said.
Woods said about 600 church members volunteered to help with the event, including 285 who signed up to be a “buddy” for each guest for the evening.
“There’s been this excitement, this buzz,” Woods said. “People are amped up and they couldn’t wait for tonight to happen.”
“Buddy” and church member Ray Palmer waited with anticipation to meet his guest, Bryan.
“It’s exciting,” said Palmer, of Kouts. “You get to make someone else’s day.”
Volunteer Kortney Wilgus said her eyes were opened from the “humbling experience” of volunteering as Bettenhausen’s buddy for the evening.
“They’re so loving,” said Wilgus, of Valparaiso. “You can see their compassionate hearts.”
Woods said the event was a “blessing” for the church community.
“It’s why we exist,” Woods said. “We want our church to matter, to make a difference in this community.”
The response to the event “exceeded all expectations,” according to DeMartinis.
“It’s nice to see how our community embraces everyone,” DeMartinis said.
After her karaoke performance, Bettenhausen stressed that “people with disabilities are more than nothing.”
“They can do amazing things,” Bettenhausen said. “They can be mountain-movers just like anyone else.”
USA/Canada
Nazarenes in the News
Nazarenes in the News is a compilation of online news articles featuring Nazarene churches or church members.
Northwest Indiana Times photoIndiana church hosts Night to Shine
Valparaiso, Indiana
(The Northwest Indiana Times, February 13) In a purple rhinestone-studded ball gown, Lee Anne Bettenhausen flashed her megawatt smile as she belted out “The Climb” on the karaoke stage.
Bettenhausen said the tune is a theme song, of sorts.
“It’s always been a fight for me to move ahead,” said Bettenhausen, of Valparaiso.
Celebrating their triumph over their challenges, Bettenhausen and other adults with special needs reveled at Night to Shine, a “prom night” sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation on Friday at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Now in its second year, Night to Shine is a worldwide celebration for adults with special needs. This year, more than 200 host churches in 48 states and eight countries hosted Night to Shine on Friday for nearly 30,000 adults with special needs, thanks to grants from Tebow’s foundation.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Night to Shine gives guests night to remember
Susan O’Leary Times Correspondent
Susan O'Leary, The Times
Guests pose on the red carpet Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Susan O'Leary, The Times
Guests smile at a preview of their professional photo shoot Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Guests dance to music Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Lee Anne Bettenhausen sings Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” in the karaoke room Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Lindsey Newell smiles as she finishes her complimentary ride in a limousine Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Bradley Tucker and his “buddy,” Melissa Webber, enjoy the music Friday at Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
VALPARAISO — In a purple rhinestone-studded ball gown, Lee Anne Bettenhausen flashed her megawatt smile as she belted out “The Climb,” by Miley Cyrus on the karaoke stage.
Bettenhausen said the tune is a theme song, of sorts.
“It’s always been a fight for me to move ahead,” said Bettenhausen, of Valparaiso.
Celebrating their triumph over their challenges, Bettenhausen and other adults with special needs reveled at Night to Shine, a “prom night” sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation on Friday at Valparaiso Nazarene Church.
Now in its second year, Night to Shine is a worldwide celebration for adults with special needs. This year, more than 200 host churches in 48 states and eight countries hosted Night to Shine on Friday for nearly 30,000 adults with special needs, thanks to grants from Tebow’s foundation.
When Eric Wood, a VNC pastor, heard about Night to Shine a few months ago, he phoned Ellen DeMartinis, Opportunity Enterprises CEO and a church member, to determine her interest in partnering to host the event.
“It took a millisecond for me to say ‘yes,’” DeMartinis said. “We were thrilled and excited.”
VNC and OE staff planned the event, which included a red carpet walk, a professional photo shoot, complimentary limousine rides and karaoke singing. Pizza, chicken nuggets, mostaccioli, donuts and cheese and crackers lined a buffet, and guests dunked fresh fruit in a chocolate fountain and enjoyed ice cream for dessert. A disc jockey spun tunes in the church’s main worship area where diners worked off their dinners busting moves to dance numbers by Bruno Mars, Rick James and Michael Jackson.
After their red carpet treatment, volunteers placed crowns and tiaras on each of the 285 guests.
“Every single person is made to feel like the king and queen God made them to be,” Woods said.
Woods said about 600 church members volunteered to help with the event, including 285 who signed up to be a “buddy” for each guest for the evening.
“There’s been this excitement, this buzz,” Woods said. “People are amped up and they couldn’t wait for tonight to happen.”
“Buddy” and church member Ray Palmer waited with anticipation to meet his guest, Bryan.
“It’s exciting,” said Palmer, of Kouts. “You get to make someone else’s day.”
Volunteer Kortney Wilgus said her eyes were opened from the “humbling experience” of volunteering as Bettenhausen’s buddy for the evening.
“They’re so loving,” said Wilgus, of Valparaiso. “You can see their compassionate hearts.”
Woods said the event was a “blessing” for the church community.
“It’s why we exist,” Woods said. “We want our church to matter, to make a difference in this community.”
The response to the event “exceeded all expectations,” according to DeMartinis.
“It’s nice to see how our community embraces everyone,” DeMartinis said.
After her karaoke performance, Bettenhausen stressed that “people with disabilities are more than nothing.”
“They can do amazing things,” Bettenhausen said. “They can be mountain-movers just like anyone else.”
The Marion Star photo
Ohio church members offer kisses to community
Marion, Ohio
(The Marion Star, February 11) If somebody comes up and plants a Hershey's kiss, or a whole pack of kisses, on you this week, don't be surprised. It's probably just a member of the congregation of Marion First Church of the Nazarene.
The church is in the midst of its Kiss Marion project, which, according to Outreach and Young Adult Pastor Gregg Parkman, is intended to express the love of God in a practical fashion to residents of Marion County. Kiss Marion is part of a larger church outreach called So Random, which started in 2015.
"We actually do it twice a year," Parkman said. "The first one typically happens in February, with the theme being Kiss Marion. We do a second one in May when we distribute Coca-Cola all throughout Marion. It's called Coke and a Smile Day. We just go out and bless people with a can of Coke and follow up with a random act of kindness."
For the rest of the story, click here.
Toler Brothers to debut new album
Bethany, Oklahoma(NewsOK, February 13) The Toler Brothers will debut their new album "West Virginia Live" at a concert set for 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 3100 N Rockwell.
The public is invited to attend the free event hosted by the Rev. Jim Hill and Calvary Church.
Raised in one of the poorest counties in America, the Toler Brothers — Stan, Terry, and Mark — didn't have a radio in their West Virginia home. Their entertainment was singing around an old upright piano in the living room.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Stories to share? Send them to news@nazarene.org.[Compiled by NCN News]
Lenexa, Kansas
Ministers fail to take advantage of retirement accountsMost active Nazarene ministers have 403(b) retirement accounts with Fidelity Investments, but many are not contributing to them, said Pensions and Benefits USA Director Don Walter.
In 2015, P&B USA showed that less than half of eligible ministers (49.8 percent) in the U.S. received an Annual Pension Supplement base deposit, and less than 41 percent actually contributed to their accounts. Additionally, more than 1,000 churches have never filed IRS-required “Participation Agreements.” This inaction prevents their ministers from being eligible for APS funds and from being able to contribute to their 403(b) accounts.
“This may be because their ministers have retirement plans at other places of employment,” Walter said. “That’s a good thing, but if they aren’t setting aside savings for retirement, we want them to know we have opened accounts for every eligible Nazarene minister with Fidelity Investments. All they have to do is visit the Fidelity Web page to create a Personal Identification Number and have their church treasurer file theParticipation Agreement and a Letter of Agreement with us regarding how much they want their church to either reduce their salary or add funds from the church’s budget to the account. After that, they can make contributions as they wish and take advantage of additional APS funds for which they are eligible.”
Contributions by pastors and their churches to these Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan accounts allow ministers to enjoy tax advantages while saving for the future. After retirement, funds may be withdrawn as housing allowance, providing further tax savings.
February 22-27 is America Saves Week, an annual emphasis by almost 1,700 organizations to promote good savings behavior. It also provides a time for individuals to assess how well they are doing in saving for the future. P&B USA is joining with partner Fidelity Investments to encourage ministers and church boards to do what they can to set aside more money for retirement via the Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Account Plan.
Fidelity provides many planning and calculation resources for Nazarene pastors who have registered their 403(b) accounts. Registration details and related information may be found at pbusa.org under the “Benefit Plans” tab.
“We encourage our ministers to use this special week as a time to consider the lifestyle they wish to have after they leave active ministry,” Walter said. “Even in small amounts, regular saving, over time, can make a big difference in whether retirement becomes a time to joyfully anticipate or something to dread.”[Pensions and Benefits USA]
In 2015, P&B USA showed that less than half of eligible ministers (49.8 percent) in the U.S. received an Annual Pension Supplement base deposit, and less than 41 percent actually contributed to their accounts. Additionally, more than 1,000 churches have never filed IRS-required “Participation Agreements.” This inaction prevents their ministers from being eligible for APS funds and from being able to contribute to their 403(b) accounts.
“This may be because their ministers have retirement plans at other places of employment,” Walter said. “That’s a good thing, but if they aren’t setting aside savings for retirement, we want them to know we have opened accounts for every eligible Nazarene minister with Fidelity Investments. All they have to do is visit the Fidelity Web page to create a Personal Identification Number and have their church treasurer file theParticipation Agreement and a Letter of Agreement with us regarding how much they want their church to either reduce their salary or add funds from the church’s budget to the account. After that, they can make contributions as they wish and take advantage of additional APS funds for which they are eligible.”
Contributions by pastors and their churches to these Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan accounts allow ministers to enjoy tax advantages while saving for the future. After retirement, funds may be withdrawn as housing allowance, providing further tax savings.
February 22-27 is America Saves Week, an annual emphasis by almost 1,700 organizations to promote good savings behavior. It also provides a time for individuals to assess how well they are doing in saving for the future. P&B USA is joining with partner Fidelity Investments to encourage ministers and church boards to do what they can to set aside more money for retirement via the Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Account Plan.
Fidelity provides many planning and calculation resources for Nazarene pastors who have registered their 403(b) accounts. Registration details and related information may be found at pbusa.org under the “Benefit Plans” tab.
“We encourage our ministers to use this special week as a time to consider the lifestyle they wish to have after they leave active ministry,” Walter said. “Even in small amounts, regular saving, over time, can make a big difference in whether retirement becomes a time to joyfully anticipate or something to dread.”[Pensions and Benefits USA]
Read more
Mount Vernon, Ohio
MVNU surpasses Fund the Future campaign goalFor the past two years, Mount Vernon Nazarene University has been in the midst of an $11 million comprehensive campaign, "I Will... The Campaign for MVNU." The campaign has five giving areas, one of which is Fund the Future. The goal for this portion of the campaign was 12 new endowments — a goal that has been exceeded.
Since the founding of MVNU, alumni and friends have played a major role in establishing it as a Christian institution of higher education. MVNU strives to keep a quality Christian education affordable, but more than 94 percent of students require some form of financial aid to attend.
Contributions for the endowed scholarships have helped thousands of students experience the enlightening education offered at MVNU. The following new endowments will make a lasting impact today and for generations of students in the future:
Although this specific campaign goal has been met, the opportunity for funding endowments continues.
"While we have achieved the goal set for endowment giving within the campaign, the opportunity and need for further assistance is still very real," said Scott Peterson, vice president of University Relations at MVNU. "Your willingness to invest in the lives and education of students can transform the world for years to come. Through endowments, those who follow us can achieve the education that allows them to make a difference. Thanks for continuing to give."[Mount Vernon Nazarene University]
Mount Vernon, Ohio
MVNU surpasses Fund the Future campaign goalFor the past two years, Mount Vernon Nazarene University has been in the midst of an $11 million comprehensive campaign, "I Will... The Campaign for MVNU." The campaign has five giving areas, one of which is Fund the Future. The goal for this portion of the campaign was 12 new endowments — a goal that has been exceeded.
Since the founding of MVNU, alumni and friends have played a major role in establishing it as a Christian institution of higher education. MVNU strives to keep a quality Christian education affordable, but more than 94 percent of students require some form of financial aid to attend.
Contributions for the endowed scholarships have helped thousands of students experience the enlightening education offered at MVNU. The following new endowments will make a lasting impact today and for generations of students in the future:
- Harlan S. and M. Marie Ault Endowment (ministry)
- Willard and Helen Basham Memorial Endowment (musical performance)
- Eshenaur Family Endowment (West Virginia students)
- Dale and Edith Foster Memorial Endowment (early childhood and pre-med)
- Fund the Future Endowment (general)
- Larry & Celia Gardner Endowment (pastoral ministries)
- Dixie Kucheravy Memorial Endowed Scholarship (women's auxiliary)
- L. Thomas and Kitty Lynn McCann Family Endowment (engineering and/or education majors)
- Northwestern Ohio District General Endowment (NWO students)
- Rush Community Church Endowment (Rush Community Church students)
- Melissa Prater Rex Memorial Endowment (natural and social sciences)
- William A. Stroud Endowment (general)
- Bethany "Sage" Thompson Moreno Endowment (drama)
- Glenn F. Thorne Memorial Endowment (business)
- Frederick L. and Sally A. Weghorst Family Endowment (business, education, natural and social sciences)
- WNZR Community Endowment (journalism and media production)
Although this specific campaign goal has been met, the opportunity for funding endowments continues.
"While we have achieved the goal set for endowment giving within the campaign, the opportunity and need for further assistance is still very real," said Scott Peterson, vice president of University Relations at MVNU. "Your willingness to invest in the lives and education of students can transform the world for years to come. Through endowments, those who follow us can achieve the education that allows them to make a difference. Thanks for continuing to give."[Mount Vernon Nazarene University]
Read more
Nampa, Idaho
NNU offers free webcast of 2016 Wesley Center Conference
Northwest Nazarene University will again offer free, live webcasting of its annual Wesley Center Conference. On February 18 and 19, NNU will host "Dialogue Despite Difference," a ministry conference that explores what it means to bridge relational gaps through loving dialogue in an often uncivil world. Dan Boone, Richard Mouw, and Curt Bechler will headline this year's event. T. Scott Daniels, whose church is hosting the conference venue, will also speak in the opening plenary session.
"Our Wesley Center Conferences have a long history of helping the Church engage deeply in NNU's mission of seeing God transform our world," said Jay Akkerman, 2016 conference director. "We've always tried to be a place where the Church comes to think and explore faithfully. This year is no exception."
Boone is president of Trevecca Nazarene University and author of A Charitable Discourse: Talking About the Things That Divide Us, among other titles. Mouw is president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary and author of numerous publications, including Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World. Curt Bechler is managing partner of Venture International, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting leaders and organizations with team building, listening and leadership skills, and strategic communications.
“The Wesley Conference gives me healthy, holistic tips to better love and better respect people," said Steve Wingate, pastor of Portland Church of the Nazarene. "We won’t have a chance to make a difference if we don’t have a platform to talk—love and respect is this platform.”
Sonya Miller, administrative pastor of Spokane Bethel Church of the Nazarene, believes the conference topic is important.
“Dialogue despite differences of opinion is vital to representing Christ in our political climate,” she said.
The conference began at 1 p.m. MST on Thursday and concludes around 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The live webcast will span the entire conference, including select workshop sessions. Website participants are encouraged to download and print copies of each daily program by clicking here and to submit questions by emailing wesleyconf@nnu.edu or through social media channels like Twitter using the #wesleyconf hashtag. A conference app has also been developed.
NNU's MassComm students produce the media feed and the university webcasts conference content live through its Wesley Center site at nnu.edu/wesleyconf.
Previous conferences have drawn hundreds of participants to NNU's campus and thousands of viewers worldwide have taken advantage of the free webcast.
"By offering our Wesley Center Conferences online, we're able to leverage so many of the high-quality delivery tools NNU has already developed for ministry leaders in our online graduate, undergraduate, certificate, and continuing education programs," Akkerman said.
The majority of the conference will take place at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene, which is adjacent to the NNU campus. Registrations for the conference itself, including discounted registrations at a group rate, can be made online by clicking here or by calling the NNU Wesley Center at 208-467-8530.[Northwest Nazarene University]
Nampa, Idaho
NNU offers free webcast of 2016 Wesley Center Conference
Northwest Nazarene University will again offer free, live webcasting of its annual Wesley Center Conference. On February 18 and 19, NNU will host "Dialogue Despite Difference," a ministry conference that explores what it means to bridge relational gaps through loving dialogue in an often uncivil world. Dan Boone, Richard Mouw, and Curt Bechler will headline this year's event. T. Scott Daniels, whose church is hosting the conference venue, will also speak in the opening plenary session.
"Our Wesley Center Conferences have a long history of helping the Church engage deeply in NNU's mission of seeing God transform our world," said Jay Akkerman, 2016 conference director. "We've always tried to be a place where the Church comes to think and explore faithfully. This year is no exception."
Boone is president of Trevecca Nazarene University and author of A Charitable Discourse: Talking About the Things That Divide Us, among other titles. Mouw is president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary and author of numerous publications, including Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World. Curt Bechler is managing partner of Venture International, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting leaders and organizations with team building, listening and leadership skills, and strategic communications.
“The Wesley Conference gives me healthy, holistic tips to better love and better respect people," said Steve Wingate, pastor of Portland Church of the Nazarene. "We won’t have a chance to make a difference if we don’t have a platform to talk—love and respect is this platform.”
Sonya Miller, administrative pastor of Spokane Bethel Church of the Nazarene, believes the conference topic is important.
“Dialogue despite differences of opinion is vital to representing Christ in our political climate,” she said.
The conference began at 1 p.m. MST on Thursday and concludes around 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The live webcast will span the entire conference, including select workshop sessions. Website participants are encouraged to download and print copies of each daily program by clicking here and to submit questions by emailing wesleyconf@nnu.edu or through social media channels like Twitter using the #wesleyconf hashtag. A conference app has also been developed.
NNU's MassComm students produce the media feed and the university webcasts conference content live through its Wesley Center site at nnu.edu/wesleyconf.
Previous conferences have drawn hundreds of participants to NNU's campus and thousands of viewers worldwide have taken advantage of the free webcast.
"By offering our Wesley Center Conferences online, we're able to leverage so many of the high-quality delivery tools NNU has already developed for ministry leaders in our online graduate, undergraduate, certificate, and continuing education programs," Akkerman said.
The majority of the conference will take place at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene, which is adjacent to the NNU campus. Registrations for the conference itself, including discounted registrations at a group rate, can be made online by clicking here or by calling the NNU Wesley Center at 208-467-8530.[Northwest Nazarene University]
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San Diego, California
PLNU hosts San Diego Global Poverty Forum
Left to right: PLNU's Rob Gailey leads Q&A with speakers Paul Niehaus, Dianne Calvi, and Bruce Wydick. The Center for International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University hosted the San Diego Global Poverty Forum on PLNU’s campus February 15. The half-day event brought leading speakers from around the world to discuss ideas and research in the field of global poverty alleviation.
“The CID exists to mentor students, support faculty, and engage the external community in the study and application of holistic business practices to alleviate global poverty,” said Rob Gailey, CID director. “Today’s dialogue between experts in the field, our PLNU community, nonprofit leaders, and other members of the San Diego community is a tangible example of that mission.”
Bruce Wydick, professor of economics at the University of San Francisco, kicked off the afternoon's speaker series by providing an analysis of the top 10 most cost-effective poverty alleviation methods according to economists. Wydick went a step further to break down those 10 methods into two groups: those providing the most benefit and those with limited to no impact on the individuals intended to serve. The benefits of simple mosquito nets and the negligible impact of fair trade coffee surprised many in the audience.
Building on Wydick’s introduction of effective giving mechanisms, University of California, San Diego professor of economics Paul Niehaus provided an in-depth analysis of direct person-to-person giving. As president and co-founder of GiveDirectly, Niehaus brought insight into the challenges of traditional giving and unique opportunities of direct transfers to poor people.
“Traditional ways of giving internationally are complex,” Niehaus said. “Advances in payments technology have drastically cut the costs of direct transfers and new research also supports the powerful impacts this has on recipients. At GiveDirectly we see these trends converging to make direct giving the benchmark against which the old, top-down models are evaluated.”
Dianne Calvi, president and CEO of Village Enterprise, wrapped up the individual speaker presentations with an evaluation of the data on micro-entrepreneurship and its impact on poverty and the role of hope in the individual experience. Village Enterprise, which was the inspiration for the founders of kiva.com, has trained more than 130,000 micro-enterprise owners and helped start more than 30,000 small businesses in Kenya and Uganda.
Following the presentations, the panelists convened for a conversation with the audience facilitated by Gailey.
The day's events concluded with a private dinner reception for friends and supporters of the CID. Guests were joined by Wydick, Niehaus, Calvi, PLNU President Bob Brower, and recent PLNU alumni who remain active with the CID.
“Our passion at the CID is to help young people who want to make a difference in the fight against global poverty, but may not be sure where to start,” Gailey said. “Your support allows us to connect those students who want to make a difference in the world, with the latest innovation and ideas about business and entrepreneurship as a way of breaking the cycle of global poverty.”[Point Loma Nazarene University]
San Diego, California
PLNU hosts San Diego Global Poverty Forum
Left to right: PLNU's Rob Gailey leads Q&A with speakers Paul Niehaus, Dianne Calvi, and Bruce Wydick. The Center for International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University hosted the San Diego Global Poverty Forum on PLNU’s campus February 15. The half-day event brought leading speakers from around the world to discuss ideas and research in the field of global poverty alleviation.
“The CID exists to mentor students, support faculty, and engage the external community in the study and application of holistic business practices to alleviate global poverty,” said Rob Gailey, CID director. “Today’s dialogue between experts in the field, our PLNU community, nonprofit leaders, and other members of the San Diego community is a tangible example of that mission.”
Bruce Wydick, professor of economics at the University of San Francisco, kicked off the afternoon's speaker series by providing an analysis of the top 10 most cost-effective poverty alleviation methods according to economists. Wydick went a step further to break down those 10 methods into two groups: those providing the most benefit and those with limited to no impact on the individuals intended to serve. The benefits of simple mosquito nets and the negligible impact of fair trade coffee surprised many in the audience.
Building on Wydick’s introduction of effective giving mechanisms, University of California, San Diego professor of economics Paul Niehaus provided an in-depth analysis of direct person-to-person giving. As president and co-founder of GiveDirectly, Niehaus brought insight into the challenges of traditional giving and unique opportunities of direct transfers to poor people.
“Traditional ways of giving internationally are complex,” Niehaus said. “Advances in payments technology have drastically cut the costs of direct transfers and new research also supports the powerful impacts this has on recipients. At GiveDirectly we see these trends converging to make direct giving the benchmark against which the old, top-down models are evaluated.”
Dianne Calvi, president and CEO of Village Enterprise, wrapped up the individual speaker presentations with an evaluation of the data on micro-entrepreneurship and its impact on poverty and the role of hope in the individual experience. Village Enterprise, which was the inspiration for the founders of kiva.com, has trained more than 130,000 micro-enterprise owners and helped start more than 30,000 small businesses in Kenya and Uganda.
Following the presentations, the panelists convened for a conversation with the audience facilitated by Gailey.
The day's events concluded with a private dinner reception for friends and supporters of the CID. Guests were joined by Wydick, Niehaus, Calvi, PLNU President Bob Brower, and recent PLNU alumni who remain active with the CID.
“Our passion at the CID is to help young people who want to make a difference in the fight against global poverty, but may not be sure where to start,” Gailey said. “Your support allows us to connect those students who want to make a difference in the world, with the latest innovation and ideas about business and entrepreneurship as a way of breaking the cycle of global poverty.”[Point Loma Nazarene University]
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Oberstdorf, Germany
SDMI Global Council begins plans for General Convention
Front row, left to right: Daphne Mathebula and Cezi Glendenning
Back row, left to right: Todd Aebischer, Larry Morris, Monte Cyr, Patricia Picavea, and Woodie StevensSunday School and Discipleship Ministries International's six regional coordinators gathered in Oberstdorf, Germany, for the Global SDMI Council meeting January 18 to 21. The council is led by Global SDMI Director Woodie Stevens and consists of Daphne Mathebula, Africa; Todd Aebischer, Asia-Pacific; Cezi Glendenning, Eurasia; Monte Cyr, Mesoamerica; Patricia Picavea, South America, and Larry Morris, USA/Canada.
The council received reports from each region and discussed the 2017 General Convention along with other current and upcoming issues. The council met via Vidyo with Grant Zweigle, the newly-appointed Asia-Pacific regional SDMI co-coordinator, World Quiz Coordinator Leslie Hart, Kid Reaching Kids Coordinator Dan Harris, and Clergy/Lay Training Coordinator John Comstock. The SDMI bylaws in the Church of the Nazarene Manual and SDMI Handbook revisions and adaptations were reviewed and amended. Stephen Cave, global vice president for Biblica, presented a program. A review of the inductive narrative methodology and Tell THE Story strategic planning wrapped up the meeting.
The Mesoamerica Region will host the next Global Council meeting in 2017.[SDMI]
Oberstdorf, Germany
SDMI Global Council begins plans for General Convention
Front row, left to right: Daphne Mathebula and Cezi Glendenning
Back row, left to right: Todd Aebischer, Larry Morris, Monte Cyr, Patricia Picavea, and Woodie StevensSunday School and Discipleship Ministries International's six regional coordinators gathered in Oberstdorf, Germany, for the Global SDMI Council meeting January 18 to 21. The council is led by Global SDMI Director Woodie Stevens and consists of Daphne Mathebula, Africa; Todd Aebischer, Asia-Pacific; Cezi Glendenning, Eurasia; Monte Cyr, Mesoamerica; Patricia Picavea, South America, and Larry Morris, USA/Canada.
The council received reports from each region and discussed the 2017 General Convention along with other current and upcoming issues. The council met via Vidyo with Grant Zweigle, the newly-appointed Asia-Pacific regional SDMI co-coordinator, World Quiz Coordinator Leslie Hart, Kid Reaching Kids Coordinator Dan Harris, and Clergy/Lay Training Coordinator John Comstock. The SDMI bylaws in the Church of the Nazarene Manual and SDMI Handbook revisions and adaptations were reviewed and amended. Stephen Cave, global vice president for Biblica, presented a program. A review of the inductive narrative methodology and Tell THE Story strategic planning wrapped up the meeting.
The Mesoamerica Region will host the next Global Council meeting in 2017.[SDMI]
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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 February 15-19, 2016.
Glen Adams, 89, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away February 17. He was a retired minister, serving in Oklahoma and Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Reatha (Browning) Adams, in 2014.
N. Lucille (Southern) Frye, 96, of Bloomington, Indiana, passed away February 14. She was the widow of retired minister Roscoe Frye, who served in Illinois and Indiana. Roscoe Frye passed away in 1994.
Elva (Burdette) Hall, 88, of London, Ohio, passed away February 17. She was the widow of retired minister Gordon Hall, who served in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. Gordon Hall passed away in 2009.
Robert League, 94, of Porterville, California, passed away February 8. He was a retired minister, serving in California. He is survived by his wife, Ella (Stewart) League.
Oneal Stover, 75, of Portage, Indiana, passed away February 16. He was a retired minister, serving in Indiana and Alabama. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Stover.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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 February 15-19, 2016.
Glen Adams, 89, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away February 17. He was a retired minister, serving in Oklahoma and Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Reatha (Browning) Adams, in 2014.
N. Lucille (Southern) Frye, 96, of Bloomington, Indiana, passed away February 14. She was the widow of retired minister Roscoe Frye, who served in Illinois and Indiana. Roscoe Frye passed away in 1994.
Elva (Burdette) Hall, 88, of London, Ohio, passed away February 17. She was the widow of retired minister Gordon Hall, who served in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. Gordon Hall passed away in 2009.
Robert League, 94, of Porterville, California, passed away February 8. He was a retired minister, serving in California. He is survived by his wife, Ella (Stewart) League.
Oneal Stover, 75, of Portage, Indiana, passed away February 16. He was a retired minister, serving in Indiana and Alabama. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Stover.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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Global Ministry Center
BGS addresses global Nazarenes in preparation for Easter Offering
To Nazarenes around the world:
We eagerly anticipate how God will work through the upcoming Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. For more than 75 years, Nazarenes everywhere have faithfully given of their time, talents, and funds to make Christlike disciples in the nations through the offering. These gifts have gone on to bless ministries in 159 world areas.
Through the Easter Offering theme, “Lord of All,” we remind ourselves that the calling of our Lord in Matthew 28:19 is a mission with eternal significance. When we pray, give, and serve together, God uses our humble offerings to bring hearts to a saving knowledge of His Son. Gifts given by Nazarenes around the world to the World Evangelism Fund combine to deliver the gospel and compassionate help through schools, church plants, mission hospitals, and more.
We trust in a God who is “the Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.” Please pray for the upcoming offering, that God will lead us to more closely follow and serve Him as we share the message of the Lord of All.
The offering will be received globally on 27 March. Please note that this date may vary for some, depending on the calendar of each field or district.
To give or to download resources for this offering in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Korean, visit nazarene.org/generosity.
Yours in Christ,
The Board of General Superintendents
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"He Knows" Board of General Superintendents of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Thursday, 18 February 2016
nazarene.org
Global Ministry Center
BGS addresses global Nazarenes in preparation for Easter Offering
To Nazarenes around the world:
We eagerly anticipate how God will work through the upcoming Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. For more than 75 years, Nazarenes everywhere have faithfully given of their time, talents, and funds to make Christlike disciples in the nations through the offering. These gifts have gone on to bless ministries in 159 world areas.
Through the Easter Offering theme, “Lord of All,” we remind ourselves that the calling of our Lord in Matthew 28:19 is a mission with eternal significance. When we pray, give, and serve together, God uses our humble offerings to bring hearts to a saving knowledge of His Son. Gifts given by Nazarenes around the world to the World Evangelism Fund combine to deliver the gospel and compassionate help through schools, church plants, mission hospitals, and more.
We trust in a God who is “the Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.” Please pray for the upcoming offering, that God will lead us to more closely follow and serve Him as we share the message of the Lord of All.
The offering will be received globally on 27 March. Please note that this date may vary for some, depending on the calendar of each field or district.
To give or to download resources for this offering in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Korean, visit nazarene.org/generosity.
Yours in Christ,
The Board of General Superintendents
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"He Knows" Board of General Superintendents of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Thursday, 18 February 2016
nazarene.org
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"He Knows" by Eugénio R. Duarte
We are trained to acquire information because it is important that we are knowledgeable. There is much that we really do want to know. In all areas of our lives, knowledge energizes and motivates us to make changes that without it, we are not willing to make. Likewise, without diminishing the importance of the greater quests for knowledge, we refuse to neglect critical things, even if they require little effort to know, such as our accounts, contacts, and passwords.
We are also trained to determine what we really want to know, what we do not need to know, and what we do not want to know. We internalize what we really want to know; we avoid what we do not need to know. The things we do not want to know put us on alert and force selectivity (television, books, conversations) because this knowledge can be hurtful and because we constantly face the question of what to do with the information.
Would it also be important to answer the question of what to do about what we do not know?
In Matthew 6:7–8 (ESV) Jesus says, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father KNOWS what you need before you ask him” (emphasis mine). Our approach to the need to know, as well as to the option of not knowing, speaks of our values, principles, character, and mission.
Writing to a church that was facing so many unknowns, the apostle Paul speaks about what to do with the things we know as well as those we do not know:
“For WE KNOW that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO PRAY FOR as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And HE WHO SEARCHES HEARTS KNOWS what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:22–27, emphases mine).
He knows.
Will we trust our “knowns” as well as our “unknowns” to the One who knows?
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Volume 1606 for Friday, 12 February 2016
Nazarene News: General treasurer resigns
Nazarene Communication Network News of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States - This week in the Church of the Nazarene...
Global Ministry Center
General treasurer announces resignation
Church of the Nazarene General Treasurer Marilyn J. McCool announced her resignation effective May 2 in a letter to the Board of General Superintendents.
“Marilyn McCool’s years of excellent service and the gift she has been to the Church of the Nazarene are profoundly appreciated,” said General Superintendent David A. Busic, chair of the BGS. “She has communicated discernment into complicated matters to the Board of General Superintendents, and we have valued her wisdom.”
McCool expressed gratitude for the honor and privilege of serving the global Church of the Nazarene in this role for more than 14 years.
“My reaction to my election in 2001 was one of disbelief when announced to me by a telephone call to my bank office from General Superintendent Paul G. Cunningham,” she said. “It seemed like an impossible assignment to follow in the footsteps of former general treasurers John Stockton, Norman Miller, and Robert Foster. However, God’s definite calling from my 27-year banking career to use my experience to serve the church in this way during this period in my life has been continually affirmed.”
General Board President Charles A. Davis Jr. has worked closely with McCool during her time as general treasurer.
“Her knowledge of budgeting, business, and finance are without equal, and her ability to work with others has made her very successful in building a true team when it comes to finance at the Global Ministry Center,” he said. “I speak for the entire General Board in expressing our thanks for her ministry and wishing her God's best."
During McCool’s tenure, the denomination’s headquarters was relocated from Kansas City, Missouri, USA, to the Global Ministry Center in Lenexa, Kansas, USA.
McCool coordinated many aspects of the move, including the sale of the former headquarters’ property in Kansas City to the Kaufmann Foundation for a charter school and land purchase, construction, fundraising, and financing of the GMC.
Another notable transaction included the sale of the Church of the Nazarene Loan Fund to the Wesleyan Investment Foundation to better serve the loan needs of Nazarene churches. The 20-year building debt of the GMC was paid in full in less than three years from the loan sale proceeds.
When McCool first implemented online giving services for local churches, districts, and individuals, she recruited one church to just try it. Today, nearly 100,000 transactions of more than US$33 million dollars are processed annually through online giving to fund the mission.
The economic recession of 2007 to 2011 and the approval of a new global World Evangelism Fund system of giving required sizable operational budget cuts, including GMC staff reductions.
“While being part of many once-in-a-lifetime challenges and changes since 2002, the global friendships of God's servants will remain highly treasured for life,” McCool said.
Financial accountability was strengthened by attaining the first-ever General Board consolidated independent audit for the Church of the Nazarene, Inc. and an Evangelical Counsel for Financial Accountability membership in good standing for the denomination.
“Dr. Marilyn McCool has been a gift to the Church of the Nazarene and GMC,” said Joel Pearsall, chair of the Global Administration and Finance Committee for the General Board. “Her skills, gifting, insight, character, and demeanor have been exactly what was needed over the years. We express our thanks for her servant leadership displayed to all of us.”
David and Marilyn McCool, now blessed with three daughters and nine grandchildren, are originally from northern Michigan, where they pastored for 18 years in a Church of the Nazarene they planted in their hometown of Kalkaska in1984.
“A bank auditor introduced us to the Church of the Nazarene before we were married,” Marilyn said. “Through the love of a pastor and Olivet Nazarene University leaders, our lives changed forever.”
The McCools continue to commit their future to God, claiming Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
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Tainan City, Taiwan
Deadly earthquake strikes Taiwan
Reuters photoA 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the southern region of Taiwan Saturday at 3:57 a.m. local time. As of February 12, at least 94 people were reported killed and 550 people injured.
BBC News reports several buildings collapsed and rescue operations are underway in Tainan City. The earthquake was felt in the capital city of Taipei, more than 300 km away.
The Taiwan Church of the Nazarene district superintendent and district Nazarene Youth International coordinator, who lives in a town near the epicenter, said no Nazarenes were injured. The Church of the Nazarene has 43 organized churches and more than 3,000 members in Taiwan.
Through donations previously made to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' Asia-Pacific Disaster Relief Fund, resources are already on hand and leaders are ready to respond as critical needs are identified.
Prayer is requested for the people of Taiwan impacted by this earthquake.
Additional updates will be posted as they are made available.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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Manteno, Illinois
Illinois church members knit hats, scarves for Syrian refugees
Syrian refugees pick out scarves and hats for themselves and their families Friday night at the Muslim Community Center in Chicago. The civil war in Syria has displace more than 7 million people, including 4 million refugees. (Daily Journal photo)They'll probably never meet. Even if they could, they don't speak the same language, eat the same food, or pray to the same God, but for a couple dozen church members from the Manteno Church of the Nazarene and about 60 Syrian refugees in a north Chicago neighborhood, that doesn't really matter.
About 7 p.m. on Friday, Fadia Mabus, her 5-year-old son, Sam, of Bourbonnais, and friend Emily Linton of Bradley carried trash bags filled with hand-knitted scarves and hats for refugees who are living through their first Midwest winter. Prayers still were echoing as they walked up through the halls of the Muslim Community Center in Chicago into a room easily 70 degrees; everyone was wearing winter coats.
Those hats and scarves were made, and prayed over, by members of the Manteno Nazarene Church and other local community groups.
"The Syria climate, it's different," said Mabus, who is from Latakia, Syria, and moved to Bourbonnais in 2010. "I remember when I arrive, how it is freezing."
That was how the project was born. Just before Christmas, Sharyl Whittington, who attends the Nazarene church with Mabus, felt a burden watching the coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis on the news.
"I thought, what can I, one person, do to help these people?" Whittington said. "I don't know anyone; how can I help?"
Then she met Mabus, and they decided to take action. Whittington taught Mabus to knit, who in turn began to teach others. They got the church involved. One woman designed the tags. The teen group sorted and prayed over the garments. Mabus' MOPS group began crafting. Friends out of state even mailed in items.
The result: In just less than two months 120 scarves and hats were made in all sizes.
"I wanted them to know that they are loved and cared for and prayed for," Whittington said. "I know not everyone sees them in that light.
"It was important for them to know that these weren't just things put out there. We specifically prayed for the people and the situation they are in and their families," she added as her voice broke.
The church members call the project "Love in every stitch." More than the tangible way to help, it was about sharing hope and love with families who have lost everything in a war they didn't start.
"They lost everything — so absolutely they understand what it is to pray," Mabus said. "I imagine them happy, for them to be safe who wear it."
And she probably can see her family in the faces of these people: Her mother, two sisters, and a brother still are in Syria; her siblings live in other countries around the world.
Five-year-old Leem is one of the Syrian refugees who received a hat and scarf set, crocheted and prayed over by members of the Manteno Church of the Nazarene.A warm gesture for a war-torn community
In the crowded room at the community center, an Imam begins to speak in Arabic. While Mabus and Linton set up the table of scarves in the back, he tells the story of Joseph forced to go to Egypt.
Sam joins children looking to be between the ages of 3 and 10 playing tag in the hallway. While the Imam tells the people to continue to have faith in God, a young girl runs up to the colorful table. Her wide eyes light up as Mabus tells her in Arabic she can have whichever hat and scarf set she wants.
Throughout the night, children quietly approach the table to get their hats, rushing off to show their parents. But their parents are preoccupied by the meeting. The Imam has finished speaking, and a representative from the Syrian Community Network is leading a forum.
The mood slowly changes. One woman tells the group how she has found a job for 12 hours per week but she has three kids and has to work at night.
"If you have a good position, you must work," the representative tells them in Arabic. "This is not an easy life."
Another man stands and says he cannot get the paperwork that will allow him to work, and he is worried he might lose the job he has found.
"I've gone 100 times to fix it," he says. "I'm ready to work. I'm not waiting for the government to pay for me."
Others in the room say they can't find a job, don't understand the bus system, are having trouble learning English, or need an apartment.
Which is why what the scarves represent is so positive, explained Suzanne Akhras, executive director of the network.
"It is good you are here. There are things that they have experienced — trauma — that they take it out on us. So we need to end these meetings positively."
Akhras invites Mabus to speak and tell the refugees why she is there, and the mood changes again. People begin to clap as she says, "I can't stop the war, but I can love. I and my friends are trying to learn to help."
About 10 p.m., the scarves have been picked out, the refugees are wearing their new winter gear home, and Mabus, Linton, and Sam are driving back south, reflecting on what they've seen.
"I cannot make it easy for them," Mabus said. "They come from war. They have lost the ability to trust. But they are grateful and respect [our] message."
So, beyond the warmth, will it matter to these refugees that the church prayed for them?
"Maybe yes, maybe not," Mabus admits. "Just we do what we do with love."[Republished with permission from the Daily Journal]
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Kombinat, Albania
Albania pastor uses football ministry to reach boys
When Ergest "Gesti" Biti, pastor of Kombinat Church of the Nazarene in Tirana, Albania, had a chance encounter with a group of neighborhood boys, he realized the meeting was from God.
“One day this summer I was walking through Kombinat,” Biti remembers. “There were a few young guys and I knew one of them, so I called to them and asked, ‘What are you doing right now?’ And they said, ‘We are just hanging around and not doing anything special.’ But I knew that some of them had already started stealing, and I thought that these guys, starting to steal at this age, would pretty soon be in a very bad way; that soon they might be in prison or starting drugs. This is the area where most of the teenagers start drugs and become addicted.”
He knew he couldn’t let these young boys follow the path to ruin where so many had gone before.
“I asked them: ‘What if I start a football team and I can be your coach, would you like to come?’" Biti said. "They were all really happy."
The boys could barely believe what they heard — and hardly believed that Biti really meant it. But he did. The next day at 6 p.m., Biti came to the field where they had agreed to meet him with some of their friends so they could organize a team. When he arrived at the field, 17 young boys were waiting for him and ran toward him, calling “Coach, coach!”
When they realized he hadn’t brought a ball — he thought the boys had one — they immediately started doubting his sincerity. Biti simply took two of the boys to the next shop to buy a ball.
“When we went back to the field, they were all waiting there, and one kid, he took the ball and started crying," Biti said. "He was so happy.”
Before they started, Biti made some simple rules: no bad words, cooperate with each other, start each practice with a prayer. All the boys agreed, so they proceeded to have a game and play together. At the end, Biti chose one of the boys as captain and left the ball with him to bring to the next practice.
“They were so happy because they saw that I trusted them,” he said.
Winners
Since the beginning of July 2015, the Kombinat Nazarene football (soccer) team has been meeting three days per week on a public playing field. Around 22 to 35 kids, age 9 to 12, attend regularly. Biti was joined by Andi, a young man from the church, to help lead the practice. They usually meet for about an hour to exercise together, practice some football moves, and have a game. Thanks to donations, they were able to buy additional balls and other exercising equipment — including uniforms for each child in the Albanian national team’s colours.
“It really made them into a team,” Biti said.
But what is a team without a victory?
When Biti arranged a trip to Lushnje, a small town about 1.5 hours south of Tirana, to compete against the kids there, the football boys showed up at the church at 7 a.m. even though the bus wasn’t leaving until 9.
“Some kids told me, ‘We couldn’t sleep all night because we were so excited to go there!’” Biti said. “That was such a great experience for the kids. It was something different for them, and we were really glad to see those happy faces.”
The Kombinat Nazarene team won the match, and when the victorious youth returned home late in the afternoon, some of the boys found an Albanian flag and marched around the Kombinat city centre, singing “We are the winners!” at the top of their voices. While people were looking on and wondering what had happened, Biti thoroughly enjoyed the scene.
“That really makes my heart happy, to see these kids so happy,” he said.
People who love
The football team is the only social program offered in this community. But it’s not just a social program. Every practice is started with prayer, and at the end Biti or Andi always share a short message with the kids. A number of the boys have started attending the Saturday kids meeting at the Kombinat Church of the Nazarene. During the school year, fewer boys can attend the football practice because they have school in the afternoon, but they still come to the church on Saturdays.
They can feel that there’s something different about Biti and the people from his church. Many of them have not met people who love and care about them.
“Most of those kids are from poor families or from families that are not very interested in their kids," Biti said. "From the families — most of the ones I have seen — it’s like they don’t have a connection with their parents. Most fathers are unemployed or alcoholic that abuse them; many of the kids don’t have bread to eat before they sleep at night. That’s why most of those kids start stealing at this age and getting in a bad way.”
The church has made a difference, and Biti prays that he may be able to continue offering this service.
“The kids feel that we care for them and we’re always telling them that we love them and that’s why we are doing that,” he said.[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
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Bangalore, India
India church joins mission initiative
As a pastor’s daughter growing up in a Nazarene church in Bangalore, India, Miriam Vijaya was always drawn toward missions and to serving as a missionary.
Today, that vision is turning into reality. The 26-year-old recently quit her job as an accountant at a France-based multinational oil company and took a two-day train journey to Kolkata where she is serving as a volunteer for three months with her best friend, Monica Rachel, 26, through the Eurasia Region’s M+Power initiative.
Vijaya and Rachel are two of the first Indian volunteers to be sent by the India Church of the Nazarene initiative in many years. They represent a wave of young Nazarenes who sense God’s call into cross-cultural ministry and are ready to answer that call.
Last summer’s Eurasia Mission Orientation in Bangalore attracted 21 participants. Most were from India, but a few from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh attended as well. All were there to find out what it would mean to live and serve God in a cross-cultural context, whether in their own nation or somewhere else on the Eurasia Region.
Of the 21 participants, 16 took the next step to interview for a ministry assignment. One plans to move to the Maldives Islands, where he was offered a job, and plant a church in his free time.
Vijaya's father often traveled into other cultural areas of India, and Miriam and her brother Moses sometimes traveled with him. Both were shaped by those experiences, and Moses also attended the orientation last year.
“That seed was already in our heart to work among people and to help them,” Vijaya said. “My heart was always for missions. I was always praying God would open a door for me.”
Vijaya later graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and Rachel trained as a nurse. While Vijaya enjoyed her work in a major corporation, she knew what she really wanted was to be a missionary.
Rachel interviewed for her first job at a hospital.
“At the time of the interview, I started crying," she said. "In my heart, God said, ‘I am not calling you for this. I am calling you to missions.’”
Rachel changed directions, embarking on several short-term opportunities through parachurch organizations such as Youth With a Mission and Kings Way Union Ministry.
When she returned home to Bangalore, she asked God to make the next mission opportunity clear to her.
The district superintendent visited their church to talk about M+Power, and the young women felt this was the answer from God they were waiting for.
At the orientation, Vijaya and Rachel were accepted together to an approved ministry site with the Nazarene church in Kolkata.
The women were required to raise their funds over a period of six months. Their local church, Divya Jyothi Church of the Nazarene, which had provided them many opportunities for ministry as they grew up, such as teaching Sunday school, rallied around their calling.
“My pastor, when I told him I was getting into missions, he was very happy,” Rachel said. “I could see the church support me in every step.”
The congregation, which numbers about 200 to 250 members, weekly contributed money to a box the women kept at the church to collect donations. The women also baked cakes and sold them at Christmas to raise more funds.
They departed January 31 for Kolkata, where they will be assisting a local Nazarene church with overseeing a Nazarene Compassionate Ministries child development center, teach Sunday school, and also after-school tutoring, computer and English classes.
“God’s call is upon everyone,” Vijaya said. “It depends on how you respond to it; if you’re obedient to Him. I would encourage our youth to go out [in mission],” Vijaya said.
Rachel encouraged local churches to give young people ministry experience locally so they can grow and develop as leaders with the support of their church.
“Let them start with small things in the church, giving them opportunities in different ways,” she said. “When we show them that they’re accepted in the church and loved in the church, they will open up and do many other things.”[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
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Africa
Senegal, Africa Region
Senegal church strengthens agricultural community in need
Tim and Michelle Eby had been serving as Nazarene missionaries in Senegal for several years when Tim became concerned about the numbers of pastors who were being called and trained to lead churches, but eventually forced to leave their villages for work in the cities when the welfare of their families depended on them to find resources to live.
The nonprofit organization Heifer International reports that 57 percent of Senegal’s population lives in rural areas, reliant on agriculture for their livelihood, and 47 percent of its land area is used for agricultural purposes.
However, Senegal is a very difficult place to raise crops. The climate is arid and gets limited rainfall.
Tim said, “During the dry months, the steady wind and no rain dries up everything. The local farmers get essentially one crop a year during the rainy season between July and the end of August and after that we do not see a drop of rain until July of the next year.”
For the rest of this story about how the church is developing improved agricultural methods to enable Senegalese families to grow adequate food year round, see Engage magazine.
The desert shall blossom by Carol Anne Eby
What do you get when you mix a hot, arid land bordering the Sahara, a population dependent on agriculture, 14 percent of children under age 5 malnourished, a lack of clean water, and the passion of a church to bring about change? The answer: the Joseph Project located in Fandane, 5 kilometers south of Mbour, Senegal, in West Africa.
Through the Joseph Project, Nazarene leaders in Senegal are partnering with the Trevecca Nazarene University Urban Farm (Nashville, USA) to build a model farm in the desert of Senegal, where they can test greenhouse technology alongside improved agricultural methods. By developing and demonstrating sustainable and more fruitful farming practices, the Joseph Project will bring the means for more abundant physical life – and also spiritual life – to the resourceful people of West Africa.
Life in the desert
Tim and Michelle Eby had been serving as Nazarene missionaries in Senegal for several years when he became concerned about the numbers of pastors who were being called and trained to lead churches, but eventually forced to leave their villages for work in the cities when the welfare of their families depended on them to find resources to live.
The nonprofit organization Heifer International reports that 57 percent of Senegal’s population lives in rural areas, reliant on agriculture for their livelihood, and 47 percent of its land area is used for agricultural purposes.
However, Senegal is a very difficult place to raise crops. The climate is arid and gets limited rainfall.
Tim said, “During the dry months, the steady wind and no rain dries up everything. The local farmers get essentially one crop a year during the rainy season between July and the end of August and after that we do not see a drop of rain until July of the next year.”
There may be no rain from above, but ironically water lies just below the surface. In some places good water can be found as close as 20 feet down. But to get that water in sufficient quantities to do farming is a great challenge.
This challenge led Tim to form a drilling team to help bring fresh water to numerous villages. With the help of partners, like Tim Davis from Briarwood Church of the Nazarene in Alabama, they were able to import the equipment to Senegal and then train local youth in the church to drill wells. The group drills wells not only in villages where Nazarene churches are located, but in other areas where people are desperate for sustainable, clean water. Drilling wells has helped to provide a source of income above normal budgeted costs that will allow for expanded technology to irrigate land and restore the natural cycle of life.
Drilling wells was only the start. In 2014 a Work & Witness team from Westchester, Ohio, came to Dakar, Senegal, to help with drilling wells, medical clinic efforts, construction, and more. During their travels around the country, they observed that greenhouses in some areas were successful in producing crops – even in the very dry season. The team shared this approach with Tim. Upon returning to Ohio, they gathered the resources for establishing a greenhouse for an area where the Nazarene church was located.
This was the start of the Joseph Project.
A Joseph dream
About a year ago, with resources from the estate of a long-time Nazarene missions supporter named Sherri Reger, the church purchased land at Fandane for the Joseph Project. In 2015, a team from New Hampshire, U.S., came to build a cottage on the land; this cottage will house future mission teams who come to help local Nazarenes with the Joseph Project. The house will be called “Chez Sherri,” named for Sherri.
This house will also be a training classroom where Bible students from local villages will come to spend one week at a time in intensive discipleship and biblical training through Nazarene Theological Institute. While on the property, Bible students will also learn about more effective agricultural practices.
All the Joseph Project workers are local Nazarene leaders. At present Tim is mentoring a project manager, Jean Jacque Diousse, to oversee the project. The district leadership will oversee the project and help guide the development of the impact of the project, through the direction and leadership of newly appointed District Superintendent, Rev. Daniel Gomis.
The project team envisions that the Joseph Project will birth new ideas for solar and wind technology that can help bring water from underground springs to the surface and made available for use in surrounding villages. If successful, this model could be transferred back to local church farms that will help support local ministry in these remote villages.
Several teams have come to start work on the greenhouse. Supporters have been eager to get involved, because the dream is to create a self-sustaining source for nutritious food in the long-term.
Partnership with Trevecca
Another exciting aspect of the project is a partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) Urban Farm. TNU has established a small farm on the campus which is being used for instructional purposes in the Social Justice program of the university. The farm demonstrates sustainable farming in the inner city. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) awarded Trevecca’s J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice a grant for winning first place in an NCM Water Challenge Campaign. The grant recently helped four students and Professor Jason Adkins to join a Work & Witness team from Trevecca Community Church to continue building the greenhouse in Fandane. Jamie Casler, director of the J.V. Morsch center, says, “The J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice is designed to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities in domestic and international settings as a way for students to apply classroom learning to meet real world needs.”
The TNU mission team wanted to determine how the Joseph Project could best serve its neighbors. Students and leaders from the Trevecca Urban Farm interviewed nearby residents and visited various farms and farm projects in the area to learn about local farming practices. They found that these remarkably resourceful farmers were able to feed their families year round from only three months of rain, with millet and peanuts being their staple crops.
Nevertheless, there was a concerted cry for water for extending their season to grow vegetables to sell in the market as well as provide for their families in the dry times of the year. Wells would provide resiliency for years when rain did not come in needed quantities.
The university students, local Senegalese leaders, along with the Trevecca Community Church members, finished the cottage, added shade cloth to the greenhouse, built a water tower, facilitated the drilling of a well, built benches for a nearby church, shared training with the farm manager, and drew up a farm plan to help form the physical and programmatic shape of the farm. The environmental justice students were thrilled to engage in work on a farming program.
Leaders hope the farm and greenhouse will become a catalyst and an influence in the area. The green house, now called the “Screen House,” will be an example of how shade and controlled environment – if managed well – can produce better plants and potentially better seeds for the future. They hope that the Joseph Project will be a model that can be reproduced in other West African countries like Benin, Togo, Cote d’Ivore, Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Rivers of flowing water
Knowing that water is absolutely critical for irrigation and success of the project, in January Tim and the drill team drilled two wells on the property of the Screen House, but both failed. They had limited water and too much salt to be effective for irrigation. After much prayer, the 16 members of the Work & Witness team, the well drillers, missionaries and pastors, joined hands and hearts and believed God would direct them to the right spot. At the center of the property, Louis Pierre Faye, the newly trained well drilling operator, and his team started to drill, determined that – by the grace of God – even if they had to drill 330 feet, they would find good water!
They hit a five-foot layer of rock at only 10 feet and drilled through it. Just below that layer they found a cavern of water that showed evidence of an underground river of fresh water. Amazingly they only had to drill to 45 feet and now have a good 30 feet of fresh water that seems to never end.
“It is the most water I have ever found that close to the surface in all of my wells drilled in Senegal! What a blessing from God,” Tim exclaimed.
The project is now registered as an official water project with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, which will contribute funds to help the new project get a water tower and distribution system of water across the property.
Today, the desert wind whistles across a land that is barren and only grows tough thorns, brush and briars. It has a lone screen house and a work shed standing on the hard, dry dirt. But in Tim’s vision for the future, he sees a rich green perimeter of trees and flowers, and plants and animals filling every corner as the land is restored to its natural cycle. It will take hard work, passionate farming and future students sharing their knowledge. But as all of it is anointed with God’s blessing, restoration will come and God’s promise will be fulfilled as written in Isaiah, “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.” (Isaiah 35:1)
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Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa Region
World Mission Broadcast conducts radio programming training in DRC
Nazarenes in the Democratic Republic of Congo are learning new radio broadcast skills to reach listeners across the country, according to a newsletter from missionaries Gavin and Jill Fothergill.
Peet Voges from World Mission Broadcast out of the Regional Office in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently visited the DRC to provide training on how to write, create, edit, and produce quality programming.
"From five-minute devotional thoughts to 30-minute shows highlighting music and discussing relevant topics, our possibilities are endless in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ!" the Fothergills wrote. "In Lubumbashi alone, we have 14 radio stations. Of those, about five will broadcast Christian music and messages. We are excited to see where the Lord leads and what opportunities present themselves."[Church of the Nazarene Africa Region]
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Asia-Pacific
Vanuatu, Asia-Pacific Region
Vanuatu churches help famine-stricken communities
The small island nation of Vanuatu has received significant outside aid for many years, especially in times of disasters. Over time, this can produce an attitude of helplessness and dependency. It can also make people think compassionate care is someone else’s responsibility.
God is helping local and district Church of the Nazarene leaders begin to see through eyes of compassion. They are now seeing the needs around them, and thinking about what they can do to help.
Since last fall, the periodic weather phenomenon known as El Niño has brought heavy rain to some parts of the world, but drought and famine to others. This has been particularly devastating for areas used to frequent rainfall.
Among these hard-hit areas are Papua New Guinea and a number of Pacific island nations, including Vanuatu, a group of 85 small islands. According to OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), 4.7 million people are affected by drought in 11 Pacific countries, and 40 percent of communities in Vanuatu are expected to run out of safe drinking water.
For the rest of this story about how Vanuatu Nazarenes are serving others, see Engage magazine.
Vanuatu churches help famine-stricken communities by David and Sylvia Potter
A song has been in our hearts lately that is based on Psalm 103:8: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in love.” Matthew 9:36 says that when Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them. One of the ways that we are to become like Christ is in His compassion toward others—to see others like Jesus sees them.
The small island nation of Vanuatu has for many years been the recipient of lots of outside aid, especially in times of disasters. Over time, this can engender an attitude of helplessness and dependency. It can also tend to make people think that compassionate care is someone else’s responsibility. God is helping our local and district leaders begin to see through eyes of compassion. They are beginning to see the needs around them, and to think about what they can do to help.
Since last fall, the periodic weather phenomenon known as El Niño has brought heavy rain to some parts of the world, but drought and famine to others. This has been particularly devastating for areas used to frequent rainfall.
Among these hard hit are Papua New Guinea and a number of Pacific Island nations, including Vanuatu, a group of 85 small islands. According to OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), 4.7 million people are affected by drought in 11 Pacific countries, and 40 percent of communities in Vanuatu are expected to run out of safe drinking water.
In response to the recent drought and famine, the newly formed Nazarene Compassionate Ministries--Vanuatu (NCM) team met to talk about how the Nazarene church in our local communities could help other people. They decided they would like to help their communities in two ways. First, the local churches in the island of Port Vila wanted to provide fresh water for their communities by building water tanks at their churches (photo above). Second, they decided that since the famine was more severe on the island of Tanna, they would like to distribute bags of rice and flour to some villages where they had contacts.
In December, two water tanks were built at Black Sand and Prima Churches with the support of NCM funding. Neither of these villages have a clean water source. In February the churches will finish the water tanks by attaching gutters to the church roofs.
One week before Christmas, a team of six pastors and church leaders took a boat to Tanna and distributed rice and flour to villages as well as buckets with water filters that can take unclean water and make it 99 percent pure for drinking. The Word of God was preached in all areas of the island where the team traveled. They reported that the people were more hungry for God’s Word than for anything else. Two young men in a village in the southwest part of Tanna committed to starting a church, and Pastor John from our Black Sand church is continuing to be in contact with them to encourage and mentor them.
Putting cement on the outside of the water tank.
Completed water tank.
NCM mission team to Tanna.
Water filter buckets
Praying for the sick.
Sharing rice and flour.[David and Sylvia Potter are pioneer missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene in the south Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. They were first appointed as medical missionaries to the Nazarene College of Nursing at Kudjip, Papua New Guinea, in 1992 and served there until they accepted the call to begin the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Vanuatu in September 2003. Reprinted with permission from their newsletter.]
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Eurasia
Flags of the Nations: Israel
Flags of the Nations: Israel
The flag of Israel is white with two horizontal blue bands and a blue Star of David in the center. The colors blue and white were taken from the colors of the Jewish prayer shawl (tallit). The Star of David (Magen David) is a traditional symbol of the Jewish people.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: Israel
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Israel in 1921.
Israel had a population of 8,049,314 in 2015. That same year, Israel reported four Churches of the Nazarene, all of which had been officially organized. Israel has 314 total members.
Located on the Eurasia Region, Israel is a Phase 1 district. For more information about the Eurasia Region, visit eurasiaregion.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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Nampa, Idaho
NNU offers free webcast of 2016 Wesley Center Conference
Northwest Nazarene University will again offer free, live webcasting of its annual Wesley Center Conference. On February 18 and 19, NNU will host "Dialogue Despite Difference," a ministry conference that explores what it means to bridge relational gaps through loving dialogue in an often uncivil world. Dan Boone, Richard Mouw, and Curt Bechler will headline this year's event. T. Scott Daniels, whose church is hosting the conference venue, will also speak in the opening plenary session.
"Our Wesley Center Conferences have a long history of helping the Church engage deeply in NNU's mission of seeing God transform our world," said Jay Akkerman, 2016 conference director. "We've always tried to be a place where the Church comes to think and explore faithfully. This year is no exception."
Boone is president of Trevecca Nazarene University and author of A Charitable Discourse: Talking About the Things That Divide Us, among other titles. Mouw is president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary and author of numerous publications, including Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World. Curt Bechler is managing partner of Venture International, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting leaders and organizations with team building, listening and leadership skills, and strategic communications.
“The Wesley Conference gives me healthy, holistic tips to better love and better respect people," said Steve Wingate, pastor of Portland Church of the Nazarene. "We won’t have a chance to make a difference if we don’t have a platform to talk—love and respect is this platform.”
Sonya Miller, administrative pastor of Spokane Bethel Church of the Nazarene, believes the conference topic is important.
“Dialogue despite differences of opinion is vital to representing Christ in our political climate,” she said.
The conference began at 1 p.m. MST on Thursday and concludes around 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The live webcast will span the entire conference, including select workshop sessions. Website participants are encouraged to download and print copies of each daily program by clicking here and to submit questions by emailing wesleyconf@nnu.edu or through social media channels like Twitter using the #wesleyconf hashtag. A conference app has also been developed.
NNU's MassComm students produce the media feed and the university webcasts conference content live through its Wesley Center site at nnu.edu/wesleyconf.
Previous conferences have drawn hundreds of participants to NNU's campus and thousands of viewers worldwide have taken advantage of the free webcast.
"By offering our Wesley Center Conferences online, we're able to leverage so many of the high-quality delivery tools NNU has already developed for ministry leaders in our online graduate, undergraduate, certificate, and continuing education programs," Akkerman said.
The majority of the conference will take place at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene, which is adjacent to the NNU campus. Registrations for the conference itself, including discounted registrations at a group rate, can be made online by clicking here or by calling the NNU Wesley Center at 208-467-8530.[Northwest Nazarene University]
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Nashville, Tennessee
Trevecca to host social justice conference
Poverty, war, hunger, and countless other issues are causing devastation around the world, and Christians often wonder how to respond. This February, Trevecca Nazarene University wants to equip individuals to bring transformation to a broken world.
Trevecca's J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice will partner with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada to host the Compassion and Justice Conference February 16 to 18. Conference leaders say the event will equip church leaders, pastors, and students with the tools necessary to practice compassionate ministry and social justice while also educating attendees about the work of the Church of the Nazarene worldwide.
The conference mirrors Trevecca’s commitment to justice, which the university believes to be crucial to engaging with the world.
“The justice we are talking about is all about relationships,” said Tim Green, university chaplain and keynote speaker at the conference. “[Relationships] with God, with other humans, and with God’s creation; If this is at the heart of the mission of God … then the church has no option but for social justice.”
Conference planners say the event will help attendees to make theological concepts more practical, exploring the connection between the Great Commission and the church’s call to social justice. Speakers include Tom Nees, founder of Leading to Serve, Inc.; Cosmos Mutowa, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries coordinator for the Africa Region; and Bob Broadbooks, director of the denomination's USA/Canada Region.
Jamie Casler, director of the J. V. Morsch Center for Social Justice, said the concept for the conference originated during conversations between Casler and Jay Height, coordinator for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries on the USA/Canada Region.
“We began having conversations and said, ‘What if we do a conference together that really blended the compassionate ministry side of the church with the social justice side?’” Casler said. “At the end of the day, we’re doing the same kind of work.”
The conference is unique in that it primarily focuses on the work of the Church of the Nazarene, which has a history rooted in compassion.
“We were founded by Phineas Bresee, the pastor who wanted to minister to the poor and the needy,” Casler said. “A conference like this really reclaims the story of our heritage of meeting the needs of the least of these in our world.”
Registration for the conference will open at 6 p.m. February 16 with the opening session slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. The next day registration will continue followed by a morning session, workshops, and an afternoon session.
“I deeply desire that all of us in attendance will gain an even deeper appreciation that social justice is integral to the Gospel of Jesus,” Green said. “So that the admonition of the prophet Amos could become embodied in our lives: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
To learn more about the conference and pre-register, click here. [Trevecca Nazarene University]
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In Memoriam: February 12, 2015
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 February 8-12, 2016.
William Bailey, 86, of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, passed away February 6. He was a retired minister, serving in Virginia and Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Bailey.
Evelyn Cobb, 86, of Vicksburg, Michigan, passed away February 9. She was the wife of retired minister Allen Cobb, who served in Michigan.
John Lenker, 92, of Sagle, Idaho, passed away February 8. He was a retired minister, serving in Oregon and Alaska. He was preceded in death by his wife, Luceal Lenker, in 2014.
Corazon Ordonez, 76, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away February 1. She was the wife of minister Luis Ordonez, who previously served in Florida.
Lester Trusty, 88, of Salina, Kansas, passed away February 7. He was a retired minister, serving in Colorado and Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy Trusty, in 2006.
E. Wendell Williams, 81, of Leawood, Kansas, passed away February 7. He was a retired minister, serving in North Carolina and Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Anna Williams.
Twillia (Hedgecock) Williams, 82, of Newton, Iowa, passed away February 8. She was the wife of retired minister Donald Williams, who served in Iowa.
Charles Zwicker, 65, of Twentynine Palms, California, passed away February 9. He was a retired minister, serving in California. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Zwicker.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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Global praise reports and prayer requests
Global praise reports and prayer requests
Recent praise reports and prayer requests from NCN News, Nazarene Missions International, and JESUS Film Harvest Partners include:
PRAISES
Kudjip medical supplies
Since December, Kudjip Nazarene Hospital in Papua New Guinea has been in desperate need of supplies like gauze and gloves, as well as several medications. Dr. Erin Meier reports the hospital received two shipping containers. Staff members are now working to organize the supplies so that they can be used in the coming days. Click here for the full story from the Asia-Pacific Region.
JESUS Film - Argentina
"I felt a terrible emptiness inside of me," said a young man in Argentina. "I strayed away from the Lord and was sad and dejected. When the JESUS Film team came to my town, I heard the gospel message again and was reminded only God can fill that void. I rededicated my life to Him and now I thank Him for Jesus who has given me hope again."
JESUS Film - Cameroon
"Magne stopped going to church about seven years ago," shared a team member in Cameroon. "She was living a lost life. After seeing the JESUS film, not only did she recommit her life to Christ, she is undergoing training to help show the film in surrounding villages!"
PRAYER REQUESTS
Africa drought
After a year of unusually low rainfall, the drought in Zimbabwe has become so severe that officials declared a state of disaster across much of the country, BBC reported February 5. Additionally, Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with more than 10 million people needing emergency aid.
Melanesia College
The Asia-Pacific Region received a prayer request from Melanesia Nazarene Teachers and Bible College in Papua New Guinea asking for strength, wisdom, and guidance during registration activities in the days ahead. For the rest of the request, click here.
HEALTH-RELATED REQUESTS
Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr. update
Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr.’s son, Harmon Jr., writes: “These past few days have seen significant improvement with dad’s situation. Our family is deeply aware and appreciative of the great army of prayer warriors who have been lifting him before God’s throne! Thank you so very much.”
Harmon Sr. and his wife, Beverly, are retired missionaries who served in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States. Harmon Jr. and his family serve on the Asia-Pacific Region.
MORE...
For more global concerns and continued requests, see the NMI Prayer Mobilization Line by clicking here or JESUS Film Harvest Partners by clicking here. To share additional praises or prayer requests, please use the comment section below or see the Prayer Mobilization Line's Facebook page.
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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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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Lay leaders: January 2016
Lay leaders: January 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.
Read more
“So often we think of prayer as an act of intellect, a well phrased message to God. If that is prayer, then everything depends on our flawed knowledge, on our frail capacity to articulate what we know.”[Parker J. Palmer]
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Nazarene News: Church forgoes celebration to help flood victims - Nazarene Communication Network News of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States - Volume 1605 for Friday, 5 February 2016 - This week in the Church of the Nazarene...
Chennai, India
India church forgoes Christmas celebration to help flood victims
More than 400 people were killed and 1.8 million displaced late in 2015 by heavy monsoon rainfall that caused major flooding in two South Indian states, particularly the coastal city of Chennai.
Nazarenes at the Mt. Carmel Church of the Nazarene in the Andhra Pradesh District were moved by the plight of the people in their own community who lost homes and businesses in the flood and wanted to do something. The congregation, which numbers about 125 people, collected high-quality rice, sunflower oil, and lentil beans to assemble 50 relief packages. Inside each package was also a set of clothing for one man, one woman, and one child. They distributed the packages to displaced families in the area.
For the rest of the story, see Engage magazine.
"This is the real Christmas" by Gina Grate Pottenger
More than 400 people were killed and 1.8 million people were displaced by heavy monsoon rainfall that caused major flooding in two South Indian states, with the major coastal city of Chennai particularly hard hit in November and December.
Nazarenes at the Mt. Carmel Church of the Nazarene in Andhra Pradesh District were moved by the plight of the people in their own community who lost homes and businesses in the flood, and wanted to do something. The congregation, which numbers about 125 people, collected high quality rice, sunflower oil and lentil beans to assemble 50 relief packages. Inside each package was also a set of clothing for one man, one woman and one child. They distributed the packages to displaced families in the area.
“While we [were] doing our job of distribution, we left two extra packets in a house,” wrote Pastor Lazarus. “After 10 minutes, the particular family came to us and gave back two packets by saying, ‘Sir, you missed these two packets in our house.’ It touched our hearts by seeing their sincerity. Even though they are deadly in need, they returned [them].”
After the church members finished distributing the packets to all the families they intended to help, they were surprised to find they had eight extra packages. Remembering the New Testament miracle in which Jesus transformed five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 men and many more women and children, the church thanked God and then followed His leading to another place where they gave away the extra packets to more people in need.
When it came time to celebrate Christmas at the church, the congregation couldn’t forget all the people they’d seen who were still without homes and personal belongings after the flood. They told the pastor that rather than spend their money on themselves – decorating the church and holding their annual church feast – they would collect an offering for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries – India, for flood relief.
They raised 20,000 rupees ($295).
“They are already victims of heavy rainfall … [yet] they come forward to help other neighbor victims, and now they are coming for Chennai with this decision,” wrote Lazarus. “I asked one question of the congregation: how [do] you feel with no Christmas feast? A very [astonishing] answer came from one person. He said, ‘No pastor, we did not lose it, but we are happily shifting our feast to Chennai. This year we are going to have Christmas feast happiness with Chennai people.’”
District Superintendent Jacob Francis told Lazarus, “This is real Christmas – to sacrifice our comforts for others’ comfort.”
On Christmas day, following the morning service, a church member named Gideon approached the pastor and said for a long time he had yearned to show the JESUS film on Christmas day in his village, about 50 kilometers away from the church. The pastor said this was not possible because the church already had planned to host a Christmas evening program in another village.
Two young people overheard the conversation and said they would be willing to accompany Gideon to host the JESUSfilm in his village that evening.
The pastor decided to form two groups of the congregation, and send one to Gideon’s village, and the other to the first village as planned. The church members raised funds to rent a car, a projector, DVD player, speakers and a screen for Gideon. His team went to his village, showed the film to those who were interested, and spoke briefly about God’s love and the possibility for anyone to enter into a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.
The other group of 18 went as originally planned to a village to hold a Christmas evening service. The residents offered a dinner for the church members afterward.
“Remember, our local church withdrew our Christmas feast this year for the sake of Chennai victims. For the same congregation, God gave us Christmas feast here in that village. We withdrew, but God provided,” Lazarus observed.
Gideon and his two young men decided that they wanted to share theJESUS film again in another village, and did so on New Year’s Day.
Lazarus says that God is moving his congregation to spontaneous, compassionate ministry toward the world outside the church, as well as evangelism through the JESUS film, wholly from their own resources.
“Yes, I strongly believe that local churches have their own responsibilities of the works of their denomination,” he wrote.
Read more
Bribri, Costa Rica
JESUS Film team records evangelism tool in indigenous Costa Rica language
A two-person recording team from Orlando, Florida, USA, arrived in Bribri, Costa Rica, to begin recording the JESUS film in Cabecar, the language spoken by a tribe of nearly 17,000 indigenous people. Of the US$38,000 needed for the multi-voice recording, the JESUS Film Project contributed $19,000 and the remaining $19,000 was raised through donations to JESUS Film Harvest Partners.
The Church of the Nazarene's Costa Rica Central District has one organized church and one mission church in Tayni, where more than 3,000 Cabecar people live.
Nazarene missionaries David and Shelley Webb enlisted the help of fellow missionaries from River of God, Inc., David and Lucy Jones, who hosted the team in Bribri, Costa Rica. David Jones grew up as a missionary kid among the indigenous people and speaks the language fluently. He arranged to host the approximately 30 Cabecar readers and made a sound studio in his home for the recording.
Some of the Cabecar people walked six hours to the Jones' home for the recording. Others walked two to three hours and then took a bus. Since the Cabecar people are spread out, many of them had not met before.
"It was wonderful to see the fellowship and hear testimonies of God’s faithfulness among the Cabecar from 11 different communities," the Webbs said. "These are dedicated Christians who want to see the JESUS film in their heart language so they can share it with others."
The recording took nine days to complete, working morning until evening. Israel, the Cabecar man who is reading the part of Jesus, shared during the evening fellowship that he met David Jones’ brother, Timothy, as a young adult. Isreal was interested in what Timothy said, but Israel's parents told him it was dangerous information and that he should not have anything to do with Timothy, who continued to preach and teach. Israel listened intently from afar, and received Christ as his Savior. Since then, Israel has dreamed of having the JESUS film in Cabecar because not everyone can understand the Spanish version.
The JESUS film in Cabecar could be ready by April. An Old Testament in Cabecar is also currently being translated. The two new resources will join the second version of the Cabecar New Testament, which was completed in 2013 as an update to the version written by the Jones brother's parents, Aziel and Marion Jones.[Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region]
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Nazarenes in the News is a compilation of online news articles featuring Nazarene churches or church members.
Nazarenes in the News
Minnesota ministry brings comfort to cancer families
Rochester, Minnesota(The Dispatch, February 1) Under the most devastating circumstances, I was blessed to fall under the wings of two angels.
Linda and Rick Day run the Nazarene Well House in Rochester, Minnesota, offering support to cancer patients being treated at the Mayo Clinic and their families. On the recommendation of the American Cancer Society, I reserved a room at the bed-and-breakfast for the night before I was to go undergo my cancer surgery.
The experience became even tougher when my husband fell violently ill the morning we were to leave, and I was forced to ask my 17-year-old son, Michael, to drive me. However, fears of leaving him on his own during my surgery quickly dissipated upon meeting the “grandparents” at the Nazarene Well House.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Texas church offers free home repairs
Lufkin, Texas(KTRE, January 30) A Texas church is offering free home repairs to those in need.
“I feel happy,” Ruby Samuel, a Lufkin homeowner said.
Samuel is just one of three East Texans who said their prayers have been answered.
“There’s a smile on her face, a twinkle in her eye,” Pastor Don Schultheis, with Lufkin First Church of the Nazarene, said. “I think she’s thrilled to see total strangers under the umbrella of God’s kingdom to make a difference in her life.”
For the rest of the story, click here.
Oklahoma pastor invests in students through running program
Ardmore, Oklahoma(The Daily Ardmoreite, January 31) Girls on the Run of Southern Oklahoma is looking for a few good women (or men) to pick up the mantle of role model and coach a team of young girls this season.
The program began in 2013 and since then has served 400 young women, providing confidence and mentoring in addition to fitness.
The program is divided into two seasons with a 5K run serving as the completion of each season. The spring season ends with the Girls on the Run 5K and one-mile run during the Corporate Fitness Challenge. The fall season wraps up with a 5K run in the Chigger Chase. But for the organization, it is about the journey as much as the destination.
“I wish this was something we had when I was a girl,” Dee Boyt, a coach and pastor of Church of the Nazarene, said. “It provides skills to interact with other people. We are preparing them to finish a 5K by the end of the season but there is so much more than that.”
For the rest of the story, click here.
Wesleyan theologians gather in the Bahamas for memorial conference
Nassau, Bahamas(The Nassau Guardian, December 31) A group of Christians in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition will convene at a conference early in the new year to commemorate the 225th death anniversary of Reverand Father John Wesley, a co-founder of Methodism who was also an evangelical preacher and priest. Wesley was a social reformer who established schools, empowered the poor, cared for the sick, and encouraged the abolition of slavery.
In the 1700s when land travel was by walking, horseback, or carriage, Wesley was said to have logged more than 40,000 miles a year. It is said that during his lifetime he preached about 40,000 sermons.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Stories to share? Send them to news@nazarene.org.[Compiled by NCN News]
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Mount Vernon, Ohio
MVNU, NTS to co-host Reformation 500th anniversary trip
Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary will co-host a trip to the main Protestant Reformation sites in Germany and Switzerland in 2017. The trip, which takes place May 8 to 17, 2017, coincides with the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation which swept through Europe in the 16th century.
Sites and cities to be visited include Berlin; Wittenberg, where Martin Luther famously nailed the 95 Theses to the All Saints Castle Church door; Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthplace in Eisenach; the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz; Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland where Calvin and Zwingli, among others, ministered, and many more.
"We are so excited to be able to offer this trip on the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, an extremely significant event that changed European religious and cultural history forever," said Jeanne Orjala Serrão, dean of MVNU's School of Theology and Philosophy. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Germany and Switzerland as we learn more about this period of time and its effect on modern religion and culture."
Although this is an academic trip led by MVNU and NTS faculty with undergraduate and graduate classes available for credit and audit, it is open to alumni, pastors, and friends of both institutions.
"NTS is pleased to join with MVNU on this historic trip," said Carla Sunberg, NTS president. "For years students and friends of NTS have combined their passion for travel and study as we explore the ways in which our faith has been shaped throughout history."
Details, a registration form, and a full itinerary can be found online at mvnu.edu/reformation.[Mount Vernon Nazarene University]
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Eurasia
Flags of the Nations: Ireland
Flags of the Nations: Ireland
Each week, the Church of the Nazarene's Global Ministry Center proudly flies a flag of one of the many nations in which the denomination is present in ministry. This week's flag: Ireland, Eurasia Region. Click "read more" for information on the country, including what year the denomination entered Ireland and how many Nazarenes are there today.
The flag of Ireland is a tricolour of green, white, and orange where green represents the Gaelic tradition of Ireland, orange represents the followers of William of Orange in Ireland, and white represents the aspiration for peace between them.
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: Ireland
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Ireland in 1987.
Ireland had a population of 4,892,305 in 2015. That same year, Ireland reported one organized Church of the Nazarene. Ireland has 122 total members.
Located on the Eurasia Region, Ireland is a Pioneer Area district. For more information about the Eurasia Region, visit eurasiaregion.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
Moving Ministers: January 2016
Moving Ministers: January 2016
Compiled by the General Secretary's Office from district reports, Moving Ministers is a monthly listing of Nazarene ministers in new assignments on the USA/Canada Region.
Roles included in the latest report are pastor and pastoral service. Entries were received from January 1 to January 31, 2016.
To view the January report, click here.
For previous reports, see usacanadanazarene.org.
Moving Ministers As of: 2/1/2016
from 1/1/2016 to 1/31/2016
Rev. Bradley Dwayne Booker from Unassigned
Northwestern Ohio
Saint Marys OH to
Pastoral Service on 12/1/2015
Bethel Community
Medway OH
Rev. Michael D. Campbell from Pastor
Chattanooga Calvary
Chattanooga TN to
Pastor on 1/3/2016
Decatur Spring Avenue
Decatur AL
Rev. Thomas G. Campbell from Unassigned
Florida
Lakeland FL to
Pastor on 11/1/2015
Everett First
Everett WA
Rev. Beverly R. Cook from Unassigned
Southern California
Temecula CA to
Pastoral Service on 12/5/2015
Mission New York
New York NY
Rev. Robert C Cranston Jr. from Student
Southwest Oklahoma
Mustang OK to
Pastoral Service on 1/3/2016
Enid First
Enid OK
Rev. Andrew M. Crimmins from Pastoral Service
Nashville Trevecca Community
Nashville TN to
Pastor on 1/10/2016
Asheville First
Asheville NC
Rev. Adrian E. Daugherty from Pastoral Service
Cornerstone
Lake Jackson TX to
Pastoral Service on 12/27/2015
Pittsburg
Pittsburg KS
Rev. Harold Flach from Pastoral Service
Eldon
Eldon MO to
Pastoral Service on 12/1/2015
Moravia Lighthouse
Moravia IA
Rev. Jonathan David Hall from Pastoral Service
Coffeyville First
Coffeyville KS to
Pastoral Service on 10/25/2015
Excel Enoch Johnson Memorial
Excel AL
Rev. Robert J. Hasselbring II from Pastor
Sterling First
Sterling IL to
Pastor on 11/30/2015
Bloomington First
Bloomington IL
Rev. Carl Wayne Hokanson from Pastor
Sanborn Faith Community
Sanborn NY to
Pastor on 12/28/2015
Binghamton
Binghamton NY
Rev. Joseph R. Ibanez from Pastoral Service
Edmond First
Edmond OK to
Pastor on 1/20/2016
Georgetown First
Georgetown TX
Rev. Nicole M. Kessler from Pastoral Service
Milford
Milford DE to
Pastoral Service on 1/3/2016
Quincy MA Bethel
Quincy MA
Rev. Ashley K. Kuhn from Pastoral Service
Winter Haven First
Winter Haven FL to
Pastoral Service on 11/1/2015
Columbus Shepherd
Gahanna OH
Rev. Benjamin C. Kuhn from Pastoral Service
Winter Haven First
Winter Haven FL to
Pastoral Service on 11/1/2015
Columbus Shepherd
Gahanna OH
Rev. Thomas G. Legg from Pastor
Southview Community
Kingsport TN to
Pastor on 11/1/2015
Columbia
Columbia KY
Rev. David S. Lyons from Student
Missouri
Bridgeton MO to
Pastor on 1/1/2016
Punxsutawney
Punxsutawney PA
Rev. Gabriel E. Martin from Pastor
Lancaster Valley View
Lancaster CA to
Pastor on 11/1/2015
Rancho Cucamonga Highland Avenue
Community
Rancho Cucamonga CA
Rev. Samuel Moreno from Unassigned
Metro New York
Valley Stream NY to
Pastor on 12/6/2015
Lake June
Dallas TX
Rev. Koby J. Padilla from Pastoral Service
Liberty Bible
Vancouver WA to
Pastoral Service on 12/13/2015
Sandpoint
Ponderay ID
Dr. Todd W. Renegar from Pastor
Bloomington, The Bridge
Bloomington CA to
Pastor on 3/1/2016
Sparks First
Sparks NV
Rev. Glen A. Sprouls from Unassigned
Southwest Indiana
Bedford IN to
Pastor on 11/22/2015
Harmony Chapel
New Harmony IN
Rev. Benjamin D. Strait from Student
Michigan
Grand Ledge MI to
Pastoral Service on 1/24/2016
Saint Louis
Saint Louis MI
Rev. Scott M. Whalen from Pastoral Service
Sterling First
Sterling IL to
Pastoral Service on 1/4/2016
Peoria First
Peoria IL
Dr. Paul A. Whiteford from Pastor
El Cajon
El Cajon CA to
Pastor on 1/3/2016
Valley Mission
Bedford IN
Read more
Lenexa, Kansas
Korean SRT welcomes new members, announces retreat
Front row, left to right: Jaehyung Son, Jung Ho Bae, Seong Min Oh
Back row, left to right: Byung Hong Lee, Kim Lundell, David Sung Heon Lee, Roberto Hodgson, John Lee, Songchon Chon The new Korean Strategic Readiness Team/Association started out the year by reviewing guidelines for members and ethnic facilitators advising district superintendents in matters regarding their ethnic group. Additional discussion topics included starting new congregations and pastoral searches requested by the D.S. The guidelines were presented by Church of the Nazarene Multicultural Ministries Director Roberto Hodgson, who welcomed the team members and the new Korean facilitator and association president, David Sung Heon Lee.
The committee spent time reviewing an action plan developed by the former facilitator, Stephen Lee. Multicultural Ministries appreciates the leadership of Lee, who served for several years as the facilitator and president of the Korean Association.
The Korean SRT/Association is organizing a conference and family retreat to strengthen and renew pastoral families. The event will be held June 13 to 16 at the Arlington First Church of the Nazarene, 1301 W. Green Oakes Blvd., Arlington, TX 76013. More information about the conference will be available on theMulticultural Ministries website in the future.[Multicultural Ministries]
Read more
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 February 1-5, 2016.
Carol Kratz Bennett, 89, of Bethany, Oklahoma, passed away January 29. She was a retired missionary, serving in Brazil. She was preceded in death by her first husband, retired missionary James Kratz, who served in Brazil, and her second husband, retired minister and missionary Merril Bennett, who served in Japan and Hawaii. James Kratz passed away in 1990 and Merril Bennett passed away in 2003.
Bernice (Roedel) Gerbig, 91, of Boonville, Indiana, passed away January 30. She was a retired minister and evangelist, serving in Indiana. She was preceded in death by her husband, Miller Gerbig.
William King, 76, of Albemarle, North Carolina, passed away January 30. He was the husband of retired minister Dorothe "Dottie" King, who served in North Carolina.
Burl "B.A." Patton Jr., 88, of Terrell, Texas, passed away February 2. He was a retired minister, serving in Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane (Mize) Patton, in 1996 and is survived by his wife, Ella Patton.
Roland Stanford, 95, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, passed away January 19. He was a retired minister, serving in Massachusetts, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, New York, and Maine. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis (Alexander) Stanford.
Clyde Townsend, 81, of Amarillo, Texas, passed away January 27. He was a retired minister, serving in Arkansas, New Mexico, and Texas.
Barbara Updike, 84, of Anderson, Indiana, passed away February 2. She was the widow of retired minister, evangelist, and district superintendent Paul Updike, who served in Indiana and led the Northeastern Indiana District. Paul Updike passed away in 1974.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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
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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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Nazarene News: Pastor, DS leave lasting legacies - Nazarene Communication Network News of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States - Volume 1604 for Friday, 29 January 2016 - This week in the Church of the Nazarene...
"He Knows" by Eugénio R. Duarte
We are trained to acquire information because it is important that we are knowledgeable. There is much that we really do want to know. In all areas of our lives, knowledge energizes and motivates us to make changes that without it, we are not willing to make. Likewise, without diminishing the importance of the greater quests for knowledge, we refuse to neglect critical things, even if they require little effort to know, such as our accounts, contacts, and passwords.
We are also trained to determine what we really want to know, what we do not need to know, and what we do not want to know. We internalize what we really want to know; we avoid what we do not need to know. The things we do not want to know put us on alert and force selectivity (television, books, conversations) because this knowledge can be hurtful and because we constantly face the question of what to do with the information.
Would it also be important to answer the question of what to do about what we do not know?
In Matthew 6:7–8 (ESV) Jesus says, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father KNOWS what you need before you ask him” (emphasis mine). Our approach to the need to know, as well as to the option of not knowing, speaks of our values, principles, character, and mission.
Writing to a church that was facing so many unknowns, the apostle Paul speaks about what to do with the things we know as well as those we do not know:
“For WE KNOW that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO PRAY FOR as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And HE WHO SEARCHES HEARTS KNOWS what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:22–27, emphases mine).
He knows.
Will we trust our “knowns” as well as our “unknowns” to the One who knows?
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Volume 1606 for Friday, 12 February 2016
Nazarene News: General treasurer resigns
Nazarene Communication Network News of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States - This week in the Church of the Nazarene...
Global Ministry Center
General treasurer announces resignation
Church of the Nazarene General Treasurer Marilyn J. McCool announced her resignation effective May 2 in a letter to the Board of General Superintendents.
“Marilyn McCool’s years of excellent service and the gift she has been to the Church of the Nazarene are profoundly appreciated,” said General Superintendent David A. Busic, chair of the BGS. “She has communicated discernment into complicated matters to the Board of General Superintendents, and we have valued her wisdom.”
McCool expressed gratitude for the honor and privilege of serving the global Church of the Nazarene in this role for more than 14 years.
“My reaction to my election in 2001 was one of disbelief when announced to me by a telephone call to my bank office from General Superintendent Paul G. Cunningham,” she said. “It seemed like an impossible assignment to follow in the footsteps of former general treasurers John Stockton, Norman Miller, and Robert Foster. However, God’s definite calling from my 27-year banking career to use my experience to serve the church in this way during this period in my life has been continually affirmed.”
General Board President Charles A. Davis Jr. has worked closely with McCool during her time as general treasurer.
“Her knowledge of budgeting, business, and finance are without equal, and her ability to work with others has made her very successful in building a true team when it comes to finance at the Global Ministry Center,” he said. “I speak for the entire General Board in expressing our thanks for her ministry and wishing her God's best."
During McCool’s tenure, the denomination’s headquarters was relocated from Kansas City, Missouri, USA, to the Global Ministry Center in Lenexa, Kansas, USA.
McCool coordinated many aspects of the move, including the sale of the former headquarters’ property in Kansas City to the Kaufmann Foundation for a charter school and land purchase, construction, fundraising, and financing of the GMC.
Another notable transaction included the sale of the Church of the Nazarene Loan Fund to the Wesleyan Investment Foundation to better serve the loan needs of Nazarene churches. The 20-year building debt of the GMC was paid in full in less than three years from the loan sale proceeds.
When McCool first implemented online giving services for local churches, districts, and individuals, she recruited one church to just try it. Today, nearly 100,000 transactions of more than US$33 million dollars are processed annually through online giving to fund the mission.
The economic recession of 2007 to 2011 and the approval of a new global World Evangelism Fund system of giving required sizable operational budget cuts, including GMC staff reductions.
“While being part of many once-in-a-lifetime challenges and changes since 2002, the global friendships of God's servants will remain highly treasured for life,” McCool said.
Financial accountability was strengthened by attaining the first-ever General Board consolidated independent audit for the Church of the Nazarene, Inc. and an Evangelical Counsel for Financial Accountability membership in good standing for the denomination.
“Dr. Marilyn McCool has been a gift to the Church of the Nazarene and GMC,” said Joel Pearsall, chair of the Global Administration and Finance Committee for the General Board. “Her skills, gifting, insight, character, and demeanor have been exactly what was needed over the years. We express our thanks for her servant leadership displayed to all of us.”
David and Marilyn McCool, now blessed with three daughters and nine grandchildren, are originally from northern Michigan, where they pastored for 18 years in a Church of the Nazarene they planted in their hometown of Kalkaska in1984.
“A bank auditor introduced us to the Church of the Nazarene before we were married,” Marilyn said. “Through the love of a pastor and Olivet Nazarene University leaders, our lives changed forever.”
The McCools continue to commit their future to God, claiming Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
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Tainan City, Taiwan
Deadly earthquake strikes Taiwan
Reuters photoA 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the southern region of Taiwan Saturday at 3:57 a.m. local time. As of February 12, at least 94 people were reported killed and 550 people injured.
BBC News reports several buildings collapsed and rescue operations are underway in Tainan City. The earthquake was felt in the capital city of Taipei, more than 300 km away.
The Taiwan Church of the Nazarene district superintendent and district Nazarene Youth International coordinator, who lives in a town near the epicenter, said no Nazarenes were injured. The Church of the Nazarene has 43 organized churches and more than 3,000 members in Taiwan.
Through donations previously made to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' Asia-Pacific Disaster Relief Fund, resources are already on hand and leaders are ready to respond as critical needs are identified.
Prayer is requested for the people of Taiwan impacted by this earthquake.
Additional updates will be posted as they are made available.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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Manteno, Illinois
Illinois church members knit hats, scarves for Syrian refugees
Syrian refugees pick out scarves and hats for themselves and their families Friday night at the Muslim Community Center in Chicago. The civil war in Syria has displace more than 7 million people, including 4 million refugees. (Daily Journal photo)They'll probably never meet. Even if they could, they don't speak the same language, eat the same food, or pray to the same God, but for a couple dozen church members from the Manteno Church of the Nazarene and about 60 Syrian refugees in a north Chicago neighborhood, that doesn't really matter.
About 7 p.m. on Friday, Fadia Mabus, her 5-year-old son, Sam, of Bourbonnais, and friend Emily Linton of Bradley carried trash bags filled with hand-knitted scarves and hats for refugees who are living through their first Midwest winter. Prayers still were echoing as they walked up through the halls of the Muslim Community Center in Chicago into a room easily 70 degrees; everyone was wearing winter coats.
Those hats and scarves were made, and prayed over, by members of the Manteno Nazarene Church and other local community groups.
"The Syria climate, it's different," said Mabus, who is from Latakia, Syria, and moved to Bourbonnais in 2010. "I remember when I arrive, how it is freezing."
That was how the project was born. Just before Christmas, Sharyl Whittington, who attends the Nazarene church with Mabus, felt a burden watching the coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis on the news.
"I thought, what can I, one person, do to help these people?" Whittington said. "I don't know anyone; how can I help?"
Then she met Mabus, and they decided to take action. Whittington taught Mabus to knit, who in turn began to teach others. They got the church involved. One woman designed the tags. The teen group sorted and prayed over the garments. Mabus' MOPS group began crafting. Friends out of state even mailed in items.
The result: In just less than two months 120 scarves and hats were made in all sizes.
"I wanted them to know that they are loved and cared for and prayed for," Whittington said. "I know not everyone sees them in that light.
"It was important for them to know that these weren't just things put out there. We specifically prayed for the people and the situation they are in and their families," she added as her voice broke.
The church members call the project "Love in every stitch." More than the tangible way to help, it was about sharing hope and love with families who have lost everything in a war they didn't start.
"They lost everything — so absolutely they understand what it is to pray," Mabus said. "I imagine them happy, for them to be safe who wear it."
And she probably can see her family in the faces of these people: Her mother, two sisters, and a brother still are in Syria; her siblings live in other countries around the world.
Five-year-old Leem is one of the Syrian refugees who received a hat and scarf set, crocheted and prayed over by members of the Manteno Church of the Nazarene.A warm gesture for a war-torn community
In the crowded room at the community center, an Imam begins to speak in Arabic. While Mabus and Linton set up the table of scarves in the back, he tells the story of Joseph forced to go to Egypt.
Sam joins children looking to be between the ages of 3 and 10 playing tag in the hallway. While the Imam tells the people to continue to have faith in God, a young girl runs up to the colorful table. Her wide eyes light up as Mabus tells her in Arabic she can have whichever hat and scarf set she wants.
Throughout the night, children quietly approach the table to get their hats, rushing off to show their parents. But their parents are preoccupied by the meeting. The Imam has finished speaking, and a representative from the Syrian Community Network is leading a forum.
The mood slowly changes. One woman tells the group how she has found a job for 12 hours per week but she has three kids and has to work at night.
"If you have a good position, you must work," the representative tells them in Arabic. "This is not an easy life."
Another man stands and says he cannot get the paperwork that will allow him to work, and he is worried he might lose the job he has found.
"I've gone 100 times to fix it," he says. "I'm ready to work. I'm not waiting for the government to pay for me."
Others in the room say they can't find a job, don't understand the bus system, are having trouble learning English, or need an apartment.
Which is why what the scarves represent is so positive, explained Suzanne Akhras, executive director of the network.
"It is good you are here. There are things that they have experienced — trauma — that they take it out on us. So we need to end these meetings positively."
Akhras invites Mabus to speak and tell the refugees why she is there, and the mood changes again. People begin to clap as she says, "I can't stop the war, but I can love. I and my friends are trying to learn to help."
About 10 p.m., the scarves have been picked out, the refugees are wearing their new winter gear home, and Mabus, Linton, and Sam are driving back south, reflecting on what they've seen.
"I cannot make it easy for them," Mabus said. "They come from war. They have lost the ability to trust. But they are grateful and respect [our] message."
So, beyond the warmth, will it matter to these refugees that the church prayed for them?
"Maybe yes, maybe not," Mabus admits. "Just we do what we do with love."[Republished with permission from the Daily Journal]
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Kombinat, Albania
Albania pastor uses football ministry to reach boys
When Ergest "Gesti" Biti, pastor of Kombinat Church of the Nazarene in Tirana, Albania, had a chance encounter with a group of neighborhood boys, he realized the meeting was from God.
“One day this summer I was walking through Kombinat,” Biti remembers. “There were a few young guys and I knew one of them, so I called to them and asked, ‘What are you doing right now?’ And they said, ‘We are just hanging around and not doing anything special.’ But I knew that some of them had already started stealing, and I thought that these guys, starting to steal at this age, would pretty soon be in a very bad way; that soon they might be in prison or starting drugs. This is the area where most of the teenagers start drugs and become addicted.”
He knew he couldn’t let these young boys follow the path to ruin where so many had gone before.
“I asked them: ‘What if I start a football team and I can be your coach, would you like to come?’" Biti said. "They were all really happy."
The boys could barely believe what they heard — and hardly believed that Biti really meant it. But he did. The next day at 6 p.m., Biti came to the field where they had agreed to meet him with some of their friends so they could organize a team. When he arrived at the field, 17 young boys were waiting for him and ran toward him, calling “Coach, coach!”
When they realized he hadn’t brought a ball — he thought the boys had one — they immediately started doubting his sincerity. Biti simply took two of the boys to the next shop to buy a ball.
“When we went back to the field, they were all waiting there, and one kid, he took the ball and started crying," Biti said. "He was so happy.”
Before they started, Biti made some simple rules: no bad words, cooperate with each other, start each practice with a prayer. All the boys agreed, so they proceeded to have a game and play together. At the end, Biti chose one of the boys as captain and left the ball with him to bring to the next practice.
“They were so happy because they saw that I trusted them,” he said.
Winners
Since the beginning of July 2015, the Kombinat Nazarene football (soccer) team has been meeting three days per week on a public playing field. Around 22 to 35 kids, age 9 to 12, attend regularly. Biti was joined by Andi, a young man from the church, to help lead the practice. They usually meet for about an hour to exercise together, practice some football moves, and have a game. Thanks to donations, they were able to buy additional balls and other exercising equipment — including uniforms for each child in the Albanian national team’s colours.
“It really made them into a team,” Biti said.
But what is a team without a victory?
When Biti arranged a trip to Lushnje, a small town about 1.5 hours south of Tirana, to compete against the kids there, the football boys showed up at the church at 7 a.m. even though the bus wasn’t leaving until 9.
“Some kids told me, ‘We couldn’t sleep all night because we were so excited to go there!’” Biti said. “That was such a great experience for the kids. It was something different for them, and we were really glad to see those happy faces.”
The Kombinat Nazarene team won the match, and when the victorious youth returned home late in the afternoon, some of the boys found an Albanian flag and marched around the Kombinat city centre, singing “We are the winners!” at the top of their voices. While people were looking on and wondering what had happened, Biti thoroughly enjoyed the scene.
“That really makes my heart happy, to see these kids so happy,” he said.
People who love
The football team is the only social program offered in this community. But it’s not just a social program. Every practice is started with prayer, and at the end Biti or Andi always share a short message with the kids. A number of the boys have started attending the Saturday kids meeting at the Kombinat Church of the Nazarene. During the school year, fewer boys can attend the football practice because they have school in the afternoon, but they still come to the church on Saturdays.
They can feel that there’s something different about Biti and the people from his church. Many of them have not met people who love and care about them.
“Most of those kids are from poor families or from families that are not very interested in their kids," Biti said. "From the families — most of the ones I have seen — it’s like they don’t have a connection with their parents. Most fathers are unemployed or alcoholic that abuse them; many of the kids don’t have bread to eat before they sleep at night. That’s why most of those kids start stealing at this age and getting in a bad way.”
The church has made a difference, and Biti prays that he may be able to continue offering this service.
“The kids feel that we care for them and we’re always telling them that we love them and that’s why we are doing that,” he said.[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
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Bangalore, India
India church joins mission initiative
As a pastor’s daughter growing up in a Nazarene church in Bangalore, India, Miriam Vijaya was always drawn toward missions and to serving as a missionary.
Today, that vision is turning into reality. The 26-year-old recently quit her job as an accountant at a France-based multinational oil company and took a two-day train journey to Kolkata where she is serving as a volunteer for three months with her best friend, Monica Rachel, 26, through the Eurasia Region’s M+Power initiative.
Vijaya and Rachel are two of the first Indian volunteers to be sent by the India Church of the Nazarene initiative in many years. They represent a wave of young Nazarenes who sense God’s call into cross-cultural ministry and are ready to answer that call.
Last summer’s Eurasia Mission Orientation in Bangalore attracted 21 participants. Most were from India, but a few from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh attended as well. All were there to find out what it would mean to live and serve God in a cross-cultural context, whether in their own nation or somewhere else on the Eurasia Region.
Of the 21 participants, 16 took the next step to interview for a ministry assignment. One plans to move to the Maldives Islands, where he was offered a job, and plant a church in his free time.
Vijaya's father often traveled into other cultural areas of India, and Miriam and her brother Moses sometimes traveled with him. Both were shaped by those experiences, and Moses also attended the orientation last year.
“That seed was already in our heart to work among people and to help them,” Vijaya said. “My heart was always for missions. I was always praying God would open a door for me.”
Vijaya later graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and Rachel trained as a nurse. While Vijaya enjoyed her work in a major corporation, she knew what she really wanted was to be a missionary.
Rachel interviewed for her first job at a hospital.
“At the time of the interview, I started crying," she said. "In my heart, God said, ‘I am not calling you for this. I am calling you to missions.’”
Rachel changed directions, embarking on several short-term opportunities through parachurch organizations such as Youth With a Mission and Kings Way Union Ministry.
When she returned home to Bangalore, she asked God to make the next mission opportunity clear to her.
The district superintendent visited their church to talk about M+Power, and the young women felt this was the answer from God they were waiting for.
At the orientation, Vijaya and Rachel were accepted together to an approved ministry site with the Nazarene church in Kolkata.
The women were required to raise their funds over a period of six months. Their local church, Divya Jyothi Church of the Nazarene, which had provided them many opportunities for ministry as they grew up, such as teaching Sunday school, rallied around their calling.
“My pastor, when I told him I was getting into missions, he was very happy,” Rachel said. “I could see the church support me in every step.”
The congregation, which numbers about 200 to 250 members, weekly contributed money to a box the women kept at the church to collect donations. The women also baked cakes and sold them at Christmas to raise more funds.
They departed January 31 for Kolkata, where they will be assisting a local Nazarene church with overseeing a Nazarene Compassionate Ministries child development center, teach Sunday school, and also after-school tutoring, computer and English classes.
“God’s call is upon everyone,” Vijaya said. “It depends on how you respond to it; if you’re obedient to Him. I would encourage our youth to go out [in mission],” Vijaya said.
Rachel encouraged local churches to give young people ministry experience locally so they can grow and develop as leaders with the support of their church.
“Let them start with small things in the church, giving them opportunities in different ways,” she said. “When we show them that they’re accepted in the church and loved in the church, they will open up and do many other things.”[Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region]
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Senegal, Africa Region
Senegal church strengthens agricultural community in need
Tim and Michelle Eby had been serving as Nazarene missionaries in Senegal for several years when Tim became concerned about the numbers of pastors who were being called and trained to lead churches, but eventually forced to leave their villages for work in the cities when the welfare of their families depended on them to find resources to live.
The nonprofit organization Heifer International reports that 57 percent of Senegal’s population lives in rural areas, reliant on agriculture for their livelihood, and 47 percent of its land area is used for agricultural purposes.
However, Senegal is a very difficult place to raise crops. The climate is arid and gets limited rainfall.
Tim said, “During the dry months, the steady wind and no rain dries up everything. The local farmers get essentially one crop a year during the rainy season between July and the end of August and after that we do not see a drop of rain until July of the next year.”
For the rest of this story about how the church is developing improved agricultural methods to enable Senegalese families to grow adequate food year round, see Engage magazine.
The desert shall blossom by Carol Anne Eby
What do you get when you mix a hot, arid land bordering the Sahara, a population dependent on agriculture, 14 percent of children under age 5 malnourished, a lack of clean water, and the passion of a church to bring about change? The answer: the Joseph Project located in Fandane, 5 kilometers south of Mbour, Senegal, in West Africa.
Through the Joseph Project, Nazarene leaders in Senegal are partnering with the Trevecca Nazarene University Urban Farm (Nashville, USA) to build a model farm in the desert of Senegal, where they can test greenhouse technology alongside improved agricultural methods. By developing and demonstrating sustainable and more fruitful farming practices, the Joseph Project will bring the means for more abundant physical life – and also spiritual life – to the resourceful people of West Africa.
Life in the desert
Tim and Michelle Eby had been serving as Nazarene missionaries in Senegal for several years when he became concerned about the numbers of pastors who were being called and trained to lead churches, but eventually forced to leave their villages for work in the cities when the welfare of their families depended on them to find resources to live.
The nonprofit organization Heifer International reports that 57 percent of Senegal’s population lives in rural areas, reliant on agriculture for their livelihood, and 47 percent of its land area is used for agricultural purposes.
However, Senegal is a very difficult place to raise crops. The climate is arid and gets limited rainfall.
Tim said, “During the dry months, the steady wind and no rain dries up everything. The local farmers get essentially one crop a year during the rainy season between July and the end of August and after that we do not see a drop of rain until July of the next year.”
There may be no rain from above, but ironically water lies just below the surface. In some places good water can be found as close as 20 feet down. But to get that water in sufficient quantities to do farming is a great challenge.
This challenge led Tim to form a drilling team to help bring fresh water to numerous villages. With the help of partners, like Tim Davis from Briarwood Church of the Nazarene in Alabama, they were able to import the equipment to Senegal and then train local youth in the church to drill wells. The group drills wells not only in villages where Nazarene churches are located, but in other areas where people are desperate for sustainable, clean water. Drilling wells has helped to provide a source of income above normal budgeted costs that will allow for expanded technology to irrigate land and restore the natural cycle of life.
Drilling wells was only the start. In 2014 a Work & Witness team from Westchester, Ohio, came to Dakar, Senegal, to help with drilling wells, medical clinic efforts, construction, and more. During their travels around the country, they observed that greenhouses in some areas were successful in producing crops – even in the very dry season. The team shared this approach with Tim. Upon returning to Ohio, they gathered the resources for establishing a greenhouse for an area where the Nazarene church was located.
This was the start of the Joseph Project.
A Joseph dream
About a year ago, with resources from the estate of a long-time Nazarene missions supporter named Sherri Reger, the church purchased land at Fandane for the Joseph Project. In 2015, a team from New Hampshire, U.S., came to build a cottage on the land; this cottage will house future mission teams who come to help local Nazarenes with the Joseph Project. The house will be called “Chez Sherri,” named for Sherri.
This house will also be a training classroom where Bible students from local villages will come to spend one week at a time in intensive discipleship and biblical training through Nazarene Theological Institute. While on the property, Bible students will also learn about more effective agricultural practices.
All the Joseph Project workers are local Nazarene leaders. At present Tim is mentoring a project manager, Jean Jacque Diousse, to oversee the project. The district leadership will oversee the project and help guide the development of the impact of the project, through the direction and leadership of newly appointed District Superintendent, Rev. Daniel Gomis.
The project team envisions that the Joseph Project will birth new ideas for solar and wind technology that can help bring water from underground springs to the surface and made available for use in surrounding villages. If successful, this model could be transferred back to local church farms that will help support local ministry in these remote villages.
Several teams have come to start work on the greenhouse. Supporters have been eager to get involved, because the dream is to create a self-sustaining source for nutritious food in the long-term.
Partnership with Trevecca
Another exciting aspect of the project is a partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) Urban Farm. TNU has established a small farm on the campus which is being used for instructional purposes in the Social Justice program of the university. The farm demonstrates sustainable farming in the inner city. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) awarded Trevecca’s J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice a grant for winning first place in an NCM Water Challenge Campaign. The grant recently helped four students and Professor Jason Adkins to join a Work & Witness team from Trevecca Community Church to continue building the greenhouse in Fandane. Jamie Casler, director of the J.V. Morsch center, says, “The J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice is designed to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities in domestic and international settings as a way for students to apply classroom learning to meet real world needs.”
The TNU mission team wanted to determine how the Joseph Project could best serve its neighbors. Students and leaders from the Trevecca Urban Farm interviewed nearby residents and visited various farms and farm projects in the area to learn about local farming practices. They found that these remarkably resourceful farmers were able to feed their families year round from only three months of rain, with millet and peanuts being their staple crops.
Nevertheless, there was a concerted cry for water for extending their season to grow vegetables to sell in the market as well as provide for their families in the dry times of the year. Wells would provide resiliency for years when rain did not come in needed quantities.
The university students, local Senegalese leaders, along with the Trevecca Community Church members, finished the cottage, added shade cloth to the greenhouse, built a water tower, facilitated the drilling of a well, built benches for a nearby church, shared training with the farm manager, and drew up a farm plan to help form the physical and programmatic shape of the farm. The environmental justice students were thrilled to engage in work on a farming program.
Leaders hope the farm and greenhouse will become a catalyst and an influence in the area. The green house, now called the “Screen House,” will be an example of how shade and controlled environment – if managed well – can produce better plants and potentially better seeds for the future. They hope that the Joseph Project will be a model that can be reproduced in other West African countries like Benin, Togo, Cote d’Ivore, Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Rivers of flowing water
Knowing that water is absolutely critical for irrigation and success of the project, in January Tim and the drill team drilled two wells on the property of the Screen House, but both failed. They had limited water and too much salt to be effective for irrigation. After much prayer, the 16 members of the Work & Witness team, the well drillers, missionaries and pastors, joined hands and hearts and believed God would direct them to the right spot. At the center of the property, Louis Pierre Faye, the newly trained well drilling operator, and his team started to drill, determined that – by the grace of God – even if they had to drill 330 feet, they would find good water!
They hit a five-foot layer of rock at only 10 feet and drilled through it. Just below that layer they found a cavern of water that showed evidence of an underground river of fresh water. Amazingly they only had to drill to 45 feet and now have a good 30 feet of fresh water that seems to never end.
“It is the most water I have ever found that close to the surface in all of my wells drilled in Senegal! What a blessing from God,” Tim exclaimed.
The project is now registered as an official water project with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, which will contribute funds to help the new project get a water tower and distribution system of water across the property.
Today, the desert wind whistles across a land that is barren and only grows tough thorns, brush and briars. It has a lone screen house and a work shed standing on the hard, dry dirt. But in Tim’s vision for the future, he sees a rich green perimeter of trees and flowers, and plants and animals filling every corner as the land is restored to its natural cycle. It will take hard work, passionate farming and future students sharing their knowledge. But as all of it is anointed with God’s blessing, restoration will come and God’s promise will be fulfilled as written in Isaiah, “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.” (Isaiah 35:1)
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Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa Region
World Mission Broadcast conducts radio programming training in DRC
Nazarenes in the Democratic Republic of Congo are learning new radio broadcast skills to reach listeners across the country, according to a newsletter from missionaries Gavin and Jill Fothergill.
Peet Voges from World Mission Broadcast out of the Regional Office in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently visited the DRC to provide training on how to write, create, edit, and produce quality programming.
"From five-minute devotional thoughts to 30-minute shows highlighting music and discussing relevant topics, our possibilities are endless in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ!" the Fothergills wrote. "In Lubumbashi alone, we have 14 radio stations. Of those, about five will broadcast Christian music and messages. We are excited to see where the Lord leads and what opportunities present themselves."[Church of the Nazarene Africa Region]
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Asia-Pacific
Vanuatu, Asia-Pacific Region
Vanuatu churches help famine-stricken communities
The small island nation of Vanuatu has received significant outside aid for many years, especially in times of disasters. Over time, this can produce an attitude of helplessness and dependency. It can also make people think compassionate care is someone else’s responsibility.
God is helping local and district Church of the Nazarene leaders begin to see through eyes of compassion. They are now seeing the needs around them, and thinking about what they can do to help.
Since last fall, the periodic weather phenomenon known as El Niño has brought heavy rain to some parts of the world, but drought and famine to others. This has been particularly devastating for areas used to frequent rainfall.
Among these hard-hit areas are Papua New Guinea and a number of Pacific island nations, including Vanuatu, a group of 85 small islands. According to OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), 4.7 million people are affected by drought in 11 Pacific countries, and 40 percent of communities in Vanuatu are expected to run out of safe drinking water.
For the rest of this story about how Vanuatu Nazarenes are serving others, see Engage magazine.
Vanuatu churches help famine-stricken communities by David and Sylvia Potter
A song has been in our hearts lately that is based on Psalm 103:8: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in love.” Matthew 9:36 says that when Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them. One of the ways that we are to become like Christ is in His compassion toward others—to see others like Jesus sees them.
The small island nation of Vanuatu has for many years been the recipient of lots of outside aid, especially in times of disasters. Over time, this can engender an attitude of helplessness and dependency. It can also tend to make people think that compassionate care is someone else’s responsibility. God is helping our local and district leaders begin to see through eyes of compassion. They are beginning to see the needs around them, and to think about what they can do to help.
Since last fall, the periodic weather phenomenon known as El Niño has brought heavy rain to some parts of the world, but drought and famine to others. This has been particularly devastating for areas used to frequent rainfall.
Among these hard hit are Papua New Guinea and a number of Pacific Island nations, including Vanuatu, a group of 85 small islands. According to OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), 4.7 million people are affected by drought in 11 Pacific countries, and 40 percent of communities in Vanuatu are expected to run out of safe drinking water.
In response to the recent drought and famine, the newly formed Nazarene Compassionate Ministries--Vanuatu (NCM) team met to talk about how the Nazarene church in our local communities could help other people. They decided they would like to help their communities in two ways. First, the local churches in the island of Port Vila wanted to provide fresh water for their communities by building water tanks at their churches (photo above). Second, they decided that since the famine was more severe on the island of Tanna, they would like to distribute bags of rice and flour to some villages where they had contacts.
In December, two water tanks were built at Black Sand and Prima Churches with the support of NCM funding. Neither of these villages have a clean water source. In February the churches will finish the water tanks by attaching gutters to the church roofs.
One week before Christmas, a team of six pastors and church leaders took a boat to Tanna and distributed rice and flour to villages as well as buckets with water filters that can take unclean water and make it 99 percent pure for drinking. The Word of God was preached in all areas of the island where the team traveled. They reported that the people were more hungry for God’s Word than for anything else. Two young men in a village in the southwest part of Tanna committed to starting a church, and Pastor John from our Black Sand church is continuing to be in contact with them to encourage and mentor them.
Putting cement on the outside of the water tank.
Completed water tank.
NCM mission team to Tanna.
Water filter buckets
Praying for the sick.
Sharing rice and flour.[David and Sylvia Potter are pioneer missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene in the south Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. They were first appointed as medical missionaries to the Nazarene College of Nursing at Kudjip, Papua New Guinea, in 1992 and served there until they accepted the call to begin the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Vanuatu in September 2003. Reprinted with permission from their newsletter.]
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Eurasia
Flags of the Nations: Israel
Flags of the Nations: Israel
The flag of Israel is white with two horizontal blue bands and a blue Star of David in the center. The colors blue and white were taken from the colors of the Jewish prayer shawl (tallit). The Star of David (Magen David) is a traditional symbol of the Jewish people.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: Israel
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Israel in 1921.
Israel had a population of 8,049,314 in 2015. That same year, Israel reported four Churches of the Nazarene, all of which had been officially organized. Israel has 314 total members.
Located on the Eurasia Region, Israel is a Phase 1 district. For more information about the Eurasia Region, visit eurasiaregion.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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Nampa, Idaho
NNU offers free webcast of 2016 Wesley Center Conference
Northwest Nazarene University will again offer free, live webcasting of its annual Wesley Center Conference. On February 18 and 19, NNU will host "Dialogue Despite Difference," a ministry conference that explores what it means to bridge relational gaps through loving dialogue in an often uncivil world. Dan Boone, Richard Mouw, and Curt Bechler will headline this year's event. T. Scott Daniels, whose church is hosting the conference venue, will also speak in the opening plenary session.
"Our Wesley Center Conferences have a long history of helping the Church engage deeply in NNU's mission of seeing God transform our world," said Jay Akkerman, 2016 conference director. "We've always tried to be a place where the Church comes to think and explore faithfully. This year is no exception."
Boone is president of Trevecca Nazarene University and author of A Charitable Discourse: Talking About the Things That Divide Us, among other titles. Mouw is president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary and author of numerous publications, including Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World. Curt Bechler is managing partner of Venture International, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting leaders and organizations with team building, listening and leadership skills, and strategic communications.
“The Wesley Conference gives me healthy, holistic tips to better love and better respect people," said Steve Wingate, pastor of Portland Church of the Nazarene. "We won’t have a chance to make a difference if we don’t have a platform to talk—love and respect is this platform.”
Sonya Miller, administrative pastor of Spokane Bethel Church of the Nazarene, believes the conference topic is important.
“Dialogue despite differences of opinion is vital to representing Christ in our political climate,” she said.
The conference began at 1 p.m. MST on Thursday and concludes around 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The live webcast will span the entire conference, including select workshop sessions. Website participants are encouraged to download and print copies of each daily program by clicking here and to submit questions by emailing wesleyconf@nnu.edu or through social media channels like Twitter using the #wesleyconf hashtag. A conference app has also been developed.
NNU's MassComm students produce the media feed and the university webcasts conference content live through its Wesley Center site at nnu.edu/wesleyconf.
Previous conferences have drawn hundreds of participants to NNU's campus and thousands of viewers worldwide have taken advantage of the free webcast.
"By offering our Wesley Center Conferences online, we're able to leverage so many of the high-quality delivery tools NNU has already developed for ministry leaders in our online graduate, undergraduate, certificate, and continuing education programs," Akkerman said.
The majority of the conference will take place at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene, which is adjacent to the NNU campus. Registrations for the conference itself, including discounted registrations at a group rate, can be made online by clicking here or by calling the NNU Wesley Center at 208-467-8530.[Northwest Nazarene University]
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Nashville, Tennessee
Trevecca to host social justice conference
Poverty, war, hunger, and countless other issues are causing devastation around the world, and Christians often wonder how to respond. This February, Trevecca Nazarene University wants to equip individuals to bring transformation to a broken world.
Trevecca's J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice will partner with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada to host the Compassion and Justice Conference February 16 to 18. Conference leaders say the event will equip church leaders, pastors, and students with the tools necessary to practice compassionate ministry and social justice while also educating attendees about the work of the Church of the Nazarene worldwide.
The conference mirrors Trevecca’s commitment to justice, which the university believes to be crucial to engaging with the world.
“The justice we are talking about is all about relationships,” said Tim Green, university chaplain and keynote speaker at the conference. “[Relationships] with God, with other humans, and with God’s creation; If this is at the heart of the mission of God … then the church has no option but for social justice.”
Conference planners say the event will help attendees to make theological concepts more practical, exploring the connection between the Great Commission and the church’s call to social justice. Speakers include Tom Nees, founder of Leading to Serve, Inc.; Cosmos Mutowa, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries coordinator for the Africa Region; and Bob Broadbooks, director of the denomination's USA/Canada Region.
Jamie Casler, director of the J. V. Morsch Center for Social Justice, said the concept for the conference originated during conversations between Casler and Jay Height, coordinator for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries on the USA/Canada Region.
“We began having conversations and said, ‘What if we do a conference together that really blended the compassionate ministry side of the church with the social justice side?’” Casler said. “At the end of the day, we’re doing the same kind of work.”
The conference is unique in that it primarily focuses on the work of the Church of the Nazarene, which has a history rooted in compassion.
“We were founded by Phineas Bresee, the pastor who wanted to minister to the poor and the needy,” Casler said. “A conference like this really reclaims the story of our heritage of meeting the needs of the least of these in our world.”
Registration for the conference will open at 6 p.m. February 16 with the opening session slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. The next day registration will continue followed by a morning session, workshops, and an afternoon session.
“I deeply desire that all of us in attendance will gain an even deeper appreciation that social justice is integral to the Gospel of Jesus,” Green said. “So that the admonition of the prophet Amos could become embodied in our lives: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
To learn more about the conference and pre-register, click here. [Trevecca Nazarene University]
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In Memoriam: February 12, 2015
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 February 8-12, 2016.
William Bailey, 86, of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, passed away February 6. He was a retired minister, serving in Virginia and Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Bailey.
Evelyn Cobb, 86, of Vicksburg, Michigan, passed away February 9. She was the wife of retired minister Allen Cobb, who served in Michigan.
John Lenker, 92, of Sagle, Idaho, passed away February 8. He was a retired minister, serving in Oregon and Alaska. He was preceded in death by his wife, Luceal Lenker, in 2014.
Corazon Ordonez, 76, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away February 1. She was the wife of minister Luis Ordonez, who previously served in Florida.
Lester Trusty, 88, of Salina, Kansas, passed away February 7. He was a retired minister, serving in Colorado and Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy Trusty, in 2006.
E. Wendell Williams, 81, of Leawood, Kansas, passed away February 7. He was a retired minister, serving in North Carolina and Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Anna Williams.
Twillia (Hedgecock) Williams, 82, of Newton, Iowa, passed away February 8. She was the wife of retired minister Donald Williams, who served in Iowa.
Charles Zwicker, 65, of Twentynine Palms, California, passed away February 9. He was a retired minister, serving in California. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Zwicker.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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Global praise reports and prayer requests
Global praise reports and prayer requests
Recent praise reports and prayer requests from NCN News, Nazarene Missions International, and JESUS Film Harvest Partners include:
PRAISES
Kudjip medical supplies
Since December, Kudjip Nazarene Hospital in Papua New Guinea has been in desperate need of supplies like gauze and gloves, as well as several medications. Dr. Erin Meier reports the hospital received two shipping containers. Staff members are now working to organize the supplies so that they can be used in the coming days. Click here for the full story from the Asia-Pacific Region.
JESUS Film - Argentina
"I felt a terrible emptiness inside of me," said a young man in Argentina. "I strayed away from the Lord and was sad and dejected. When the JESUS Film team came to my town, I heard the gospel message again and was reminded only God can fill that void. I rededicated my life to Him and now I thank Him for Jesus who has given me hope again."
JESUS Film - Cameroon
"Magne stopped going to church about seven years ago," shared a team member in Cameroon. "She was living a lost life. After seeing the JESUS film, not only did she recommit her life to Christ, she is undergoing training to help show the film in surrounding villages!"
PRAYER REQUESTS
Africa drought
After a year of unusually low rainfall, the drought in Zimbabwe has become so severe that officials declared a state of disaster across much of the country, BBC reported February 5. Additionally, Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with more than 10 million people needing emergency aid.
Melanesia College
The Asia-Pacific Region received a prayer request from Melanesia Nazarene Teachers and Bible College in Papua New Guinea asking for strength, wisdom, and guidance during registration activities in the days ahead. For the rest of the request, click here.
HEALTH-RELATED REQUESTS
Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr. update
Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr.’s son, Harmon Jr., writes: “These past few days have seen significant improvement with dad’s situation. Our family is deeply aware and appreciative of the great army of prayer warriors who have been lifting him before God’s throne! Thank you so very much.”
Harmon Sr. and his wife, Beverly, are retired missionaries who served in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States. Harmon Jr. and his family serve on the Asia-Pacific Region.
MORE...
For more global concerns and continued requests, see the NMI Prayer Mobilization Line by clicking here or JESUS Film Harvest Partners by clicking here. To share additional praises or prayer requests, please use the comment section below or see the Prayer Mobilization Line's Facebook page.
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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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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Lay leaders: January 2016
Lay leaders: January 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.
- John Baxter, Croydon Park Church of the Nazarene, Australia Southern District
- Renee Berra, Living Word Church of the Nazarene, Missouri District
- Terri Harrell, Living Hope Church of the Nazarene, Southwestern Ohio District
- Larry Hayes, Emmanuel Church of the Nazarene, Iowa District
- Kelly Houlihan Henderson, Wyoming First Church of the Nazarene, Northwestern Illinois District
- Dale Joines, Caddo First Church of the Nazarene, Oklahoma District
- Roberta Maple, Lincoln City Church of the Nazarene, Oregon Pacific District
- Ray Allen Rose, Holtville Church of the Nazarene, Southern California District
- Michael L. Thacker, Greenville Church of the Nazarene, Michigan District
- Patricia Bridewell, Avon Park Church of the Nazarene, Southern Florida District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Exploring John Wesley's Theology
- Shaniqua Callender, Beckless Road Church of the Nazarene, Barbados District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Exploring Nazarene History and Polity, Telling the Old Testament Story of God
- David Ashok Dhanarajan, Tallahassee First Church of the Nazarene, Florida District Children's Ministry, Coaching
- Tammy Hunt, Mansfield Community Church of the Nazarene, Illinois District Children's Ministry
- Robert Keister Jr., Grace Church of the Nazarene, Upstate New York District Exploring John Wesley's Theology
- Thomas Law, Kirkland Chinese Church of the Nazarene, Washington Pacific District Exploring Nazarene History and Polity
- Rhoda Maciel, Tillamook Church of the Nazarene, Oregon Pacific District Children's Ministry, Coaching
- Rebekah Marten, Starting Grounds Church of the Nazarene, Washington Pacific District Children's Ministry
- Denise McCoy, Leigh Acres Family Church of the Nazarene, Southern Florida District I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Acts, Galatians, Gospel of John, Gospel of Luke, Romans
- Philip Miedzinski, Indian Head Church of the Nazarene, Mid-Atlantic District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Exploring Nazarene History and Polity
- Sara Mohan, La Grange Church of the Nazarene, Guyana Demerara Essequibo District Sunday School Superintendent
- Donna Nichols, Tallahassee First Church of the Nazarene, Florida District Children's Ministry, Coaching
- Stephen Powell, Tallahassee First Church of the Nazarene, Florida District Children's Ministry, Coaching
- Bonnie Reeves, Bethel Church of the Nazarene, Washington Pacific District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Telling the Old Testament Story of God
- Ray Allen Rose, Holtville Church of the Nazarene, Southern California District Men's Ministry
- Fred Smith, Southdale Church of the Nazarene, Northeastern Indiana District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Exploring Nazarene History and Polity, Telling the Old Testament Story of God
- Harrison Stollings, Seth Church of the Nazarene, West Virginia South District Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World, Exploring John Wesley's Theology, Exploring Nazarene History and Polity
- Leslie Yancey, Sheffield Church of the Nazarene, Alabama North District Children's Ministry
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“So often we think of prayer as an act of intellect, a well phrased message to God. If that is prayer, then everything depends on our flawed knowledge, on our frail capacity to articulate what we know.”[Parker J. Palmer]
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Nazarene News: Church forgoes celebration to help flood victims - Nazarene Communication Network News of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States - Volume 1605 for Friday, 5 February 2016 - This week in the Church of the Nazarene...
Chennai, India
India church forgoes Christmas celebration to help flood victims
More than 400 people were killed and 1.8 million displaced late in 2015 by heavy monsoon rainfall that caused major flooding in two South Indian states, particularly the coastal city of Chennai.
Nazarenes at the Mt. Carmel Church of the Nazarene in the Andhra Pradesh District were moved by the plight of the people in their own community who lost homes and businesses in the flood and wanted to do something. The congregation, which numbers about 125 people, collected high-quality rice, sunflower oil, and lentil beans to assemble 50 relief packages. Inside each package was also a set of clothing for one man, one woman, and one child. They distributed the packages to displaced families in the area.
For the rest of the story, see Engage magazine.
"This is the real Christmas" by Gina Grate Pottenger
More than 400 people were killed and 1.8 million people were displaced by heavy monsoon rainfall that caused major flooding in two South Indian states, with the major coastal city of Chennai particularly hard hit in November and December.
Nazarenes at the Mt. Carmel Church of the Nazarene in Andhra Pradesh District were moved by the plight of the people in their own community who lost homes and businesses in the flood, and wanted to do something. The congregation, which numbers about 125 people, collected high quality rice, sunflower oil and lentil beans to assemble 50 relief packages. Inside each package was also a set of clothing for one man, one woman and one child. They distributed the packages to displaced families in the area.
“While we [were] doing our job of distribution, we left two extra packets in a house,” wrote Pastor Lazarus. “After 10 minutes, the particular family came to us and gave back two packets by saying, ‘Sir, you missed these two packets in our house.’ It touched our hearts by seeing their sincerity. Even though they are deadly in need, they returned [them].”
After the church members finished distributing the packets to all the families they intended to help, they were surprised to find they had eight extra packages. Remembering the New Testament miracle in which Jesus transformed five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 men and many more women and children, the church thanked God and then followed His leading to another place where they gave away the extra packets to more people in need.When it came time to celebrate Christmas at the church, the congregation couldn’t forget all the people they’d seen who were still without homes and personal belongings after the flood. They told the pastor that rather than spend their money on themselves – decorating the church and holding their annual church feast – they would collect an offering for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries – India, for flood relief.
They raised 20,000 rupees ($295).
“They are already victims of heavy rainfall … [yet] they come forward to help other neighbor victims, and now they are coming for Chennai with this decision,” wrote Lazarus. “I asked one question of the congregation: how [do] you feel with no Christmas feast? A very [astonishing] answer came from one person. He said, ‘No pastor, we did not lose it, but we are happily shifting our feast to Chennai. This year we are going to have Christmas feast happiness with Chennai people.’”
District Superintendent Jacob Francis told Lazarus, “This is real Christmas – to sacrifice our comforts for others’ comfort.”
On Christmas day, following the morning service, a church member named Gideon approached the pastor and said for a long time he had yearned to show the JESUS film on Christmas day in his village, about 50 kilometers away from the church. The pastor said this was not possible because the church already had planned to host a Christmas evening program in another village.
Two young people overheard the conversation and said they would be willing to accompany Gideon to host the JESUSfilm in his village that evening.
The pastor decided to form two groups of the congregation, and send one to Gideon’s village, and the other to the first village as planned. The church members raised funds to rent a car, a projector, DVD player, speakers and a screen for Gideon. His team went to his village, showed the film to those who were interested, and spoke briefly about God’s love and the possibility for anyone to enter into a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.
The other group of 18 went as originally planned to a village to hold a Christmas evening service. The residents offered a dinner for the church members afterward.
“Remember, our local church withdrew our Christmas feast this year for the sake of Chennai victims. For the same congregation, God gave us Christmas feast here in that village. We withdrew, but God provided,” Lazarus observed.
Gideon and his two young men decided that they wanted to share theJESUS film again in another village, and did so on New Year’s Day.
Lazarus says that God is moving his congregation to spontaneous, compassionate ministry toward the world outside the church, as well as evangelism through the JESUS film, wholly from their own resources.
“Yes, I strongly believe that local churches have their own responsibilities of the works of their denomination,” he wrote.
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Bribri, Costa Rica
JESUS Film team records evangelism tool in indigenous Costa Rica language
A two-person recording team from Orlando, Florida, USA, arrived in Bribri, Costa Rica, to begin recording the JESUS film in Cabecar, the language spoken by a tribe of nearly 17,000 indigenous people. Of the US$38,000 needed for the multi-voice recording, the JESUS Film Project contributed $19,000 and the remaining $19,000 was raised through donations to JESUS Film Harvest Partners.
The Church of the Nazarene's Costa Rica Central District has one organized church and one mission church in Tayni, where more than 3,000 Cabecar people live.
Nazarene missionaries David and Shelley Webb enlisted the help of fellow missionaries from River of God, Inc., David and Lucy Jones, who hosted the team in Bribri, Costa Rica. David Jones grew up as a missionary kid among the indigenous people and speaks the language fluently. He arranged to host the approximately 30 Cabecar readers and made a sound studio in his home for the recording.
Some of the Cabecar people walked six hours to the Jones' home for the recording. Others walked two to three hours and then took a bus. Since the Cabecar people are spread out, many of them had not met before.
"It was wonderful to see the fellowship and hear testimonies of God’s faithfulness among the Cabecar from 11 different communities," the Webbs said. "These are dedicated Christians who want to see the JESUS film in their heart language so they can share it with others."
The recording took nine days to complete, working morning until evening. Israel, the Cabecar man who is reading the part of Jesus, shared during the evening fellowship that he met David Jones’ brother, Timothy, as a young adult. Isreal was interested in what Timothy said, but Israel's parents told him it was dangerous information and that he should not have anything to do with Timothy, who continued to preach and teach. Israel listened intently from afar, and received Christ as his Savior. Since then, Israel has dreamed of having the JESUS film in Cabecar because not everyone can understand the Spanish version.
The JESUS film in Cabecar could be ready by April. An Old Testament in Cabecar is also currently being translated. The two new resources will join the second version of the Cabecar New Testament, which was completed in 2013 as an update to the version written by the Jones brother's parents, Aziel and Marion Jones.[Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region]
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Nazarenes in the News is a compilation of online news articles featuring Nazarene churches or church members.
Nazarenes in the News
Minnesota ministry brings comfort to cancer families
Rochester, Minnesota(The Dispatch, February 1) Under the most devastating circumstances, I was blessed to fall under the wings of two angels.
Linda and Rick Day run the Nazarene Well House in Rochester, Minnesota, offering support to cancer patients being treated at the Mayo Clinic and their families. On the recommendation of the American Cancer Society, I reserved a room at the bed-and-breakfast for the night before I was to go undergo my cancer surgery.
The experience became even tougher when my husband fell violently ill the morning we were to leave, and I was forced to ask my 17-year-old son, Michael, to drive me. However, fears of leaving him on his own during my surgery quickly dissipated upon meeting the “grandparents” at the Nazarene Well House.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Texas church offers free home repairs
Lufkin, Texas(KTRE, January 30) A Texas church is offering free home repairs to those in need.
“I feel happy,” Ruby Samuel, a Lufkin homeowner said.
Samuel is just one of three East Texans who said their prayers have been answered.
“There’s a smile on her face, a twinkle in her eye,” Pastor Don Schultheis, with Lufkin First Church of the Nazarene, said. “I think she’s thrilled to see total strangers under the umbrella of God’s kingdom to make a difference in her life.”
For the rest of the story, click here.
Oklahoma pastor invests in students through running program
Ardmore, Oklahoma(The Daily Ardmoreite, January 31) Girls on the Run of Southern Oklahoma is looking for a few good women (or men) to pick up the mantle of role model and coach a team of young girls this season.
The program began in 2013 and since then has served 400 young women, providing confidence and mentoring in addition to fitness.
The program is divided into two seasons with a 5K run serving as the completion of each season. The spring season ends with the Girls on the Run 5K and one-mile run during the Corporate Fitness Challenge. The fall season wraps up with a 5K run in the Chigger Chase. But for the organization, it is about the journey as much as the destination.
“I wish this was something we had when I was a girl,” Dee Boyt, a coach and pastor of Church of the Nazarene, said. “It provides skills to interact with other people. We are preparing them to finish a 5K by the end of the season but there is so much more than that.”
For the rest of the story, click here.
Wesleyan theologians gather in the Bahamas for memorial conference
Nassau, Bahamas(The Nassau Guardian, December 31) A group of Christians in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition will convene at a conference early in the new year to commemorate the 225th death anniversary of Reverand Father John Wesley, a co-founder of Methodism who was also an evangelical preacher and priest. Wesley was a social reformer who established schools, empowered the poor, cared for the sick, and encouraged the abolition of slavery.
In the 1700s when land travel was by walking, horseback, or carriage, Wesley was said to have logged more than 40,000 miles a year. It is said that during his lifetime he preached about 40,000 sermons.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Stories to share? Send them to news@nazarene.org.[Compiled by NCN News]
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Mount Vernon, Ohio
MVNU, NTS to co-host Reformation 500th anniversary trip
Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary will co-host a trip to the main Protestant Reformation sites in Germany and Switzerland in 2017. The trip, which takes place May 8 to 17, 2017, coincides with the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation which swept through Europe in the 16th century.
Sites and cities to be visited include Berlin; Wittenberg, where Martin Luther famously nailed the 95 Theses to the All Saints Castle Church door; Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthplace in Eisenach; the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz; Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland where Calvin and Zwingli, among others, ministered, and many more.
"We are so excited to be able to offer this trip on the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, an extremely significant event that changed European religious and cultural history forever," said Jeanne Orjala Serrão, dean of MVNU's School of Theology and Philosophy. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Germany and Switzerland as we learn more about this period of time and its effect on modern religion and culture."
Although this is an academic trip led by MVNU and NTS faculty with undergraduate and graduate classes available for credit and audit, it is open to alumni, pastors, and friends of both institutions.
"NTS is pleased to join with MVNU on this historic trip," said Carla Sunberg, NTS president. "For years students and friends of NTS have combined their passion for travel and study as we explore the ways in which our faith has been shaped throughout history."
Details, a registration form, and a full itinerary can be found online at mvnu.edu/reformation.[Mount Vernon Nazarene University]
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Subscribe to NCN NewsFacebookTwitter ContactEurasia
Flags of the Nations: Ireland
Flags of the Nations: Ireland
Each week, the Church of the Nazarene's Global Ministry Center proudly flies a flag of one of the many nations in which the denomination is present in ministry. This week's flag: Ireland, Eurasia Region. Click "read more" for information on the country, including what year the denomination entered Ireland and how many Nazarenes are there today.
The flag of Ireland is a tricolour of green, white, and orange where green represents the Gaelic tradition of Ireland, orange represents the followers of William of Orange in Ireland, and white represents the aspiration for peace between them.
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: Ireland
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Ireland in 1987.
Ireland had a population of 4,892,305 in 2015. That same year, Ireland reported one organized Church of the Nazarene. Ireland has 122 total members.
Located on the Eurasia Region, Ireland is a Pioneer Area district. For more information about the Eurasia Region, visit eurasiaregion.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
Moving Ministers: January 2016
Moving Ministers: January 2016
Compiled by the General Secretary's Office from district reports, Moving Ministers is a monthly listing of Nazarene ministers in new assignments on the USA/Canada Region.
Roles included in the latest report are pastor and pastoral service. Entries were received from January 1 to January 31, 2016.
To view the January report, click here.
For previous reports, see usacanadanazarene.org.
Moving Ministers As of: 2/1/2016
from 1/1/2016 to 1/31/2016
Rev. Bradley Dwayne Booker from Unassigned
Northwestern Ohio
Saint Marys OH to
Pastoral Service on 12/1/2015
Bethel Community
Medway OH
Rev. Michael D. Campbell from Pastor
Chattanooga Calvary
Chattanooga TN to
Pastor on 1/3/2016
Decatur Spring Avenue
Decatur AL
Rev. Thomas G. Campbell from Unassigned
Florida
Lakeland FL to
Pastor on 11/1/2015
Everett First
Everett WA
Rev. Beverly R. Cook from Unassigned
Southern California
Temecula CA to
Pastoral Service on 12/5/2015
Mission New York
New York NY
Rev. Robert C Cranston Jr. from Student
Southwest Oklahoma
Mustang OK to
Pastoral Service on 1/3/2016
Enid First
Enid OK
Rev. Andrew M. Crimmins from Pastoral Service
Nashville Trevecca Community
Nashville TN to
Pastor on 1/10/2016
Asheville First
Asheville NC
Rev. Adrian E. Daugherty from Pastoral Service
Cornerstone
Lake Jackson TX to
Pastoral Service on 12/27/2015
Pittsburg
Pittsburg KS
Rev. Harold Flach from Pastoral Service
Eldon
Eldon MO to
Pastoral Service on 12/1/2015
Moravia Lighthouse
Moravia IA
Rev. Jonathan David Hall from Pastoral Service
Coffeyville First
Coffeyville KS to
Pastoral Service on 10/25/2015
Excel Enoch Johnson Memorial
Excel AL
Rev. Robert J. Hasselbring II from Pastor
Sterling First
Sterling IL to
Pastor on 11/30/2015
Bloomington First
Bloomington IL
Rev. Carl Wayne Hokanson from Pastor
Sanborn Faith Community
Sanborn NY to
Pastor on 12/28/2015
Binghamton
Binghamton NY
Rev. Joseph R. Ibanez from Pastoral Service
Edmond First
Edmond OK to
Pastor on 1/20/2016
Georgetown First
Georgetown TX
Rev. Nicole M. Kessler from Pastoral Service
Milford
Milford DE to
Pastoral Service on 1/3/2016
Quincy MA Bethel
Quincy MA
Rev. Ashley K. Kuhn from Pastoral Service
Winter Haven First
Winter Haven FL to
Pastoral Service on 11/1/2015
Columbus Shepherd
Gahanna OH
Rev. Benjamin C. Kuhn from Pastoral Service
Winter Haven First
Winter Haven FL to
Pastoral Service on 11/1/2015
Columbus Shepherd
Gahanna OH
Rev. Thomas G. Legg from Pastor
Southview Community
Kingsport TN to
Pastor on 11/1/2015
Columbia
Columbia KY
Rev. David S. Lyons from Student
Missouri
Bridgeton MO to
Pastor on 1/1/2016
Punxsutawney
Punxsutawney PA
Rev. Gabriel E. Martin from Pastor
Lancaster Valley View
Lancaster CA to
Pastor on 11/1/2015
Rancho Cucamonga Highland Avenue
Community
Rancho Cucamonga CA
Rev. Samuel Moreno from Unassigned
Metro New York
Valley Stream NY to
Pastor on 12/6/2015
Lake June
Dallas TX
Rev. Koby J. Padilla from Pastoral Service
Liberty Bible
Vancouver WA to
Pastoral Service on 12/13/2015
Sandpoint
Ponderay ID
Dr. Todd W. Renegar from Pastor
Bloomington, The Bridge
Bloomington CA to
Pastor on 3/1/2016
Sparks First
Sparks NV
Rev. Glen A. Sprouls from Unassigned
Southwest Indiana
Bedford IN to
Pastor on 11/22/2015
Harmony Chapel
New Harmony IN
Rev. Benjamin D. Strait from Student
Michigan
Grand Ledge MI to
Pastoral Service on 1/24/2016
Saint Louis
Saint Louis MI
Rev. Scott M. Whalen from Pastoral Service
Sterling First
Sterling IL to
Pastoral Service on 1/4/2016
Peoria First
Peoria IL
Dr. Paul A. Whiteford from Pastor
El Cajon
El Cajon CA to
Pastor on 1/3/2016
Valley Mission
Bedford IN
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Lenexa, Kansas
Korean SRT welcomes new members, announces retreat
Front row, left to right: Jaehyung Son, Jung Ho Bae, Seong Min Oh
Back row, left to right: Byung Hong Lee, Kim Lundell, David Sung Heon Lee, Roberto Hodgson, John Lee, Songchon Chon The new Korean Strategic Readiness Team/Association started out the year by reviewing guidelines for members and ethnic facilitators advising district superintendents in matters regarding their ethnic group. Additional discussion topics included starting new congregations and pastoral searches requested by the D.S. The guidelines were presented by Church of the Nazarene Multicultural Ministries Director Roberto Hodgson, who welcomed the team members and the new Korean facilitator and association president, David Sung Heon Lee.
The committee spent time reviewing an action plan developed by the former facilitator, Stephen Lee. Multicultural Ministries appreciates the leadership of Lee, who served for several years as the facilitator and president of the Korean Association.
The Korean SRT/Association is organizing a conference and family retreat to strengthen and renew pastoral families. The event will be held June 13 to 16 at the Arlington First Church of the Nazarene, 1301 W. Green Oakes Blvd., Arlington, TX 76013. More information about the conference will be available on theMulticultural Ministries website in the future.[Multicultural Ministries]
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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 February 1-5, 2016.
Carol Kratz Bennett, 89, of Bethany, Oklahoma, passed away January 29. She was a retired missionary, serving in Brazil. She was preceded in death by her first husband, retired missionary James Kratz, who served in Brazil, and her second husband, retired minister and missionary Merril Bennett, who served in Japan and Hawaii. James Kratz passed away in 1990 and Merril Bennett passed away in 2003.
Bernice (Roedel) Gerbig, 91, of Boonville, Indiana, passed away January 30. She was a retired minister and evangelist, serving in Indiana. She was preceded in death by her husband, Miller Gerbig.
William King, 76, of Albemarle, North Carolina, passed away January 30. He was the husband of retired minister Dorothe "Dottie" King, who served in North Carolina.
Burl "B.A." Patton Jr., 88, of Terrell, Texas, passed away February 2. He was a retired minister, serving in Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane (Mize) Patton, in 1996 and is survived by his wife, Ella Patton.
Roland Stanford, 95, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, passed away January 19. He was a retired minister, serving in Massachusetts, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, New York, and Maine. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis (Alexander) Stanford.
Clyde Townsend, 81, of Amarillo, Texas, passed away January 27. He was a retired minister, serving in Arkansas, New Mexico, and Texas.
Barbara Updike, 84, of Anderson, Indiana, passed away February 2. She was the widow of retired minister, evangelist, and district superintendent Paul Updike, who served in Indiana and led the Northeastern Indiana District. Paul Updike passed away in 1974.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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Nazarene News: Pastor, DS leave lasting legacies - Nazarene Communication Network News of The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States - Volume 1604 for Friday, 29 January 2016 - This week in the Church of the Nazarene...
Auckland, New Zealand
New Zealand pastor passes away
The New Zealand District and the Asia-Pacific Region are grieving the sudden death of Pastor Vipul Kharat January 24. He was on holiday in his hometown of Buldana, India, when he suffered severe back pain. His brother, Moses, a medical doctor, rushed him to the hospital, but Vipul suffered a second heart attack and passed away almost instantly. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and his 12-year-old son, Sameer.
Born on 30 November 1963 in Buldhana, Vipul was a third generation Nazarene. His grandfather, Waman H. Kharat, was ordained by former General Superintendent J. B. Chapman in November 1937, becoming one of the first ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene in India. Vipul was a younger son of former District Superintendent and Bible Training School principal D. M. and Vishranti Kharat.
Vipul has pastored All Nations Church of the Nazarene in Auckland, New Zealand, for the past 23 years. When he arrived as a newly married 28-year-old pastor, it was a small, elderly, mostly caucasian congregation. During the years that followed, the church was transformed into a vibrant, multicultural congregation, which in turn has given birth to several other language-driven congregations.
Pastor Vipul was a dynamic preacher with a great love for people. He touched the lives of all classes of society, from homeless people to scientists with PhDs. He was in demand as a speaker and teacher, especially in the area of contextualisation and how to reach people of other faiths with the transforming grace of God. Vipul was a graduate of the Nazarene Theological College in Brisbane, Australia.
The All Nations church will be open for viewing January 29 from 11 a.m., followed by a family service at 7 p.m. The funeral service will be at 1 p.m. January 30 at Life Church, 60 Rockfield Road, Penrose. After the service, there will be tea and light refreshments.
Prayer is requested for the Kharat family, the All Nations church family, and all of those impacted by Vipul’s sudden passing.[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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Sun Lakes, Arizona
Gene Fuller remembered
Curtis "Gene" Fuller, retired pastor, evangelist, and district superintendent, passed away January 27. He was 84.
Fuller was born January 30, 1931, in Union Springs, Alabama. He accepted Jesus as his personal savior at a holiness camp when he was 14 and began preaching at 16 on the circuit of churches in southern Alabama. He had a radio show in Alabama at age 17 where he preached the gospel on the air.
He later attended Kletzing College in Iowa where he met his wife, Evelyn Schultz. They married on August 7, 1952, just before he transferred to Olivet Nazarene College ( now University) in Illinois for his last two years of college.
On May 19, 1985, Southern Nazarene University honored him with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
Fuller was ordained in the Church of the Nazarene in 1952. He and his wife, Evelyn, served the denomination for more than 64 years. Over the years, he organized or helped organize 41 churches and missions. He pastored four churches for a total of 14 years in Streator, Illinois; Pensacola, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama, and Springfield, Illinois and served as district superintendent for Virginia, West Texas, and Central Florida. He was one of the youngest district superintendents ever appointed at age 37 and one of the longest serving at 32 years. When he retired, he served as executive pastoral consultant for his son, Pastor Mark Fuller, at CrossRoads Church of the Nazarene in Arizona and Grove City Church of the Nazarene in Ohio. Gene was also the author of The Hallelujah March, which chronicles the 75 years of the Church of the Nazarene in west Texas.
Gene and Evelyn have two children, Mark, who is married to Sue Fuller and is pastor of Grove City Church of the Nazarene, and Jeanne Mowry, who is married to Jimmy Mowry. In addition, they have five grandchildren: Lindsay Gibson, Courtney Gaston, Kelly Fuller, and Tyler and Travis Mowry, and three great-grandchildren: Ellie and Caleb Gibson and Francis Mowry.
A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. February 6 at Crossroads Church of the Nazarene in Chandler, Arizona.[NCN News submissions]
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Panama, Mesoamerica Region
Missionary kids prepare for culture change at Rendezvous
Nine missionary kids from the Mesoamerica and South America regions met in Panama this month for Rendezvous. A global Church of the Nazarene initiative, Rendezvous helps prepare missionary kids for culture-to-culture transition and navigate leaving their parents’ home to re-enter their passport culture for college or work.
During the five-day event, MKs participate in a variety of challenges, games, group discussions, and worship sessions aimed at helping them discover that despite the shifting cultures around them (Ephesians 4:14-16), their identity and personality is found in Jesus Christ.
The MKs gathered at a ranch on the Caribbean coast of Panama, where group sessions were held in an open-air bohio. The MKs led worship each night while teaching each other songs from their own cultures on the field. Throughout the week, MKs and leaders were able to share their stories, explore their identity and values, talk about moral choices the MKs will face in their upcoming transitions, and discuss topics such as the advantages of being transcultural, healthy ways to handle money, and the realities of culture shock. Each participant was also given a personalized coaching session to explore their strengths based on the Clifton StrengthsFinder.
"Throughout the week, it was evident that there were many who were praying all over the world in real-time and many who had been praying in the days leading up to [Rendezvous]," said Mark Tarrant, Rendezvous coordinator. "God did some real work in the lives of these nine MKs, and we trust and pray that through the ministry of Rendezvous He will continue to do wonderful things in the lives of all our missionary families in the days ahead! The Global Mission Department, the Mesoamerica and South America regions, and the Rendezvous leadership team would like to thank you all for your prayers, and support for this and future Rendezvous events on each of our regions!"
Free time included hiking through the Panamanian jungle to a river where the MKs spent an afternoon swimming, an afternoon at the beach where they were surprised by a cluster of baby tarantulas in the midst of a worship gathering; cooking ‘smores and bamalates (banana, marshmallow, and chocolate treats) around a campfire, and a day of tourist activities in Panama City, and a visit to the Panama Canal.[Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region]
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Tokyo, Japan
Global NYI Council makes historic visit to Japan
For the first time, the Global Nazarene Youth International Council met in Japan for its annual meeting. Regional youth coordinators and staff from the Global NYI Office met January 15 to 19 at the Japan District Office to talk about how the young people of this generation can join God’s mission in making Christlike disciples in the nations.
"It is such a blessing to be a part of a church that has members from all over the world," said Janary Godoy, Asia-Pacific regional youth coordinator.
In addition to meetings in Tokyo, council members visited and preached at various churches in the Kantō area.
Diego Lopez, regional youth coordinator for Eurasia, and Shannon Greene from the Global NYI Office visited Gakuen Church.
Justin Pickard, regional youth coordinator for USA/Canada, and Brooklyn Lindsey, Justice Movement advocate, went to Aobadai Church.
Ronald Miller, regional youth coordinator for Africa, and Erin Knocke from the Global NYI Office went to Koiwa Church.
Milton Gay, regional youth coordinator for Mesoamerica, and Lisa Aparicio from the Global NYI Office went to Sangenjaya Church.
Jimmy de Gouveia, regional youth coordinator for South America, and David Gonzalez, Global NYI chair, went to Shimo-kitazawa church.
Godoy and her husband, Ánderson, went to Oyamadai Church.
On Sunday, Global NYI Director Gary Hartke preached at Meguro Church and Japan NYI District President Shouei Abe Sensei led an NYI rally that afternoon.
"It is so exciting to be with the brothers and sisters on this side of the world and experience the way they worship our Lord Jesus," Godoy said. "We had an amazing fellowship that evening over temaki sushi.
"We are also very grateful for the help of the interpreters that have used their gifts and talents to help share God’s Word and build connections with the people in Japan."[Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region]
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Subscribe to NCN NewsFacebookTwitterContactMesoamericaFlags of the Nations: Haiti
Flags of the Nations: Haiti
The flag of Haiti features two horizontal bands coloured blue over red, defaced by a white panel bearing the coat of arms. The coat of arms depicts a trophy of weapons ready to defend freedom and a royal palm for independence. The palm is topped by the Cap of Liberty.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: Haiti
The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Haiti in 1950.
Haiti had a population of 10,110,019 in 2015. That same year, Haiti reported 665 Churches of the Nazarene, 638 of which had been officially organized. Haiti has 124,182 total members.
Located on the Mesoamerica Region, Haiti has three Phase 3 districts and eight Phase 2 districts. For more information about the Mesoamerica Region, visit mesoamericaregion.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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Bourbonnais, Illinois
Olivet president selected Citizen of the Year
John Bowling has called Bourbonnais and Kankakee County home for 33 consecutive years, and he continues to do so to this day.
There is no shortage of people who are thankful the longtime president of Olivet Nazarene University has chosen to stay put, especially when you consider he has had numerous opportunities to move on.
“John is a nationally recognized figure,'' said Phil Kambic, president and CEO of Riverside Medical Center. “For him to want to live and remain in Kankakee County is a blessing for the area.”
It's a decision Bowling has grappled with several times. In 2005, he was elected to the prestigious position of general superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene. He declined, but when elected again in 2009, he accepted before quickly undergoing a change of heart and rescinding the offer to remain at Olivet.
Those opportunities are well known to the public, and there have been others as well. An international publishing company invited him to pursue its presidency, as have several other universities. He has given at least some consideration to all of them, but always has come to the conclusion that Olivet is the place he should be. The reason is two-fold.
“I have come to realize there is a special quality to leadership in one place over a long period of time,” he said. “The careful growth and development of a university takes time, and I felt that if I would stay at Olivet, I might be able to strengthen the university in ways that could not be done during a shorter term of leadership.”
The other factor that has compelled Bowling to stay is what he has found off campus.
“I also think that it takes time to genuinely become part of one's community,” he said. “My appreciation for the people of the Kankakee area has deepened across the years, and I feel an obligation to do all I can to enrich our shared life.”
Because of Bowling's devotion to Olivet and the community at large, he has been named the Daily Journal Citizen of the Year for 2015. The newspaper has honored top citizens since 2002, and this is the 10th consecutive year it has awarded a Citizen of the Year honor.
The award coincides with a couple of historic landmarks for Olivet. It celebrated the 75th anniversary of its move to Bourbonnais in 2015, and this year marks the 25th year Bowling has been the university president, a job he took after spending eight years as the pastor of the College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais.
At a community celebration held last fall to mark the anniversary of the relocation, Bowling directly addressed an issue which had not been often discussed in the public forum. He spoke of the initial uneasy relationship between Olivet, the fairly new Church of the Nazarene, and its predominately French-Canadian Catholic neighbors in Bourbonnais. He spoke of how the two groups operated independently and basically kept their distance from each other.
Then he spoke of how the barriers dissolved and a strong, thriving relationship has formed, and he continues to speak about it.
“My sense is that the relationship between Olivet and the surrounding communities has never been better, and I am so thankful for the many ways the community enriches the life of the university,” Bowling said. “Over time, we have become good friends and family. Olivet graduates teach in our schools, help run our area businesses, work in our hospitals and social service agencies, and raise families in our various neighborhoods.”
Bowling tends to deflect credit for helping the relationship grow, and is more apt to praise his predecessors as president, Harold Reed and Leslie Parrott Jr.
Those men certainly planted the roots, as Jeff Hammes, president of Peoples Bank of Kankakee County, can attest. At the same time, Bowling has furthered the relationship like no one before him.
Hammes' grandfather, Romy Hammes, was a prominent Catholic businessman in the immediate post-World War II era, and despite the perceived friction between people of his faith and those of the Nazarene faith, he developed a strong relationship with Olivet's leader.
“One of the earliest inroads came when Dr. Reed and my grandfather became good friends,” Hammes said. “Since then, Dr. Bowling has opened the doors wide to the community.”
Hammes points to Olivet's ability to draw the Chicago Bears here as the NFL team has held training camp on the campus since 2002. He refers to community events that take place on the campus, such as the numerous Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra performances. He also points to the outreach efforts of Olivet students, who perform volunteer work for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army.
Bowling also is proud of the outreach, especially since it comes from the segment of the Olivet community he values the most. It's a consistently growing segment, as enrollment has more than doubled during Bowling's tenure and Olivet has set records for enrollment year after year for the past decade or more.
“I genuinely like the many varied aspects of my job, but the students are my primary focus,” he said. “The university exists for students, and they have the potential of making a huge impact in the world.”
The student body holds Bowling in similar esteem.
“It seriously feels like Dr. Bowling is always with students,” said Spencer Allen, a 20-year-old junior from Bourbonnais who is studying electrical engineering. “From seeing him at basketball games and having the whole student section chanting his name until he acknowledges us, to showing up at all the school events, Dr. Bowling's presence is definitely always felt on our campus.”
While Olivet has upheld its strong spiritual commitment over the years, Bowling has even embraced one of the current crazes of modern society.
“I love that Dr. Bowling is always up for a good selfie,” Allen said. “There's so many of them out there, including a whole month dedicated to who could get the best one with him.”
No one exactly knows what will prove popular in the coming years, but Bowling already has set his sights on the future. Olivet's strategic plan is called Vision 2022 and calls for an additional $50 million in campus construction by the time that year has passed.
The expansion would come after Olivet invested $180 million in new construction and renovated buildings throughout the past decade. Those projects have brought two new jewels to the campus, the Hawkins Centennial Chapel, which was completed in 2010, and the Perry Student Life and Recreation Center, which was finished in 2012.
Bowling realizes it will be a challenge to realize the vision, but it's not like he hasn't conquered challenges before. Ten years ago, he climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
“That is a mountain of a different kind,” Bowling said of Vision 2022. “But should be just as exhilarating and rewarding.”[Olivet Nazarene University via The Kankakee Daily Journal]
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In Memoriam: January 29, 2016
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 January 25-29, 2016.
Roy Berkley Jr., 77, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passed away January 25. He was a retired minister, serving in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. He is survived by his wife, Carol Berkley.
Miriam Coleman, 87, of West Columbia, South Carolina, passed away January 26. She was a retired minister, serving in Georgia. She was preceded in death by her husband, retired minister Frank Coleman, who served in Ohio and Georgia. Frank Coleman passed away in 2007.
Rosa Galvez, 90, of San Diego, California, passed away January 10. She was the wife of retired minister Jaime Galvez, who served in Hawaii.
John Flowers, 96, of Boring, Oregon, passed away January 22. He was a retired minister, serving in Oklahoma, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. He is survived by his wife, DeLoris Flowers.
Curtis "Gene" Fuller, 84, of Sun Lakes, Arizona, passed away January 27. He was a retired minister, evangelist, and district superintendent, serving in Iowa, Illinois, Florida, and Alabama and leading the Virginia, West Texas, and Central Florida districts. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Fuller. (story)
James "Jim" Kester, 80, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away January 23. He was a retired minister, serving in Kentucky and West Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Mary "Kathleen" (Nutter) Kester.
Vipul Kharat, 52, of Auckland, New Zealand, passed away January 24. He was a minister, serving at All Nations Church of the Nazarene. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne. (story)
Douglas McAdams, 84, of West Liberty, Ohio, passed away January 20. He was a retired minister, serving in Ohio. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary McAdams, and is survived by his wife, Judith (Andrews) McAdams.
Allan Miller Sr., 90, of Camas, Washington, passed away January 21. He was a retired minister, serving in Oregon. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Miller.
Lewis Swope, 96, of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away January 22. He was a retired minister, serving in Michigan and Indiana. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lena Swope, in 2011.
Gerald Van Tine, 80, of Canton, Illinois, passed away January 22. He was a minister, previously serving in Illinois. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Van Tine.
For previous editions of In Memoriam, see the "Passings" section by clicking here.
Note: Please join with 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]
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Global praise reports and prayer requests
Global praise reports and prayer requests
Recent praise reports and prayer requests from NCN News, Nazarene Missions International, and JESUS Film Harvest Partners include:
PRAISES
Asia-Pacific staff member in remission
Liza Halbrook, a system and network administrator at the Asia-Pacific Resource Center, is in remission after being diagnosed with stage 2 non-Hodgkins lymphoma 10 months ago.
Pastors' child hit by car
Bruno Huamán, age 6, was struck by a car Friday on the way home from school. After being rushed to the hospital, Bruno was able to go home the next night with only bumps and bruises. Neighbors are saying it is a miracle he wasn’t hurt worse. His parents, Lenilde and Consuelo, pastor the Nazarene church in Ambato, Ecuador.
JESUS Film - Benin
"I am giving everything I have to God," said Christine, mother of two, in Benin. "I am happy to have seen theJESUS film. From what I saw and what I have learned, Christ gave His life to save humanity. He suffered, even for bad men, in order to save us who are lost. I am glad He protects us and gives us His peace and hope, so we can love and serve Him in all we do."
JESUS Film - Panama
"I told the Lord, if He wanted me to see the film, my grandson had to get well," shared a grandmother in Panama. "God is so good! I called my daughter before leaving my house, and she told me my grandson was better. I am a new believer today after seeing the film."
PRAYER REQUESTS
South America floods
More than 160,000 people were evacuated from their homes along the borders of Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay due to major flooding recently. Nazarene churches have been serving as shelters and emergency aid distribution centers. Click here to support local church efforts through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.
HEALTH-RELATED REQUESTS
Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr.
Retired missionary Harmon Schmelzenbach Sr. was hospitalized recently after exhibiting signs of a stroke. The MRIs did not show conclusively whether there was a stroke, and the doctors are not certain what they are dealing with is beyond the reality of progressive Parkinson’s. They’ve found infection in his system and the indication is that this could contribute to the symptoms.
Harmon’s wife, Beverly, writes: "I really can feel the presence of God very close to me. Please let everyone know how much I appreciate their prayers!" The Schmelzenbachs served in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the U.S.
Carol Zurcher
Retired missionary Carol Zurcher was recently hospitalized in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, USA, where she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She is now at home recuperating with the help of her daughter and son-in-law. Carol and her late husband, Norman, served as missionaries on the Africa Region for 37 years.
MORE...
For more global concerns and continued requests, see the NMI Prayer Mobilization Line by clicking here or JESUS Film Harvest Partners by clicking here. To share additional praises or prayer requests, please use the comment section below or see the Prayer Mobilization Line's Facebook page.
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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
Information Technology — Software Developer (Full-time)
Office: General Secretary
Ministry: Information Technology
Title: Software Developer
Description: Members of the software development team are primarily responsible for facilitating the ministry of the Global Ministry Center through the analysis, design, implementation, and support of software solutions.
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.
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JFHP seeks communications coordinator
Olathe, Kansas
JESUS Film Harvest Partners currently has an opening for a communications coordinator. This position is responsible for developing and implementing consistent short-term and long-term communications strategies, as well as for ensuring consistent JESUS Film Harvest Partners branding in all communications, including the website, mobile apps, and promotional materials. This position will also develop and manage an effective social media presence for the organization.
This full-time position will be on-site in the Olathe, Kansas, office.
The qualified candidate will possess a degree in communications, marketing, or related field or equivalent experience and be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Strong verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to work well under pressure are necessary to this position. All candidates should share the organization's conservative Christian values.
Please submit resumes to mhofer@JFHP.org. [JESUS Film Harvest Partners]Read more
news@nazarene.org
Material created and owned by NCN News may be used for church newsletters and bulletins.
Nazarene Communication Network News
Material created and owned by NCN News may be used for church newsletters and bulletins.
Nazarene Communication Network News
17001 Prairie Star Parkway
Lenexa, Kansas 66220, United States
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