The Southern California District Church of the Nazarene of Temecula, California, United States with Rodney Kilgore and Reverend Tom Taylor, District Superintendent for Friday, 1 September 2017 "SoCal District Newsletter: September"

 The Southern California District Church of the Nazarene of Temecula, California, United States with Rodney Kilgore and Reverend Tom Taylor, District Superintendent for Friday, 1 September 2017 "SoCal District Newsletter: September"

YOU ARE TO BE HOLY TO ME, FOR I THE LORD AM HOLY; AND I HAVE SET YOU APART FROM THE PEOPLES TO BE MINE (LEVITICUS 20:26)

SEPTEMBER DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

7 Steps to Overcoming Your Addiction to Self-Help Books
I've recently been reading through a spate of what are often called "Christian self-help" books. (A lot aren't technically "self-help," but, they seem to tap into the American cultural phenomenon of self-help publications) Whether it's dating, leadership, male identity, pastoring, cooking the perfect pasta dish, caring for suede, or replacing a head gasket, there seems to be a "Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul" version or a "7 Steps to Wholeness" series or a "<insert Christian celebrity>'s how-to" for doing better at whatever it is you're failing at.
And, some of them are really insightful - backed not only by decades of biological or psychological research, but, tapping into sound theological doctrine and solid spiritual advice.
Others... not as much.
However, in the midst of this clamor about all the broken things in your life and how they can be fixed or improved, I've been gently urged repeatedly by the Spirit concerning the life of holiness. It seems a lot of the valuable material from these "Christian Self-Help" books can be summed up in the command, "Be holy." Obviously, this doesn't negate the need for understanding how to live holy lives - what holiness looks like in the life of the believer and how it can be cultivated. But, perhaps, as believers, our primary questions shouldn't be "how can I date more successfully" or "what can I do to be a better pastor" or "how can I be a more effective leader." But, rather, "how can I further submit to the Spirit in cultivating a life of holiness." The most effective "aid" in dating, marriage, leading, pastoring, or parenting - just to name a few self-help niches - will never be found in how-to-guides or step-by-step manuals, but in consistent, obedient, submission to the sanctifying Spirit. Oswald Chambers puts it this way: "We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God."
Or, as the apostle Peter declares in 1 Peter 1:16, "like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'you shall be holy for I am holy'."
Your District Administration

MEN'S RETREAT

Check out our Men's Retreat info page and online registration form for this upcoming September District men's gathering. September 15-17, our men will have the opportunity to meet at Palomar Christian Conference Center in Palomar, CA. This year we will be having both English and Spanish languages represented. Woody Stevens and Wilmo Guido, respectively, will be the camp speakers. You can sign up online HERE. (All payments will be made with a church check at the Conference center on the weekend of the retreat.)

MINISTER'S GETAWAY 2017

All Lead and Staff Pastors are invited to the Minister’s Getaway (Leadership Retreat) October 6-8. This a time for a Family Reunion! We will be at the SpringHill Suites in Oceanside. Don’t miss the Family Picnic on the Beach or the Bonfire with S’mores! The cost is $375/double occupancy or $300/single occupancy. Registration is due September 1st. For more information, check out the Leadership Retreat info and registration page or contact Wink Davis at wink.davis@gracept.org. We are also looking for scholarships for Pastors who might not be able to afford to attend. Contact Wink Davis if you can help! Thanks!

RENEWAL CONFERENCE

December 9th, Murrieta Gateway Church of the Nazarene will be hosting a day-long (8:30AM - 2PM) conference concerning church planting, evangelism, and church renewal. The conference is open to all, whether clergy or laity, and will feature Mark Bane, Director of Church Planting, Evangelism, and Church Renewal for the Nazarene Church; Bill Wiesman, USA World Zone Leader for Dynamic Church Planting International; and Kevin McDonald, senior pastor at Gateway Nazarene. There is no cost for the conference and lunch will be provided. Registration will be open soon; make sure you save the date on your calendars!
For more information please contact Kevin McDonald at kmcdonald@gatewwaynaz.org

SOCAL DISTRICT COMPASS INITIATIVE

Pastors, are you a part of the COMPASS financial program? The COMPASS Initiative is a Nazarene initiative to address our U.S. ministers’ most pressing financial difficulties. The COMPASS Initiative utilizes a financial literacy, management, and well-being program to equip ministers in personal and church financial matters. Additionally, COMPASS has programs for the local church and a retreat to learn how to better manage financial matters dealing with the local church. For more information, visit COMPASS Initiative and stay tuned for SoCal district specific information.

HAITI UPDATE

This past weekend (Aug. 25-27), the Haitian N.W. district held its first children's camp at the Bouflette church campus. Hundreds of children from across the district came to hear the life-changing message of Jesus. They sang worship, played games, and gathered for late night bonfires. In addition, all the children received a full meal every day of the camp (this may not sound impressive, but, many of the children of the region aren't fed full meals everyday).

The N.W. Haitian district extends a warm "thank you" to Grace and Peace Church in Oceanside for partnering with True Shepherd to provide transportation, security, and food for all. For more information, contact tim@trueshepherd.com or visit trueshepherd.com.

MISIÒNES BAJA WORK AND WITNESS TRIP

During the weekend of August 4-5, a Work and Witness
team from the SoCal district traveled to Ojos Negros to install kitchen and bathroom cabinets, lay tile, paint and clean the
property.

They also delivered backpacks and school supplies to students in a Back-to-School outreach. Be in prayer for the partnership between the SoCal district and Ojos Negros.

SOCAL NMI NEWS

Please keep the district NMI in your prayers as they begin the search for a new president. After 14 years, Dennis Bentley stepped down as head of the SoCal NMI. His passion and persistence for Nazarene Missions was always evident, demonstrated in some unique district projects, especially in Haiti, Cuba, and Baja Mexico. He loved missions and it showed. Thank you, Dennis, for your service.

SOCAL CHILDREN'S QUIZZING SCHEDULE

Below is the schedule for the children's quizzing through next year's regional quiz in May. Please update your calendars accordingly.

• Invitational Quiz #1: October 14, 2017 Host: Escondido
• Invitational Quiz #2: December 2, 2016 Host: Gateway
• Invitational Quiz #3: January 20, 2018 Host: El Cajon
• Invitational Quiz #4: March 10th, 2018 Host: Parkway
• District Quiz: April 14, 2018 Host: Mission
• Regional Quiz at PLNU: May 12, 2018 (for those who qualify)

A PLAIN ACCOUNT: WESLEYAN RESOURCES

Check out the "Wesleyan-perspectived" commentary based on the Revised Common Lectionary. If you are a pastor or a lay-person interested in following lectionary readings throughout the year, we recommend visiting aplainaccount.com for more information. Nazarene ministers and scholars from all over the globe are participating in this project. We would love to have you be a part of this work, supporting it in any way you can.

UPDATE: GREG AND LESLIE GARMAN

As many of you are aware, Greg and Leslie Garman, D.S. and wife of the Los Angeles district, were in a serious car accident a few weeks ago. Below is their update in their own words:

Dear Church Family,

Thank you so much for your many emails, text messages, and cards of encouragement over the past few days. You have been a great blessing to us. Thank you! It's been a couple weeks since our accident and we are getting along much better. Still very sore, but we are able to move about freely. Leslie is still experiencing headaches following her concussion and is still bruised in many parts of her body. Slowly, but surely, her memory is returning to her of some of the things forgotten during the accident. As for me, my leg is much better, though, I'm still not able to run just yet. My greatest concern is my left shoulder. X-rays taken reveal no fractured bones, but the soreness indicates some other kind of damage.

Many of our belongings were crushed in the accident, including the suitcase that was holding my work laptop. That's a real bummer, as I am having to do all work for now on an iPad.

Again, we are grateful to the Lord for our church family - all of you. You have showered us with love and kindness. I am back in the office and I look forward to seeing many of you in the days to come. Thank you for thinking of us. We love you!

Greg and Leslie Garman

CHURCH REPORTING

I was speaking with Tom over lunch the other day, and he happened to mention that, miraculously, every church on the district, for the past 3 months, had been entering their monthly report. "It was crazy," he said. "All of a sudden, every church was giving us the information we need and letting us know how God was working and how to be in prayer for them." Tom then began to levitate as the ghost of Phineas Bresee wafted in and gave him a cosmic high-five.
Then I woke up.
Help make our dreams reality. Click HERE to make your monthly church reports.

Upcoming Events

• Men's Retreat: Sept. 15-17
• Minister's Getaway: Oct. 6-8
• Renewal Conference: Dec. 9

For a more detailed record of these and other upcoming district events please visit the district calendar, or www.socalnaz.org/events/calendar
For a printable version of this newsletter (abbreviated) for use as a bulletin insert or wall posting, please click HERE. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kyf93zmXifFUD6MWbXF6bQZXYf-xC-Jx21Yq__gSupw/edit?usp=sharing)

Our mailing address:

28465 Old Town Front Street #313

Temecula, California 92590, United State

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