MARCH 2005
Editor: Robin Wagganer
100 Years of NorCal Blessings
by Rev. Jim Cooper,
The Point
In 1908 H. Orton Wiley
was serving as an evangelist and came through Northern California holding tent
meetings. He held a revival tent meeting San Jose and from it came the nucleus
of people who formed San Jose First Church of the Nazarene. The church was
"nomadic" for a little more than a decade, moving about from vacant
lot to rented building. Olive Almand told of a time when the tent was situated
on a vacant lot next to some neighbors who did not appreciate the noise of the
meetings. There was a resistance to the Nazarenes in that area so someone
during the night set fire to the tent and burnt it down. After that the church
raised a new tent and had a member of the church sleep there each night. Olive
took her turn and slept in the tent with her pistol nearby. I suppose the
marketing tag might have been, "We're going to bring you the gospel even
if we have to shoot you to do it!"
Another significant time
in the life of San Jose First Church of the Nazarene was in the economic
depression of 1933. The church began a compassionate ministry in the basement
of their church building. It was a hot lunch provided for the school children
in the school nearby. The children were paraded over to the church to enjoy
their free lunch. In those days of poverty and need the lunch was a much needed
and appreciated ministry. Our best research indicates that this effort of
caring Nazarenes became the seeds of the State of California Hot Lunch Program.
We have talked with Mr. Jack Horton, influential and affluent businessman here
in San Jose and member of Cathedral of Faith. Jack remembers as a child going
to the basement of the Church of the Nazarene and enjoying those hot lunches
prepared by caring Nazarenes.
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District News
Congratulations to the VanGorkom's of Livermore Discovery on the
birth of Steven Lee, born on January 22nd at 7:40 p.m. Steven is 20
inches long with red hair.
The annual Kids'
Ministries Roundup has just been
scheduled for May 27-28 at Redwood Glen, The Salvation Army Camp, in Scotts'
Valley. Tuition is $65. Volunteers are needed to teach games, crafts and other
activities. The first 30 volunteers will attend free of charge! Don't miss out!
Contact Gerry Hauser via email at gh4nazkids@aol.com or by phone at
510-357-5035.
Welcome New Pastor! Andy and Jacqui Satta (photo) have come to pastor
the Crescent City Church after completing 9 years of ministry in Flushing,
Queens, New York City. Previously,
Andy has served over 18 years in Canada in varied pastorates and as Dean of
Students at Canadian Nazarene College. The Sattas are parents of three married
daughters and the proud grandparents of two little boys.
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SSM Update
by Rev. Tim King,
Salinas New Life
What is SoloCon?
SoloCon is a gathering of
Singles Adults supported by The Church of the Nazarene Sunday School
Ministries. Single Adults includes the never-married, divorced, and widowed. This
support comes through Adult Ministries and Single Adult Ministries.
SoloCon West takes place
on Memorial Day Weekend at Pine Summit Camp in Big Bear Lake, California. This
year's is speaker Dr. Harold Ivan Smith. The weekend includes workshops and devotional
times. It also includes outdoor activities at both the camp and in the Big Bear
Lake area. And there are table games long into the night.
Please place SoloCon West
contact information in your church's bulletin and newsletter. Include a link to
SoloCon's website (www.solocon.org) at your local church's website.
PrimeTime Ministry
Work & Witness
PrimeTime W&W is a
great idea for expanding the ministry opportunities of our 50+ year old adults
in our churches. The "Barbados Blitz 2006" in designed with the needs
and limitations some of our PrimeTimers are experiencing.
This ministry event is
designed for PrimeTimers who may not be able to work 10 hours days, travel by
dugout canoes and rickety busses through mountain passes and sleep in grass
mats in dirt floor huts.
At this time we have 45
PrimeTimers registered who represent 11 Districts, 22 local churches, 2
denominations from both the USA and Canada.
We have updated the
website: www.GoPrimeTime.org
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NMI Update
by Rev. John Wilcox,
Santa Cruz
Easter Offering =
World Evangelism Fund
Missions in the Church of
the Nazarene are a large enterprise.
We have 770 missionaries around the world, to accomplish the Great Commission,
that is the spreading the gospel and the message of holiness around the
world. To do what God has called
us to do requires money. The World
Evangelism Fund was created to allow missionaries to work more effectively and
to encourage all churches to support missions. One of the ways we do this is by taking an offering on
Easter Sunday. Start praying now
as to what the Lord would have you to give as a love offering to Him.
Million Hours of
Prayer... Have you Started?
A million hours of prayer
is not a new idea for General Assembly, it has been done in the past, and has
made a difference. All Nazarenes
have been asked to pray forty two seconds a day for a total of two hours before
June. Are you wondering about how
you can specifically pray? Here
are three suggestions for one pray about.
* Pray that the travel
plans will go smoothly for the 5, 000 delegates that will be involved with the
General Assembly as well as the Conventions for Sunday School, Missions, and
Youth.
* There will be delegates
that will travel from around the world, travel visas will be necessary and
sometimes challenging to get. Pray
for the paperwork and those that give the permission for our delegates to be
able to come, and pray that it will be done in God's timing.
* Pray for the General
Superintendents and the General Secretary as they prepare for the services and
the changes that will be voted upon by the delegates.
You Ain't Seen Nothing
Yet!
Before you know it May
will have arrived and with it time for District Missionary Convention! Make you plans now to not miss the
thrill and excitement of Missions.
Friday, May 6th is the day,
Livermore Nazarene Church is the place.
See you there!
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Nazarene Headquarters to Move
from NCN News, March
4, 2005
Delegates to the 82nd
session of the General Board met to transact the business and legislative
affairs of the Church of the Nazarene this past week. Voting members of the
General Board picked up the discussions from the last session regarding the
issues surrounding the aging Headquarters facilities and the various options
open to consideration. Entertaining questions and responses from the floor, the
body voted near unanimously (95 percent) to build new buildings rather than
remodel existing ones. Following this vote, the General Board then voted to
relocate Headquarters to the property owned by the General Church in the Kansas
City suburb of Lenexa, Kansas. This historic action, based on the
recommendation of the Board of General Superintendents and Headquarters
Relocation Committee, was approved with a 27-yes, 15-no vote of General Board
members on February 28, 2005.
General Superintendent
Jesse C. Middendorf told NCN News, "This decision clearly ranks as one of
the top-five historic happenings in the history of the Church of the
Nazarene."
Nazarene Headquarters has
been located at its present location at 6401 The Paseo in Kansas City for more
than 50 years. Its three aging buildings and escalating maintenance costs forced
the Church to look for ways to upgrade.
"We're in an active
mode to raise funds and to build, because our facilities need help,"
General Secretary and Headquarters Operations Officer Jack Stone told the
Kansas City Star one year ago. "The shelf life of our current buildings is
up."
Church leaders considered
renovating the current buildings, but decided that constructing one building
and relocating would be more economical. Initial plans called for a
three-story, 110,000-square-foot administrative office building to house all of
Headquarters' nearly 300 employees.
Hardy Weathers, president
of Nazarene Publishing House (NPH), has announced that NPH will not move from
its current location on Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.
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NorCal 100th District Assembly
May 4-6, 2005 at
Livermore Discovery Church of the Nazarene
Wednesday, 7PM,
Centennial Praise Service
Thursday, 8:30AM-4:30PM,
District Assembly (Dr. Jerry Porter presiding)
Thursday,7:30PM,
Ordination Service (Reception following)
Friday, 8:30AM-4:30PM,
NMI Convention
Friday, 7PM, Youth and
Mission Praise Service (with Dr. Oliver Phillips)
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