JANUARY 2005
Our District Church has
improved significantly in sharing our financial support for the extended
mission and we are very thankful. We are almost to the point where our World
Evangelism Fund is paid up to 90% (which allows us to have a Work and Witness
trip.) We have improved on our District Budget and are making gains on the
deficit we suffered two years ago.
The PLNU support goes
directly for matching scholarships of Nazarene students. We could increase the
benefit to each student by an additional $200 per year if we paid 100% of this.
Those of you sending students there are benefiting because the other churches
are helping pay this for your students. To those of you that do not have
students there, thank you for being a part of the whole community with your
help. For those of you that do have students there, don't be a moocher-pay your
fair share.
If we pay all of our
pensions allocation, we increase benefits to our pastor's retirement by a
significant amount.
Let's make our 100th year
the time when we pay all budgets 100%!!
1+1=many
Each Christian,
a new Christian
Each congregation, a new congregation
Each pastor, a new pastor.
We approach our
centennial District Assembly in a few months now and reflect for a brief time
on the ways in which God had blessed and prospered His work among us. In a
hundred years we can see the hand of God that has marked this field of labor.
Only three of our churches now go back that far, San Francisco New Life
(First), Oakland Bayview (First) and Alameda (even with a couple of restarts
there). But out of the many churches that have opened and closed in that time
there have been seeds planted to produce new churches that hold a treasured
heritage.
One reflective point
teaches us that generally a local church has a life cycle. There is an
inevitable terminal point unless a church can refocus upon the changes that
engulf it and become relevant to the new culture. The fact that three of our
churches have been able to survive a century testifies to the fact that a
church can find a new life if it has the courage to face the cultural changes
and present Christ's gospel in that context.
Another brief observation
of the past enlightens one to see that one sure way of a church extending its
ministry into the future is to reproduce itself by parenting new works. Most of
our congregations can trace their history back to a sponsoring church. I
challenge each church to reach for both scenarios-refocus to have a new life
cycle and parent a new work!
The task then is to
determine what is there about our essence that is portable to the future. What
about our ways and operations is time-bound and what is time-less? Let us have
the courage to see the difference and act accordingly.
Let us go to the future
boldly! The BHAG (Big Harry Audacious Goal) that we have undertaken is worthy
of our best efforts. We endeavor to double our baptisms, new Nazarenes and
attendance by 2015. We can do this if we average a gain of 6.5% per year. We
have two months left in this church year, let's keep going forward!
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by
Rev. Mark Olson, Antioch
“Experience a Living Nativity” was Antioch Family
Church’s 2004 Christmas community outreach. On Dec 10th and 11th we hosted a
live nativity for the community and about 900 people came. The interactive
event included a petting zoo and pony rides for children, holiday refreshments,
Christmas music, the live nativity scene outside, and a special feature- a
second nativity scene set up as a photo-op for people to dress up as shepherds
and wise men and have their picture taken.
I
read the Christmas story a number of times at the live nativity. We handed out
the Jesus’ video and gave the Christmas story in a brochure format to every
carloard (230). We averaged about 200 people per hour as our parking lot (and
the neighboring church) was overflowing and people were parking on the street.
To get the word out we mailed 10,000 impact cards,
advertised on the cover of the Antioch South edition of the Pennysaver, handed
out 400 personal invite cards, placed flyers at various locations, and had an
ad in the local Grapevine. We also placed several street signs out on Lone Tree
Way pointing people to the church.
We received so much positive feedback from the
community that we plan on doing the event again next year. People were moved by
the reverent atmosphere at the live nativity. Kids had a blast at the petting
zoo and pony rides. And families thoroughly enjoyed the photo-op and treats. My
neighbor shared with me they want to make this an annual tradition for their
family. Ray Zeeb reported that people he knows thought it the best Christmas
event they had ever attended. Rick Cole sewed the wise men outfits. The
pictures don’t do them justice.
Finally,
since the church is located on a hill, we placed a lit-up cross on the front of
the church that can be seen on the freeway and down town. Since we are a small
church, one of the biggest blessings I can report is how excited the church got
over the event. It was really encouraging for them to see that they could do
something that really made a difference in people’s lives. I am excited to plan
for Easter.
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by Rev Time King, Salinas New Life
One of the leading reason
that people are not involved in ministry areas, is because they do not feel
trained or equipped. I believe
this lack of providing training is one of the great sins of the church! Let's
face it and change it!
What is your church doing
to raise up worship leaders, small group leaders, lay counselors, compassion
ministry leaders, men's and women's ministry leaders, children's ministry
leaders, senior adult leaders, hospitality ministers, etc.?
There are excellent
equipping resources through CONTINUING LAY TRAINING! Check it out at
clt.nazarene.org. There are three methods for you to receive training-Class
Study, Mail-Order Home Study, and Online Home Study. For a limited time, the
Online Home Study program is free of charge.
**************
We have all been
impressed and moved by the "You're Losing Us" media piece produced by
HQ a few years ago. There are now supporitng resources available to help
connect your faith to a new generation. For more information, visit
http://clt.nazarene.org/DWS2005/dws
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by Dr. Terry Irish, Sunnyvale
In early October, a
brochure from PERSIAN MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL (PMI) came across my desk. Upon
reviewing the information, I discovered that Pastor Donald Fareed lives in San
Jose, and that he was asking if we would be interested in him coming to speak
to our congregation.
As a former Shi'ite
Muslim, Pastor Donald had a wonderful testimony about how God saved him through
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Since we have been trying to
understand more about our Muslim neighbors and friends, I called Donald. He
agreed to speak in my absence on the 28th.
In the PMI brochure,
Donald had listed five or six introductory messages about his spiritual journey
from life as a Shi'ite Muslim to Christianity. I asked which message would be
the basis upon which we could build future discussion times together and he
recommended "WHY I AM NOT A MUSLIM."
Following Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 21st, Mel Oldeen, our reader board facilitator, put up the
title of Pastor Donald's message for the following Sunday in quotation marks as
follows: "WHY I AM NOT A MUSLIM" 11/28 10:45 AM.
When I came in to the
office on November 23rd, an Islamic gentleman named Max, who lived in the area,
had left a voice mail message for me. He simply stated that he saw the sign,
and had some questions. I called his office number and we had a very cordial
conversation. He asked about the title he had read on the sign, and wondered if
our speaker was going to be speaking about a book with the same title. I told
him I didn't know if Pastor Fareed had written a book, but he was not going to
be talking about a book. I told him something like, "Pastor Fareed wants
to share his spiritual journey as a former Shi'ite Muslim with those who wish
to hear him."
Max asked if he would be
welcome to attend, and I assured him that he was most welcome. Further, I
invited him to bring his friends as well. We ended our conversation, and I flew
off to Boise for NNU's Homecoming 2004. Little did I realize as I headed out to
our 30th year Class Reunion what events were about to happen.
As near as I can tell, a
man from the neighborhood around the church called the San Jose Mercury News to
complain about our sign. On Thanksgiving Day, a reporter named Chuck contacted
me. I returned his call on Friday, and we had a very good conversation. It was
a relaxed phone call, and I didn't feel he was poking around with questions
that were intended to incite or irritate me. In essence, I told him, "The
message on our sign was never intended to be inflammatory or confrontational.
Nor was it placed there to be divisive. It was meant to be purely informational
in nature."
Chuck asked if I
understood that in view of the tensions now in place since 9/11, that I might be
able to appreciate some people thinking this sign was offensive. Again, I
assured him that no offense was intended, explaining that there was limited
space on our sign, we were only able to put up the title of his message, and
nothing else.
I never spoke with any
other reporter that day or any day since. As far as I was concerned, the
interview was over, and how this information got reported would be up to Chuck
and the Mercury News staff. (I now understand that God was vitally involved in
this whole process as well!)
The first indication that
anything "unusual" was happening with the story came when Carol
called me Saturday to tell me that the article and a picture of our sign were
on the front page of the Family Section of Saturday's Mercury News. Since then,
I have been able to determine that the story was picked up on the national news
wires, and was broadcast Sunday morning on the "Good Morning America"
Sunday edition on ABC Channel 7.
The picture and story
have appeared in newspapers in such places as Cathedral City, CA (Pastor Randy
Cloud sent me the article with a note). Retired Pastor and former missionaries
to Israel Merlin & Ellen Hunter called and left two messages. In one
message they told me they were praying that Pastor Fareed would be able to give
his testimony before his family and friends murdered him.
One news channel called
for permission to videotape the service, and we agreed to allow them to come as
long as they did not videotape everyone in attendance. (We didn't want any of
our people or our Muslim guests to be embarrassed or upset by the TV cameras.)
Two other stations showed up and videotaped the service as well, without asking
permission. Someone told me that one of the reporters was a Muslim woman.
A Christian man from
Wilmington, N.C. called the office telling me that he had heard the story that
morning, and that his church had prayed for us.
Sunday evening, a
reporter was camped by the sign, preparing to do a live feed for the CBS
nightly news. After the morning service, Mel Oldeen and some helpers changed
the sign to advertise the Christmas drama presentation we were hosting on
December 5th. The female reporter asked if someone would change the sign back
to 'WHY I AM NOT A MUSLIM" so that she could use it as a backdrop for her
live feed later that evening but we were not able to do that.
Since this story first
broke Saturday, Pastor Donald has had several interviews, has been contacted by
various news organizations, and is getting nationwide coverage because of his
message, and the information we put on our reader board. He thanked us again
and again for our willingness to open our church to host him, and for
advertising his message as we did. Due to our work, he is now having the
opportunity to share his faith in Jesus Christ on a nationwide basis that would
have never happened otherwise. And, since he had not been able to get into
churches before he came to our church, he was very grateful for our financial
support and encouragement.
In another gesture of
thanks, Pastor Donald is going to lead a MUSLIM AWARENESS Seminar at our church
on Saturday, Feb. 5th, 2005. He wants us to invite anyone who would like to
know how to effectively minister to Islamic people to attend. I'm hoping that
we will have a packed house for the 9 AM to 12 Noon Seminar, followed by a 12
Noon to 1:00 P.M. potluck luncheon, and a 1:00 to 2:00 PM Q & A session. (**
Editor’s Note: This information is also listed under the “Important Dates”
section).
I believe that God is
going to use this event to springboard Pastor Donald into the national
spotlight, where he can literally tell millions of Muslims why he is no longer
a Muslim. His testimony about Jesus Christ and his gentle, humble spirit
touched everyone who was here Sunday, including the numerous Muslims that
attended the service.
In a recent phone call
with Donald, he told me that he had done radio station interviews by phone from
stations outside of our area. He credits us with giving him the opportunity to
share his story, and our reader board sign has become the launching platform
for the rest of this national attention.
But all of the publicity
has not been positive. I have spent many hours, responding to telephone calls
and e-mail messages, a few of which have been angry, hateful letters from people
offended by our sign. Further, I can tell you this: Had I known the kind of
responses this sign and promotion was going to generate, I'm not so sure I
would have put up the title of his message. Everything I did was out of an
innocent motive and with the pure desire to promote his message without any
evil or divisive intent in mind. God, however, has seen fit to allow His word
to ring out across our nation because of our well-meaning publicity efforts.
I would say about this
entire event just what Joseph said to his brothers in Egypt after they came to
live there during the horrific famine that drove Jacob and his extended family
out of the Promised Land: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it
for good" (Gen. 59:20, NIV). I believe that the responses we have
received, which for the most part have been positive, are further proof that
God has special things planned for Pastor Fareed, as well as for SNC.
We have been praying and
asking the Lord to open doors of opportunity for us here in Sunnyvale as we
continue through the ReFocusing process. This is about as open a door as I
think I have ever seen! I am now asking the Lord to give us wisdom and
discernment to know how to respond in our follow-up contacts.
** Editor’s Note: an
abridged version appears in the print version of the January issue of The
Bridge
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from the Board of General
Superintendents via NCN
As news of the mounting
toll of casualties in Southern Asia staggers the imagination of a grieving
world, the Board of General Superintendents expresses its deepest sympathy and
prayer for the survivors of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Natural
disasters remind us of our human frailty, and of our total dependence on a God
of grace and mercy to minister to those affected by this tragedy.
"We call on
Nazarenes around the globe to pray fervently for the people and nations so
deeply affected," says Chairman Jim Bond. "Our message of holiness
expresses itself in specific and concrete ways in tragedies of this nature. Our
extensive network of compassionate ministry personnel is already at work."
In addition, the board
encourages Nazarenes to give generously to the relief and recovery efforts that
are underway. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries is already mobilizing
personnel, and is gathering relief supplies for distribution. Over 100 disaster
relief leaders have been trained over the last three years in South Asia. These
dedicated ministers of compassion and mercy will be participating in a massive
effort to channel supplies to the effected areas as quickly as possible.
The board encourages our
people to make donations through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries by sending
checks to the General Treasurer, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. Checks
should be marked for "Tidal Wave Relief ACM1762.
Immediate donations may
be made online at www.ncm.org.
All donations remitted
through the General Treasurer's Office will receive 10% Mission Special Credit
if the local church is identified.
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by David J. Felter, Senior Editor &
Chad E. Schnarr, Managing Editor
Jack Stone, General
Secretary, Headquarters Operations Officer, just released the Annual Church
Statistical Reports for the time period of October 1, 2003 through September
30, 2004. Obviously, this is a very detailed report, documenting the missional
activities of the Church of the Nazarene on a global scale. For this
statistical year, the news is very good.
- 3,656
missions
- 13,672
churches
- 1,496,296
members
- 658 new
churches organized
- 110,706
new Nazarenes were reported
- 800,644
global Sunday School attendance
- 336,950
global NYI members
- 827,200
global NMI members
- 525,814
A.M. Worship attendance (USA/Canada)
From these statistics we
can report:
- The
number of missions and churches is increasing
- Total
membership is growing
- The
number of new churches organized continues to rise
These are signs of a
healthy denomination. Add the healthy, invigorating theological dialogue in
process, and an exciting picture emerges. Is there room for improvement?
Absolutely! We have much for which to give thanks as we conclude another year.
As we wrap up another
year here in the NCN offices, we pause to offer our thanks to every reader and
NCN subscriber. Providing you with comprehensive, reliable news of your church
is a privilege. We look forward to providing you with even better levels of
service as NCN rolls out new improvements in 2005. We also want to express our
appreciation to our colleagues in Premier Studios for their professional
assistance and services with Internet delivery and web hosting. From all of us
in NCN, we wish you a happy, joy-filled Christmas and a blessed New Year.
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Our
Condolences
We send our prayers to
the Clayton family of Palo Alto for the recent passing of the mother of Rev.
Nancy Clayton.
Our prayers also go out
to Rev. Karl Mason of Hayward First for the passing of his mother.
Paul
Price
by Rev. Paul Harris, Eureka
Robert "Paul"
Price passed away peacefully in his sleep Sunday evening, December 26th. Paul
was born in Oklahoma in 1921 and was raised in Porterville, CA where he met and
married Vernell Carter. They have three daughters, many grandchildren and 14
great-grandchildren.
Paul was a member of the
Eureka Church of the Nazarene and served his home church faithfully for over 50
years as a bus driver, camp counselor, Sunday School teacher, youth leader and
board member. Paul served on the Northern California District Advisory board
for 34 years, counting superintendents Rev. Zachary, Rev. Cantrell, and Rev.
Kinzler among his friends.
Paul was a true christian
gentleman who will be greatly missed by his family and his church family. But
praise be to God that we will see him again one day!
Memorial services for
Paul will be held this Sunday afternoon at the Eureka Church. You may send your
condolences via email to naz-pastor@sbcglobal.net or mail them to 2039 E
Street, Eureka, CA 95501. If you wish to attend the services, call the church
office at 707-442-1703 for details.
.
Courtney Bernhardt,
daughter of Monterey pastor Mark and Glenda Bernhardt, and a student at NNU.
We’ve been praying for Courtney’s recovery as she almost lost her arm in an
accident. This recent photo is of a musical event at NNU shows how well she is
doing.
Celebrating
our Centennial
One of the expressions of
how we will honor the past of our district is by having each congregation write
its own history and project its own vision for the future on a single page.
Each of these pages will be compiled into one booklet to be distributed at the
District Assembly.
If your church needs help
if getting data to write your history, the District Office can help with some
of the information. Please start working now to present you're the story and
future hopes of your church.
Important
Dates
January 28, 2005--Spanish
Language Jesus Film Seminar with Dr. Roberto Hodgson, San Jose International
Christian Center (formerly Central Church)
February 4, 2005--Latino
Rally "Noche de Santidad" with Dr. Jerry Porter, General Supt., Oasis
Iglesia del Nazareno, Salinas
February 5, 2005--Muslim
Awareness Seminar with Rev. Donald Fareed, Sunnyvale Church of the Nazarene,
9am-2pm (time includes potluck and Q&A session)
** Editor’s Note: Be
sure to read the article, “Why I Am Not A Muslim” in this issue of The Bridge.
Feb 21, 2005--Pastor and
Spouse Resource Day (location TBA)
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