SOUTHWESTERN OHIO NMI NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 SOUTHWESTERN OHIO NMI NEWSLETTER District NMI Convention Service Sunday, July 6 6:00 pm West Chester Church of the Nazarene Rev. Mark Louw, Asia Pacific Regional Director Convention reconvenes Monday 10:00 3:00 pm Presentation of NMI 100 th Anniversary Project! Mark your calendars! You won't want to miss it (PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS YEAR S DISTRICT NMI CONVENTION IS ON A SUNDAY AND MONDAY AND A DIFFERENT LOCATION FROM DISTRICT ASSEMBLY) DID YOU KNOW? If you want up to date information from SWO NMI between newsletters you can subscribe to the SWO district weekly newsletter via . Just go to and click on the news link for more information. MVNU Cross-Cultural Orientation Friday, February 28 Sunday, March 2 Mount Vernon Nazarene University The Cross-Cultural Orientation (CCO) weekend event is designed to assess, train, and orient those who are interested in cross-cultural ministry in and through the Church of the Nazarene. This event is required for anyone interested in serving for 90 days or longer, but we encourage all volunteers to attend. Attendance at a CCO is also required for Global Missionary Candidates as one of their first steps of development. See more information on the Cross-Cultural Orientation page of the Mission Corps website.

2 PAGE 2 Words from the SWO NMI President Elaine Mahaffey Teamwork I remember reading a very popular book written by Reuben Welch in the early 1980s titled We Really Do Need Each Other. The book emphasized the importance of community in the body of Christ. His Kingdom plan is inclusive, using gifts and talents of each individual to maximize fulfillment of the body. I witnessed this at our Southeast Zone Rally on Monday, January 20 th. The rally was scheduled at the Ripley church, however Pastor Clark Castle called me on Saturday with concern that weather conditions might necessitate a cancellation due to a parking lot resembling an ice skating rink! I appreciated his concern. I suggested that perhaps the Bethel church would be willing to host. I placed the call to Cynthia Church asking her to check with Pastor Scott Wade about the possibility of moving the zone rally to Bethel (in 48 hours)! Within minutes Cynthia had returned my call with a yes indicating that Pat Day, the NMI president would be right on it. I called SE Zone Chairperson Denna Pence, who then called the pastors and NMI presidents of the Southeast Zone on Saturday evening to have the announcement made on Sunday morning that the location of the rally had changed. Cell towers buzzed as multiple calls went out to facilitate this change. I arrived Monday night at the Bethel church and enjoyed a delightful evening with representatives of at least nine churches from the Southeast zone. A well-organized program, a great message from missionaries Wilmar and Jessica Rojas, a big spread of delicious refreshments, door prizes provided by the Ripley church given out by NMI President Barbara Spires, and wonderful music were all part of the delight of the evening. Pat Day, and the Bethel church had gone above and beyond in hosting a very successful rally. The evening served as a reminder to this District NMI president. We are all in this together We really do need each other Christ-like Disciples in the Nations will be made when we work together and each do our very best to use the gifts God has given us. We can make a difference in Southwest Ohio and around the world! Go Team SWO! Elaine Mahaffey District NMI President Special Prayer Request: Violence Escalating in Ukraine Deadly violence in Kyiv, Ukraine escalated this week during clashes between anti-government protestors and government forces. Protests have been ongoing since November, but fighting intensified despite a declared a truce between opposition leaders and the Ukrainian government on Wednesday. According to reports, snipers and gunfire killed an estimated 42 people on Thursday, pushing the related death toll to around 70. Hundreds have been injured in the city center since February 18, through unconfirmed local estimates put that number higher. The Church of the Nazarene s Global Mission Office reports Nazarene missionaries and Mission Corps volunteers in the area have been evacuated. Local Nazarene doctors and volunteers are working as part of the emergency medical response effort in neighboring hospitals, which are overcrowded and not sufficiently resourced. Several nearby churches and hotels are now makeshift hospitals as doctors and volunteers work to help the victims. The Nazarene Compassionate Ministries CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Field coordinator reports NCM staff and local churches, lead by the Nazarene district superintendent, are working together to create an official emergency response plan. In addition to prayer, the greatest need is for donations to provide medical supplies, blankets, clothing and meals. Go to to learn how to donate.

3 PAGE 3 Thank you! With bone-chilling temperatures, you supported our district tour with the Carlos and Robin Radi family and the Wilmar and Jessica Rojas family, both from Argentina. God powerfully used each of these couples in the zone rallies and various services across Southwestern Ohio! History was made as Nicol Radi (12 years old) translated for her father in our service with the Northeast zone at Xenia. Because Robin Radi was attending the funeral of her grandmother in Kansas City, Carlos needed a translator and his daughter did a great job translating for him. We praise the Lord for His work in the lives of these missionary families and for His work around the globe! Wilmar Rojas reminded us of the difference in bringing someone to Christ and making Christlike disciples. To truly be a disciple of Christ, we must disciple others. Thank you to the following churches, NMI Presidents, and zone coordinators for hosting our zone tours: Bethel Southeast Zone Pastor Scott Wade, NMI President Pat Day, Zone Coordinator Denna Pence (A special thanks also to the Ripley Church and NMI president Barbara Spires. Ripley was originally scheduled to host this rally but due to weather conditions it was moved to Bethel two days before the rally! This zone worked together beautifully to accommodate this last minute change. Xenia Northeast Zone Pastor Mark Atherton, NMI President Dan McLean, Zone Coordinator Ruth Huddleson Montana Ave Southwest Zone Pastor Dave Crofford, NMI President Gloria Kern Zone Coordinator Joyce Campbell Eaton Northwest Zone Pastor Brian Deaton, NMI President Joyce Deeters Zone Coordinator Phyllis Davis

4 PAGE 4 Offerings February is the month we receive the Alabaster Offering for buildings and property on the mission field. Each church is encouraged to participate, and whatever amount is given will be so helpful and much appreciated. Another offering opportunity soon to be here is the Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. It will be received on Sunday, April 20, This offering is vital to our missionaries as their salaries are paid from this fund. Let s pray for generous hearts, for God s work deserves our very best. Thanks to each one for helping to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Nations of the world. May you be blessed! Joyce Campbell, Giving Coordinator Work and Witness Two Opportunities! Kenya/Germany Vision Tour March 23-April 4, 2014 This is a vision tour for the Church s Gender Based Violence project in Kenya. It will include working down in the slums of Nairobi as well as Africa Nazarene University. We are finishing up the trip with time in Germany on the way home. There are still openings if anyone is interested. We will be getting our visas when we land in Kenya so you only need your passport and ticket to go. Contact Kurt Johnson. is kurt@kdconsulting.com Manchester, England July 25-August 5 SWO Work & Witness SPACE STILL AVAILABLE Nazarene Theological College - Manchester England July 25 - August We still have positions available for the great district work & witness trip to Manchester England this summer. Contact Kurt Johnson Kurt kurt@kdconsulting.com

5 PAGE 5 Easter Offering Resources Greetings, colleagues! This year s Easter Offering resources are now available on the Nazarene Generosity website, nazarene.org/generosity. The site features many free resources that your church can download and use to promote this year s global Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. Resources will include: Leader's Guide: Planning Guide Step-by-step instructions to help leaders inform your church about the exciting results of World Evangelism Fund giving that will encourage church members to pray and give. Prayer Ignition Themes Short, biblical stories that guide individuals in prayer and dialogue prior to the offering. Encourage families in the congregation to read the passages and discuss them as a group. As parents model generosity, children will learn to do the same. Videos (2) Choose from two video options to promote the Church of the Nazarene's annual Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. New Life Sermon assistance for pastors to share God s Word for all people during the Easter Sunday worship gathering. Children s Activity Sheet Connecting children with the true meaning of Easter and with the Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. Posters (2) Reminder of the Easter worship service and offering. Perfect for a church s announcement board. Bulletin Inserts (2) Two designs allow you to choose which insert will best fit your congregation style and worship folder. Bookmarks Giveaway to keep the Easter Offering in congregants minds and prayers. PowerPoint Presentation A visual reminder of the Easter Offering. It can be used during the Easter worship service, church announcements, or offering. Logos Different sizes and styles that can be used on your church s website, in bulletin announcements, etc. Other Resources: Children s Quarter Collectors These boxes will help engage and encourage children to collect their own Easter Offering for the World Evangelism Fund. To order, contact Nazarene Publishing House ( or nph.com) and ask for the Global Mission Offering for Children Quarter Collector (stock number O-320; $9.99 per package of 10). World Evangelism Fund Envelopes Created to encourage people to give an offering for the World Evangelism Fund. To order, contact Nazarene Publishing House ( or nph.com) and ask for the Stewardship: World Evangelism Fund Offering Envelope (free). May the Lord bless you, your pastor, and your Nazarene Missions International Council as you plan for joyous Easter celebrations and encourage your people to give generously so that others may know God s love, Christ s sacrifice and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit s comfort. I anticipate joining you as we all give freely to go where the Church of the Nazarene is not yet. To the praise of God s glory, Daniel Ketchum, Director Nazarene Missions International

6 Nazarene World Week of Prayer The annual Nazarene World Week of Prayer (NWWP) is nearly here. The dates this year for NWWP are Sunday, March 2 Saturday, March 8. During NWWP, we encourage churches to develop a plan to involve their people in praying specifically for requests received from each Global Mission region. The requests are posted on the NMI website and can be viewed and downloaded by clicking Nazarene World Week of Prayer. Here are a few NWWP requests: Mesoamerica Region: God to raise up and send more workers to plant churches in urban centers of the Mesoamerica Region. The GENESIS project, which was created to plant churches in countries where there is no Church of the Nazarene and in big cities where we have little or no presence. Areas where the GENESIS project is starting in April 2014: - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - Veracruz, Mexico - San Pedro Sula, Honduras - Grenada in the Caribbean English Field Asia-Pacific Region: Japan District Pray for the Japan district as they begin construction of the new headquarters/seminary building in Oyamadai, Tokyo. Because of the damage caused by the great earthquake in 2011, the previous building had to be abandoned. Pray for those who are still suffering in Japan as a result of the devastating earthquake on March 11, Many are still struggling and living in temporary housing. Pray that more young people in Japan will hear God s call to serve as pastors and church planters and will receive the necessary training. Who to call your SWO District NMI Council Elaine Mahaffey President/Deputation bemahaf@fuse.net Country Oaks Station Becky Duke Missionary Care beckyd@cinci.rr.com Brannon Hancock Web/Technical Director brannon.hancock@gmail.com Denna Pence SE Zone dennac@roadrunner.com West Chester, OH Kurt Johnson Vice President/W&W kurt@kdconsulting.com Pam Carroll Children pamcarroll@fuse.net Ted Collins Educating Coordinator az0272t@gmail.com Carolyn Hamilton At Large chteach123@yahoo.com Lana Roe Secretary ljroe@fuse,net Alex Mahaffey Youth mahaffey.ar@wccn.cc Joyce Campbell SW Zone/Giving e.campbell1@juno.com Matt Wagner At Large mattandfay@fuse.net Emberwood Ct West Chester, OH Mark Emerson Dan McLean Mission Call dr.daniel.mclean@gmail.com Phyllis Davis NW Zone momandpopdavis58@aol.com Treasurer svea@sbcglobal.net Donham Dr. Middletown, OH Eddie Baker Compassion danbakerauctioneer@gmail.com Ruth Huddleson NE Zone/Prayer ruthhuddleson@yahoo.com