The Pilgrim Nazarene. The Official Organ of the Pilgrim Nazarene Church Spring 2015

Transcription

1 The Pilgrim Nazarene The Official Organ of the Pilgrim Nazarene Church Spring 2015

2 Spring 2015 Perspective 2 from the General Superintendent 3 The Great Commisson 4 Herald Information 8 Church News 9 Journal 10 EDITOR Larry W. Pettit GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT Stephen R. Snodgrass GENERAL SECRETARY David Taylor GENERAL TREASURER Micheal Covington GENERAL FOREIGN MISSIONS SECRETARY Stephen R. Snodgrass Printing and Circulation: Country Pines, Inc., Shoals, IN. com Photo Credits: Cover photo: The Pilgrim Nazarene The Pilgrim Nazarene Herald is published quarterly by Pilgrim Nazarene Publishing. Phone: businessmanager@pilgrimnazarene.org Web Address: Subscription price: Free. Donations are accepted. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: The Pilgrim Nazarene Herald 4017 Evergreen Ave. Lake Charles, LA the perspective editor s He is not here: for he is risen, as he said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6 Probably most that will read these words know and have heard the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and its electrifying truth has ceased to amaze or hardly catch one s attention. It is like hearing Paul Harvey on the radio twice in the same day with his The Rest of the Story. You know what is coming, and you know what to expect. If the truth of this Biblical account of the end of the life of the Son of God and His glorious resurrection is to remain alive, real, and vital to us today, we must take time daily to keep this grace alive in our hearts, and the fire of God s presence glowing in our everyday experience. If it could be possible for a few minutes today, let s get quiet, make up our mind to linger in the presence of God, put ourselves away from the here and now and the same old same old of this story we know so well. If it be possible, close your eyes and walk back in time and history and walk along the side of the disciples. Try to put yourself where they were and sense and feel and hear what they experienced. For the most part these men had experienced the greatest three years of their lives. Just think,...they that sat in darkness, have seen a great light. Their lives had been forever changed - no, not just reformed, but transformed. Jesus Christ came into their lives and did what they could not do. All their attempts to do and be better, to quit the sin business, to walk with God had failed, and every attempt to reform led to a downfall. Now Jesus came, and He transformed. What one could not do, He did. He made them new creatures in Christ Jesus. What joy! Jesus said, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. ( John 15:11) These men had the joy of sins forgiven, guilt erased, and their names written down in heaven. Every day brought the heart-throb of new joy to be with Jesus, to hear His voice and see Him as He ministered to the people. They had a hope, But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. (Luke 24:21) Their hope hung upon His words; no man had spoken like this Man spoke. Their hope was grounded in His supernatural deeds and ministry; all proofs that He was the Son of God. And now the horrors of all hideous horrors had taken place, it is etched in their memories forever. They saw it with their own eyes. They took Him, convicted Him, beat Him beyond recognition and sentenced Him to death. The unbelievable, the Man who was so kind, the Man who was filled with such love and compassion now hung before them all on a cruel cross. Writhing in pain and agony He calls, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. A long six hours of physical, mental, and spiritual anguish take place. The sun hides its face, seemingly in shame at the inhumanity of humanity, and a darkness like you cannot imagine (continued on page 7...)

3 from the desk of the General Superintendent Rev. Stephen R. Snodgrass It is around 2am UTC (Eastern European time zone), January 21st, and I m sitting in seat 88C on Airbus 380 somewhere over northern Finland. I keep telling myself that I need to sleep in order to combat the jetlag that will catch up with me in just a few hours, but there is just too much on my mind. We are travelling away from the amazing city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I will tell you more of that in a moment, but first let me give you a snapshot of the previous 2 weeks. A grueling 13 days of travel, preaching, praying and working with the dear people of India. This was my fourth trip to India, and I m always amazed at all the ministry challenges that face our mission partners every day. Our time with the lepers, the orphans and each congregation that we visited was wonderful and a blessing to me. There will be more about this on the missions page and others reports; but it was a very profitable trip, and God helped us to minister to so many while we were there. After our time in India, we were scheduled to have a 14 hour layover in Dubai. Dubai, UAE, is the most fascinating city in the world. A simple search on the internet will show you this fastest growing city in the world in all of its finery. Dubai is an architectural showcase. It boasts of almost the largest and the best of everything that is man-made. In Dubai, you will find the fastest automobiles, tallest buildings and the most beautiful people. It is truly the best of everything that man can do. One more point of interest is that I did not see one Christian church there. I saw many Islamic mosques, which are very elaborate and beautiful to the eye. As I looked into the eyes of these very privileged and beautiful people, they looked so empty. While I was very impressed with all that man is capable of accomplishing, I could not help but notice that there was a missing ingredient God. As I sit here in my airplane seat, somewhere close to the North Pole, my mind is crowded with faces. Faces of little orphan children who may not have the best of clothes but are wearing a smile because they have a warm place to live and food to eat and clothes on their back. Faces of pastors who have been through persecution, but yet they are singing to the top of their lungs a song about the goodness of God. Faces of lepers as pain grips their bodies with each step they take. Faces of missionaries who have left the comforts of home and closeness of family and friends with a smile on their face after a hard day of being about the Father s business. Then imprinted into my mind are thousands of people whose faces I couldn t see because they were hidden behind veils and shawls, but I could see their eyes and for the most part they were empty. Living in a city of leisure and luxury unlike any in the world and yet they are not happy. I see the faces of young Arab sheiks, who are driving the finest automobiles in the world, living in the finest homes and enjoying a life of leisure, but it seems they are crying out for more more more. As I sit here and process what all I have witnessed in the last 24 hours, I find myself drawn to Hebrews 11:23-27, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king s commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. As followers of Christ, we recognize that the pleasures of sin are just for a season, and when that season is complete, there is a judgment. As Christians, we have lost sight of the things of this world and put our full focus on Him who is invisible. It is this motivation of the soul to please our Master that makes the material gains of this world seem so trivial. Oh God, please help us to be motivated by things eternal! J. T. Davidson wrote a paper in the late 1800 s, titled (continued on page 7...)

4 the Great Commission Preparations began long before the trip began; Bro. Snodgrass began working with Bro. Johnpaul Pinapati to explore the best time for travel and to begin working on an itinerary of activities to be covered while on the field. Sometime during this process, he talked to me (Mark Russell) about making the trip, and sometime after that, I began to understand that his request was serious. Others also talked of their interest in making the trip, and in the end we were accompanied by Aaron Griggs and Ira Virgil Moore. Visas were acquired through the services of Travisa visa service, and tickets were purchased on Emirates Airlines through Kayak, the online flight search service. Lists were made, goods and goodies purchased, and on Thursday morning, January 8, 2015, a team of four from the Sherman Pilgrim Nazarene Church gathered at the church to head to India; we would be gone until January 21. Bro. Fred Griggs provided the chauffeur services for the first leg of the trip to Dallas - Fort Worth airport, while Bro. Max Moore provided the limousine his Chevy Suburban. We checked into the airport with each of us having 2 checked bags a piece, we pushed the 50 pound weight limit but didn t break it. The flight took off a little late but by noon we were on our way. Our route took us from Dallas to Dubai where we had a 3 hour layover before heading to Hyderabad India. We arrived in India at about 9:30 Friday night, local India time. We gathered our luggage, and passed through customs without incident. As we came into the passenger greeting area we were met - with great joy - by Bro. Johnpaul and Joseph, his nephew-driver. Luggage was stowed on top of the mission vehicle, tied down securely, and we began the 5 hour trip to Tenali - oh the joy of India roads! We arrived at the mission compound around 3:00am, and were met at our room by Bro. Andrew Street, the Evangelistic Faith Missionary that would spend the week with us and help in the Pastors Meeting. The accommodations in the Steve Harbison Memorial church building are very good when considered in the context of a stay in Tenali, India. A two room apartment is provided in the back, on the second floor. Two single beds are provided in the rooms and three good quality air mattresses - we slept well, or at least, I did. The next day, Saturday, we slept, relaxed and played with the children, rested, visited, and discussed the upcoming plans for the next week. Saturday evening we visited three local churches one near the water well dedicated to Bro. Chamberlain, and another near the water well dedicated to Sis. Betty Covington. After another good night s sleep, we arose Sunday morning rather well rested and ready for Sunday morning service at Bro. Isaac s church. The crowd was good, the singing spirited. The message by Bro. Snodgrass was encouraging. After lunch at the Pinapati s, we took a little rest and then headed out to visit five churches about an hour s ride away. By the way, Sis. Pinapati is a superb hostess! Her sweet spirit, excellent cooking skills, gentleness, and devotion to the work, is a quiet and powerful testimony of the Godliness of the Pinapati mission team. She is involved as a meek and efficient servant in all aspects of the mission work. Monday morning, the Pastors Meeting started off at 11am with spirited singing and a good message by Bro. Snodgrass. Next up was a lesson on Discipling by Bro. Andrew Street. Bro. Johnpaul Pinapati had requested lessons on the prophet Isaiah, and that project was assigned to me. Following Bro. Street s class I delivered the first of four one hour (or so ) sessions on the Prophet Isaiah; two were delivered on Monday, the last two were delivered on Tuesday. I thoroughly enjoy studying God s Word, and preparation for these lessons were no exception. During preparation I began to realize that the culture of India is more closely akin to Isaiah than the western American culture. The task of putting the life and times of the great prophet Isaiah in perspective, and following with a synopsis of his ministries and prophecies is no small project. To do this job through an interpreter seemed to be nearly impossible. The preachers are very intelligent

5 men (though one pastor is a Lady), and they are very knowledgeable of their Bible. I had to assume that even though their scriptural knowledge was robust, they had not had opportunity, nor access to, the study helps that we have in the western languages. Even with such helps being available to us, many of our own struggle with understanding the context of the life and times of the kings and prophets. So, that is where we began. Bro. Isaac is an excellent interpreter and is always ready and quick at hand with the interpretation of the message. He sensed my excitement (and at times added his own enthusiasm) with different aspects of the record of God s preparation for the Messiah as recorded by Isaiah. Many of the pastors took notes, and a number later testified that the classes were helpful. It is my prayer that the material presented will help them in further study of the prophets, and improve their understanding of the context of the plan of redemption and God s desire that his people be holy. A chart, outlining the book of Isaiah, was prepared in Telugu (thank you Google interpreter) for distribution to the pastors. On Tuesday morning the Pastors Meeting began with Bro. Snodgrass making a few comments, followed by Bro. Street giving a lesson on Christian living. After lunch we returned to the lessons on Isaiah with an ending that emphasized prophecies pointing to the suffering servant - Christ. The meeting ended with Bro. Snodgrass preaching a message in preparation for partaking in the Holy Sacrament, and we experienced the great privilege of breaking Bread and drinking from the Cup with these precious brethren. According to Bro. Johnpaul and Bro. Isaac, the election of a very pro Hindu president, Pranab Mukherjee, has had a detrimental effect on Christian churches in Andhra Pradesh. Bro. Isaac told me that 3 times he has been visited at night and required to pay money for self-protection. Pressure has been put on local Bro. Snodgrass naming a new baby. Her name is Grace. pastors, and it is anticipated that there will be an increased emphasis on reconversion of Christians who were previously Hindu. However, the churches still broadcast the services to the entire community via loudspeakers. The singing (with drums), begins well before the service begins, serving as a call to worship. On Wednesday, we visited 13 churches northeast of Tenali, near Guntur and Vijayawada. For lunch we ate at the KFC in Guntur. After lunch Bro. Moore responded to a beggar with a high-five - you would have had to have been there! Some of the churches were in farming areas, some are city churches, and some are slum churches - all were very poor congregations. We drove about 200 miles and got back to Tenali very, very late. Virgil Moore, Joshua Pinapati and the doctor with one of the lepers On Thursday morning, we conducted a service, meal, and clinic for about 40 lepers - a very moving experience. A large tent shelter was set up in the courtyard with tarps spread on the ground for the lepers to set on, and the service began. After the service, a medical team, consisting of a doctor and two assistants, changed bandages on the lepers sores. After the clinic we set up tables and chairs and prepared to feed the lepers. This is a very humbling experience. Bro. Johnpaul s family participated in the event, helping to serve food or assist in any way needed. Sis. Sudarani cooked the food and managed the serving details of the event. It was a great honor to assist Aaron Griggs serving the widows the director of the

6 mission and his family as they cared for these, the least of a very poor society. After the lepers, the tables were cleared and reset for feeding the orphans. A similar procedure was used to feed the 39 orphans that call the mission home at this time. That evening we visited 3 churches in an area toward the southeast of Tenali and ended with a visit to a new project interest of Bro. Johnpaul s - another orphanage in Chirala, a town close to the ocean. The interest for this project began when he was helping to provide relief for the victims of the 2005 tsunami. There is a building adjacent to a Baptist church that is sheltering about 33 children. The story is that these children are either orphans or they were abandoned by parents that are fishermen. They were cute kids and seemed to be well cared for. My concern is the lack of a local pastor (the Baptist pastor currently watches over the orphanage, but we did not get to meet him). Also, the town is over an hour away from Tenali. Bro. Johnpaul is very keen on this work, but there is some concern about him over extending himself. For us, the day was a very emotionally draining day - pretty awesome as well in many ways. On Friday Bro. Johnpaul, Bro. Snodgrass, Bro. Moore and I went to Guntur to look at a replacement vehicle for the mission. The current vehicle was a used vehicle when purchased about 10 years ago. The speedometer has been broken so there is no idea of how many kilometers it has been driven. We looked at a new model of the current vehicle, a Mahindra Scorpio. This vehicle has served the mission well with a minimum of problems - which is a miracle considering the roads it must travel. The Scorpio is a very good vehicle for the mission work, solidly built, roomy, and reliable. Now all that is needed is some money. Mark Russell playing the guitar for the orphans Saturday was mostly a day for relaxation and visiting. Joshua Pinapati is interested in learning to play the guitar. They have a pretty good guitar and I was able to show him some beginning chords and get him started. He is a very bright and capable young man, and I believe he has a gift for music. Joshua said he feels called to preach and has an interest in studying for the ministry. It would be a grand thing for us to start a fund drive and savings account to build up resources for his education in America. The future of the work in India most likely will rest on the heart and shoulders of this young man. Sunday morning took us to churches to the east of Tenali. We drove for about 2 hours over some of the roughest, busiest, roads I ve ever experienced. There was much traffic, including 3 wheeled motor rickshaws, motor bikes, scooters, bicycles, farm tractors, trucks, cars and 2-wheeled, ox carts pulled by Brahma oxen. The ride was a terrible experience. The sights we saw were fascinating. We did visit three churches on this trip, and every one of them had very sincere devoted Christians in attendance. Bro. Pinapati s mother is from one of the villages we visited, and his uncle attended one of the services. They all wanted to feed us and were most happy for us to linger. One of the highlights of the day was having Bro. and Sis. Pinapati and their 3 children with us on this trip. Having the church ladies experience and feel the sweet, meek and humble spirit of Sis. Sudarani, as well as observe her plain and modest appearance, is a huge asset to promoting principles of Christian living to the pastors wives. On Monday morning, we packed up and headed for Hyderabad we were heading home! In Hyderabad we checked into the airport hotel and stayed in a couple of the smallest hotel rooms I ve every stayed in, but we were going home! We boarded the plane from Hyderabad to Dubai the next morning, arrived safely in Dubai for a 14 hour layover. We had opportunity to see some of the sights Dubai - most of them defy description. At 2:00am we boarded the plane for the ride home and rode and rode. Out of Dubai, heading north, over Turkey, Germany, part of Russia, Norway, north of Greenland, over the Artic polar ice cap, down over Canada, east Nebraska and on to Texas. Bro. and Sis. Griggs met us at the airport and provided excellent chauffer service for the ride to the parsonage in Sherman - and a happy reunion with loved ones. ~ Mark Russell

7 (perspective...continued from page 2) engulfs each one of His followers. I think this is where you and I miss it because we know the rest of the story. These people knew not the rest of the story. They were living it then and there. Can you not see this with new eyes? See the darkness of all shattered hopes, dreams, and the black sackcloth of despair thrown over their joy, snuffing it out like a candle blown out by the cold wind. The fear of retaliation from the authorities, their huddled sobs and conversations of unbelief in what has taken place, and NOW comes word. The angel said,...why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, (Luke 24:5-8) They came and saw the place where the Lord lay. Suddenly it all began to make sense, the Passover, the Passover lamb, the shedding of blood, the death, the resurrection and a risen Savior. He now appears to them and makes Himself known; no wonder they could never be the same. Is it not the same for us today, when we are lifted from a life of darkness to a life of light, from a life of hopeless despair to a life of joy and peace and a personal experience with a living Savior? If you don t know this to be true for you, stop before our few minutes together are up and pray for God to make Himself known to you through His Son Jesus Christ. If you will, He will. -LWP (Seeing t h e Invisible...continued from page 3) Leaving Egypt, and he had this to say about seeing the invisible, You must fix your eye on the unseen God. You must endure as seeing Him who is invisible. Your minds are entirely occupied with the visible and the concrete; with matters of the shop, the office, or the household; with your stock-in-trade; with buying and selling, lending and borrowing, bargaining and investing; with pounds, shillings, and pence; with bonds, and shares, and debentures; with pound weights and pint measures; with webs of cloth, and reams of paper, and bags of rice, and boxes of tea, and casks of sugar, and wagons of coal; with accounts and invoices; from day to day, from week to week, looking only to what is seen and temporal, devoting the powers of an immortal soul to the interests of a dying world, with the almost certainty of continuing so to do till fever or paralysis throw you on your back, and you wake up, too late, to discover that your soul has never pierced through the veil of flesh, and gazed on Him who is invisible! You will never endure with a life like that! Can thine heart endure, saith the Lord, or can thine hands be strong, in the day that I shall deal with thee? Thank God, some of you have had your eyes opened to a new world altogether. Even the simplest mind is raised and expanded, by converse with eternity, and fellowship with God. But your contemplation of the invisible must not be a mere abstract dreamy devotion, a waiting afar off on Heaven s eternal glorious King. There must be a personal surrender of yourselves to God, founded upon a living and intelligent faith. A man whose business affairs are all in a muddle will never be a successful man; and it is just as true, that if the interests of your soul are all in a muddle, there is little hope of your wearing the eternal crown. Oh, clear up the whole matter now; come and get salvation on God s terms. Turn your back on Egypt and your face toward Canaan; and keep your eye fixed on Him who is invisible. So shall you endure to the end, and, enduring to the end, shall be saved. In 1922, Helen Lemmel wrote these lyrics: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. So today, I have a renewed commitment to follow the lowly Nazarene. I count it an honor and a blessing to suffer with the people of God, knowing that it is just for a season. May we all esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of this world because we have a full appreciation for the dividends that are ours if we remain faithful to Him -SRS Thank You! Dear Bro. Snodgrass and the Pilgrim Nazarene General Board, It was such a blessing to spend time with you all at the Preachers Meeting in Muncie, Indiana. The fellowship was so enjoyable. I felt refreshed from our time together. Thank you for the meals, hospitality and very generous offering. We look forward to seeing you all again soon. Blessings on you, Bro. Bob and Sis. Karen Blankenship

8 GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT STEPHEN R. SNODGRASS State Hwy 56 East Sherman, TX (765) GENERAL SECRETARY DAVID E. TAYLOR 570 Roy Ayres Road Bells, TX (903) GENERAL TREASURER MICHEAL COVINGTON 655 W. Cherokee Rd. Duncan, OK (580) GENERAL FOREIGN MISSIONS SECRETARY STEPHEN R. SNODGRASS State Hwy 56 East Sherman, TX (765) MISSIONS HELPING HANDS JUDITH JOLLY 330 Sycamore St. Carlisle, KY (859) Pilgrim Nazarene Church Dear Friends of the Pilgrim Nazarene Herald, During the 2012 General Conference, the Publication committee recommended that we suspend the printing of the Herald. There were a number of reasons, not the least of which was the rising cost of production and postage. Additionally, it seemed that transitioning to an electronic communication format would be a viable option. The Conference delegation adopted this recommendation and the publication of the Herald was suspended. Unfortunately, we did not fully appreciate how much our people and friends enjoy the friendliness of a hard copy publication, and cherish the joy of sitting down with a good holiness paper, or reading news from other churches. Last year, the 2014 General Conference voted to reinstate publication of the PNC Herald under direction of the General Board, Publications and Media committee. The first priority of the committee was to design a long-range business plan, including job descriptions, annual budget, and procedures for the basic organization of the publication staff. Job descriptions for the editor, business manager and the layout editor, were drafted and approved by the General Board. The 2012 General Conference had elected the Editor, Rev. Larry Pettit. The General Board elected Mr. Myron Brown as the business manager, and the committee elected Mrs. Connie Snodgrass as layout editor. Already work has begun, demonstrating that together they are working hard to deliver a quality publication that is a compliment to the Pilgrim Nazarene Church and will do so within the General Board s approved budget. Following are a few things you will need to know: Mailing list if you received the last Herald published, you will be on the new mailing list. If you desire that your name be removed from the mailing list, send an to the business manager, Myron Brown (businessmanager@pilgrimnazarene.org). The Herald will be published four (4) times per year. There will not be a subscription fee cost will be underwritten by subscriber s charitable donations, and special offerings received from our local churches and general church events. The annual budget for the Herald is set at approximately $4,500, which consists mainly of printing and mailing cost. All staff members (Editor, Business Manager, and Layout Editor) are on a volunteer basis and receive no compensation for their work. The decision to offer the Herald without a subscription fee was carefully analyzed. We concluded that God would move on the hearts of those with an interest in this ministry and have a burden for the mission of the paper spreading the holiness message. A section of each issue will be devoted to special contributors who want to honor the memory of a loved one or special friend. For example: In Honor and Memory of: Rev. and Mrs. Wilbur Brown by son a daughter-in-law, Mr. & Mrs. Myron Brown Rev. John Tiethoff by Rev. & Mrs. Stephen Snodgrass Please mail contributions and subscription requests to: Rev. Mike Covington, 655 West Cherokee Road, Duncan, OK Please mail announcements (marriage, birth, and tribute) to Larry Pettit (editor@ pilgrimnazarene.org), and copy to Connie Snodgrass (layout@pilgrimnazarene.org). Thank you for your interest in and support of our church publication the Pilgrim Nazarene Herald. We are Armenian in Theology, Wesleyan in Doctrine, Holiness in Experience, and Scriptural in Standards.

9 Church News We wish to offer our congratulations to Rev. & Mrs. Dennis Cable, pastors of our Pilgrim Nazarene Church in Whitehouse, Texas. For the last 20 years, they have labored and loved the congregation of Bible Wesleyan Church faithfully. Under Bro. Cable s leadership, this church has grown from worshiping in a funeral home chapel to a beautiful church building that is debt-free. They have plans for expansion, and they are very active in the community. To God be the glory, great things He has done! The people of Bible Wesleyan Church have made it known that they are looking forward to the next 20 years with their pastor. On February 4th, pastors from many states, slipped and slid into the parking lot of Muncie, Indiana, Pilgrim Nazarene Church. It was very cold outside, but as we started the song service on the first night of the annual Bro. & Sis. Snodgrass, Bro. & Sis. Blankenship, Bro. & Sis. Turner Bro. Jackie Carpenter presenting a plaque to Bro. & Sis. Cable PNC Preacher s Meeting, we could feel the presence of God among us. We knew that this was going to be a good time together. The Lord anointed Bro. Bob Blankenship as he challenged us on the theme, Renewing our heart Refreshing our spirit. Once again we enjoyed the fellowship of the brethren and drew strength from the good reports of what God is doing in the different churches. We left encouraged and refreshed. I love Preacher s Meeting! Next year s Preacher s Meeting is to be in Whitehouse, Texas, with special speaker, Rowen Fay. We hope to have 100% of our pastors and elders in attendance! There has been much progress on the new church building in Duncan, Oklahoma. Pastor Bill Carpenter, and his helpers, Mike Covington and Jimmy Roundtree have put in many hours to bring it to where it is today. Jack Howard and his crew recently put the roof on and now they are beginning to work on the inside. At the time of this writing, Myron Brown from Westlake PNC has been working on the electrical. To God be the glory, great things He is DOING!!

10 From my journal... It has been awhile since our last submission of My Journal, so I will try to not bore you with all of the details. I will give you a snapshot of June through December, and then get a little more detailed with January to present. In June, we visited our churches in DeRidder and Westlake, Louisiana, and Leakesville, Mississippi. As many of you know, the church in Pleasant Grove, Alabama, has been closed, and I spent 10 days working, with help from others, on the basement that had suffered from water damage over the years. We left on the 14th and arrived back home in Sherman, Texas, on the 26th. On the 28th, we visited our church in Durant, Oklahoma. In July, we visited our churches in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and Denver, Colorado. On the 30th of the month, I was in Houston, Texas, organizing the Houston PNC! It was in the month of July that we said a sad farewell to a great saint and old friend, Sis. Elizabeth Pettit. She had supported her husband s ministry and cared for her family with grace. We miss her and look for the day of no more sorrows. Even as I m writing this, I ask that you stop and pray for Bro. Pettit and Melissa. Their grief is sometimes overwhelming, but we serve the God of all comfort! August was a very busy month. We met once again in Dickson, Tennessee for our Camp and Conference. It was a time of refreshing and refueling. We love being with our church family and friends. God came and helped in a wonderful way in the Camp. Following the Camp, my family and I traveled to Idaho where we would attend the Holiness Heritage Family Camp, hosted by Pastor Rick Bork in Cascade, Idaho. We had a delightful time while there and enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones. On the Sunday evening following the camp, we were privileged to organize a new Pilgrim Nazarene Church in Nampa, Idaho. We welcome the Borks and their congregation into the PNC family! After arriving home we said goodbye to Katelyn, our eldest daughter as she made her way back to Hobe Sound Bible College. In September, we were able to take a little break from the road and spend it at home in Sherman. On Thursday, the 25th, I traveled to Alabama to be a part of the Intercollegiate Ministerial Fellowship (IMF). This organization is made up of young people from the Bible colleges who feel the call of God upon their life for ministry. You could call it a preachers meeting for ministerial students. Each speaker did an excellent job, and there was a fine group of young preachers present again this year. While in Alabama, I was privileged to preach in our Pell City church, where the Clindel Harbisons have been faithful pastors these many years. I traveled home on the 30th. In the month of October, I visited our churches in Muncie and Winchester, Indiana. On the 11th, I met Connie at the Baltimore, MD, airport and we made our way to Gratz, Pennsylvania, where the Dan Durkees pastor. It was a blessing Ju n e, Ap r i l, 2015 to be with the congregation at Emmanual Wesleyan Church for Rally Day. We spoke in the morning worship service and enjoyed the ministry of Lucas Shrout in the afternoon service. Tuesday, the 14th, we attended chapel at Penn View Bible Institute with a great group of students. Following the chapel service, we made our way back to Indianapolis to turn in our rental car and catch an early morning flight back home. Our church in Durant started revival with Bro. Daniel Kaufmann on the 28th, and closed out on the 2nd of November. God helped Bro. Kaufmann preach, and there were wonderful victories in the meeting. On November 15th, we traveled to Duncan, Oklahoma, and had supper with the Robert Durr family. It was good to see them again. Sunday morning, we worshiped at our Duncan PNC where Bro. Bill Carpenter is the pastor. God is helping them, and they had just poured the foundation for their new church. At the time of this writing, they have the roof on and are now working on the interior. To God be the glory! On November 18th, we started revival here in Sherman with Bro. Harrold Taylor as our evangelist. God helped Bro. Taylor to preach and blessed the revival efforts. We closed the meeting on the 23rd and traveled on the 25th to Ohio to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with our family, arriving back home on the 28th. December is usually a time spent at home because of the holiday season and traveling can be quite dangerous, but on the 4th, I traveled down to DeRidder, (roads were good!!) and met with the congregation to look at a church building that was available in the area. It was a little out of their budget, but since then, the owner has come down in price. Please pray for this matter. Following the meeting I drove down to Westlake where the Adamsons so graciously took me in for the night. I was privileged to attend the Friday morning men s prayer meeting in Westlake and later fellowship over breakfast with the brethren. I then drove to Houston where I met with Bro. Pettit and Melissa, and after a delightful lunch, we went and toured the building that they had just purchased as a church. There is a lot of work to be done, but the vision is great! After leaving the Pettits, I drove home, arriving safely after midnight. The rest of the month was spent attending Christmas programs, dinners and time with family and friends. This portion of my journal report contains, 13,152 miles traveled by vehicle and 5,380 miles traveled by air. Two new Pilgrim Nazarene Churches organized and many blessed memories that we will hold and cherish was a good year for the Pilgrim Nazarene Church. We remain committed to Him who is in control! January April 2015 After much prayer and planning, on January the 8th,

11 Virgil Moore, Mark Russell, Aaron Griggs and I made our way to the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport and began our journey to Tenali, India. (I have included a report from Bro. Russell in the missions section of this issue of the Herald, so I will only give brief details.) After an uneventful 15 hour flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, we changed planes and took the final flight to Hyderabad, India. We were met at the airport by Bro. Johnpaul Pinapati and his nephew, Joseph. We arrived in Tenali about 5 hours later and were grateful for traveling mercies. Over the course of the next few days we held the Pastors Conference with about 45 pastors in attendance, preached in many churches and spent time at the orphanage. God is helping and blessing the work in Tenali under the direction of Bro. Johnpaul and Bro. Isaac Pinapati. The work among the widows and the lepers is also thriving, and many lives are being touched. On January 19th, we began our journey home and arrived in Sherman on the 21st at 11:00am. Together we stood and thanked the Lord for traveling mercies and a prosperous trip to India. I preached in my home pulpit that Wednesday evening, and then Thursday came and with it jetlag! It hit me with a vengeance and it took me several days to recover. On Monday, the 26th, my family and I took our annual vacation to the Alabama hunting lease, and after a relaxing few days, we made it back home on Saturday the 31st. While in Alabama, we received word that the long legal ordeal that the Winchester, PNC congregation has endured for the past four years was dropped and over! Thank the Lord for answered prayer! On February the 3rd, we began our trip to Muncie, Indiana, where the 2015 Annual Preacher s Meeting was to be held. Host pastor, Scott and Carmelita Turner did a fine job, and their congregation received us warmly. Bro. Bob Blankenship presented truth and encouragement to our pastors, elders and their families. Even in a very cold and frozen climate, we experienced very warm and tender fellowship with the brethren. On February 7th, my family and I traveled to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, arriving at the Truitts home in the afternoon. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with the Troy Truitts and their congregation on Sunday and a delicious meal in the home of Dr. Dave and Heidi Boardman. After a delightful weekend in Cape, we traveled home on Monday, the 9th. There was much to do when I arrived home, and we met with several different committees via conference calls, working on the business of the general church. On March 3rd, I flew to Indianapolis to attend the Bus and Outreach Convention which was held at Union Bible College. It is always good to go hear how God is working around the country and to learn from those who are in the trenches. While in the Indianapolis area, Bro. Russell and I stopped by and visited with Chuck and Arlene Boardman. Sis. Boardman is very ill, and the doctors do not give her much more time. Please join with me in praying for this dear saint who has faithfully served God and labored in the Kingdom work. Also, pray for Bro. Boardman and the family. I arrived home on the 6th. On the 10th, we started revival with Bro. Marc Sankey at Sherman PNC. We were glad that Bro. Sankey could bring his family with him, and we appreciated his anointed preaching and their ministry in music. The Sherman revival closed on the 15th, and on the 17th, we started revival in our Durant PNC with Bro. Jay Smalley. God came in a wonderful way and there were seekers in the altar each night of the revival except for one night. God gave many victories and He is still moving on hearts in Durant. On the 21st, I flew to Hobe Sound Bible College to present the Pilgrim Nazarene Church to the ministerial department. As I presented the current needs of the church to the young men, I realized once again the goodness of God on our church. It is His church, and I m glad to be a small part of it. I flew home on the 24th, arriving home very late. On the 27th, Connie and I traveled up to Tulsa to attend the revival service at Wesleyan Bible Church, where Bro. Mike Yancey is the pastor, and Bro. Larry Pettit was the evangelist. There was a sweet spirit in the service, and we enjoyed the fellowship afterwards. On April the 3rd, we attended the first revival service in our DeRidder PNC where these folks have been maintaining without a pastor. They have been faithful to serve God and reach out to the community. The Lord helped Bro. Tim Stewart as he preached, and there was a great spirit of worship and unity in the service that night. We spent Easter Sunday, in Sherman, with an early Sunrise Service, breakfast at the parsonage and a morning worship service filled with God s presence! On the 18th of April, we traveled to Indianapolis to be in the Sunday morning service with the faithful pastors David and Tori Seeley and their two precious daughters. Bro. Seeley received a unanimous call to pastor Indy PNC for another year. We were in Muncie for the Sunday evening service, and it was good to be with Scott Turners and their great and growing congregation. On Monday, the 20th, we made our way to Dayton, Ohio for the annual Inter-Church Holiness Convention. It was good to fellowship with so many friends and family and hear good preaching and singing. God blessed the convention and used it to challenge my heart. My family and I made it safely home after driving through the night Friday and pulled into the driveway at 7am Saturday, the 25th. This portion ( January April) of my journal, represents 6,239 miles traveled by vehicle and 23,732 miles traveled by air. I want to thank the Lord for His protection over every mile, and the strength that He gives while working for Him. I also wish to thank my church family in Sherman for their support for the general church and my pulpit fill-ins, Bro. David Taylor and Bro. Chuck Dodd for helping carry the load while I m away. God has been so good, and I m more confident than ever before that He is calling on the Pilgrim Nazarene Church for such a time as this! Let us remain faithful to fulfill the Great Commission with great compassion! -SRS

12 The Pilgrim Nazarene State Hwy 56 E Sherman, TX Pilgrim Nazarene Conference & Camp Meeting Tuesday, August 4 Sunday, August 9, 2015 The Durkee Family Song Evangelists Rev. Dan Durkee Evangelist Rev. Chris Cravens Evangelist DIRECTIONS: 45 minutes west of Nashville Exit Route 48 (exit 163) Right on Route miles Left on Sam Hollow Road 2 miles For reservations, contact: Mrs. Carmelita Turner (765) Garner Creek Retreat Center 700 Sam Hollow Road Dickson, TN Located on 135 beautiful acres in rural Dickson County on idyllic Garner Creek Over 300 dorm beds 80 private rooms with full linen service Indoor chapel seating for 300 Large full service dining room serving buffet style RV area with hook-ups and bath house Rev. Stephen Snodgrass General Superintendent Rev. Harrold Taylor Children s Evangelist