A Family Week Festival Camp Meeting Conventions & District Assembly July 8-12, 2012 Sponsored by the Illinois District Church of the Nazarene

Transcription

1 James Spruce District Superintendent VOL 65 NUMBER 8 P.O.BOX GILBERT LN., ALTON, IL Web Site: MAY 2012 A Family Week Festival Camp Meeting Conventions & District Assembly July 8-12, 2012 Sponsored by the Illinois District Church of the Nazarene Dr. J.K. Warrick General Superintendent Dr. Jim Spruce District Superintendent Rev. Jeremiah Bolich Evangelist Rev. Chuck Sunberg Convention Speaker Dr. John Bowling President, ONU CAMP MEETING CONVENTIONS DISTRICT ASSEMBLY Sunday, July 8 CAMP MEETING - 4:30 PM Rev. Jeremiah Bolich Evangelist Monday, July 9 CAMP MEETING - 10:30 AM CAMP MEETING - 7:00 PM Rev. Jeremiah Bolich Evangelist Tuesday, July 10 CAMP MEETING - 10:30 AM CAMP MEETING - 7:00 PM Rev. Jeremiah Bolich Evangelist Wednesday, July 11 Combined Convention Day - 8:30 AM SDMI -- NMI -- NYI Rev. Chuck Sunberg Convention Speaker (Registration for delegates begins at 7:45 AM) DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT REPORT - 7 PM Dr. Jim Spruce (Registration for District Assembly delegates Following service) CHILDREN'S SERVICES Sunday, July 8 4:30 PM Monday Thursday 10:30 AM & 7:00 PM Terry Hedges, Children's Evangelist Mrs. Debbie Brewer, Children s Director Thursday, July 12 DISTRICT ASSEMBLY - 8:30 AM Dr. J. K. Warrick General Superintendent (Registration for delegates begins at 7:45 AM) O.N.U. REPORT 1:30 PM Dr. John Bowling, President & the Olivetians ORDINATION SERVICE 7:00 PM Dr. J. K. Warrick General Superintendent NURSERY CARE PROVIDED FOR ALL SERVICES LOCATION -- DECATUR FIRST CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE 1177 W. Hickory Point Rd., Decatur, IL For further information contact: Rev. Jim Frye, Family Week Coordinator 32 Candy Lane, Murphysboro, IL (618) Rev. Doug Haynes, Administrative Associate 2916 Gilbert Ln., Alton, IL (618)

2 NAZARENE MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL Bill Brandon, District President 18 Sandstone Ct., Troy, IL That the world may know Spring Deputation Tour David and Marquita Mosher are global missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene serving in Zambia, Africa since Previous to this assignment they served in Sao Tome and Principe. Their assignment in Zambia includes assisting in pastoral leadership training on two districts. David serves as field treasurer and Marquita assists in training children s ministry leaders. The Moshers began their missionary service in the Kingdom of Swaziland in They spent 10 years working at Siteki Nazarene High School. They also assisted at the Nazarene Bible College and were involved in outstation church work on the weekends. In 1994, the Moshers were assigned to the northern provinces of Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado in Mozambique. Their ministry involved training lay leaders as well as directing church planting and training of church leaders. The main work there was among the Macua tribe, which was the largest unreached people group in Africa at that time. The Moshers served in Mozambique until assigned to Sao Tome and Principe in David received a B.S. from Southern Nazarene University, in Bethany, Oklahoma. He received an M.A. in missiology from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Marquita received a B.A. in religion from Southern Nazarene University. David and Marquita were both ordained in Maputo, Mozambique, in The Moshers have two adult children, LeCrecia and David C. Spring Deputation Schedule May 8 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 May 14 Olivet Zone - Georgetown Springfield Zone - Auburn Mattoon Zone - Arcola First open Champaign Zone - Urbana Lighthouse AM Shelbyville Faith Promise PM Decatur Zone - Shelbyville Illinois River Zone (Subject to change) May 15 Mississippi Valley & Metro East Zones - Roxana May 16 Mt Vernon Zone - Centralia May 17 Olney Zone - Mount Erie May 18 open May 19 open May 20 AM Belleville Emmanuel PM Murphysboro Zone Moments with OUR Missionaries: As you know, I recently returned from a trip to Sri Lanka and India. While in India, I encountered several people that when they found out I was from the Illinois District they inquired about the Jakobitz's. They are from our District and served many years as Missionaries in India. I was asked by several to give greetings to them from their Church family in India. May 19th is Arlen Jakobitz's birthday and it is an honor to give birthday greetings to such a faithful servant of our Lord. Arlen, you certainly made a difference! Thank you for your faithful service. May is Missionary Health Care Month What is Missionary Health Care, and why should I give to it? Missionary Health Care (MHC) is an opportunity to help with the health care costs of Nazarene missionaries. MHC allows missionaries to focus on their work without raising funds to pay for medical care. The money comes from Distinguished Service Awards (DSAs), Memorial Rolls (MRs), Gifts from the Heart, or plate offerings. What are the Distinguished Service Award and the Memorial Roll? The Distinguished Service Award recognizes someone (living) who has served or is serving the church. It may be presented by the church or a group within the church (not individuals). The Memorial Roll is a record of people who have been memorialized by gifts to the Medical Plan. It is kept in the General NMI Office and is a significant way to honor the deceased (members of the local church or not) and may be presented by groups or individuals. Both of these honors are accompanied by attractive certificates stating the recipient and in the case of a DSA the reason for presentation. Where can I access a history of individuals on the Memorial Roll or individuals who received DSAs? The Memorial Roll/DSA history is available online. This allows you to: Search for (and/or print) a list of individuals from your church/district who received a DSA. Search for (and/or print) a list of individuals who were placed on the Memorial Roll. Where can I get order forms for Distinguished Service Awards and Memorial Rolls? DSA and MR order forms are included in the annual District NMI Convention packets or may be ordered free of charge from Nazarene Publishing House ( ). They are also available on the Missionary Health Care Promotional Ideas page. The order form says to mail a check and a remittance form with my order. What is a remittance form? The remittance form is an accounting form, specific to each church, generated by Global Treasury Services. Your church treasurer should have one, and photocopies of the form are acceptable. If your church treasurer does not have a remittance form, Global Treasury Services (Phone: ) can mail or fax one to you. The remittance form can also be found on the Global Treasury Services Web site. - Continued on Page 7-

3 DISTRICT SUNDAY SCHOOL & DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL JIM GERMAN, District Chairman 4672 White Oak Lane, Decatur, IL Greetings, to the great Illinois District Church of the Nazarene. I trust everyone took advantage of the prayer conference that was held on our district in the month of April. I attended the one in Decatur, it was great. As anyone who attended knows, Pastor Cory told the story of his church in Texas and how it turned around only after they sought the Shekinah glory of God, something many of us have not heard talked about in a long time. We ended the evening with a great time of corporate prayer and seeking God s presence. I believe if we, as individuals and churches, will take this seriously and persevere we will see great things happen in our lives and churches. This month I would like to introduce Jerome Williams, our director of Adult ministries. As he puts it, he is more of a facilitator, keeping in touch with the various directors, assisting with the budgeting, being a resource and sounding board. Those ministries and the directors are: Lay Retreat: Dave and Jodie Askins Women s Ministries Phyllis German Prime Time Ministries Doug Krassow Singles Ministries Cheryl Olmstead When I spoke with Jerome he shared with me that he would like to get men s ministry started as well as having a marriage retreat/seminar scheduled on the district. Please be sure to keep all of your district leaders in prayer asking for direction in the upcoming district meetings and the coming church year. In Christ, Jim German Hello, everyone. It is my privilege to serve the Lord and His Church as the Illinois District CLT Director. As we seek to make Christ-like disciples in the nations, one of the best ways to do this is to engage all believers in Jesus Christ in developing spiritual disciplines that will make the person of God fully equipped unto all good works. This is the goal of your district CLT Director and the team of fine men and women who make up the leadership of our district s SDMI Council. It is with great anticipation that we believe that the greatest days for the Church is still ahead of us. I hope and pray that you will take time each month to review the emphasis and the materials presented for the CLT ministry to thrive in you and in the church where you ve been planted. Once again thank you for the opportunity to serve. Here is the monthly CLT emphasis that will be explored during the course of the year. January The Youth Worker s Certificate February The Marriage Enrichment Ministries Certificate March The Adult Worker s Certificate April The Membership Module May The Global Missions Certificate June The Lay Ministry Certificate July The Men and Women s Ministry Certificate August The Ministering to People At Risk Certificate September The Sunday School Superintendent Certificate October The Faith-Sharing Strategies Certificate November The Children s Worker s Certificate December The Compassionate Ministries Certificate Well, let s take a look at the emphasis for the upcoming month, May, the Global Missions Certificate. We all know that when God through Christ saved us from our sins, God then placed upon the heart and life of every believer the need to keep telling others about this wonderful salvation and the gift of eternal life. It is with this thought in mind that we want to recommend this area of study for your benefit in the area of being a globally minded Christian. The global mission certificate is earned by completing the required studies of 5 of these 8 texts: A. The Bible Speaks to me about my service and mission by Phyllis Perkins (NPH - $11.99+s/h) B. Compassionate Ministry: Theological Foundations by Bryan P. Stone (Amazon from $3.85 to $ s/h) C. The Changing Face of the Church by Dr. Tom Nees (NPH - $ s/h) D. Call Waiting by Doug Samples (Amazon from $.03 to $ s/h) E. The Greening: The Story of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries by R. Franklin Cook & Steve Weber (NPH - $9.99 +s/h) F. Compassion Evangelism Dr. Tom Nees (NPH - $ s/h) G. The Crisis: How the Hunger and Disaster Fund is Helping by R. Franklin Cook & Steve Weber (Amazon only 6 in stock from $3.97 to $12.00) H. Evangelism & Social Redemption: Addresses from a conference on Compassionate Ministries, November 1985, Edited by Albert Truesdale, Jr. & Steve Weber (NPH - $ s/h) Every believer is encouraged to use these materials to give them an overview of being globally minded or if you prefer a believer that believes that the world is our parish John Wesley. As you study these books and take the required exams, please know that these books are intended to make wise the simple. Well, I must close for this time, but hope that you will make yourself available to studying these books with a certainty that Jesus calls all to come and follow Him and to bring the Gospel to every person. Respectfully, Rev. John T. Barker Illinois District CLT Director P.S. Please feel free to contact me at or BarkerJohn2003@Yahoo.com

4 Church Sunday Morning Anna First Arcola First Arcola Spanish Auburn Barry 10 8 Beardstown Beardstown Liberty Hispanic Belleville Emmanuel Belleville First Belleville Korean Benton First Bethel Community Carbondale New Beginnings Community Carlinville First Carmi Casey Centralia Champaign First Champaign New Day Community Sunday School Report March 2012 Sunday Church School Chrisman Clinton First Collinsville Good Samaritan Decatur First Decatur Oak Grove Decatur Parkway Decatur Trinity Decatur West Side Du Quoin Dupo Bluffview Christian Center East St. Louis Rush Memorial 4 4 Edgemont Grace Fairfield Fountain of Life Fairview Heights Parkview Flora Georgetown Glenview Godfrey Granite City CTM Griggsville Harrisburg Oasis Sunday Morning Sunday School Highland Community Jerseyville Laclede Lincoln First Mahomet Mansfield Community Marion First Mattoon East Side Mattoon Real Life Community Monticello Mount Carmel Mount Erie Mount Sterling Mount Vernon Faith Murphysboro Nebo Oakwood 7 Ogden Olivet Olney Pana First Paris First Pittsfield Quincy Emmanuel Rantoul Roxana Royalton First Salem Grace Shelbyville Sherman Sparta Springfield First Springfield Trinity Taylorville First Tuscola Urbana Lighthouse Vandalia Virden West Union Total

5 NAZARENE YOUTH INTERNATIONAL Jay Bush, District President 53 Partridge, Chatham, IL Phone: Church: ; Home: Everything you need to know about camp: UPCOMING DATES: CAMP TABLE ROCK: JUNE (See link above) COMBINED CONVENTION DAY: JULY 11 (Decatur 1 st ) All Adult Youth Sponsors will now be required to complete a background check in order to participate in any district-wide activity. Thank you!!

6 BUDGET REPORT MARCH 31, 2012 Church Name District Olivet NMI SDMI NYI WEF P & B Anna First $8, $4, $ $ $ $8, $3, Arcola First $2, $1, $ $92.99 $ $2, $ Arcola Spanish $1, $ $89.87 $45.59 $58.70 $1, $ Auburn $2, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Barry $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Beardstown $6, $3, $ $ $ $8, $2, Beardstown Liberty Hispanic $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Belleville Emmanuel $ $ $79.20 $40.19 $51.74 $1, $ Belleville First $11, $5, $1, $ $ $12, $5, Belleville Korean $2, $ $ $ $ $ $ Benton $ $ $51.71 $26.24 $33.78 $2, $1, Bethel $4, $2, $ $ $ $6, $1, Bluff View Christian Center $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Carbondale New Beginnings $ $0.00 $83.77 $42.50 $54.72 $1, $ Carlinville First $1, $ $ $84.78 $ $1, $ Carmi $1, $ $ $65.98 $84.96 $1, $ Casey $11, $6, $1, $ $ $16, $4, Centralia $3, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Champaign First $6, $3, $ $ $ $7, $2, Champaign New Day $92.23 $77.00 $8.22 $4.18 $5.37 $0.00 $0.00 Chrisman $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Clinton First $6, $3, $ $ $ $7, $2, Collinsville Good Samaritan $6, $1, $ $ $ $8, $3, Decatur First $29, $16, $2, $1, $1, $36, $12, Decatur Oak Grove $1, $ $ $79.10 $ $2, $ Decatur Parkway $7, $3, $ $ $ $9, $3, Decatur Trinity $2, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Decatur West Side $5, $3, $ $ $ $7, $2, Du Quoin $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $ $0.00 East St. Louis Rush Mem. $ $ $33.19 $16.84 $21.67 $ $ Edgemont Grace $1, $0.00 $ $51.40 $66.19 $1, $ Fairfield Fountain of Life $ $0.00 $29.88 $15.16 $19.52 $1, $ Fairview Heights Parkview $2, $ $ $ $ $3, $1, Flora $6, $3, $ $ $ $11, $2, Georgetown $6, $3, $ $ $ $7, $2, Glenview $5, $2, $ $ $ $8, $2, Godfrey $1, $ $97.40 $49.42 $63.62 $1, $1, Granite City CTM $45.46 $25.00 $4.05 $2.05 $2.64 $52.14 $20.00 Griggsville $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $ $0.00 Harrisburg Oasis Community $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Highland $ $0.00 $26.58 $13.50 $17.36 $0.00 $0.00 Jerseyville $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $ $0.00 Laclede $ $ $58.70 $29.79 $38.35 $ $ Lincoln $2, $1, $ $ $ $2, $1, Mahomet $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Mansfield Community $2, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Marion First $ $ $45.28 $22.98 $29.57 $1, $ Marshall $1, $0.00 $89.14 $45.23 $58.23 $0.00 $0.00 Mattoon East Side $5, $2, $ $ $ $7, $2, Mattoon Real Life Community $3, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Monticello $2, $1, $ $ $ $3, $ Mount Carmel $1, $0.00 $ $72.78 $93.70 $ $ Mount Erie $1, $ $ $80.04 $ $1, $ Mount Sterling $ $0.00 $32.83 $16.66 $21.45 $0.00 $0.00 Mount Vernon $ $50.00 $58.19 $29.52 $38.01 $1, $ Murphysboro $4, $0.00 $ $ $ $3, $1, Nebo $2, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Oakwood $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $10.00 $0.00 Ogden $4, $2, $ $ $ $5, $2, Olivet $3, $1, $ $ $ $2, $1, Olney $3, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Pana First $1, $1, $ $53.32 $68.65 $2, $ Paris First $2, $1, $ $ $ $4, $1, Pittsfield $13, $6, $1, $ $ $15, $5, Quincy Emmanuel $3, $1, $ $ $ $5, $1, Rantoul $ $ $68.98 $35.00 $45.06 $2, $1, Roxana $15, $7, $1, $ $ $17, $6, Royalton First $3, $1, $ $ $ $3, $1, Salem Grace $23, $12, $2, $1, $1, $27, $10, Shelbyville $12, $5, $1, $ $ $13, $4, Sherman $5, $2, $ $ $ $6, $2, Sparta $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Springfield First $8, $0.00 $ $ $ $16, $7, Springfield Trinity $2, $1, $ $91.22 $ $3, $1, Taylorville First $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Tuscola $2, $1, $ $94.83 $ $3, $1, Urbana Lighthouse $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $ $98.64 Vandalia $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Virden $ $44.43 $31.20 $15.83 $20.38 $ $44.43 West Union $1, $0.00 $ $63.26 $81.44 $0.00 $ $287, $136, $25, $12, $16, $357, $131,784.96

7 Dear Illinois District NMI Council, Olivet The Olivet church board has voted to give Pastor Jim Blue a $20 per week raise. This will be reviewed again in six months. District Team, I want to thank you so very much for the beautiful "Peace Lilly" that was sent to our family upon my father's passing! It is wonderful and my mother is truly enjoying it in her home! Thanks to all of you for your cards, thoughts, love and prayers! My father was a great man of God and he will be missed by many! In Gratitude, Tim & Cindy Crump Thank you for the half scholarship to Nazarene Youth Camp you provided to my grandson, Kevin Eadie last summer. Kevin was so happy when his name was chosen at a Zone Rally. His church, Arcola Spanish paid the other half of his registration. What a wonderful opportunity Camp Table Rock was for him! He came home so enthused and excited! He made many new friends and I'm sure God used that time to speak to Kevin. Church camp was definitely on his list of things to do again next summer. Kevin was just ready to start Junior High when he went to camp, so he was one of the youngest of the group of campers. And yes, he did jump off the cliff! He said he waited until the last day and the last possible time before he found the courage to jump, but he did it and I'm so glad he did! Kevin passed away on October 17, 2011 after his first basketball practice of the season at age 13. He died from a rare heart condition of which we were all unaware. We have no doubt that Kevin is with God now. We believe that God used so many events to prepare Kevin for what was to come and Camp Table Rock was one. Thank you! Patty Eadie (Continued from page two.) Why does it take so long for my church to receive the certificates once they are ordered? Order on line with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. (Please allow 3-11 business days for delivery.) You may still order MR/DSAs by mail. However, If your church chooses to order MR/DSAs by mail, you should expect 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. Why? When churches mail orders for DSAs or MRs, the money for each of these orders must be processed first by Global Treasury Services, then by the General NMI Office. Each necessary step takes time, and the General NMI Office processes hundreds of orders each week. For this reason, churches should expect 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. Please plan ahead. Order your MR/DSAs early to receive them on time for your presentation. To expedite the process when ordering by mail: Include the completed remittance form with your order form and check. For DSAs, keep the reason for presentation clear and within the space requirements on the order form. Verify all information on the order form, especially the spelling of the recipient's name. Order early. How do I order a Children's Memorial Roll? Order online: The process for ordering a Children's MR is identical to ordering a regular MR when ordering online. See instructions above. Order by mail: The process for ordering a Children's MR by mail is simliar to ordering a regular MR, except you must indicate somewhere on the order form that you want a Children's MR. See instructions above. What is Gifts From the Heart? Gifts From the Heart is a facet of Medical Plan that allows individuals to give to Missionary Health Care. People may be honored or memorialized with an attractive card noting the monetary gift to Missionary Health CAre (the donor chooses the amount). Through plate offerings or Faith Promise giving, the whole church helps provide for the medical needs of Nazarene missionaries. Every church is encouraged to support NMI Missionary Health Care annually. Offerings for Missionary Health Care should be appropriately marked and mailed to Global Treasury Services (formerly the General Treasurer). All money given for the NMI Missionary Health Care is used directly for the missionaries' health care and qualifies as Ten Percent Giving credit. Make checks payable to: General Treasurer Mail to: Global Treasury Services, Church of the Nazarene, PO Box , Kansas City, MO

8 Missional Strategy MARK COPLEY, Mission Strategy Director P.O. Box 373, Casey, IL Office: ; Cell: Bringing in the Sheets One of the mysteries of the Book of Acts is the apostle s obstinacy towards the Gentile mission. Jesus words were clear, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Yet, even after Pentecost, it was persecution, not missional obedience that finally forced the Church of Jerusalem outside their hometown to share the good news in other places. Even then, the apostles stayed in Jerusalem (see Acts 8:2). Consider Peter, who in chapter 10 has to be shown a vision (three times) to get him past his prejudices to bring the good news to a Caesarean Gentile s household. This wasn t just Peter s mealtime imagination, but a vision sent from heaven to inspire him to obedience to remove the obstacles that kept him from crossing Cornelius threshold. Here s what he saw and heard. About noon, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (Acts 10:9-16) The picture of a sheet let down from heaven full of unclean animals has little effect on us, but for Peter, it must have seemed a nightmare, or daymare, to be precise. Even more challenging were the words spoken by the heavenly voice, Get up, Peter. Kill and eat. (Now, at this point, it should be said that not only was Peter offended, but so was PETA. But I digress.) Peter, raised as a Jew, had been taught from childhood exactly which foods good Jews ate, and which foods they did not eat. He had no doubt learned at Sabbath School, and at his family dinner table, the teachings of Leviticus, chapter 11. I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten. (Leviticus 11:44-47) Surely not, Lord! Peter replied. I have never eaten anything impure or unclean. And he could have quoted chapter and verse to take his stand for what was the biblical and right thing to do. Yet, the heavenly voice trumpets back, Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. The dilemma is shocking and pronounced; God is calling Peter to do exactly what the scriptures, and his religious tradition, taught him not to do. Yet, this is good news. For now, in the new covenant, a new day has dawned. One where God s holiness will no longer be measured by what one consumes or does not consume, nor by where one goes or does not go (Romans 14:17-18) Instead, God s holiness has come unbound with a mission that will pour out his Holy Spirit even on those once thought unclean. Peter will witness that God is making even the Gentiles pure by his Spirit. By obeying what God commanded, he got to witness and participate in this amazing event. Wouldn t you have liked to been there to see the Spirit fall in Cornelius living room? Would you still love to witness something like that today? God saving and pouring out his Spirit on those outside the community of the righteous, where good Christians dare not go for fear of making contact with the impure or unholy? For the mystery today is how holiness people can neglect Christ s mission in the name of remaining pure and unspotted from the world. Like Peter, we ve got too many Well, I ve never s that keep us away from the Gentiles of our day. Cornelius may come to our place, but we would never caught dead in his. What will it take to move us out of our comfort and into the mission? I believe Christ is still calling us. There are men and women like Cornelius out there who are seeking God, but waiting for a messenger to come with the good news. They live in places and ways that our religious rules won t allow, yet in their own way they are seeking the God who is also seeking them. They wait for someone who knows Jesus to come near, someone he has sent. Perhaps we need a new vision to awaken us from our trance where we sleep in the light of noonday. What kind of vision would that be? Or, let me ask the question this way: If God gave us a vision to get us on mission to those outside the Church, and if that vision, like Peter s, involved convincing us to overcome the obstacles that keep us from doing so, then, what s in the sheet? In Jesus, Mission Strategy Director