Nazarenes in the News: August 5, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011

Global Ministry Center

Nazarenes in the News is a compilation of online news articles featuring Nazarene churches or church members.

Soap-recycling program bursts unemployment bubble in Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia

Editor's note: Mission Possible is a Church of the Nazarene urban ministry led by pastor Brian Postlewait.

(The Globe and Mail, August 2, 2011) Scrub the used bar soaps. Dunk them in sanitizer. Cool them on a rack. Scrub them again to get rid of any dust or dirt. Pack them in a box.

It may seem like dull, assembly line-type work to most, but for some women living in the Downtown Eastside, the job brings a steady paycheque, keeps them off the streets and helps restore their self-esteem.

Since last year, Mission Possible, a Vancouver-based non-profit, has been employing at-risk women to clean and repackage discarded bar soap and bottled amenities from nearly 100 different hotels in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The soaps are then donated to homeless shelters and humanitarian organizations such as World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse.

“The pay check gives an extreme amount of dignity, but it’s about more than a pay check, too,” said Brian Postlewait, executive director of Mission Possible. “They know they’re doing something positive in the world; they get a sense of purpose out of it.”

For the rest of the story, click here.


Denair church plans car show to raise funds for boy
Denair, California

(Medesto Bee, August 4, 2011) Connecting Point Church of the Nazarene had such success last year with a fund-raiser for a child with medical problems that it's doing it again.

The church will host a car show, food and crafts vendors, bounce houses, and public safety and "monster" vehicles Saturday to benefit Preston Lairson. The 2-year-old from Turlock was born with spina bifida and spent his first 17 months in hospitals.

"His parents do have insurance, but their expenses have piled up," said the Rev. Greg Gebhart, senior pastor at the church. Preston lives at home with his parents, Cliff and Amber, and sisters, Chloe, 8, and Avery, 5.

The Lairsons need to retrofit their home and a van to handle Preston's stroller-wheelchair and medical equipment. His condition requires that he be on a ventilator and get round-the-clock nursing care.

Connecting Point used to have a car show to raise money for its ministry, Gebhart said.

"But we felt like we needed to refocus on those outside, on others versus on ourselves," he said.

For the rest of the story, click here.


Kids get special haircuts for free
Fergus Falls, Minnesota

(Fergus Falls Journal, August 4, 2011) Through the generosity of 715 Hotheads Salon and the Adoption Support Group at the Church of the Nazarene, many children were treated to professional haircuts and braids.

A barber from Swagga Skill Cutz and three braiders from Dee Dee’s Hair Braiding and Beauty Salon, both of Fargo and who specialize in African-American hairstyles, worked throughout most of Monday cutting and braiding hair for area youth.

For the rest of the story, click here.


SNU alum plays for Disney
Anaheim, California

(NCN News submissions, August 3, 2011) Tommy Goddard of Oklahoma City is working this summer at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, as a percussionist with the 2011 Disneyland All-American College Band.  

A 2010 graduate of Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, Goddard has just completed his first year as a graduate student at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.

For the rest of the story, click here.


Point Loma professor keeps hopes alive as teacher of future teachers
La Mesa, California

(La Mesa Patch, August 1, 2011) As a teacher of aspiring teachers, Edie Chapman says the hardest thing is keeping her students inspired at Point Loma Nazarene University.  Many of them are college seniors who have spent thousands toward a degree and now have no idea what the future holds.

“My whole life has been given to investing in the next generation in one form or another,” said Chapman, a teacher for 23 years who once lived across from Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa. “I think the biggest challenge is keeping their hope alive.”

Most teachers major in their area of expertise, but Chapman says she’s taught very few in her own field of English. To prepare them, she focuses much of her curriculum on method—helping students maximize their time while still achieving set standards.

For the rest of the story, click here.


Fourth Annual KIDSfest incorporates family, adventure, and heroism
Danvers, Massachusetts

(Danvers Patch, August 1, 2011) The fourth annual KIDSfest, hosted by the Church of the Nazarene in Danvers, is set to take place Wednesday through Sunday this week, with themes incorporating adventure, heroism, and family.

The program was started by Dan Milette, lead pastor, as a celebratory, community wide event that is fun for both children and parents. "It seems like the church is viewed as exclusive, and they keep to themselves," he said. "My philosophy is very different than that. The vision for KIDSfest was twofold. Initially we want to let the community know that we're here to fill a need. [Also] it's the summer, kids need something to do, look forward to. We want to be there for parents."

For the rest of the story, click here.


Church members, Badcock Furniture contribute to Alliance
Lakeland, Florida

(The Ledger, August 1, 2011) A building used to assist adults with development disabilities has aged after being open for about 60 years and a group of Lakeland-area men are trying to renovate it.

When Dan Larsen, 65, toured the Alliance for Independence a few months ago and spotted many needs.

"It's a facility that's almost 60 years old. It could use some sprucing up. So we painted one of the big rooms (in June)," he said. "There were so many other needs that we identified the kitchen as a project that needed to be done. It had appliances that didn't work well and ... was not the type of kitchen you would accept in your own home. We felt that needed to be upgraded."

Larsen said his group from the Highland Park Church of the Nazarene donated $2,000 to the kitchen project.

For the rest of the story, click here.


Stories to share? Send them to submitnews@ncnnews.com.

--Compiled by NCN News

 

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