| Global Weekly Summary |
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June
11, 2004 Global
News This Week
Pastor’s
child missing in Democratic Republic of Congo after fighting erupts The United Nations (UN) reported recently that a UN helicopter opened fire over the troubled DRC town of Bukavu. As news of fighting between rebel soldiers and peacekeeping forces emerged, Chishibanji reported the news that one of Pastor David Kalalu’s children had gone missing. Frazier stated that the child had been missing for several days. The
search effort has been made difficult by the fact that many people have
been too afraid to venture outdoors due to rioting, looting, and much
of the area’s electricity being cut.
JESUS
Film hits 20-million mark in Africa “Over the past five years, Africa has seen quite a number of sunsets,” Sickenaris says. “To twenty million Africans, [the sunset] was the announcement of a visitor ... the film ‘JESUS.’” As of May 21, 2004, records compiled by Sickenaris show 20,033,778 Africans have now seen the JESUS Film. Approximately one out of every seven viewers makes a decision for Christ and nearly 800,000 of those have been discipled. As a result of this evangelistic tool, 1,141 new mission churches were created in Africa. Two-thirds of the people who see the JESUS Film in the world see it in Africa with reported attendance for a single viewing ranging from one person to 12,400. NCN
News will update the situation, as information is made available.
From
storehouse to worship center With the help of three locally hired carpenters, the two-story storehouse was transformed. Old construction material was disposed of, new wiring was put in, a new ceiling was built on the first floor, walls and ceilings were painted, and an electric water pump with new pipes was installed. The project was miraculously completed by Sunday in time for worship. The work had attracted new people and they attended a celebratory Sunday morning worship in a new, brightly lighted sanctuary. There were also many opportunities for the team to witness and minister for Christ. One member of the team taught a class on Philippians to pastors. Another held a workshop on the basics of teaching Sunday School. Papua district pastor’s wives met together for a seminar on issues affecting them while their husbands and other pastors shared victories and concerns about pastoral ministry and marital issues. Team members preached seven different times in four locations. “We feel that we have left a part of our heart in Papua,” missionary Tim Mercer said. “We thank the Church of the Nazarene for the opportunity of ministering with our brothers and sisters world wide! We are richer because we went!” To
view photos from this project, see this week’s Photo Page: http://www.ncnnews.org/pics_6_11_04.html.
Suriname
district assembly report District
Superintendent Sewkumar (pictured) stated that one focus will be to follow
Christ’s example in ministering to the poor. According to Sewkumar,
“The Juicka (which is Taki-Taki, or the local trade language, for
the poorest of the poor of Suriname) thinks that no one cares for them.
But we do!”
Gillette
inspires PALCON crowd Gillette spoke from 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, calling the church to revival and renewal. “The conditions for revival are determined by God alone. The precursor of revival is faithful obedience to God. Do whatever he tells you,” he said. Building on this foundation, Gillette reminded his audience that the first step toward revival and renewal was to, “topple pride.” Acknowledging his indebtedness to the Church of the Nazarene, Gillette cited the story of his birth in his native Belize. A Nazarene missionary nurse delivered him and was also the one to give him his first name. Gillette recalled numerous occasions of spiritual renewal in the life and ministry of his present congregation in Brooklyn. He went on to say, “You can pray and not have a revival, but you cannot have a revival without prayer. Prayer without repentance is repugnant to God. There is only one obstacle to revival: sin. There is only one option: repentance.” Gillette spoke with fervency and respect, recognizing the collegial nature of his audience. He invited PALCON participants to seek the favor and blessing of God in personal renewal. Corporate renewal is the result of personal, intentional movement toward God. Earlier in the service, worship leader Travis Laws from the Grove City, Ohio Church of the Nazarene challenged the audience to “press into the presence of God. Worship that pleases God does not depend on the quality of the music or the building. God is looking for hearts aflame with the desire to know him intimately.” To
view a photo gallery of the MVNU PALCON, visit www.mvnu.edu/palcon. Regional
Resources:
Toler
declines election “I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your confidence in placing my name in nomination for the General Board,” Toler said in a letter to the Board of General Superintendents. “However, I was informed by the general secretary that, according to Manual Paragraph 329.1, if I accepted the position, I would have to rescind my work with Stewardship Ministries and World Mission. “With this in mind, it is with deep regret that I respectfully decline the election to the General Board. I am totally committed to teaching biblical stewardship worldwide and do not feel I should withdraw from the training mission I have been given by Drs. Weber [Stewardship Ministries Director Steve Weber] and Bustle [World Mission Director Louie E. Bustle].” Toler is the creator of Forward in Faith which is the first affordable capital stewardship campaign ever offered to help churches eliminate debt and construct facilities. Churches ranging in size from 100 to 4,000 have used the program successfully. He is also the creator and presenter of Building Kingdom Stewards seminars for pastors. He has been doing more than 20 seminars annually to train pastors in how to effectively talk about biblical stewardship in the church. Statistics released by the General Secretary’s Office show denominational giving in North America has been on the upswing since the mid-90s when Toler began conducting these seminars. Toler
is the senior pastor of Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma and has pastored some of the fastest-growing churches in Ohio,
Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He is the author of more than 50 books including:
The Secret Blend, The Cycle of Victorious Giving, and Lead to Succeed.
Church
of the Nazarene Ministry Links NMI
Prayer Mobilization Line: On-Line
Pastor's Calendar:
Olivet
to offer Children’s Ministry major Organized by Leon Blanchette, a professor in Olivet’s division of Religion and Philosophy, the 79-credit-hour major was created to equip future children’s pastors with proficiency in theology, the Bible, Christian education and children’s ministry. “The Church is becoming much more aware of the need to adequately educate and challenge its children to love the Lord and serve Him,” Blanchette said. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to help meet this need.” Lynda Boardman, director of Children’s Ministries for the Church of the Nazarene and an ONU alumnus, responded to the announcement by stating, “Children in the 4/14 window (4 to 14 years of age) have the greatest probability rate of accepting Christ as Savior. This program will prepare men and women to present the gospel to children and minister in age-appropriate ways to them. I commend Olivet in this progressive step.” Students majoring in Children’s Ministry, in addition to classroom studies, will work under the direction of a local church for a minimum of 100 hours. They will also spend a summer working in children’s ministry with a local congregation. Children’s
Ministry majors completing the degree will meet all educational requirements
for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. NNU
to offer new online MBA and MIBA degrees Business professionals will now have the opportunity to be part of a cohort of students from all over the world. Both the MIBA and the MBA will focus on the case study method. The MBA is a general business administration degree with courses covered all principal functional areas of business. The MIBA program also covers the functional areas of business, but with a special emphasis on international applications and requires two international study experiences. Each program requires 14 courses. The online MIBA and MBA are being added to NNU’s line-up of business degrees, including its traditional undergraduate degrees; its accelerated business degree, called STEP; and its on-campus MBA program, which is offered on the main NNU campus in Nampa and at NNU’s downtown education center in Boise. Students
with undergraduate degrees from a regionally accredited college or university
may apply to one of these programs, regardless of the undergraduate major
they studied. Students who have not taken Principles of Management, Principles
of Marketing, and Microeconomics are required to take these prerequisite
courses before beginning classes. Many of the business students attending
NNU have some or all of their tuitions paid by their employers. Some federal
financial aid may also be available and students have several ways to
arrange course payment. PLNU
journalism students cover Reagan funeral, get page one bylines Grant Biniasz and Simone Finney shared an A-1 byline with CNS veteran Toby Eckert with their story, "A Somber Procession: Reagan lies in state in Capitol Rotunda," in a recent edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The two are participating in a two-week Summer Institute of Journalism in Washington DC and are interning at Copley News Service. "Our students have covered some pretty important stories but this is one of our prouder moments," said Dean Nelson, PLNU journalism program director. Says
fellow PLNU journalism professor and co-director of the institute Sue
Atkins: "If news is the 'rough draft of history,' they're getting
a good dose of it." 2004
Commencement Report Nazarene
Global Educational Links:
Four
players from three Nazarene schools taken in MLB draft Next, the Kansas City Royals took Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) left-handed pitcher Adam Rowe in the 20th round. Rowe, a senior from Wooster, Ohio, becomes the 13th MVNU Cougar selected in the amateur draft. Rowe went 10-3 for the Cougars this year, striking out a career high 107 batters in 101 innings. Rowe helped lead MVNU to a strong showing in the NAIA World Series before the Cougars bowed out to eventual champion Oklahoma City. The Padres then took another player from a Nazarene off the board when they selected Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) senior pitcher B.J. Jenkins in the 28th round. Jenkins signed a contract with the Padres just days after being selected. Jenkins was 7-4 with a 1.87 ERA, pitched eight complete games, and earned three shutouts in 11 starts for the Trojans. Jenkins, who prepped at Hendersonville, Tennessee high school, helped guide TNU to 44 wins this season, the most in school history. Finally, PLNU had their second player selected when the San Francisco Giants took first baseman Jud Richards in the 33rd round. Richards hit .339 his senior year with a team best 10 homeruns and 52 runs batted in. Ekstrom and Richards led PLNU to a third-place finish in the NAIA World Series. Every draft, fans of Nazarene schools are reminded of the 1983 entry draft when the Minnesota Twins selected MVNU pitcher Tim Belcher with the first overall pick. Belcher was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame at the NAIA World Series this year, honoring him for his collegiate and professional achievements. Belcher played three years at MVNU before being selected by the Twins following his junior season. During that season, he threw a no-hitter against Kenyon College in which he struck out a school-record 18 batters. The Sporting News tabbed him as the top collegiate right-handed pitcher that year. Belcher played 14 years in the major leagues before retiring in 2000. He broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the 1987 season. In 1988, he posted a 12-6 record with a 2.91 earned run average as he helped the Dodgers to a World Series title by going 3-0 in the postseason. For his efforts that year, Belcher was selected as the National League Rookie of the Year by Baseball America. During
his career that also featured stints with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago
White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Anaheim
Angels, Belcher recorded 146 wins, 18 shutouts, 1,519 strikeouts, and
a career ERA of 4.16.
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