July 16, 2004
Volume 0428
Senior Editor: Dr. David J. Felter
Managing Editor: Chad E. Schnarr

Global News This Week
Main Menu
Go directly to selected regional news by clicking on underlined headline. If technical difficulties occur, the entire document may be viewed by clicking on the Global News Summary option on www.ncnnews.org.
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Top Story
    - Another Nazarene pastor murdered
Eurasia Region Report
    - Worst flooding in a decade hits South Asia
MAC in Touch – (Mexico/Central America) News
    - Enseñar (TEACH) 2004: Guatemala
South America News
    - World Mission Broadcast news update
USA/Canada Report
    - Gillett appointed Mission Director for Black Ministries
    - Aboriginal conference held in Canada
    - Intermountain NMI secretary injured, husband killed in car accident
    - Inez G. Lott, 1922-2004
Headquarters Headlines
    - Church releases statement on marriage amendment
Collegiate News
    - Doerr to serve as IBOE editorial consultant
    - PLNU’s Community Day draws 500
NCN Sports
    - Point Loma pros performing well
NCN Contact Information
    - To comment, report news, or for more information about NCN News, please contact our office.

Another Nazarene pastor murdered
Johannesburg—For the second time in a month, a Nazarene pastor has been murdered.

Pastor Eugene Green, a recent graduate of Nazarene Theological College (NTC) in Muldersdrift, South Africa, was shot and killed during a carjacking last week in Johannesburg. Green was returning home with his sister when his car was hijacked in a southern suburb of the city. His sister was unharmed but Green was shot at point blank range and died at the scene.

Green’s death comes less than a month after Leonard Eugene, pastor of L’Acul de Leogane Church of the Nazarene in Haiti, was kidnapped, robbed, and strangled to death in his native country.

Green was a member of the Boundary Road Church of the Nazarene on the Gauteng district and had the distinction of being the youngest graduate at NTC. He had recently accepted a full time position at the Eden Park Church of the Nazarene. Sadly, Green’s body was laid to rest the day before he was due to be introduced to his new congregation.
--NCN News-Africa

Worst flooding in a decade hits South Asia
South Asia—More than 10 million people across South Asia are confronting the worst monsoon floods in over a decade. Surging river waters have left seven million people homeless or marooned and hundreds dead in villages and towns across Bangladesh, eastern India, and Nepal.

Twenty-five out of sixty-four districts/counties in Bangladesh have been affected, submerging crops and cutting off transportation, which is already pushing up food prices. Officials there are concerned with outbreaks of water-borne diseases as thousands of drinking wells have been submerged. As of July 15, floodwaters are rushing toward the capital city of Dhaka, where officials say the capital’s low-lying areas may be swamped within 24 hours.

Fourteen districts/counties in the Nilphamary area were severely affected, with several Nazarene churches destroyed. More flooding is expected as dozens of rivers are reaching dangerous levels.

World Mission Director Louie E. Bustle stated, “Your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh and India would be greatly appreciated during this crisis.”

To help the area recover, persons and churches wishing to make a donation through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries can do so by clicking on the following link: www.nazcompassion.org/pressrelease.html.
--NCM

Enseñar (TEACH) 2004: Guatemala
Guatemala City—The Mexico and Central America (MAC) Region’s Sunday School Congress, Enseñar (TEACH) 2004, was held June 24-26 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. David Graves, director of Sunday School Ministries, Lynda T. Boardman, director of Children’s Ministries, and Costa Rica psychologist Enrique Guang were among the event’s keynote speakers. The 124 Sunday School leaders attending the event, which is held every four years, represented 25 districts and came from as far north as Northern Mexico and as far south as Panama. Attendees participated in workshops during the day and worship services together at night.

Patricia Picavea, MAC Regional Sunday School Coordinator, stated: “These leaders were trained to train others in various areas of this great ministry. All were motivated to share what they had learned. I believe that [the leaders who attended] will be a blessing to each one of the fields [on the MAC Region].”

Enseñar 2004 was part of the TEACH 2004 conference schedule. Now halfway through the schedule, approximately 2,500 Nazarenes have benefited from their involvement in a TEACH 2004 conference in their area. There are eleven TEACH 2004 conferences remaining, all continuing to aim at challenging participants to re-embrace Sunday School as a strategic tool for evangelism and discipleship in their churches and communities.

For more information about TEACH 2004, log onto www.teach2004.org. For additional information, contact the Sunday School Ministries office at ssm@nazarene.org or call 1-800-221-6317.

For more photos, see the NCN News Photo Page by clicking on any picture or graphic.
--NCN News-MAC, SSM

World Mission Broadcast news update
Peru—On June 25, the Nazarene radio program “Genesis” celebrated its fourth anniversary in Jaén, Peru. Under the direction of Romaín Sosa Torres (pictured), the program has grown into the most listened to youth program in the Peruvian province of Cajamarca. As a youth, Sosa desired fame and fortune and chose to study communications wanting to become “a radio superstar.” After a near collapse into the lifestyle of militant guerillas in the northern jungle areas of Peru, Sosa found the Church of the Nazarene. Today, he is using his studies in communications and radio not for fame or fortune, but to share with other young people of Jaén the only hope he has found through Jesus Christ.

Also, COICOM, a Latin American organization of Christian communicators, held its annual event, COICOM-Peru, July 1-3 in Lima, Peru. World Mission Broadcast (WMB) South America participated in the event, which drew more than 1,000 Christian communicators from Peru. An additional 25 radio stations (mostly from the interior of Peru) were added to the list of affiliates airing the WMB South America Region (SAM) programs. Peru radio partner Gustavo Perales, Sosa, Eunice Antón, host of “Impact Junín” in Huancayo, Peru, and WMB SAM team member Marcelo Fretes, joined regional Broadcast Coordinator Brian Utter at the event. Fretes delivered a presentation to the members of COICOM on the ministry of the Church of the Nazarene, while Radio del Pacifico and Radio La Luz, the two largest Christian radio stations in Lima, interviewed Utter. Utter was also invited by COICOM to present workshops during the COICOM international conference to be held in Guatemala this September.

As of June 2004, WMB statistics indicate there are now 19.2 million listeners to SAM programs aired on 526 radio stations.
–World Mission Communications

Gillett appointed Mission Director for Black Ministries
Kansas City—Upon the approval of the Board of General Superintendents, Oliver R. Phillips, Mission Strategy director, has appointed Elmer Gillett as the Mission Director for Black Ministries in the United States and Canada, effective August 15, 2004. Gillett will serve with other mission directors who give leadership to the major minority groups within the Church of the Nazarene in the United States and Canada.

Gillett assumes this responsibility vacated by Phillips who served in this position for three years. A part-time relationship, Gillett will continue in his role as pastor of the Community Worship Center on the Metro New York district.

Gillet is a graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary where his doctoral dissertation was on “Prayer and Fasting as Foundation for Evangelism.” He also studied preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. Gillett currently teaches at the Metro New York School of Ministry and serves on the Credentials Board.

Gillett’s responsibilities will include working closely with Black pastors and leaders, including the Strategy Committee, providing consultative services to district superintendents and other church leaders interested in starting and supporting ministry among and through people of African descent. He will also serve as liaison with Nazarene Headquarters’ ministries in an advisory role.
–Oliver R. Phillip, Director, Mission Strategy USA/Canada

Aboriginal conference held in Canada
Port Alberni—The Canadian Aboriginal Conference was held July 8–10, in Port Alberni, British Columbia, drawing representatives of the Aboriginal people from British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. More than 80 attendees were expected to attend the event, the second of its kind, an encouraging response considering the Church of the Nazarene does not have any official work amongst the Canadian Aboriginal people at this time.

The guest speaker was John Nells, superintendent of the Navajo Nation district, and Aboriginal representative for the USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism department.
--Nazarene News-Canada

Intermountain NMI secretary injured, husband killed in car accident
Bend—Intermountain district Nazarene Missions International secretary Phyllis Vavold was involved in a car accident this past week and is recovering from her injuries in a Bend, Oregon hospital. Vavold sustained multiple injuries in the crash, including a broken hip. Sadly, her husband, George, was killed in the accident.

The couple’s son, Ben Vavold, is a Nazarene pastor in Parma, Idaho.
--NCN News

Inez G. Lott, 1922-2004
Kansas City—Inez G. Lott, mother of Larry Lott, pastor of the Blue Hills Community Church of the Nazarene, passed away July 9. Born in Georgia in 1922, she had five sons and one daughter.

Funeral services will be held on July 17, 2004 at 10 am at Nazarene Theological Seminary.
–Oliver R. Phillips

Regional Resources:
Africa – www.africanazarene.org
Asia-Pacific – www.nazareneworldmission.org
Caribbean – www.caribnaz.org
Eurasia – www.eurasianazarene.org
Mexico/Central America – www.nazmac.org
South America – www.samnazarene.org
USA/Canada – www.usamission.org

Church releases statement on marriage amendment
Kansas City—Frank Moore, chairman of the United States Christian Action Committee, released the following communication to all Nazarene district superintendents in the United States concerning the legislation being deliberated by the United States government on homosexual marriages. NCN News was sent the release for publication by the General Secretary’s office.

“In the near future the United States Congress will consider legislation to ban homosexual marriages in the Constitution. This legislation has been considered in light of recent attempts by a variety of states and localities to legitimate homosexual marriage.

It has always been the stance of the Church of the Nazarene that marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman and is the foundation of society. To destroy the unique status of marriage is to undermine the very structure of our nation’s social fabric and our hope for the future.

In a recent statement by the Board of General Superintendents, issued in response to the election of a gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, the stance of the Church of the Nazarene in regard to marriage was reiterated with these words:

‘We stand firmly on the belief that the biblical concept of marriage, always between one man and one woman in a committed, lifelong relationship, is the only relationship within which the gift of sexual intimacy is properly expressed.”

We ask you to encourage your pastors to call upon the people of the Church of the Nazarene to communicate with the members of the United States Congress and Senate who are their representatives. We encourage them to express very clearly their support for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages and that would preserve the social structure of marriage as it is designed and affirmed in the scriptures.

We must all make this a matter of intense prayer and must clearly communicate with our governmental representatives. Christians dare not remain silent in the face of this ominous threat to our nation.’”

(Editor’s Note: The United States Senate effectively blocked attempts to amend the United States Constitution to prohibit homosexual marriages this past week.)
–General Secretary’s Office

Church of the Nazarene Ministry Links
All links to the varied global ministry functions of the Church of the Nazarene can be found by going to www.nazarene.org. A drop-down box will list all the sites available for your surfing pleasure. Visit us often!

NMI Prayer Mobilization Line:
www.nazarenemissions.org/pml

On-Line Pastor's Calendar:
nazmrc.nazarene.org/sdm/calendar.htm

Doerr to serve as IBOE editorial consultant
Kansas City—According to Education Commissioner Jerry D. Lambert, Joanie Doerr, former editor of the Out of Africa regional newsletter, was named as the new editorial consultant for the International Board of Education (IBOE). The appointment was effective as of July 1, 2004.

Doerr will serve as the news liaison between the 57 colleges, seminaries, and universities and Holiness Today, NCN News, and other publications. She will be responsible to report on IBOE events, submitting highlights and news items for publication. She will also assist Lambert in planning the International Higher Education Council Conference in 2005.
--IBOE

PLNU’s Community Day draws 500
San Diego—In an effort to better connect the community and the campus, hundreds of San Diegans accepted Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) President Bob Brower’s invitation to PLNU's first annual Community Day on its main campus Saturday, July 10.

"The attendance was strong and exceeded our hopes for the day," said President Brower, who received comments from attendees expressing appreciation for the opportunity to become better acquainted with the campus.

"There were rave reviews from the historic tours, garden tours, and campus tours that were conducted throughout the day. The children's events brought many young families to the campus and the activities were well received and highly attended," he said.

Community Day included performances by a string trio and a jazz trio, free food, and crafts and games for children. There were information booths and an art show. “Whittier on Wheels” from a local health care system offered cholesterol and blood pressure screenings.

The President’s Community Council, a group of prominent community members and supporters of the university, as well as several corporate sponsors, sponsored the event, which drew approximately 500 visitors.

For more information, see www.ptloma.edu/NewsEvents/CommunityDay.
--PLNU

Nazarene Global Educational Links:
http://www.ncnnews.org/edlinks.html

Point Loma pros performing well
San Diego—The following update lists former Point Loma Nazarene University athletes competing in the professional ranks:

• Former two-time softball NAIA Player of the Year, Cheryl Bolding is batting .214 with 22 hits in the pitching-dominated National Pro Fastpitch League. A member of the Arizona Heat, Bolding was recently selected to play in the NPF All-Star game later this week.
  
  
• Brad Vericker, who holds just about every PLNU offensive record, continues to thrive in professional baseball in his second season with the San Francisco Giants organization. Vericker is hitting .287 with 23 doubles, 10 homeruns, 39 runs scored, and 56 RBI playing for the San Jose Giants in the California League (A).
  
  
• All-American pitcher Mike Ekstrom wrapped up the 2004 NAIA baseball season by winning a PLNU-record 12 games. He hasn't slowed down a bit. A 12th round draft choice of the San Diego Padres, Ekstrom is off to a 3-0 start for the Eugene Emeralds (A) and has yet to allow an earned run. In 12.1 innings of work he has scattered just four hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts.
  
  
• Slugging first baseman Jud Richards, drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 33rd round, is performing well in the Arizona Rookie League and is expected to be assigned to Salem-Keizer (A) shortly.
  
  --PLNU

The preceding information may be used in newsletters and bulletins. For more information or to report stories, contact Nazarene Communications Network News.

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