NCM update on Middle East crisis

Beirut, Lebanon-Violence continues in the Middle East as Israeli troops as Hezbollah militants are now engaged in ground fighting in southern Lebanon. Updates from Nazarene churches in the Middle East are hopeful, but also frightening. All Nazarene churches in the affected areas remain unharmed at this time, but they are surrounded by danger. Bombs and missiles have come within 200 yards of Nazarene churches in Beirut, Lebanon and Nazareth, Israel. The church in Haifa is also in a danger area. All three churches have bomb shelters, but they are usually given only a one minute warning.

One 12 year-old pastor's daughter asked, "Mommy, is a bomb going to fall on us?" Her mother responded confidently, "No. Jesus is here. He will protect us."

Rod Green, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Eastern Mediterranean coordinator, comments, "These brave Nazarene leaders are not going anywhere. They are confident in the Lord's protection. They want to keep their doors open to help those flooding into their neighborhoods in need of food, shelter, and the Lord. They are in need of our prayers."

Many people from surrounding affected areas are traveling to Beirut to escape fighting and Nazarenes are responding to the need. Most are in need of food, water, and medicine. The Church of the Nazarene is setting up two response areas - one in Beirut and one in Damascus, Syria. A clinic at the Nazarene church in Damascus is already serving many Lebanese in need of medical attention and safety.

Nazarene brothers and sisters in this area are asking the global church for their prayers and help.

Persons and churches wishing to make a donation for the Middle East Crisis relief efforts can mark their checks "Middle East Crisis Response ACM1645" and mail them to the General Treasurer, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3. Additional information can be found on www.ncm.org.

All donations remitted through the General Treasurer's Office will receive 10 percent Mission Special credit if the local church is identified.
--NCM, AFP photo

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New Orleans First celebrates reopening

New Orleans-The district motto of the Louisiana and the Mississippi Districts, "We Will Rebuild, We Will Rebound," was never more apparent than on June 25, 2006, when the New Orleans First Church of the Nazarene held its grand re-opening celebration. More than 150 people joined Pastor and Mrs. Larry Bolling as the church rededicated the facility that was so badly destroyed during hurricane Katrina. The service was energized by great music and emotional tributes paid to those who were so influential in the rebuilding.

Joining the congregation for this momentous occasion were members of One Heart Many Hands and Nazarene Disaster Response, who have been working diligently with Work and Witness teams from around the U.S. and Canada to rebuild the Gulf Coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana, as well as the southwest part of Louisiana, devastated by Hurricane Rita.

Also in attendance were Pastor and Mrs. David Bowser of the West Flint, Michigan Church of the Nazarene. The West Flint church adopted New Orleans First and provided most of the contracting, material purchasing, and labor on the project. Pastor Bowser made numerous trips to work on the building and led several teams to the area. Several of the West Flint laypersons involved in the project were also in attendance, marking an end of sorts to 10 months of work.

"We still have a few repairs to make and some mostly cosmetic things to do, but the job is done," Pastor Bolling told the Flint Journal. "It's an exciting time."

Greg Mason, district superintendent for Louisiana and Mississippi, brought the dedicatory message. He spoke of the responsibility the district and local church has to all of those who have invested millions of dollars in offerings, labor, and supplies to the Gulf Coast response.

"We cannot go back to business as usual. We must strive with all of our hearts to make each church along the gulf a place of salvation, sanctuary, and service," Mason stated.

Mason has introduced a project called Mission New Orleans, which includes an urban ministry training center, an entrepreneurial center, and a compassionate ministries center. New Orleans First Church will serve as Phase One of the Mission New Orleans project.

At the conclusion of the service, Mason and Bowser led the members of the church through a time of dedication.

For more information on the official dedication service and the bond between New Orleans First and West Flint, see the following Flint Journal story:
Katrina-ravaged church resumes services, thanks to area Nazarene volunteer crews

Note: Many churches and districts joined the West Flint team in the rebuilding effort for New Orleans First church. West Flint and New Orleans First welcomed several volunteers from Eastern Michigan churches as part of the Eastern Michigan District Nazarene Disaster Response. Pastor Duane Nelson of the Madison Heights Church of the Nazarene was one such volunteer and kept a journal documenting a November 2005 Work and Witness team's service to New Orleans First and surrounding areas. To read Pastor Nelson's account and view photo galleries from the trip, please see the following Madison Heights web page: Offering a Helping Hand to New Orleans.

--Greg Mason for the Louisiana and Mississippi Districts (November 2005 New Orleans First photo courtesy of Madison Heights Nazarene)

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Mississippi pastor celebrates 45 years with church

Meridian, Mississippi-One year ago this August, members of Fitkins Memorial Church of the Nazarene in Meridian, Mississippi were celebrating the church's 50th anniversary. On Sunday, July 16, the church and its pastor celebrated another significant milestone.

According to WTOK News in Meridian, several members of the Fitkins Memorial church have only had one pastor in their lifetime. That's because Charles Johnson has been in the pulpit there for 45 years. This past weekend, the church honored their leader with a pastoral anniversary celebration.

"It is a milestone in that I have given the biggest portion of my life here, and it surprises me because I wasn't intending to stay here this long," Johnson told WTOK.

The service also served as a homecoming for some in attendance. More than 20 pastors from churches across the U.S. started their ministries under Johnson's leadership. One of those is Charles Tillman of the Richmond, Virginia Woodville Church of the Nazarene. He says the legacy of Johnson is something that he will never forget.

"I came here from Syracuse, New York and was in need of help. I came from a bad situation, but through his ministry, just reaching out and touching me and touching my life, letting me know I was loved. And that God had a purpose and God had a plan for me," said Tillman.

Johnson describes the last 45 years as having valleys and mountains. But he isn't resting on what he's already accomplished; he's looking to the future.

"I can see in the next two years more growth and more ministers going out across this great land to declare God's Holy Word," said Johnson.

Church members told WTOK they were thankful they were able to give back to Johnson because he has given so much to his church and community.

In the weeks following hurricane Katrina last year, Johnson and the Fitkins Memorial church served meals to more than a hundred people each day. The church also helped in job placement for those that found themselves unemployed after Katrina.

Johnson, who served as interim Mississippi district superintendent after Katrina, came to Meridian in 1961 having graduated from the Nazarene Bible College in Institute, West Virginia. He did further studies in church planting at Fuller Institute in Pasadena, California and completed management training at O.I.C. Academy of Management Training. Johnson received an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Trevecca Nazarene University.

In Meridian, Johnson founded the Meridian Action Committee, a local Civil Rights group that helped to desegregate the lunch counters, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. Under the leadership of Johnson, the committee also helped to break down discrimination in hiring practices in local department stores, grocery stores, and convenient stores through boycotts and picketing. Johnson led the picketing of Meridian City Hall against police brutality. In recent years, Johnson has served as a revival and camp meeting speaker, working closely with the Church of the Nazarene's Multicultural Ministries.
--WTOK, USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism

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The Church has Landed: Update No.1 of the A-P Regional Office's move to Singapore

By Doug Flemming, Asia-Pacific Regional Communications Coordinator

After months of prayer and preparation, the Asia-Pacific Regional Office has finally "landed" in its new home, Singapore. The Brunk family arrived first, via the States on July 8, followed by our family (the Flemmings) directly from Manila on July 9. Both families have been met with warm welcomes from many friendly and helpful people. One more confirmation of the Lord's hand upon this move was expressed to us by some complete strangers who I'm sure will become lifelong friends, Pastor Daniel and Hwi Sum.

Several weeks ago we learned that our apartment here in Singapore would not be ready for occupancy until late August. That left us with the task of trying to find temporary housing in a furnished apartment for over a month. We began asking God to provide. At first we thought He was providing through the Salvation Army. They were willing to rent us one of their "flats" (apartments), but the cost was going to be fairly significant (S$1,800). But then to our delight, just days before we left Manila, we received an email from some friends at Transworld Radio. They informed us that their church owns a furnished flat that would be available for exactly the time we needed it. And to make it even better, they are not even charging us anything to stay here. So, of course, we quickly E-mailed back and accepted the offer.

Arrangements were made for us to meet Pastor Sum at the flat on Sunday night when we arrived. After the three-hour flight from Manila, we loaded up a taxi van with all of our luggage and headed to our new temporary home. There at the apartment, awaiting our arrival was Pastor Daniel and his wife Hwi. Not only did they meet us there with the keys to our newly cleaned apartment, but they then also took us out for our first supper at a nearby "hawkers" area (food stalls), where we dined on delicious roast duck and fried rice. By this time it was already 9:00 P.M., but our new friends were still willing to chauffer us to a supermarket. There they blessed us even further by purchasing some brand new pillows for us, and our first load of groceries. Wow, talk about being blessed…and by complete strangers at that! But then again, I guess there really are no strangers in the family of God. We thank God for showering us with His love and provision through the kindness and generosity of Daniel and Hwi and their church, Bethsaida Christian Center. We know God will continue to bless and guide as we establish our office and His church in our new home. Keep us in your prayers.
--Doug Flemming for the A-P Region

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In their own words: MVNU sends its first medical missions team to the field

By Jessica Bischoff, MVNU senior; Zach Wilson, MVNU senior; and Dr. Paul Madtes, Jr., professor of Biology

Mount Vernon, Ohio-Much prayer and planning enabled a medical team from the Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) Biology Department to travel in July to Nicaragua for MVNU's first medical missions trip. This unique team, led by 1991 MVNU graduate Tami (Dawson) Buell and current Biology Chair Paul Madtes Jr., comprised current students, MVNU alumni, a local physician, two Costa Rican interpreters, three Nicaraguan physicians, a Nicaraguan interpreter, and a Nicaraguan district superintendent.

God frequently reminds us of His faithfulness, provision, and presence. The first day there, when nearly all of our medical supplies failed to arrive concurrently with our flight, God saw that they would arrive in time to avoid any hindrance to our ministry. That first Sunday morning, we attended an inspiring Nazarene church service in Managua and that evening, we joined a wonderful welcome service in the San Isidro church. What a blessing it was for everyone to worship our Lord together; His presence was evident in the lives of our Nicaraguan brothers and sisters.

The next four days, clinics were set up in Sébaco, El Jocote, Cerro la Mina, and Santa Isabel, communities in northern Nicaragua. Small churches and schools were quickly turned into health clinics, and people came from miles around, many arriving long before the clinics opened. Clinics, whose opening each day always began with singing and devotions, included areas for triage, diagnosis, a pharmacy, and evangelism/public health training for the children. Furthermore, so many medical supplies and personal hygiene items had been donated by churches across the MVNU region that many were left with the Nicaraguan physicians to use in their work with the people.

The team had many goals and high expectations of what God would do through medical care, public health training, evangelism and discipleship. About 450 patients were diagnosed and treated. One particular day, many children bowed their heads and dedicated their lives to Christ; another day, a man re-dedicated his life to Jesus. In addition, many patients were touched by the kindness of the team members who sat, listened, and prayed with them. Through the tool of medical care, we joined the ongoing ministry of local Nicaraguan churches, helping open doors for the churches to continue ministering to the people of the community. Even though only a few team members spoke Spanish, language was not a barrier to building relationships. Through smiles and laughs, puppets and bubbles, stories and songs, God bound us all together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

This type of missions trip is indeed unique. Current MVNU students interested in medicine are able to travel to another country, experience medical missions, and gain clinical experience. MVNU alumni stay involved with the school through service, which shows that connections with MVNU do not end with graduation; alumni can stay connected to MVNU through prayer, financial support, and even participation in mission trips.

It is our prayer that this inaugural medical missions trip is the first of many to come. We believe the work that God began with us in Nicaragua will expand so that similar trips will continue yearly. May God lead current pre-medical students and alumni to commit to traveling back as medical students and physicians. Even though we are now home in the U.S., the Lord's work in Nicaragua continues. The seeds of His grace and love that were planted will be cultivated as He works through the local community churches there, reaping His harvest.

Note: For more photos, see this week's photo gallery on ncnnews.com.
--MVNU

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Ohio Compassionate Ministry Center hosts key gubernatorial press conference
Columbus, Ohio-Earlier this summer, Ohio Governor Bob Taft visited Lower Lights Ministries (LLM), an Ohio Central District Church of the Nazarene compassionate ministries center, and Rachel's House to announce grant winners throughout the State for the Ohio Strengthening Families Initiative and the Ohio Compassion Capital Project. read more

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