Arkansas pastor loses wife and daughter in fatal car accident

Fort Smith, Arkansas-Charles Ballard, pastor of the Mansfield Church of the Nazarene on the South Arkansas District, and his family were involved in a fatal car accident on Thursday, November 2. Ballard's wife, Joy Ballard, and daughter, Love Whiteacre, were killed in the crash.

Pastor Ballard remains in St. Edward Hospital in Fort Smith, Arkansas, as do the car's other passengers: Ballard's seven-year old granddaughter, Sophy Whiteacre, and his son-in-law, Sean Whiteacre, who is in nearby Sparks Hospital.

The accident occurred in Fort Smith at 4:30 in the afternoon when a car crossed over a shared turn lane and hit the vehicle carrying the Ballards and Whiteacres head-on. Love Whiteacre was driving the car.

The funeral for Joy Ballard and Love Whiteacre was to be held at the Greenwood, Arkansas Church of the Nazarene on Tuesday morning, November 7. The Greenwood church is located just south of Fort Smith.

Greenwood pastor Mike Roach and South Arkansas District Superintendent Russell Branstetter were to officiate over the services.

Pastor Ballard, Sophy, and Sean Whiteacre were not expected to be able to attend the services.

Prayer is requested for those in recovery, their extended families, and the church family.

Cards may be mailed to Charles Ballard at P.O. Box 96, Mansfield, AR 72944.

The Ballards previously served as pastors of the Forsythe, Missouri, Trinity church and the Caney, Kansas church on the Joplin District.
--NCN News Submissions

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Statement concerning the resignation of NAE President Ted Haggard

Colorado Springs-(NAE Press Release) On November 2, National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) President Ted Haggard submitted his resignation from NAE leadership when serious allegations were made on a Denver radio talk show. In response to Haggard's admission to church leaders in Colorado that there were some indiscretions, the 11-member NAE Executive Committee met November 3 via teleconference and unanimously accepted his resignation with regret.

Haggard has rendered invaluable services to the New Life Church of Colorado Springs, to the NAE, to the Evangelical Christian movement, and to the Church universal. We appreciate his many years of effective leadership.

Knowing Haggard, we found the initial reports of misconduct to be shocking and difficult to believe. As evangelicals we recognize, however, the stark reality of the power of sin in all our lives, and acknowledge that we are all capable of grievous moral failures.

Moreover, we believe that the Bible holds Christian leaders to higher levels of accountability. Therefore, it is especially serious when a pastor and prominent Christian leader deliberately violates God's standards of conduct.

The NAE is a para-church organization, not a church. Haggard has rightfully submitted himself to the pastoral oversight and ecclesiastical discipline of the independent New Life Church board of overseers. We commend him to their wisdom, as they are involved in the accountability process and have a more detailed knowledge of the situation through their extended meetings with him.

We are thankful for the grace and mercy of Christ who is able to forgive all sorts of sin. Yet, due to the seriousness of Haggard's misconduct while in the leadership roles he held, we anticipate that an extended period of recovery will be appropriate. We pray that the overseers' ministry to him will lead to his eventual moral healing, restoration in Christ, and service in the Church.

We pray for and stand with Haggard, his wife Gayle, and their children, and the New Life Church congregation at this difficult time.

We also pray for the man who has accused Haggard.
--Statement submitted by the NAE Executive Committee:
Chairman: Dr. Roy Taylor, stated clerk, Presbyterian Church of America
Vice-Chairman: Rev. Jeff Farmer, president, Open Bible Churches

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Nazarene mission: Illinois group gathers to plant a church with international diversity

Bloomington, Illinois-(Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph) When Kay Lynn Perry was living on the island-nation of Mauritius for a year, she attended a Presbyterian church that was dynamic for its international flavor.

A nation with fewer than two million people, Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Mauritius has all the international activity a country must have but in an area smaller than some Illinois counties.

English is the official language, although an abundance of French, Creole, Bhojpuri and Hindi is spoken there, too.

The international flavor of the St. Columba church is the pattern for a new church in Bloomington, Illinois, which Perry leads. Called Sanctuary International Church of the Nazarene, it doesn't yet have its own home or worship time. The organizing group has strategy sessions on Wednesday nights after the community meal at the Bloomington First Church of the Nazarene, where Sanctuary International's core group attends service.

Sanctuary International is being planted, as the church calls it, and it has the enthusiasm of a leadership team and support from Bloomington First as its mother church.

It feels right as plans progress, said Perry, and committed Christians take such feelings very seriously.

The year abroad, summer 2004 to summer 2005, was precipitated by a Fulbright Fellowship for the pastor's husband, Steve Perry, an Illinois State University broadcasting teacher. He worked at the University of Mauritius. Perry already was fluent in French and interested in other cultures.

Upon their return to the Bloomington area, Kay Lynn Perry applied for jobs, both secular and in preaching, in which she felt qualified. "Doors kept closing," she said.

It brings the question of a calling: Does God withhold opportunities in order to get people where he intends them?

Perry answers with a confident affirmative. When the Peoria, Illinois-based region's leadership this winter asked her about planting a church, Perry said, she saw clearly that her mission would be to bring a Nazarene church to the Twin Cities (Bloomington and Normal, Illinois)-a church that would be rich in international diversity.

Her story of finding the right time and place has a similar feel for her first team members, Scott and Debra Jackson.

Scott Jackson gets chills, the hair on his arms visibly lifting, when he recounts how he got involved in the planning for Sanctuary International.

He and Debra felt inspired to be involved in founding a Nazarene church for more than a decade, although they felt no calling to ministry. They like the idea of starting fresh with a church tailored to a particular need or demographic, one that can create a style without jarring an existing church establishment.

They lived in Decatur, Illinois and no opportunities materialized. A job change for Scott brought them to Bloomington in March. Within two weeks, they learned about the Sanctuary International Church of the Nazarene.

They immediately signed onto the effort, and the sense of call never waned, Scott Jackson said. "Every day, it grows on me."

These past two months of early planning have been filled with a lot of details that don't necessarily spread hair-raising chills through the body.

At a recent planning meeting, seven team members tended to the mundane task of placing stamps on postcards while Kay Lynn Perry led the meeting.

The postcards were a sign of progress, as they contained invitations for supporters to attend a Bonfire of Praise event taking place at Bloomington First. The menu included "British bonfire toffee" as one of their first servings of international flare.

For church services, Perry said, "we're going to start pulling out maracas and sitars and bongos."

The group members have become regular treat servers during breaks at a community class held at a local elementary school for English language learners, a way to befriend immigrants. The group is charged with recruiting people from outside the dominant U.S. culture, not necessarily as converts.

One of the pressing first needs is to get committed Christians from these cultures into leadership.

So far, two of about a dozen core members are from abroad, a native Guatemalan woman and a British man.

The two and others like them have more in common with each other than one might initially guess, beyond the natural glue of a shared faith that Sanctuary International leaders feel will be their obvious source of cohesion.

As the Brit, Anthony Moore notes an ongoing frustration comes with having to repeat himself for those unaccustomed to his accent. And there is a culture to navigate.

"Thanksgiving is pretty alien to us," said Moore.

Sanctuary International is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day at First Nazarene. "We'll demystify U.S. culture," said Perry.

But Perry counts on gaining from the other cultures, not simply imparting the native one, and she thinks American natives will attend to gain cultural experiences.

Sanctuary International should start holding services in January, but they initially will be unadvertised small gatherings used to help the church gain its footing, she said.

She has aspirations for a medium-sized church.

"I can easily see it running 400 to 500 people," a hopeful and determined Perry said.
--S. Arney, Bloomington-Normal Phantagraph Online Newspaper

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Altars filled at Horn of Africa Holiness Conference

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-The Horn of Africa Holiness Conference began on October 11, 2006 with General Superintendent Jesse C. Middendorf sharing a congregational challenge from 1 Peter 1:13-21. Middendorf announced, "I can't keep quiet about holiness!"

Altars were built in preparation for this holiness conference, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from October 11-15. Field Strategy Coordinator Howie Shute stated, "In the Church of the Nazarene we believe in the altar! The altar used to be called a mourners' bench. That is because when God speaks and we fall short, we meet God and mourn our sins. There is a movement in the Horn of Africa like other places do not see, but if God speaks to me about a need, I want to come and meet Him at the altar."

One particular highlight was when converts, who were previously religious leaders from a very gospel-resistant people group, sang praises to God from the book of Luke celebrating what Jesus had done in their hearts. They sang their normal chants, but changed the words to give God in Christ glory.

Louie E. Bustle, World Mission Division director, reminded attendees that holiness is an experience that will fit everyone. "You can know when He has come and you can know that He has cleansed."

On Saturday night after the service, a man arrived from Sudan. He had traveled on foot for 13 days and nights to attend the conference because of hardships in his country. On his journey, he did what he does in his area; he took the time to evangelize and planted two churches. He reported that there are now more than 500 Nazarene churches on his zone.

The last service was highlighted by many underground evangelists being baptized, testimonies from many who were entirely sanctified during the week, and the sacrament of Holy Communion offered by Africa Regional Director Eugénio Duarte. Duarte encouraged everyone by saying that the faith of the Africans in the Horn is being talked about throughout all of Africa, and faith like this is to be shared throughout the entire world.
--Diane Barker, Africa Region

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USA/Canada Nazarene colleges, universities, and seminary continue to experience excellence in 2006

Kansas City-According to the Church of the Nazarene's International Board of Education (IBOE), statistics from the Nazarene colleges, universities, and seminary in the U.S. and Canada show an overall increase in enrollment for the 16th year. Figures recently released from the IBOE show the total headcount enrollment for 2006 is 21,259, an increase of 587 from last year.

"A strong foundation of the Church of the Nazarene is the heritage of Christ-centered excellence in the institutions of higher education," stated Jerry D. Lambert, education commissioner for the IBOE. "Statistics of increased enrollment tell the story, as more young people choose Christian education in their pursuit of a life of distinction and significance grounded in faith-based beliefs."

Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) continues to lead the USA/Canada institutions in total enrollment in degree-seeking programs. This year ONU reported an outstanding total of 4,495 students, with a 66/34 ratio of undergraduate/graduate students.

Noteworthy gains in total enrollment were reported by Nazarene Bible College (NBC), Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU), and Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). NBC experienced an increase of 295 students enrolled in their on-line program; MVNU attributes their increase to 145 more students enrolled in their graduate programs; and PLNU's increase occurred in both their undergraduate and graduate programs.

Northwest Nazarene University's (NNU) undergraduate student enrollment increased by 63 while their graduate students increased by 65. Their total degree-seeking enrollment is 1,755, an increase of 128 students overall. In addition, they report a large professional development program with 8,428 students taking classes for credit, but not headed for a degree.

Canadian Nazarene University College's traditional undergraduate enrollment increased to 447 students, a gain of 78. Traditional undergraduate enrollment increased at Eastern Nazarene College to 701 students, for a total enrollment of 1,209, and at Trevecca Nazarene University to 913 students, toward a total enrollment of 2,217. Southern Nazarene University's (SNU) total enrollment is 2,068, 81 percent undergraduate and 19 percent graduate. MidAmerica Nazarene University's (MNU) total enrollment stands at 1,823, with 1,287 undergraduate students, and 496 graduate students. Nazarene Theological Seminary's enrollment is 297, with 266 traditional students, and 31 non-traditional students. In addition, NTS reports 25 missionary interns enrolled this fall.

Some of the institutions are strengthening their approach to students by offering courses through non-traditional methods and online technology. NBC provides on-line bachelor degree level courses for undergraduate with 627 students enrolled on-line this year. MNU, MVNU, and NNU offer online courses at the graduate level.

All of the denomination's educational institutions offer quality ministerial studies and liberal arts education at every level. These outstanding schools prepare pastors, missionaries, and laity to make an impact for Christ through evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Click here to see the IBOE's full enrollment report.
--International Board of Education

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NCN News Briefs for November 10, 2006

• Ian Wrong, the national Nazarene Compassionate Ministries coordinator for Canada who is in critical care with an inoperable blood clot on his brain, has been moved to a hospital closer to his wife and sons.