FEATURES

• "Your Daughters Shall Prophesy," by Stan Ingersol. From the beginning, the Church of the Nazarene expressed openness to women's involvement in clergy and lay offices at every level. A look at the historical contributions of women to the church reveals the key behind this early acceptance of their voices and gifts -- the concept of an apostolic ministry.

• "Corlis McGee: Pursued by Ministry." Encouragement from trusted mentors and remaining faithful to God one step at a time took Corlis McGee to her current leadership role in Nazarene education.

• "Empowering Women for Leadership," by Mary Rearick Paul and Jan Simonson Lanham. Two women reared in the church and taught early that God calls, empowers, and leads ponder the question, "Why are there so few women in places of leadership?"

• "The Rewards of 'Yes,'" by Carol Wight. The call Addie Garman once feared has taken her down the roads and rivers of Peru. God has empowered her to become a courageous and compassionate minister to the women of the Aguaruna Indians and the Amazon jungle.

• "Amazing Women of the Amazon Jungle," by Addie Garman. When she discovered that women were responding to the gospel only when prompted by their husbands, Addie Garman saw the need for a ministry to women. "Daughters of the King" is now training women in the Word and discipling them into ministry.

• "The Ministry of Mentoring," by Rebecca Laird. In a fast-track world of two-income households living far removed from extended family, is the biblical mandate to mentor others still viable? It's time to rediscover this intentional way of loving through relationship and influence.

• "Amazing Grace," by Robert Prescott. After laboring quietly for more than 30 years in the shadow of her husband's talent and ministry, Grace Prescott blossomed into an anointed and effective minister in her own right.

COLUMNS

• Editor's Forum: This month's panel of experts answers a question about the Nazarene position on women in leadership in the church.

• Commission: "The Power of Love," by William J. Prince. In the worst of times, God does the best of things.

• Portraits: "Mary Latham: A Pioneer with Pictures," by Debbie Salter Goodwin. Today as you watch a missions video, hold the first Nazarene-produced DVD from Nazarene Youth Congress, or access Nazarene audio and visuals from the Internet, you touch a part of the pioneer work of Mary Latham.

• Family Tree: "It's My Marriage, and I'll Cry if I Want To," by Les and Leslie Parrott. We didn't talk much about our feelings. For the time being, our tears said enough. And they spoke more eloquently than any dialogue.

• En Route: "Guardian Angels," by Carla Sunberg. "Mom, when will things be back to normal?" our two daughters asked. Our part of the world hasn't been "normal" for months.

• Gen X: "Is There a Place for Me?" by Frank Moore. What should I tell the next female ministerial student who stays after class?

• Worldview: "Reaching the Unreached NOW," by A. Brent Cobb. Jesus gave His followers the enormous task of going to all the world's peoples to make them His disciples. This is the Church's supreme task, but it's not "mission impossible."

• The Deeper Way: "Holiness and the People of God: A Corporate View," by Gordon Thomas. I became aware of how thoroughly corporate so much of Hebrew thinking was, and as I examined this concept in passage after passage, it struck me forcibly how very individualistic the average Western Christian's view is of life, sin, salvation, and holiness.

• Change Agent: "Change: The Intruder Who Won't Leave," by Jon Johnston. Like the infamous volcanic tragedy at Pompeii, so change continuously intrudes on our lives today. While its impact is not usually so sudden or catastrophic, it is nonetheless relentless.

• Heartbeat: "A Place Where Love Lived," by W. Talmadge Johnson. Marilyn and her sisters rode the church bus 10 miles every week to "a place where love lived."

• Essay: "So Long, Cindy," by Karen Dean Fry. Too many of our beliefs about women come from fairy tales and not enough from Scripture.

COMING IN APRIL -- JORDAN AND LEBANON: 50 YEARS OF TRIAL AND TRIUMPH

• "God Loves Arabs!" by Ivan Lathrop. Nazarene buildings in Beirut have been seriously damaged and church members and pastors scattered throughout the world during 15 years of conflict. In spite of these difficulties, God is not finished. The Church of the Nazarene continues as a stronghold for Christ in Lebanon and Jordan.