| Global Weekly Summary |
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September
24, 2004 Global
News This Week
Caribbean crisis worsens, support resources running out Gonaives, the third-largest city of Haiti with a population of 250,000, experienced mudslides and flooding that left no home undamaged. People are preparing mass graves, and basic necessities are scarce or non-existent. In the Dominican Republic, Saenz reports 10 Nazarene churches are badly damaged and many church members are homeless. Several large bridges shattered as the raging flood waters swept by, and communication lines are down, so the full extent of needs is still unknown. The Spanish Field office and NCM Caribbean have requested urgent assistance for the immense needs in this storm-battered region. There are 95,000 Nazarenes in Haiti and nearly 8,000 in the Dominican Republic. Most local resources were used for Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan, which swept through the region in recent weeks. Immediate and critical needs continue to be potable water, food, medicines, and clothing. Donations of Crisis Care Kits (CCK) are also needed as recent hurricanes have completely depleted warehouse supplies. (For information on CCKs, click here: http://www.nazarene.org/story_urgentcarekits.html) “We cannot begin to imagine the heartache,” stated World Mission Director Louie E. Bustle. “The losses are staggering and the needs are great. Prayers and any help will be deeply appreciated by our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean.” Persons and churches wishing to make a donation for hurricane relief efforts can mark their checks “Hurricane Relief ACM1249” 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. Immediate donations may also be made online at http://www.ncm.org/contribute_ACM1249.html. All donations remitted through the General Treasurer’s Office will receive 10 percent Mission Special credit if the local church is identified. Pictured: Nazarene
leaders in the Dominican Republic view damage sustained
by the Santa Rosa Church of the Nazarene from recent hurricanes. Click on the picture to view
a larger version. Nazarene
leaders attend Washington briefings with national leaders Tours and briefings were provided for the group of district superintendents at both the White House and the Capitol. Tim Goeglein, special assistant to the President, met with the group and brought an inspiring update of God’s work moving forward in various Bible studies and prayer meetings across Capitol Hill. Another special briefing with Jim Towey, from the Executive Office of the President for Faith Based and Community Initiatives, shared the administration’s support for the various Nazarene compassionate ministries. Special appreciation was expressed to the Church of the Nazarene for its growing network of compassionate ministries, now totaling nearly 200 centers across the USA and Canada. Additional sessions for district superintendents at the National Conference Center included presentations from David Roozen, from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research; Paul Borden, author of Hit the Bullseye; and Ram Caran, researcher and author of the business Execution. The week-long DSLDP meeting concluded on Sunday morning with an insightful
message from General Superintendent W. Talmadge Johnson. His message
aligned the leadership of Moses with the choices and priorities of district
superintendents in achieving their mission assignments and building the
Centennial Celebration team.
Kidnapped in the Congo “I would like to relate this recent story so you can understand life in the Congo. My assistant’s boy, Lunanga Igilima, was recently kidnapped by the rebel military and was missing for four days. His mother had sent him to the market and he never came home. “On August 5, about noon, he and another boy left to buy some things for his mother. Four men approached them, asking for some help loading supplies into their truck. If they helped out, they would receive a gift. “When the boys put the items in the large covered truck the gate was closed quickly and the truck commenced to move. They were met with armed military and told they were not allowed to speak. “They were driven out in the country not seeing where they were going. They arrived at a military camp where they were divided into groups. “The boy’s father and mother were extremely troubled trying to figure out what happened to their child. They wondered if he was involved in an accident or maybe in jail. The father went to inquire at the hospital to no avail. He then visited the jails. Nothing. He spent those nights crying and asking God, ‘Why?’ “On the third day Lunanga's group was sent out by the captors to search for water. Three of the boys decided they should try to escape and convinced the other six boys to run for their lives. They spent all day Saturday walking and running to their homes. That evening they came to the border but weren't allowed to cross because they didn't have any paperwork showing who they were. Three of the boys then caught a ride hiding in the back of a truck crossing the border. They spent the night at the house of an aunt to one of the boys. “On Sunday, August 8, around 11 A.M., Lunanga entered into his home where he found some ladies from the church with his mother. His mother pleaded, ‘Is this really you, or is that your spirit?’ He answered, ‘Yes, it is really me.’ They started praising God. They prepared him a bath because he was so dirty and then he wanted to sleep. “After he woke up, his parents questioned him to what had happened. He is in good health and doesn't seem to be traumatized by this. The boy who accompanied him on the trip to the market is still at the camp as far as they know. “Our children in Congo need your prayers.” Note: For an additional Africa Region story (Young pastor holds first Baptism Service at Angola Church), see this week's NCN News Photo Page.
PNG
National Pastors’ Conference:
Lifting high the cross! Pastors from the Middle Ramu district walked for three days and then traveled on the back of a truck for eight hours to get to the conference site. District Superintendent Timothy Kiandu from West Sepik walked for an entire night and all the next day for a total of 21 hours with only a few rest stops. Kiandu then caught a truck to Wewak, then a ship that took him overnight to Madang, where he rode a bus to the conference. It took almost a whole week for Kiandu to get to the conference—and a week to return home. Pastors from the Angoram area traveled several hours by dugout canoe, then for six hours in a small open boat with an outboard motor down the coast to Bogia so they could catch transport to Lae. The mornings and afternoons of the conference were given to teaching sessions and preaching services were held each evening. God worked powerfully in people’s lives. Altar calls were very simple: “You have heard the message. God has spoken. The altar is open. Come and pray.” The people responded promptly. Again and again, the altar area was packed with pastors praying. Participants were encouraged by a powerful dramatic presentation that ended with hundreds of pastors lifting a large cross together into the air symbolizing them taking up the cross and carrying it forward from one generation to the next. The Church of the Nazarene continues to grow at a rapid rate in Papua New Guinea. The number of full members in this country grew by 8.6 percent last year giving a current total of more than 13,000 Nazarenes on 11 districts. For
more pictures and stories from the event, including a description of
the dramatic presentation;
see this week’s NCN News Photo
Page.
Russia, CIS news briefs
—Chuck and Carla Sunberg for the CIS Team
Work and Witness/JESUS Film teams touch lives in El Salvador
500
backpacks given away at Flint Eastside Mission's 4th annual "Back
to School" carnival “If it wasn't for Pastor Bill, the kids wouldn't have school supplies,” said Folaron, 36, of Flint. Approximately 500 children and their families waited with the same idea: Get into the center parking lot to pick up a school backpack provided by the center and Pastor Bill Burdine, who has headed the Nazarene charity since it was established 10 years ago. Like the others in line, Folaron also bought 12 tickets for $1.00—a token amount Burdine said is to teach accountability—to play a variety of games whose prizes were items to fill the backpacks. “We don't [make] any money with it, but buying the tickets teaches a lesson,” Burdine said. The 76 Nazarene churches on the Eastern Michigan district serve as the primary source of funds for the Eastside Mission. Churches supplied volunteers and collected school supplies and treats to give away. Music was provided by one of the church’s praise bands and two other churches hosted a cookout. One woman attending this year’s Back to School Carnival, the fourth of its kind, approached Burdine saying that five of her seven school-age children would have started school without backpacks and school supplies if it had not been for the event. Burdine says he knows there were hundreds more there with the same story. “I know that Jesus was smiling down on us at the mission and at all the ministry that took place on that special day,” Burdine stated. Pastor since 1975, Burdine, 66, said the giveaway is one of four special annual events at the mission. Others include a hamburger dinner, Christmas gift-giving for more than 1,000 people, and a 700-basket Easter distribution. The Mission’s hot lunch program operates four days a week, serving approximately 250,000 meals over the past 10 years. According to Margie Bryce, the Mission’s marketing/development director, the pantry has provided thousands of tons of food to 5,000 men, women, and children in the neighborhood. Limited medical services are also provided, while an infant ministry provides clothing, formula, and diapers to more than 400 babies a month. Clothing and appliances are distributed from a home next to the Mission complex. For additional photos from the event, please see
this week’s NCN
News Photo Page. Regional
Resources:
Zink recovering after surgery Both Chuck and his wife, Sally, are battling cancer. Clergy Development reported, “Sally had a slight reaction to the drug they gave her at her first chemotherapy session. She was able to finish the treatment, however, and was feeling pretty good later that evening. Of course, she is so relieved about Chuck.” After
a mid-week treatment, Sally was to fly from their home in New Hampshire
to Houston on Friday, September
24 to be
with Chuck for two
weeks. She will be on a three-week cycle of chemo for the next 6-7 months
to combat her lymphoma. “She is very thankful for all the prayers
and concern for both of them,” stated a Clergy Development representative. Martha Taylor, 1944-2004, honored with fly-over Born January 14, 1944 in Nashville, Tennessee, she married Robert Taylor in 1964 in Nashville. She was an elementary school teacher for 30 years. First grade was her favorite grade to teach. Following her retirement from teaching, Taylor became a certified flight instructor. She held a private pilot’s license with instrumental rating and a commercial pilot’s license. The Lake Erie Chapter of the 99’s, a women pilot’s organization, was near and dear to her heart as she held local, state, and national officer positions. She flew for the United States Coast Guard with her primary run being shore patrol from Cleveland, Ohio to Buffalo, New York for the Homeland Security Department. She felt it was an honor to support her country. A member of the Ashtabula First Church of the Nazarene, Martha is survived by her husband Robert, parents Jesse and Martha Middendorf, and brothers Jesse C. and Benjamin Middendorf. General
Superintendent Middendorf, remembering the life of his sister, said, “Martha
Taylor was a remarkable woman who packed more into her 60 years than
most people can pack into
80 or more. Church
of the Nazarene Ministry Links NMI
Prayer Mobilization Line: On-Line
Pastor's Calendar:
SkillQuest youth conference to be held at MVNU Sponsored by MVNU and Nazarene Youth International,
SkillQuest focuses on making youth groups grow in faith, spiritual
fervor, and numbers by
nurturing a passion for Christ and cultivating ministry skills. The theme
for this year's event, “A Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry,” will
challenge adults and youth to go deeper with Christ, to build quality
leadership skills, and to influence the culture for Christ. Speaker Barry Event participants will take part in praise and worship time, sessions with St. Clair, and two elective workshop sessions. These sessions include Staying Spiritually Fit with a Busy Life, In the World But Not of It, Discipling the Post-Modern Student, Creative Mentoring Strategies that Transform Youth Ministry, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Jesus-Practical Steps Toward Christ-likeness, Adults Only Time with St. Clair, Youth Only Time with St. Clair, and Youth Only: Your So-Called Devotional Life (and How to Change It). Cost for the event is $30 for adults and $20 for youth and includes
lunch. The registration deadline is October 5, 2004. Anyone registering
at the door will be charged an additional $5. For more information or
to register, visit www.mvnu.edu or call (740) 392-6868. Registrations
can also be E-mailed to events@mvnu.edu. Nazarene
Global Educational Links:
Booth
riding NFL roller coaster Just when the former MNU and Manatee High School (Bradenton, Florida) star was getting settled in his role, he was released from the practice squad on September 15. The team told him they still had interest in him and sure enough he was re-signed less than a week later to the practice squad. Booth, who is making the transition from college quarterback to professional wide receiver, saw action in all four of the Chiefs preseason games, catching a total of four passes for 33 yards and no touchdowns. Booth caught three passes for 31 yards, including a 19 yard catch and run, in a 34-24 Chiefs loss to the New York Giants. In a Monday Night Football match-up against St. Louis, Booth drew praise from legendary announcer John Madden for his accomplishments. Considering very few NAIA players reach the NFL, it is quite an accomplishment for Booth to be signed to a practice squad position. For a photo gallery of Booth in action for the Chiefs, see the NCN News
Photo Page.
NCN
News – September 17, 2004
To view the archived edition of the previous NCN News, click here.
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