A story of trust: Church of the Nazarene celebrates 25 years in France

Dreux, France-Pastor Noel Alves remembers taking his three year-old son to see "Bambi" in Paris in the early 1970s. In a city full of cinemas and nearly empty of churches, he stood in the doorway of the theatre after the film and prayed that someday, God would make that building a church. He continued praying that way for 10 years.

"I said, 'If God answers, I will serve him for all of my life,'" Alves recalled.

These are the experiences Alves reflected on during the 25th Anniversary of the Church of the Nazarene in France March 18-19, when more than 250 people gathered to celebrate the life of the church, past and future. Prayers for the theatre - for any place for the fledgling Paris congregation to meet matter - underscored Alves' life for the past quarter century as he pioneered one of the first Nazarene Churches in France.

Alves grew up attending a Nazarene Church in Cape Verde, Africa with his mother and siblings, where he began to sense a call to pastor at the age of five. He moved to Senegal to work when he was 16, and felt the call confirmed there. When he moved to France in 1968, newly married, it was with the intention of staying three to four years to attend a Bible college before returning to Cape Verde.

Alves and his wife, Maria, ended up staying in Paris for 37 years.

"Looking at the way of life here in France, I really saw that there was a need for God," he said, "and I really loved this country because of that."

The couple began a church in their apartment as a family with a handful of other friends and met for several years. In 1979, he discovered recently-sent Nazarene missionaries to France. Walter and Linda Crow had started a church in Versailles with David and Carolita Fraley in 1980. They worked with Alves to begin the second Paris church in 1981.

From the dozen or so members it had at its inception, the Paris church has grown to about 50 members, and at least three pastors have risen from the congregation to plant other churches around the country.

"We have really been blessed with all of those people and it is really a work of God," said Alves, now retired. "God has been faithful and we want to be faithful to Him, too."

Today, there are three congregations in Paris, one in Versailles, and one in Montpelier. There are church plants at Ecoun and Dreux, and a new preaching point has recently been established at Roane.

"The current spiritual climate in France is more favorable to the Gospel than any other time since our arrival in 1979," said David Fraley, France District President. "There is an authentic quest for spiritual meaning among many of the French people, especially the younger generation. People are rediscovering Jesus Christ, personal prayer, and the church. The Church of the Nazarene is here at the right time in French history."

The anniversary celebration closed with a slide show of the people and places that have been integral to the church in France over the past 25 years. Toward the end, several photos showed a building in Paris being gutted and refurbished.

It's the same movie theatre where Pastor Alves prayed nearly a decade before - and it's been the home of the Paris church for almost 15 years.

"This was really a great blessing to me," Alves said. "It teaches us that we have to put our trust always in God for everything."

Note: For photos, see this week's photo gallery on ncnnews.com.
--Simone Finney, Eurasia Region Communications

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MVNU students opt for different college spring break experience

Mount Vernon, Ohio-While the American Medical Association is publishing warnings to college students, especially females, about spring break "gone wild" behavior, Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) students have spent the past two months training and preparing for 11 different missions-oriented trips spread over three continents.

This week, nearly 150 MVNU students are participating in service trips to locations around the world, including Belize, Hungary, Germany, Venezuela, and U.S. cities such as Chicago, Orlando, , Lakeland, Florida, Long Beach, California, New Orleans, New York City, and Table Rock Lake, Missouri. While these trips may include one day of sight-seeing on the side, the majority of the spring break week will be spent cleaning, teaching, repairing, ministering, helping, building, and loving - all to benefit people in need.

Junior Emily Stice from Honolulu, Hawaii, views these spring break trips as a privilege to participate in something larger than herself. "I think the trip to New York City will be a great opportunity to serve God in an amazing location with people who need to experience His love in a real way," she explained. "I've always come away feeling that I've received more than I've given. While it is a challenging experience, it helps my faith to grow and teaches me more of God's faithfulness and my total need for Him." Stice also looks forward to the meaningful friendships that will be made on the trip. When asked if she will participate in more trips, she said enthusiastically, "Absolutely!"

Jeremy Shunk, a senior from Jeromesville, Ohio, had the opportunity to study at European Nazarene College for a semester. After meeting some eastern European students there, he has opted to go to Hungary for spring break. "I want to experience what God is doing elsewhere in the world. And that certainly includes much more than a self-interested spring vacation. We're of the human race, and there's something special in that-in discovering how alike we are. There's something that happens when you humble yourself to serve others," he said. "We see the news and think that world is just destroying itself, but here's a lot of good in the world too. There is so much going on and so much that God is doing that we will never know until we go beyond the boundaries we have set for ourselves."

In addition to these spring break trips, four teams of more than 200 students will travel this summer to Africa, Mexico, and Costa Rica. The fourth is an inaugural medical missions trip involving current students and MVNU alumni working together to bring medical treatment and public health education to the people of Nicaragua.

"From my own experience with short-term missions years ago, I came to terms with my 'non-call' to full-time missions service. What the trip did for me then, much like what MVNU spring break trips do for students now, was to help me clarify God's gifts and talents in my life as they relate to ministry and service," explained Gary Sivewright, MVNU vice-president for campus ministries and chaplain. "My call is not to be a full-time missionary, but to take hundreds of high school and college students on missions experiences in order that they may make similar discoveries for their own lives."

Over the past 10 years, more than 2,000 MVNU students have traveled to more than 16 U.S. locations and 29 worldwide destinations, not to mention the countless faculty and staff who have coordinated the trips and traveled along as mentors and guides.
--MVNU (Pictured: Lauren Hall surrounded by friends during a Spring Break 2005 trip to Benin, Africa.)

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New provost leads academic future for Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego-Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) announced this week that after an extensive search, John Hawthorne was chosen to fill the position of university provost. In this role, Hawthorne will be responsible for all undergraduate and graduate operations related to curriculum, instructional programs, educational policy, academic planning, and academic resources. Hawthorne officially assumes his new position in June.

Presently, Hawthorne serves as the special assistant to the president at Warner Pacific College (WPC) in Portland, Oregon. Prior to assuming his current position, Hawthorne served as the vice-president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty at WPC for more than 10 years.

"Dr. Hawthorne's experience as a faculty member, as a leader of programs sites away from the central campus, as a consultant evaluator in the accreditation process, and his long-tenured leadership as vice-president for Academic Affairs provide him with an excellent foundation for his leadership at PLNU," Said PLNU President Bob Brower. "In addition to his many papers and presentations, John has special interest and involvement with articulating the issues of higher education in a Wesleyan context."

Hawthorne's undergraduate and graduate work is from Purdue University, where he holds a Ph.D. in sociology. He has been an assistant and associate professor of sociology at Olivet Nazarene University, a professor of sociology and associate dean at Sterling College, and before moving to his current position he was a vice-president and dean of Continuing Education at Sterling College.
--PLNU

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Unseeded Olivet knocks out No.1 before losing to familiar foe in NAIA quarterfinals

Kansas City-For the third time in five years the Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball saw its season come to an end in the NAIA Division I Elite Eight. For the second time in those five years, the Tigers' season came to an end at the hands of Oklahoma Baptist, this time 91-75. Oklahoma Baptist also defeated the Tigers in the 2002 tournament.

The highlight of Olivet's impressive run to the Elite Eight was the tournament's biggest upset.

In the 39 years of Olivet men's basketball, the Tigers had never beaten a team ranked No. 1 in the country. However, after the second round of the men's NAIA Division I National Tournament, the Tigers can finally say that they defeated the best, knocking off top-seeded Mountain State (West Virginia) 79-65 on Friday, March 17.

Against the Mountain State Cougars, who finished the year 29-3, the Tigers maintained a double-digit lead for a majority of the second half before the Cougars were able to cut the lead to five, 56-51 with 5:37 to play.

Olivet responded by going on a 17-6 run to build a 16-point lead at 73-56 with 1:23 to play on Stan Chismark's free throws.

Chismark capped the scoring by adding a bucket with 12 seconds to play, sealing the victory.

Chismark, a First Team All-Tournament and Second Team NAIA All-American selection, led all scorers against Mountain State by pouring in a career-high 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He hit four three-pointers and was 5-of-6 from the foul line. Phil French came off the pines to add 16 points and grab six rebounds before fouling out. Zach Birkey recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and dishing out 10 assists. Livas and Phil Howell each chipped in 10. Travis Meeks was limited to two points but grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

In addition to scoring a career-high, Chismark, a junior, also eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark with his 27 points. His three-pointer at the 8:48 mark made him the 33rd player to don the purple and gold to score 1,000 points.

The win over Mountain State upped the Tigers' record to 23-10 and sent Olivet to the NAIA Elite Eight for the fourth straight time.

It also set up the re-match with Oklahoma Baptist.

On Saturday, March 18, the Tigers fell behind by 21 early against Oklahoma Baptist before putting together 17-3 run to end the half, cutting the Oklahoma Baptist lead to seven on a Zach Birkey three pointer right before halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers scored the first two buckets, cutting the lead to three (48-45) on Travis Meeks' jumper with 18:26 to play.

However, the Tigers would not get any closer.

Seeing its lead cut to three, Oklahoma Baptist used a 12-4 run to push the lead back into double digits, 60-49, with 14:57 to play.

The Tigers were able to cut the lead to 10, 72-62, on a basket from Zach Johnson with 8:41 to play, but the Bison responded by going on a 13-1 run, putting the game away.

The Tigers used some late field goals to get the lead under 20.

As in 2002, the Bison got the best of Olivet, this time by a final score of 91-75. The win sent Oklahoma Baptist on to their eighth NAIA Fab Four.

The Tigers were led against the Bison by Phil French, who came off the pines to score 16 points and grab six rebounds. Chismark added 14 points, nine coming on three three-pointers. Micah Lavender chipped in 10 on 4-of-5 shooting. Seniors Birkey and Johnson scored eight points a piece, with Birkey dishing out a game-high seven assists.

The Tigers graduate Birkey and Johnson, along with Rob Rinard, but return a good portion of this team which finishes 23-11 overall and went 11-1 in their conference. The Tigers finished the year by going 20-6 after starting the year 3-5.

Oklahoma Baptist went on to lose to eventual champion Texas Wesleyan University in the semifinals. Texas Wesleyan hit a three pointer with .02 seconds left in the championship game to defeat Oklahoma City University 67-65.
--ONU, NCN News

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Lady Trojans fall in quarterfinals, men in second round

Jackson, Tennessee-NAIA No. 5 and tournament No.1 seed Trevecca Nazarene University (31-5) faced Lubbock Christian (22-11) on March 18 in the NAIA Division I women's national championship tournament and lost 62-51 to conclude their season. This was the second straight Elite Eight appearance for the Trojans and marked the first time the Lady Trojans had won NAIA tournament games in back-to-back seasons.

Lubbock Christian was facing its second Nazarene school as they knocked Point Loma Nazarene University out of the tournament in the first round.

After trailing by two at halftime 22-20, Trevecca kept the game close and eventually tied the ballgame at 36 with 10 minutes to go on a turnaround jump shot by senior Jackie Weaver (pictured). After a two minute scoring drought by both teams, Sierra Wilcox hit a three-pointer to put the Lady Chaps up 39-36 and give them a lead they would not relinquish. Trevecca stayed close but was not able to capitalize on scoring chances, as Lubbock Christian hit their free throws to defeat the Trojans 62-51.

Weaver, the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TCAC) Player of the Year and First Team NAIA All-American, finished with her 26th double-double of the season, leading the team with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She added seven blocks. Senior Jana Reed also finished in double digits in scoring with 12. Senior Kristin Bledsoe led the team in assists with five.

Lubbock Christian was defeated by Trevecca's conference rival, Union University (Tennessee), in the championship game 79-62. This was the second straight championship for Union. Trevecca defeated Union 75-62 in the TCAC tournament semifinals in early March.

In Kansas City, Trevecca's men's team, seeded 11th in the Division I men's tournament, fell in the second round to Azusa Pacific University, 78-75. A desperation and highly-contested three pointer by TCAC Player of the Year and NAIA First Team All-American Alex Renfroe that would have sent the game to overtime hit off the back of the rim as time expired.

Trevecca completed the year with a 26-7 record and has a 120-68 record the last six seasons. The last two men's teams have a combined 51-15 record. This was the third NAIA Tournament appearance for a Sam Harris-coached Trevecca team and the fourth overall for the program. It's the first time Trevecca has reached the NAIA Tournament in consecutive seasons and the first time Trevecca has had consecutive 20 wins seasons since 1991. Trevecca has had six consecutive winning seasons and is now 4-4 all time in the NAIA Tournament.
--TNU

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Final NAIA basketball results for Nazarene schools
Kansas City-Seven Nazarene collegiate basketball teams participated in NAIA national championship tournaments this month. read more

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