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Location, Location, Location
By: Tom Bandy
You've seen the real estate ads emphasizing the importance of having a home close to all the conveniences of school, shopping, work, and leisure. The same applies to the church. Your church building was originally constructed on your site because at the time it was a good location to accomplish the mission of the church. Years later, the only thing good about a location may be that the members still know how to find it!If all things were equal, and money was not an issue, where should your church be located? Before you renovate, consider this: a) Your primary mission field is defined by the average distance people in your neighborhood or community drive to work and shop. Today, that may be as far as you can go by car, on any road or highway, in 35 - 60 minutes. b) Businesses would say they want to be accessible to their market … and churches would say that they want to be accessible to their heartburst. They want to locate in such a way that the micro-cultures for whom their heart just bursts with a desire to reach, can easily see them and come to them. c) A single site almost never reaches all the potential heartbursts a church might have. Therefore, think multiple sites. And as you think multiple sites, make sure that any location you own can be readily sold … allowing you to move the mission and follow your heart (burst!). Now begin to decide whether you should renovate where you are, acquire a new site of ministry, or relocate completely to a place where your mission has the greatest chance of expanding.
From The Urban Imperative
(Excerpt from The Urban Imperative by David Best)
The Early Church demonstrated this comprehensive salvation in the communities it touched. The gospel of Christ has the power to transform lives and reform communities. The authentic heralding of the evangel produces disciples and church planters who understand H. Richard Niebuhr's maxim: Christians are not "those who are saved out of the perishing world, but. . .those who know that the world is being saved."
 John Wesley's understanding of Scripture offers a much fuller view of salvation than many American evangelicals teach:
By salvation I mean, not barely . . . deliverance from hell, or going to heaven; but a present deliverance from sin, a restoration of the soul to its primitive health, its original purity; a recovery of the divine nature; the renewal of our souls after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, in justice, mercy, and truth. . . . Now, if by salvation we mean a present salvation from sin, we cannot say, holiness is a condition of it; for it is the thing itself. Salvation, in this sense, and holiness, are synonymous terms.Offering people salvation in this sense is a distinctly different task than the practices of "evangelism" so common to American Evangelicals.
Mr. Wesley also made no "distinction between individual and social ethics because the Bible would not allow it." Timothy Smith warned Nazarene leaders in 1979 about "our tendency not to define entire sanctification as perfect love toward our fellow human beings as well as toward God." Investing wisely in the cities will require us to recapture an understanding of holiness that includes perfect love for God and our neighbors.
Wesleyans claim to have a radical optimism because of God's great grace. We need a greater view of sin to go with this greater grace. We must regain a view of sin as both personal and systemic, along with an equally expansive view of the Atonement that affirms what the Scriptures teach: In Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension, the works of the devil are destroyed in both individual human hearts and social institutions.
High Desert International Harvest Church Launched
 Anaheim District
"Houston, we have lift off" - That is how it felt at the end of the day. We are on the way, the journey has begun and the work is about to begin.182 people (including 66 kids) gathered at the school auditorium for worship. It was a great day. The Service flowed well, the presence of the Lord was evident and the people we pumped about the future of this church. Thanks for praying and we need more prayers as we see to reach the harvest in the high desert. Our next big items: - Grow the crowd by outreach
- Launch cell groups in May
- Discipleship/leadership training starts in May as well.
In April, we will have a part time administrator on staff to help with Accounts, database etc. Praise the Lord, Dottie has experience (30 years) and is a great lady. Our worship leader will also be on staff part time as well in April. Two key positions for this year.Pray for us as we make the steps for the post-launch phase of the journey.
Rev. Paul Earle -- Pastor
Upcoming Events
General Assembly Events -- 2005 Hispanic Strategy Committee Meeting
Indianapolis, Indiana
June 25, 2005 - 2:00pm - 5:00pm
June 27, 2005 - 9:00am - 12:00pm
Convention Center in Room 201
Contact: Roberto Hodgson
816-333-7000 Ext 2841 | "All the Nations Worship Service"
Held at General Assembly
Saturday June 25, 2005 - 9:00am - 12:00pm
Indianapolis, Indiana
Convention Center in the Wabash Ballroom 1-2 | Multicultural Luncheon
Westin Hotel
Grand 4
Saturday, June 25, 2005
12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Contact: Susan Grube
1-800-738-7167 | Black Strategy Committee Luncheon
Convention Center
Room 211
Sunday, June 26, 2005
12:00 - 2:30PM
Contact: Susan Grube
1-800-738-7167 |
Mission Strategy Publishes New DVD - "Ministry-Mercials"
Have you ever wanted to spruce up your service with a multi-media component?
Have you ever felt the need to project a specific theme into your service?
Have you ever wished you could use a 3 to 4 minute video with a special ministry emphasis?
Have you often wished that you had the financial resources to produce a short video with a specific theme?MINISTRY-MERCIALS might just be the tool you've waited for. With four different ministry themes (compassion, multicultural, urban, and missional) this DVD is user-friendly and is designed for use in worship services. Order without charge by calling the office: 800-738-7167 or email: mstrat@nazarene.orgDr. Rommell Carlson Cox Accepts Call to Wildwood
 Dr. Rommell Carlson Cox today consented to a call to pastor the Wildwood Church of the Nazarene on the Chicago Central District. The congregation gave Cox a 92% positive vote.
Dr. Cox is a native of Barbados and a graduate of Caribbean Nazarene Theological College and Olivet Nazarene University. He received the M.Div. degree from Howard University School of Divinity in 1999, and continued post-graduate studies at Covington Theological College where he was awarded the D.Min. degree.
Having pastored churches in Barbados, West Indies, and on the Mid-Atlantic district, Cox is a great speaker and an able administrator, being the recipient of the "Certificate of Management Training" from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA.
Married to Icilma, on March 25, 2005 the Coxes celebrated 27 years of marriage. They have five children: Carlson 26, Stafford 24, Matthew 22, Bernadette 20, and Adrienne 17.
We congratulate the Coxes on their new assignment!Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. a Compassionate Ministry Center in Memphis, Tennessee was awarded a multi-year grant, $1,010,349 over three years for a new initiative: Changing A Generation. Through this initiative, NCC will strive to reach children ages 0-5 by targeting parents during pregnancy through adult programs and neighborhood churches. This project will also focus on and track youth ages 6-22 who participate in NCC Youth Ministries. This holistic approach will invest in the overall health, family stability and education of individuals within NCC's target population, resulting in foundational improvements that will in time, change a generation. Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. is a CMC, whose mission is to provide compassionate, Christ-centered ministry to the practical and spiritual needs of the city's poor. Founded in 1978, NCC serves approximately 90,000 individuals each year, addressing the development of the whole person through educational tutoring, mentoring, college prep and assistance, arts/cultural activities, money management training, career guidance, Biblical teaching, and food/clothing/financial assistance.
While NCC has historically focused on young children, working with them through adulthood, Dr. JoeAnn Ballard, NCC's Executive Director says, "We believe that recent research urges us to reach children at even younger ages, even before birth. By targeting the mothers or parents during pregnancy and tracking them and their children over the long-term, we will strive to take a more preventative and effective approach to breaking the cycle of poverty and its subsequent consequences." She adds, "The holistic and relational approach we have established in the first twenty-six years of ministry has brought us to this pivotal point in our history. We believe that we are better situated than ever before to accomplish our goal to change a generation of disadvantaged Memphians through focusing on the dimensions of health, family and education." Work & Witness
Minneapolis Cambodian Church of the Nazarene
On the northwest side of Minneapolis in the suburb called Crystal is where the Minneapolis Cambodian Church of the Nazarene is located. For the past 12 years, this congregation of 120 people have been under the leadership of Pastor Sokurt Suos and they are reaching into their city to win the lost Cambodians to Jesus. Having been blessed with a large building and plenty of parking, Pastor Sokurt and his church family need help from Work & Witness to come and make some adjustments to their facilities. The immediate need is to have a team assemble a playground unit and construct a fence around the area. The playground unit was a gift for the children of this ministry, but has since been stored away until someone could put it together for them.  The church building itself is in need of major reconstruction ~ removal of inside office walls, which will make the use of the facilities more efficient. Other needs are to repaint walls and replace ceiling tiles in the classrooms and church office. Another major need is to replace the boiler circulating pump for better heat throughout the church building.
If you are interested in becoming involved in cross-cultural ministries, please consider taking a team to the state of Minnesota where you will make a CONNECTION with a Cambodian church and partner with them to reach their world for Jesus. Interested in more information?
Please email or call
Minneapolis Cambodian Church of the Nazarene
Rev. Sokurt Suos
6421 45th Ave. N
Crystal, MN 55428
(763) 537-7878
cambnaz@hotmail.com  Black Church Leadership Symposium
would be held at Nazarene Bible College,
Colorado Springs - September 26 - 30, 2005
National Black Conference 2006
Adam's Mark Hotel
Dallas, Texas
August 3-6, 2006
"Reclaiming and Empowering the Black Family in the 21st Century"
Contact: Dr. Elmer Gillett, Black Mission Director USA/Canada
718-857-2364 or Susan Grube, 800-738-7167
Nazarene Centennial Urban Renaissance
Doubletree Hotel, Phiadelphia
April 3 - 5, 2006"To the City with Love"
The Nazarene Centennial Urban Renaissance is a national urban conference scheduled for the Philadelphia area in 2006. Highlights
- One Heart, Many Hands Work Project
- 500 Pints of Light - A Blood Drive for Children's Hospital
- Workshops for those who yearn to be involved in urban ministry
- Resources for those presently involved in urban ministry
- Plenary Sessions with dynamic speakers
Partnership
The initiative is a 10% Special. Donations are welcome for a national fundraiser to complete the Urban Mission Resource Center in Philadelphia. Send checks to General Treasurer, Church of the Nazarene, 6401 Paseo Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64131Hispanics Accelerate Ministerial Training
Dr. Roberto Hodgson, Mission Director for Hispanic Ministries reports that an unprecedented number of Hispanics are enrolling in the Hispanic District Ministerial Education Centers. Hodgson reports, "I asked the Hispanic coordinators and leaders to provide information about the number of students in their centers. I am very encouraged by this numbers": - Direct result of the Master Teacher Plan-Modular Courses of Study Program (10 new district ministerial education center) (204 students)
- Adopted the Modular Courses of Study Program (6 district ministerial education centers) (125 students)
- In the process of adopting the Modular Courses of Study Program (5 district ministerial education center) (125 students)
- Other Programs (7 district ministerial education center) (170 students)
Total 26 (DMEC) 624 students
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