Almost Harvest Time!

Posted on by
Reply
It's harvest time!

It's harvest time!

Where I live, the evenings are starting to get cool. I saw pumpkins in the grocery store today (right beside the watermelons…hmm). No matter where we are in the world, it is almost harvest time! Yes, in some places, crops are ripening. And in others, crops are just being planted. Some places have yet to be plowed.

To Christians, it should always be harvest time. We should be “working in the fields,” no matter where we are. It is hard work, and we perform many thankless tasks. For some of us, it means harvesting close to home. For others, harvest takes place far from the familiar. Some harvests are meager; others bountiful. However, one harvest is not more important than another. All make a difference in someone’s eternal life.

Mission leaders in the Church of the Nazarene consider harvest time a special time of year. It is a time to consider what God has done for us, and harvest time (a.k.a. the Thanksgiving Offering for world evangelism) provides an opportunity for us to give back.

This year, NMI and Stewardship Ministries, along with several other Nazarene ministries, have provided excellent materials now available for download at www.nazarene.org/harvest2011. There are resources for all ages, sermon helps for pastors, bulletin inserts, and much more.

One of the new items this year is a prayer initiative guide and devotionals to prepare a congregation spriitually for the upcoming event. There are prayer materials especially for leaders, some for children, and three weeks’ worth for the entire congregation.

So…what are you doing to prepare for the harvest? That is not a rhetorical question; I really want to know.

Jesus said, “The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!”  (John 4:34, MSG)

Leaders Receive Help in a New Way

Posted on by
Reply

More than 30 leaders and members of the NMI team met together via conference call on Monday, March 16. The cost was limited to a long-distance call and an hour of our time.

This was the first of what we hope to be many such calls. The purpose of this call was to find out what leaders are thinking, questions they are asking, and what topics they would like to discuss in future calls.

Not surprisingly, much of the time was spent discussing mission giving. Leaders shared ideas about how they are encouraging giving within the context of a depressed economy. Global NMI Director Daniel Ketchum also spent some time discussing the upcoming changes in World Evangelism Fund giving voted on by the General Board in February. More details should be coming in the next couple of months.

Technology was part of the discussion as well, with some leaders weighing in on the new electronic Mission Connection and others asking about the use of electronic media for church/district newsletters. Several leaders said their districts and/or churches are sending newsletters out via e-mail to save money on printing and postage.

The audio file (MP3 format) of the conference call is available on the Local Presidents page of the NMI Web site (www.nazarenemissions.org). Click on “Local Presidents” (upper-right portion of the home page) and then on “Resources and Supplies” (left-hand column). Notes from the discussion have also been posted in the same location.

Suggested topics for upcoming calls are:

  • Ideas for getting commitment of time from young adults
  • How are districts developing mission call coordinators?
  • How do districts organize their councils?
  • What does a district convention look like in this century?
  • Leadership development
  • Creative ways of coordinating Work & Witness in a depressed economy
  • How do New Starts begin a mission program?
  • How do we instill mission passion in a church/area that doesn’t have that passion (not just in new areas)?

Upcoming calls will be announced via Mission Connectionand by notifiying district NMI presidents.

Participants are encouraged to notify the NMI team (either through this blog or by e-mailing us at nmi@nazarene.org) of challenges, questions, and suggestions regarding the conference call, as well as suggesting more topics for future calls.

World Evangelism Fund: Skeleton of Nazarene Missions

Posted on by
4

Throughout the years, World Evangelism Fund has been described in numerous ways: cake (to Mission Specials’ ”frosting”), meat (to Mission Specials’ ”potatoes”), a lifeline, and others. I’m throwing my description in the mix: World Evangelism Fund is the skeleton of Nazarene Missions.

A skeleton provides a framework for the human body, protects vital organs, and allow people to move around, doing what they were created to do. The human skeleton produces blood cells and platelets, in conducting nerve impulses, and in helping us hear.

In short, World Evangelism Fund helps the Church of the Nazarene accomplish Jesus’ Great Commission to us. Like a human body trying to move without the support of a skeletal system, the mission of the church could not go forward without World Evangelism Fund.

When I hear of churches who are not participating in World Evangelism Fund, I ask myself why. Even in a depressed economy, at least one person in a church can give something.

Is it possible that many Nazarenes do not fully understand what World Evangelism Fund does. Using the purposes of a skeleton mentioned above, World Evangelism Fund

  • gives structure to practically all mission endeavors in the denomination–sometimes that structure takes the form of providing salaries for missionaries or regional personnel, sometimes it helps with district infrastructure, other times it takes a different form.
  • protects vital ministries and personnel by allowing them to take place without continually writing letters for support.
  • allows forward movement by the Church of the Nazarene. Through the World Evangelism Fund, new world areas are entered.
  • helps us accomplish what we were created to do–witness to people the world over of God’s love, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit’s comfort.
  • helps produce cells that maintain life through the many ministries of the Church of the Nazarene.
  • carries messages from one ministry to another to accomplish the mission of the church.
  • helps us hear the needs of the world.

What do you think? Do you think the average Nazarene understands the purpose of World Evangelism Fund and appreciates its necessity?

Welcome!

Posted on by
6

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3, NIV).

Welcome to “Among the Nations,” a blog devoted to promoting the global mission of the Church of the Nazarene within the local church.

Let me say that blogging is a new venture for me, so I welcome constructive criticism and patience…a lot of patience! Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s get down to business.

As an editor for Nazarene Missions International (NMI), I believe mission leaders in the local church should have a forum to ask questions, offer suggestions, and share their adaptations to mission promotion ideas.

As many NMI leaders know, Mission Connection magazine, the resource exchange for NMI leaders, will go electronic with the January issue, changing from a quarterly to a monthly periodical. We plan to e-mail the first issue early next week; so if you have not signed up, e-mail us at missionconnection@nazarene.org and we will add you to the e-mail list. Anyone may subscribe to the e-mail magazine; it is free. (Yes, that was a plug for the magazine.)

What I hope readers will do is read the electronic Mission Connection, then let us hear from you. Did you adapt any of the ideas because they didn’t fit your church? What suggestions do you, as a mission leader, have for the magazine? Consider this the interactive section of the magazine.

We always welcome new—or refreshed—mission promotion ideas. You would be surprised how often we hear of a terrific idea secondhand, only to be told by the originator, “Oh, I didn’t think you would be interested in that! I’m not very creative.” Give yourself some credit; you are creative! And we need your ideas to keep Mission Connection helpful to its readers.

I look forward to hearing about how you foster mission passion in your church (or how your mission leaders do). Let me know your questions, problems you have faced, solutions to those problems (if you have them), and the results of your mission-passionate people.

Just as the psalmist wrote, we must declare God’s needs among the nations. That declaration begins at home.