January 2009 |
| In This Issue: |
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| News From Around Our Great District |
Dr. Stephen T. Anthony
District Superintendent |
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From the District Superintendent
Welcome to 2009! At Midnight, we ushered in the New Year with the following making news:
- Israel targets Hamas in Gaza Strip, ground troops poised to attack.
- GM, Ford, & Chrysler receive billions in loans to avoid bankruptcy.
- The Stock Market continues to free-fall in global economic crisis.
- Housing values tumble further as foreclosures continue.
- Holiday sales worst in 38 years. Malls and stores going out of business.
- Unemployment hits double digits, more job losses expected.
I have just finished reading a book entitled What in the World is Going On? by Dr. David Jeremiah who is a pastor in California. The book is another attempt to correlate current events with Biblical End Time prophecies. Now I have to admit that I have always been intrigued with this subject and I believe for every Christian we should be alert and watching for our Lord's return. However, I believe while we should be knowledgeable of the events that will usher in the return of the Messiah, more importantly we must be prepared spiritually for His return. Jesus was so concerned about people being ready for His coming, that near the end of his ministry He gave 3 parables (recorded in Matthew 25) instructing His followers to be ready. The Parables of the Ten Virgins, The Talents, and the Sheep and Goats all point to his return and the importance of being ready for that day.
No one knows if 2009 will be the year that the Church is raptured or if the events we are experiencing will indeed be those that are the beginning of the end for Planet Earth as we know it. The most important thing for you and for me is to make sure our relationship with Christ is up to date. Certainly we must be watching, waiting, and expecting but we also must be about being the hands and feet of Jesus in our world, a world that desperately needs Him. But most importantly:
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matt 24:44 (NKJV)
Stephen T. Anthony
District Superintendent
District Superintendent
Other News from Around the District
 Thank You
Marilyn and I want to thank our Eastern Michigan family for the many thoughtful remembrances at Christmas. Each card, call and gift was a reminder of how fortunate we are to have friends all over Eastern Michigan that pray for us and care about us. The District's generous Christmas gift was very much appreciated. The greatest gift of all though is the one you have given us for over 17 years, the privilege of serving Christ together with you. Our hope and prayer is that the Pastors, laymen and churches of Eastern Michigan will have a very blessed 2009.
Board of Ministry to Meet
The Annual meeting of the Ministerial Studies and Credentials Boards will be held on Monday, February 23 at Flint Central Church. All District Licensed Ministers and those enrolled in the Course of Studies need to contact District Secretary, Rev. Larry Betz for an appointment to meet with the board. Those applying for a first time license also need to contact Rev. Betz. Applications will be available on line.
Rev. Larry V. Betz
810-750-4080 – ofc.
810-964-7225 – cell
lvbetz@emdnaz.org
Flushing Church Calls New Pastor
 The Flushing Community Church of the Nazarene has called Rev. Terry Bate as their new Lead Pastor. Rev. Bat is coming to Flushing from High Pointe Community Church of the Nazarene in Byron Center, Michigan where he has served as Associate Pastor since May of 2004. Prior to serving in Michigan he was on staff in Fairfield, Ohio and Baltimore, Maryland. A 1994 graduate of Olivet Nazarene University, Terry is married to Tammy (Frame) and they have two children, a son Corbin and daughter Sutton. Tammy is the daughter of Rev. Gene and Patsy Frame who pastored Richfield Church from 1978 – 1986. Rev. Bate will officially begin his ministry at Flushing on Sunday, January 11th. An installation service is planned for Sunday, January 18th. Thanks to both Rev. Larry Betz and Rev. Steve Close who have filled in as interim pastors since early summer.
District Assembly and NMI Convention
The 2009 NMI Convention and District Assembly will be held April 19-21 at Flint Central Church. NMI Convention will begin Sunday evening April 19 at 6 PM and conclude by 5 PM on Monday. District Assembly will begin at 7 PM on Monday, April 20 with Ordination Service and conclude by 5 PM on Tuesday, April 21st. Dr. James Diehl will be our presiding General Superintendent.
Richfield Church Hosts VBS Training
Pastoral Review
Congratulations to Rev. Vince Flippo, pastor of the Bedford Church of the Nazarene, on his successful pastoral review and unanimous renewal of his call for 4 more years. Rev. Flippo has completed his 10th year as pastor of Bedford Church.
TEAM Day 2009 is Coming
 SATURDAY - FEBRUARY 28, 2009 at 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Location: Perry High and Middle Schools in Perry, MI
- Lay Leadership & Clergy
- Youth Workshops and Events
- Children's Workshops & Childcare (age 4 through 6th Grade)
Early Registration: postmarked by February 1
Adults and teens: $25 Children $5
Final Registration Deadline: postmarked by February 9
Adults and teens: $35 Children $10
Late Registrations Not Accepted
For more information, forms, and to register online, visit www.minaz.org beginning January 1, 2009
TEAM Day 09
Contacts: John & Darlene Harris
PO Box 678
Perry, MI 48872
517-675-7442
 Lapeer Church hosts "Healing Private Wounds" seminar
Please join us for a day of insight and discovery. This seminar will be helpful for pastors, teachers, counselors, survivors, and family members. Local author Shirley Jo Peterson offers a breath of fresh air for any sexual abuse victim. She lightens the burden of guilt and offers a lifeline to survivors. She will show how you can turn tragedy around and make something positive out of a negative happening. Check out her website at www.whisper.org.
When: Saturday January 17, 2009 from 11:00 - 1:30
Where:
Lapeer Church of the Nazarene 3251 Fort Knox Drive in the Lake Nepessing shopping Plaza. Contact the church at (810)664-4481 or our web site at www.lapeernaz.org or e-mail us at adminoffice@lapeernaz.org
Cost:
$8.00 for early registration or $10.00 at the door. A light lunch will be provided.
Linda Crawford, wife of former Beulah pastor Rev. Art Crawford, passed away suddenly on January 2nd.
She was 60 years old. Rev. Art Crawford pastored Beulah
Church from 1993 through 2003. Please remember Rev. Crawford and their family in your prayers.
General Assembly and Conventions 2009
The General Assembly Site Commission has selected the Orange County Convention center in Orlando, Florida, as the site for the 2009 General Conventions and Assembly. This adjustment in location commitment for 2009 became necessary due to planned demolition and construction projects of the convention center in Indianapolis. Several other cities inside and outside of the USA were researched for viability to host the quadrennial events. Consideration was given to criteria such as availability of event dates, demographics of Nazarene constituency, function space, accommodations and local infrastructure.
Orlando has committed over one million square feet of complimentary space to the Church of the Nazarene for the 2009 events. The area surrounding the convention center offers a wide range of hotel accommodations and food service opportunities.
Although this denominational gathering is being moved from the middle part of the USA in 2009, there are great opportunities for international delegate and visitor access in Orlando. The location also provides wonderful options for families to attend the quadrennial events and General assembly in one of the great destination cities of the world.
The dates for the 27th General Assembly and Conventions are June 24 - July 3, 2009
For more information, please visit http://web.nazarene.org/site/PageServer?pagename=General_Assembly_Home |
| Flint Eastside Mission |
Rev. Roger Lutze,
Executive Director |
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 How quickly a year can pass! 2008 was a blur of ups, downs, and in-betweens. At Eastside Mission it was a year of repairs to the clothing house (new roof, floors, and porch) and to the Mission building (paint, roof repair, etc.). It was a year of increased need due to a sagging economy. It was also a year of seeing God meeting people where they are at and with just what they need! How awesome is it to serve such a great God!
The annual Christmas party went very well. We had lots of volunteers and served 314 meals. Gifts were given to men, women, boys, and girls. We were also blessed with an abundance of hats, gloves, and scarves to add a little warmth to the cold of the winter months.
The plans for the benefit concert scheduled for February 14th, at Richfield Church of the Nazarene are well under way! We could use about 6 more volunteers to help with the kitchen duty that night, so please call Roger at: 810-767-5312 if you're interested in assisting that night. Tickets are available for $10 each; call the Mission for more information.
Recently, we've had to make the change of using a P.O. Box for our mail at Eastside Mission, due to security purposes. Please make a note that the new address for correspondence with Eastside is: P.O. Box 90238, Burton, MI 48509.
Finally, I'd like to focus on Rick and Vicky that come to the Mission weekly and for occasional special events. I asked them recently why they come regularly. Originally, they had been challenged by a friend to come to the Mission and serve a meal. They loved it so much and found that it was a way that they could "give back" to the community and to God in thankfulness of God's blessings on their lives. Thanks so much for all of our regular volunteers! As the saying goes: "Many hands make the work light!"
God bless!
Sammi Justice
Director of Publicity
Eastside Mission
www.flinteastsidemission.org
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Sunday School and Discipleship
Ministries International (SDMI) |
Rev. Gary A. Slusher
EMD SDMI Chairman |
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The Master's Plan for Making Disciples
Submission to Authority – Genuine Accountability
Jesus spent the entire night in prayer prior to selecting the twelve men he would designate as apostles. Then he began to pour his life into these men. He spent time with them and they with him. He taught them by precept and by example. He demonstrated the truth of the kingdom of God. He appointed them and they followed him.
He gave them authority, his authority, "to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:1-2). These apostles were not perfect in their performance. They misunderstood much of what he taught them. Their faith was frequently questionable. Jesus called them "you of little faith;" "it is because you have not faith;" "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed" are all examples of Jesus' derision of the strength of their faith. Yet Jesus invested his authority in them.
Then on the day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and received the power of God to be his disciples. They operated with a new source of authority. Not only did they receive the authority to do what Jesus had done, they received the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to do it. Imperfect still, but Spirit-filled, they obeyed the teachings of Jesus and began to pass those teachings along to others. Here is what the Scripture says of the days immediately following Pentecost, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)
Perhaps the attitude of submission to authority is best illustrated in the story of the centurion found in Matthew 8, "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ‘Lord,' he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.' Jesus said to him, ‘I will go and heal him.' The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go," and he goes; and that one, "Come," and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.' When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would'" (Matthew 8:5-13).
Please note that this soldier was a man under authority and a man of authority. He understood the chain of command and submitted himself to that command. We also must understand the chain of authority and be submissive to the leaders of the church. One of the reasons the American church is so weak is our stubborn insistence on declaring our independence from the vision of the leader. Listen to the leaders of the Casa de Oracion in Cali, Columbia, a church that has grown from 34 to over 11,000 in 15 years. "There are people who say that they agree with God but not with the leader. These people have trouble with the vision and are obstacles to its full development. We believe that God establishes the pastors of a church and trusts them with a vision that should be followed by their disciples even though they are not perfect and they are going to make mistakes." (Herrera, The Masters Plan, 2008.)
Submission to the authority of leaders is the cornerstone of the discipleship method called The Master's Plan, and the keystone of relational multiplication. Without such submission the vision of groups of twelve simply will not work. The Plan is simple, not easy, but simple. The pastor/leader prayerfully selects twelve persons who will demonstrate certain characteristics of Christlike discipleship. These characteristics are essential to multiplication. They are as follows:
Faithfulness. It is necessary for the disciple of Jesus Christ to be loyal to God, to his Word, and to his appointed leader, and therefore the vision of God that has been entrusted to his leader. The disciple of Jesus Christ must be a person committed to the Word of God and prayer. He or she must be faithful to the worship services where the vision is shared and the Word is proclaimed.
Submission. As we have previously stated submission to the authority of persons placed over you is essential to the success of the vision. We must cultivate the spirit of submission to spiritual authority in order to be fully cooperative with the vision of the Master's Plan.
Willingness. This is an attitude that must be born in the disciple's heart. The Master's Plan requires much commitment in time, energy, and labor. The successful disciple must be willing to expend the time and effort necessary to live in obedience to the Master and to the appointed leaders.
Availability. It is imperative that the disciple be available for the cell meetings, for the prayer meetings, and for the training sessions. Availability is not something that one just has; it is a decision that prioritizes life so that non-essential activities are subjugated to the purposes of God in Christ Jesus in order that he may bring lost persons to Christ and make disciples of new believers. Jesus has always called busy people to leave what they are doing and follow him. The Christlike disciple will make himself available to Jesus.
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Jot me an email note with any questions or suggestions at scnnazpastorgary@charterinternet.com. God is growing a great church in Eastern Michigan. We are blessed to be a part of his great kingdom work!
Gary A. Slusher
Chairman, EMD SDMI
2008-2009 Children's Quizzing Schedule
- Saturday, January 31 @ Adrian First (studies 1-10)
- Saturday, March 7 @ Plymouth (studies 1-15)
- Saturday, April 18 - Zone Quizzes (blue level only)
across the district (studies 1-20)
- Saturday, April 25 - District Quiz @ Detroit First (studies 1-20)
- Saturday, June 27 - World Quiz @ Orlando, FL (studies 1-20)
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| Nazarene Youth International |
Jeff Tschetter,
Administrative Coordinator |
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2008-2009 Youth Quizzing Schedule
- Jan. 17, 2009 - Breakaway Quiz at West Flint
Covering Luke 1-17
- Feb. 14, 2009 - (Need a location)
Covering Luke 1-21
- March 20-21, 2009 District Finals - Detroit First
Covering Luke 1-24
If your church would like to host any of these open dates please contact me ASAP. These will be filled on a first come first reserved status.
Bob Flowers
810-577-7721
EMD District Quiz Director
| Nazarene Missions International |
Cindy Wine,
NMI President |
Upcoming Events:
1. Team Day will be Saturday February 28, 2009 at Perry High School. Your church has received the brochures and registration information. The following people from our district will be presenting:
- Teri Dilts – "Can my church reach mission priority one?"
- Teri Dilts – "Spruce up your NMI Missions night?"
- Eric Chenoweth and Chet Decker – Work and Witness
- Rev. Bowser – Nazarene Disaster Relief
- Reta Steely – Christian Literature Resource
- Cindy Wine – President Swap Shop
There are several other workshops on missions that will sure to exciting.
2. Warren Woods church of the Nazarene is sponsoring a Disaster Relief Training at their church on Thursday March 7, 2009 – Saturday March 9, 2009. The cost is $ 175.00. This will enable your church to assist areas that have experienced a major disaster such as Hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, floods, fires, famine, floods, and earthquakes. Contact Chet Decker at Warren Woods if you are interested in attending.
January is Volunteer Ministries Month:
- Present various plans for volunteer ministries. Refer to NMI Handbook.
- Meet with Alabaster chairperson for February emphasis.
- President – Review statistics for Annual Report.
- Nominating committee meets to prepare ballot for new officers.
Million Hours of Prayer:
Nazarene Missions International, in cooperation with the Board of General Superintendents, is honored to again sponsor a "Million Hours of Prayer" (MHP) in preparation for the 2009 General Assembly and Conventions. While praying a million hours sounds monumental, the task can easily be accomplished if each Nazarene prays a minimum of two hours between January and June for the General Assembly and Conventions.
Assisting Global Nazarenes:
The Buddy Plan was initiated because global districts do not have the financial resources to assist delegates and because there are additional costs in traveling internationally (flights, visas, currency differences, etc.). This quadrennium with the addition of emerging mission leaders attending the Global Mission Conference, Buddy Plan PLUS was added to assist those attending. Global Missions Conference / General NMI Convention is June 24 – 28, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.
Has your church participated in the Buddy Plan and Buddy Plan PLUS? If so, thank you. If not, the following may help encourage people to give a lot or a little:
- Give the equivalent of round-trip airfare from a global city of your choice to Orlando.
- Donate the equivalent of the cost of a visa from your country to a world area
where the Church of the Nazarene has work. Go to www.worldvisatravel.com.
On the left where it says "Quick Link," choose "US Citizen" to find out the cost.
- Give the equivalent of one meal or a week’s worth of dining out
- Donate the cost of staying in a hotel overnight
- Give the cost of train or bus travel from your city to Orlando. To show progress, go to www.ask.com and type, "How far is it from (your city) to Orlando?" Click the "Ask" button, and it will give the number of miles/kilometers. Divide the ticket cost per mile/kilometer. Post a map of North America in a prominent place; and as the money comes in, mark how far you could travel each week.
A family reunion is so much more meaningful when everyone can be there. Please help our NMI family members from far away attend the "reunion" at the 2009 General NMI Convention and Global Mission Conference.
Announcements:
If your church has scheduled a work and witness trip please contact Cindy Wine at cdwines@aol.com. We would like to compile a list of work and witness trips on the district. Thanks for your assistance in this area.
Reminder: If you have not paid your District NMI dues in full, send balance now to Dianne Witt-Kingsbury. The end of our fiscal year is February 28, 2009.
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| About eTidings |
Jason Justice
eTidings Editor |
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eTidings is the email newsletter of the Eastern Michigan District Church of the Nazarene. For more information about our District, visit our website at www.emdnaz.org. You are receiving eTidings because you have subscribed to it either through our website or through a district function. If you would like to unsubscribe, please reply to this email or send a new email to etidings@emdnaz.org with the words "Unsubscribe eTidings" at the top of the message. |
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