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Dear NEO family,
Two-thirds
of our churches had representation at our District Thanksgiving Service last
evening. I want to thank all of you who made the effort to attend. Special
thanks go to Tulsa Central for hosting our event and to Pastor Phil Burkhart
for leading the worship. Phil did the best job I have seen of planning a
worship service that was bi-lingual. We are blessed to have talented, godly
servants like the Burkharts on our NEO team.
In
addition to thanking God for His lavish grace, we spent a few minutes last
night expressing appreciation to those who serve the District throughout the
year:
·
Our dedicated, gifted pastors
·
Our District Advisory Board - Jeff Cotner, Nate Burns, Casey Hollingsworth,
Steve Davis, Duane Cox, Rodney Amos, Barbara Gunter, Jerry Wilburg
·
Our Auxilliary Leaders: NMI President – David Stevens; NYI President – Ryan
Amey; SDMI Chairman – Steven Lester
·
Our paid staff: Marla Shepherd, Sharon Gunter, Gloria McKellips; Hispanic
Coordinator - Otoniel Danneman; District Secretary – Jim Thornton; District
Treasurer – Bud Lauhon
·
District Superintendent Emeritus – Russell Human
I
encourage you to drop these leaders a note or give them a call to say “thank
you”!
Nate
Burns reminded us last night that when a disaster occurs, the Nazarene Church
is there to help. We are working to form a NEO Nazarene Disaster Relief Team.
A trailer has been donated and now we are raising money to buy the equipment
needed by a relief team. Sunday night at our Thanksgiving Service, $980.48
was raised. Thank you!
We
value your input about the Thanksgiving service. Please take a moment to take
our very brief survey.
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Each
year at Thanksgiving, Nazarenes around the world raise money for World
Evangelism. Is your money being invested well? Let’s hear a recent report
from the Church in Cote d’Ivoire:
After
noticing a major disorder in Protestant-Evangelical churches, Côte d'Ivoire's Department of Religion
of the Ministry of the Interior launched the registration of evangelical
churches in August.
Pastor Djaha N'da Ésaü, in charge of the Côte d'Ivoire's Sassandra-Marahoue zone for the Church of the Nazarene, and a group of pastors from the town of Daloa went to town hall to present the denomination's registration papers. When Tra Lou Xavière, the official in charge of cultural affairs, saw the documents, she exclaimed, "I know this church through the broadcast The Nazarene Hour (l'Heure du Nazaréen) on the radio Fréquence-Vie from Abidjan. I was edified thanks to your broadcasts. Therefore, for the Church of the Nazarene there is no problem; it is a true church of God." Pastor Ésaü told her that she would receive copies of the broadcasts from the district superintendent, who is the producer of the broadcast. "It is with joy that our leaders left the building of the town hall with the feeling that they belong to a great church of God, very respected in Côte d'Ivoire," said Central District Superintendent Prao Kouakou.
Thanks
be to God!
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RA
Dickey wins National League
Cy
Young award
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New
York Mets pitcher R. A. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win a Major
League Baseball Cy Young award last week, and a Nazarene general
superintendent couldn't be happier for him.
Dickey, 38, received 27 of 32 first-place votes to win the National League's award for being its top pitcher. The all-star won 20 games for the Mets this season, a far-cry from when Dickey was toiling in the minor leagues for Oklahoma City. It was there he met a Nazarene pastor — Stan Toler. "I'm thrilled with R. A. Dickey winning the Cy Young award," said Toler, now a general superintendent. "His persistence and discipline have paid great dividends." Dickey began his baseball career when he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1996 draft out of the University of Tennessee. The Rangers offered the Nashville native an $800,000 contract, but during a physical doctors discovered he was missing a bone in his right elbow. When doctors told Rangers leadership Dickey wouldn't be able to continue pitching without seriously injuring himself, Dickey's contract was reduced by more than 90 percent. He spent the next 14 years in the minor leagues, including six seasons with Oklahoma City's AAA team, the Redhawks. Stan and his wife, Linda, were Dickey's host family for parts of four seasons. "It was a pleasure to keep him in our home," Stan Toler said. "We love him like a son." In 2006, the Rangers signed Dickey again and he switched from being a traditional pitcher to a knuckleball pitcher. The knuckleball, thrown by gripping the ball with the thumb and two to four knuckles or fingertips, barely rotates, making its motion unpredictable and difficult to hit. Over the years Dickey perfected the pitch and later earned stints with the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and now the Mets. He was named an All-Star this year for the first time in his career. Toler and his two sons, Seth and Adam, met up with Dickey during the All-Star Game in Kansas City. "Going to the All-Star Game was a dream come true for me since my days of playing baseball," Toler said after the game. "The event was made even better because R. A. Dickey made the team and pitched the sixth inning. I was like a proud father when he stepped on the mound." Toler said Dickey, who studied briefly at Trevecca Nazarene University, is a strong Christian. "His commitment to Christ and his family is evident in all aspects of his life," Toler said. "The Cy Young is a great honor for a man who told me, as it relates to this baseball season, 'only God could orchestrate a script like this!'" In January, Dickey risked his career by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Bombay Teen Challenge, a nonprofit organization that combats human trafficking in India. He works with a nonprofit organization called Honoring the Father Ministries, which began spreading the gospel through baseball in Cuba. Dickey's co-written biography, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, was released in March.
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Grace and peace,
Dave
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