Are there “White Elephants” in your life? Gordon MacDonald shares the following story:  "In ancient days when the king of Siam had an enemy he wanted to torment and destroy, he would send that enemy a unique gift, a white elephant, a live, albino elephant. These animals were considered sacred in the culture of that day. So the recipient of that elephant had no choice but to intentionally care for the gift.. This elephant would take an inordinate amount of the enemy's time, resources, energy, emotions, and finances. Over time the enemy would destroy himself because of the extremely burdensome process of caring for the gift." Our spiritual enemy uses the same strategy on us. Let's say you buy season tickets to [your favorite sports team], but because you will have a lot of games to go to, you no longer have time to serve in some area of ministry. Or, let's say you buy a summer cottage, but now you miss most weekend worship services between the beginning of May and the end of September. Or, let's say you buy a health club membership to get in shape. You used to get up early in the morning to read your Bible and pray, but now you don't have time because you're working out before you go to work. Or let's say you buy a spot for one of your kids on a traveling sports team, and now you're too busy to join our community impact ministry as we serve the poor. Are there white elephants in your life? Are you spending money on things that take your time away from God? The money isn't the problem; the activities aren't necessarily the problem; the problem is a white pursuits.elephant "gift" that has pulled you away from God-honoring.

God is at work in NEO!!! God has certainly been good to the NEO District in 2013. AWAKENING 2013 was anointed and used by God in a powerful way. I continue to hear of breakthroughs in churches as they build on what began in the prayer, fasting and services of AWAKENING. This past weekend we had 58 couples attend the first district-sponsored Marriage Enrichment Weekend we have had in years. God used Bryce and Beth Fox as agents of renewal. Investing in our marriages is a spiritual priority. We praise God for what he is doing, and also express appreciation to Pastor Steven and Rhonda Lester for planning the retreat and to Central Church for hosting it. On March 2 our ladies will gather for their day of inspiration and challenge. Gloria is so thrilled with the speaker and worship leader who will be coming. Ladies, you will be thankful for the “investment” of time you make in this day with other ladies seeking to know and follow Christ.

Sympathy to Carl Ingersol & Family Many of you had the pleasure to know Lillian Ingersol, wife of retired elder, Carl Ingersol.  Lillian transitioned from this life on February 14th.  What a great day to enter the loving arms of our Lord!  Services for her are as follows: Visitation Moore Southlawn (9350 E. 51st Street) Friday, February 22nd, 6-8pm Service Tulsa Central Saturday, February 23rd, 11:00am Click for more details

Positive Parenting Monday, February 25th at 7:00pm A misbehaving child is a discouraged child. There are four ways in which “people” misbehave.  Do you have the necessary tools needed to navigate through those behaviors?  Join us as we discover the coded messages behind misbehavior and empower you with more tools for your tool bag. This webinar will be presented by Jayme Lenker, who is currently serving as the Early Childhood Director at First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, California. Click here  to register. Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with all the information you will need to join the webinar. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at DiscipleshipPlace@nazarene.org.

Hispanic Master's Plan Conference Pastor Otoniel is hosting a Master's Plan conference on our district, April 12-13. Nazarene Hispanic Coordinator, Roberto Hodgson is planning 13 such conferences across the country to equip the Hispanic congregations for the church's mission of "Making Christlike Disciples in the Nations". Rev. William Alvarado, of the Western Latin American district will be the presenter. He has planted a new congregation in the last two years and is now averaging above 100, using the Master's Plan strategy.

Largest Nazarene Church in Haiti Dedicated After Years of Saving, Struggling About 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince, more than 3,500 people attended the January 27 dedication service for the largest Nazarene church in Haiti.  General Superintendent Jesse C. Middendorf called the newly completed Gros-Morne Church of the Nazarene "one of the most beautiful churches in the world." The 1,000-member congregation began saving money in 1991 to build the largest structure in the city, which has a population of more than a quarter million. Construction began in 2003 but was stopped in 2006 after two hurricanes, a flood, a marketplace fire, and the January 2010 earthquake — which destroyed the roof of the Nazarene school where 800 students attended. Middendorf said completion of the church — which seats approximately 2,000 — and repair of the school where more than 900 are now enrolled, is an example of how partnerships work in the Church of the Nazarene. He expressed appreciation to the Southern Florida District under the leadership of District Superintendent David Nixon for discovering the needs of the Gros-Morne church and putting a plan into action. NEO was blessed with Dr. Bryce & Beth Fox at the Marriage Enrichment Retreat Jeff & Lori Stewart (Miami) had the "privilege" of explaining how a plunger is related to marriage at the NEO Marriage Enrichment Retreat Kudos to Brent Jones and his crew who roofed the Tahlequah church roof in two days!! Tahlequah Nazarene Church is hosting a Passover Seder Monday, March 4 6:30 PM with Guest Speaker, Rabbi Jack Zimmerman 20443 E. Allen Road Tahlequah, OK (918) 456-2866 MESSIAH IN THE PASSOVER With Communion FROM CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES Speaker: Rabbi Eugene Lempert from Israel Sunday,  March 10 @ 6:00 pm Bristow Church of the Nazarene Holiness Summit April 14-16 Fort Smith First Church of the Nazarene Speakers include: Dr. Stan Toler Dr. Louie Bustle Dr. Randy Berkner Dr. Dave McKellips. Worship Leader: Rev. Steve Davis Host Pastor: Rev. Don Cowan Services will be held morning, afternoon, and evening on April 15 and 16

Dear NEO Family,

I wish you could have been with me Sunday for the “relaunch” of the Grove Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Don Engie says about this exciting church:

We will be a church that stays faithful to the only hope we have -the message of Jesus Christ, and obedient to the mission God has commanded us to - to reach out to the lost around us. 

We will be a church where Jesus is Senior Pastor, where God's Word is the authority, and where we lovingly, humbly hold each other accountable for saying we are believers. We will be a church where we focus on what really matters, and not get sidetracked by the ridiculous things that really don't......

The church welcomed two new local couples into membership. Two individuals gave powerful testimonies to the way God and this church has changed their lives. 

Grace and peace,

Dave

Pastor Don Engie receives new members at Grove

One of the great illusions of our time is that love is self-sustaining. It is not. Love must be fed and nurtured, constantly renewed. That demands ingenuity and consideration, but first and foremost, it demands time.  – David Mace Already over 55 couples have signed up to participate in the Marriage Enrichment Seminar on Feb. 15 and 16 with Bryce and Beth Fox. Steven and Rhonda Lester tell us that if other couples still want to attend they can call Steven at 918-581-4998 and they will do everything possible to find a spot for them. NEO January Statistics Attendance for January                                     2012-13               2011-12         SDMI                           2681                    3088         Morning Worship         3390                      3975 view full report I Want to Celebrate. . .  David Stevens, Vinita. . . Last year we started a prayer program, and we continued to pray all year. It really helped our Church. I plan on using some ideas from Shift (the book) to renew our prayer ministry. Casey Hollingsworth, Miami New Life. . . We have had people testify to God's healing power in their lives in recent days.  A lady with bad ankles was prayed for and she testified to them being "stronger than they have ever been."  A man with bad eyesight did not need his reading glasses for the first time in years in order to read.  Another man in our church has been praying asking God for direction in regards to his profession.  He recently experienced God's cleansing from past hurts and the day after his cleansing experience God opened many doors of opportunity in his profession.  Praise God for His mighty works! Mark Hiehle, Claremore. . . We paid off the mortgage on our fellowship hall and now the church is debt free!! Steve Davis, Sapulpa. . . Growing obedience to the Spirit of Christ / New regular attenders / All-church emphasis on prayer and fasting. Scottie Behm, Chelsea. . . 1) We enjoyed the Spiritual Awakening Services; we had several people draw nearer to God.  They were blessed by being touched in those services. 2) Our church had a large memorial celebration service; the Lord blessed our church by making the resources we needed to help this large family.  A neighbor church allowed us to borrow their sanctuary and family life center for the funeral and family dinner that followed for a family of 100 + and a service of 250 +.  Still, literally, there was standing room only and friends gave up their seats so the family members could all sit during the service.  We praise God that as a church we were able show the glory of God’s love during this trying time. 3) We had a teen profess a call to ministry; we as a church will be nurturing her call.  Our teens are growing in helping to lead the teen group. Don Engie, Grove. . . The way God has focused our hearts on His message and His mission. I am overwhelmed by the way God is working on the hearts of His people! It is so exciting to receive calls from people who are excited about how God used them to share Jesus with someone at their work, school, or just as they go out - or the way they get excited when they are able to wash the feet and serve our community. The exciting thing to me is what God has in store for us as a group of people – simply trying to be obedient followers of Jesus. Jesus, our Senior Pastor, deserves all Glory. Jim Thornton, Tulsa Hills. . . 1) The remodeling of the gym to a Worship Center is coming along.  So many people have sacrificed many hours to make this a reality.  We plan to be in by (or before) Easter Sunday, March 31. 2) 28 children in Kids Alive a couple weeks ago.  No major emphasis - just God at work through an anointed Children’s Pastor. 3) 16 teens and adults going to NEO Youth Retreat. Mike Howard, Drumright. . . Received 6 new members! Curtis Martin, Mannford. . .  1) Two weeks ago we started a new Adult Bible study about our beliefs, including prayer, held on Wed. evenings at 7:00 p.m.  We've had a great response.  2) Our MAT team is meeting regularly and planning for growth through improving our present building and planning towards building additional space.  3) Finances have increased significantly this past year.  There is a very positive momentum. District News God is Bigger God is working through our churches, even when we are unaware! Diana Mueller, Children’s Pastor at Muskogee, recently received a phone call from a woman named Stacy.  Stacy doesn't live in Muskogee, but she passes by the Muskogee church on a regular basis.  She said that she has been going through a very trying time recently, with lots of personal upheaval in her life.  But as she would pass our church, she would look at the electric sign out front.  One of the messages that flashes on the sign says, "God Is Bigger."  She said seeing this simple message on our sign gave her strength to deal with the chaos in her life and helped her keep things in perspective.  Isn’t God good!  New Roof at Tahlequah Thanks to Brent Jones and AAA Roofing for helping the Tahlequah Church. Brent installed the new roof for just his costs.  Nazarene Higher Education Continues to Expand Globally Official enrollment figures are in for the Church of the Nazarene’s 53 colleges, universities, and seminaries. Nazarene institutions reported a total of 52,439 degree-seeking students for the 2012 school year — an increase of more than 3,000 students from the previous year. Choosing where to engage in education for life and service is one of the most important discipleship decisions a person will make. Regardless of the level of the degree, from diploma to PhD, it is a significant season in the development and spiritual formation of the student. The global network of Nazarene higher education institutions is chosen by more than 50,000 students annually. These students are preparing to serve as pastors, teachers, scientists, artists, medical professionals, and in a wide array of other careers. Most importantly, they are being formed and trained as followers of Jesus and leaders who live and serve from a Christian worldview. Our regional university is Southern Nazarene University. The main campus is in Bethany, OK with a branch here in Tulsa. Education has been a core commitment of the Church of the Nazarene since its inception, and the denomination's International Board of Education (IBOE) schools remain one of the great treasures God has given the church in advancement of His mission in the world. Our Nazarene college, university, and seminary leaders need the prayers of the people of God.  We want to encourage you to regularly lift our school leaders to the Lord in your daily prayer. These Godly leaders faithfully serve their schools and the church, and your prayer support will help them lead wisely in times when changes create tremendous opportunities." To le Awakening 2013 Survey If you haven’t yet completed our survey regarding AWAKENING 2013, I urge you to take two minutes now to complete the short questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QLBQSSR Awakening 2013 DVDs If you would like DVDs of the Awakening Spiritual Renewal services, please contact Angelia Burkhart at angeliab@centralchurch.tv or call Central Church at 918-252-5483.  There is a $5 donation for each DVD to help cover the DVD and printing costs. Tahlequah Nazarene Church is hosting a Passover Seder Monday, March 4 6:30 PM with Guest Speaker, Rabbi Jack Zimmerman 20443 E. Allen Road Tahlequah, OK (918) 456-2866 We had a great weekend! We had around 170 and about 10 different churches represented! Mike Laughlin, our speaker, did an outstanding job sharing the Word and his heart with us! Banning Dawson and the band did great. We really enjoyed them! God moved and teenagers' lives were changed! It was a very blessed weekend! Thanks to all those that helped put this event on! Thanks to all that prayed for this event! We are praying that this will be the floor to something even greater! It is always great to get together with others on our district! Ryan Amey NEO NYI District President Holiness Summit April 14-16 Fort Smith First Church of the Nazarene Speakers include: Dr. Stan Toler Dr. Louie Bustle Dr. Randy Berkner Dr. Dave McKellips. Worship Leader: Rev. Steve Davis Host Pastor: Rev. Don Cowan Services will be held morning, afternoon, and evening on April 15 and 16. OSM Classes Begin Monday, February 11 PASTORAL CARE AND COUNSELING Rev. Bob Jared teaching 6:00 pm Broken Arrow First 401 W. New Orleans (918) 455-3550 Monday, February 18 CHURCH HISTORY II 9:00 am Tulsa Regency Park 8707 E. 51st Street (918) 663-9717 This is a completion of the Church History I & II series. Each of the Monday classes meets for three hours & runs 10 weeks. Tuition:$100 + textbooks Click HERE to read the latest news in the Manna House newsletter. arn more and for guides on offering prayers of support for these leaders, visit the IBOE website.