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Dear NEO Family,
Has
Spring fever hit you yet? Overall, we had a mild winter, but February storms
make us ready to enjoy the beauty of warm Spring days! Spring also means we
are getting close to the end of the church statistical year. I have at least
two requests for my readers:
Please
prayerfully consider the role God wants you to play in your local church in
the coming year. We are all stewards of the time,
treasure and talent God has given us. We can’t afford to hoard it or waste
it. Sometimes you are asked to serve in areas that do not match your passion
and gifting. You can do that for a time just to meet a need, but for your
long-term satisfaction and fruitfulness, serve in a way that matches the way
God made and wired you! To say “yes” to God’s best, you may have to say “no”
to roles that do not match your calling and gifting. But all of us need to
look for ways to serve and be an impact player for the kingdom. Your local
church needs you and you need the church!
Help
your church be a church that meets all of its giving goals.
We are a connectional church. We are better together. We need one another. I
had the privilege this year of serving on the General Board of the Church of
the Nazarene. When I hear the exciting ways God is working through your
church around the world, I can’t imagine us not being 100% for World
Evangelism! We are a church of 2.2 million members, growing rapidly with
144,000 new Nazarenes in our church this past year. Do you know it took 100
years (1908 to 2008) to reach 1 million members in what we have traditionally
called the mission areas of our church; but in the five years since 2008 we
have added another 500,000 members, reaching a total of 1.5 members in these
regions. These statistics represent changed lives, changed families and
changed communities. How can we not be faithful partners in supporting
missions, our colleges and our retired pastors? Let’s dig down deep and meet
our goals this year.
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District
News
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I
have some good news to report from across the District:
I
had the privilege of preaching at Barnsdall
on March 3. 70 people were there for the service and meal!
God was present and a new attendee responded to the invitation and was saved.
I conducted a Pastor/Church review after the service. Pastor Jim Johnson
is deeply loved and continuing his ministry at this church.
We
had 34 Ministers in Training interviewed last week. The Board of Ministerial
Development will be recommending to the District Assembly the ordination of Wayne Alger
(Regency Park), Buddy
Davis (Core Church), Diana Mueller
(Muskogee), Debbie
Simpson (Sand Springs) and Cole Weston (Okmulgee). We also
hope to be ready to recognize the credentials of Tony Siebels
(Pawhuska), who has come to us from the Church of God Anderson. Seven other
members will be receiving their first District license at Assembly.
Core
Church is prayerfully considering the sale of 15 acres of land. Let’s
pray for God to give wisdom and direction.
What a treat it was to
visit “Country Faith
Church of the Nazarene” yesterday. It is amazing the work this church family
(formerly Horton Chapel) has done on their metal gym to convert it to a place
of worship with a country motif! The building is aesthetically pleasing and
very functional. The congregation starts with breakfast every Sunday and then
worships with people still gathered around the tables. Pray that God will now
help them fill this building with people and his glory!
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Country
Faith Church of the Nazarene
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NEO
February Statistics
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Attendance
for February
2012-13
2011-12
SDMI
2784
3157
Morning Worship
3648 4094
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The February Statistical
Report is available on our web site. We
rejoice with the statistical leaders of the month:
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I
Want to Celebrate. . .
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Pastor’s also share reasons
to celebrate:
David
Stevens, Vinita. . . God is faithful. The
sense of His presence in our Church services is a blessing. People are
growing in grace.
Scottie
Behm, Chelsea. . . That for February we had a love,
marriage and relationship presentation for our teens that went very nicely.
One couple from our church, who have been married almost 63 years, shared the
following words of wisdom, “Marriage is a give and take type
relationship. You must also take for the relationship to be
balanced. It doesn’t work if you just give all the time. And it
never works if you have to be right all the time, or if one person thinks
they are right all the time.”
Casey
Hollingsworth, Miami New Life. . . Fourteen couples
from our church attended the district marriage enrichment retreat. The
church board approved the church paying for the registration of each couple
who attended the event. What a great investment in God's funds!
Heard several reports of how God used the retreat to deepen relationships
between husband/wife and with our great God!
Brad
Farnsworth, Core Church at Aspen Creek. . .
We had our Grand Opening on Sunday February 3 - great crowd and lots of
excitement!
Brian
Stephens, Broken Arrow First. . . We received 9 new
members into our church this month. We anticipate continued growth this year.
Don
Engie, Grove. . . It has been so exciting seeing God
continue to work here. The re:Launch service was a great end to an incredible
year here in Grove. We were able to see two wonderful couples officially
become members, and hear very moving testimonies of how God has worked in
people’s lives over the past year. I continue to be amazed by how God has
laid the foundation here in Grove. I have watched as the people here have
been willing to sacrifice for the sake of being Christ to the people in our
community – and the people God has led here looking for help. This is God’s
Church, these are His people.
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NEO Youth Camp
June 7-11, 2013
Camp Bond
Watch for information packets
in the mail to churches this week!
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