GROW Magazine
Fall 2005

Compassion Evangelism and the Katrina Response

Two weeks following Katrina I received this email from Scott Rainey, pastor of the Spring Branch Church of the Nazarene in Houston. He allowed us to print it – the exciting story Helen Ryan – an evacuee who came to faith.

“Last night Sheila Davis, Thelma Martin, and I met with Helen Ryan with a prayerful hope to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Helen was a self-proclaiming atheist bartender in the French Quarter of New Orleans two weeks ago.

"She is single and 46 years of age. She came to Houston with a group of four men she did not know in order to escape the storm that destroyed her city. When they arrived, they stayed in the fi rst hotel they could fi nd with a vacancy. It was the Days Inn just across the highway from our church. On Saturday morning of last week, I was at that Days Inn with two teenagers standing outside their lobby inviting anyone who walked by to our BBQ lunch that we were providing for Katrina victims at our church.

“She cried and told us a horrific story of survival. Three hours later, she came to the lunch and began to meet people from the church. Carmen Harrison became ‘her first friend’ (those are her words). I witnessed Carmen crying and hugging Helen as she shared her story. Helen went through our supply center and was overcome by all that we were giving away. She said, ‘I have been an atheist for 30 years, but after all the love I have seen from these people, I need to rethink that position.’ I invited her to come back to church the next day.

“She absolutely loved church. Her exact words were, ‘I feel like I was at a concert for God.’ About 10 of our people took her to lunch last Sunday afternoon. On Monday I called Helen and asked her if we could talk with her more about spiritual things since she is rethinking her beliefs about God. She said, ‘I trust you people. I am open to talking.’ Last night at 9:45 in Pappy’s Restaurant, Helen Ryan was converted to being a child of God by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!

"God has given us a wonderful opportunity to see compassion evangelism reach lost people. I know we will see more come to Christ in the days ahead. Please continue to pray.

“Helen is moving into an apartment about two miles from our church. She said, ‘I am not going home. I have a new family.’ She has already invited three people who have committed to her that they will be with her at church on Sunday!”

-Tom Nees

The Gulf Coast Response from the Church of the Nazarene

In an overwhelming display of compassion and generosity, the Church of the Nazarene has responded to the recent hurricanes in the Southeast with more than $2,500,000 in the first two months. All designated donations go directly to support those affected by the storms. More than 100,000 Crisis Care Kits have been shipped to meet the immediate needs of those without basic necessities. Nazarenes in places like Pearl River and Slidell, Louisiana; Gautier and Gulfport, Mississippi; Mobile and Bayou Le Batre, Alabama; and Orange and Houston, Texas have responded to the great needs across the region.

Thousands have been housed in churches and tens of thousands have been fed through the generosity of obedient people. The Pismo Beach New Life Community Church in California committed an entire Sunday Morning offering to the recovery effort. Local churches already coping with their own damage and loss have stepped out on faith, giving above and beyond their means in order to share the love and hope that comes from Jesus Christ.

Hundreds of work teams incorporating thousands of people and churches from across the US and Canada have been tireless in their efforts to rebuild and restore not only Nazarene Churches, parsonages and houses, but the neighborhoods in which they live. This devastation has provided an opportunity for our church to bring hope to the hopeless and peace to the suffering in the name of our compassionate God.

To be a part of this ministry yourself by organizing or participating in a work team, call toll free 866-485-4483.

Visa and MasterCard donations are accepted on www.ncm.org, or make checks payable to “General Treasurer” and mark ACM1801 in the memo line and send them to: General Treasurer, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. In Canada, checks can be made payable and sent to: Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario, L7A 1C3.

2008 Centennial Celebration

In a few short years, the Church of the Nazarene will celebrate its centennial year. This is a significant time for reflection and renewal. From John Wesley through Phineas Bresee to the present, Nazarenes have been on a mission to proclaim the holiness message of personal and social transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our God-given call is to lead the global Church of the Nazarene in a period of unprecedented growth and spiritual renewal between now—and our centenary year 2008. With our churches, pastors, Sunday School teachers, evangelists, chaplains, NMI and NYI leaders, colleges and universities, buildings, and sacrificial giving, we believe we have the necessary resources to accomplish this under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Please join in prayer and participation for this 100-year celebration of growth and renewal. For further resources and materials, visit the Centennial Celebration website at http://www.nazarenecentennial.org/story.html

Large Church Leadership K-Church Conference

The beautiful Wyndham Hotel at the Plaza in downtown San Diego will be the site of this year’s Large Church Leadership Conference on January 4-6, 2006. This unique peer-to-peer learning experience has an open registration for enrollment to pastors, staff and laity interested in leading churches of 250 or more.

Featured presenters are Leonard Sweet, Patrick Lencioni and Kennon Callahan. The theme for this year’s event will be “Designs for Growing Large Churches”.

For further information or to register for this event visit the website at www.NazarenePastor.org or call the Clergy Development offices 1-800-306-7651.

NewStart Assessment Centers

The next NewStart Assessment Center is scheduled for January 31 through February 3, 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Assessment Center is open to any church leader, clergy or laity, interested in starting a new church in the USA and Canada. The NewStart Assessment Center provides an intensive fourday event during where church leaders and their spouses are evaluated to determine their gifts and graces to serve as the founding pastor of a new church. While it is not an evaluation of a person’s qualifications for ministry in an existing church, it is essential that married couples attend together if at all possible.

The four day assessment experience includes:
In-depth personality analysis
Self-discovery of individual strengths and weakness
Private interviews
Sermon presentations
New church case-studies
Strategy development experience
Worship and inspiration
Fellowship and network-building

The Assessment Centers are held periodically throughout the various regions of the United States and at various times of the year.

Couples interested in one of these assessments can call toll free for further information at 1-800-306-8294 or, register online at www.NewStartUSA.org.

Annual Evangelists Gathering

The annual Evangelists Gathering is scheduled for December 12-14, 2005. The group will be returning to the beautiful Oakwood Retreat Center in Syracuse, Indiana. All Nazarene evangelists are encouraged to attend this special event. The special speaker will be Susie Shellenberger.

After spending four years in the Blackboard Jungle and getting a master’s degree in creative writing, Susie accepted the invitation from Focus on the Family to create a magazine for Christian teen girls. “I’ve been with Focus since 1989,” Susie says. “Brio is a monthly publication with approximately 170,000 circulation. It’s an exciting venture.”

“I use a lot of humor,” Susie says. “But by the time we’re done, people have to make a decision. A lot of speakers can make people laugh,” she says. “Humor is one of the greatest communicative tools we have. But at some point, we have to go much deeper, or we’ve simply had a good time.”

Beside humor, Susie’s strong point is evangelism, “we naturally think of non believers,” she says. “God has called me to evangelize and minister to those inside the church - the people who already claim to be Christians. God doesn’t want to be #1 in our lives,” Susie says, “He wants to BE our lives! He wants us to be saturated with Him... to become obsessed with becoming all He calls us to be.” And just how does that happen? Well, that’s what Susie loves to speak about: lots of humor, lots of meat and lots of focused intensity on Jesus Christ.

For further information on this special event, call the Revivalism offices toll free at 1- 800-821-2154 or log onto their website.

New Website Resources

The website network of the USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism Department has recently undergone a major redesign overhaul to provide more and better access to resources for local churches and districts.

The revamped sites utilize a content management system (CMS) that will render content more quickly and easily than before. “Our website is the primary delivery system we use to provide resources, news, and information to Nazarene clergy and laity across the United States and Canada, and even around the world,” reported UCME Director Tom Nees. “Our goal is to provide people serving on the front lines of ministry everything they need to help start and strengthen churches.”

The site redesign provides a user experience that is easier to navigate and find needed material. The network of resources is part of a greater Nazarene Headquarters initiative to provide the denomination with a corporate website that has a consistent look and feel for all users.

The most visited websites for useful ministry resources to date are:
* GROW Magazine (www.GrowMagazine.org)
* Pastors (www.NazarenePastor.org/)
* Chaplains (www.NazareneChaplains.org/)
* NewStart (www.NewStartUSA.org/)
* Evangelism (www.MissionEvangelism.org)
* Mission Strategy (www.MissionStrategy.org )
* Urban Ministry (www.UrbanNazarene.org/)
* Revivalism (www.NazareneRevivalism.org/)
* Multicultural Ministries (www.MulticulturalMinistries.org/)

Anyone seeking more information about the UCME website redesign and its progress can e-mail questions to Bryon McLaughlin, site coordinator, at bmclaughlin@nazarene.org.

Resources for District Ministerial Studies and Credentials Boards

Mike Vail, USA Clergy Education Coordinator, has announced Clergy Development personnel are now available to visit with District Ministerial Studies and Credentials Boards to discuss roles of district boards resulting from the recent changes in the course of study.

The new Modular Course of Study represents the culmination of years of denominational planning that formally began with the Breckenridge Consultations in 1989. Responding to General Assembly action, the Board of General Superintendents provided initial funding to create a new curriculum to replace the existing Directed Studies Program.

Thirty-seven writers and responders contributed to the final guides but hundreds of church leaders, pastors, educators and laypersons have contributed directly to their creation.

The translation of the new modules into additional languages is continuing as well. Hispanic educators in the USA have banded together to create Spanish versions of the Modular Course of Study. Six modules are available for immediate use and six more should be completed by the end of this year. Additional funding is being sought for completing additional translations to serve the men and women God is calling within other language groups.

The new module guides are available from the Clergy Development website, www.nazarenepastor.org and on CDROM. To obtain a CDROM or schedule a visit to your district, contact Clergy Development by phoning 800- 306-7651 or email pastor@nazarene.org.

M-7 Conference

The 2007 Mid-Quadrennial Conference on Missions and Evangelism continues to develop into a meaningful event. The planning team has announced the M-7 Conference will be held at the downtown Bartle Hall Convention Center in Kansas City on February 19-21, 2007. The conference is sponsored by the USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism (UCME) Department and is open to all church leaders. In addition to inspirational general sessions, dozens of workshops provide instructional settings for discovering missional opportunities God has given the Church of the Nazarene in the USA and Canada.

Be sure to enter this important gathering in your future planning.

NDR Activates Again: Nazarenes Respond for the Gulf States

“Among people who have lost much and suffered much and given to the limit of their power, we are seeing that same spirit: a core of strength that survives all hurt, a faith in God no storm can take away, and a powerful American determination to clear the ruins and build better than before.” These words of the President of the United States demonstrated a side of the American spirit that could be paralleled with the Tsunami and 9-11.

These could very well have been the words of a general superintendent concerning the spirit of Nazarenes. Nazarenes responded to this disaster with overwhelming compassion and love. The 800 numbers at headquarters were tested beyond their capacity, parsonages and churches were transformed into command centers, private homes became depots of hospitality, and Nazarene members abandoned long scheduled vacations to travel hundreds of miles to the disaster scene.

Within hours of Katrina striking the coastline of Louisiana, NDR coordinators began responding to the immediate emergency needs of the people worst affected. During the first five days, trained corps of volunteers utilized every capacity and asset at their immediate disposal to assist bereaved and displaced families.

Simultaneously in the NCM office, Dan Soliday, coordinator, began restructuring the management of the organization so as to speed up the internal decision making process. It also enhanced their ability to communicate and liaise with district superintendents, pastors, constituent inquiries, and other local agencies who contacted NCM and NDR, offering to assist the affected communities.

In an effort to facilitate the avalanche of generosity, new systems of giving were organized using established headquarters’ methods, as well as the internet capacity through credit cards. Through this medium alone, Nazarenes have contributed more than 1 million dollars.

From NDR points of contact, scores of stories of the unimaginable response of volunteers whose works of compassion were juxtaposed with the resilience of the thousands of evacuees. Faith, family, and friends have combined to display inspiring revelations of the human encounter with the needs of the displaced. The Mission Strategy USA/ Canada offices and Fletcher Tink, NTS professor of Urban Studies have teamed to capture these stories and anecdotes in an inspirational booklet, “Katrina: Faith, Family, and Friends.” (Available through NPH).

The Board of General Superintendents, in a statement following the disaster said, “Our hearts are broken by the devastation of catastrophic proportions across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Images of cities flattened in rubble or drowning in polluted water, the stranded seeking rescue, the helpless without water, food, and medical attention, and the grieving who lost loved ones to the storm surge are imprinted on our minds forever.”

We are grateful for the generous response of Nazarenes. However, the need is not over. The enormity of the disaster will require the continued contributions for months to come.

Online credit card donations for relief efforts are accepted through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries at www.ncm.org. Checks should be marked “ACM1801 Gulf Coast Hurricane Response” and made payable and mailed to General Treasurer, Church of the Nazarene, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3.

Thanks, Nazarenes, for your overwhelming sense of compassion and love.

– By Oliver R. Phillips

A NewStart After the Storm

The extensive masterplan for launching New Day Community Church of the Nazarene in Flowood, Mississippi had covered nearly every detail. When Pastor Mark Howie and the launch team began their initial preparations many months earlier, no one on their team had factored in hurricane Katrina into the plans.

But as the weather reports began to warn of the impending disaster, the core group gathered for a prayer meeting and decision about launching. The Sunday evening before the storm, 43 core members met at the pastor’s house to pray about and discuss their options. As the forecasters predicted, Biloxi took the strongest winds and rain as Katrina pounded the shorelines and swept across Biloxi the next morning before dawn.

As the group examined all their options, they came to a unanimous decision to go ahead.

“Basically the feeling was no matter what happens from the hurricane, a new church will rise up out of this storm,” Pastor Mark recalled. “God knew about this storm long before we did. We decided to go ahead with all our preparations and trust the results to God. Our core group decided to love whoever comes to this new church and be okay with it.”

So all the plans for the launch moved ahead as planned.

Power was knocked out in the area. The state police restricted travel in or out of the devastated areas. The 120,000 piece mailing for the new church had only been partially delivered. Many residents had evacuated and those who stayed were hesitant to venture far from home.

But New Day Community Church of the Nazarene responded in hopeful anticipation. Sunday morning – September 11th – they held their first public worship service with 100 in attendance. Among the attendees were Mike and Charlene Kelly, who hadn’t been in church for nearly 40 years. They were driving by the new church’s location and were attracted by the signs announcing the new church. Mike had grown up attending a Catholic school and left church years before. But something about this new church captured his attention, and he and Charlene drove into the parking lot.

“The music surprised me” said Mike, “and the sermon was practical and made sense.” Both Mike and Charlene made commitments to Christ that first Sunday and then began inviting their family to attend. First, it was their four-year-old grandson, Trevor. Then other family members came with them.

After sharing a meal with Pastor Mark, Mike said he had a question he wanted to ask. “Would it be alright to invite my friends to attend our new church?” Pastor Mark chuckled as he shared his encouragement to Mike and noted their family has attended every service since that first Sunday. The weeks following Katrina the church has continued to see steady growth, as many people are continuing to attend and bring their friends.

“In some ways, we’re just beginning to see the impact of weeks of relief work and pre-launch preparations,” Mark noted. In additions to their city-wide mailing, the church has launched cable TV advertising. The 30 second spots run 200 times a week and correspond to their campaign entitled “For People Like You.”

They also strategically placed 300 yard signs at the most heavily traveled intersections in their city. Pastor Mark explained that any church could find those statistics by logging onto their states Department of Transportation website, which keeps traffic counts for every community in their state.

Most of the new people attending – over 90% up to this time – have come to New Day Community Church because someone in the church personally invited them. But Pastor Mark has noticed that the TV commercials and the direct mailers have helped their core group connect with their friends and neighbors looking for a church home. The ads and mailers have added impact to the invitations from family and friends.

Probably the other significant factor in this launch has to do with their prayer partners. From their sponsoring church Lakeland Church of the Nazarene, to partners across the district and denomination, over 800 prayer partners have committed to intentionally praying for this new church. Pastor Mark has called it “Unleashing the power of God through prayer. Some say that God does not give folks more than what they can handle. In our case, God always gives us more than we can handle, so we rely on His power, and not our own. We began to gather prayer partners from around the world, who would pray for our ministry and for this new church on a weekly basis, and it has done wonders for our people.”

In addition to the encouraging launch, Pastor Mark reports two key team leaders who have connected with NewDay since their first service. Mike & Martina Wood moved in as Youth Team Leaders from First Church of the Nazarene in Long Beach, California. Mike is an IT manager and his wife is a project manager for Diebold Industries. Together, they will launch a life changing student ministry to the youth of the Jackson area. Pastor Bryan and Leslie Easley are transferring from DaySpring Community Church of the Nazarene, in Clinton, MS to lead “Kingdom Kids” children’s ministry at NewDay. Pastor Bryan works full time at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi as Associate Director for on-line education.

A NewDay of ministry has dawned in Mississippi – after the devastation of the storms. Perhaps the testimony of Mike Kelly summed it up the best: “This new church has brought a NewDay of faith for me and my family."

Fingerprints of Compassion: Heart to Heart’s Lay Ministry in the Katrina Disaster

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast region, thousands of Nazarenes mobilized for action. Christians and non-Christians alike were affected by the storm’s fury. Nazarene laymen were there to offer a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name. Here are some of their stories:

• Dr. Charley Hardison, a family physician serving in a creative access world area, was back in the U.S. keeping up-to-date with the latest medical practices when Katrina hit. He had worked with Heart to Heart International on one of our overseas projects and offered his services. We took him up on his offer and flew him to Jefferson Parish, just south of New Orleans. Dr. Hardison forged an instant bond with the director of the Emergency Operations Center in Marrero. By demonstrating Christ’s love and compassion, Charley made Heart to Heart shine in a very difficult situation. He worked tirelessly to provide medical care to more than 3,000 emergency workers – many of whom were stranded by the storm. While many emergency workers in other counties were abandoning their posts, the Jefferson Parish employees kept helping their fellow residents – knowing that Charley had their back.

• Stephanie Kuhlman, a pediatrician from the Wichita area, was another great volunteer with Heart to Heart. She worked in our open-air clinic in Slidell, one of the hardest-hit areas north of New Orleans. She also traveled with our mobile medical team to Orange, Texas, after Hurricane Rita hit
and provided care to the wounded immediately after the storm passed. Though she couldn’t calm the storm, Stephanie’s calming touch restored hope in those she served through the day and into the night.

• When members of Richmond, Virginia, West End Church of the Nazarene set up a feeding station in Vidor, Texas, they were following Christ’s call to feed His lambs. Church members fed an average of 2,500 people a day immediately after Hurricane Rita struck this tiny town east of Beaumont. As the Heart to Heart team provided medical care in a makeshift clinic, we watched in awe as the West End laymen were feeding the body and soul through their compassion.

• We cannot discount the value of thousands of everyday church members who assisted in the relief effort by assembling a Crisis Care Kit. These kits provided personal hygiene products for an entire family for up to two weeks. Working with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Heart to Heart delivered more than 35,000 care kits in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Many people thanked us for giving them some control over the chaos. One elderly lady told me that it was wonderful to just wash her hair, saying that it gave her something normal to do as she waited in an evacuee center.

I find it heartening that I serve in a church that cares for hurting people. When disaster strikes, Nazarenes are there. The way we care for disaster victims – providing care for the body, soul and spirit – allows us to be a witness by leaving a fingerprint of compassion on each person we touch through our service.

I encourage you to find a place of service, so that you can be a blessing to someone in need.

by Gary Morsch

A Boat Ride in the Storm

When Katrina roared ashore in the early morning hours of September 6, Trina Wells had family and friends in her home. As the water began to rise, the group had to seek higher elevation to escape the flood waters. Eventually, they all ended up on the roof of the house, in the storm surge with 150 mph winds. In the darkness of the hurricane, they began to call for help from the roof top to anyone who might hear them. Some in the group began praying out loud. As the water rose, they feared for their lives. Then a miraculous answer to prayer happened.

Seemingly from nowhere, an empty boat blew up against the roof! Everyone scrambled into the boat to escape the rising waters. Without any oars or motor, they drifted through the blinding storm - until the boat jammed itself up against a two story brick building and some higher ground. The group clamored into the second story of their new port in the storm. They found an empty room on an upper level and waited for the dawn.

The next morning, the group ventured outside to survey the damage from Katrina. They were surprised to discover the building where they had spent the night was the Victory Praise and Worship Center Church of the Nazarene. Before long, they were greeted by Pastor Myron Hairston, District Superintendent Rob McDonald and the team of relief workers from Nazarene Disaster Relief.

Pastor Myron recognized several in the group as individuals he had invited to worship services. One of Trina’s friends had been one of the marines Pastor Hairston had invited to church several times. No one could have predicted that the first time they came to church would literally save their lives!

When Pastor Myron first arrived at Victory Praise and Worship Church of the Nazarene the morning after the storm, Trina’s first question to the NDR team that morning was “Are you going to make us leave?” District Superintendent Rob McDonald and the rest of the team assured them they could stay as long as they needed and definitely until further assistance arrived. The NDR team surveyed storm damages at the church and began the preparations for their relief efforts.

Within hours volunteers from other Nazarene churches and agencies began to arrive with emergency supplies. This Church of the Nazarene in Gautier, Mississippi became one of the staging areas for distributing food and water to residents who had not evacuated as well as the dozens of emergency workers who were working in the community. As clean up efforts continue and repairs on the Victory Praise and Worship Center continue, many in the community are beginning to see the church in a new way, especially a group of Trina Well’s family and friends.

Neighborhood Christian Center Opens Impressive New Facilities in Memphis

A fever pitch of excitement filled the air on August 26—a hot Saturday in Memphis, Tennessee. Even though temperature and humidity pushed the heat index beyond 100 degrees, the weather didn’t matter much. For JoeAnn and Monroe Ballard, gathered with friends, colleagues, and trophies of grace from their ministry, this was a never-to-beforgotten day of dedication and official opening of the New Neighborhood Christian Center. A day to remember the years of productive ministry and a day to express a strong faith in the future.

The main purpose of this event was to dedicate to the Lord’s use a 24,000-squarefoot building strategically located at 785 North Jackson Avenue on the border of the Uptown Memphis revitalization project. The facility is a $4.1 million building with zero debt—a building that enhances every ministry of the Neighborhood Christian Center and makes room for more. The building inspired Memphis City Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Holt to tell the crowd, “God has delivered this building to be used for His glory.” More than 500 attended the event.

August 26 was a day to celebrate the significance of compassion in Memphis, in the church and in the world. Think of its drawing power. Compassion assists the poor, the destitute, the sick, and the dying. Compassion provides phenomenal satisfaction to the one who shows it to others. Compassion expresses our faith and authenticates our message. And almost any sampling of Scripture shows how God motivates and rewards those who offer compassion to those in need.

August 26 was a day to celebrate God’s faithfulness, a day that opened incredible new possibilities for their well-established ministry to the poor of Memphis. A day when dignitaries and donors and persons who had been transformed by this ministry gathered to thank God for NCC and to commit to an even brighter future.

Forty years on the front lines

Forty years ago, JoeAnn moved to Memphis after graduating from the Nazarene Bible College in Institute, West Virginia. She was sent with the hope that she could reopen the South Church of the Nazarene by starting a Sunday School ministry. Her salary was $80 per month—half went for room and board, the other half was spent on the needs of others. Early on she learned her philosophy of ministry—how do you present Christ to a hungry man? How do you share Christ with a woman who can’t pay her utility bill? And how do you offer hope to a teenager who only sees shame and poverty in her future?

It was through her church work that JoeAnn met and married a young school teacher, Monroe Ballard, who shared her vision for helping needy people.

Soon after their marriage, a ministry was born when Monroe noticed a girl in his class named Laura whose clothing was threadbare and who always seemed hungry. She had a good attitude and a fine mind but was distracted by her problems.

The Ballards invited Laura to their home for the weekend. They fed her, took her shopping and to church. Word spread throughout the hurting Black community and soon JoeAnn was serving twenty or more for Sunday dinner. Each weekend their home was filled with overnight guests.

That’s when the children started coming—it seemed from everywhere. Though the Ballards eventually had a family of four children of their own, they have taken in 55 foster children and many others who just needed help. In fact, the number of children who have lived at least one year in the Ballard’s home totals 75. JoeAnn and Monroe are especially proud of how many of these children have finished college and how many are now faithfully involved in the church.

In 1978, local churches and agencies in Memphis saw a need for an urban neighborhood center to support and expand what JoeAnn and Monroe were already doing. So Neighborhood Christian Center (NCC) was started and JoeAnn was asked to serve as the director.

Many ministries to meet specific needs

NCC is committed to developing the whole person through tutoring, mentoring, college prep, arts/cultural activities, money management training, career guidance, Biblical teaching, and assistance with food, clothing or finance. Every program is tied to this often stated purpose: “Changing a generation . . . one life at a time.” A partial list of present programs that help demonstrate the breadth of their service include CAPS (College Assistance for Students), Club Rec (organized recreation program for children from six nearby schools), NCC arts; T.R.U.T.H. Seekers (after school Bible studies for ages 5-18); Love Builders (Marriage Enrichment); W.O.E (Helps for single mothers); Food Pantry, and Clothes Closet.

And though NCC served approximately 100,000 persons per year before the new building was constructed, it is expected that the new facility will enable NCC to serve an additional 2,500 families each year. The new facilities make it possible to form partnerships with the Urban Child Institute and the University of Memphis to help preschool age children and to expand tutoring, recreational, and performing arts programs.

Starting Black Churches

In keeping with NCC’s goal to provide compassionate, Christ-centered ministry to the practical and spiritual needs of the city’s poor, the Ballards keep actively involved in starting new churches, reviving dying churches, and recruiting pastors for the new works. Ten Nazarene works with a combined average attendance of 750 are being served by pastors and staff persons whom the Ballards have won or influenced through their ministry at NCC. Five of those ten works are churches that have been organized the last six years and two are church type missions.

Doing the work of Jesus now

Many dimensions of what Christ asked His disciples to do is being lived out in practical ministry to needy persons in Memphis through NCC’s ministries. Go through the various teachings our Master left us in Scripture.

At the earthly launch of His ministry, Jesus challenged His hearers to preach good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and release for the oppressed.

In the sheep and goats parable, our Lord spoke about giving food, drink, clothing, friendship, and about visiting the lonely, the sick and those who are prisoners; and near the end of the teaching, He offers those amazingly inclusive words, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (25:40)

Look at the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus called those who would follow Him to wholehearted commitment to the Great Commandment and to a life of showing mercy, mercy meaning any help you are able to do in the name of Jesus for someone in need.

Or think about the Great Commission which charges us to go, make disciples and nurture them in everything we have received from God. NCC’s involvement in starting churches and reviving dying churches certainly fits that directive.

by Neil B. Wiseman

Salute to JoeAnn Ballard

In her book I Belong Here, JoeAnn Ballard traces her journey from the safety and community of her childhood home in the Lower Alabama Basin to the urban streets of Memphis. With pocket change and a sense of mission, she arrived in Memphis and the city has never been the same. She has been the Good Samaritan of Memphis to so many people. Her insights into dealing with the poor versus the poverty-stricken and understanding ministry versus charity are noteworthy for application.

In this book, she gives insight into the importance of neighborhood independent missionaries and small churches that offer the love of Jesus and His hope in tangible ways.

– Larry Jensen

You can purchase this book in quantities from www.MasterDesign.org

Memphis Black Churches Have A Combined Attendance of 750

Ballards Recruit Ten New Pastors and Congregations

Who could have believed the Church of the Nazarene would ever have ten black churches in any one city? But that’s what we have in Memphis, TN—with more on the way. The Tennessee District has ten congregations in the Memphis area operating at varying stages of congregational maturity. The combined worship attendance is more than 750 on a typical Sunday. And the future looks bright—these pastors report that 35 persons have been called into the ministry in their congregations. God has used JoeAnn and Monroe Ballard as the human connection to introduce potential pastors to the message and mission of the Church of the Nazarene. At the same time, the Ballards have introduced potential pastors to district and general leaders; some of these pastors lead congregations that join the denomination when their pastors join.

The Ballards’ long-term faith ministry in Memphis helps create an atmosphere of confidence and credibility both for denominational leaders and for those who are looking for a spiritual home.

District Superintendent Bob Broadbooks and his associate, Bill Weisman, give careful attention to doctrinal issues to all who express interest in becoming Nazarenes. This Memphis strategy sounds much like the early history of our denomination when individuals and sometimes whole congregations came seeking a spiritual home among the Nazarenes.

THE TENNESSEE DISTRICT PLAN FOR RECRUITING BLACK PASTORS

I believe that in every large city in the US and Canada, there are Black pastors with congregations who believe in holiness. Many of these congregations long for fellowship with like-minded congregations. They are discovering the positive difference in connecting with a denomination that can increase their effectiveness locally and around the world.

In Memphis, TN, Dr. JoeAnn Ballard has been the catalyst to introduce many dynamic Black pastors to the Church of the Nazarene. They are now seeking us. Periodically, she will tell me of a potential pastor. After meeting with the pastor to determine if we have a theological affinity, I have some of our other Black pastors to meet with the pastor to determine if they are comfortable with the new pastor. If the pastor and congregation are interested, we will designate them a mission for a year. This offers ample time to determine if there is a match. We also enroll the new pastor in our Memphis Bible Institute to continue to instill our doctrine and polity.

—by Bob Broadbooks, Tennessee District Superintendent

Church Adds 127 New Nazarenes Since Moving to New Location

Calvary Church Delivers “A Place to Belong” in Memphis Suburbs

After outgrowing their facilities on Stage Road in Memphis, Calvary Church moved to the country. In 1997, with a God-given dream to get ahead of the population growth curve, the 56-year-old Calvary Church of the Nazarene secured a 27-acre church campus site on Houston Levee Road in Cordova and moved to their newly constructed church home in 2001. Now they are located in the middle of a fastgrowing area of new homes and new schools and new businesses.

Calvary now has 445 members with a worship attendance of 442 and a Sunday School attendance of 338. Last year, 31 new Nazarenes joined the fellowship. Pastor Lynn Holmes has served Calvary Church for nine years. Awe-inspiring worship, vital small groups, and ministry to families form the backbone of the church’s well balanced ministry.

The upbeat themes—“a place to belong” and “our mission is to love people into the family of God”— appear on every piece of literature. Direct mailing communicates the place-to-belong language over and over. The first impression team sees to it that visitors are welcomed in every possible way. The first welcome is by a young family standing near the first turn into the church parking lot dressed in tee shirts bearing the message “A place to belong.”

Here are some randomly chosen though replicable ideas that appeared in one Sunday’s bulletin at Calvary Church:

•“Welcome to Calvary Church. Thanks for joining us. We want your experience to be enjoyable.”
• To assist you in identifying and contacting church leaders, photos of board members are posted on the main corridor bulletin board.
• Youth ministry “infoline” 901-788- INFO.
• Alabaster month – stop by the African hut to get your Alabaster offering box.
• Singers Sunday – a monthly mass choir event for all enthusiastic worshipers. Participation is easy. Pick up a CD at the table in the lobby. Rehearse on your own or attend the Wednesday evening Family group.
• Every Sunday morning, breakfast is available at our kitchen corridor.
• Please complete a Response Card. We’d love to get to know you and pray for any concerns you might have.
• Offering is an extension of worship. . . You are not obligated to give, but this opportunity is available to you as an expression of worship.
• Singles on Sunday - 12-5 pm. For any single parent or grandparent who could use an afternoon of relaxation or errand running. Call the church office to register your children.
• Back to School Sleepover. Friday 7 pm- Saturday 9 am in the children’s sanctuary. . . . Please help your child invite a guest to this fun night. We will be presenting the gospel to every child through a special devotional. See the sign-up sheet on the children’s table.

At press time, a Saturday night worship service was planned to begin on October 15 as a strong way to relate to their community of young families. A whole church four-week missionary training series, “Planting Seeds: a plan for reaching our community,” was offered to prepare the church family for “the new challenges of providing additional programming on Saturday evenings, and maintaining and improving all that we currently offer to the community around us.”

Congratulations to Calvary Church for the many ways you are fulfilling your statement of purpose: “Our mission is to love people into the family of God and disciple them to remain for a lifetime.”

by Neil B. Wiseman

First Person Report

FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT

Just today, I witnessed a brand new family come in the doors of our church. And just to remind those who have been in church awhile – that is a very intimidating thing. She is a single mom, with 4 children, and she was walking into a brand new church with all new faces – none of whom she recognized. I watched as a First Impression Team member warmly welcomed them and then, escorted the whole gang down to the children’s wing – and she was giving a tour while she walked. She helped get the children situated in the children’s area, and then the 2 teenagers and Mom came to sit down in the sanctuary for the service. By this time I was on the platform, and I watched two teenagers get up from their seats, walk around the back of the sanctuary to greet those 2 new teens and to invite them to come sit with the other teenagers over in the front left side. When the 2 teens left to sit with the rest of the teen group, the single mom was now alone. I watched one of our board members – realizing that – get up from sitting with her mom and go over to ask if she could sit with this new guest so that she would feel welcomed. They sat together through the entire service. When Lisa left today, she came up to me with a huge smile on her face and said to me: “We have found our church home – Praise God!”’

I want to thank our team for loving new people into the family of believers!

—Pastor Lynn Holmes

Insights

Attracting New People

How can we attract people to our church? Pastors are regularly told that first impressions are important, so the church building must be attractive, the restrooms clean and working, and the church family friendly. New disciples can only be made if new people join us.

Typically, two percent of the worshipping public is new to a church each week. That means a church with 100 in worship can expect eight new people to show up sometime each month. A church running 25 in worship would expect about one new couple every month. Of course, some churches exceed that figure, and some times of the year (back to school, Easter, Christmas) tend to have more guests.

Word of mouth is still the strongest attraction for first-time guests. (The term “visitors” may imply a one-time drop-in.) If the people within the church are growing spiritually, their friends and family will notice. If the people within the church are excited about their discipleship, they will naturally invite the people they care about. And even casual contacts by enthusiastic church members can encourage new people to attend.

Advertising is also important. Our small church, located in a residential area three blocks from the nearest major street, has managed to attract several people through advertising. A notice in the newspaper about revival services brought in a nearby family that hadn’t known we existed. A large yard sign for our “One Nation under God” service has brought in two new neighborhood families each year. Flyers distributed in advance of Vacation Bible School net several new families each summer. And we not only keep our web site updated, but we make sure the address is accurate on community and denominational church lists.

Web sites are especially important when reaching younger age groups or more upscale neighborhoods. We normally had a hundred or so visits each month on our web pages. Then we advertised a once-amonth activity for young adults. Our web visits doubled immediately. Outdated pages or generic schedules are not likely to attract savvy web users. They want to know what’s happening, when, and why they should care.

Retaining New People

Once people have attended, how do they become part of the congregation? The church is supposed to make disciples. One visit does not make a disciple. How do people decide that our church is the place where they can grow spiritually?

Of course, everything mentioned above about the church facilities is important. If they found the restrooms dirty, or saw the front garden full of weeds, or suspected that no one had cleaned the pews for a month, they will be reluctant to come back. But if the church looks good and everything seems to work (whether the sound system or the water fountain), the next concern is the experience itself.

Was the message (whether from a preacher or a teacher, if they attended a small group or Sunday School class) clear
and relevant? People say that they are looking for spiritual truths. But if they haven’t had a strong background in theology, they need the truths explained in common English. If the teacher read the lesson without making practical applications, or if the preacher used technical terms without explaining them, then the guests will wonder whether this church can help them grow spiritually.

Not every congregation can provide a full backup band for the worship team, but a little practice could keep the team together on rhythm. Not every congregation can afford the latest media presentations, but whatever is used should work. Poor presentations can make a person reluctant to commit to a church for spiritual development.

Friendliness of the congregation is even more important than a contact by the pastor. The pastor’s interest is important, of course, but did the people in the next pew at least speak to them? Did anyone ask about their interests or their concerns? Did a layperson find a way to connect with them during the next few days? Even an e-mail contact or a phone call shows some interest. And the studies indicate that the first 48 hours are most crucial. Talking to them on Monday means that somebody cared about them during the week as well.

Why New People Come Back

What’s next on the church calendar? When a guest attends, is there something special you can invite them to? An upcoming fellowship event, a special speaker, or even a midweek Bible study would give a reason to stay in touch.

This does not mean a special event every week, although larger churches will naturally have something going on more often. But a smaller church can plan for a monthly fellowship activity where recent guests and other prospective disciples can be invited “just for fun.” That way, there is a natural reason for the person who sat next to the guests last week to check on them this week, inviting them to the Game Night or the Hot Dog Cookout or whatever is coming up.

What other ministries does the church offer? Updated posters or handouts should mention compassionate ministry opportunities, involvement in community outreach, or other examples of actual applied ministry. Involvement in ministry is attractive to potential disciples, and a clear indication of what the church is about.

—prepared by Dale E. Jones,
Kenneth Crow,
and Richard Houseal

Charles Johnson’s Legacy of Leadership

Johnson Serves Forty-four Years and Counting

Pastor Charles Johnson moved in 1961 to a fledgling six-year-old church in Meridian, Mississippi, and he is still there. Only thirteen persons—three adults and ten children—attended the first service. Now, 44 years later on homecoming Sunday, 479 people gathered to honor Johnson’s years of service to Christ and the community. The church has grown to a membership of 564 with an average attendance of 320.

Son of the church - In preparation for his first pastoral assignment, Johnson was shaped and encouraged by four key mentors, all persons of significant influence in the Church of the Nazarene. C. R. Smith, a faithful layman in Orlando, Florida, led Johnson to Christ in Orlando; he later helped Johnson go to the Nazarene Bible College at Institute, WV. Smith was one of the first persons in the denomination to start a compassionate ministry center, and he did it mostly with his own money. Then when Johnson went to college, President R. W. Cunningham and Dean Clarence Bowman became teachers, friends, mentors and models. And Dr. Warren Rodgers, district superintendent of the Gulf Central District at that time, placed Johnson in his pastoral assignment at Meridian and became Johnson’s lifelong friend, colleague, and cheerleader.

Difficult start-up - Consider the stony ground in the early days. Johnson, the young new pastor, had no experience having recently graduated from the Nazarene Bible College at Institute, West Virginia. The tiny one-room church building was located on an out-of-the way side street among small, poorly built, dilapidated houses—residents simply had no money to maintain their homes because their wage scale was typically $10-12 per week. Because of the apparent hopelessness of the situation, two previous pastors had concluded this church could not survive and left for other fields of service.

In those start-up years, racial tensions ran at fever pitch all over the nation, and Meridian, Mississippi, was no exception. To make the start-up efforts even more stressful, African Americans had never heard of the Nazarenes; neighborhood rumors spread false information that Nazarenes were a cult or an all-white church.

Bi-vocational challenges - Due to serious financial limitations, Pastor Johnson was forced to serve the Meridian Church as bi-vocational pastor for twenty years. Just like many other bi-vocational ministers, he found the pay low but the ministry needs as demanding as any full-time pastorate. True to his perspective of life and ministry, Johnson decided to turn this difficulty into a possibility.

So he took employment with civic agencies that offered development programs to assist poverty persons to help themselves; his ministry and outside employment complemented each other. He worked during those years as a teaching assistant and then teacher. Later he was given leadership assignments that helped participants improve their reading skills, prepare themselves for taking GED exams, and helped them register to vote. He also served as a job placement coordinator between newly trained individuals and businesses that needed workers.

A continuing expression of a partnership between church and community is happening again. An aged funeral home owner has recently given his business to Pastor Johnson, so Johnson continues to follow the Apostle Paul’s advice: “I have become all things to all persons so that I may by some means win some.”

Ministry across many miles - Across 44 years, hundreds have been led to Christ by Pastor Johnson and the Meridian church. Though official membership has grown consistently, the statistics do not tell the whole story. Because of the effectiveness of various developmental programs offered by the community and church agencies, many persons have been trained and then relocated to take advantage of greater economic opportunities. Neither does the membership roll tell the amazing story of 25 persons who have been called into the ministry.

Pastor Johnson has been recognized as a leader by his denomination. He was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. He has served as Mississippi District Church Schools Chairman for seven years, served on the advisory board since 1978, and given years of service to other interests on his home district. He has served as chair of the National Black Church Leaders Conference.

Commitment to racial reconciliation - Johnson’s accomplishments in the civil rights movement includes leading the Meridian Action Committee and directing the local Opportunities Industrialization Center of America. Mississippi Governor Cliff Finch appointed him to the Colonel’s Council. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to serve the nation on the President’s Council of Human Resources. And on several occasions he met with Dr. Martin Luther King. In many ways, Charles Johnson has had a front seat on the whole civil rights movement.

Camp meetings, revivals and church plants - In addition to all these labors for Jesus, Pastor Johnson and his wife, Shirley, are in demand for revivals and camp meetings. They have held revival meetings in several places where the revival efforts provided a nucleus of people to start new churches.

A fitting summation for all Pastor Johnson does comes from a letter from President Bill Clinton: “Your efforts make a positive difference in our world and our future.”

by Neil B. Wiseman

The Place Where God Provided

When Pastor Thomas Allen drove onto the church property on Tuesday morning after Katrina, he wasn’t sure what he would find. As he shared later with the Nazarene Disaster Response Team (NDR) who visited the Pearl River (LA) Church of the Nazarene, he said, “I just felt I should be at the church to try to help people as we could.” Little did he know how the Pearl River Church would play such a crucial role to the community the first ten days after the storm.

When he first arrived at the church, he found others already checking out the property. Assistant Pastor Rosalind Williams, who lived nearby, had arrived with other volunteers to begin the clean up and check for storm damage. While they were still assessing the property, an 18-wheeler rolled into the church parking lot. The driver explained he had a load of supplies to leave with the Pearl River Church to distribute to any needing assistance. But with no electricity or cooking services, they just began to make immediate plans to distribute the supplies.

In a few minutes – within the hour that the tractor trailer had pulled out of their lot - a large pick-up truck arrived with six volunteers. The men explained they were cattle farmers from Ohio who had driven all night to come to Pearl River Church and help them in their crisis. In the back of their truck were cooking grills that they immediately fired up and began serving meals to the people who were showing up at the church property.

Teams of volunteers set up serving tables and began feeding area emergency workers as well as storm victims. For several days, around the clock, a steady stream of people arrived at the Pearl River Church for a hot meal and emergency supplies. The crowds ranged from 600 to 1,000 every day, until the truck trailer was empty.

The team of volunteers finally all stopped for a full night of much needed rest, since their supplies were depleted and the truck was empty. The next morning, one of the volunteers discovered the truck was completely full again! No notes or messages were left – some Good Samaritan had come in during the night and restocked all their supplies. The volunteers fired up their grills again and continued serving meals to the hundreds arriving each day at the church property. The fascinating way the needs were provided sounds like the familiar story in Genesis 22 where Abraham named an altar Jehovah-Jivah, the place where God provided. For the first ten days after the Katrina hurricane, the Pearl River Church of the Nazarene was the main staging area for supplies. Red Cross volunteers, FEMA workers and area residents all found a hot meal and needed supplies at the Pearl River Church.

On the tenth day after the storm, federal officials set up a base of operations for the area at the regional high school campus. While everyone was relieved to see the FEMA buses and vans roll into town, all agreed their first response teams from Pearl River Church had made the difference for their community.

Research and Trends

Kenneth Crow, Richard Houseal, Dale E. Jones
Trends in Ministerial Education

Educational preparation of ministers is very important for the Church of the Nazarene. While flexibility in preparation paths is part of our heritage, there has been some concern in recent years that formal preparation in Nazarene schools is no longer the path most often chosen. The church is concerned both that there will be enough ministers to accomplish the mission and that new ministers will be appropriately educated and otherwise prepared for their assignments. The chart below shows changes in the paths chosen by newly ordained elders and deacons in the USA and Canada over the last 20 years.

We have not required a specific educational path. In fact, we intend to “utilize as much flexibility in delivery systems as is feasible to make adequate preparation available to every person called by God to ministry in the Church” (Manual 2001-2005, 424.1). Still, the USA Sourcebook for Ministerial Development suggests that “The ideal path for educational preparation for ministry in the Church of the Nazarene is a bachelor’s degree from one of the Nazarene colleges and a graduate degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary.”

As indicated on the chart, the percentage reporting that they attended at least one of the Nazarene colleges and/or Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) declined 15% over the twenty years – from 76% in 1985 to 61% in 2004. Educational preparation in one or more of these institutions remains the path most often chosen. In an ANSR Poll of pastors in 2001, 45% of the responding pastors said they had done at least half of their educational preparation for ministry at one or more of the Nazarene liberal arts college. One in five (21%) indicated half or more at NTS and 17% did at least half at Nazarene Bible College. Completing a significant amount of education at more than one institution is not uncommon. Many report studying at more than one of the Nazarene colleges or universities, and many report progressing from one or more of the colleges to NTS.

The percentage reporting some other Nazarene educational experience, although none at NTS or one of the Nazarene colleges in the USA or Canada, has risen 6% – from 2% in 1985 to 8% in 2004. Since it is quite likely that not all alternative Nazarene educational experiences are reported, these actual percentages are probably somewhat higher. In fact, according to the 2001 ANSR Poll, significant minorities of pastors say they completed at least half of their ministerial education through the Directed Study Program (17%), or District Centers (7%).

The percentage not reporting any Nazarene school attended has increased 9% over the twenty years – from 22% in 1985 to 31% in 2004. However, since alternative Nazarene education is most likely not fully reported, the actual percentage with no reported Nazarene educational experience is in all probability somewhat lower than shown here.

While there has been significant change over the last twenty years, formal preparation in accredited Nazarene schools remains the path most often chosen. Individual circumstances, subcultures served, differences in abilities, and accessible opportunities influence choices among the educational options. Changes in our delivery of education for ministry, like the Modular Course of Study, are improving access to education.

Sustaining a corps of ministers large enough for the mission God has given the denomination, and appropriately preparing every person called by God to ministry in the Church of the Nazarene, is a great undertaking. The church is, of course, always dependent on God. Jesus challenged us to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth workers (Matthew 9:38). While there are many reasons for concern, it may be that, as in the past, our Lord will call enough workers to meet the needs of the harvest, that Nazarene Christians will, as in the past, respond in obedience to that call, and that the church will continue to find ways to appropriately prepare those whom God is calling. Let’s pray that it will be so.

Some Nazarenes are serving their communities through their local church. When asked, “Do you regularly take part in any activities of this congregation that reach out to the wider community,” 21% responded, “Yes, in community service, social justice or advocacy activities of the congregation.” However, just as many report serving through groups outside of the church. When asked, “Are you involved in any community service, social service, or advocacy groups not connected to this congregation” 21% said, “Yes, social service or charity groups.”

The survey also asked, “In the last 12 months, have you done any of the following?” Sixty percent indicated that they had “Donated money to a charitable organization other than their congregation.” Forty-eight percent said they, “Donated or prepared food for someone outside their family or congregation.” And 23% reported that they, “Cared for someone outside their family who was very sick.”

It is interesting to note that there are just as many people involved with charities and service groups that are outside of the local church as there are within the church. This response by Nazarenes seems to fit the meaning of Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan—we should be neighbors to anyone in need, finding opportunities to be involved in service and compassion both within and outside the local church.

Special Honors for a Nazarene Chaplain

After an illustrious military career spanning over 30 years, Chaplain Lowell Moore retired from the United States Army on September 30, 2005 in ceremonies at Fort Carson, Colorado. Chaplain Moore retired as a full Colonel, and the highest ranking Active Duty Chaplain in the Church of the Nazarene at the time of his retirement. A week prior to his retirement, Chaplain Dwight Jennings, Director of Chaplaincy Services, conducted the following interview with CH (COL) Lowell P. Moore.

CHAPLAIN DWIGHT JENNINGS:
Chaplain Moore, what led you to enter active duty as a chaplain?

CHAPLAIN LOWELL MOORE:
It really goes back to when I was in college and not right with the Lord. I had left home; my folks knew I was leaving, but I was really running away from home. I joined the Marine Corps and during that time I came to grips with life— realized all the teaching that I’dreceived as a kid had value, and I accepted the Lord as my Savior. After I felt my call to full-time Christian service I guess it was that contact with the Marine Corps and what happened then that led me to military chaplaincy.

Jennings: Was there a particular chaplain or pastor that was responsible for your recommitment to Jesus while you were in the Marine Corps?

Moore: Yes, Paul Erschel was pastoring Ocean Side, and after I decided I’d better start getting back in church, he was there, and led me to the Lord. Then later on I married his daughter. Also,
while I was in Vietnam, Nazarene Chaplain Lowell Malliett was very influential in utilizing me to lead services and travel around with him. The call to chaplaincy came gradually.

Jennings: Can you describe the different assignments you had over the 30 years, and just a brief description of what was involved in each of those?

Moore: After Fort Leonard Wood I went to Germany and was a 39th Signal battalion chaplain. There I rode to some 60 Signal flights scattered all over Belgium, Holland, England, and the
northern half of Germany. I was on the road all the time going into these small sites and visiting with people, trying to ascertain the morale at that site and be available for counseling. Then I came to Fort Carson where I was a Brigade Chaplain. That’s where I did a lot of field time and supervised three other chaplains. Then they selected me to be the post pastor at Fort Carson. Next I went to Alaska and for the last year and one-half of the four year tours I served as a resource manager. From Alaska I went to Fort Bragg as a Lieutenant Colonel and got another Brigade and deployed to Desert Storm.

Then after Desert Storm and Fort Bragg I went to Fort Lewis where I became the Deputy First Corp Chaplain and post pastor. At Fort Lewis I was selected for promotion to Colonel and sent to Japan.

After Japan, I went to Fort Eustis as the Installation Chaplain. There I had 16 chaplains and a wonderful chapel program. At this level, I began to find out that it was my job to encourage and
empower my Junior Chaplains. I always tried to stay very spiritual, always praying, always talking to them about their relationship with God. I wanted to give them permission to be spiritual.

From Fort Eustis I went to the Army Corp of Engineers where I provided ministry to 36,000 civilians. I traveled all the time moving from one job site to another. I finished my career as the
installation chaplain at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Jennings: How would you define yourself as a Chaplain?

Moore: I think my strengths are in my personal relationships, ability to care about people, and my pastoral sensitivity. I tried to never be a Colonel;

Jennings: You anticipated one of my next questions and that is what impact did the family play in making your decision to serve in the military?

Moore: Their agreement was crucial. Betty and I talked about it and she was with me 100 percent. The girls were pretty young at the time so they got drug around. Betty clearly was with me all the way. She supported me the whole distance. She was able to be mother and father on several occasions. When I went to Desert Storm, she was left behind to keep the home fires burning.

In my job in Germany I was gone all the time. We had two young kids and she was mother and father. Then she would step out of her dual role and into her single role. She was always wonderfully supportive. She never complained or cried about me not being home.

Jennings: Have you noticed any changes in the church’s awareness of Chaplaincy during your 30 years of service?

Moore: Oh there is a tremendous difference! When I first became a Chaplain, I sometimes felt ignored by my church. Today I am completely included and appreciated. My role and my place is seen as viable and real. People back me, support me, and pray for me. My church has welcomed me back with open arms.

Jennings: After 33 years of outstanding service to the Lord and our Nation is there anything you would like to say in conclusion?

Moore: The Lord has been good. I am more Nazarene now than when I went in. I believe in our church, I believe in the doctrine, I believe in our approach to the Gospel. It has really enlightened me, and so I am a stronger Nazarene now than ever before. If I have one thing to say to my church it is, “Thank you for all the work you have done pastoring, planting, sowing seed and watering. I’ve been blessed in many cases to reap the harvest that you have sowed. I want to thank all the pastors in the Church of the Nazarene for all they have done. Most of them do not know how much they are really doing. Then I would also say I believe in prayer. Please pray for our soldiers, especially those soldiers that are deployed.”

Revolution

Revolutionaries are nothing new to the Kingdomminded. The followers of Jesus Christ have lived with that label from the earliest days. Counter culture teaching fuels the lifestyles of the faithful. Revolutionaries seem to advance Christ’s Kingdom most dramatically. Something within the hearts of the Kingdom-minded believers resonates with revolutionary concepts. Just as conformity to surrounding culture saps vitality and spiritual power, so transforming leaders and communities of faith flourish, while resisting the pull of society around them to adapt and blend in.

Every generation finds a new band of revolutionaries to challenge the status quo. Jesus taught about new wine not staying in old wineskins. The Psalmist predicted God continually giving His people a new song. The Old Testament prophets declared the Lord’s delight in doing a new thing among His people. Dare we forget the error of Moses’ leadership to accept a new method for water to come from a rock? Revolutions still happen.

While we resist change and seek the comfort of the familiar, God seems to smile on the unpredictable patterns of renewal. While we lament the decay of all familiar, the eternal life cycle brings new life and growth to God’s creation. As if to teach us this timeless spiritual principle, each year nature surrounds us with the contrasts of the seasons. Creation’s annual object lesson reminds of the revolutionary reality.

In his latest book, George Barna offers his interesting diagnosis of seismic cultural shifts. Most leaders in tune with their congregations recognize the descriptions in Revolution in simplest terms: “Do whatever it takes to get closer to God and help others do the same.” His prediction: a growing spiritual revolution is gathering both momentum and influence in America. Partially driven by generational changes and partially shaped by cultural shifts of our day, a growing number of believers are obsessed with embracing and practicing the same passions and life value systems that defined the early church. Some may find these words disturbing. But most church leaders in touch with their communities of faith would affirm these predictions.

A casual reading of this issue of GROW illustrates revolutionaries are among our ranks – and thankfully so. Christ’s kingdom makes its greatest gains under believers who march to the beat of a different drum. Countless numbers of revolutionaries spontaneously left their homes to converge on the Gulf States to make a difference. Nobody called them. No orders came from headquarters. Others began sending financial support. They sensed a call and wanted to make a difference.

A casual reading of this issue of GROW illustrates revolutionaries are among our ranks – and thankfully so. Christ’s kingdom makes its greatest gains under believers who march to the beat of a different drum. Countless numbers of revolutionaries spontaneously left their homes to converge on the Gulf States to make a difference. Nobody called them. No orders came from headquarters. Others began sending financial support. They sensed a call and wanted to make a difference.

What that may mean for you and your ministry may be completely different than anyone else. As salt and light to your culture, you are challenged to discover how to influence your world. The gospel message is intended to make a revolutionary difference. Your church and ministry will stand out dramatically to people looking for hope and help. Revolutions start with people like you who see a different possibility and resolve to cause a new reality.

Let your Revolution begin!