“Send us around the world with
the news of Your saving power and Your eternal plan for all mankind” (Psalm
67:2 LB).
The
last recorded instructions from our Lord and Savior was to go and make
disciples of all nations. We
continue to be reminded that, because of the constant changes in technology
(i.e., television, radio, internet, ipods, etc.), our world seems to be getting
smaller. God is a universal,
international God and the Word tells us in John 3:16 that God cares for the
whole world. So should we. The
objectives of Nazarene Missions International aim us in the right direction to
think global. NMI strives to “encourage people to pray for all efforts of world
evangelization.” Prayer is our best
means for our mission to the world. NMI
informs people “of the world’s needs and what the church is doing to meet those
needs.” NMI challenges “children and
youth to learn about and participate in the mission of the church”, and NMI
challenges the church family “to raise funds for mission outreach.”
Missions at
the Clinton First Church
of the Nazarene had another wonderful year.
In June, we had a great Faith Promise Sunday with Brian and Lynn
Utter. Our Faith Promise goal for
2008-2009 was $18,558.00. Although we
did not meet this goal, you, the church family, continued to give and all
budgets and obligations were met. Once
again, we will be a Mission Priority One church. Praise the Lord for His blessings.
There
were nine (9) mission lessons, two (2) services with missionary speakers, and
numerous Mission Moments presented to the Church Family this year. We began our church year in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western
Hemisphere where we saw how Nazarene congregations in Haiti and
around the world were banding together to creatively meet the needs of this
country’s beautiful people. In July, are
mission lesson was on why missions is so important. We held a Kid’s Carnival as a local mission
to the community in August and learned about past and present mission leaders
in September. We “went” to Mexico and
learned about an era of evangelism in October.
Missionary Jonathan Phillips joined us for a morning service in November
and in December, we showed The Jesus Film.
Weather hit us hard in January and we had to cancel our mission service,
but learning about a heritage of discipleship in Guatemala in February warmed us
right up. March found us in the country
of Japan
as we witnessed a season of friendship and our church year concluded with our
children’s choir presenting “A Heart to Change the World.” God was wonderfully present throughout our
year in missions.
Your
Faith Promise pledges and love offerings have paid the following: (1) $14,564.00 paid our World Evangelism Fund
in full; (2) $1,000 love offering to the Haiti Water Project; (3) $1,000.00 to
Missionary Jonathan Phillips for his ministry to Romania; (4) $150.00 Love
Offering to the Brian Utter family; (5) $50.00 to deputation offering for
Spring Rally; (6) $125.00 LINKS missionaries; (7) $590.31 given in two
Alabaster offerings; (8) $450.00 Missionary Medical Plan (DSA Award to Mary
Alice Nunnery and more to come; Memorial Roll: Loren Hall); (9) $594.00 to our
District Obligation; (10) bought a Proclaimer as part of the VBS project; (11)
donated $200.00 to Write Stuff for Kids; and (12) miscellaneous local expenses,
to include, but not limited to, money for delegates to attend NMI Convention,
supplies, and our Mission Education Packets and NMI reading books. We had 20 readers this past year, with 14
people reading all six missionary books, which gave us a total of 93 credits.
We
also continue to sponsor two (2) children ($320.00 each/yr) from the Nazarene
Child Sponsorship Program and one (1) child ($216.00/yr) from the Kansas City Urban Youth
Center.
Some
goals for 2009-2010 are:
1. More participation from our church
family to the Missionary Zone Rallies;
2. Have 30 readers finishing all 6 books;
3. Participation from our church in a
local, zone or district Work and Witness project;
4. Provide at least 20 crisis care kits
(approximately $20 per kit) to the district;
5. Involve the teens in mission lessons
and/or projects; and
6. Continue to pay our budgets in full.
General
Superintendent, Dr. Jim Diehl, posed this question to all people in the
Nazarene denomination. “Is there enough
passion in the soul of the church to carry this holiness message to the peoples
of this world?” He said that our problem
is not with our profession or procedures or policy. It is not with our purpose or our
programs. Our problem is with our passion. “When it is all said and done: If we lose our passion, we lose our
movement.”
Your
mission, if you choose to accept it, is to be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem (to your family, friends and co-workers), Judea
(to all those in your community, your county), Samaria (to those from a different culture
and language) and to the ends of the earth (wherever the Lord may lead).
I
pray that we do not lose our passion for missions.
Respectfully
submitted,
Karren Osborne
Karren
Osborne
NMI
President
2008-2009
Council:
Shirley
Howie – Secretary/Treasurer
Tom
Howie – Work and Witness
Phyllis
Newlun – Prayer and Fasting
Sue
Simonton – Publicity
Myra Stroud – Vice President/LINKS
Jan
Wellman – Alabaster/Education
Marie
Blue (Appointed) – NMI Reading Books