September 2016 Harvest — Kansas District Church of the Nazarene

Greetings in the Name of the Lord,

Part of our American heritage is that we celebrate the hero who stands his ground alone: the Lone Ranger, Superman etc. I am a Louis L’Amour fan. The hero always wins the day against the bad guys. Usually he wins by himself against overwhelming odds. It’s the American Dream. Frank Sinatra characterizes America best when he sang the song, “I did it my way”.

But this “Raise ourselves up by our own bootstraps.” mentality is not a Christian value. While there are times we must be willing to sacrifice alone, the Bible calls us to work together as a team. Jesus calls that team “the church”. We are better together. I was reading this morning in Luke 10 that Jesus sent 72 disciples out… two by two. When they ministered, they didn’t do it alone. They had someone to lean on. When one was down, the other could pick him up. Strengths and weaknesses are shared as they did ministry in Jesus’ name together. They learned together, laughed together, cried together and shared everything in common. Paul was very upset when young John Mark abandoned him. The early church advanced the kingdom together. In Acts we read about Paul and Timothy, Paul and Barnabas, Paul and Silas, etc.

Why do we try to tackle ministry alone? We need each other. It is a great thing that we will be together again at Minister and Mates Retreat. We look forward to worship and great preaching. But it will also be great to be together sharing life. I hope, if you are able to attend, that you will come with open heart and a willingness to make new friends. I hope that it will be a time of renewing old friendships and a time of mutual encouragement. If you are not able to attend, know that you will be missed. We value your participation and look forward to the next time that we are able to gather together on our great district. In the mean time, let’s be intentional about gathering informally and formally at zone meetings and district training events. Let’s covenant to continue to be a district that does ministry in Christ’s name together.

Welcome to the district.

I am pleased to announce that Nick and Kylie Jo Smith have accepted a unanimous call to pastor the Plainville Church of the Nazarene. Nick and Kylie Jo come to us after serving at the Burden United Methodist Church. They are Wichita State graduates. Nick is currently enrolled at Nazarene Theological Seminary. They have a two-year-old named Isaiah and are expecting another child in early October. Let’s welcome them to our district and be in prayer for a healthy baby and a safe delivery. Be in prayer because you know expecting a little one, moving and transitioning to a new ministry assignment can be stressful. Welcome Nick and Kylie Jo!

Jeff and Danielle Black have accepted the call to pastor our McPherson Church of the Nazarene. Jeff and Danielle grew up in our Hoisington Church. They graduated from MNU and most recently from NTS. The parsonage is in need of some attention. If your church would like to help with a Saturday workday in September, please let us know. Let’s welcome Jeff and Danielle to the district!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim

KANSAS DISTRICT

WORK & WITNESS TRIP

Honduras

February 13-27, 2017

In 2012, Pastor Christian Juarez began a successful soccer ministry which pulled kids off the streets, out of gangs and gave them a new start, a new family and a new life. Soccer ministries are spreading across Honduras and the church is growing.

Join us as we travel to La Esperanza Puerto Cortes, Honduras, partnering with the local Nazarene church to build a soccer field and help reach the lost for Christ.

Signup deadline: extended to September 30

10 available places left

*Work & Witness Mission Trip Flyer attached

Deputation Tour

Todd & Connie Aebischer

· 9/20 - 7:00 PM El Dorado

· 9/21 - 6:00 PM Wichita Todas Las Naciones

· 9/22 - 6:00 PM Wellington

Children's Mission Retreat

Grades 4th-6th

Online registration opens: September 20, 2016

*Children's Mission Retreat flyer attached