July 2013

Q&A: How can we help teens to feel a part of the community?

Q: How can our church help teens to feel a part of the community and then help the rest of the congregation to realize that teens are indeed a part of that community?

A: What do hanging out at Starbucks, skating in the parking lot, going to games, or playing ping-pong have to do with ministry?

Relationships are valued and cherished in all of our lives. Sometimes they happen by accident; other times they are carefully thought out. We need them to survive.

Q&A: How can we help teens to feel a part of the community?

Q: How can our church help teens to feel a part of the community and then help the rest of the congregation to realize that teens are indeed a part of that community?

A: What do hanging out at Starbucks, skating in the parking lot, going to games, or playing ping-pong have to do with ministry?

Relationships are valued and cherished in all of our lives. Sometimes they happen by accident; other times they are carefully thought out. We need them to survive.

Q&A: How can we help teens to feel a part of the community?

Q: How can our church help teens to feel a part of the community and then help the rest of the congregation to realize that teens are indeed a part of that community?

A: What do hanging out at Starbucks, skating in the parking lot, going to games, or playing ping-pong have to do with ministry?

Relationships are valued and cherished in all of our lives. Sometimes they happen by accident; other times they are carefully thought out. We need them to survive.

Expect the Unexpected

In June 2013, I left our two young girls in Prince Edward Island on the Canada Atlantic District and headed as a delegate to the Nazarene Missions International (NMI) Convention in Indianapolis with my husband, Greg, (our Nazarene Youth International district president). I had the whole trip planned out in my mind and was very excited because I don't get to go on trips like this very often.

The Desires of Her Heart

My mother, Doris Ruth Martin Smith, and I were having two of the happiest days of our lives. We did not realize at the time that these would be my mother's last days. This is our story.

After mentioning to my friend and boss, Eddie Estep, about how much I have always liked trucks, he and his wife, Diane, rented a Chevrolet Silverado truck for 24 hours as a gift for me.

What a great surprise!

Reaching the Next Generation by Starting New Congregations

In 2012, Portland First Church of the Nazarene (PFCN) started a new congregation called Eden Community. Pastors Mark Goodwin (MG), and Jason Veach (JV), talk about the development of this ministry and how they are seeking to reach the city of Portland, Oregon.

How did the concept of this new ministry come about?
MG: We came to the painful realization that we were not reaching an entire segment of our population and began grappling with questions like: