A Word From Pastor John~
As we finish up the book of James, we are reminded of the importance of prayer. Constant communion with our heavenly Father is one of the most important spiritual practices we can have in our lives.
The Bible reminds us of the power of prayer, and how God uses the act of prayer to significantly work in our lives. May we be devoted to prayer as we anticipate all the many ways God wants to work in and through us.
Let's set aside time each day to spend with the Lord. Let's get rid of all of our distractions, all of our commitments, just for a few moments, and spend some time alone with God each day. And may God continue to bless us as we continue to live in obedience to His call in our lives.
Pray For One Another
Our pastors and their families
Tom's manager and family
Karen Springer
Kara & Frank Mathey's daughter
The Mobleys and LeAnn's sister, Hope
Talma's son KC
Jimmy
LoveWorks clients
Talma's niece and her husband
Sheila
Barbara's niece
Lily's son Troy
Tom's brother, Randy
The many unspoken requests
Praise Report
Carol Craycoft
Bible Reading Plan: Week 9
This year, we are reading through the Bible chronologically using The Bible Recap Plan in YouVersion.
Take a bookmark from the front lobby if you'd like to keep track that way and go through at your own pace. Bookmark three is now available!
Use bible.com OR the YouVersion app
Day 57: Numbers 7
Day 58: Numbers 8-10
Day 59: Numbers 11-13
Day 60: Numbers 14-15 and Psalm 90
Day 61: Numbers 16-17
Day 62: Numbers 18-20
Day 63: Numbers 21-22
Before you read God’s Word today, seek His help with these 5 prayers:
1. God, give me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. 2. God, let any knowledge I gain serve to help me love You and others more, and not puff me up. 3. God, help me see something new about You I've never seen before. 4. God, correct any lies I believe about You or anything I misunderstand. 5. God, direct my steps according to Your Word.
Mission Minute
This Saturday!
Be inspired by the stories of our persecuted brothers and sisters! At the VOM ADVANCE conference, speakers from around the world share personal testimonies about God’s faithfulness in the midst of persecution. Join us to learn how God’s kingdom is advancing, even in the face of fierce opposition. Meet your persecuted family face to face, and let God use their stories to challenge you to a deeper, bolder walk with Him.
Contact Talma Harmon and we will register our group for FREE!
We are carpooling, so talk with Talma to get set up in a car.
Blessings!
Talma Harmon
Missions Advisory Leader
Opportunities to Give and Serve
We need volunteers! Where do you want to serve?
Help us get Bibles to the Navajo speaking people who are in prison here in Arizona:
Nazarene News
Crossroads Church of the Nazarene in Chandler, Arizona, found a missions field in its own backyard when a church member began teaching at a local elementary school.
Galveston Elementary School is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Chandler. It has both the highest Spanish-speaking population in the area as well as the lowest socioeconomic status. Dana Spaite, a former pastor at the Crossroads Church, had a daughter who taught at the elementary school and provided a way in for the church.
“Her daughter started sharing with her mom [that] these are needy children and they come with no shoes or holes in their shoes and, you know, things that are too tight and too small and they're wearing the same clothing every day,” said Heidi Shirly-Hawes, Mercy Project director at Crossroads.
“Sometimes they don't have lunch and they're not signed up for programs because their parents don't speak English. Because of the relationship with her daughter as a teacher there, [Spaite] was able to begin to meet with the administration and say, ‘Hey, us as a church, we'd like to help you. How can we do that?’”
That question opened the doors for Crossroads into an area of Chandler that had been severely neglected. Because of the church's involvement with the school, children began attending the church's VBS program, which in turn has brought their parents into the church.
“Once they find out that these programs are available, they come to be a part of our church because we’re loving on their kids,” Shirley-Hawes said.
The first thing the school asked for help with was for someone from the church to hold an English as a second language class (ESL) on campus for parents to learn English.
“Many of them here are even undocumented, so they’re not going to sign up for a class,” Shirley-Hawes said. “They’re not going to fill out any paperwork or documentation because they want to stay under the radar.”
The church said yes, so they started an ESL class on the campus every Wednesday morning for the next 10 years. As more people became interested, the demand for the class increased. Eventually, the church started hosting classes on Thursday nights so people who worked during the day could learn English as well.
The class even attracted those outside the Hispanic community.
“We have a lady who is Vietnamese and a couple who are resettling from Ethiopia,” Shirley-Hawes said.
Recently, Crossroads has moved its ESL classes onto the church campus. Alongside those classes, another relationship that has started with the school is through a reading and pen-pal program with a first-grade class at Galveston Elementary.
We have a reading program,” Shirley-Hawes said. “We’ve got five or six people from our church who go in and partner with a specific teacher, and they go into that teacher’s classroom and read one time a week for 30 minutes.”
Find this article and much more at nazarene.org
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