12/13/2020 Newsletter
Updated: Dec 15, 2020
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A Word from Pastor John
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said,
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
John 8:12 NLT
As we find ourselves in the middle of the Advent season, we are continually reminded of the light that the birth of Jesus has brought into our lives. As Christians, the Christmas season should bring us a sense of excitement, peace, and warm joy. Not because of the Christmas lights and holiday gatherings, but because we are reminded of the greatest gift of all.
I love the Christmas season. I always feel a sense of excitement and warmth this time of year. But as I sit back and examine why I feel this way, much of it has to do with the celebration of Christ's birth.
My hope for all of us this Advent season, is that we allow the excitement of Christ's birth to fill our lives on a daily basis. The simple fact that Jesus would come to Earth, to be born and then to suffer and die, and rise again; it is simply incomprehendible how eternally blessed we truly are.
May the light of Christ be with you this Christmas season. And may we daily find our hope, our peace, and our joy in Christ our Savior.
Pray For One Another
To request prayer, email mosaicnazarene@gmail.com
or call/text (520) 709-0815
Our pastors and their families
Our board members
The world as we all continue to navigate this Covid-19 pandemic.
Lefty Slavens
Judy Baker
Friends of Talma Harmon, Cecil, SJ, and a classmate
Walt and Marlene's friend John
Vern Rupp
Patty Rupp
Talma's cousin, Don Ojeda
The Larson's friend, Karen
Jim Duplisea
Barbara Keeler's Brother-in-law, Larry
Melanie Crounse
The many unspoken requests
Make sure you're a part of our Facebook group to get prayer requests as they come in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21109057279
Nazarene News
Kurtz Church of the Nazarene
Celebrates 100th Anniversary
Small communities often thrive with the presence of a school, which serves as a backbone and brings people together.
It has been years since Kurtz had its own school, so the small Jackson County community in Owen Township has relied on another structure that can help a town thrive: A church.
As other churches in the area have shut their doors, Kurtz Church of the Nazarene has stood the test of time. Earlier this month, the church celebrated its 100th anniversary.
It serves as the backbone and heart of the community.
“This is it. If we let these doors close, Kurtz is gone,” longtime church member Rose Wray said. “When the school goes, a big part goes. Then all we’ve got left is the fire station, but they didn’t build it for the community. It’s not even built to have community functions. When these (church) doors close, it’s gone.”
Fortunately, the doors are still open, and the church continues to serve as a key gathering place for the community and surrounding area.
“It’s great that they’ve kept it up and kept it going,” Wray said. “I am very thankful. No matter what’s going on in the community — good or bad — everyone supports each other; It’s marvelous, and it’s the dedication and the love of the members and the community,” she said of the church’s longevity. “They come and they give. We’re what you call the outreach. We just cling together. If anybody’s in trouble and needs anything, buddy, one call and that’s it. It’s very nice.”
The church building’s history goes back to 1887 when railroads were being built across Indiana. John Welsh and John Geist, who had backing from a Chicago bank, decided there needed to be a railroad from Seymour to Bedford.
They hired Harry Kurtz, an attorney-at-law from Princeton, to do the contracting work to get the right of ways bought. Because the area was centrally located between Seymour and Bedford and close to Salt Creek, he named the town Kurtz.
It was mapped out and had 300 lots to auction off in 1889, and in 10 months, the town was booming. Trains ran twice daily, and there were 40 buildings and 100 people living there.
In 1892, the community decided a church needed to be built for all denominations to have church services. The building was completed and dedicated in 1894, and it was called Union Church.
In 1920, a tent revival with a board altar and sawdust floor was conducted across the street from the church. As a result, the superintendent of the Indianapolis District came and organized Kurtz Church of the Nazarene with 12 members. Seven of the 12 were relatives. The Rev. W.J. Abraham was the first pastor.
Nazarenes, Methodists and Christians took turns conducting services in the building until charter member Robert A. Sutton bought the building for $40.
In 1933, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was set up in the area, and that resulted in many of the young men, ages 18 to 25, going to the church for Sunday school.
“Those boys didn’t have anything to do on the weekends, so in the ‘30s, we ran 130 to 150 all the time,” Wray said of attendance.
Wray was born in 1934, and she and her parents started attending the church in 1935.
The church had its first full-time minister, the Rev. Frank Hawthorne, in 1944, and he and his wife, Mary, moved into a three-bedroom parsonage on Hendrix Street. That same year, an upstairs annex was added to the back of the church for Sunday school rooms.
The church had record attendance of 248 on Easter Sunday 1946, and that was broken the next Easter with 298 attendees.
Easter Sunday 1946
“After World War II, when we had all of the factories in Columbus and the Kentuckians started coming up here wanting these factory jobs, that was our record attendance,” Wray said. “We raised the windows, and people just stood outside.”
The church had its own parsonage built in 1952. Virgil and Effie Scott offered a two-story house in Seymour to the church, and a group of men tore it down and used the pieces to construct a seven-room Bedford limestone parsonage next door to the church.
A big construction project was completed in 1979, resulting in new restrooms, a drinking fountain, a nursery and a large basement meeting room and a remodeled sanctuary, turning the entrance from the front to the back.
A new fellowship hall was built in 1995 on lots given to the church from the Zora Prather estate.
“My husband died in December (1995), and we had our first funeral dinner,” Wray said. “We’re noted for big home-cooked funeral dinners for everybody that dies, so I’ve been over that for ages.”
A Ladies in Fellowship Together group was directed by Sherrie Shelton for two years until Wray took over for the next seven years. Meetings consisted of a devotion and crafts, and members went out to restaurants and other places.
“We had good attendance at that,” Wray said. “I had 25, 30 ladies, and we went places and ate and did crafts and all that.”
Youth involvement also has been key to the church’s success, Wray said. Vacation Bible school started in 1950 and has always been a big draw along with Kids Club and a youth group. The Rev. Jodie George is the current pastor for youth and children.
“A lot of youth live away, but yet they still come back because their parents are coming or their parents live around there,” Wray said. “They have kept an active youth program, and I give that a lot of credit.”
The church’s current pastor, the Rev. Floyd Fisher, was installed Oct. 11, 2009. He’s the 30th pastor in the church’s 100 years.
“The community is what stands out to me about the church,” Fisher said. “The church is at the center of the community, and the church is a multigenerational church with deep and long ties to the community. I believe the church is a stable and long-term asset in the community. I seek to serve as the pastor to our community. The community-minded focus of the church and its people is the greatest asset", he said.
“One example is the church seeks to provide a place for families who are grieving the loss of a loved one buried at Kurtz Cemetery,” he said. “(They) can come and use our facilities to share a meal of home-cooked food.”
This year during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fisher got creative when nonessential businesses were closed and public gatherings were not allowed. Drive-in church was established, allowed people to sit in their vehicles in the parking lot and turn their radios on to hear the Sunday morning message.
Shortly after, a praise team was added to provide music for the services. Then the church started video streaming the services, giving people a chance to watch it live or later.
The church partnered with Jackson County REMC to provide a free Wi-Fi hot spot so people could remain in their vehicles or at home and watch the services on their computer or cellphone.
By the end of June, churches could reopen for worship in limited numbers. At Kurtz, social distancing was required, and wearing of face masks was optional. Services still were videoed for those not comfortable with attending in person.
“Our membership is 145, and our attendance average prepandemic was 67,” Fisher said. “I don’t know how to measure our attendance during the pandemic. We certainly have a larger online presence than an in-person presence. We are thankful for the Eli Lilly technology grant we received, which has enabled us to have the technology we could purchase.”
A revival to commemorate the church’s 100th anniversary was Oct. 11. A booklet containing information and pictures of the church’s history assembled by Wray was distributed to members.
“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Kurtz Church of the Nazarene, it is with a spirit of humility and with hearts overflowing with praise we are deeply grateful for the sacrifices which have been made through the years by those who have gone before us,” Wray wrote in her final comments in the booklet.
“Let us lift our hearts and voices in praise for God’s wonderful grace that abounds,” she said. “May we realize the great eternal significance in serving together as we help build the kingdom of God.”
Fisher said he looks forward to the future of the church.
“If we are to sustain another 100 years, we will have to continue to love and serve God and our community,” he said. “Kurtz Church of the Nazarene: A church with a history that gives us a future.”
Go to original article HERE
Visit Kurtz Church of the Nazarene
Week 51 (12/13-12/19) Bible Reading Plan
Join us here on day 351.
Or start will bookmark one in the church lobby!
Bookmarks 1-12 are
available now
in the church foyer!
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.
Click the blue Scripture and it will take you to that chapter!
Day 351: Philippians 1-4
Day 352: 1 Timothy 1-6
Day 353: Titus 1-3
Day 354: 1 Peter 1-3
Day 355: Hebrews 1-6
Day 356: Hebrews 7-10
Day 357: Hebrews 11-13
Verse of the Week
Click on the following Bible link to read the verse in context!
Humor... kinda
Opportunities to Give and Serve
Donations of BABY items are welcome!
Thank you, for your continued generosity of both time and resources. Your gifts make a difference!
We are no longer taking formula or giving away formula. Thank you!
As the end of the year approaches, you may want to get your 2020 charitable giving in. To ensure your offering is counted for 2020, it must be postmarked by December 31st.
Here are some places at Mosaic you can designate your offerings:
☞Children's Ministry
☞General Fund
☞LoveWorks Family Resource Center
☞ MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers)
☞Prison Ministry
☞Woman's Ministry
☞A designation of your choice
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerfulgiver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Information
Check our UPDATES page for new things.
For our live Google calendar go HERE
Ladies Tea was a great success!
New hours! *Thursdays 9-11 am*
Notice: Due to all of your generous giving, we are not accepting adult clothing at this time.
We are accepting all baby item, see flyer above.
🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴
~ Mosaic Kids page! CLICK HERE
This weeks subject is: JOY
Also, it's not too late to start a new family tradition!
Click on this image to download Pastor John and Kristin's favorite family Advent activity guide!
~ Remeber to check our UPDATES page
(for all your Covid-19 time and general Mosaic news)
~ See our services on YouTube! RIGHT HERE
Coming Up...
Click here for details and the whole
calendar of events
NOTICE
Beginning Sunday January 3rd, we will be offering an additional, masks required, worship service at 10:45 a.m.
9:00 am Livestream on Facebook
9:00 am Children's Church
Social Distancing Guidelines
Please keep at least 6 feet apart while sitting in the sanctuary if possible
Please practice social distancing on the church property as much as possible
Sanitizer and masks are available at the front table
If you feel sick or have a temperature, please stay home
Communion elements will be available on a table as you enter the church
Offering will be taken as you exit the church after service
Surfaces will be regularly cleaned and sanitized
Thanks for respecting the guidelines and one another!
Click HERE for our Google calendar.
Closed December 24th and 25th
Closed December 31st and January 1st
