SnapShots

Lisbon, Portugal - A group of Spanish and Portuguese young people met 3-5 March to discuss establishing a new communications team in the West Mediterranean Field. The team included four young people from Spain and three from Portugal, along with Kyle Himmelwright, the field strategy coordinator; his wife, Jayme; and Dennis Mohn, the Eurasia Region communications coordinator. Several others from Spain and Portugal were not able to attend, but will participate in the ministry.

From 24 April to 12 June, 2011, Nazarenes across the Eurasia Region will unite in a single focus to celebrate a journey from “Easter to Pentecost.” Through the six-week devotional guide, “Resurrection Power,” every believer connected to the church of the Nazarene in Eurasia has the opportunity to encounter and dwell in the power of the Holy Spirit...

Rotterdam, Netherlands - In December, Bob Kagenaar walked into a room for what he thought was a lunch meeting. It was actually a surprise presentation. And Kagenaar was the surprised honoree. For 50 years, Kagenaar has volunteered for more than a dozen organizations in Rotterdam, including the Church of the Nazarene Netherlands. For that selfless work, Kagenaar was nominated for – and received – the Rotterdam Volunteer of the Year award.

Sergey* is a young pastor in a small community Kazatin. Last year, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) in Ukraine provided him with a small loan to start a used cell phone shop.  Sergey has been faithfully paying back the loan every month.

Sri Lanka - A few extra days of rain – what does that matter to many of us? A detour due to a flooded road, muddy footprints in the hallway, a cancelled picnic in the park? For many people in poorer countries, the results are devastating. Murugaiah and his three children live in a small town in eastern Sri Lanka...

Büsingen, Germany – “I believe this is one of the greatest moments in the history of Christianity. God has chosen you and God has chosen me…to serve this present age,” began Leonard Sweet, one of the featured speakers at the European Nazarene College (EuNC) annual Leadership Conference, January 17-20. “By and large, the church has decided it doesn’t like this moment,” he added, during the first of his eight one-hour sessions.

Carlisle, United Kingdom - The Belle Vue and Raffles Community Churches of the Nazarene, in Carlisle, held their first major joint event, The Bethlehem Experience, on 17-19 December, 2010. The event brought the Christmas message to the community in a new way by challenging people to ask themselves, ‘Who am I worshipping this Christmas?’ About 170 from outside the churches attended.

What did you do for your Christmas break? No matter what you did, the youth of the Northern Europe Field would tell you that they were at the best possible place they could ever be, doing what they loved doing.

Warm Advent greetings from your Eurasia Region team, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We celebrate with you the remembrance of the miraculous birth of the Son of God into our world more than 2,000 years ago. It is during this time that we are especially reminded of the reason we work together all year to share these "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2: 10).

Büsingen, Germany - European Nazarene College (EuNC) held their 33rd Advent concert in three churches in Germany and Switzerland on 28 November and 4 and 5 December. The concerts were attended by EuNC faculty and students as well as several hundred local people from the community.

Wider Call for Papers

The Church of the Nazarene will hold its third Global Theology Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on the campus of Africa Nazarene University, March 26 to 29, 2012. The Eurasia Region is calling for theological leaders who attend the conference to submit proposals for conference papers by December 10, 2010.

Krakow, Poland - A new Nazarene coffee shop ministry will open in Krakow in time for Christmas. Called “Sweet Surrender,” the shop is the third location for the ministry that aims to foster relationships in the community through sharing the Gospel. The success of the first two locations, including a recent large-scale worship service hosted by the Poznan shop, bodes well for the ministry at the upcoming coffee house.

“Close to God’s Heart”

Leusden, Netherlands - Forty children’s workers from eleven churches in the Dutch district gathered in Leusden, close to Amersfoort on Saturday, November 6th for the Dutch district’s training day for children’s ministries. There were familiar faces, long-time faithful workers and new people, all part of the children’s ministries in the Dutch local churches.

Jerusalem – Many poor around the world struggle to feed their families in arid climates or during droughts or floods. But what about those families in urban areas who don’t even have land to call their own? In the Middle East, Nazarenes are attempting to turn rooftops into productive gardens.

Pune, India - Five hundred and sixty pastors representing 1,230 congregations attended the launching of the “Power of One”, Eurasia Region’s Missional Church Initiative, in Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata this month. The initiative, launched in September, is designed to help local churches in every field become engaged in evangelism, discipleship, church planting and community transformation, providing tested and proven resources written by Nazarenes across the region.

When the impossible takes place, we know it is the Holy Spirit – not human beings – at work. In the past three years, even while World Evangelism Fund (WEF) giving has slowly decreased during the worldwide recession, the Church of the Nazarene has experienced growth in miraculous, Spirit-driven movements. Since 2007, the church has recorded a net gain of over 300,000 new members, unprecedented in our church history.

Sighișoara, Romania - Mission Corps missionary Dorothy Tarrant, was honored on September 27 by family, friends, city officials, and clients and staff of Veritas, the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) organization which she founded. The occasion marked 15 years of Tarrant’s social service activity in the community of Sighișoara, Romania, and the handing over of Veritas to its first Romanian director. The celebration included a presentation by the vice-mayor of the city, awarding Tarrant with honorary citizenship.

Five Trevecca Nazarene University graduates are settling into new lives in Croatia, where they are helping Southeast Europe Field (SEE Field) leaders launch the Church of the Nazarene.

 “Expect the unexpected! And if you do so, God will help you do the rest.”

Beirut, Lebanon – Thirteen young adults from Nazarene churches in the Germany District went on a Youth in Mission (YiM) trip, from 7-18 August, to assist the Nazarene Evangelical School (NES) in Beirut with Vacation Bible School (VBS), among other things. They were accompanied by Philip Rodebush, who works for the Church of the Nazarene in Jerusalem.

Helping Hands & Partners help in the flooded areas of Pakistan

"This used to be our child development center. My friends and I went to school here. But now some of them are dead, and many more are injured and sick. Our child development center and my home are completely destroyed. We live in camps and there is no food, no water and no electricity. It is hot and I can’t sleep, especially when my little brother cries in the dark. I’ve lost all my books in the flood. I miss my child development center and my friends and my teacher! I don’t know where they are. Please help us, we no longer have a home!“