Chicago Central District Newsletter | Issue 140: January 3, 2020

" We now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts people from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. " Acts 10:34-35

As Nazarenes, we believe the Bible teaches we are not to practice independence as local churches. In the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit leads the church to maintain its connectedness beyond local churches. The theological word for this is "interdependence." The movement of God through the people of God required relationships to be established and maintained, especially where the church was expanding beyond the local level. The movement broke out in Samaria when Philip was sent there by the Spirit (Acts 8:5). The apostles in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to Samaria to help fuel the movement by leading them to understand and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-15). The movement spread to Africa when the Holy Spirit directed Philip to leave the revival in Samaria and meet the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39).

The movement crossed all kinds of ethnic and cultural barriers when Peter embraced a Roman centurion and broke Jewish law to enter his house (Acts 10:27-28). Peter's vision led to the discovery that "God would accept people from every nation who fear him and do what is right" (Acts 10:35). The seeds of a global movement of God through the people of God exploded with new possibilities!

To maintain and grow our interdependence and connectedness, we are gathering churches by Mission Area , beginning tomorrow night! This will also be a time of annual reporting and prayer for the ministry of each church by other pastors and leaders. We will be capturing each pastor's report on video for future use in our weekly CIA Insights, District Assembly, etc. Thanks to each pastor for your preparation to report.

Denise and I are very much looking forward to seeing every pastor, associate, church board members and others at one of the following six times:

South/Southwest Mission Area Gathering

Date: January 4, 2020 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Location: The Table Church of the Nazarene

1451 Black Road, Joliet, IL 60435

North/Northwest Mission Area Gathering

Date: January 18, 2020 9:00 am - 11:30 am

Location: Elgin Church of the Nazarene

12N101 Berner Dr., Elgin, IL 60120

Central Mission Area Gathering

Date: January 25, 2020 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Location: Manteno Church of the Nazarene

698 N. Locust, Manteno, IL 60950

Southern Mission Area Gathering

Date: February 15, 2020 9:00 am - 11:30 am

Location: Potomac Church of the Nazarene

206 E State St, Potomac, IL 61865

Chicago Mission Area Gathering

Date: February 22, 2020 9:00 am - 11:30 am

Location: Chicago Northside Church of the Nazarene

1900 W. Leland Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Hispanic Mission Area Gathering

Date: March 14, 2020 9:00 am - 11:30 am

Location: Mt. Prospect International Church of the Nazarene

1501 W. Linneman Road, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056

We will have our first Mission Area Meeting tomorrow night and are looking forward to gathering with over 40 leaders that have registered to attend on the South/Southwest Mission Area!

This will be a VERY special time of connection and reporting to each other. Here is the format. We encourage you to arrive 15-30 minutes early for fellowship and light refreshments . Depending on the number of pastors and churches, every lead pastor will have 5-7 minutes to share a report from your church. We encourage you to do 7 things:

Introduce yourself and your church
Introduce the other ministers and/or church staff with you
Introduce the members of your church board
Introduce any other leaders from your church who are attending
Share a ministry highlight or answer to prayer from 2019
Share your vision or prayer for the church in 2020
Allow the members of the Mission Area to pray for you and your church!

As we have talked to other districts, we have found this kind of Annual Mission Area Gathering

becomes a powerful time of connection in preparation for our 2020 District Assembly. As time permits, we will also use this time to update our churches on the wonderful movement God is creating among us in multiple locations!

We ask that you RSVP for your Mission Area Meeting by clicking here .

"We thank God every time we remember you. In our prayers, we always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel...we are confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." (Philippians 1:3-6). You are loved. You are prayed for. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Dr. Larry McKain, Superintendent

Chicago Central District

Church of the Nazarene

NEW PASTOR AT DANVILLE SOUTHSIDE

We are pleased to announce that Danville Southside

has called a new pastor! Pastor Jeremy and Rebekah McLaughlin received a 98% positive vote to become the new lead pastor at Danville Southside.

Pastor Jeremy, his wife Rebekah and their four children will begin their ministry in Danville on January 27. They will be coming to us from the Northwestern Illinois District. Please join us in prayer for the McLaughlin family as they transition to the Chicago Central District and for their leadership at Danville Southside. Good days are ahead!

JANUARY POPS

Our first Pastors on Purpose of 2020 will be Thursday, January 9 from 9:00 - 11:30 at Kankakee First Church (1000 N. Entrance Ave., Kankakee). This winter and spring, our monthly POPS meetings will be leading conversations regarding, "Crossing the Divide: Creating Hospitable Spaces for Conversation, Community, and Collaboration."

Ministry is deeply impacted by the cultural and social constructs and changes that exist all around us. As the church, we must seek to create hospitable spaces where the "us vs. them" and "us for them" dichotomies are transformed into "us with them - in pursuit of a Beloved We." Throughout this spring, we will be navigating meaningful topics that will truly help us in pursuit of this "Beloved We."

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us this winter and spring:

January 9 - Getting Below the Line: A Primer in Engaging the "Other"
February 6 - Racial Reconciliation
March 12 - Embracing and Empowering People with Disabilities
April 2 - Place of Refuge for Those with Addictions and Mental Illness
May 7 - Wesley's Middle Way - A Response to a World Ripped Apart by "Isms"

ANNUAL REPORTING

The Annual Reporting website is up and running for 2019 minister reports. Please visit ccdnaz.church/annual-reporting to access the forms and due dates. Any forms that are Word documents may be filled in and submitted via email or printed and mailed to the District Ministry Center (PO Box 567, Bourbonnais, IL 60914).

Ministers, thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out these reports. We want this process to be as simple and convenient as possible. If you have any issues, please contact Scott Whalen. He would be happy to meet with you or is available by phone/email at any time.

SUPERSTART!

CCD will be taking a group from our district to SuperStart!, an event hosted by an organization called Christ in Youth. SuperStart! is geared toward preteen students and features high energy worship, age-appropriate lessons, opportunities for small group activities, and fantastic real-life application for preteens to grow in their walk with Christ. This year, we are opening this up to students in 4th, 5th and 6th grades.

SuperStart! will be held in Naperville on March 20-21 . The main sessions will be at the Yellow Box Church, then our group will head to Naperville Trinity Church of the Nazarene for games, meals and lodging. The cost for the event is $50 for students and $35 for chaperones.

We would love for you to bring a group of preteens from your church! Please spread the word to the families of preteens in your congregation. Please email Anne Whalen if you have any preteens from your church who would like to attend!

BOARD OF MINISTRY DAY

Our annual Board of Ministry Day will be held at Kankakee First (1000 N. Entrance Ave., Kankakee) next Saturday, January 11. This day is an essential part of the journey toward ordination as we gather to interview, affirm, and encourage all district license candidates.

If you are planning to interview for a district license, you should have received an email with details for the day. If you have not received an email, please contact Scott Whalen. Please be in prayer for our Board of Ministry and our candidates as they prepare for this important day.

FREE CROSS

This cross (pictured right) is free and available for any church or individual on our district who could use it. The cross is seven feet tall and four feet wide and it includes lights on the back so it can be plugged in and lit up. It's in great shape and would be wonderful at the front of a sanctuary or elsewhere in a church.

If you are interested in having this cross, please email Anne Whalen to be connected with the owner.

PRETEEN RETREAT

With the help of district NYI, Manteno Nazarene is hosting a district pre-teen retreat January 17-18. Students in 5th and 6th grades are invited to attend this event. The focus of the retreat will be being together, connecting with God, and having fun! The cost is $35 per student and it will last from 5p on Friday to 5p on Saturday.

For more information, contact Pastor Hannah Jones-Nelson.

MISSIONARY DATES FOR 2020

We have a great line up of missionaries who will be visiting our district in 2020. If you are interested in having a missionary at your church, please email [email protected] to scheduled a visit.

Rusty and Diane Robbins - serving in Eurasia with Jesus Film

April 3-13, 2020 - everything open except 5 April

Sam and Lumae Yangmi - serving in Northern Thailand

May 10-20 - everything open except 5/17

Jorge Baños - serving in Costa Rica

October 18 - November 1 - open 10/19-1020, 10/22-10/23, 10/26-11/1

Cosmos and Andronica Mutowa - serving in NCM Africa

November 4-15 - everything open except 11/8 evening and 11/15 morning

DS VISITS

Thanks for praying for our churches located in Waukegan. This month, three of them are coming together to begin sharing facilities. Great days are ahead for ministry in this important city on the north side of our District.

God is at work in wonderful ways at PaxNaz, our church located in Paxton. Over 80 people were present for their annual Christmas MOPS gathering.

UPCOMING DATES

Mark your calendar!

Saturday, January 4 | South/Southwest Mission Area Meeting
Thursday, January 9 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, January 11 | Board of Ministry Training Day
Friday-Saturday, January 17-18 | District Preteen Retreat
Saturday, January 18 | North/Northwest Mission Area Meeting
Saturday, January 25 | Central Mission Area Meeting
Thursday, February 6 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, February 15 | Southern Mission Area Meeting
Saturday, February 22 | Chicago Mission Area Meeting
Saturday, February 22 | Children's Bible Quiz, Manteno
Friday-Saturday, March 6-7 | District Celebrate Life, Olivet
Saturday, March 7 | District Advisory Board Meeting
Saturday, March 7 | Children's Bible Quiz, Kankakee First
Thursday, March 12 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Friday-Saturday, March 20-21 | SuperStart, a Preteen Event, Naperville
Saturday, March 28 | NMI/NYI Conventions
Thursday, April 2 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, April 4 | Children's Bible Quiz, Kankakee Westbrook
Friday-Saturday, April 17 - 18 | District Assembly
Thursday, May 7 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
May 10 - 20 | District Work and Witness Trip, Nairobi, Kenya
Saturday, May 16 | Regional Celebrate Life, Olivet
June 1-3 | PALCON, Olivet
July 9-12 | Kids Camp, Olivet

PRAYER REQUESTS AND CELEBRATIONS

We would love to hear any prayer requests or celebrations from our district pastors to include in our weekly communications. Please email us so we can lift each other up!

If there is any way we can serve you better, please let us know!