Chicago Central District Newsletter | Issue 129: October 4, 2019

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). 
            
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives us five reasons why holy love is our main message. First, without love, all that we 
say 
is 
ineffective
. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Words without love are empty, they are just noise. Words without love are nothing, they are fruitless. The Corinthians were caught up with speaking in tongues - proud of their spiritual eloquence. "We can speak in the tongues of men and angels." But Paul wrote, "You are majoring on the minors," because talking in tongues is nothing compared to love." Without love, all that we say is ineffective.

Secondly, without love, all that we know is incomplete. "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge... but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2). We can have a college degree, a master's degree, a doctor's degree, we can be a Bible genius, memorize and quote hundreds of Bible verses, but God says, all of that doesn't matter compared to love. "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). Without love, all that we know is incomplete.

Thirdly, without love, all our 
faith 
is 
insufficient
. "If I have faith that can move mountains but have not love I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2). It doesn't matter how strong our faith is if we don't have love. "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Galatians 5:6). Paul says, faith is important but without love, all our faith is insufficient.

Fourthly, without love, all that we 
give 
is 
insignificant
. "If I give all I possess to the poor...but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). We can give everything we have, not just tithing, but much more than that. People can give with all kinds of motives. In the world some give for prestige, for recognition, for power, and to influence governments. Just because we give doesn't mean we love. We can give without loving but we cannot love without giving. Without love, all that we give is insignificant.   

Fifthly, without love, all we 
accomplish 
is 
inadequate
. "If I surrender my body to the flames," if we are burned alive for preaching the gospel, but we didn't love others, it would be of no value whatever (1 Corinthians 13:3). We can rack up a list of impressive achievements, we can realize great accomplishments, build great organizations, we can sacrifice our lives for the greatest cause in the world, but if we do not nurture and cultivate a spirit of love, we have missed what is most important in life. The point Paul makes is that to God, relationships are more important than achievements.

We can have the eloquence of an orator, we can have the knowledge of a genius, we can have the faith of a miracle worker, we can have the generosity of a philanthropist, we can have the dedication of a martyr, but the consistent practice of Christ-like love with the people who know us, live and minister with us is what demonstrates we are a Christ-like disciple. Loving other people like Jesus loves us. There is nothing more important in life than love. 

The above paragraphs are part of a chapter entitled, "The Greatest of These - Is Love," from the book entitled, "Fueling the Nazarene Movement with Love." Thanks to 
each of you 
for being Christ in Action on our district, in the community where God has placed you.  Great days are ahead on the CCD team - you are loved.

Dr. Larry McKain, Superintendent

Chicago Central District

Church of the Nazarene

Cultivate 2019 is right around the corner! Our theme for this year is Healthy Churches: The First Steps to Multiplication . We have a great lineup of speakers that will be challenging us on areas of building healthy teams, creating a culture of prayer in the church, building agenda harmony, and how to effectively reach those outside the church. It will be a great day and we want YOU to join us!

We will be hearing from five main speakers:

Larry McKain, District Superintendent of the Chicago Central District
Brett Rickey, Lead Pastor at Highland Park Church, Lakeland, FL
Althea Taylor, Executive Pastor at Bronx Bethany Church, New York
Kevin Donoho, Lead Pastor at Crossbridge Community Church, Ottawa, IL
Andres Marin, Lead Pastor at Casa de Oracíon, Elgin, IL

We hope that you will join us for the day and leave equipped and empowered to create a healthy culture in your church. Cultivate will be held at Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, November 2. Registration cost is $20. Please visit ccdnaz.church/cultivate for more information and to register!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

CELEBRATE CLERGY APPRECIATION MONTH

The month of October is clergy appreciation month. Churches worldwide will show their appreciation for clergy and pastoral staff members through a gift, a note of encouragement, or other method. Here are some ideas to show your pastors your appreciation! Read more

PRIME TIME THANKSGIVING DINNER

W e are looking forward to our annual district Prime Time Thanksgiving Dinner! Senior adults from across the district are invited to join us on Tuesday, November 19th at Kankakee First Church from 11am - 1pm for food, fellowship and entertainment. Tickets are $14 per person.

One person from each church should collect all registration payments and submit the registration online. Registration and payment can be completed here. We hope to see you at this year's Prime Time Thanksgiving Dinner!

HOOVES OF HOPE FEATURED

CCD's own Hooves of Hope was featured in the Nazarene News, a publication distributed by the Church of the Nazarene. Hooves of Hope, a Nazarene Compassionate Ministry Center in Potomac, IL, ministers to people through horses, targeting troubled youth in their community. They have started a Saturday evening service that is open for anyone to attend.

You can read the full article here.

LOCAL WORK AND WITNESS OPPORTUNITY

Pastor Debora White and the Sheldon Church request help with the following projects:

1. Scrape and paint the outside of the church (cinder block, Sheldon will provide the paint).

2. Remove pews in the sanctuary to make room for chairs.

3. Remove carpeting in the sanctuary to make room for new flooring.

These are great weekend projects for a men's group, youth group, Sunday School class, etc. and would be an immense blessing to the Sheldon Church.

For more information, contact Debora White at [email protected] or 815-295-6572.

CONDOLENCES

Our condolences go to the family of Dorothy Brower who went to be with the Lord this week. Dorothy was very active in district missions, work and witness trips and served on the district missionary council for a number of years. Her memorial service will be at Kankakee Eastridge Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, October 19 at 1:00 p.m.

Thank you for your prayers for the Brower family as they grieve the loss of Dorothy.

AVAILABLE DEPUTATION SERVICES

Below are some opportunities for upcoming deputation services on the district. Email Denise Anderson at [email protected] or call 815-370-4318 with any questions!

Dan and Melody Anderson (serving in Uganda)

Available dates:

Monday Oct 21
Tuesday Oct 22
Saturday Oct 26
Sunday Oct. 27
Monday Oct 28
Tuesday Oct 29

Tim and Michelle Eby (Africa region) who will be here and available to speak on

Available dates:

Monday Sept 23rd
Tuesday Sept 24th

Check out missionaries available in 2020 on the NMI website. Go to ccdnmi.org and click on Deputation Schedule to see the 4 missionaries and their availability.

UPCOMING DATES

Mark your calendar!

October 11 - 13 | District Preteen Mission Trip
Saturday, November 2 | Cultivate at Kankakee First
Thursday, November 7 | District Mission Strategy Team
November 15-16 | Board of Ministry Discovery Weekend
Saturday, November 16 | Children's Bible Quiz, Location TBA
Thursday, December 5 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Thursday, January 2 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, January 4, 2020 | South/Southwest Mission Area Dinner
Saturday, January 11, 2020 | Board of Ministry Training Day
Saturday, January 18, 2020 | North/Northwest Mission Area Breakfast
Saturday, January 25, 2020 | Central Mission Area Dinner
Saturday, February 1, 2020 | Ordination Interviews
Thursday, February 6, 2020 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, February 15, 2020 | Southern Mission Area Breakfast
Saturday, February 22, 2020 | Chicago Mission Area Breakfast
Saturday, February 22, 2020 | Children's Bible Quiz, Manteno
Thursday, March 5 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, March 7, 2020 | District Advisory Board Meeting
Saturday, March 7, 2020 | Children's Bible Quiz, Kankakee First
Saturday, March 28, 2020 | NMI Convention
Thursday, April 2 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
Saturday, April 4, 2020 | Children's Bible Quiz, Kankakee Westbrook
April 17 - 18, 2020 | District Assembly
Thursday, May 7 | Pastors on Purpose and District Mission Strategy Team
May 10 - 20 | District Work and Witness Trip, Nairobi, Kenya
July 9-12 | Kids Camp, ONU

DS VISITS

Over 50 Hispanic leaders attended this breakfast at our Gage Park Spanish church

The Hispanic leadership team met on Saturday afternoon, led by Pastor Edy DeLeón

Dr. Mark Quanstrom, pastor of College Church, led the installation service for Jeff and Wanda Murray. Chicago Northside has become a parent affiliated church with College Church.

Chicago Northside celebrated its 95th anniversary with four of its pastors in attendance, including its new pastor, Jeff Murray.

We enjoyed the Board of Trustees gathering at Olivet. We have so appreciated the leadership of Jill Bowling along with her husband, Dr. John Bowling. They have announced their retirement for June 2021.

PRAYER REQUESTS AND CELEBRATIONS

Bill Luttrell, our pastor in Wilmington, was diagnosed this week with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He will be having some tests and meeting with doctors next week to determine a treatment plan. Please be praying for Bill and his family.

Please pray for Pastor Andrew Twibell. He is taking a medical leave of absence from Kankakee First as he battles a recurrence of his brain cancer. Please pray for strength as he undergoes treatment.

Your prayers are appreciated for Edna Roach. She has a fractured hip and is facing numerous health complications. Edna served as the recording secretary for the Chicago Central District for many years, and she would appreciate your prayers as she is healing.

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!

UPCOMING LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY EVENTS

October

November

Sun., Nov. 3 - Oak Lawn First 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Mon, Nov 11 - Joliet Crystal Lawns 6:30 - 8:15 pm

December

Please send us dates for your upcoming 2019 Leadership Community gatherings - we would like to promote those in our newsletter!

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