Convention Election Results

Is your church wondering about ideas for your VBS offering this year?  

Consider local organizations such as Honor Flight or The Wounded Warrior project. There are well deserving organizations in your community that would appreciate your support. You may consider projects through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries such as Sponsor a Child or purchasing a pig or chicken for a family in Venezuela just to name a few. Check out the Nazarene compassionate Ministries website for other possibilities. Pray and ask God to guide you. He will bless the offering and the giver, no matter the amount. NCM.org 

Crisis Care Kits

Your help is needed to provide Crisis Care Kits for Ukrainians. As millions of Ukrainians seek safe places to live as refugees in surrounding countries, receiving simple items like toothpaste, a comb, or band-aids become very helpful for their journey. Crisis Care Kits (CCKs) are designed to provide people with some of the essentials they were forced to leave as they fled.

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries is partnering with Convoy of Hope to ship, store, and distribute CCKs to people who are displaced in Ukraine and surrounding countries. Most of the current stock of CCKs stored in our warehouses is already committed, and we need your help to provide more.

Below is a link where you can find specific instructions on packing and shipping CCKs to one of our warehouses. Please do not ship CCKs directly to Convoy of Hope. They will arrange pickups at our warehouses around the country.

If you are unable to package CCKs, please consider making a donation here to help cover storage and shipping costs of the kits during the distribution process. The cost is $12 per box, which includes six CCKs each.

Thank you for ensuring that Ukrainians receive the essentials they need while living in transition.

NCM UKRAINE CRISIS

OLIVET CELEBRATE LIFE

MAY 12-14, 2022



FULL DETAILS: CL2022

TEEN CAMP

JULY 14-17, 2022

Thursday-Sunday

Click for registration link & details: TC2022

Denis Rutledge, Teen Camp Director

Who-What-When-Why of the Half-Million Mobilization

Who: Short answer is Everyone! The entire Nazarene Church, 500,000 people in the United States and Canada will rally together in prayer for our churches hope and our future (Jeremiah 29:11)

What: A Call to Pray and a Call to Speak for the future of our denomination and our local churches in Canada and the United States. Pray for the protection, direction, and revelation of the Spirit on our ministries together. Our prayer is to see renewal and a resurgence of the Nazarene Church and holiness message in our people. The Call to Speak is a prayer response/survey to gather feedback on what the Spirit says to the church during this time of prayer.

When: There is a designated day of prayer each month beginning in January and continuing through Sunday, May 1st where the entire church will pray together in our morning services.

January 11th is our 50 senior most regional leaders

February 1st was our 500 leaders across every District

March 1st will be 5,000 local church lead pastors

April Board Meetings will be 50,000 local church boards and ministry leaders, and Sunday

May 1st will be the entire Church of the Nazarene, 500,000 people praying together in USA/Canada.

From May 1st through Pentecost (June 5th) there will be a daily time of prayer using a Praying Our Way to Pentecost prayer journal. The prayer journal is available online and in print. Plan to follow along and anticipate a great out pouring of the Spirit during this season.

Why: We need God’s plan, God’s purpose to be fulfilled in our lives and in our churches. The disunity in our culture and the decline in our Nazarene ministries must be abated. We must turn to God for His leading, we must seek His will in prayer together. This time of prayer will be unifying for us as a region. God says when we seek after Him with all our hearts, He will be found. (Jeremiah 29:13)

The dream with Half-Million Mobilization is that we will experience unity as a region, we will hear from the Spirit in our times of prayer, we will share with each other what the Spirit is saying, and that we will discover His plans for our hope and future.

Prayer Response / Survey

The Call to Speak is a prayer response / survey meant to be taken one or more times after you hear from the Spirit in your time of prayer. This can be from a designated day of prayer or anytime the Lord calls you to prayer and speaks to you about the future of the church.

The prayer response is short and can be completed in 5 minutes. There is one open-ended question where you can respond with what the Spirit is saying to you. There are two closed-ended questions where you can rank and prioritize our ministry focus areas.

“God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.” - John Wesley

Half-Million Mobilization 

VIDEO

July 7-10, 2022

Thursday-Sunday

Olivet Nazarene University



KIDS CAMP is for children that have completed 1st-6th grade.



Early bird cost:

$210 if registered

before June 20th.

After June 20th: $260

Registration ends: July 1st

Click for registration link & details: KC2022

Children's Ministry Workers 

If you're on Facebook, check out NWIL Children's Ministry and request to join! We will be sharing children's ministry ideas, curriculum ideas, VBS, online meetings, bouncing ideas off one another and encouraging each other as we all seek to point kids toward Christ. 

The Church of the Nazarene provides us with many resources to help our Children's Ministry be the best that it can be. Click below to find resources. USA/CANADA CHILDREN'S MINISTRY      

GLOBAL CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Eureka Grace

New Lead Pastor

Shawn Link

Shawn is currently the Associate Pastor at Peoria Nazarene. Shawn grew up in Eureka and attended Eureka Grace. Pastor Shawn and his wife Cauriana and son Shawn Micah are thrilled to be going back to Eureka and begin ministry there. First Sunday will be April 10.

Rock Island

New Lead Pastor

Scott Casto

Scott is currently the lead pastor at Freeport and Rockford First.

"We are eagerly anticipating our move to Rock Island and the adventure God is calling us to there! We are really excited to see what God has in store for our family and ministry in the Quad Cities. Our first Sunday will be May 15th. Following Jesus is breathtaking!" -Pastor Scott

Crossbridge Community

New Lead Pastor

Keith Schubert

Keith is currently the lead pastor at Inspire Church in Fremont, MI

"Crossbridge, we are humbled and honored to join all of you for the mission ahead! We are believing in God for incredible things in the days ahead." - Pastor Keith

A message from Rev. Lloyd Brock

At Southside Community Center (SCC), we are looking forward to another incredible summer of leadership development. Last year, we partnered with local churches and donors to sponsor 33 KIDS who graduated from SCC Leadership Academy. 

This year we are hitting the streets with the curriculum we developed last summer. We will meet outside in the neighborhood and reach more kids in our community. Imagine the transformation we will see in the community for years to come because of Summer 2022.

Through our incredible donors and sponsors, we can help change the trajectory of a kid's life. Sponsor a future leader for $350 for the entire summer and help us transform our community one relationship at a time.

Rev. Lloyd Brock  

Checks can be mailed to:1618 S Laramie st Peoria, IL 61605

CLICK HERE TO GIVE ONLINE: SCC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE: SCC

2022 DISTRICT EVENTS

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

District Assembly – April 29-30 - Crossbridge

Celebrate Life – May 12-14 – Olivet (NYI)

Kids Camp – July 7-10 - Olivet

Teen Camp – July 14-17 – Eagle Crest

Team Day – August 6 – Pekin First

Minsters & Spouses Retreat – September 18-21 – Cedar Lakes

2022 Annual Report of the Board of General Superintendents

The Board of General Superintendents opened the 98th session of the General Board by leading a concert of prayer for each of the six regions of the Church of the Nazarene, remembering especially the plight of those in Ukraine and asking the Lord to restore peace and safety to the region. Following the time of prayer, David Busic delivered the annual Board of General Superintendents' Report. 

Busic’s report, titled "Church in the Wilderness," addressed the many challenges the church has faced in the last year. He reminded listeners that “in Scripture, the wilderness is not a place of punishment—rather, it is a place of testing.”

The benefits of wilderness are clear, Busic said. By God’s grace, wilderness is “a place of preparation that refines our character, sharpens our focus, renews our dependence upon God, and prepares us for new ministry.”

Busic closed the report with a powerful admonition to embrace the future with confidence, acknowledging that although “the way forward may look different than the past, the One who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life' remains the same.” 

General Board members responded to the report with enthusiastic approval. This year's General Board is being held virtually with members from 17 different time zones who will meet through Monday 28 February. 



To view this year's report, click here

30th General Assembly

The Board of General Superintendents is pleased to announce that the 30th General Assembly and Conventions has been rescheduled to 9-16 June 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The rescheduling due to the COVID-19 pandemic will make it possible for thousands of Nazarenes from around the world to participate.

“Our General Assembly theme, ‘Jesus is Lord!’, has never been more true. Even as the ‘normal’ rhythms and resources we have come to depend upon are being shaken, He is making a way!” said Fili Chambo, chair of the Board of General Superintendents. “As we gather in June 2023, we will celebrate the unshakable foundation that holds us steady: Jesus is Lord of His Church.”

General Secretary Gary Hartke believes the upcoming assembly will be a significant experience for Nazarenes around the world. 

“The General Assembly and Conventions gives voice to the global community of believers in the Church of the Nazarene,” Hartke said. “We are looking forward to this event as a way to unite our church family, many of whom have been unable to experience fellowship amid lockdowns and social distancing. That will make the 30th General Assembly and Conventions even more celebrated as we join together in mission.”

In June 2020, the General Assembly Commission met to consider the continued impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the 30th General Assembly, originally scheduled for 23 June – 2 July 2021. In light of the health, financial, and travel issues that were expected to prevent many from attending the General Assembly, the commission declared an emergency under Manual paragraph 302 and determined that the General Assembly be rescheduled for 2023. 

Since that time, the General Secretary’s Office has worked with the city of Indianapolis to reschedule the General Assembly and Conventions to 9-16 June 2023. 

“The Church of the Nazarene has had a wonderful working relationship with the city of Indianapolis since 1989,” Hartke said. “We are extremely grateful for how they have worked with us in rescheduling the General Assembly.”

More information about the 30th General Assembly and Conventions will be available at nazarene.org/generalassembly

Holiness Today is the denominational magazine for the Church of the Nazarene.

SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS

DIGITAL EDITION

A MAGAZINE FOR EVERYDAY FAITH

EDUCATION WITH A CHRISTIAN PURPOSE

With more than 140 areas of study, 3500 enrolled students, and a stunning campus, Olivet Nazarene University stands tall as one of the nation’s premier hubs of learning and faith. Our nationally recognized academic programs, title-winning athletics, vibrant, energized social climate and countless ministry opportunities make this place unique. Olivet seamlessly integrates passion and calling with career preparedness.

VIEW ALL AREAS OF STUDY   

EXPLORE YOUR INTERESTS  

Give a GIFT that doesn't stop Giving!

Would you give $1.00 a month if it never stopped giving, never wore out, never changed its usefulness or purpose and transformed lives?

The Church Multiplication Endowment Fund is designed to reach unreached people living on the NWIL District for Christ. Every dollar given will continue to give in perpetuity. An endowment fund uses the interest from the principle to do kingdom work.  Will you help fund this goal? 

Currently, our district property funds have been invested in planting 22 new churches these past three years and the district is in need of capital to continue to plant more! We need your help. Presently, there are 36 more potential church plants in various stages of planning which will require additional funding support.

Would you consider a GIFT of $1.00 a month?  We are not trying to take money from your local ministry where you give your tithes and offerings. We are asking for many to give a little.  Our initial goal is 5,000 giving at least $1.00 a month. Would you be one of those 5,000 making a commitment to create a movement to plant churches that change lives?  Here are ways to give:

• You can give to your local church by marking your check or cash gift "NWIL CM Endowment" and your church treasurer will take it from there.
• You can also choose to give online if you want to set up one time or reoccurring payments using debit/credit/Electronic Check on the district website at nwilnaz.org/GIVE/ On District Church Planting or direct  CM Endowment Giving LINK. Or scan this QR code at the bottom of this article.
• You can send a check or cash to NWIL District, 3520 Broadway St., Pekin, IL 61554 (please indicate CM Endowment on check memo)

We are also looking for those who might like to make greater kingdom investments!

You can give cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, livestock, grain, or other personal property.  Basically, any asset of marketable value can be used to help fund this endowment. There are also charitable gift annuity options that allow you to specify the endowment fund or another ministry of your choice while allowing you to receive income for your lifetime and when you pass, your gift goes to the endowment fund or specified ministry. CLICK HERE  to see other ways to model generosity. Gifts can be given in memory or in honor of someone. 

Large or small: Why not leave a lasting legacy that lasts more than your lifetime. 

For more information or confidential consultation please contact NWIL District Administrator, Jim Book 309-678-2357; NWIL District Treasurer, Ray Barker 309-645-7716; or the Nazarene Foundation directly at 913-577-2983.