God Continues to Move among Us by Bob Broadbooks

USA/Canada Regional Update— God Continues to Move among Us

Five generations have existed in North America since the beginning of the Church of the Nazarene. In the years since our inception, in addition to the many scientific, medical, and technological developments, devastating events such as the Great Depression, wars, the threat of nuclear war, the AIDS epidemic, September 11, 2011, and a worldwide pandemic called COVID-19 have shaped our society. Although each generation has experienced unique characteristics and events, every person has carried the same deep inner need for a relationship with his or her Creator. Throughout these 125 years, God has helped the Church of the Nazarene to adjust and continue to proclaim our winsome message—we have a loving, patient Savior who is not stressed or threatened by all of this change. Jesus Christ, the original Nazarene, can still heal every broken life and fill every empty heart.

For many religious leaders in the United States and Canada, the headwinds of secularity seem to be increasing daily. Perhaps it is counterintuitive, but we Nazarenes are learning to rejoice in these developments. History would tell us to anticipate that the Holy Spirit is powerfully working in times like these. During the first three centuries, the church grew rapidly even though the environment was hostile. In fact, church services were closed to outsiders because persecution was a real threat. A person would often stand at the door of the meeting place monitoring those who entered. Yet the Church grew.

During these early centuries, preachers would entreat their flock to live out the Sermon on the Mount. If they were slapped, turn the other cheek. If they were compelled to go one mile, go two. They would encourage them not to live in anger and violence but to live patient, loving lives of service. In 256 c.e., Cyprian wrote a treatise to his persecuted flock saying, “Beloved brethren, we are philosophers not in words but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth; we know virtues by our practice rather than through boasting of them; we do not speak great things, but we live them.”

This proved to be so attractive that many were drawn to the Christian faith, and the Church grew dramatically. The hard times of persecution proved to be great times of progress for the Church. May it be so for the Church of the Nazarene in the United States and Canada in the coming decade.

Our region includes two countries, the United States of America and Canada. These countries are divided into 78 districts, and the districts contain over 5,100 active churches. We celebrate that these churches have been evangelistically effective. During 2019 alone, 45,318 people have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and discovered new life in Him. To God be the Glory because over the last decade, 519,422 people have been transformed by Christ in these 5,100 churches!

Our region is blessed with gifted leaders including Roberto Hodgson, Multicultural Ministries; Mark Bane, Evangelism and New Church Development; Jay Height, Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada; Justin Pickard, USA/Canada NYI; and Steve Borger, The COMPASS Initiative. Eddie Estep leads the effort to resource and train our 78 district superintendents, and Stan Reeder leads our efforts in the area of church renewal.

I am grateful for each of these leaders. They continue to have a great impact in the region. Several are contributing to this issue of Grace & Peace and will be giving greater detail about the ministry in our region.

As Cyprian said, “We do not [just] speak great things, but we live them.” It was true of the church in AD 256, and it must continue to shape our actions in the year 2020. The Church of the Nazarene in the United States and Canada is living out Jesus’ words. We offer this proof.

A tragic story recently unfolded in the city of Philadelphia. A gang member attempted to shoot a rival gang member, but sadly, the bullet killed a 2-year-old. With the gunman now incarcerated, his children and their mother had nowhere to turn for help. The children attended an after-school program in the neighborhood. It was a Nazarene ministry called Front Step that this broken family turned to for safety and protection. Front Step continues to help them relocate to a safe place and minister to them. “We do not [just] speak great things, but we live them.”

When a crazed gunman killed 22 innocent people and wounded many others at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, the Church of the Nazarene responded. Mission El Paso supported some of the families of the wounded by providing meals at the hospitals. The ministry also provided support for the funeral for a young mother and father. “We do not [just] speak great things, but we live them.”

In Hialeah, a section of Miami, Florida, where many Cubans live, the Church of the Nazarene is serving families and those struggling with addictions through the ministry called The Home of the Nazarene. Started over two decades ago, this important ministry has led to many changed lives. Now, former participants have been ordained as pastors on the Southern Florida District. “We do not [just] speak great things, but we live them.”

In Cactus, Texas, a Nazarene church provides, among many other ministries, medical services to this small town inhabited primarily by immigrants. A former missionary doctor has helped the West Texas District open this ministry. “We do not [just] speak great things, but we live them.”

There is a dynamic inner-city ministry in North Little Rock, Arkansas, called Friendly Chapel Church of the Nazarene. For over 40 years, this ministry has transformed its community. First led by Paul Holderfield, Sr., for the last 20 years, his son, Paul, Jr. has led the church and accompanying ministries with distinction.

A few years ago, Brother Paul ran into a man named Harold who had reaped the benefits of the church through the years. Harold hollered with a big smile, “Brother Paul, we are missing those sandwiches!” Paul didn’t recognize Harold, but Harold continued, “Brother Paul, you are going to heaven, I know that. Your dad used to let us play ball at the church, even while we were tripping with the gangs, and he didn’t judge us . . . he just loved us. That church just gave and gave and gave all these years and didn’t expect anything in return. I know God pays you back, doesn’t he? Brother Paul, y’all have fed half of North Little Rock all these years and nobody at Friendly Chapel looks down on you or acts like they are better than you while they are serving you. I used to not believe in God because of all that TV preachers stuff, but all these years y’all are so real . . . you just can’t fight it!”

And 2,000 years ago, Cyprian said, “We do not [just] speak great things, but we live them.” May it always be said of Nazarenes in the USA/Canada Region!

BOB BROADBOOKS

USA/Canada Regional Director

1. Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early

Church (Ada, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 13. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid.

USA/Canada NYI: Looking Back, Moving Forward

The past decade for USA/Canada NYI included many peaks and valleys, leading to a variety of challenges and opportunities.

Overall, USA/Canada NYI saw a steady and significant slide in youth membership and attendance from 2010-2019, mirroring a similar pattern within the church and nearly every other denomination in North America. Despite this decline, we remain deeply hopeful. God is at work in the lives of young people across our region! There is much to highlight and celebrate as we look back while we faithfully push forward to turn the tide and ride new waves of momentum into the future.

In 2013, two significant shifts occurred as the USA/Canada NYI office embedded within the regional office for increased organizational alignment and effectiveness. We also adopted Global NYI’s three core strategies of Evangelism, Discipleship, and Leadership Development (aka BE . . . DO . . . GO . . .) in order to focus on our mission of making Christlike disciples in the nations among the next generation.

Evangelism

Our focus on evangelism led us to renew attention on campus ministry, recognizing the campus as a strategic place to reach students and develop ministry among them. Campus Mission, a network of Nazarene churches and ministries focused on reaching college students, was rekindled. We also reaffirmed our involvement with Campus Alliance, a nationwide movement of churches and Christian organizations with the shared goal of adopting every middle and high school in America for a prayer, care, and share strategy by 2030. Together, nearly half of the 60,000-plus schools have already been adopted!

We also connected with Encuentro Missions to encourage cross-cultural experiences. While the USA/Canada NYI office does not officially coordinate these opportunities, we do lock arms and support the collaboration they bring among several regions. Through the decade, thousands of students have participated with Encuentro groups in building projects, VBS programs, sports camps, and community worship services as we see countless lives transformed through Nazarene churches in places like Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

Discipleship

Our focus on discipleship is marked by several strong ministry programs and weekly gatherings through the local church such as youth group, Sunday school, and other small groups. We are thankful for The Foundry Publishing and its ongoing commitment to provide quality, relevant curriculum and resources for discipling youth. Youth Bible quizzing also continues to be an impactful ministry for many local churches and districts by immersing students in Scripture and building a strong community of faith amid the fun competition.

Large events such as district camps and retreats, field events on our Nazarene campuses, and regional events have provided additional layers of discipleship opportunities for students. Nazarene Youth Conference (NYC) continues to be the largest movement of our young people with a total of more than 22,000 Nazarene youth and leaders gathering in Louisville (NYC 2011: “World Unbroken” and NYC 2015: “Thy Kingdom Come”) and Phoenix (NYC 2019: “Love God, Love Others”) for the purpose of worship, discipleship, and community service.

During these three epic events, countless lives were impacted as participants offered 85,000 hours of community service throughout the host cities. They distributed over 15,000 “Bundles of Hope” diaper bags and “Packed with Love” backpacks to families and students in need and initiated provision of over 300,000 meals plus over 10,000 hygiene kits for crisis care efforts on the region and abroad. In the process, NYC participants’ lives were transformed with thousands of teens surrendering fully to Christ and more than 1,500 students accepting a call to ministry or missions. Following NYC 2019, we implemented a strategy encouraging every layer of the church to follow up with students called to ministry through prayer and support, including guided next steps for ministry training and opportunities.

Leadership Development

Our focus on leadership development was key to our efforts over the decade. Our annual NYI Leadership Conference grew deeper and wider to provide networking and training opportunities among youth leaders, pastors, and district leaders for greater collaboration and innovation in ministry. During several regional Mission Conferences (M11, M15, M19), we hosted close to 1,000 Nazarene college students for a series of gatherings and training initiatives such as Growing Young, a research based model designed to give leaders practical insights and tools to better engage young people (age 16–29) in our churches.

Mid-decade, we launched NYIConnect.com, a digital resource hub including leadership development videos, ministry partner links, a district leader toolbox, and a curated blog written by youth leaders for youth leaders on a wide variety of youth related topics. This online resource continues to provide hope and help as a top 100 youth blog for the past several years, according to Feedspot, an online monitor of blogs, websites, and podcasts.

Moving Forward into a New Decade

This is certainly a unique time in the life of the church and USA/Canada NYI. As we scan the horizon, we recognize many of the challenges ahead. We trust God to guide us into the future, uniting and moving us toward renewed health and growth, as we fix our eyes on Jesus and express our youthful optimism to lead the way. In short, we believe exciting and pivotal days are ahead for ministry with youth on our region!

Historically, the church has often grown by the devotion and labors of the youth, making them both the largest missions opportunity and the largest missions resource. May God provide wisdom, guidance, and courage as we hold fast to our mission and message while empowering the next generation to develop innovative methods and lock arms in collaborative efforts toward investing in the lives of youth for the sake of the Kingdom.

JUSTIN PICKARD serves as Nazarene Youth International coordinator for the USA/Canada Region.