NMI // Sunday School // Childrens // NYI // Stats

February 2008

A Word from our District Superintendent
SNU Covenant Celebration

In a meeting of the District Leadership Team a few months ago it was decided that we need to invest in our children and youth.

On April 5, 2008 there will be a SNU Covenant Celebration for everyone at the Living Word Church of the Nazarene. Make plans now to get as many of your youth as possible to this great event.

Our Youth deserve the best!

Duane

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YOUTH CAMP REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Register online before the end of February for Super Early Bird Pricing.
Visit www.southtexasnaz.org for information and registration.

NEW THIS YEAR: Order your camp t-shirt when you register to assure proper size. Watch your mailbox for posters and additional information.

Pastor’s can come to!!!

SUMMER CAMP IS JUNE 9-13, 2008
THERE IS A “SUPER EARLY BIRD” PRICE BREAK FOR PEOPLE WHO REGISTER DURING JANUARY AND FEBRUARY… DON’T IGNORE THE WARNINGS AND END UP PAYING TOO MUCH. You can even “partially” pay to get your reservation in.

Extravaganza 2008
Visit www.nyi-snu.org to register for Extravaganza. If your church has a team they would like to enter in any of the sporting events, OR if you need a team to play on, be sure you contact Steve Ballew at mojofan@grandecom.net or call him at 432.889.7032. He is our sports director. At Extravaganza this year, they will be hosting a tournament in the following areas: jr. high and sr. high men’s basketball, jr. high and sr. high ladies’ basketball, jr. high and sr. high ladies’ volleyball, mixed soccer, mixed football, and you guessed it, DODGEBALL.

NYI Delegates
…have you had your church elections, yet? When you do, include NYI delegates! We will be doing our NYI Convention online again this year, voting will begin in early April, and end during District Leadership Summit and Assembly.

Let’s see if we can boost involvement EVEN MORE this year.

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South Texas District NMI Convention
will be in conjunction with the

District Leadership Summit and Assembly
May 1-2, 2008
Shoreline Christian Center
Austin, Texas

• A missionary? Yes, Rev. Eunice Brubaker, Missionary to the Philippines and General NMI President, will be speaking.
• A gala? No, Lunch Box 101 will be offered each day. Lunches will be offered on site with training opportunities from the essential ministries of NMI, NYI, and SSDMI.
• A prayer room? Yes! Yes! Yes!
• The President’s Annual Report? South Texas Today will feature this.
• Mission displays? Yes, new ideas for monthly challenges will be available for local churches.

Don’t miss the crowning event for South Texas District NMI!
(only the name has been changed)

YEAR END REPORTS!!!!
Church year ends February 29th and all reports will be due March 15th

NMI LOCAL PRESIDENT REPORT
NMI LOCAL COUNCIL ROSTER FOR 2008-09
NMI DELEGATE ROSTER
NMI LOCAL CHURCH UPDATE

NMI Area Coordinators will send these reports via email to NMI Local Presidents. If no email, they will be sent snail mail.

YOU DID IT!!!!!
Thanks to all the churches who particitpated in the 2007 Tumble READ Project!

Our district will receive the 5K Award for giving $8,120.19.

Three churches were recognized in the top 100:
        (11) Lake Jackson - $1,608.68
        (62) Cove - $770.00
        (100) Cedar Park Hill Country - $610.50.

San Angelo First ($555.99) and Houston Living Word ($554.21) were recognized for being in the top 5 five churches on South Texas District giving.

FEBRUARY CHALLENGE ALABASTER
Little Boxes Everywhere!

Want to help your church get excited about Alabaster…
Put little blue Alabaster boxes near coat racks, on tables in the foyer, hanging from the ceiling in the hallways, any place that people will notice. Then show video clips and have information in your worship folders.

Tell the story of offerings providing property and buildings for the work of the Church of the Nazarene globally. Educate…excite…see how God will move in the hearts of people to give.

Alabaster boxes can be ordered from NPH!

How do you Reach the World Without Leaving Home?
NAZARENE WORLD WEEK OF PRAYER
March 2-8, 2008

Prayer Mobilization Line (PML)
816-444-PRAY (7729)

FMI and to subscribe to PML via e-mail visit www.nazarenemissons.org

Easter Sunday is MARCH 23rd

“Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist.” - Oswald J. Smith

Idea for Local Churches to “Invest in the World”
Use an old globe and cut out a piece and decorate around it with craft foam with information about WEF, the local goal, and date of offering. Set it in a visible place and use it to collect the offering.

Offering envelopes and promotional posters are available free of charge from Nazarene Publishing House, www.nph.com or call 1-800-877-0700

DISTRICT WORK AND WITNESS TRIP POLAND

Dates: October 2008
Project: Ministry Center
Missionaries: Ev & Rhonda Tustin

Cost: TBA
Team Coordinator: Rev Don Ballard
Stay tuned for more details!

Did you Know?
• Missionary Jon and Sally Mellinger will be at Youth Camp, June 9-13, 2008. Make plans for your youth to attend.
• 2008 VBS Mission Offering Project is entitled “OPERATION PROCLAMATION”. Pat Wilson, District Children’s Coordinator for NMI, will have information at Kids Fest, April 4-5 and at the District Leadership Summit and Assembly, May 1-2.
• Promotional materials for the 2008 World Mission Broadcast will be sent to churches in March.
• FROM THE DARK, World Mission Communications 23 minute film about the life of Felix Vargas, won a 2007 Gold Davey Award. The Gold Davey Award is an international award honoring the creative media work for small films worldwide.
• The Prayer Mobilization Line (PML) will soon offer a podcast version. Watch for details!

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discipleshipsummit - Last Chance to Register!
Dallas, Texas
Saturday, March 15, 2008

A Discipleship Summit is a conference for pastors and staff, Sunday School Superintendents, and ministry directors desiring to be faithful and effective disciples and disciple makers. This is a time for your local church ministry team to pray, prepare, and plan how to move beyond membership to discipleship. Beyond Sunday to every day. Beyond knowledge to obedience. Beyond program to relationship. Beyond self to Christlikeness.

Location:
Richardson Church of the Nazarene
2101 E. Renner Rd.
Richardson, TX  75082

Located on the Northwest corner of the Jupiter and Renner intersection, one block south of the George Bush Tollway and one mile east of I-75.
Click here for map and driving directions.

Schedule:
Click here for schedule.

Price:
If you register on line, pay only $25.00 per person on your ministry team. (Online registration closes on March 12.)

If you register on site, pay $35.00 per person on your ministry team.
Registration fee includes lunch and conference materials.

Register:
Click here to register online.

The following are a few thoughts for you to ponder as we strategize how to bring Personal Prayer and Bible Study into focus, in our Nazarene congregations, around the South Texas area. By Norman Walters, SDMI Communication Coordinator

A. The assignment for coordinating Communication for Sunday Discipleship Ministries (SDMI) on the South Texas District is the responsibility of the SDMI Area Coordinators.

B. The Mission Area Coordinators (MAC’s) are the keys to get us (the SDMI Area Coordinators) face to face with our Pastors. They schedule regular meetings with the Pastors in their Mission Area. With our heart and passion for small group Bible studies and how this effort will help close the revolving back door of churches should get the Area Coordinators a standing invitation to these meetings.

C. Things that are presently needed:

up-date our files for the Pastors email address and phone numbers and their SS Superintendents addresses and email

It is the feeling of the General Church, that the Pastor's plate is so full, that many memos re: promotions, SS ideas and small group success stories never get to the Supers or Education Committees in a timely manner....probably stuck somewhere in a "things-to-do-file". I think we all understand that. We, as Laity just want to help.

D. Some thoughts and some stats that might be interesting for a group meeting:

1. A Bible Study is Official SS numbers held at anytime and any place. When we get together at 9:45 Sunday AM, 33% of the population of the USA is at work.

2.The average church MEMBER will miss church ( 13 ) times each year. In the past the average was 3

3. Our General Church has been told “find a way to put life back in your Sunday School or the Nazarene Church will not survive”

a. I was at Second Baptist Christmas Eve, in their Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, was a full page announcing that the Pastor wanted all members to commit to attending SS for (13) consecutive Sundays at the beginning of 2008, and following would be an all church celebration.

Why can't we be on the leading edge of this new surge?

E. Other stats that Pastors might ' thank you ' for bringing to their attention and maybe get you invited back.

1. All age groups are projected to increase over the next ( 40 ) years.

2. 2.703,000 people will turn ( 65 ) this year and !!!!!!! every ( 7 ) seconds someone turns ( 50 ) years of age.

3. We appear to be struggling in our efforts to incorporate our youth and young adults. In other words, we are losing them at an alarming rate.

4. Since 1972, over 1,000,000 children have come from broken homes.
3 1/2 % -- of families will follow their children to church.
17 % -- of families will follow their Mom to church.
93 % -- of families will follow Dad to church.

Maybe, within this ( 50 ) / ( 65 ) year age group, we can get some leaders to have home bible studies, invite young Dads and Moms in their neighborhoods, or let some of our young couples invite their friends to their home and tell them we have an older couple that will do the study and provide some refreshments. I don't know, let's just plant seeds and then follow up.

Change is in the air....Are we adapting? What do we need to do? We are open for suggestions. Let's be out front in this new Bible Study revolution, it just might be a new revelation to some.

You are important to these questions... let’s all work together to grow our Sunday School and grow The Kingdom.

Norman Walters

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KIDS FEST '08
Happy New Year to everyone on the great South Texas District!  2008 is here and we are getting geared up for our first annual

South Texas District Kid’s Fest
April 4th & 5th, 2008
hosted by Austin Grace Church of the Nazarene!

This is going to be an event for all kids; we are combining children’s quizzing, caravans, and talent into one fun filled weekend! We will kick off Friday night with a fun kid’s production and registration, then bright and early Saturday morning we will have talent events, caravan badge work displays, and memory work. At mid day we will have our district quiz followed by derby car racing and wrap it all up with a great awards ceremony! If you have never participated in a district kids event now is the time to start! Detailed information packets with registration forms and schedules will be arriving at your church soon, so Children’s Pastors/Directors be on the look out! We will also have the information available at the district website.

If you would like more information you can contact me at 254-690-1017 or email me at thegosnells@yahoo.com.

Start making plans to be apart of Kid’s Fest 2008! 

Tracy Gosnell
District Children’s Quizzing/Caravan Director

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Sunday School Statistics - January, 2008
– Pastor, If you have reported 100% of the time this past year your name will be in the drawing for $1,000 to be given at the 2008 District Leadership Summit and District Assembly – May 1 & 2, 2008. You must be present to win.