Church Development Adventures

A little guy inside the Zion Nazarene Church

God is faithful!  As I am learning this new roll I find myself in as Field Church Development Coordinator, God is leading.   As I am being stretched in this roll God is blessing.   I was reading today from our General Superintendent David Busic's book "Perfectly Imperfect," and he was talking about Joseph and how he was faithful to God's timing, even as he sat in an Egyptian prison.  How at the right time God brought him to a place where he was second in the land only to pharaoh.   My hope is that I too will be faithful as God leads in this new roll that I find myself, that all things would come in His timing.   



Iron Bottom Sound at Honiara

A few weeks ago I made a trip to the Solomon Islands.  I met up with our FSC, Harmon Schmelzenbach, as we were there to meet with the district leaders.   It was a chance for me to meet them and introduce myself.   It was a great opportunity to meet some wonderful people.  Be in prayer for the Solomon Islands as they are recovering from devastating rain and flooding that hit them several days ago.   God is helping the Zion Nazarene Church in Honiara to be a light in some dark times there in the Solomons.  They are working hard to be the hands and feet of Jesus  to the Solomon Islanders, some who have lost just about everything.

Mounted Gun still standing guard at Henderson Field

It was really neat for me to be in the Solomons because I have done a bit of reading on World War II, since I have been living in the South Pacific these past 13 years.  The airfield we landed on is the same airfield that are Service Men fought so hard for in 1942, Henderson Field.  Iron Bottom Sound was so named because of the number of ships sunk in this body of water during the Guadalcanal Campaign.   There are still reminders of the war around Honiara.

Drove this road the final hour of my trip

The people welcoming  all invited guests.  The man with suit
& red tie is the chief of the village, he attends the Nazarene
church in his village and invited the district to have the
pastors gathering in his village. 

This sign hung above the road as we drove up.

This past week I made a trip To the Southern Highlands.   I was asked by DS Joseph if I would come and share with the pastors who were there for a week of training.   I left Tuesday morning at 6:35 am and drove over 5 hours to reach the remote village where the training was taking place.   DS Joseph greeted me with the news that at Monday night's worship service several had come forward to pray and that Tuesday morning as he was teaching Bible Trekking to the pastors and others who had gathered that 2 ladies came forward to accept Jesus as Savior.  God is moving  and we are thankful for all who have come forward during this weeks meetings.  The neat part of this is that the gathering is taking place in a village so there are villagers who have been attending the training and worship services.   I was asked if I would present Church Discipline and the process of ordination.   I thank the Lord for His help.   Tuesday evening's worship service several more people came forward as the Lord was dealing with their hearts.   My goal is to help the leadership of the Nazarene Church in PNG to feel and be equipped in building up the PNG church.   As they bring areas they feel they want training in we will be working to provide it.   These are just a couple of ways Church Development as been developing on the Melanesian & South Pacific Fields.  I appreciate the prayers and support of God's family and I ask you to please, keep lifting Church Development up to our Lord.


The path we walked to get into the area where
the pastor's training took place.

"... to equip the saints for the
work of ministry, that is, to
build up the body of Christ."
Eph. 4:12