| The 3w Logo |
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Our logo has three worlds with Europe and the Middle East visible. The three colors represent the three worlds of Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the Middle East. They also represent how we divide our three areas of ministry. Most importantly, they represent the three worlds of Christianity: Traditional, Post-Christendom, and Non-Western. Visit our website www.three-worlds.com to learn more about "the Three Worlds of Christianity."
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Support
Patrick & Jamie Nachtigall
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send checks to:
Church of God Ministries Inc.
P.O. Box 2420
Anderson, IN 46018
Memo: 42.10068
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NextGen Fund
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Memo: 42.30401
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July/Aug 2017
volume 17 issue 3
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3WLN 2.0 A Tremendous Success
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The first 3W Leadership Network gathering in October 2015, which united for the first time young leaders in the CHOG from Europe/Middle East, was a tremendous success. Out of that a network was established in which the next generation of leaders could remain connected throughout the year, partner in ministry, and establish lifelong friendships. The first 3WLN was so successful, we wondered whether it could be topped.
May 1-5, 2017 we gathered again at the Credo Christian Center in Interlaken, Switzerland, and the second 3WLN gathering was even better than the first! This time, we had even more young leaders and everyone had a much better understanding of how the network is supposed to function and what role it plays in their lives.
The keynote speaker was Greg Wiens, of Healthy Growing Churches, who talked about the life-cycles of churches as well as how to stay healthy in ministry over the long-haul. Andrei Kolegov (Russia) spoke of the importance of all of us staying truly connected and how we can better do that. Lazlo Debreceni (Hungary) shared in his message about how he was close to giving up as a young pastor before 3WLN came along! And Samir Salibi (France) shared about the fast-growing @Home refugee ministry he has established in Paris. It was so inspiring to hear these young leaders from our region preach to other young leaders. Sarina Agbodzi (Germany), a youth pastor from Hannover, led the worship of a multicultural, international worship team once again.
It was very encouraging to hear so many share about how the 3W Leadership Network came along at the right time in their lives. So many felt discouraged, lonely, and on the brink of giving up, but now they have colleagues their own age in the Church of God cheering them on and supporting them. Quite a few countries including England, Hungary, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia sent even more delegates this time than last time. The importance of this network has become very clear to everyone in the region. There were 12 countries represented and 47 young leaders, with 59 people total--a higher number than last time.
The event is very logistically complex due to the many different cultures, languages, and visa/immigration issues. Once again, Christy Kihm (3W-The Netherlands), Audrey Langford (3W-Birkenhead), and Josh Weiger (3W-Berlin) organized the event over a period of a year. It's hard to believe, but it is almost time to start planning for 3WLN 3.0, which will take place October 22-26, 2018.
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3W Staff Meeting Northern Ireland
This August, the 3W team had its annual staff meeting in rural Northern Ireland. It was the first time our team meeting has been in such a remote location. It was a nice break from the busy, bustling cities that we spend most of our time visiting and working in throughout the year. The entire team was there, except for Kelley and Rhonda Philips, who were in the USA on home-assignment visiting supporting churches. They were brought in via video-conference
This year, we were joined by Stephen Lewis, who is doing an excellent job as the associate director of Global Strategy. We were also joined by Nathan Tatman, the mission advancement pastor of County Line Church of God in Auburn, Indiana.
Our team increasingly has many small children. There is Sofie Kihm, 5 (The Netherlands); Emma Weiger, 5, and Dallas Weiger, 2, (Germany); and now Lola Langford, almost 1 (UK). Consequently, child care is now a must at our meetings. Kim Collinson, a young lady from the Egan Road Church of God in Birkenhead, England, and Kayla Tatman of Auburn, Indiana, joined us and did a great job of entertaining the children as we had our meetings.
We were also able to have a day on the Northern Irish coast visiting a castlej and seeing beautiful rock formations and seaside towns. That was a great time of bonding as a team and experiencing the beauty of Northern Ireland.
This coming year, we anticipate seeing the 3W team focused on expanding the Church of God presence into Spain as we hope to see Alejandro and Carmen deFrancisco arrive in Madrid by mid-2018. Much of the work of preparing the field starts now and we hope that they will be with us at our next 3W staff meeting.
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Birkenhead CHOG Re-launch
It has only been 90 days, but the Church of God re-launch in Birkenhead, England, is off to a fantastic start. This church made up almost entirely of senior citizens with Sunday service attendance hovering around 10 or 11 people, decided to actively switch their focus to reach the next generation instead of focusing on themselves.
With the installation of Zach Langford as missionary pastor, some very rapid, positive changes have taken place. In just three months, the church attendance has doubled and the average age has dropped by half. There is now a new children's area in the sanctuary that has soft toys and mats where toddlers can roam free. A clean-up day was well-attended by young people, and the Sunday evening youth gathering continues to grow and include young people who are not Christians but who are increasingly becoming an active part of the church!
A MegaSports Camp was held in the local park and was a great success, pulling in kids from this rough neighborhood where there are very few positive things for kids to do. A large volunteer base of youth and families worked alongside Zach and Audrey Langford and a group of visitors from Stonebridge Church of Findlay, Ohio.
A BBQ/cafe area outside was created after the major clean-up day, giving visitors more space to congregate. The doors of the church are now open throughout the week, leading neighborhood people to note that the church they thought was closed is actually open and alive! Through social media, a new coffee welcome area, and a new tots group, word is quickly spreading that the church is offering events in which the community can get involved. Clearly there has been a community starving for a safe healthy place to bring their babies and children. We are so thrilled to see what is happening in this highly unchurched area.
We are especially grateful for the advisory board that has been formed to lead the Egan Road Church of God through this major life cycle transition. Led by Pastor Paul Strozier, of Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, the board meets four times a year (also utilizing tele-conference capabilities) and also includes: Mariann Strozier; Pastor Joshua Brandt, of The Gathering in Muncie, Indiana; and Mike Stetzel, of County Line CHOG in Auburn, Indiana. They join Pastor Zach, Pastor Lil Fox, Audrey Langford, Mark Rainer, and Patrick on the board, which is helping to usher in a new day.
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MARCO'S WORLD
Marco would love to just stay at home during the summer break, but that usually doesn't happen. Our family often has to hit the road to do ministry in the summer, lead our 3W staff meeting, and attend Global Strategy meetings in the USA. This year that also included a stop over in Wichita, Kansas to attend the Church of God Convention.
Upon returning from our trip to the USA, Marco joined Titus and Zeke Oldham as junior camp counselors at the Northern Italy-3W Youth camp held in the Dolomite mountains.
We are thankful for the leadership that Dan and Christy Kihm provided (3W-The Netherlands) during this experience. Marco has not had very many opportunities to go camping in his life, despite all of his travels - mainly because his father is an indoor person! Dan Kihm showed him how it's done as they camped out under the stars in the mountains for the duration of the camp. Marco had a great time!
He then traveled with us to Ireland and Northern Ireland for our staff meeting. He always enjoys seeing his "brothers" and "sisters" (the other missionary kids on our team). He is now back at home, working on his running skills, and getting ready to start high school! We are very proud of him and his wonderful attitude.
(Photo above: Marco and Dan Kihm camping in actual bear country)
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