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Lamesa Zone |
Dear Pastor/Friends
I am writing this article from Lubbock
where Susan and I are in the middle of a weeklong visit to the west side of the district. We are having a great time, visiting pastors and churches, and we are especially enjoying the zone Christmas parties. So far we've had great fun at the Amarillo, Lamesa, and Lubbock Zone parties.
Wednesday evening, I had the privilege of visiting our precious Spanish-language church in Muleshoe. You will recall that they just recently joined our district after renting our building in Muleshoe as an independent holiness church for several years.
Pastor Rafael and Mrs. Erminia Cordero are a wonderful missional couple. I am grateful for the special ministry they have among Central American immigrants who work in the dairy industry and cotton fields there. I am always very warmly greeted in Muleshoe. During the service,
I had the
blessing of bringing the children forward and praying for them. What an honor to be associated with this tremendous congregation!
Thursday morning, I met Pastor Travis Zackary of our Refuge Church in Lubbock. You might recall that their building was destroyed by fire eighteen months ago. They are now back in their building, and it has been beautifully restored. Everything is like new...and they are debt-free. Their sanctuary (pictured here) now seats 300! The growth and health of Refuge over the past 5 years has been one of the success stories on our district. Travis,
Alan Wallace, and their staff have done a tremendous job of leading through the fire restoration. One of the great things has been the updating of the baptistry, which is used very frequently in this growing deliverance-based congregation. Incidentally I noticed that they had framed the Pilot Point memento, which we gave out at the district assembly last year, and have it displayed prominently on the platform. "This is to remind our people of our missional/compassionate heritage as Nazarenes," Pastor Travis told me.
We enjoyed, very much, being with co-pastors Phil and Martha Patalano for their installation in Snyder this past Sunday evening. This was followed by a great celebration meal. After the meal, Susan and I had a very encouraging tour of the fully refurbished parsonage. Please join me in prayer for Phil and Martha and their congregation. They hope to begin a powerful Spanish-language ministry in Snyder in the near future.
We are saying goodbye to one of our great pastoral couples later this
month as co-pastors Ryan and Serina Nelson will be leaving our district on December 30th to take a new pastorate at the Church Street Church of the Nazarene in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The Nelsons have served in our Amarillo North Beacon church for the past 4 1/2 years and have done a wonderful job. The church has tripled in attendance, paid all of it's district and denominational allocations, and has seen many people give their hearts to the Lord! It is an understatement that the Nelsons will be greatly missed...but we are proud of them, and we know they are in the center of God's will. Susan and I will be at North Beacon this coming Sunday morning (God willing) and will begin the process of leading toward the calling of their replacements.
I love participation in and celebrating new ministries! There are two new ministries beginning in the Panhandle this winter. Sunday afternoon, we will be with Shawn and Rochelle Fouts for the launch of the new Intersection Community congregation in Canyon, a suburb of Amarillo. We are very excited about the vision God has given the Fouts for Canyon!
Then, on January 19 at 3:00, we will have the official ribbon-cutting and dedication service for "The Well Health Center." Everyone is invited. They will open for their first patients on Monday, January 21st. It's hard to express what a blessing this will be for the people in Cactus. So many good things are happening at the Nazarene Ministry Center there! You can subscribe to their newsletter by
CLICKING HERE. Incidentally, we are very excited about the early January arrival of the new Cactus Nazarene Ministry Center Directors Steve and Pam Wingate. They are a great couple coming to us from Grove City, Ohio.
Finally, Brothers and Sisters, please take a moment to view the "Giving for Others" report by
CLICKING HERE. Frequently this report helps pastors who are not aware of their current budget status. Our finance officer, Dan Davisson, is reporting to me that we have fallen behind as a district as we move into the final quarter of the fiscal year. I have confidence in you! Last year was our best year in this important area since I've served with you. I know that you will do everything possible in this vital area of pastoral leadership to finish very strong. Thank you. Thank you.
For you and with you,
Pastor David Downs
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Our district treasurer, Dan Davisson, has prepared the West Texas 2018-2019, "Funding The Mission" report as of December 5, 2018. Pastors, please pay close attention to your church's contributions so far this year. Please make every effort to encourage your people to faithfully maintain their giving for
others.
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Dear Pastors,
As many of you may already be aware, as of January 1, 2019, Fidelity Investments will no longer be accepting paper checks for contributions to the Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan accounts. Consequently, it is imperative that every church create an online account in the new Pensions & Benefits (P&B) "403(b) Contributions" system before December 31, 2018. I have attached a link for you and your treasurer's use to access important information from P&B concerning how to create and utilize an online account for all future contributions from the church. It is important to remember that you will also not receive eligible supplemental contributions from P&B unless there is a "Participation Agreement" on file with P&B. If your church does not already have the required "Participation Agreement", I have also attached a link to this form.
For pastors that are already participating in the Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, once your church's online account is set up in the 403(b) Contributions" system, you should automatically be listed. If not, please contact P&B at 888-888-4656.
For pastors that are not currently participating in the Nazarene 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan and have never completed the Fidelity Investments "Letter of Agreement", an online form can be completed and electronically signed during the online setup process. In addition, a hard copy of the "Letter of Agreement" should also be completed and kept on file at the church. I have attached a link to this form as well.
Again, if you have any questions concerning setting up your church's online account in the new P&B "403(b) Contributions" system, please contact Pensions & Benefits at 888-888-4656 or Dan Davisson at the District office at 817-479-8611.
Dan Davisson
WTD Finance Officer
IMPORTANT REMINDER
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Grand Opening
January 19, 2019
Open House and Dedication from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
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12/1 Morgan Callender |
12/1 Travis Zachary |
12/2 Frank & Grace Mensah |
12/3 Jesus Espinoza |
12/5 Peggy Lewis |
12/6 Amanda Pettit |
12/6 Molly Pettit |
12/7 Angalique Parker |
12/7 Terra Edwards |
12/8 Christiana Sesay |
12/8 Micah Boice |
12/8 Olivia Boice |
12/8 Sheree Hayes |
12/9 Gaylord & Sheree Hayes |
12/9 Lowell Schmidt |
12/9 Paul Lee |
12/10 Melissa Newton |
12/11 Sandra Porter |
12/12 Jose Perez |
12/12 Paul Prentice |
12/13 Josh Boice |
12/14 Earl & Betty Robertson |
12/15 Mark & Angelica Banda |
12/16 Chris & Kelly Branigan |
12/16 Mandy Hewitt |
12/17 Marvin & Ruth West |
12/18 Gabriel Mora |
12/18 Greg & Martha White |
12/19 Dan Sommers |
12/19 Ismael & Erika Mora |
12/19 Jairo & Chrissy Maldonado |
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12/19 Jason & Kim Powers
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12/19 Lawrence Gulley |
12/20 Andrew & Emily Taylor |
12/20 Trace Hewitt |
12/22 Jonna Jones |
12/23 Eugenio Chavez |
12/23 Jim & Genell Knisley |
12/23 Tyler Frazier |
12/25 Chares Parker |
12/26 Brian Frazier |
12/26 Moises Marquez Jr. |
12/27 Linda Lennon |
12/28 Mark Hewitt |
12/28 Corey & Beth Ann Jones |
12/28 Crystal Lewis |
12/28 Todd & Raquel Forrest |
12/29 Charles Gibson |
12/29 Larry Dunlap |
12/29 Randy Anderson |
12/29 Sydnie Newton |
12/30 Mae Lynn Parker |
12/30 Mark Lofton |
12/30 Sherry Seigman |
12/31 Selah Diaz |
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Dec. 27 - Jan. 2 |
Commission Unto Mexico (Guadalajara) |
January 8 |
Ministerial Credentials/Education Committee, Amarillo First |
January 14-15 |
Ministerial Credentials/Education Boards, Fort Worth Northside |
February |
Alabaster Offering to Global Treasury Services |
February 1-3 |
Shepherds' Sabbath Retreat, Abilene, TX |
February 24 |
Vision Conference and District Assembly Planning Session |
February 28 |
District Nominating Committee Meeting |
Feb. 24 - March 2 |
Nazarene World Week of Prayer |
March 2-3 |
Kids Fest and District Quiz Quiz, Lubbock First |
March 12 |
Annual Pastor's Reports Due |
March 15-17 |
Man Camp, Arrowhead Camp and Retreat Center |
March 16 |
Arrowhead Camp Board Meeting, Arrowhead Camp and Retreat Center
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March 23
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District Assembly Finance Committee Meeting (Tentative)
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April 10-12 |
Vision Conference & District Assembly, Lubbock First |
April 28 |
SNU Sunday |
May 9-10 |
SNU Board of Trustees Meeting, SNU |
May 11 |
SNU Spring Commencement |
June 9-14 |
Family Camp, Arrowhead Camp and Retreat Center |
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