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WEST TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
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D
ear Pastor/Friends,
I trust you are having a blessed summer season. It was wonderful to see so
many of our pastors at Family Camp. I'm very grateful for all of our workers! Again this year, the Lord blessed us with a powerful week at Arrowhead!
We have heard moving reports about youth camp (Crave) as well...and of course, children's camp (Activate) begins next week. Again, I want to thank our pastors and spouses, and all of the laity, who volunteer and work tirelessly to make our district camping ministry outstanding. Praise the Lord!
Pastors, please remember that this year we are initiating an annual Arrowhead/Family Camp district-wide offering to be received in each of our churches on the final Sunday of August. Please prayerfully prepare for this offering. Offerings are to be sent in to Arrowhead/Family camp treasurer, Floyd Warner at 431 Tinker Trl., Burleson, TX 76028.
 Congratulations to co-pastors Todd and Raquel Forrest who were installed
as the new pastors at Borger First Church on June 23. Also, I will be with Pastor Mike, and Brenda, Murphy for his installation in Hamlin on July 21. The Forrests began in Borger on May 29th...the Murphys on March 24. We are grateful for these two wonderful couples and trusting God for His blessings upon them and their new congregations.
 I had the privilege of spending a couple of days recently with  members of our district's Disaster Response Team in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where they were serving families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged during the recent flooding along the Arkansas River. I want to thank team leaders Marcia Nikl and Calvary Callender, and all of the wonderful volunteers who served. In all, we had boots on the ground (in the mud) in Muskogee for two weeks. I received a very appreciative letter from NE Oklahoma DS, Dr. David McKellips, thanking our team for their service.
 I'm hearing tremendous reports out of Cactus this summer. The Well Health Center medical clinic has expanded their reach (and recently received their
Medicare certification)! Also, the immigration counseling service is having a powerful impact upon the
community. How wonderful to learn of the awesome CNMC VBS in June with almost 90 kids involved, several of whom gave their hearts to the Lord! We are very pleased to welcome new CNMC co-directors, Dr. Denise and Pastor Phil Anderson, who
began on July 1st!
Please see the article below to get better acquainted with this wonderful new leadership couple on our district.
I was part of an exciting visionary meeting on July 1 in Midland as pastors from our district, along with several pastors and the district superintendent, Jeff Johnston, from the South Texas district, met to pray and discuss avenues of ministry to oil field workers in the vast Permian basin oil field of west Texas. We visited three different man-camps, shared lunch together, interviewed oil field workers, and discussed ministry strategy. Please join us in prayer regarding this initiative. Pastor Josh Cisneros of Big Spring Cedar Road Church (PAC) and his congregation have begun a promising onsite ministry at a man-camp near Big Spring.
Finally, it's difficult to imagine that the Church Statistical Year is already 1/3rd complete. Pastors, there are two important emphases I need to call to your attention. First, with the election of General Assembly delegates coming up in 9 months it's important that we prepare and receive new members. Please plan and promote a membership class this coming fall. The training, fellowship, and support that come through membership development are very beneficial for the individuals in your flock...and for the Church. Secondly, please take a moment to review your updated "Funding the Mission" report by CLICKING HERE. We strongly recommend that you do your "Funding the Mission" giving on a regular basis, rather than waiting until the end of the year. You'll find this to be much healthier for your congregation, as well as for our district and denominational ministries.
God bless you, Brothers and Sisters. Susan and I love and appreciate each of you!
For you and with you,
Pastor David Downs
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District Licensing Information
A. Qualifications for receiving a First-time District License
1. Have a local license for one year.
2. Have registered with the District Ministerial Studies Board: www. wtnazed.org
3. Have completed a minimum of 6 courses in the Course of Study which must include the following: 1. History & Polity of the Church of the Nazarene (the Manual course) and
2. Becoming a Holy People (the Holiness course) 4. Meet with the Ministerial Credentials and Ministerial Studies Boards: January 7, 2020 at Amarillo First Church of the Nazarene or January 13, 2020 at Fort Worth Northside Church of the Nazarene 5. If applying for a first-time district license and there has been a divorce in the past, the candidate must meet the Boards on January 14, 2020 at Fort Worth Northside. 6. Request an Application Packet from: Earl Robertson [email protected] 540-312-4500 B. Qualifications for renewal of a District License 1. Completed 2 courses from the Course of Study 2. Meet with the Ministerial Credentials and Ministerial Studies Boards: January 7, 2020 at Amarillo First Church of the Nazarene or January 13, 2020 at Fort Worth Northside Church of the Nazarene 3. If applying for Ordination the candidate must meet with the District Boards on January 14, 2020 at Fort Worth Northside.
4. Request an Application Packet from: Earl Robertson [email protected] 540-312-4500
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Cactus Nazarene Ministries is excited to announce an important addition to our ministry family! Rev. Dr. Denise and Rev. Phil Anderson, have accepted the call to be our Ministry Directors. On May 6, 2019 our Cactus Board of directors unanimously voted to call the Andersons, and on May 10, 2019 our West Texas District Advisory Board affirmed this decision with a unanimous vote.
While on a college visit to Olivet Nazarene University with his son, the Lord directed our Board Cha
ir, Rev. Dr. Larry Dunlap, to have a conversation with the Andersons. He had no idea that conversation would turn to the needs of Cactus, and our search for directors. It became evident from the first conversation, that God was orchestrating the meeting and leading us to a partnership.
The Andersons bring with them a wealth of experience in cross cultural ministry, including over a decade of mission work in Africa and Thailand. After spending a week in Cactus in late April with our Board Chair and Cactus Nazarene Ministry staff, Phil was overcome with a love for the community and an excitement for the possibilities of new areas of service and witness to the beautiful people of Cactus.
Please be in prayer for the Andersons and Cactus Nazarene Ministries, as they arrived to their assignment on July 1, 2019. Denise will return to Olivet to finish her teaching contract, and the Andersons will be fully transitioned to Cactus by January 6, 2020.
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Many thanks to all of our churches that brought Crisis Care Kits (CCKs) to the Vision Conference/District Assembly. We have received this report from Rev. Tom and Beverly Rupert, who delivered the CCKs to Oklahoma:
Greetings to you all! The Lord has been so good to allow us to partner with you in ministry!
Y
our district contributed to the successful deployment of 18 cases of CCKs to El Reno, OK related to flooding; 40 cases to Jefferson City, MO after an F3 tornado
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and 57 cases were taken to Muskogee for the evacuation shelters. The emergency management director of Muskogee
C
ounty said she nearly cried when she got the message - said we were carrying "gold
.
" Without your faithfulness, none of this is possible.
God bless you for you compassionate spirits!!
The February 2020 WTD Work and Witness Trip is to the Southern Border District of Mexico, also known as the Sur Fronterizo District. The DS' name is Rev. Roberto Lopez Fajardo, and he along with his district is very excited we are coming in just seven short months. The district is in the Chiapas Region, which is just North of the Guatemala Border. Our family traveled from El Salvador to Chiapas when we were missionaries down there, and let me tell you, the people as well as the country are beautiful!
This trip has three main areas of focus and purpose: Compassionate ministry, Evangelism and Construction on the District Campground. Right now there is huge influx of Central American Immigrants passing through the region, and the Missionaries there on the ground, our friends David and Shelly Webb, tell us there is a huge need to love on these folks compassionately in their time of crisis and need. Secondly, we will be evangelizing the area alongside the local leadership and sharing Jesus with everyone he brings our way! I'm told the district is very healthy and has a heart of Evangelism. And lastly, we will give of our time and skill by working on areas of need at the District Campground. The district has done much of the work themselves with very little outside help. So we will be coming alongside to bless them by filling in any areas of need.
Final details are still in the works, but this trip looks to be 8 days long over the first two weeks of February 2020, and have a total estimated cost of $1,250 per person. We will release more info as we receive it but wanted to get this out so you can begin to pray about your involvement in this exciting opportunity.
For more information contact our WTD WW Coordinator,
Pastor Steve Pettit
682-260-3334
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July 15-19 Activate Kids Camp
July 25-27 WOW (Women of Worth) Retreat
July 31 Young Adult Retreat Late Registration
August 9-11 Young Adult Retreat
September Alabaster Offering
September 1 Children's Mission Project Offering
September 7 Children's Council Meeting
October 17-19 The Awakening
October 25-26 Discovery Weekend
November Thanksgiving Offering due for the WEF
November Coats for Cactus
November 2 Camp Board Meeting
November 6-10 Work and Witness Trip to Cactus
November 7-8 SNU Board of Trustees Meeting
December 3 District License Application Packets Due
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| 7/1 Alan Wallace |
| 7/1 Greg Key |
| 7/1 Marvin Pepper |
| 7/1 Moises Marquez |
| 7/2 Dennis & Awilda Hayes |
| 7/2 Gary Young |
| 7/2 Mike Murphy |
| 7/3 Cori Young |
| 7/3 Katie Young |
| 7/3 Gary & Cori Young |
| 7/4 Eric DeLuna |
| 7/4 Lamar Davidge |
| 7/4 Todd Forest |
| 7/5 Mary Jo Hodges |
| 7/5 Dough & Becky Yates |
| 7/6 Luri Thang |
| 7/6 Michael Gatkek |
| 7/7 Melissa Cisneros |
| 7/8 Jett Davis |
| 7/8 Premal Awasarmal |
| 7/8 Rafael Cordero |
| 7/9 Yvette Alvarado |
| 7/12 Calvary Callender |
| 7/12 Joshua Mora |
| 7/12 Teresa DeLuna |
| 7/12 Esther Jang |
| 7/13 Gaylord Hayes |
| 7/15 John Lewis |
| 7/15 Phil Patalano |
| 7/16 Josh Cisneros |
| 7/17 Bridget Benn |
| 7/18 Greg & Debra Johnson |
| 7/20 Ish Mora |
| 7/21 Tom & Doris McNutt |
| 7/22 Jim & Patsy Graham |
| 7/23 Burnie Burnside |
| 7/25 Sophia Boice |
| 7/26 Al Mixon |
| 7/27 Julian Corpus |
| 7/27 Jennifer Sommers |
| 7/27 Dwayne & Debra Edwards |
| 7/28 Katrina Martin |
| 7/30 Audrey Derbyshire |
| 7/30 Ted Taylor |
| 7/31 Harvey & Kathy Basket |
| 7/31 Tracy Ricenbaw |
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Click on the links below to download district resources.
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