November 7, 2022

Dear Pastor/Friends,


I had a wonderful Sunday yesterday with Pastor Ken Tesh and his wife, Michelle, at our Willowwood Church in Denton. The highlight of the morning was the baptismal sacrament at the close of the service.

After the service, I met with Ken and his board to conduct his 2-year pastoral review. I’m pleased to report that there was an enthusiastic and unanimous consensus of support for the Teshs’s ministry in Willowwood.

We are all proud of Premal Awarsamal who did a wonderful job preaching in Student Chapel at SNU last week. Premal and Kavita frequently visit our congregations for Faith Promise and Missions services…with great anointing. You can watch the SNU chapel service by CLICKING HERE.

Speaking of being proud…the local TV channel did a great story last week honoring Levi Alvarado, son of Pastors Misael and Yvette Alvarado in Hillsboro. Levi is the valedictorian of his senior class and a star football player. CLICK here to watch the story. Levi beautifully gives the Lord credit for his success in high school!

Pastors, there are only five months left in the church's statistical year. Thank you for giving special care to the following important pastoral duties:  1. Please conduct membership class(es) to prepare new people, and some who’ve been with us for a while, for membership. Many of our churches fell back in membership during the pandemic and we need to correct this. Membership preparation is an important part of the discipleship process and it is critical in our denomination’s polity. This is an important duty of the Nazarene pastor. 2. Please double-check to be sure that you are participating appropriately in your giving to others. Several seem to be putting this off until the last couple of months, or weeks even, of the church year. By then, it’s often too late…and this practice sometimes creates a difficult burden for your people. It is much better to contribute monthly. Please take a moment to CLICK HERE to see where you stand in your giving for others. 3. Finally, please take the necessary to steps to renew your Ministry Safe certification. This should be done every three years or so. Please see the information below to accomplish this important pastoral leadership responsibility. Thank you, dear colleagues, for your important attention to these pastoral responsibilities.

I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Shepherds’ Sabbath in Abilene this coming January. We frequently use up our allotment of 90 rooms. Please see the promotional material below and get pre-registered. I’m excited about our speaker this year. Pastor Larry Morris is VP for Church Relations at SNU and was the very successful pastor of Houston Living Word Church, which is one of the strongest Nazarene Churches in Texas. I know he will be a great encouragement to you.

Finally, Susan and I look forward to seeing you at the Zone Christmas parties…listed below:



  • Amarillo, Dec. 2
  • High Plains, Dec.3
  • Arrowhead, Dec. 5
  • Abilene, Dec. 6
  • Lubbock, Dec. 8
  • Denton, Dec 9
  • Lamesa, Dec. 10
  • Wichita Falls, Dec.11
  • Combined Metro Zones, Dec. 12



For you and with you,


Pastor David Downs


Our district bookkeeper, Griselda Sierra, has prepared the West Texas District 2022-2023 "Funding The Mission" report as of November 2, 2022. 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. 


Click here to download the report.

Click here to register

In order to accommodate next year's General Assembly dates, there will be some date changes for Family Camp and CRAVE next year.


CRAVE: June 19-23, 2023

Family Camp: June 25-30, 2023

Dear Pastors and Children’s Ministry Leaders,


The Board of General Superintendents of the Church of the Nazarene has made a formal statement regarding our policy regarding sexual misconduct. “The Church of the Nazarene has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior with minors. All workers, leaders, and pastoral staff are to be above reproach in their conduct and to act in the best interest of others. This requires not only that they themselves refrain from engaging in any abusive or suspicious behavior involving minors; they will also be required to report without delay to the proper authorities anyone seen engaging in such behavior.” The Board of General Superintendents (statement from M11 conference in Louisville)


The West Texas Children and Youth Ministries partner with MinistrySafe for our online sexual abuse training. MinistrySafe is a tool to help churches begin the process of protecting the children and youth in their ministries. The West Texas Ministry Safe Training Team (MST) will be working with each church on the district that ministers to children to begin (or update) this process at their local church.


We will be taking the following approach.

Step 1 – Every Senior/Lead Pastor communicates with the West Texas Ministry Safe Training Team (MST) a list of pastoral staff, leaders, or volunteers who minister with children or youth (18 years of age or younger). All Senior/Lead Pastors are required to complete the training regardless if they directly minister to children/youth or not.

  • Provide First/Last Name, working email, preferred language, and identify if Sexual Abuse Awareness Training (AWT) or Skillful Screening Training (SS) is required.
  • Please note, Skillful Screening is required for all senior/lead pastors and anyone who screens/hires/fires staff or volunteers who will be ministering to children/youth.

Step 2 – The MST will send a training email to each person’s email provided from Step 1. This email will include a link for each individual to complete the training. If there are individuals who do not have a working email, the senior pastor (or delegate) can contact the MST to discuss an alternative approach for training.


Step 3 – Each individual will open the link provided (open the link only once). They are to watch all seven videos and then complete the online quiz. This will take approximately one hour to complete the entire process for Sexual Abuse Awareness Training. (Senior Pastors are provided a separate link to complete the Skillful Screening Training).


Step 4 – The MinistrySafe system will notify the MST that the training is completed. The Team will update records and notify West Texas Kids Treasurer to initiate payment from local churches.


Step 5 – West Texas Kids Treasurer, Candace Clem (txclem1@gmail.com), will coordinate with each local church to pay for the training. (Training costs $5 per MinistrySafe Awareness Training; $50 for Skillful Screening Training).


The MST is prepared to work with you as you conduct this process on the local level. See team contact information:


Mary Brewer - 817-915-5034 mzolabird@gmail.com Zones: Fort Worth, Lamesa, Metro Mid-Cities, Wichita Falls


Connie Lincecum - 817-240-4474 clincecum@fwfnca.org Zones: Abilene, Amarillo, Arrowhead, Denton, High Plains, Lubbock



Jennifer Sommers – 817-919-8078 jsommers@fwf.org

 

Regards,

Jennifer Sommers

West Texas District Children’s Director

WTD KIDS

Great ministry opportunities for ALL Children’s leaders and volunteers on the WTX District! 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Upcoming Events…Mark your calendars now!

  • ACTIVATE 2023 - July 17-21, 2023 -Online registration will be up and ready in March 2023!
  • Kids Fest at Lubbock First Church - March 3-4, 2023 - NEW things coming our way for this event beginning next year! Details coming soon.
  • SPARK - Regional Children’s Leaders Event at Arrowhead Camp - March 16-18, 2023


NMI


Please consider taking an "Offering of Thanks" this November in support of the World Evangelism Fund!


World Evangelism giving fuels the Church of the Nazarene’s mission by combining each person’s and church’s gifts to fund ministries everywhere. Every church is asked to share a portion of its total income for the purpose of making Christlike disciples in the nations.


In 1923, the Church of the Nazarene moved to a centralized funding system called the General Budget. In 1997, the name was changed to World Evangelism Fund, but the purpose remained the same: to sustain valuable ministries through consistent mission funding. The World Evangelism Fund provides the undesignated money and mission network that all Nazarene ministries need. Your gifts create and sustain ministries and make it possible to bring Christ’s transformational message of hope and salvation to the world through the Church of the Nazarene.

 

Funds are distributed to six world regions, missionaries, and ministries around the globe. The World Evangelism Fund not only provides ministries on the ground with the monies they need, but the money is used to ensure that legal, federal, and support needs are met so that ministries are as safe as possible and can be sustained for years to come.

 

Here are a few examples of ministries that your World Evangelism giving makes possible through direct funding of ministry network support:

 

 

When you give to the World Evangelism Fund, your church shares a portion of your gift with the worldwide Church of the Nazarene. The World Evangelism Fund goal for every church is 5.5% of its total income annually less its Mission Special giving.

CNMC

This November, from the 21st until the 29th, we are joining once again with a number of other organizations in the Panhandle to raise funds through the Panhandle Gives. This campaign is centered around Giving Tuesday which is November 29th. Last year, you, our friends, and a host of your friends, helped CNMC raise nearly $40,000! This year, we would like to reach our goal of $100,000! This amount will enable us to continue the ministries currently offered though the wonderful staff we have and will have but also, help us to grow and expand the CNMC ministry to help meet even more people's needs in 2023.


Another way you can partner with us during the campaign is to become a fundraising hero yourself; you can have your own fundraising page on the Panhandle Gives website with CNMC and direct all of your friends and acquaintances to your page to give to the ministry of CNMC. If you are interested in in helping CNMC as a fundraising hero, please contact Phil Anderson at phil@cactusministries.org to get you signed up.


Also, would you consider praying specifically about what God would have you give to CNMC this November and donate through the Panhandle Gives? The more we raise, the more we receive through the Amplification Fund. Money donated to the Panhandle Gives Amplification Fund is distributed to organizations by percentage of total money they raise over $250. Every dollar helps us reach our goal!

The ministry really needs a very good to good midsize 4 door travel car, such as a Hyundai, Kia, Toyota etc. This car would be used for travel back and forth to the bank in Dumas and meetings in Amarillo and the West Texas District. We would also use it to deliver Meals on Wheels have it available for interns, and other in-town ministries in which walking is not an option. Right now, most of us use our own vehicles to run errands and do ministry for CNMC. This car would be a great blessing to help staff not have to use their own vehicles or drive the large 15 passenger vans we have for teams.

 

If you are willing to donate for a car, just earmark your donation ‘car’. If you have a car that you would like to donate that is reliable and fits our needs, please call Rev. Olbin Visagie through our office number: 806-421-0160. 

Pastors Alli and Olbin Visagie are available to speak in churches (virtually or in person) to share their missions story. 


You may contact them by calling Cactus Ministry Center at 806-421-0160 or email them directly.  


Alli@cactusministries.org

Olbin@cactusministries.org

NDI

DISTRICT RESOURCES

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2022 Report Booklet
NEW: Where to Send Budget Allocations
[806 Airport Fwy., Suite 206, Hurst, TX 76054 ]  [817-479-8611]  [westexnaz.org]
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