West Texas District Newsletter: September 1, 2021

September 1, 2021

Dear Pastor/Friends,

I am so very grateful for your leadership in our churches. God is doing some very wonderful things on our district through each of you!

Susan and I had the great privilege of being with Pastor Gennell Knisley and her husband, Jim, in Grassland on August 18th for their one-hundredth anniversary celebration. The story of this good congregation, as is so often the case, is filled with sacrifice and transformation.

Over a century ago, church planter Rev. Mary Lee Cagle began special compassionate-ministry-related church planting among the cotton gin workers in the area. Though some felt the workers were too transient to minister to, she persisted, and God blessed her work there. Countless lives were changed, and the message of heart holiness was spread throughout the Panhandle, not just in spite of...but because of the transient nature of the workers, who frequently moved from gin to gin...taking their new faith with them.

The Tahoka church, where Pastor Cagle began, is no longer there...but nearby Grassland continues to prosper today. We are so grateful for this precious congregation!

Speaking of compassionate ministry, Rescue Hill Nazarene Compassionate Ministry Center in Arlington continues to minister powerfully to victims of human trafficking in the DFW area, and beyond. On August 5th, Susan and I joined with Directors Steve and Amanda Pettit and Pastor Larry Williams and representatives from Dallas First Church of the Nazarene for the dedication of the new J.T. Upchurch counseling room at the center.

This room has been beautifully furnished through a generous donation by the people of Dallas First Church in honor of their founding pastor, Rev. Upchurch, who was also the director of the Berachah Home for Women, which was located on Rescue Hill in Arlington, over a century ago. Praise the Lord!

This past Sunday, we installed Pastor Michael Gentry and his wife, Diana, at Borger Trinity Church. The Gentrys come to us from Paris, Texas, but they are certainly not strangers to our district, having served previously in Cisco. Welcome!

Also, congratulations are in order for our Hamlin congregation upon the election of their new pastor, Rev. John Hobson, and his wife Carol, who is a school teacher and has already landed a job in the Hamlin elementary school. They will be arriving in early October from Texarkana, Arkansas, where they have served for the past 12 years. The Hobsons are a great couple and we are delighted to welcome them.

Our new district app is available for you to download on your phone! I want to thank Vania for all of her work on this...and, especially our IT guy, Chris Jones, for helping us design the application. Using the app on your phone, you should be able to have immediate access to the district calendar, directory, newsletters, special announcements, etc. The app is free, of course.

Pastors, I know I’ll see a number of you and your men at “Man Camp” on October 1-3. This event has grown each year and has become a powerful ministry to the men on our district.

Finally, gratitude is overdue for our district children's workers, under the direction of Pastor Jennifer Sommers and her counsel, for the wonderful job they did with “Activate” kids camp at Camp Arrowhead this past July, 19-22. Many children made decisions for Jesus...and lives were changed. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jennifer for your diligence and preparation for this great ministry.

For you and with you,

Pastor David Downs

WEST TEXAS DISTRICT MINISTRIES

If you have a recurring gift, this is what you need to do as soon as possible:

1 ) From the West Texas District website, log into your current giving account in EasyTithe.

2 ) Turn off your recurring giving option (please don't hesitate to call the district office if you need any help with this process)

3 ) Please click here to log into "Subsplash", enter your saved gift amount, and then set up your new account. Please remember to mark your gift amount as "recurring" again.

Our district treasurer, Dan Davisson, has prepared the West Texas District 2021-2022 "Funding The Mission" report as of August 25, 2021. 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.

Registration - Now Open!

Monday, October 18

6:30PM Doors Open/Check-in

7PM - First Session & Dessert Fellowship

Tuesday, October 19

9:00AM - 4:00PM

All sessions will be held at Bethany First Nazarene Church

6789 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK 73008

Translation available - please indicate in registration form

Golf Outing

Wednesday, October 20, 8:30AM tee time

Lincoln Park Golf Course

4001 NE Grand Blvd., Oklahoma City 73111

Green Fees: $47.80 per person or $35.03 per person age 62 and over

Green fees are not included in the Forum registration fee. Participants will pay green fee directly to Lincoln Park at tee time. We must know in advance if you plan to participate - there is a place to indicate at the end of the registration form.

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DISASTER RELIEF

Hurricane Ida Relief

We are beginning to put together a team to assist in the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ida’s aftermath. We are coordinating with our Nazarene Disaster Response leaders in Kansas City and waiting to get everything together before we actually mobilize. Typically, it takes a minimum of a week for the search and rescue phase to be completed and some sort of infrastructure to support volunteers before we can go. Right now, we are expecting to be able to take a team around Tuesday or Wednesday next week (September 7/8). If you will be able to volunteer to help with this clean up, please let me know ASAP.

I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in what we all have going on in our own ministries, but please prayerfully consider volunteering to help as we go and minister to those whose lives were devastated during this tragedy. Please remember that it’s not only physical help, but also spiritual and emotional healing that we can help with, by the grace of God.

Calvary Callender

817.554.1203

ASIAN-INDIAN MINISTRIES

Greetings District Family,

We are glad to let you know that our Campus Ministry in UTA got off to a great start for this 2021 fall semester. More than 35 New Students have joined our Home Fellowship. We are collecting furniture such as: study tables, organizers, chairs, tables, shoe racks, bookshelves, used bicycles, bed frames, mattresses, and other useful items for the new students. Many didn't get University housing and they are staying off campus in empty spaces. We are sharing God's Love to them through our actions. At our Welcome night last week we shared about Jesus' agape love with 23 new students. We wish to reach out to more students with God's love and help them practically too!

If you have any donations please reach out to us. Thank you!!

Premal Awasarmal

[email protected]

CNMC

Bundle Up Cactus! ‘21

PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY DEADLINE!

We have been getting snow in October the past two years, so we need to get the coats to the people earlier. Lightly used or new coats needed by September 15. Bring donations to 200 Palo Duro, Cactus, TX.

Distribution days will be September 30-October 2.

Call to volunteer by September 15, 806-421-0160.

DFW area churches

Pastor Michael Davis will be driving a trailer up to Cactus to drop off coats. If you are unable to take coats up to Cactus, you may drop coats off at FW Westridge on September 15th, or reach out to Pastor Davis at 806-786-8976.

SDMI

“WOW” 2021

Women of Worth

What a wonderful time we had at the West Texas District Women’s Retreat this year. Over 130 women gathered together to worship, pray and fellowship with other ladies.

One very special moment this year was naming our scholarship fund after one of our very faithful supporters, Jane Woodbury (pictured on the right at WOW 2019), of the Cleburne Nazarene Church. Jane always attended and supported WOW. We were saddened when Jane passed away this year, so in honor of her faithfulness we have named our scholarship fund “The Jane Woodbury Scholarship Fund” in her memory. Our scholarship fund has helped many women on our district attend this conference. Jane would be so excited to know how her influence will continue to help the women across our district.

Another highlight of this conference was getting to worship with our Dallas District ladies from Atlanta, Texas. We were so glad they joined us. Many lasting memories were made with each of them.

It was a wonderful and blessed

“WOW 2021”

NMI

One of the TOP FIVE AREAS OF IMPACT for Nazarene Missions International (NMI) is giving to the Alabaster Offering. The other four important areas of NMI are Prayer, World Evangelism Fund, Mentoring Children & Youth in Missions, and supporting our LINKS Missionaries.

The Alabaster Offering provides funds for property and buildings around the world. Buildings erected for the purpose of ministry help provide a sense of permanence, functionally enhance ministry efforts, and convey a message that the Church of the Nazarene intends to "put down roots."

More details and downloadable promotional materials are available at NMI - Alabaster | Church of the Nazarene

ARROWHEAD CAMP

Here is what’s going on at Arrowhead!

COMING SOON

“The Oasis Water Station”

We are in the process of building a water station outside the dining hall/pecan patio. This will be an enclosed air-conditioned room that will have two Touchless Water Bottle Filling Stations. All our guest will be able to fill up their bottles with cold, filtered water anytime day or night.

This will also house our ice machine where guest can purchase bags of ice.

We are so excited that this has been possible by several very generous donations!!

Keep watching for more updates!!