Monthly News & Updates

December 2023

Thoughts from DS Olivia

Advent: the season of waiting.

We wait.

We are awaiting Christ's birth and Christ's second coming. We wait in lines and on airplanes. We wait for the timer to buzz and the doorbell to ring. We wait to light candles on Christmas Eve and sing Silent Night. We shake gifts under the tree, waiting to open them. We wait for a phone call, hoping it will come, praying it will come, unsure if it will come.

We wait.

It isn't just during Advent that we wait. Of course, we are always waiting for something! However, we don't often pay attention to the inevitable waiting in our lives like we do this time of year. It is important not just to look forward to what we are anticipating, but to be fully present in the in-between times of waiting. The middle space, between the first moments of hope and the realization of that hope, is crucial to our growth and development in Christlikeness.

There is so much waiting in the texts that lead us up to Christmas. The people of God had waited for centuries with no word from God. Zechariah and Elizabeth had waited for a baby until they were too old for that to be possible. Mary and Joseph waited for their baby in challenging circumstances. Anna and Simeon had waited for the coming of the Lord in the temple. Waiting. And God was at work in each of their lives in these periods of waiting. It wasn't a waste of time. It isn't a waste of time for us either.

Right now, whatever we are in the midst of, whatever we are waiting for, whatever we feel, Christ is with us. And not only is God with us, but God wants to do something in us while we wait. Maybe it is that we need to hear better and God is trying to speak while we wait. Maybe it is that we need to act and God is calling us to something while we wait. Maybe it is that we need to repent and God is inviting us into new life while we wait. This is not wasted time. This is time that can be absolutely transformational if we will look for God right now while we wait.

When we think of waiting as Christian people we must always remember we wait in hope. We may feel like there is little hope, but we hold on tight as we wait. We may feel like what needs to change never will, but we cling to God as we wait. We may feel discouraged and worried and anxious and afraid while we wait, but still, we can have hope. The Psalmist writes, "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27: 13-14, NIV).

I'm confident in hope as I wait. God is up to something. Just wait! You'll see!

Pastor Olivia

p.s. If you want a beautiful song of hope and waiting, check this one out. It is older but is one of my favorites.

Welcome to Our World

Upstate NDI

Called to (Flourish in) Ministry: Discernment and Acceptance Webinar

This webinar series focuses on “thriving” (flourishing) in ministry as an expression of calling, meaning, and purpose. An exploration of the Scriptural call narrative structure will serve to guide participants in hearing/writing their call narratives dialogically, opening space for wider discernment and celebration. Particular attention will be given to the process of naming perceived or actual inadequacies/ objections AND to hearing (when necessary and appropriate) reassurance of help from God. Also, strategies to confront and overcome named inadequacies will be introduced and discussed.

Audience: This webinar is appropriate for both clergy and laity. For laity, it intends to cultivate, strengthen, and celebrate lay leadership in the local church as an expression of divine calling. The webinar will help clergy, in particular, name and confront perceived inadequacies or ministry barriers inhibiting deep contentment and joy in vocational ministry.

Three sessions:

Session #1 – Listening for the particularity of God’s call in our lives.

Session #2 – Responding to perceived and actual inadequacies and objections.

Session #3 – Accepting and embracing God’s invitation.

Delivery Format:

Sessions will be delivered via webinar format (Zoom) and will last approximately 75 minutes. Short, reflection-based assignments will link the sessions together.

Session Date and Time:

Tuesdays, February 20th, 27th, and March 5th at 6:30 PM

Upstate NMI

Monte and Bethany Cyr are our 2024 Links Missionaries

We are excited to share that the Cyr family will be Linked with us for 2024. You may remember them from a district tour they did a few years ago. Please find additional information about them at https://give.nazarene.org/pledge/cyrfamily

Their contact information has been shared with Local NMI Presidents across the District.

Nazarene Compassionate Ministry

Provide food for people who are hungry this Christmas.

Through the 2023 NCM Christmas Project, you can stand with people who are hungry, and support projects that provide food in emergencies and help farmers grow and sell better crops.

CHRISTMAS PROJECT

BROOKTONDALE

Carrying on the Legacy of Brooktondale Camp

Brooktondale Nazarene Camp and Retreat Center has not survived for almost 94 years on district and private camps alone. It's because of the generosity of the people on the Upstate NY District that we have a campground that is on the verge of making it to the century mark.

We need you to help us make it there and far beyond with a one-time or monthly gift of any amount. If you've been impacted by the ministry of our Nazarene campground, or if you can appreciate the mission it lives out--seeing countless lives being turned to Christ through the decades, and countless more on the horizon--then please give today and make sure OUR camp remains THEIR camp long past our generation has run its course.

There are two ways that you can give:

Checks can be made out to Brooktondale Nazarene Camp and mailed securely to:

P. O. Box 89

Wolcott, NY 14590

To give online, click (or copy and paste into the search bar) here: https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/3919055

Thanks in advance for the seed you're willing to sow for future generations of Brooktondale campers!

Give to Brooktondale

Let's Pray Together

Join us on February 24th from 10-11:30 for prayer. When you click the button below you will be able to register and the Zoom link will be sent to you. These are rich times of fellowship with one another and our good God!

Prayer Registration

Pastors! Don't forget that we gather to pray on the first Thursday of every month. You will receive an email with the Zoom link the day before. Mark your calendar and join at either 8am or noon.

Eastern Nazarene College, OUR college, is inviting us to join them in praying. Will you sign up to support Dr. Colleen Derr, the faculty, staff, administration, and students in prayer?

Exciting things are happening, lives are being changed, and our college is being salt and light! Let's pray together that God would continue to work through ENC!

ENC Prayer Partners

Opportunities for Pastors

Pastoral Care

Pastors, you heard at Assembly about the value of Full Strength Network! If you are currently using it or would like to sign up, we need your help.

Please fill out this form and we will be sure to renew your subscription when the time is right or get you signed up to start. This is a tool to support you in your work. Take advantage of it!

FSN Form

Around the district:

T h e S p ringw a ter R e tr ea t H o us e

is a place to pray and listen to

the still quiet voice of the Lord.

Pastors face multiple challenges and carry the burdens of many people. Here is a place where they can obey Jesus’ words and go away with Him to a quiet place to rest. For free.

The Wilmington Retreat Home is a three bedroom home with a fully-applianced kitchen, dining and living room. This is an excellent place for a prayer or sermon planning retreat.

Or sign up for

Spiritual Direction with Shane Ash

Fruit of the Spirit Resources

This month as we prepare our hearts to remember the birth of Jesus and prepare for His second coming, take time to rest in the presence of the Lord. There is so much busyness that accompanies this time of year. Instead of extra things to "do," consider praying that the Lord would give you the fruit of the Spirit in this season. As you are volunteering at church, spending time with family, encountering people at work or in stores, and living life, may the fruit of God's Spirit be growing in all of us.