NAZARENE MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL
September 2010

THE STORY OF ALABASTER - The ALABASTER plan for giving to provide mission building began in 1949.  During prayer, General NMI Council Member Elizabeth Vennum felt God directing her to turn to Matthew 26:6-13.  This became the scriptural basis for a mission love gift that has resulted in more than 6,000 buildings and parcels of land around the world.  Just as the woman sacrificially gave up something costly for her Lord, Nazarenes are asked to do without something they want, but do not need, and donate the item’s cost equivalent to purchase missions’ buildings and construction sites.

All ALABASTER funds go toward building needs globally - nothing is used for administration.  Each February and September, Nazarenes are encouraged to pour out their ALABASTER love gifts like the woman mentioned in the scripture passage.  It is a means of demonstrating gratitude.

Your participation in the ALABASTER offering helps provide places for people to live, learn, heal, and worship.  We will be receiving our ALABASTER offering on Sunday, September 26th 2010.  The big brick boxes will be available at the front of the sanctuary to receive coins, checks, bills, or boxes.   REMEMBER - ALABASTER is not just building buildings, but building lives for Christ!

MISSION BOOKS - Our new Mission Books are finally here and available for your checkout in the room at the back of the sanctuary.  These exciting stories are written by or about our global missionaries.  Please take advantage of this opportunity to learn how our Nazarene missionaries are spreading God’s word around the world.

Meet the Armstrongs - our Nazarene missionaries Scott and Emily Armstrong and their two children, Elijah (7) and Sydney (5).  The Armstrongs are our LINKS family for the next two years.  They minister in Costa Rica for the Church of the Nazarene, with their office in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Scott and Emily are global missionaries with the Church of the Nazarene and have been ministering in the Mexico and Central America (MAC) regional office since January 2004.  They are coordinators of World Mission MAC, a ministry that discovers, develops and deploys missionaries from the MAC region.

Both Scott and Emily graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 1999.  Emily received her B.S. degree in nursing.  Scott received his B.A. degree in speech communication.  He continued his studies graduating from Nazarene Theological Seminary with a M. Div. degree in 2003.

They have been sensitive to God’s call to mission service.  Scott accepted his call to missions as a student at Olivet, and Emily answered God’s call to missions as a child.

Before their arrival to the MAC Region they were youth pastors at Antioch Church of the Nazarene in Overland Park, KS.     

Marie Peterson is our local LINKS coordinator and she and Lynda Smith will be sending greeting cards and special occasion gifts from the congregation to the Armstrongs on their birthdays and other special holidays.  If you would like to contribute, write your check to this church with the notation “LINKS” or see Marie or Norma.