Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Out of Many One - Out of One Many

The Centennial Celebration Service of the Triangle area of the Church of the Nazarene took place this past Sunday - October 5, 2008. The reports are in that over 1,000 people gathered at the Meymandi Hall in the Progress Energy Center in downtown Raleigh, NC.



Special appreciation goes to Pastors Jeremy Henderson and Brian Powell from Raleigh First Church of the Nazarene; Pastor Royce Hathcock of Tapestry, Pastor Katherine Widdifield of Cary Penny Road, Pastor Glenn Messner of Wake Forrest Church of the Nazarene, and Pastor Caleb Buna of Raleigh International Evangelical Church of the Nazarene.



Also a note of thanks to Steven Rutherford and his team for the sound and media work, and to Karen DeSollar for the design work on the invitations and the Celebration Booklet. The list could go on and on. I was so impressed by the nursery and children's workers. It was so helpful to arrive at the Center and see the individuals holding the parking signs and helping with directions. Many people behind the scenes and the great music (especially the choir!) added much to the service.


I have heard several comments about my attire on Sunday. A number of people took pictures and made comments about me wearing a suit. Thank you for the kind words and remember what I said: " This event takes only takes place every one hundred years."



I do believe this was a life changing event for some people who came forward at the invitation. I also believe this was a historic event for the Church of the Nazarene in the Raleigh area. The fellowship was great and it seemed people truly enjoyed being with each other. It was greatly encouraging to see nearly 1,300 people at one time in one place giving glory to God!



As we reflect on this Centennial Celebration for the Church of the Nazarene it has been good to reflect upon our heritage and the blessing of God. I do think we need a BIG picture of God in the world. Below is a humorous parody of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major General covering the entire history of the church – by Paul Adlrich. Enjoy:


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