Monday, June 24, 2013

New Logo


Well, there is not much news from the General Assembly, thus far.  One more session to go for the evening (7:30 - 9:30 pm).  -  I am hopeful that we will elect a new general superintendent (i.e., bishop) this evening.  Time will tell.

One thing that was revealed last week was a new logo for the denomination.  It has met with mixed reviews.  Here is the video that introduces it:




So, what do you think?

Fraternal Delegates

The General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene has entered into the actual business phase. 

I was very pleased that our general superintendents were faithful to their episcopal position by calling the delegation and guests to an hour of prayer during the first hour of business.

Another thing that I was very pleased to hear was that our fraternal delegates from sister denominations included (perhaps for the first time?!) a representative of the United Methodist Church.  We have always been invited to their General Conference, but they have not been included in our General Assembly.  Instead we have tended to stick with our closest Wesleyan-holiness sister denominations.  This time we have included the UMC, as well.

The full list of denominations represented by fraternal delegates includes:  The United Methodist Church, The Wesleyan Church, the Brethren in Christ, the Salvation Army, the Evangelical Methodist Church, the Evangelical Church, the Free Methodist Church, and the Missionary Church.  (It may very well be that others were also invited, but these are the ones who have attended).

I plan to be updating the blog on business decisions that I consider to be significant (or at least those things that I am more interested in!)

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Nazarene General Assembly Begins


It has begun!  The 2013 General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene!  -  Well, to be exact, the General Assembly actually begins on Sunday, but the General Conventions have begun.

The General Assembly and Conventions run from June 19 - 27 in Indianapolis.

The Church of the Nazarene’s General Assembly and Conventions convenes every four years, bringing together more than 20,000 Nazarenes from around the world.

The main priority of the General Assembly and Conventions is to bring glory to God. This global event unifies, renews, educates, shapes, and inspires attendees not only as Nazarenes, but also as followers of Christ.
 
We gather together to focus on our church’s mission, “To Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations.” 
 
This is also the place where decisions will be made concerning the Resolutions I published on this blog last August.  -  I expect to be blogging about them, as action is taken, beginning Monday.  -  Hopefully, I will have good news to report!
 
I am particularly excited about this General Assembly, because I will be presenting a workshop tomorrow (Thursday, June 20) morning.  The title of the workshop is "Authentic Christian Worship Using John Wesley's Criteria."  It is scheduled for 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM, and will be located in Room 243.  -  If you will be at General Assembly, tomorrow morning, I would love to see you in the workshop! 
 
More information on the General Assembly can be found, here. 
 
For those unable to attend the Assembly, there will be live streaming available.  (Although, the workshops are not a part of the live streaming.  However, I am told audio of the workshops will eventually be available on-line.)
 
Hope to see some of you at my workshop!

Wesleyan-Anglican Society News

The Wesleyan-Anglican Society now has a new banner (above) and our new, official seal (below).  We also have a new website, though it is in its very early stages.  (It is still best to connect with the Society through our Facebook page.)

Our membership comes from various Wesleyan/Methodist & Anglican denominations.  It is international in scope.

We are still trying to overcome some hurdles in establishing our bank account, so that we can proceed in collecting dues from members.  However, for the time being, we are still accepting new members, and we will get information concerning dues to our members once we establish our account.  (Dues have been set at $30 and $15 for students.  However, a waiver may be granted due to financial concerns.)

Our constitution can be found in the files section of our Facebook page.  -  I would encourage those who visit this blog to take a look at the constitution and consider whether membership in the Society might be for you!  (Joining the Wesleyan/Anglican Facebook group does NOT constitute membership in the Society.)

At this time, membership requests may be sent to me via Facebook messaging.  If you are not on Facebook you can comment, below, leaving me your email address.

We have a growing membership, and it is my hope that YOU will choose to be a part of it!

Todd A. Stepp+
President
Wesleyan-Anglican Society