GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2009-YOUR thoughts
Orlando Area Nazarenes begin advance work for next summer's One Heart-Many Hands project One Heart-Many Hands staffers are hearing from Nazarenes across the U.S. and beyond who are eager to sign-up and serve. Imagine the headlines that could be written next year: “Nampa, Idaho, and North Haverhill, New Hampshire, Nazarenes team-up to show Orlando the love of Jesus Christ.” Or… “Prescott, Arizona, and Pittsboro, North Carolina, Nazarene churches share one heart, lend many hands in Central Florida.” Indeed, next summer’s volunteers may come from as far away as Seward, Alaska, or even Nilopolis, Brazil. With all this traveling from far and wide to the mission field in Orlando, one might wonder what role the local Nazarenes in the Sunshine State will play in making this service opportunity a success. The answer: their work has already begun. Earlier this year a team of Nazarenes from Central Florida joined a gathering of influential business leaders and public officials assembled by Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty. The purpose of the meeting was to network and begin planning for the One Heart-Many Hands Work and Witness project scheduled for the week prior to the June 2009 Church of the Nazarene General Assembly in Orlando. The attitude coming out of the meeting can best be described as a unanimous consensus: the Church of the Nazarene is welcome in Orlando. County and city officials there are on board and eager to help make the One Heart-Many Hands project a success and area business leaders are showing a remarkable willingness to pitch-in and offer their resources. One might describe it as "fruitful diplomatic work by our brothers and sisters in Orlando." “God is at work in Orlando. The Spirit is moving,” said One Heart-Many Hands Project Director George Sisler following the meeting. “If we continue developing these local partnerships, and we are able to recruit enough volunteers from Nazarene Churches across the United States and throughout the world, I’m confident that the witness for Christ that we leave in this city will have an amazing impact for generations.” Of course, there will be no shortage of Florida Nazarenes among the thousands of volunteers painting, hammering, and other roll-up-the-sleeves work come June of next year. For now, however, they are representing the global Church of the Nazarene well as they lay the local groundwork and build vital relationships in advance of what could be one of the world’s largest-ever Work and Witness projects. Please remember to pray for their continued success. |
For more information visit One Heart-Many Hands website