Thanks – Giving
I am greatly enjoying traveling the district, meeting our pastors, and visiting our churches. Thank you for the ways in which you are welcoming Diane and me and making us feel a part of the SCO family.
In October, Diane and I had the privilege of spending several days in Africa (South Africa and Mozambique) with around 40 other leaders from the USA/Canada Region and the Africa Region. We were able to see first-hand the result of our giving for World Evangelism (WEF). The purpose of the trip was three-fold: 1) Strengthen our relationships, 2) Explore strategic partnerships, 3) Discover innovative mission strategies. I will return to South Africa in January 2025 to join 80 African district superintendents for four days of training. I’ll be learning as much from them as they will be learning from me.
If you’ve been around the Church of the Nazarene for a while, you likely remember around this time of the year hearing about a Thanksgiving Offering for World Evangelism. Over the years, Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time when our churches emphasize a special offering for World Evangelism. As a teenager and young adult, I can remember our pastor encouraging us to give an offering equivalent to one week’s salary to support the work of the Church around the world. Over the years, Diane and I have made that our practice.
The Church of the Nazarene has around 325 missionaries on global deployment, plus nearly 150 additional missionaries on sponsored deployment for which the Church provides needed infrastructure. Our World Evangelism offerings support these missionaries, and so much more. Our gifts are truly essential for every part of the Church’s global ministry – compassion, evangelism, and education. In addition to providing for nearly 500 missionaries, our giving enables the church to provide Connectional Events, Global NMI, Global NYI, Global NDI, and a myriad of regional ministries. From our beginning, Nazarenes have been marked by generosity, especially in regard to World Evangelism, making all these global ministries possible.
The South-Central Ohio District has a rich heritage of providing both material resources and human resources (both long-term and short-term missionaries) for World Evangelism.
Thank you for your generosity toward World Evangelism – for your prayers, your personal involvement, and your finances.
I’m grateful for you!
Eddie Estep
SCO District Superintendent
