All posts by ETNMI

Newsletter, Jan. 18, 2023

January 27, 2023NewsletterETNMI

THANK YOU, JUDY DEWITT, FOR YOUR HARD WORK, KEEPING E TN CHURCHES INFORMED AND INSPIRED!

Each week, NMI Presidents, Pastors, and NMI leaders receive an NMI Newsletter from me.

Judy DeWitt, “First Lady of E TN District” is doing a great job as Office Administrator…keeping us informed of all facets of ministry and all kinds of needs on our district. She is editing an informative quarterly newsletter-with inspiration and news from all areas of ministry. In case you didn’t receive this quarterly newsletter, I’ve attached it. Any NMI presidents who didn’t receive it, please let me know so I can request that you be added to the address list. Attachment:

January ET Newsletter

I’m grateful that the Quarterly District Newsletter that was sent this week informed readers of an important change regarding our W&W team’s accomodations in Tapachula, Mexico.

I want you to know the BLESSING behind the change:

We earlier reported, on NMI website, that the dormitory has been completed, and our team would be the first to stay there…

THAT’S TRUE, BUT THERE’S A NEW “WRINKLE.” ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, THE DISTRICT HAD YOUTH CAMP THERE AT THE CAMPGROUND….WITH 700 (NOT A TYPO)–700 TEENAGE CAMPERS!!

The teenage campers stayed in tents on the campground, and many of the adult workers stayed in the new dormitory provided by E TN Valentines for Jesus 2022. However, there was not time or funds to make the wooden bunk beds needed for the dormitory, so those workers slept on pallets that they brought from home.

SO, instead of putting our team in the dormitory, with sleeping bags, they will stay at a neighboring children’s group home, with beds and showers!

There’s one permanent rule for Work and Witness: BE FLEXIBLE! Flexibility will be the “Motto” for this, and, no doubt every future E TN District Work and Witness Team…

PRAISE GOD THAT, WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE, HE IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!

NMI Leaders: Please notice that the quarterly newsletter has pages that would make great posters to be printed and posted around your church (I know of churches that even have places to post news on the inside of bathroom stall doors!)

Some of the pages have news that would be better copied into your newsletters or church bulletins.

BE CREATIVE AND SHARE THE NEWS THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR YOU…

YOUR SHARING IS WHAT MAKES COMMUNICATION HAPPEN!

Newsletter, Jan. 11, 2023

January 11, 2023NewsletterETNMI

“VALENTINES FOR JESUS”…
but We’ve Just Finished Celebrating Christmas!

Each January, we start getting inquiries about our new “Valentines for Jesus” project. This annual children’s project has become extremely effective on our district, involving children in our churches in raising funds for “their project.”

We’ve even adopted the policy that the new project is always announced at Children’s Camp! The 2023 project is for the Ukrainian Community Center, serving Ukrainian refugees in Poznan, Poland. Dec. 6 newsletter had a link to a great article in NCM magazine about the center. There are two videos from Missionary Hayley Tarrant at

http://etnmi.org/east-tn-kids-resources/

There is also a poster, with instructions for mailing offering. Additional resources will be posted at that site. Weekly Newsletter will alert you to new resources as they are added.

READ HOW KNOXVILLE SOUTH CHURCH HAS BEEN INVOLVING THEIR CHILDREN ALL YEAR:

From Knoxville South NMI President, Marie Valentine:

“I wanted to let you know that Knoxville South has been planning for “Valentine’s for Jesus” since October 2022. We began a competition between the Men and the Women to help the Children also raise the funds. Currently, most of our children are female so the females have an advantage over the males currently.

Sister Ford is a great help to me! She decorated small coffee cups for the children to save their money at home for this project since the funds are for the Coffee House. They were each given a coffee cup back in October. We will see next month how they have done on their own!

To keep the competition going, we have a promotion in front of the Sanctuary with a large coffee canister for the Men and the Women. Sister Ford decorated the Women’s canister. Come to find out this morning, Pastor Kenny has been putting his money in the Women’s Canister! Ha! Ha! This morning when we told him, he took it out and put it in the Men’s Canister! Ha! Ha!”

SPEAKING OF VALENTINES…

To find mailing addresses to send Valentines to our missionaries, go to etnmi.org, and click “Care and Connections” tab. Even if they arrive after Valentine’s Day, cards will be enjoyed.

GREAT IDEA: Estill Springs Church of the Nazarene kids will make a VALENTINES Video & send to our missionaries! You’ll also find our missionaries’ web addresses on “Care and Connections” page.

Newsletter, December 30, 2022

December 31, 2022NewsletterETNMI

HAPPY NEW YEAR…MAY 2023 BE BLESSED WITH OUR LORD’S PRESENCE!

Our newsletter is a couple of days late this week. I wanted it to be closer to New Years Day, but I’ll confess that lot’s of physical therapy & slow moving have also added to the later date. I can’t begin to thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, and especially for the amazing ways you have been the hands and feet of Jesus in your world this year!

In case you’ve missed the blessed news of the birth of our newest (adorable ) Missionary Kid, go to: https://www.facebook.com/ETNMI

December is Nazarene Compassionate Ministries month. I’ve marveled at the many reports I’ve heard of how E TN District churches have reached around the world – through NCM giving, gifts for our missionaries, and generous compassionate ministry projects in your own community.

Lebanon First NMI President, Libby Tomkins, shared that they are being blessed to help our retired missionary, Geneva Silvernail, with the significant expense for her monthly medicine not covered by insurance.

Lenoir City First NMI President, Alice Carey, sent pictures of Christmas Compassionate Ministries at her church. Lenoir City pictures are attached; captions describing the pictures are below. If other churches wish to share, please send digital photos with short caption telling about your Christmas outreach.

PHOTOS ( attached) & CAPTIONS :

	(1) Even after losing his precious wife this year, Paul Kreuger,baked 65 boxes of cookies for truck stop ministry. (Paul was 1st E TN District W&W Coordinator).
	(2) Some of the truckers who come by Hank Reader’s Crossroads’ Chapel in Lenoir City. Paul & his wife, Sharon used to do this together with other’s help but now that she is in Heaven, Paul continues to reach out! Special blessings go to him.
	(3) Christmas day, to the ladies at Beauty for Ashes, a drug rehab home, we took homemade gifts, made by one of our members, who recently lost her dear husband. The bags were filled with other goodies made by another of our members. At the same time we took their complete Christmas dinner with goodies. They were very appreciative!
	(4): These two ladies in our church are avid crocheters for the needy. They meet every Tuesday and have made probably a hundred or more lap blankets for mostly the homeless and hospital bound. They love their mission and they love the Lord.
	(5) Church members went caroling & passed out cookies to our elderly church members. Everyone LOVED it!
	(6) Carollers at the home of our District’s Beloved Retired Missionary, Rev. Dr. Geneva Silvernail.

Newsletter, December 14, 2022

December 13, 2022NewsletterETNMI

THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

“Born thy people to deliver, Born a Child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now thy gracious kingdom bring.” (Charles Wesley, 1744). Pray that people will accept the freedom found in Christ.

GLOBAL MISSIONS AT CHRISTMASTIME

A few weeks ago, I requested prayer for the family of Myrna Dippert, District NMI President on the Canada West District, Links district of Joshua & Katie Haun during the last Links cycle. THANK YOU to those of you who have been praying for Myrna’s daughter-in-law, beautiful young mother who has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Myrna & Bob, former missionaries to Papua New Guinea, have lovingly accepted the responsibility of caring for four beautiful children while their mom fights for her life. Please continue praying for them.

Even with all this going on, Myrna has recorded a beautiful message for her district based on this video World missions and Christmas-David Platt

As you share 3 Christmas songs below with your congregation, focus on their mission messages. Challenge your people to find Missions Messages in these, and other Christmas carols.

JOY TO THE WORLD

“Joy to the world, the lord is come. Let Earth receive her King”
Let every heart, from all over this earth, those in our own families,
and those, from MANY nations, who will hear the Gospel
for the first time THIS CHRISTMAS, prepare Him room!

O HOLY NIGHT

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”
Our world is weary-those caught in war in Ukraine, those
in famine in East Africa, & those hurting all around us.
Even those in the weariest of places can rejoice in the presence
of our Savior!

HARK, THE HERALD ANGELS SING

“Joyful ALL ye nations rise…join the triumph of the skies”
God sent His son to die for ALL people of ALL nations.
So then, He sends US, his people to share this message of hope.

John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
Missions is the true model of God’s great gift to the world. Just as He sent His son into an uncomfortable, unwelcoming world, we must be willing to go, or to send our best and brightest, into uncomfortable, unwelcoming places to share the Gospel.

GREAT MISSION MOMENTS FROM E TN CHURCHES

How great it is to get messages from local NMI presidents, sharing how their churches are enjoying learning more about how God is working in our world! NMI President Lauren Anderson reports using the E TN District NMI Central ppt. lesson on Germany, with a church German potluck!

Lauren writes, ” we had a special visitor all the way from Germany. She is here on a work visa running a car engine production plant in Decherd – connected to Nissan.. her name is Monika “Moni” & she shared so much about spiritual life & general life in her country. She showed the congregation her collection of German Bibles, including a one hundred year old Bible.

Lauren shared, “I gave her an Evangehat as a gift & she absolutely loved it!”

Be in prayer for Moni as well – her mom is in & out of the hospital in Germany – Moni hopes to go visit her for her birthday in a couple weeks.. also, Moni wants TN to be her forever home but her work visa ends in the fall – she is trying to figure out how to make it to where she can stay.

Finally: Thanks to those who have been praying for me as I continue to heal from broken hip & surgery. God has been so far ahead of me as I heal and adjust. Jim & I will fly home from snowy Nevada tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13. We will cherish your prayers!

Advent Blessings,

Teresa Hodge