MISSIONS
Honduras Mission | How You Can Help Support Missions | Mission News
GCN and the Church of the Nazarene support a variety of missions as a vital part of our ministry and worship of Christ. Many of the mission activities are planned locally. We also plan many in support of Nazarene Missions International (NMI).
We have many opportunities and are seeking volunteers to help our mission efforts. Send us an email or contact our NMI President, Lisa Sharp, for more details.
How You Can Help Support Missions
There are a variety of ways you can support mission efforts locally, nationally, and around the world. Following are some of the activities that you can help support.
As part of our overall support for missions, GCN provides a Faith Promise to provide financial support for world evangelization. Read more...
GCN also supports the Alabaster Offering, which provides funds for property and buildings in support of Nazarene mission efforts around the world. Since it's inception in 1949, the Alabaster Offering has supported more than 8,000 projects, churches and chapels, bible schools and school buildings, mission & district centers, hospitals and clinics, missionary homes, national workers homes, and purchases of land. (Click here for additional information on projects.) Cardboard "Alabaster boxes" are distributed so we can collect coins throughout the year. Alabaster Sundays are held semi-annually and cash is collected in our "Alabaster church," which is a model of the Luque, Paraguay church that was built by a GCN Work & Witness team in 1987.
NMI presents Memorial Roll certificates in memory of our loved ones. The money goes to Missionary Medical Plan, to pay for medical expenses of Nazarene missionaries living outside the United States. This contribution is part of our Faith Promise budget.
Individuals may send Gifts from the Heart cards as a means of providing financial support for the health care of active and retired missionaries in the Church of the Nazarene. You may pick up cards in the GCN lobby to donate directly to NMI Missionary Health Care in memory or in honor of a loved one. Your recognition of the wonderful work our missionaries do for the Lord will help them by letting them focus on their mission of sharing the gospel.
You can support mission activities through prayer. Nazarene Mission International provides the Prayer Mobilization Line. The Prayer Mobilization Line (PML) is a twice-weekly publication focusing on the prayer needs and praise reports for the global ministries of the Church of the Nazarene and our missionaries. Anyone can subscribe to receive PML, free of charge, via e-mail on the NMI web site. Printable versions of the current and archived issues of PML are also available on the NMI website.
Labels (and Boxtops) for Education
Collect Campbell's™ labels to help mission support of Sun Valley Indian School in Arizona. It's not just soup. Look for any of the eligible products, including soups, juices, sauces, and more. Click here for instructions in collecting labels. See Campbell's Labels for Education website for additonal information.
You can also collect Boxtops for Education. Each boxtop is worth 10¢ to Sun Valley Indian School. Click here to print a list of hundreds of eligible products. (You can also register at www.boxtops4education.com to provide donations based on online shopping and other purchases.
Return labels and boxtops to GCN. Put them in the mailbox label "Campbell's" in the church lobby, provide them to Dave Van Gilder, or drop them off at the church office.
We thank you for your support!
Crisis Care Kits
Crisis Care Kits (CCKs) are a cooperative effort between Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Incorporated (NCMI) and Nazarene Missions International (NMI). CCKs continue to meet the needs around the world. The kits have gone to places like Belize, California, Dominican Republic, Greensburg (Kansas), Haiti, Jamaica, Jordon, Louisiana, Philippines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Zambia. Your generosity makes an incredible difference!
You can help prepare a Crisis Care Kit. Follow these instructions and return the kit to the GCN office or to the information booth in the lobby. Please include $2.00 to help us pay for shipping.
Gather new items in quantities listed below. Assemble Crisis Care Kits and seal the Ziploc bags.
Include only those items listed on the inventory. Deviating from this list can cause an entire shipment to be rejected in customs.
Example of unpacked items |
Example of a Crisis Care Kit |
INSTRUCTIONS: Into a 2- OR 2.5-GALLON ZIPLOC BAG put the following items:
- 1 medium-size bottle of shampoo (12 to 18 oz.), please tape flip-tops closed
- 2 bars of soap (bath-size or larger)
- 1 medium toothpaste (4.0 to 6.4 oz.)
- 3 toothbrushes
- 1 box of Band-Aids (30 or more)
- 1 fingernail clipper
- 1 sturdy hair comb
- 2 hand towels
- 4 pocket-size packages of facial tissue
- 1 Beanie Baby-size stuffed toy
Click here to download a printer friendly version of the shopping list for the CCK.
Mission News
Opportunity to Participate in Mission Trip to Honduras
GCN has been invited to participate in the Bel Air/Hagerstown Honduras Work & Witness trip, Dec. 28, 2011 to Jan. 6, 2012. Up to 10 members from GCN are invited. We will be working on the La Planeta Church near the District Camp Ground, as well as doing outreach children's ministry AND visiting the orphanages. Applications are being taken through the end of this month (July 2011) so contact Lisa Sharp or the church office to let them know if you are being called on this great God-adventure! Call Lisa Sharp for more information before the end of July!!!
Prairie Lakes District, NCM seeks volunteers for flood recovery
As water from the Souris River recedes in Minot, North Dakota, work begins on restoring homes, businesses, and churches damaged in the flood. The river crested at a record level June 26, 2011 and city officials evacuated more than 40,000 residents from the city. About 30 Nazarene families evacuated Minot and the flood damaged some of their homes.
Nazarene Disaster Response and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) in coordination with the Church of the Nazarene Prairie Lakes District need volunteers to help with recovery efforts.
The need for volunteers is urgent due to the overwhelming number of people affected and the limited time available before cold weather sets in. Organizers need volunteers through the months of August and September 2011 to help with flood damage repair, including replacing dry wall, carpets, cleaning homes, and other construction work.
Anyone interested in volunteering should visit NazServe.org and create a volunteer profile by selecting the Volunteer Registration link. Individuals can connect through the Minot Flood Recovery - Individuals posting. Those looking to register a team can indicate interest through Minot Flood Recovery - Teams.Volunteers can be accommodated at Mt. Carmel Camp near Minot, donations are welcome. Further details about accommodations, food, materials, and expenses can be found at NazServe.
Registering to volunteer ahead of time will provide an opportunity for the district to organize its volunteer coordination. Contact Nazarene Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada with questions at ncmusacan@nazarene.org or 800-306-9950.
The Souris River crested more than 9 feet above flood stage at the Minot's Broadway Bridge, which eclipses the previous high set in 1881, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.
The worst flooding was in the North Dakota portion of the Prairie Lakes District, however, several Nazarene families in Pierre, South Dakota, evacuated their homes during that time.
"We are anticipating that some of our families will lose their homes completely, some without flood insurance. And the cleanup will be long and laborious," District Superintendent Jim Kraemer had said when the flood started.
Persons and churches wishing to make a donation to the Flood Recovery can do so online through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries at ncm.org. Checks can be marked "ACM1835" and mailed to Global Treasury Services, PO Box 843116 Kansas City, MO 64184. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3.