Canada West District Church of the IN THE In Memory... Edric Drell Allen, 97, passed away January 11. He was born October 12, 1917, in South Fork, Pennsylvania, and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Allen received his Bachelor of Theology in 1944 at Olivet Nazarene University, his Master of Divinity in 1949 at Nazarene Theological Seminary, and his Doctor of Ministry in 1976 at Vanderbilt University. He was a pastor for 20 years in Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, and Alberta. He retired from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, after 20 years as an administrator and professor emeritus. After retiring, he and his wife, Geraldine, served short assignments teaching at European Nazarene College in Büsingen, Germany, and at Caribbean Theological College in Trinidad. Allen served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict with 28 years total service including the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring in 1977. Drell was preceded in death by grandchildren Kelly Dianne Allen (1984) of Charlottesville, Virginia, and Gregory Marshall Allen (2014) of North Richland Hills, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 75 years, Geraldine Allen; sons David D. Allen and wife, Sandra, of Charlottesville, Virginia, and Marshall D. Allen and wife, Jo Ann, of North Richland Hills, Texas; grandson Tom (Neil) Allen and wife, Wendy, and great-granddaughter Riley Louise Allen of Keller, Texas. OOP February 2015 UPCOMING EVENTS February 7 - March 28 6:00-7:30pm: Calgary First Church invites you to attend: Encounter – Living the Acts Narrative Bible Study i n t h e F i r e s i d e R o o m . Explore life with the Holy Spirit! Join us as we interact with the Acts narrative in its Biblical context, and discover how it impacts the life of the believer. How is God living out His story in you? Childcare is available for $60/family (by donation). February 20-22, 2015 Missions Fest: is a free event in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Centre. Beginning at 6:00 pm on Friday night concluding on Sunday evening at 10:00 pm. Full schedule and details can be found here. Find the NMI booth during your time there and say hello to our Canada West District Representatives! February 26, 2015 Ambrose Winter Open House from 10:00 - 3:00 click here March 13-15, 2015: Legacy Youth Conference: Joy. legacyyouthconference.com March 27, 2015 Rocky Mountain House Easter Drama: This Easter drama will be performed by the King’s Players from Glenview Nazarene Church, all ticket proceeds will be in support of the Rocky youth who will be attending NYC in Louisville. Any and all are welcome, if you have further questions please contact Mitch Brower March 31, 2015: Entrance Scholarships & Church Servant Leadership Scholarship Deadline. Click here for more information Canada West District Church of the IN THE Please pray for the students from Canada West District that will be attending NYC 2015 Jarrett Meilicke Matthew Cox Austin Bitzer Jessica Bitzer Dixon Wood Carson Wood Payton Unger Chelsea Hoffer Charlie Titterington Cody McLean Tommy Titterington Brandon Stewart Sarah Robertson Autumn WIlliams Shane Stewart Janelle Weslowski Rachel Burick Olivia Burick Jake Ashton Sarah Ashton Zakk Halverson Zak Scheerschmidt Kaylee Scheerschmidt Elya Ewing Adam Schwartz Lauren Schwartz Paul Zapote Katherine Kvellestad OOP Upcoming Events Upcoming Ambrose Courses: Three courses are being offered this spring through Ambrose University. This opportunity is especially pertinent to Pastors, for further information please check out their website here, the courses offered are as follows; April 27 - May 1, 2015 Preaching in a Shifting Culture, Instructor: Mark Buchanan, Terry Young and Bill McAlpine April 27 - May 1, 2015 Old Testament, Exodus, Instructor: Tremper Longman May 11 - 15, 2015 Incarceration, Grace and Justice, Instructor: Donald Stoesz April 16 - 19, 2015 Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Conference: Several women clergy from Canada attended the 2013 conference in Estes Park and found it really beneficial. A considerable amount of prayer and planning goes into this event, to encourage and equip women in in their call. For more information please click here. May 15, 2015 Deadline for Assembly Documents. July 1, 2015 Harmattan deadline to request landscape and Children’s special needs request. Apply here. August 11 - 13, 2015 PALCON @ Ambrose: beginning with registration at 2 pm on Aug. 11 and ending with the evening service on Aug. 13. Registration cost is $175.00 and will open shortly. Please continue to check with our office or our website for upcoming details. Canada West District Church of the IN THE Please pray for the sponsors from Canada West District that will be attending NYC 2015 Clayton Meilicke Monica Meilicke Treena Cox Ryan Wood OOP PALCON (continued) Keynote speakers are Dr. Gary Nelson, President of Tyndale University College & Seminary and Rev. Mark Buchanan, Associate Professor at Ambrose Seminary. Workshops are scheduled for the afternoons, evening speakers to be announced. For further information please click here or here. CHURCH NEWS Ginger Bitzer Nathan Nichols Alanna Wycoco Srimal Ranasinghe Mitch Brower Sheri Lynne Martin Carly Herbert Ryan Herbert Rick Ewing Matthew Prendergast Calgary East Church has been partnering with PSSAW, Peer Support Services for Abused Women. Half of the group members are from the local community. They are of a different faith than the Christian worldview and have now become very comfortable in our building and with our people. Calgary East is now looking into the possibility of hosting a monthly 'Getting to Know Your Neighbour', another partnership with the local Penbrooke intiviative that seeks to bring together different ethnicities out of isolation into their community. Jenn Tattrie NYC can often be a lifechanging experience for youth who have the opportunity to go. It can literally change the trajectory of their lives and so thank you so much for your prayer and financial support so far. If you are able to financially support some of the youth, but don’t know any of them personally, please feel free to write a cheque addressed to ‘Canada West NYC’. You can designate it to one of the students or to the group as a whole, please remember some of the sponsors need financial support as well! For further information please contact Jenn Tattrie at [email protected] One of the ladies Bible study groups at Calgary East church heard about a former missionary with SIM (Sudan Interior Mission) who had come home to care for her ailing mother. The month of December was difficult as both ladies ended up in different hospitals over the Christmas season. The missionary's sacrifice continued as her meager savings were quickly used up and she was unable to work during her recovery. The study group was moved to assist this missionary with a card of encouraging words and some money to meet financial obligations. Beyond budget lines and special offerings, a need was met as believers reached out in love. The missionary was visibly moved as God's care and the sensitivity of His people covered an outstanding bill. Canada West District Church of the IN THE OOP Please pray for Tim Mandzie's nephew has just been diagCHURCH NEWS nosed with cancer - in the lungs and heart. He starts Calgary East Men’s Ministry hosted a Valentine's chemo in a week . breakfast for all the ladies on Feb. 14. The 'lower auditorium' (aka the basement) was transformed into a Pray for Tiffani Mandzie beautiful hall, with linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, huge (Penny & Tim's daughter in breakfast with all the trimmings, and a teaching on the law). Tiffani is exhausted all legacy of love. The ladies were grateful to be honoured the time with her pregnancy. in such a thoughtful way and appreciated the opporHopefully it does not last the tunity to sit and relax. whole time! The Blackfalds historical socie- Prince Albert Open Door Community Church is pleased ty is writing a book and would to announce that the District like to include us! If you have Work and Witness Project to any history of the Blackfalds Prince Albert Saskatchewan is Church of the Nazarene to give complete! The construction please email Rose Graham. part of the project was completed November 12, 2014 to November 29, 2014. Eight to 10 individuals from the Prince Albert Church joined together throughout the project time to assist with it’s completion. Thanks to the many participants who are not attendees of the Church, who came and helped. The pastor and two congregation members spent a considerable amount of time working tirelessly, sometimes late at night, to complete the work. Many thanks to these three individuals. - Richard Bahan North Country Community Church and Westpointe Community Church (Evangelical Mennonite) received an award from the Grande Prairie Crime Prevention for their 2014 Faith in Action ministry to the Hillside Community in the City of Grande Prairie. This Faith in Action event was the second year for this ministry in Grande Prairie, to this same community. And because of the community impact, Faith in Action was nominated for this award. This award was presented to Pastor Doug Webb, who received the award on behalf of both Churches. Canada West District Church of the IN THE OOP NMI: Spring 2015 Tour with Lindell Browning Lindell's Itinerary includes: March 8 am Calgary Skyview March 8 pm Rocky Mtn. House March 9 Red Deer First March 10 Drumheller March 11 - Stettler March 12 Sedgewick March 13 Ft. Saskatchewan March 15 am Edmonton First March 15 pm Edmonton South Side March 16 Sherwood Park March 17 Rimbey March 18 Olds March 19 Sylvan Lake March 20 Lacombe March 21 Caroline ... 9 - 11 am Breakfast/ Brunch March 22 am Calgary First March 22 pm Innisfail Please contact the local church for service times and events. NMI: Spring 2015 Tour with Lindell Browning Lindell and Kay Browning have served in the Middle East since 1979. They have lived in Jerusalem, Amman Jordan, Nazareth, and Bethlehem. Lindell has served as the Field Strategy Coordinator for the Eastern Mediterranean which includes work in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and some Creative Access countries. Kay served as the administrative assistant, financial manager for the Field Office and taught English as a Second Language. They are both graduates of Olivet Nazarene University. Lindell graduated from Nazarene Theological Seminary with an M.Div. and Kay received her MA from Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene Un.). Olivet Nazarene University conferred both with honorary doctorates in May 2014. They have raised four children in the Middle East and now have 7 grandchildren. Canada West District Church of the IN THE If you have something you would like to add to the monthly newsletter, please do not hesitate to contact our office at [email protected] OOP Glenview Nazarene Church (Medicine Hat) celebrated the installation of their new pastoral family, Rev. Joshua and Sara Falk, with their children Lincoln and Owen, on Sunday January 25, 2015. Dr. Larry and Rev. Audrey Dahl and Dr. David and Mrs. Dawn Falk were special guests for this celebration. Many congregation members of all ages participated in the service of installation, a time to covet together as pastor and church family for the days and years of ministry ahead. The Service was followed by a joyful meal together. Pastor Joshua preached from Mark 1, and the text of Jesus’ call to the fisherman to leave their nets and follow him. We wrestled with the idea of the “immediate” response of these people who otherwise wouldn’t be called to such a life. Are we ready to accept the fact that God loves us and wants to know us as much as we are called to love Him and know Him? Are we listening for the “follow me” in our ordinary lives to simply leave and immediately follow and all Him to use us, restore us, surprise us with a task or joy that we cannot yet imagine? Are we ready to move forward into the place where Jesus might be taking us? This is the place to decide and move along, together. Our faith community joined together in communion as an act of accepting His grace into our lives and our church for the days to come.