To my Team Central Family and friends;
With deep gratitude to God for His call on
my life and His faithfulness through almost 29 years of full time ministry,
I bring to you my second report as your District Superintendent.
It is humbling and an undeserved honor to serve as your district pastor.
Your ongoing love, support, encouragement and prayers sustain me.
My goal is to work at your side as we engage in building a team that will
continue working together in building God's Kingdom in Central Florida.
A warm Team Central welcome to every pastor,
delegate and friend to this very significant district assembly. What
an honor to welcome our dear friends, Dr. and Mrs. Paul G. Cunningham,
Team Central's presiding General Superintendent. The assembly also
welcomes Trevecca Nazarene University President, Dr. Millard Reed, and
Rev. Tom Roat, Sales Representative from the Nazarene Publishing
House.
I must give a much deserved 'thank you' to
all my hard-working teammates on our district, pastors and laymen alike.
Rather than trying to list every person in every position, I simply want
to ask all of you today who have served this past year on a board, committee,
counsel, or in any area of the district ministry, would you please stand.
What a team! Would you join me in voicing our appreciation for this
wonderful group of dedicated servants?
We have the best district office team in the
Nazarene movement. Our ever-changing world demands more from district
administrators than ever before. Words fail me in attempting to adequately
voice my deepest appreciation to Mary Egidio, our Office Administrator,
Cheryl Spooner, receptionist and secretary, Steve Egidio, District Secretary,
and Jose Cardona, Missions Development Director.
And to our pastors...who faithfully labor
in the spiritual harvest fields. Your commitments, dedication, team
spirit are represented in the 15,394 Nazarenes in Central Florida that
you serve. Each day, the Lord gives me renewed appreciation for your
sacrificial acts of service and Christ like leadership.
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In our 29-year history as a district, we have
never gathered together in such a unique political climate. The events
of last year are truly unparalleled. All of us in this place tonight,
along with the other 287 million Americans, have been drawn together as
no other time in the past 61 years of U. S. history. The bombing
of Pearl Harbor emulates but in no way parallels the events of September
11, 2001. None of us shall forget that day...as fear and sadness
gripped our hearts, we were profoundly awakened to the fact that Christ
is the only hope for world peace.
Daily accounts in our e-mails, newspapers,
radio and television of the ongoing conflict and loss of life in Afghanistan
and the Middle East, remind us that our entire world is in conflict.
In many respects, this negative news is positive. We could easily
be traumatized and pessimistic, but the church of Jesus Christ has an unparalleled
opportunity to share the message that Jesus is the hope for all man kind.
In a day when darkness seems to prevail, Christ truly is the light of the
world. We are honored to proclaim the powerful, life changing message
of Jesus Christ to a broken, confused and frightened world. What
a day to proclaim hope to the hopeless!
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Throughout history, the greater the degree
of difficulty and challenge has always brought out the best in God's people.
This has not changed. The Team Central district family has faced
more than our share of challenges and disappointments this year.
We will not be deterred from moving forward and reaching the lost.
Our healthy churches will reach the struggling
masses. At last year's assembly, pastor after pastor stood to their
feet and accepted the challenge to build a healthy church. Together,
we embraced and dedicated ourselves to the five characteristics of healthy
churches. Together we said a resounding "Yes!" and continue moving ahead.
Our gaze is ahead of us, not behind.
One of the great laws of leadership states
that " The leader's number one responsibility is to define reality."
So let's take a look. What is reality for us? The great Greek
philosopher, Archimedes, said, "Give me a place to stand and I will move
the world". So together, we look at where we stand and then together,
we move forward. The time has come to take a serious look at our
past year's church health. How prepared are we for the harvest?
How can we improve? How can we reach more people for the Kingdom?
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Sunday
School
Collectively as a team, we averaged 7,614 in Sunday School.
Ninety-eight percent of the churches surveyed across America reported
that Sunday School was their most successful assimilation tool. There
is a growing consensus among pastors that the adult Christian education
is one of the greatest needs in today's church. All of us believe
in the value of Christian Education for our children. Unchurched
America is searching for meaningful relationships and interaction.
All of these objectives are met in Sunday School.
Goals
For Team Central Sunday School
What if every church experienced an increase of 5% this year? Together,
we would be ministering to 7,995 each week through Christian Education.
And a conservative 5% increase per year through 2008 will
enable us, together, to impact 10,202 never dying souls on a weekly basis.
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Worship
How we love the Psalmist's words, "Come, let us worship together!".
Nothing whatsoever compares to Spirit anointed corporate worship.
Singing, praising, praying and celebrating His Word together. Our
confused world is searching for meaningful worship of a life-changing Savior.
Christ centered worshipers that are more desirous of reaching the lost
than preserving an institution are thriving. This year Team
Central's average Sunday worship attendance was 11,069. The
second highest in our history. Wonderful! But look at our mission
field. Millions on our mission field never darken a church door.
We have a tremendous opportunity.
Goals
For Team Central Worship
What if every church committed to a 5% increase per year for the
next five years? By 2008, our weekly worship service would
average 14,125. Together, we can do it. Meaningful worship
services are products of vibrant prayer meetings, unified congregation
and Spirit anointed leadership.
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Evangelism
- New Nazarenes
Healthy living organisms reproduce. Healthy
churches produce new members. What a point of celebration!
This year, together, we welcomed 1,217 new
Nazarenes into the Team Central family. An amazing
accomplishment. To God be the glory. This was not an accident.
Pastors and congregations set goals, organized membership classes, prayed,
planned, invited, witnessed and carried burdens for the lost. The
1,217 figure represents the largest number ever joining the Central Florida
family in our 29-year history.
As Christ's disciples, we cannot rest on past
accomplishments. Reaching the lost will continue to be our number
one priority. What if every member of Team Central listed the names
of ten unsaved friends, family members and acquaintances and then began
praying for those ten people each day? If only one person accepted
Christ from each list, one year from tonight we would be celebrating the
salvation of 1,500 new converts! Dr. Louis Bustle will be with us
for the July 30 Cross Training event. He will share principles in
the 'Everyone Win One' campaign that have literally brought tens of thousands
to the Lord.
Goals for
Team Central Evangelism
A 5% new member growth rate,
allowing for a 2% death rate and transfer variance, will swell
our team membership roster to over 18,000 during the next five years...
No single Team Central congregation can reach 18,000 new members --
TOGETHER WE CAN!
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Stewardship
Dollars
Raised--Dollars for Others
Healthy churches are generous churches.
Generous because they see the big picture of world evangelism. Generous
through an understanding of God's plan in Numbers 18 calling all churches
to "pay a tithe of the tithe" in an unparalleled leap of faith...like walking
a tight wire without a safety net. At last year's assembly, we approved
the Biblical plan of every church weekly sending a 'tithe of the tithe'
to the Team Central office. Seventy-three
congregations participated at the 10% Fair Share level and ninety percent
made an attempt to reach the 10% level. Many of our
churches caught the vision. How inspiring to see this amazing
team effort. As an example, every Haitian congregation paid all district
and general expectations in full. A first for Central Florida.
We give special thanks to the Lord that fifty
of our churches met all budget expectations which means
that thirty-two did not. One hundred percent is our goal. Many
of our churches made noble sacrifices this year, taking the unselfish path,
expressing a tenacious dedication to the team. The world wide church. A
number of our churches experienced hurdles and setbacks that no one could
have foreseen. But we are perservering.
Sending Trevecca
Nazarene University - $295,765 blessed our hearts this year.
Yet, Dr. Reed, we are embarrassed as a district family to have paid only
84% of our Educational Fund. As a member of the Board, I know the
university desperately needs the additional $55,941 that Team Central promised
you.
Healthy churches have a world view.
These congregations hunger to be a part of a world wide thrust to reach,
minister to and disciple the lost. Even though we rejoice over giving
$660,002
to the World Evangelism Fund, Dr. Cunningham, my heart aches
to think that $78,673 that our missionaries and General Church are
depending on, will not be paid. And gladly we collectively
gave
$170,681 to the Retired Ministers Pension Fund; yet
the goal we were aiming for was missed by $30,264.
The Challenge
The unforeseen challenges of losing some key pastors
and hundreds of laymen to independent works this year stunned and slowed
us down a bit. Our hearts go out to our congregations who have
experienced such losses. Team Central is a proud and unified district.
We are team players and goal oriented. Next year will be different.
We are committed to doing better and we will.
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Church
Planting Efforts
New
Starts, Restarts, Refocusing
Every church represented here tonight, every Team
Central congregation began as a baby church...a church plant...a 'new start'.
Unlike people, as churches age, they don't have to die. But
the record is clear. In the past 28 years, thirty-one Team Central
churches have closed. Our only hope of sharing the Holiness message
with our growing Central Florida population is to plant scores of healthy
churches. There is life, energy and hope in a church plant that cannot
be duplicated. I wish all of you could visit these baby churches
and experience their excitement, enthusiasm and dedication.
I stand before you overjoyed tonight because,
as a district family, together, we have planted
four new churches and one restart this year. And,
we are excited to announce the birth of another congregation during the
present church year. Successful church planting
is birthed by local congregations and blessed by the district. Individual
congregations and partnering churches are taking the initiative to birth
new congregations and sponsor restarts.
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At this time, Rev. Jose Cardona will introduce the six
newest additions to the Team Central family. . . .
New
Start
|
Pastor
|
Sponsoring
Church
|
| Tampa Second
Hispanic |
Elias Ortiz
|
Tampa First
Hispanic |
| Brandon
First Hispanic |
Daniel Gomez
|
Brandon
First and Tampa First Hispanic |
| Orlando
The Way to Calvary |
Wilfrid Guerilus
|
Orlando
Restoration |
| Tampa Cross
Pointe |
Roger Goff
|
Tampa First |
Orlando
United Hearts of Jesus Christ
|
Wilforce Pierre
|
Winter
Park Iglesia
|
Restart
|
Pastor
|
Sponsoring
Church
|
| Sebastian
Church at the Cross |
John Vacchiano
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Vero Beach
and Melbourne First |
We have a wonderful opportunity. Because
of the events of the past nine months, more people are searching for spiritual
significance than ever before. The fields truly are ripe unto harvest.
But it takes a team to gather the harvest.
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We love the story of the feeding of the 5,000.
All of the gospels record it. All accounts include Christ's words
to pick up the broken pieces, which was in compliance with the Levitical
law. Bread represented life. The law was clear. After
each meal, every crumb must be picked up. 'Life' cannot be left to
be brushed off the table and trampled under foot.
Today, the words of our Lord to His disciples
ring out. "Pick up all the broken pieces." (Luke 9:17) Don't leave
any to be overlooked and forgotten. We live in a world of broken
pieces. Can we afford to overlook even one of them?
The 5,000 were divided into groups of 50...and
together...yes, together they got on hands and knees and searched for the
pieces...and together, not by themselves...together, they picked up all
the broken pieces.
Broken pieces are everywhere. They come
in all shapes and sizes, ages, ethnic groups, cultures, income levels and
neighborhoods. Christ's call is that we are sensitive to them and
willing to pick them up and minister to them at any cost.
We will establish
goals. . . . .
We will sacrifice.
. . . .
We will give.
. . . .
We will plant.
. . . . .
We will work
together. . . . .
We will pick
up the broken pieces!
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