October 5, 2008 New Resource Available: Centennial Membership Certificate
The Church of the Nazarene is a global family. Each Nazarene in 151 world areas deserves to attend the celebration of our Centennial. For this reason, on October 5, 2008, the Centennial Celebration will take place across 24 time zones in every local church.
From the Hallelujah March around the Pilot Point tent in 1908 to almost 21,000 local churches today, the Church of the Nazarene has grown in ways that no single tent, sanctuary, or even coliseum could now hold the gathering of our entire church.
Yet how thrilling it will be to sense the bonds of a growing Nazarene family in this Centennial Celebration as we unite in cultural diversity around common worship content, each pastor knowing that almost 21,000 fellow pastors are standing before their congregations that day to proclaim the same message, scripture, and theme.
The Centennial Sunday allows us to celebrate our Nazarene doctrine, core values, heritage, and mission. To assist pastors in proclaiming our message and mission that day, extensive Centennial Celebration resources have been developed for each local church.
The Centennial Celebration local church in English includes a Leader's Guide with complete resources for the Sunday morning worship service, providing for cultural adaptation, but allowing Nazarenes around the world to share a common framework of sermon, scriptures, music, media, and rituals. A wide array of additional resources will lead up to the Centennial Sunday.
Resources include:
| |
• |
The Centennial sermon, "The Church as a Holy People," prepared by General Superintendent Jesse Middendorf, in both manuscript and outline format with follow-along congregation notes and PowerPoint. |
| |
• |
Menu options in several worship styles for service planning: orders of service, scripture readings, responsive readings, calls to worship, and suggested congregational music selections. |
| |
• |
A 10-minute video, "Out of Many One, Out of One Many: The First 100 Years of the Church of the Nazarene," highlighting heritage, message, and mission, suitable for showing in one setting or in smaller "chapter" segments on four occasions. |
| |
• |
A Centennial video created just for children, along with the Children's Centennial Connections, a kids' activity take-home paper, and multiple creative options for children to celebrate 100 years of Nazarene history. |
| |
• |
A historical summary for the pastor's background knowledge. |
| |
• |
Special ceremonies for sacraments of baptism and Lord's Supper, reception of the Centennial Class of new members, and church planting for the Centennial Sunday and lead-up Sunday services. |
| |
• |
A host of pre-Centennial promotional aids including news releases, logos, and a series of three sermons prepared by Dr. Roger Hahn leading up to October 5, 2008. Ample resources provide the choice for churches to celebrate not only the Centennial Sunday but also one, two, or three optional Sundays of pre-Centennial celebration. |
| |
• |
A step-by-step Centennial Celebration Planning Guide for utilizing the resources and planning all events. |
| |
• |
All resources both in print and on CD.
And more...
|
Provisions have been made for this resource kit to be free of charge to all English-speaking local churches globally with world regions offering options in other languages (see www.centennialresources.org).
Additional products are available for purchase from Nazarene Publishing House:
| |
• |
The Centennial Commemorative Booklet, a 16-page, full-color presentation of history, basic beliefs, and worldwide ministries of the Church of the Nazarene available in packages of 15 for distribution to every person present in the October 5 Celebration worship service. |
| |
• |
The Centennial musical, “One,” a 15-minute presentation with books, stereo CD, accompaniment CD, accompaniment DVD, and orchestration.
|
| |
• |
The Centennial Heritage Award, a limited-edition, original lithograph, signed and numbered by the artist, matted and framed with presentation ceremony and certificate, for honoring persons who have played an instrumental role in the history of each local church. |
Order from Nazarene Publishing House by using this printable form, on the web at www.nph.com, by telephone at 1.800.877.0700, or by fax at 1.800.849.9827. The Centennial NPH order blank is also found on the inside back cover of the Leader’s Guide in the Centennial kit.
To view resources in various languages, see www.centennialresources.org.
The Centennial Celebration affords us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate holiness in a way that no Nazarene generation has yet been privileged to do. From the most spacious sanctuary to the open-air shade tree, in every language, in every culture, every Nazarene deserves to celebrate the Centennial.
--The Board of General Superintendents