Description:

Across the Eastern Mediterranean Field (EMED), the Church of the Nazarene, by God’s grace, continues to make disciples of the nations. Even before the Church of the Nazarene was officially established more than 100 years ago it was caring for the needy in its neighborhood and sharing the message of salvation.

Today, Nazarene churches are present in many Middle East areas. Because of the historic conflicts of certain nations, it has been a challenge to gather District Superintendents, leaders, pastors, and emerging leaders into one location. Cyprus is a neutral location where Nazarene leaders can be gathered safely and easily. Leaders typically unable to obtain visas to meet in Jordan can gather in Cyprus. Cyprus was chosen years ago for this reason with the goal to host leaders and train them intensively in a building purchased by the field. This building is known as Koinonia, and many current EMED field leaders benefited greatly from their participation in past trainings, including Pastor Khalil Halaseh, the current Field Strategy Coordinator for the EMED field who was himself called to ministry in this center.

We are writing to request a restart of this gathering of leaders. For years the center was in disrepair, but it will soon be ready to host leadership again. We plan to gather approximately 60 leaders from the field, including DSs, ordained elders, district licensed leaders, and a new generation of up-and-coming leaders. There are several goals for this gathering targeted for Fall 2024:

1 - It will serve as the kickoff to the restart of the center.
2 - We want to gather leaders so God can pour His strength into them and restore their calling.
3 - There will be a portion of the training to fulfill the vision on the field to raise up a new generation of leaders, disciples, and followers of Jesus.
4 - Financial training for leaders so they can learn new strategies to become church-planting churches. This will help the field work toward becoming self-sustaining.
5 - A time of in-person fellowship that will allow leaders to connect, pray for one another, and cast a vision uniting the field together. This will lead to strategic planning for the coming years.

Give today to help grow the church on the Eastern Mediterranean Field!