What God is doingHeritage N

MARCH 2015 vol. 2 no. 4
Heritage Nazarene Church • Circleviille & Waverly, Ohio • (740)474-7350 • heritagenaz.org
What God is doing
Pastor Prays at Ohio Assembly
Opening prayer for final session
Ministry Headquarters
1350 N. Court St
State Representative Gary Scherer said, “Today
is the final day of the 130th General Assembly! I
was pleased to welcome Pastor Wendell Brown
from Circleville to give our opening prayer.”
Front Line
Interns
Front Line welcomes
Matt and Liz Merringer
to our ministry team!
They are OCU students
where Liz is studying
Psychology and Matt
is studying Christian
Ministries. Matt will be
doing an internship with
us for the next several
months. Please be sure
to welcome them to our
church! u
The Lord has been doing wondrous works
throughout all areas of this church, many before
we even have an opportunity to ask. Although the
church staff had outgrown its office space at the
church, they were willingly sharing desks, working
in closets and happy to do so; however, life was
pretty cramped. Then a few months ago Pastor
Wendell was having breakfast with a friend when
the church office space became an unexpected
topic of conversation. Surprisingly the friend
offered a furnished office building for the church to
use, rent free. Early in February the staff relocated
to their new offices on North Court Street. It is
interesting to note that Don Thompson, of our
church, earlier owned this property where his car
dealership was located.
Since the new facility is located on one of
the busiest streets in town, the church now
has increased visibility and accessibility to the
community, enabling us to have a more effective
outreach. Additionally, a staff member is assigned
(on a rotating basis) to be present at the church
each day to assist as needs arise there. The new
office building is open Monday-Friday from 8:304:30. Feel free to stop by and see this beautiful
facility. We praise God for meeting this need
through the generosity of the individual who made
this possible. NOTE: Phone number still the same.u
Waverly Campus
Adventure continues
When asked about how
things are going at Waverly
Campus of Heritage Nazarene,
I simply said, “Every day is an
adventure!” While this was a
very “pastoral” response, it was
very true. Every single day is
an adventure and challenge.
The stretch that has been
experienced in trying to establish
the Waverly
Campus is
palpable, yet
worth every
moment.
Since our
kick-off in
September
we have seen
as many as
78 come to
the Waverly
Campus for
worship.
Children’s
Ministries of Caravan and Kidzville are
having a wonderful impact with over
30 children in Caravan on Wednesday
nights. While here they have been
given opportunities to learn practical
life skills and to draw closer to Christ.
The children in our community do not
always get to eat a balanced meal,
so on Wednesday nights our tireless
disciples go the distance in providing
good food for them to eat.
together. The people of Waverly are
excited and eager to see what God
has in store. They are willing to go
wherever He leads. It is every pastor’s
hope and prayer to have people be
involved and active in worship. Every
service the people pour out their hearts
in song. There has been a two-fold
increase in average attendance. As
we increase, that outpouring will only
multiply.
Beyond the doors of the church,
relationships are being made with
other institutions for reaching out to
the community. Connections are being
made with local Rotary, Elizabeth’s
Hope Pregnancy Resources, local city
officials, and Pike Christian Academy.
God is going to do something big in
this community. There is something
truly unmistakable coming. Every day
is an adventure, and the adventure is
still just starting! -Brian Sponseller,
Pastor, Waverly Campus. u
Your Resources
www.heritagenaz.org
There are helpful and interesting
resources available to you on our
church’s website including the following
at www.heritagenaz.org:
Our adult ministries are
fostering close-knit connections
Prayer Request and Praises: You
are able to submit your prayer request
and praises online. This will allow our
prayer group to pray for those requests
and celebrate with you what God is
doing.
Online Giving: This is an
opportunity to give online with our
direct withdrawal. Follow the easy
steps to giving online.
Online Bible: Want a great Bible
and Bible resources? YouVersion is a
place where you can read the Bible
online, have a daily reading plan, and
have daily devotional plans all at your
fingertips. Use online or download The
Bible App to your phone or device.
Sermon Study Guides: Want to
go deeper into the Sunday sermon,
either with your group or as a personal
devotional time. This is a great way to
interact with the sermon each week.
RightNow Media: Our church’s
curriculum library is now online. Over
8,000 Discipleship videos for kids,
youth and adults…all for free. Sign up
and get started.
The Connection Newsletter:
Read all about it. Our digital newsletter
telling about What God is doing and
is published quarterly (JUN, SEP, DEC,
MAR)
NAZ Community: Have you
wanted to contact a person and did
not have their phone number or send
a Christmas card to a family but didn’t
have their address? NAZ Community
is the place for all of this and so much
more…All you have to do is create an
account. u
Pastor Brian Sponseller with first
baby dedication
In January we had our first
baby dedication. Two more babies have
been born to our church family since,
and after redecorating the nursery we
may find it too small before long.
resources ranging from information
about what God is doing to spiritual
development.
Under the Resources tab on the
home page you will find many helpful
Pastor Flávio
God’s Timing, God’s Purpose, God’s Plan
From the time he was fifteen, Flávio
Barbosa has felt the pull to live and
to study in the United States. What
compelled him to come to a small,
rural area like Circleville, Ohio? After
all, he has been the children’s pastor of
Central Nazarene Church in Campinas,
São Paulo, Brazil for four years. The
congregation is one of the largest, if
not the largest, Nazarene congregation
in the entire world, with at least 8,000
members. Campinas is a beautiful
modern metropolitan area of over 2.2
million people in a country that has
one of the fastest-growing Christian
populations in the world. So, why
would he choose to come to Circleville,
population 12,000?
Flávio actually explained his calling to
our congregation when he spoke to us
about Joseph going to Egypt. Joseph
had no desire to leave his family and
his home, but God found it necessary
to prepare Joseph and place him where
he would be most valuable when God
needed him. Joseph was instrumental
in saving his family and assured
the fulfillment of God’s covenant
with Abraham. God’s timing. God’s
purpose. God’s plan.
Pastor Sean
Mission Fulfillment Pastor
Welcome to Pastor Sean Hampton who
recently joined our church staff. Sean, his
wife Jamie, and three children, Conner,
Cassie and Cole, relocated here from the
Athens, Ohio area. Sean serves as
our Minister of Mission Fulfillment.
Our church’s “GO” Sundays last
August resonated with Sean’s
heart for serving others. He will be
involved with identifying persons and
projects within the community where
members of our congregation can be
helpful.
Sean will also seek to engage our
congregation and encourage us to
explore using the skills, interests,
passions and experiences God has given
us to serve others in Pickaway County, in
the church, and around the world. u
Flávio came
to central Ohio
for a district
assembly In
2013. He said at
once he loved
the people and
the area. He
answered the unmistakable call of
the Lord to prepare him for whatever
future design God has in mind,
whether in the United States or in
Brazil. After many conversations with
his wife, Andrea, and their children, he
began pursuing the possibilities. When
he sought the advice of his senior
pastor of Central Nazarene in Campinas
and our pastor Wendell Brown in
Circleville, the answers were the same:
“Let’s do this!”
Flávio has a good command of
the Spanish language, not surprising
since his native Portuguese and
Spanish are both romance languages
stemming from Latin. In a time when
the Hispanic population is booming in
Ohio, it may be that he will be able
to help us minister in that area of our
population. He has studied English
as a Second Language and eventually
will take the test for his Graduation
Equivalent Diploma and can begin
his graduate studies at Mount Vernon
Nazarene University. In three years,
the plan is to earn his Master’s Degree
in Theology from MVNU.
In the meantime, Pastor Barbosa
is receiving his salary from Central
Nazarene in Campinas while he works
and studies here in Ohio. He assists
the pastors here with visitation and
stresses that the main reason he is
here is to serve our Lord.
Flávio’s wife Andrea was a practicing
attorney in Campinas for five years.
She became interested in teaching and
studied education. She loves teaching
and works now as a volunteer in the
nursery program at New Hope. Their
two daughters, Julia, 14, and Sarah,
8, both attend New Hope and play
basketball on the school’s teams.
Flávio is sure they will be interested in
taking part in the soccer program in
the spring and summer.
Pastor Flávio Barbosa is looking
forward to meeting the challenges of
his new position in Circleville. At the
same time he believes firmly that the
Lord prepares a person to serve His
purpose. u
Pastor Joe
Prime Time Pastor
Welcome to Dr. Joe Brown and his
wife, Carol, who just joined our church’s
staff. Dr. Brown comes to us from Ohio
Christian University where he has
reduced his teaching commitment and
is now free to be our new Prime Time
Minister.
He has already been teaching in
some Wednesday night classes at the
church and now will be ministering
to and leading our wonderful group
of Prime Timers (55 and up). As
people are in the second half of life
it is important to assess the skills
and interests they have built over
the years and to ask how and where
God wants to use them for the benefit of
others and to spread the love of Christ. u
Life Groups
Connecting with others
• Our first Group Link Fellowship was
held where 60 people showed up
looking to link up in a group. They were
offered opportunities and shown how
to connect and grow in their faith with
others.
• Men have been working together
to form a ministry that would meet
quarterly and work together on a
service project with Pastor Sean
• A New GROUP GUIDE was published
and is available to keep us informed
about what groups exist, where and
when they meet, and what groups are
forming or could be formed.
• Two Connection areas were
announced. In the lobby prior to
Sunday worship the Guest Services
Area will provide information about the
church and our ministries as well as
work with First Impressions to guide
and welcome guests. After worship in
the area beside the lobby exit will be
the CONNECTION AREA where staff
will provide relational opportunities,
promote next steps to connect,
introduce groups, facilitate signing up
for serving and registering for events.
• This winter session we had 4 new
Life Groups and two new Connection
groups. u
X-Factor
Youth Ministry
South Central Ohio District Winter
Retreat 2015 was held at Heartland
Retreat and Conference Center, in
January with 71 students and adults
in attendance from Heritage Church
of the Nazarene. In fact, there were
over 400 persons in attendance from
other churches in the district.
The dynamic speaker was Jason
Otero who challenged everyone
with the theme “Greater Than ‘>’:
He>Me, Obedience>Understanding,
and Our Future>Our Past”. Several
teens reported that it was a deep and
meaningful time of spiritual growth in
really grasping and practically applying
the Biblical concept that obedience to
God is better than sacrifice. They also
mentioned that it was lots of fun too.
Pastor Dave Gray challenged the
teens to participate in the 30 Hour
Famine/Feast in February lasting
Friday into Saturday. The teens did
not eat for 30 straight hours in order
to concentrate in prayer for unsaved
friends and family members and to
spend time feasting on God’s Word.
The central focus for the weekend is a
study of the letter to the Philippians.
All participants will be permitted to
drink juice and liquids during this
period of fasting. This is the fourth
year that X-Factor has accepted this
challenge. u
Christmas Musical
The children’s musical, “Isaiah
Jones,” featured fifty children. Megan
Parker directed the program with the
help of a dedicated team of co-leaders.
Project Angel Tree,
The name of each child on the
Christmas tree was shared with three
people. Over 150 different people
participated. The proceeds from the
Christmas Candle movie night provided
the funds for each child’s family to
receive a Christmas meal along with
the presents for the child.
Upward
Basketball is increasing in size. Over
450 children signed up, the most ever
in its eight-year history. Of those
children, over 200 have indicated no
church affiliation on their forms.
There are 50 teams playing 25
games each Saturday. That means
12 hours of games in the gym and
11 hours in the ‘sanctinasium’ each
Saturday. There are always places
where our congregation can get
involved with Upward basketball during
its eight-week duration. These include
concessions, keeping score, clean-up,
refereeing, or just being there to share
the love of Christ with the children
participating and their families.
Teacher Was Taught
Teens back from DISTRICT WINTER RETREAT
Recently a lady serving in Kidzville
emailed us: “I just wanted to say thank
you so much for the opportunity to
serve in Kidzville. I absolutely love it.
Every week I look forward to seeing
my girls. They mean so much to me
and are such an awesome group of
young ladies. I feel so blessed to have
gotten to know them and spend every
Sunday with them. Here I thought I’d
be doing all the teaching but these girls
have taught me things as well!” u
New Hope
A lot happens here
benefits of the New Hope Education,
as a part of the ministry of our church.
To schedule an appointment to either
meet with me or schedule a tour,
please call 477-NHCS.
In August I provided a
vision of where New Hope
was going. Now I want to
provide you an update.
I want to share a few of
the so many things going
on at New Hope. First of all
we continue to grow. Starting the year
with 217 K-10 students, we currently
have 221. We also have 99 students in
our Early Learning Center. We added
two sports this year – Girl’s Volleyball
and this spring, Girl’s Softball.
Our teachers continue to provide
rigorous academic venues challenging
our students at all grade levels. From
2nd grade lessons on simple machines
to our development of critical thinking
skills in K-6 Foundations & Framework.
Our middle and high school students
are learning about leadership and
government while being challenged in
language arts, math, and science. We
have a very good Band program along
with art and robotics. The Spanish and
French classes are going very well (muy
bien/très bien).
NHCA sent several students to
leadership conferences. In the fall,
9th and 10th graders attended a
Leadership Conference sponsored by
the Association of Christian Schools
International (ACSI) and some middle
school students attended a leadership
conference designed specifically for
their age group this winter. We have
also partnered with the local YMCA and
their Youth-In-Government program
through which we will be sending
students to attend the program in the
capital in April.
New Hope has partnered with two
4-year universities: Ohio Christian
University and Mount Vernon Nazarene
University, and established admissions
agreements with both. We continue to
partner with Ohio Christian University
and their Post-Secondary Enrollment
Options (soon to be College Credit
Plus).
Our new church/school building
continues to come along nicely. Our
S.T.E.A.M. (Science; Technology;
Engineering; Arts; and Math) is almost
finished thanks to monetary donations
received to date. The basketball hoops
–Dr. Frank L. Martin III
ACSI District Spelling Bee
will be installed and the wood flooring
soon thereafter because of our yearlong Buy-A-Board campaign.
There is other equipment required.
As a school NHCA continues to ensure
all our new classrooms are properly
outfitted with the right equipment
and infrastructure to support student
learning. There continues to be
opportunities to give and be a part of
this endeavor through your monetary
gifts. Several new classrooms require
furniture (teacher desk, student desks,
chairs, white boards and projectors).
As a result of the continued need, New
Hope started the Dare to Lead…Dare
to Give campaign in October. If you
have any questions regarding specific
needs, please feel free in contacting
me at [email protected].
As you can see New Hope is all about
developing the complete Statesmen
SCHOLAR; LEADER; and ATHLETE
– the whole student! We remain
dedicated to educational excellence by
partnering with families and churches
in educating our future Christian
leaders through our Christ-centered
educational environment. Our vision is
to be the premier Christian leadership
college preparatory school
in the state of Ohio.
I welcome anyone
who does not have their
children, grandchildren,
nephews, or nieces at New
Hope to seriously consider
it for their learning and
developmental success –
small teacher-to-student
ratio in the classroom;
emphasis on differentiated
instruction; and
individualized STATESMEN
development. Please visit
and tour our school and
talk with our teachers. This
will reaffirm to you the
In January, thirty students from
NHCA joined almost seventy other
students from Cypress Christian School,
Ross County Christian Academy, and
Pike Christian Academy to participate
in the annual Association of Christian
Schools International (ASCI) District
Spelling Bee here at New Hope.
Students in grades 1-8 competed
at their individual grade levels and
were awarded ribbons for the top
four placements in each grade level.
The following NHCA students were
recognized:
grade-1: Andrew Pohlman (3rd)
grade-2: Landen Parker (3rd)
grade-3:
Preston Hensley (2nd)
grade-4:
Braeden Martin (3rd)
grade-5: Rylan Byers (2nd)
grade-6:
Noah Hodges (1st)
Isaac Thompson (3rd)
grade-7:
Rachel Arni (1st)
Breah Norris (4th)
After the grade level bees, the top
four students in grades 5-8 competed
in the Spell-Off. Noah Hodges won
the Spell-Off, and Rachel Arni took
fourth. Both students will go on to
compete in the Regional Spelling Bee in
March at Ohio Christian University.
Spelling Bee Winners:
front, L to R: Landen Parker, Rylan Byers, Preston
Hensley, Andrew Pohlman
back, L to R: Rachel Arni, Isaac Thompson, Noah
Hodges, Braeden Martin
Thanksgiving Extravaganza
The ELC’s 4th annual Extravaganza
was a huge success! Children from
four preschool classes invited parents &
grandparents to share a Thanksgiving
meal at the school. Before lunch,
the children were able to show their
families the hard work they had been
putting into their classrooms and
then families did a craft together. We
enjoyed a meal of turkey, ham and
all the trimmings along with families’
favorite desserts. Over 100 children
and adults enjoyed this time of
fellowship and fun.
cans and $200 were collected over
our week- long event. A pep rally,
to cheer on our basketball teams,
concluded a spirit-filled week of fun.
The winning classrooms (Miss
Cupples’ 1st grade, Mrs. Parker’s 2nd
grade, and Mrs. Catlos’ 6th grade),
were served lunch by our Principal,
Mr. Jurgenson (r.) and Head of School,
Dr. Martin. The students enjoyed their
delicious lunch in the foyer.
Operation Christmas Child
A small shoebox can have a big
impact. What goes into the box is
exciting, but what comes out of
it is eternal. Student Council and
our National Junior Honor Society
(NJHS) were very excited to organize
Operation Christmas Child this year.
Each classroom was invited to prepare
boxes to send joy and the Gospel to
the world. The boxes were shipped all
over the world through Samaritan’s
Purse, a relief and Christian evangelism
organization led by Franklin Graham.
Items in each shoebox can include
toys, school supplies, non-liquid
hygiene items, accessories, and
personal notes.
Student Council and NJHS sponsored
a dress-down day in November to help
cover the shipping costs of the boxes.
Students who brought in $2 did not
have to wear uniforms for the day. On
the same day, Student Council and
NJHS opened up a collection site for an
hour in the foyer so that classes could
donate their items and see all of the
boxes. NHCA students created a total
of 62 shoeboxes to be shipped all over
the world for Christmas!
2nd Annual Homecoming
We recently celebrated our 2nd
Annual Homecoming Event. Student
Council sponsored spirit week, which
kicked off with events including
themed days like country/camo and
Statesmen spiritwear. Students and
teachers collected canned goods and
cash to support the Pickaway County
Emergency Clearinghouse. Over 275
and K-10 together raised $2,139!
The money will purchase technology
equipment.
The final event for the high school
was our Homecoming dinner at
Spaghetti Warehouse with activities
at Lazer Kraze afterward. Everyone in
attendance had a wonderful time!
Speech Meet
Over 100 students in grades 1-6 recently
competed in the school Speech Meet,
an annual competition sponsored by
the ASCI. Students spent several weeks
memorizing passages in the following
categories: poetry, fable/folklore, Bible
memorization, dramatic Bible prose,
and patriotic oration. In February, thirty
judges came to the school to judge the
students on their presentation skills. A
huge thanks to the parents and community members who served as judges! The
students recited their passages and were
scored in categories such as voice, eye
contact, and poise. The top two students
from each category in each class qualified to go on to the ACSI District Speech
Meet to be held in March at Cypress
Christian School. Congrats to all of our
students on a job well done!
Pie Winners
The NHCA Parent Teacher Fellowship
held its annual Der Dutchman pie sale
this fall. Students collected orders for
pies, cookie dough, and other treats.
The Early Learning Center (ELC)
2nd Grade Teacher Wins National Songwriting Contest
After several months of gathering
song submissions
from around
the world, A
Thousand
Hills Music
announced
the winner of
the Parable
Project Song
Search. Her
amazing song is
titled Running
Back (The Parable of the Prodigal Son),
and the winner is Megan Parker. The
company will arrange, produce, and
distribute her song under their label
this year. Megan’s song truly captured
the essence of the parable in a
way that makes it transformational,
functional, and inspirational, as a
congregational worship song that
congregations will want to sing.
The Parable Project is a multi-media
(Book, Praise and Worship Album,
Video, and Curriculum) series to be
produced in 2015. In its final form,
the project will meet the highest of
expectations and serve as a fresh
resource for the modern church
throughout the world.
Megan Parker was born and raised in
Circleville where she and her husband
of five years, Jeff, live. She has
attended Heritage Nazarene Church
since she was born and has been
involved in their FrontLine Worship
Ministry for the past eight years.
She teaches 2nd grade at NHCA and
absolutely loves her job.
GIGANTIC
OUR CHURCH’S BIBLE STUDY LIBRARY IS DIGITAL AND
While she loves teaching and has
had a passion for it since she was little,
her other passion in life is music. “God
gives us all special gifts and talents,
and He has blessed me with the ability
to sing and write songs. Although
I’ve been singing since I could talk,
songwriting is new to me. I just started
getting into it about a year ago. The
Parable Project Contest is the first
one I’ve ever entered and I am so
excited to see where God takes me
with my songwriting in the next year!”
A Thousand Hills Music wrote about
Megan, “If this is the beginning of her
writing career, the future is certainly
bright for Megan. This definitely won’t
be the last you hear of her work.”
Congratulations, Megan!
In Your Own Home
RightNow Media is an online
resource containing over 8,000
digital books, book studies, and Bible
studies, for adults and children. The
best news is that it is all FREE, being
provided by Heritage Nazarene for our
congregation.
Over 300 people are using it now.
Groups use them as a group study
from parenting and marriage, to Bible
application. Pastor Jason has had
many people tell him they use this for
their personal growth during workouts
and in place of regular TV times.
People’s children are watching instead
of cartoons.
A great way to fill our minds with
wholesome and helpful things on
our spiritual journey. To log into
RightNow Media, go to our website,
heritagenaz.org, click on the
resource tab, select RightNow
Media. Complete the form and you
will be ready to go. u
Statesmen Basketball
Congratulations to the Lady
Statesmen being in the OCSAA FINAL
FOUR Tournament. Way to go Ladies!
NHCA Staff Move Offices
Following the recent move of church
staff offices, NHCA rearranged its
office structure to better serve their
growing needs. Tami McCallister,
Director of Finance and Admissions,
and Kim Shepherd, Academic Dean,
have moved into the former church
offices. The tutoring department joined
them in the new space, including
Joanna Tsitroulis, Shelly Sargent, Paula
Richmond, and Tara Reed. This allows
more space for student tutoring and
space to hold parent meetings.
Statesmen basketball men
Jay Neff (L), Greg Bryant (R) , Head Coach, Shane Roese (far R)
R
U
O
LF
A
N
I
F
These changes have allowed more
space in the main school office for
Richelle Ritchey, Administrative
Assistant, and Barbie Miller, ELC
Director. Principal Kent Jurgenson’s
office remains in the same location.
Stephanie Conkel, School Nurse, is also
in the process of setting up a clinic in
the school office thanks to a generous
donation by the Maksim family. The
office changes allow the school
additional flexibility, including a teacher
lunchroom, a waiting area for parents,
and an office for a future guidance
counselor. u
Lady Statesmen basketball team Head Coach Wendell Brown (L), Curtis Christopher (R), and John Taylor (far R)
Phase 2
Beyond the Barricade
Have you wondered what is behind
that huge plastic hanging divider in the
church foyer? Just beyond the plastic
barricade is 21,250 square feet of
additional space to be utilized by both
our church and New Hope Christian
Academy.
The foyer area will be greatly
expanded with additional fellowship
space connecting with the café area.
The existing foyer will be re-carpeted
to match the carpet in the new café
area, making for an overall unified
and cohesive look. In this increased
space the café will be equipped with
a kitchenette and a serving area for
Sunday morning coffee as well as other
church and school events throughout
the week. There will be seating for 60
in the café providing a comfortable and
attractive setting for visiting with one
another.
The café can be accessed through
the existing foyer as well as a front
door entrance. A patio will be available
for outdoor fellowship (when some
warmer weather comes our way) with
a brick knee wall separating the patio
area from the sidewalk/parking lot.
A new gymnasium will have two
side by side basketball and volleyball
courts, plus a main court. In addition
to sporting events, the gym will also
be used by our youth and children’s
ministries. The gym’s wood floor will
be installed soon.
When designing the building, the
following functional goals were of
primary importance: 1) versatility 2)
reduced maintenance expenses and
3) shared use functionality. These
are evidenced by the use of low
maintenance porcelain tile in the high
traffic areas (Café and hallways),
paneled sliding doors between
classrooms, hands free appliances in
the restrooms, and split face block
walls in hallways. The paneled sliding
doors can be used to quickly change
three very large classrooms into seven
smaller classrooms.
The expansion includes new
restrooms, including a family restroom.
The existing prayer room can be
accessed from the family restroom
and will double as a private waiting
area “green room” for guest speakers
and musicians to collect their thoughts
before ministering on stage. The
expansion will also connect to the
existing building in the hallway just
east of the sanctuary.
The projected opening of the
expansion is currently scheduled
for late first quarter of this year.
Please contact Richard Coyan, the
church’s Executive Administrator, if you
have any questions. u