Author: Shannon Elder

Inspiration and Information from the
National Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals

Your NAWE Companion

‘N AWE
Don’t Worry!
Chuck Powell, Dana, IN

October—November 2015

“Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:31-34).
Following the Lord is a great adventure. It is never dull or boring to be in the center of God’s will. In order to be a disciple of Jesus Christ one must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow however or wherever Jesus might lead. The cost of discipleship is great. Jesus made it abundantly clear that whoever would save his own life will lose it, but whoever willingly gives up his life will in fact find it. Abundant life is a free gift to all who will follow Jesus whole-heartedly.
About 4 years ago the Lord made it very clear to Audrey and me that He wanted us to resign the pastorate of the Faith Church in Fairmount, Illinois and just wait for Him to show us what to do next. I met with the church leaders and informed them about what the Lord was saying to us. The leaders asked me, “Where will you go? What will you do? How will you support yourselves?” I could not honestly answer any of their questions. We resigned from the church in May of 2012. One of our very close family friends, the Becks, gave me a job as a farm hand for the summer and provided us with a home to stay in.
In September of 2012 the Farmersburg Community Church invited us to be their pastor. The church is very small but provided us with a small salary and a trailer to live in. The Lord called us into Child Evangelism Fellowship® to reach the children for Jesus Christ. He moved us to Dana, Indiana to serve as Ministry Coordinators for CEF®, yet we were still ministering at the small church in Farmersburg. It is a great joy to be in the center of God’s will - to see the children eagerly seeking Jesus and wanting to know Him more. Even now with our ministry finances currently very low and our personal finances extremely tight, the Lord is teaching me to simply trust Him one day at a time. What an adventure as we keep our eyes looking toward God’s Kingdom and trusting His Word and obeying each day! I continue to pray that the Lord is glorified in the midst of all that is happening in our lives. The Lord has stretched me in many different ways, but I honestly believe I am now closer to the Lord than I have ever been before. I am learning daily to trust Him in everything and He is giving me a peace that I cannot even begin to explain. There is nothing more exciting than simply following the will of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
How about you? Are you willing to trust the Lord in all situations, even when you don’t understand His Sovereign will for your life? Being in God’s will is the safest place you will ever want to be.
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Praise & Prayer

Praise the Lord for a good New Room Conference.
Continue to pray for Phyllis Snipes upon the recent death of her father.
Pray for our churches and pastors as they seek to faithfully minister in these challenging times.
Pray for WGM missionary Jonathan Mayo and family upon the recent death of his mother.
Pray that the Lord will guide and use the NAWE to fulfill His purposes.

Special Events
New Room Conference
John McCulley, Conyers, GA

It was a perfect fall day as the three of us traveled to the New Room Conference sponsored by Asbury Seminary’s Seedbed affiliate. This second conference was held at the Calvary Chapel in Franklin, TN, the home of Seedbed. Approximately 700 attendees were gathered in the sanctuary to hear a variety of speakers over the next 48 hours.
Pastor Tony Elder, Tommy Crisp and I were glad to be joined by Covington TN pastor, Jeffrey Nason as we sat around one of the tables that filled the open sanctuary. Other folks we knew from previous conferences were also in attendance, including our own Ronnie Jones. Several conference organizers and speakers mingled through the room and Dr. Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Seminary stopped by our table.
The New Room Conference strongly emphasizes the full understanding of the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification empowered by the Holy Spirit. However, the conference seeks to go beyond understanding, to the experience of the holy life. There was considerable presentation of the worldwide impact of Wesleyan theology from Australia and Asia to Sierra Leone, the UK and even intercity Baltimore. It was encouraging to hear of these opportunities and to see such evidence.
One speaker who challenged the conference was Joanne Lyon, current General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church. Ms. Lyon was one of the founders of World Hope. Her reminiscences of atrocities during the Sierra Leone civil war was riveting. She spoke about a war correspondent from a Washington DC newspaper who claimed he had never seen such horror and asked what could be done. Then she told of several lives that were changed when the victims “overcoming evil with good”, expressed their own forgiveness to the perpetrators.
In addition, there were two hour-long breakout sessions where attendees had the opportunity to participate in discussions of issues particularly relevant to their own ministries. These topics ranged from Music ministries to Small Group classes and included World Missions, Inner City Work, and Increasing the Commitment of Congregations, among others. There were tables of resources available for purchase, at a 20% discount, and 50% flash sale on certain works at specified times.
Planning is underway for next year’s conference. Early-bird group rates are $109 per person through Feb. 29, 2016, with individual rates $149. After the February date, rates go up $30 in each category. One day regional conferences are also coming to Atlanta and Houston in 2016.

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Calendar

March 29-31, 2016—Ministers’ & Wives’ Retreat at Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, TN
July 12-14, 2016— Annual Meeting near Nashville, TN