Dr. Woodie Stevens, director of Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries, challenged the crowd as Dr. Christian Sarmiento, director of the South America Region, interpreted into Spanish.
Extreme Nazarene Ministries Director Brian Tibbs held a torch to demonstrate God's call to ministry.
Ministry leaders passed their torch to others who sensed a call to ministry.
People came forward to pray if they sensed God calling them to something more with their lives.
Editor's note: Extreme Nazarene Ministries completed its big Love Extreme outreach event to the city of Arequipa, Peru June 19. While still in the process of planting churches in seven cities across Peru, the ministry is unveiling future projects. Read on to find out more.
Well, what are you going to do after experiencing a day like Saturday? Go back to Cerro Juli and praise God with everything you’ve got, that’s what! We had an incredible service Sunday morning. Tammy Trent shared in worship with us, and Dr. Woodie Stevens spoke to us that morning. Dr. Stevens is director of Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries for the Nazarene Church. He read from the biblical book of Acts and spoke to us about being filled with the Holy Spirit and great boldness to reach others for Christ. He gave an invitation for people to come forward who wanted a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. Many people came forward to pray.
This was a day for us to celebrate what God had done and the tremendous work that the Extreme Nazarene Ministries staff and pastors put into this project. Ministry Director Brian Tibbs gave a short history of the ministry and the entire staff joined him on stage in the order of when they joined the group. Much appreciation was given to the many people who invested in Extreme Peru.
Then, it was time to announce the new Extreme Nazarene Ministries project. Or should I say projects! The first project Brian described was Extreme Paraguay. Local leaders explained that Paraguay has been an extremely difficult country to reach. In fact, it seems that when missionaries go there, they leave the country, get sick, or even die! God spoke to several leaders in the church that Columbian pastor Felix Vargas was the person He wanted to go to Paraguay. So Extreme is partnering with him.
The next project is Extreme Peru 2. We will be planting churches in Lima, where more than 30 percent of the population of Peru lives. Extreme will also be following up on the work of Extreme Peru 1 by building foam chapels in 30 of the new church locations.
The third project is Extreme Columbia. The Cali Church of the Nazarene is the largest Nazarene church in the world and they are running out of space for their congregation. So the ministry will help them to build a new building -- a coliseum that will house all of their new disciples.
Tibbs and the other project leaders held up lighted torches, passing the light to torches held by the ministry staff. Then, Tibbs gave an opportunity for people in the crowd to come forward if they felt God calling them to do something more with their life, and the light was shared with them. About 10-20 people came forward and it was a powerful time. Extreme Mobilization team members manned booths in the lobby and people showed a great deal of interest in the new projects. Praise God for how He moved on Sunday!
A pollada lunch followed the service (grilled chicken) and plaques were presented to volunteers and churches who sponsored a community in Peru. It was a blessed day and a great end to a miraculous Love Extreme weekend. Praise God for everything He did this weekend.