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      Response to the Newton, Connecticut ShootingsMy sermon for the third Sunday of Advent was ready: “Anticipate the Presence.” The Old Testament reading from Zephaniah 3 was full of hope. “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves” (v. 17, NIV)... My Pastoral Care Journey An Interview with General Superintendent David W. GravesDavid Graves has always thought of himself as a pastor. Born as a fourth-generation Nazarene in a parsonage family, he was strongly mentored by his father, a long-term pastor and district superintendent... Effective Practices of Church Boards: A Panel Discussion Moderated by Jeren Rowell, Kansas City District SuperintendentBill M. Sullivan, former Church Growth Director for the Church of the Nazarene, used to say that behind every healthy and growing church is a senior pastor and church board who are in sync... Helping Our People LamentA good Christian shouldn’t wallow,” she said to me, with her jaw clenched in an effort at self-control. “Well, that may be,” I thought to myself, but this woman could not have been further from “wallowing.” Her grief was in its infancy; she had just discovered that her husband had died back home... Making Christlike Disciples in the Nations: A Panel Discussion Hosted by Woodie J. Stevens, Global SDMI DirectorNazarenes have always stressed discipleship and the deeper Christian life. This emphasis was reaffirmed by the 2006 decision of the Board of General Superintendents to draft a denomination-wide statement of mission... Let's Be Careful Out There A Pastoral Care ReflectionSteven Bochco’s “Hill Street Blues” was one of the most popular television dramas of the 1980s. This weekly police serial chronicled the lives of the women and men of the Hill Street precinct, set in the inner city of an unnamed American urban center...  ARTICLE: Response to the Newton, Connecticut Shootings  ARTICLE: My Pastoral Care Journey  ARTICLE: Effective Practices of Church Boards  ARTICLE: Helping Our People Lament  ARTICLE: Making Christlike Disciples in the Nations  ARTICLE: Let's Be Careful Out There |
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How can we provide pastoral care that is culture-specific and ethnic-specific but that will also work within the context of a local church? In the case of a Latino congregation or a Latino ministry within an inclusive congregation, one such model could be the Blessings of Abraham.1
The invitation is a lost art in today’s church. I mean, when was the last time you heard a verse of “Just as I Am”? I memorized all five verses before I was age four because we sang it at the close of every service. You think they stand and sing praise choruses over and over these days; we had to stand and sing “Just as I Am” until someone went forward and knelt at the altar.
David Graves has always thought of himself as a pastor. Born as a fourth-generation Nazarene in a parsonage family, he was strongly mentored by his father, a long-term pastor and district superintendent. The elder Graves taught his son early to care for and think of others.
Steven Bochco’s “Hill Street Blues” was one of the most popular television dramas of the 1980s. This weekly police serial chronicled the lives of the women and men of the Hill Street precinct, set in the inner city of an unnamed American urban center. Known for its gritty realism, showcasing the full spectrum of ground-level police work, 
BANG! BANG! BANG! “The Junkman” had spent his life working with broken, rusty, and dented “junk,” and his family simply could not imagine putting him into the ground in a brand-new casket. So, just before it was lowered into the ground, family members lined up to take turns swinging a hammer at the casket, leaving dents across its surface.
How can preaching best become a tool for pastoral care to people in the new millennium?
If you have been serving as a pastor for a while, you probably have humorous and heart-warming pastoral care stories. Here’s one of mine: when the nurses finally allowed me to enter the recovery room to see Edith Coe, I wasn’t prepared for what I would hear. Edith was a wonderful, elderly lady in our church. She had lost her beloved husband, Evans, a few years before, and she had successfully survived a serious surgery. 
A Christian theology of care begins in creation. The invitation to exercise care over creation, and to hold it carefully and reverently, places the vocation of caring in human hands. Humanity has been entrusted with the vocation of caring. Martin Heidegger suggests that care is “the basic constitutive phenomenon of human existence, and the clue to its interpretation.”¹ Care, then, is what makes the human being human. 
The term “pastor” is derived from a Latin word meaning “shepherd.” Since early Christian times, the metaphor of shepherd has persisted as the dominant image of the caregiving pastor. In 1 Peter 5:2, the apostle Peter encourages church leaders to “care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd” (TM).
My sermon for the third Sunday of Advent was ready: “Anticipate the Presence.” The Old Testament reading from Zephaniah 3 was full of hope. “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves” (v. 17, NIV).
Effective pastoral care in the urban context is grounded in a balance of grace, not judgment; justice, not despair; and hope and empowerment, not pity.
Like most small towns, our main hospital is miles away in a large city. One morning, I found myself up long before daylight driving through the dark on the winding country roads to visit and pray with a member of my congregation who was facing surgery.
Nearly 20 people gathered in Lisa’s* living room. We usually met at the church for Sunday evening Bible study, but Lisa had cancer, and the side effects of her treatment had kept her home. So, we brought church to her that night.
A good Christian shouldn’t wallow,” she said to me, with her jaw clenched in an effort at self-control. “Well, that may be,” I thought to myself, but this woman could not have been further from “wallowing.” Her grief was in its infancy; she had just discovered that her husband had died back home, only hours prior to her own landing overseas.
There is a scene in the [stage] musical Jesus Christ Superstar where Jesus finds himself surrounded by the cries of the needy. The voices sing until Jesus is engulfed by the struggles of the people who cry out for his ministry. In a moment of helplessness and even rage, Jesus cries out, “There’s too many of you . . . there’s too little of me. Heal yourselves!” and he retreats to be ministered to by his followers. Featured Panel Discussion Making Christ-like Disciples in the Nations. A panel discussion hosted by Woodie J. Stevens, Global SDMI Director Nazarenes have always stressed discipleship and the deeper Christian life. This emphasis was re-affirmed by the 2006 decision of the Board of General Superintendents to draft a denomination-wide statement of mission “to make Christlike disciples in the nations.” Since that time, many congregations are coming to terms with what it means to disciple “in the nations” and have a deeper sensitivity to how culture and context affect Christian nurture. |
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