Celebrates centenary of Church of the Nazarene

The Windsor Church of the Nazarene will join 18,000 other Nazarene churches in 151 world areas Sunday, Oct. 5, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Church of the Nazarene.

Preparation for the day began in 2004 with the writing and translation of materials sent to every Nazarene church across the globe. The plan included all 1.6 million members of the church hearing the same sermon, celebrate with the same music and participate in the same readings in 24 time zones on the same day. “Our congregation is excited to celebrate this anniversary with all of our Nazarene family around the world,” Windsor Nazarene Church pastor Wensell MacLeod said. “At the same time, we want to emphasize that the family never stops growing, and there is plenty of room for all. In our society today, it seems that relationships don’t last very long. We invite our community to join us on Oct. 5 to see relationships that have remained strong for 100 years.”

The Oct. 5 anniversary celebration at the Windsor Nazarene Church is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m., including a pot lunch fellowship lunch following the morning service.

The church is located at 131 Wentworth Road, Windsor.

The Church of the Nazarene has its roots in Methodism, drawn from the teachings of English evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791). The denomination was established in October 1908 in Pilot Point, Texas, the culmination of mergers of several like –minded groups. The mission of the Church of the Nazarene is to make Christ-like disciples in the nations.

With a long history of mission work and 20th and 21st century advances in communications and transportation, the Church of the Nazarene has deliberately decided to steer an international course. “A century ago, the Nazarenes were an American family with relatives in other countries,” denomination archivist Stan Ingersol wrote in a brief history of the group. “Today we are an international family of districts and congregations planted on each of Earth’s inhabited continents. No single language, race, or nationally claims a majority of our members.”

Attesting to the success of the denomination’s international initiatives, the Church of the Nazarene now includes graduate theological seminaries in North America, Central America, and Asia – Pacific; liberal arts colleges in Africa, Canada, Korea, and the United States; nearly 40 theological schools worldwide; hospitals in Swaziland, India, and Papua New Guinea; radio broadcasts in 30 languages; and printed materials in 103 language. At the Church of the Nazarene’s quadrennial general assembly in 2001, 42 percent of delegates either spoke English as a second language or did not speak the language at all.

The denomination has been headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, since 1912.

The Windsor Nazarene Church was established in 1940. -- Submitted