Nagpur, India – Five young people hunched over an array of metallic objects and cords spread out before them, trying to figure out what went where. Two of the young men assembled a high-end microphone while another inserted the cords into a boxed dotted with plugs and buttons, and connected it to a laptop computer.
The book of Ruth is a story about two women, who were widowed, refugees, poor, and destitute with no financial or physical security. Both of them experienced life as a foreigner and ethnic minority in another country. Past issues and tensions between Israel and Moab also likely negatively influenced relations for them. In the midst of economic, social, cultural, political, and gender marginalization, extraordinary acts of commitment and faithfulness abounded.
Germany – A new coffee shop ministry operated by Nazarenes recently opened in Germany. The non-profit cafe is aiming for a subtle influence in the community through coffee, fellowship and social awareness. “We are a kind of ‘under-cover’ Christians,” says the café manager, Ira. Without posting signs and labels of their affiliation with the church, they live their daily lives as Christ’s disciples to the community.
Copenhagen, Denmark - After three and a half years of praying and planning, the Greve Church of the Nazarene in Denmark is close to its vision of opening a café ministry in Copenhagen, which they hope will lead to a new church plant there.
Kyiv, Ukraine – A number of conferences in Ukraine this spring provided ministry training and a holiness focus for Nazarenes in the CIS Field. Twenty-nine child development workers from throughout the CIS Field (Commonwealth of Independent States) met in late April for a training conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. The workers represented child-focused ministries in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine and two other countries*.
