By GREG MILLER
STAR Correspondent
Dr. Jerry D. Porter, General Superintendent Emeritus, Church of the Nazarene, will speak at First Church of the Nazarene, Elizabethton, on Sunday, July 21, at 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m.
During Sunday’s morning service, Dr. Porter will share a message entitled “Seeing My World Through the Eyes of Jesus” from Matthew 9:35-38. “In the first half of the message, my wife, Toni, and I will share about the creative access country where we are honored to serve,” said Dr. Porter. “Then we will consider the teaching, preaching, and healing ministry of Jesus as a model for us all.
“Sunday evening we will share a message, ‘Jesus is The Way’ from John 14:1-7. Our 20-year old daughter died of cancer several years ago and we know that Jesus is the way to heaven to be with Amy again. The message will focus on the fact that Jesus is not only The Way spiritually, but Jesus is The Way for our emotional, social, economical, and physical lives.
“A church that is only interested in the mission of Christ in our community has a near-sighted understanding,” said Dr. Porter. “We need Jesus to open our eyes so we are not only near-sighted, but also far-sighted so we can see that the mission to love others starts in my neighborhood and extends to all people everywhere.”
Patty Schultz serves as the president of the local arm of the Nazarene Missions International (NMI). Schultz says NMI is “a critical part of the mission of the worldwide Church of the Nazarene.”
Schultz describes the purposes for the services: “To educate our congregation (both members and guests), regarding the real live picture of mission work today.
“To help our listeners to know how the church is in the midst of persecution.
“To share how each of us can participate in worldwide mission work.
“To support Dr. and Mrs. Porter’s particular mission work in a creative access area. (This means areas where public proclamations of the gospel are not permitted and areas where one has to enter by means other than missionary efforts. These are areas where Christian access is not permitted, is restricted, or unlawful.)
“To assist our congregation to engage as fully as possible in using our efforts and resources aimed at things which are eternal and not just temporal, thus participating in God’s Kingdom building!”
Dr. Porter observes, “By definition, a follower of Jesus will have a heart for people everywhere. Any racial prejudice that might cause us to reject someone because of their nationality is confronted with the gospel message that Jesus died for all and we stand as equals at the foot of the cross. Missions starts right next door and goes around the world.”
According to the Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, “Dr. Porter was elected to the highest office in the denomination at the 24th General Assembly in San Antonio, Texas, in June 1997, while serving as superintendent for the Washington D.C. (now Mid-Atlantic) District of the Church of the Nazarene.
Porter was born in Oklahoma City, Okla., to missionaries Dr. William and Mrs. Juanita Porter. He grew up on the mission field and became fluent in Spanish as his second language.
Called to preach at a young age, Dr. Porter completed his B.A. degrees in religion and Spanish at Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University). After his marriage to Toni Dubs, the couple accepted their first pastoral responsibilities in the Church of the Nazarene.
In 1972, Dr. Porter completed his M.A. degree in theology. He went on to study at Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo. In 1988, his alma mater (SNU) conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
In 1974, while serving as the pastor of Angleton Church of the Nazarene in the Houston District, Dr. Porter was ordained an elder by General Superintendent Charles Strickland. The Porters, along with their two children, Amy Jo (now deceased) and William Britt, were commissioned as missionaries to the Dominican Republic, where they helped launch the Church of the Nazarene in that nation. According to the Board of General Superintendents, “Forever missionaries at heart, the Porters have since served, lived and dreamed missions in the United States, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.”
The Porters have served as pastors and missionaries, as rector of the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas, as director for the Mexico/Central America Region, and as superintendent for the Mid-Atlantic District. Dr. Porter served as the denomination’s General Superintendent for 20 years.
The Porters’ son, William, and daughter-in-law, Kristen, have two sons, Ben and Nate. The Porters enjoy playing with their grandsons and walking on the beach.
The local church, Schultz says, is strongly involved in missionary work. “Each year, every Nazarene church is assigned to specific missionaries to support and stay closely in contact with on a regular basis, provide financial support, send remembrances on birthdays and anniversaries, and just bring a ‘touch of home’ to them along the way.”
“In addition, each Nazarene church is called to participate multiple times throughout the year with various offerings that go to the World Evangelism Fund, which brings support around the world; therefore, we are a participant in supporting the building of new churches and ministry outposts, assisting with missionary expenses, providing Christian literature, church planting, partnering with ministries such as the Jesus Film Harvest Partners, the World Mission Broadcast, participating in Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (Child Sponsorship, Crisis Care Kits, School Paks, disaster response, and Work & Witness efforts), etc. Our Elizabethton Church of the Nazarene also participates in several local ministries, namely, an Angel Tree Christmas Event, Feeding the Multitude at TLC, Shepherd’s Inn and the Elizabethton Christian Children’s Home & Academy.”
As a denomination, the Church of the Nazarene, Schultz says, currently has 702 missionaries and is “officially active in 162 world areas.”
First Church of the Nazarene, Elizabethton, is located at the corner of Range and “I” Streets.
Schultz says everyone is encouraged and invited to attend these special services. Lunch will be shared at the conclusion of Sunday’s morning service.
In addition to the services at the Elizabethton church, Dr. Porter will speak at the Greeneville Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, July 20, at 6 p.m.
For more information, call Schultz at 543-4706.