Published: October 03, 2008 11:35 pm      

Church of the Nazarene's 100th year celebrated

special to The Star



Today two local churches will celebrate the 100th anniversary of their denomination; Church of the Nazarene.

These churches are among the 18,000 other Nazarene churches in 151 world areas to celebrate the milestone.

Preparations for the day began in 2004 with the writing and translation of materials sent to every Nazarene church across the globe. The plan is that all 1.6 million members of the church will hear the same sermon, celebrate with the same music, and participate in the same readings in 24 time zones on the same day.

You can celebrate this event yourself, and here in Meridian you have two churches to choose from. Fitkins Memorial and Northside Church of the Nazarene. Fitkins starts at 9:45 a.m. and Northside at 10 a.m.

The Church of the Nazarene has its roots in Methodism, drawn from the teachings of English evangelist John Wesley (2703-1791). 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 is to make Christlike disciples in the nations.

With a long history of mission work and 20th and 21st century advances in communication and transportation, the Church of the Nazarene has deliberately decided to steer an international course.

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