When the devastating hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the southeastern United States in the fall of 2024, local churches became beacons of hope and stability, providing important community resources.
In 1967, the Church of the Nazarene opened a small clinic in the Waghi Valley in Papua New Guinea. Missionary nurses worked tirelessly to care for the sick and injured. Over time, this small clinic grew into Nazarene General Hospital, a 130-bed facility that serves the entire region. In 2016, it became a Provincial Referral Hospital—a significant achievement in its journey to provide better health care.
During the last three years, Nazarene churches in Burundi, Malawi, and Zambia have partnered with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to address hunger and malnutrition. The individuals and families who have joined these projects are finding new hope after years of food insecurity.
Fabiola is a single mom who struggled to make ends meet before joining one of the projects.
"Before, we had no plans and were not saving for the future," Fabiola said.
In a hospital in Colombia, a Nazarene church partners with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to serve as a beacon of care for pregnant and new mothers and hospital staff as they face emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges. Volunteers from the church spend time each week serving at the hospital, providing workshops on emotional healing and entrepreneurship training so mothers can build stable and bright futures for their families. They also deliver food and baby supplies to the hospital and spend time in prayer and counseling with mothers and hospital staff.
Romans 4:18, 20-21
On the set of her latest film Between Borders, actress Elizabeth Tabish (The Chosen, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) testifies before a judge. From the witness stand, her character recounts a humiliating experience as a refugee, forced to repeat the phrase that she was “quieter than water and lower than grass,” in order to secure a job. The actress’ eyes well up with tears, and not all are for show.
This January, young Nazarene leaders from around the world gathered in Orlando and Lake Placid, Florida, for the Nazarene Youth International Third Wave conference. Together, these young men and women experienced worship, learning, and service opportunities. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries joined the Third Wave event for a day of training and ministry.
“My family and I have faced very difficult times during the long crisis.”
Magalie, a mother of five, had just received a food parcel to help stave off the hunger that was growing in her home, after her crops and animals were lost in a flood—just one of many difficulties her family has faced in recent years. Though she was describing her own experience, Magalie’s words could have easily been uttered by many of her neighbors in this Haitian community.
Compassion is not always our first response when faced with the needs around us. Sometimes, we have sympathy but are not moved to act in solidarity. Henri J.M. Nouwen wrote about this tendency: “Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.” How can we become more equipped to have a posture of compassion at all times?
Revelation 21:5 “And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also, he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (NRSV)