2,000 Attend All the Nations Service in Orlando

“This service is a powerful expression of what the Church of the Nazarene is at its best,” declared General Superintendent Jess Middendorf at the opening of All the Nations, a worship event that recognizes the value and contribution of a globally diverse church. About 2,000 people representing a variety of cultures and languages united in praise, celebration, and the spoken word. Eurasia Regional Director Gustavo Crocker and Sam Vassel, senior pastor of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, served as featured speakers.

Preaching from Acts 3, Crocker proclaimed that like the first century church “the first Nazarenes went to the last, the least, and the lost.” Like the Early Church, early Nazarenes had little wealth, but depended on the power of the resurrected Christ to reach others, stated Crocker. He closed by saying, “As we enter our second hundred years, I want a church like that for my children and grandchildren—a church that celebrates the people of the Spirit.”

“The very DNA of the Church of the Nazarene celebrates unity in the face of diversity because of the Spirit of God,” proclaimed Vassel, a native of Jamaica. Using Acts 2, Vassel reflected on the ability of God’s Spirit to bring unity, power, and purpose to the church. 

An offering was taken to benefit Haiti. Special music was provided by Ju-in Yoon, a Korean Nazarene University student, and Ayman Kafrouny, director of Nazarene Broadcast and Communications, Eastern Mediterranean Field.

The All the Nations Service, and other General Assembly services, can be viewed online here.