Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Mesoamerica, South America, USA-Canada Regions

“Additional Areas”

Work in “Additional Areas” began in 1994 and continues to the present. These “Additional Areas” are located in several of the regions where the Church of the Nazarene is working. These areas tend to be resistant to the Gospel, which means that the open proclamation of the Gospel can be restricted, requiring creative approaches to ministry and missions. They may also be areas where the Church of the Nazarene is officially registered with the government, but whose political, social, or religious environment may not always be conducive to Christian outreach and church development. Often, we connect specific languages with specific countries on which we are focused. However, in this instance, the language that matters most is the language of grace and love, sharing hope in Christ. Those who serve in these areas need to know that they are loved and prayed for. Regardless of the political, economic, social, or religious circumstance, the Church of the Nazarene is present to demonstrate the unconditional love of God to persons of all ages.

Sarah* is the first Nazarene cross-cultural worker from a predominantly Muslim country in the South Pacific. Her home country doesn’t know how to support her in the mission God has called her to. She met her husband, who had been a missionary for nine years, and then found support through his home district half a world away. As a couple, they hoped that her church would pray for them, but her church did not know how to do that. “Some don’t recognize a person from a non-Christian country, that is also young and female as a potential cross-cultural worker for Christ.” She continued, “I can’t remember the last time that my church or district sent some message that they were praying for us. People just don’t think to say it. But, in a new country of service, it feels so lonely, without knowing someone is praying for you.” 

A couple months after moving into their new assignment, they got word from their new Links District in the United States, where multiple people and multiple churches wrote to them. It was the first time they had been linked with a district that initiated communication with them, asking how they were doing, and assuring this young couple of their prayers. Sarah and her husband communicate regularly to provide what updates they can but confess that many things they would like to share are simply not advisable, given the context in which they serve. Some churches have taken offerings to send to support their work, which have been a blessing, but the most significant gift is that of connection and prayer support. This shows more than anything else that they are loved and cared for. 

Their Links District invited them to come and speak at their District Assembly, and they were able to visit more than 10 churches and share the work they are doing in a challenging context. 

“This was a huge blessing,” they said. During their speaking tour, they were able to invite Nazarene friends to come and visit in their country of service, which is open to visitors, but hesitant to receive cross-cultural church workers. Many of the churches they spoke in were comprised of minority cultures. In one church, a lady shared that she had been recently burdened for Muslims, praying for them often, but did not know anyone working with or among them until she met this couple. She was filled with such joy that God had His hand on a young couple to do just that—to work among Muslims. 

One church indicated that they had been praying for them even though they did not know them. They had never seen their faces, but still, they loved them! “This changes everything,” Sarah said. “The joy of belonging replaces the sense of isolation and loneliness in a strange place.” 

In answer to the question: “What do you find most challenging about being in service in an ‘Additional Area’?”...the reply: 

“We must guard everything we do, and the restrictions under which we seek to build relationships are like walls. Results are slow…spiritual support in a ‘dark country’ is virtually impossible, and yet we feel the support of distant family members within the Church of the Nazarene on the other side of the world.” 

When asked, “What has been your greatest experience of God’s provision in your time of service in an ‘Additional Area’?”…the reply: 

“Unplanned by us, a group of seminary students came through to experience life in an unknown context…and while they were treated as ‘outsiders’, because that’s how foreigners are seen: with suspicion, this group became a connective bridge of fellowship while they were there, which has provided ongoing relationships that give opportunities to share prayer needs and celebrate answers from God.” 

Asked, “What would you like the praying church to know about what it’s like to serve in an ‘Additional Area’?”…the reply: 

“Every day, one must expect the unexpected. It is not a normal environment, or one understood in common ways by most people. Things are unstructured, and therefore, often uncomfortable. It’s difficult to put into words. It can play tricks on the mind, wondering if what one sees in the life of another believer is authentic or not. But we have learned to trust the God Who is at work in every life by His grace, and not to judge anyone, but to let God reveal Himself in their lives as He chooses, and grow our lives in this place, as He chooses.” 

*Name changed for security reasons.