LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 95th Anniversary of the Church
of the Nazarene

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay trib-
ute to those sacred institutions whose historic significance has
contributed to the culture and traditions of our citizens; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 95th Anniversary of the Church of the Nazarene; and
WHEREAS, The Church of the Nazarene organization has been an
expression of the holiness movement along with the emphasis on sancti-
fied life; its founders came together to form one people by utilizing
evangelism, compassionate ministries, and education; the Church went
forth to become a people of many cultures and tongues; and
WHEREAS, The spiritual vision of early Nazarenes was derived from the
doctrinal core of John Wesley's preaching; these affirmations include
justification by grace through faith, sanctification as an inheritance
available to every Christian, and the witness of the Spirit to God's
work in human lives; and
WHEREAS, In October 1907, the Association of Pentecostal Churches of
America and the Church of the Nazarene merged in Chicago, Illinois, at
the First General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, With the Pentecostal Church of Scotland and Pentecostal
Mission unions in 1915, the Church of the Nazarene embraced seven previ-
ous denominations and parts of two other groups; the Nazarenes and the
Wesleyan Church emerged as the two denominations that eventually drew
together a majority of the holiness movement's independent strands; and
WHEREAS, In 1908, there were churches in Canada and organized work in
India, Cape Verde, and Japan, soon followed by work in Africa, Mexico,
and China; the 1915 mergers added congregations in the British Isles and
work in Cuba, Central America, and South America; there were congre-
gations in Syria and Palestine by 1922; and
WHEREAS, Indigenous holiness churches in Australia and Italy united in
the 1940s, others in Canada and Great Britain in the 1950s, and one in
Nigeria in 1988; as the church grew culturally and linguistically
diverse, it committed itself in 1980 to internationalization, a deliber-
ate policy of being one church of congregations and districts worldwide,
rather than being divided into national churches such as earlier Protes-
tant denominations; and
WHEREAS, Today, over 60 percent of Nazarenes and 80 percent of the
church's 425 districts are outside the United States; and
WHEREAS, An early system of colleges for the Church of the Nazarene in
North America and the British Isles has become a global network of
institutions with three graduate seminaries in North America, Central
America, and the Asia-Pacific region; there are 11 liberal arts colleges
in Africa, Canada, Korea, and the United States, as well as 37 theolog-
ical schools worldwide; and
WHEREAS, The Church of the Nazarene bonds together individuals who
have made Jesus Christ the Lord of their lives, sharing in Christian
fellowship, and seeking to strengthen each other in faith and develop-
ment through worship, preaching, training, and service to others; and
WHEREAS, The Church of the Nazarene stands on the threshold of tomor-
row, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while retain-
ing that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 95th Anniversary of the Church of the Nazarene; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Lenroy Pascall, Pastor, Springfield Gardens Church of the
Nazarene.