Come join us. We're learning to make Christlike disciples in the nations and to be followers of Jesus. We're loving harder, digging deeper, and encouraging more here at TNC. We hope this web page helps you understand more of who we were, have become, and will become as we journey together.
QUICK LINKS
Bringing HOPE
We are the church gathering online and loving our neighbors by social distancing. Help us help those who have lost jobs or need emergency assistance in our fellowship.
Give to the HOPE Fund. We may be in this national crisis for a season. We may need to provide food or emergency helps in small amounts to those who are really struggling in our congregation. If you can help, give to the HOPE fund. Your gifts may help a person who has lost a job and has no resources survive. We will have different levels of assistance, but we can provide emergency relief fast!
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PASTOR JON
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Dear Tempe Nazarene Family,
I love my church. And I am thankful the amazing spirit of worship and service I sense everyday as your pastor. I believe God has prepared us to be the hands and feet of Jesus during the most difficult day ever in our lives together.
A few weeks ago, I passed out towels. It's time to 'take up the towel' and serve each other in love. And it will be difficult and different and at times confusing, even disorienting. We will need to pray and fast and serve each other in ways we have never done before.
Upon counsel today from Rev. Doug Pierce, our Arizona District Superintendent, we are being asked to be "both good citizens and good neighbors and do all we can to be supportive as we face this national and global challenge."
We are going to love our neighbors as an expression of loving God by closing our campus for public worship services, studies, activities, including Tempe Christian Preschool, tonight, March 17, 2020 at 6:00 P.M.
How are we going forward?
- Our church will still worship on Sundays. Pastor Alan and our worship team will offer a Facebook Live and YouTube worship feed and I will share God's Word at 10:15 am each Sunday. We are not alone. We are God's people given power by the Holy Spirit to weather any crisis.
- Our pastors and staff are here to help. Calling us is easy thanks to a recent phone upgrade our cell phones will ring when you call our church numbers. Amber will answer calls Monday–Friday remotely and pastors are available at the numbers listed below.
Church Office (Amber): 480-838-2887
Pastor Jon: 480-838-2006
Pastor Trevor: 480-397-9473
Pastor Debbie: 480-351-8098
Currently, either I or Debbie will be on campus each morning (Monday–Friday, 8am–12pm). Our staff will meet every Tuesday by tele-conference at 10 am. - Give online or send your tithes and offering by mail. We are doing our very best to continue to serve and minister during this time and God will provide. Our church board is meeting tonight to work together to provide for our church ministry to continue.
- Look for creative and different ways of connecting. Our worship team and audio and visual and web team will be sending out videos, many of them on Facebook or other platforms, to connect with kids, teens and adults as we walk this road together.
- Pray and focus on Jesus. I am prayerful that the people who follow Jesus will be leaders in speech and be a voice of a calm in every conversation, especially on social media, texting, Facebook, YouTube, etc. This is a great time to share your hope in Jesus with everyone who is upset or worried or fearful.
- Be ready to serve and help others, especially our seniors. Be ready to serve. Share with us if you can pick up groceries or give assistance to those who have physical limitations. Adopt a single parent. Be a neighbor to those who live next to you. Share resources together!
- Give to the HOPE Fund. We may be in this national crisis for a season. We may need to provide food or emergency helps in small amounts to those who are really struggling in our congregation. If you can help, give to the HOPE fund. Your gifts may help a person who has lost a job and has no resources survive. I know we will have different levels of assistance, but we can provide emergency relief fast!
Last thing…we'll get through this together! And God will help us! I believe God has given us a great team of people for this time in our history together to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Blessings, Pastor Jon (480-838-2006 or 541-403-0017)
Keep reading this page to find out more about our Sunday services or events, learn more about our staff, and how to find us and connect with us. You can also use the menus (on a smartphone, those three horizontal lines at the top right) at the top of the page to explore our ministries and events or to learn how you can connect with us.
Lead Pastor Jon Privett regularly shares his thoughts about life’s adventures in the new section Pastor's Notes.
VISITING?
We meet on Sundays at 9:00 am for various classes for all ages. Child care is available at this time for newborns through one-year-olds, Sunday school classes are also available for all ages, we offer multiple adult classes for varied interests. On Sunday, see a Greeter or go to our Welcome Center for more information on available classes and their locations. Pastor's sermon notes are available in the bulletin or in the Bible (You Version) app, in the Events section (just look for Tempe Nazarene Church.
When joining us for the 10:15 am service, speak with a Greeter or go to the Welcome Center in the south lobby for more information. Child care is available for newborns through two-year-olds. Three to five-year-olds have their own class. Our children, First-graders and older meet with adults for Praise & Worship in the Worship Center. Just before the message, our 1st through 5th grades will go to Kid's Church in Room 101 with Pastor Debbie for an inspirational message.
Tabernacle of Grace Church (a Haitian Church of the Nazarene) has Sunday classes at 9:00 am and a Service at 10:30 am in Room 200, second floor.
Connect with us if you want more information on our services or the church in general.
ViSION, VALUES, BELIEFS
Our vision is to teach and encourage people to be all that God has created them to be in our homes, in our communities, and in our world!
We have that vision because we value that…
God not only created us but he loves us. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent his Son Jesus to die for our sins. God the creator of the universe, wants to have a relationship with us! So all we do, all we say as a church is to bring honor to God!
The Bible is the ultimate authority of our lives. It is the supreme source of truth and it equips us to live in a way that glorifies God. The Bible reveals who God is and helps us understand the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
God created people and He loves people. We want to love people the way that Jesus loves us. This love motivates us to give generously, serve sacrificially, share the truth and grace of Jesus, and invest all we are and have to further God’s purpose in the lives of people.
All these values are rooted in our belief…
- in one God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- that the Old and New Testament scriptures, given by divine inspiration, contain all truth necessary for faith and Christian living.
- that man is born sinful and in need of forgiveness.
- that God offers forgiveness to all who will accept Christ as their Savior.
- that as Christians grow in their relationship with God, their commitment will progressively increase to a point of releasing their will to God.
- that the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of a believer guiding and teaching him.
- in the return of our Lord, in the resurrection of the dead, and in the final judgment of all mankind.
Here's a video for you to view that very simply describes our sixteen Articles of Faith. Pastor Jon will gladly answer any questions you have on this.
Staff
Please connect with our church staff with any questions you may have about God or participation in a ministry.
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Jon Privett
Lead PastorPastor Jon joined us on September 17, 2017 as our Lead Pastor. Read his new page.
Jon is a graduate of Northwest Nazarene College (1982) and Nazarene Theological Seminary (1986). Jon has pastored in Pierce, Idaho (1986-1989), Boise Five Mile Nazarene in Boise, Idaho (1989-2003), an Baker City, Oregon since April 2003.
He loves coffee and conversation about Jesus! In his free time, Jon will most likely be fly-fishing, watching the Denver Broncos, or detailing his 1970 Chevrolet truck. Jon is happily married to Cathleen since 1986. Jon and Cathleen have two daughters, Sarah and Emilie.
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Will Hathaway
Associate PastorPastor Will graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from Grand Canyon University. He was originally brought to TNC as our Pastor to Students and Young Adult Ministries. He is ordained as an Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Will also served as Youth Pastor at Monte Vista Church of the Nazarene, Family Life Director at First Baptist Church of Blytheville, and Youth Pastor at New Hope Church of the Nazarene.
Will and Karra married in 1998 and have three children.
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Trevor Cherryholmes
Youth Pastorpastortrevor@tempenazarene.org
Pastor Trevor has a passion for families—he loves guiding them into a relationship with Jesus and exploring what God's will is for their lives. He's been involved in youth and children's ministry since he was 15.
He joined the TNC staff in 2016 and while serving has become the Arizona Nazarene Youth Vice President. Trevor was married to his wife Rachelle in May of 2018 and they have a son Carson who joined us April 2019. He also enjoys Hockey and plays on the weekends with his team.
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Debbie Hallman
Children's Pastor & TCPS Directorpastordebbie@tempenazarene.org
Pastor Debbie is a fixture in our young children's lives. They know her office door is always open so they can get a hug or share their victories and challenges. She teaches kids that God knows and loves every single one of them. They see that love in action because Debbie knows the name and circumstances of every child. She directs all children's activities from birth to sixth grade and she's the Director of Tempe Christian PreSchool.
Debbie exudes incredible energy and a positive attitude, which have helped her while teaching VBS, Sunday School, summer camps, and Camp Meeting. She has completed her Associate of Science degree in Early Education. She's s been a part of our TNC family since 1983 and the Children's Pastor for over two decades.
Debbie and her husband Van were married in 1977. They have five children and eight grandchildren, all of whom are well loved.
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Alan Owens
Worship PastorPastor Alan has a passion for leading others into the presence of God through corporate worship. He is an ordained minister with a degree in Church Music, Bible, and Christian Education and is knowledgeable in ancillary worship areas such as technology, sound, lighting, and webcasting.
Alan is married to Cheryl and they have two children.
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Tony Brown
Young Adult PastorTony Brown, an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene (2018), has a passion to see the young adults of this world come to know Jesus on a personal level and share that love with the world.
He married his Jr. High sweetheart, Laura, and has two children.
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Ralph Messner
IT & AV TechnologiesRalph has been working on technology at the church since the 1980s. He started the church website in 1986 and managed it into 2009. He worked on sound and lighting while directing the choir and leading worship in the 80s and 90s. He was recently hired by TNC to assist with improving the use of various Information Technologies. His ongoing theme is "By all means reach some."
Ralph met his bride Karen here at TNC, has two grown boys, Joel (also serving at TNC) and Joshua, and is the very proud grandfather to two grandsons.
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Scott Shepherd
Facility ManagerScott is our new facility manager for the church and school. He was born in Illinois and grew up in California. He has lived in Arizona for the last 22 years. Scott enjoys hockey, racing, and napping. “Never pass up a good opportunity for a nap.” He loves to serve others.
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Amber Onyeabor
Office AdministratorAmber grew up in Missouri and graduated from College of the Ozarks with her B.S. in Nutrition/Dietetics. She moved to Arizona shortly after to be closer to family. Amber has always loved helping others and is excited to be working in ministry alongside her church family.
She and her husband Moses began attending TNC in September 2017 and became members in January 2018. They have one son who attends TCPS.
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Kathy Grebe
Financial AdministratorKathy is our new financial administrator for the church and school. She’ll be in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
History
Beginning
Tempe Nazarene Church was organized October 25, 1953 by Rev. Wilbur L. Heizer. The “people” part of the church grew out of a children’s ministry led by Mrs. Hiebert and assisted by Ruth Brickley. It was housed in an old abandoned school building for some time.
Church property at 107 East Broadway Road was purchased in November, 1952 by the District Advisory Board and monies to purchase were given to the church by the Phoenix Eastside Church (Biltmore). The lot was one commercial acre on the sparsely settled and graveled Broadway Road and cost $2,500.00.
The first building was a junior annex which would seat approximately sixty people comfortably and was built in November 1953 at a cost of $10,427.68 by Shelley Construction Company with Glen McCollum as architect. The building was soon filled. Pastor and Mrs. David Owen came in May, 1954. God blessed their leadership and the church was strengthened under their ministry.
Following the Owens, Rev. and Mrs. L. W. Dodson came as pastors in 1955 and served for about one year. Rev. and Mrs. Leo Kirley were then called to pastor Tempe Nazarene Church. They arrived in 1956 and served the church faithfully for ten years. During their ministry a three bedroom masonry construction parsonage was built on the back of the property. Continued growth made the construction of a larger sanctuary an absolute necessity. Faith became reality when the sanctuary was built in 1959. It had seating for 112 people plus the choir. It was constructed largely with donated labor. Many wonderful times of spiritual blessing were enjoyed as God came time after time.
Rev. Kirley reached the age of retirement and the church called Pastor Stan and Patty McElrath as pastors in June, 1966.
Moving
As the church began to outgrow its facility, it was decided after much prayer and deliberation, to relocate the church. The property at 3929 South Rural Road was purchased in April 1967 for $40,000.00. The property on Broadway was sold through Siesta Realty (Lyle Carnal, broker) to Mr. Allen Dong for $112,000.00. Construction began in late summer of 1969 with Paul Madden as supervisor and Glen McCollum as architect. The first service was held at the Rural Road location on Easter Sunday, 1970 with 403 in attendance. Dr. V. H. Lewis, General Superintendent and Dr. M. L. Mann, district Superintendent officiated.
We built classrooms, a library, and a gymnasium. We also began Tempe Christian School in 1971. It was known then as University Heights Christian School and is now Tempe Christian PreSchool. The gymnasium began life as our sanctuary and remained so until the mid 80s. We continued to add to our numbers.
Adding
A new $650,000.00 450-seat worship center built by the R. K. Yoder Company of Ft. Collins, Colorado, was completed in 1986 and dedicated in October of that year. It contained state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment as well as a choir/music room used by both the church and Tempe Christian PreSchool. The area previously used as the sanctuary was converted to its original design as a multipurpose gymnasium.
In 1996, we remodeled our classrooms to make better use of the space. Each room has abundant storage cabinets, telephone and computer network jacks, cleanup sinks, drinking fountains, and individual air-conditioning/heating units. The color schemes used provide an enhancement to the learning environment.
In 2000–2001, we added a second story over the classroom area remodeled in 1996 to create more classrooms for both the school and the church. The $1.2 million project added over 6,000 square feet of educational space.
There was a worship center for our Student Ministries Department, six new classrooms, new sidewalks, drainage systems, taller, safer playground fences, and new fascia around the roof-line of the entire project. That provided much needed adult Sunday School and youth facilities and enabled us to utilize first-floor rooms for ill- and well-child nursery. It also allowed us to update our patio with new landscaping, including a fountain.
Changing
Pastor Stan and Patty announced their retirement in April of 2001. They retired in April of 2002 and were succeeded by Pastor Doug and Becky Pierce. We began reconstruction of the offices, removing the old library, providing space for a new conference room and copy/break room.
Dr. Brian and Sharon Delbridge accepted our call and began pastoring us September 2006, after Pastor Doug and Becky accepted the call to be Assistant District Superintendent. The office entrance was reconstructed in 2007. Pastor Brian was instrumental in assisting Pastor Kevin McGinnis with establishing the Mosaic Church plant, helping start the Haitian congregation as TNC members, and remodeling of the Worship Center, gymnasium, and kitchen.
On April 15, 2015, Pastor Chris Walton was officially installed by District Superintendent Doug Pierce in the Sunday morning service as TNC's new senior pastor. His wife Lisa and four of there children were there. We had a great message entitled "Different" that encouraged us to believe, pray, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to change our culture. We met for food afteward in the gym and were able to meet with the family.
Pastor Jon and Cathleen Privett began their ministry at TNC on September 17, 2017. District Superintendent Doug Pierce officially installed them in the service as TNC's new senior pastor. His wife Cathleen and two daughters were there as he brought the message, "A Servant Like Jesus".