General Superintendent James H. Diehl told the story of a National Football League player who attended the Saturday evening healing service, themed "Jesus the Healer". The player came forward and asked to be prayed for concerning his addiction to alcohol. Diehl anointed him and prayed for him, encouraging him to not only believe God, but to reorder the priorities of his life. The player responded in the affirmative.

The NFL player was one of thousands who made their way to the symbolic altar in front of the stage. There, hundreds of clergy anointed and prayed for audience members. Small groups of people could be seen praying throughout the building.

The heartfelt response of Nazarenes eager to experience God's blessings came from hearts touched by the passionate preaching of Diehl. His personal testimony of healing, plus the painful story of the loss of a son, struck resonant chords in the hearts of worshippers.

On Sunday afternoon, Diehl told of a medical doctor attending a conference nearby who was invited to the service Saturday night. Following the service, in conversation with Diehl, the physician offered words of praise and blessing for Nazarenes.

Final worship service begins with global connection

"Everyone sing a new song ... Africa sings a new song... Reaching out with a new hallelujah ... Arise ... let the church arise ... let love reach to the other side ... alive, come alive let the song arise ..."

Through the miracle of incredible technology, music groups captured from all around the globe connected to the Orlando audience with these powerful words as the house band accompanied them through what musicians call a "click track." As the song concluded, thousands of individual pictures of Nazarenes from all over the world came together in a thrilling montage through the technology of pointillism.

The miracle of the day, however, is not about technology...it's about the faithful presence of the Holy Spirit who never fails to accompany the people of God who gather in worship; whether it's in a massive convention center like Orlando, or in a small store-front church in an obscure village.

In the Nations: An Amazing Crossing

Preaching from the theme "In the Nations: An Amazing Crossing," General Superintendent Nina G. Gunter built her message around the story of Israel's commemoration of their crossing of the Jordan River with the stone memorial.

Making a comparison between the new generation of Israelites in the Scriptural setting and this generation of Nazarenes, Gunter said:

"For the children of Israel, there were two choices at the river called Jordan: (1) Step into the water and cross over into the Promised Land, or (2) Settle down and become a monument in history."  Challenges are good-they pry us out of our rut. They require us to leave our comfort zone. Challenges turn us toward God and one another in love and trust. They invite us to a new level of faith-faith that recognizes that sometimes God chooses to work in new ways."

She then proclaimed: "The church is not in crisis, it is in Christ!"

"Today is the valedictory to the Centennial Year of the Church of the Nazarene. We Nazarenes, people of 155 world areas, stand on the bank of the river with more than a century of blessing and achievement behind us, and we look across the river to our future.

"We ask God, 'What's next?'"