Fairlawn Church of the Nazarene

Fairlawn Church of the Nazarene Making disciples by bringing the Kingdom to light and life in our community.

09/08/2026

Join us September 23rd. Sign up here:
fairlawnnaz.org/alpha

Dear Church Family,"I have questions!" I don't know how many times I've heard some version of that statement over the ye...
09/04/2026

Dear Church Family,

"I have questions!" I don't know how many times I've heard some version of that statement over the years - especially when it comes to faith. There are a lot of people out there who have questions. But where can they ask them? Who's going to listen? Too often we feel threatened by questions and it's easy to become defensive and argumentative. As my wife reminds me every so often, sometimes we need to just listen! This Wednesday at 5:30 we will meet with anyone interested in Alpha Course and start finalizing plans as we prepare to invite people who have questions to come, share a simple meal, watch a video and engage in "table talk" - a time for them to ask their questions. We are looking for people who can offer "radical hospitality" as we invite people with questions to come and ask - and we will listen. Not in judgment, not to argue, but to listen and to love. There will be instruction, videos on some of the foundational doctrines of the church, addressing questions like, "Who is Jesus?" "What is the Bible?" "What is prayer?" and several others. If you are a new Believer, I'd recommend attending Alpha Course to learn and engage on these foundational subjects. I'm excited about what's happening at our church! I regularly get positive feedback from our guests who tell me that they feel very welcome and at home here. This is the right church - you are the right people for this ministry. If you're curious about Alpha Course, I invite you to please come this Wednesday, September 9th at 5:30 to learn more and find out how you can be involved in this exciting and impactful ministry. And if you know someone who has questions, invite them to join you for our first of seven Alpha sessions beginning on September 23rd at 5:30. You'll find an invitation card in your bulletin this Sunday, please take it, and pray for this ministry and who you can invite.

See you Sunday!
Jeff

GOD, JUST TELL ME: WAYS YOU MISS GOD'S WILLDear Church Family,This week we conclude our series "God Just Tell Me" in wh...
08/28/2026

GOD, JUST TELL ME: WAYS YOU MISS GOD'S WILL

Dear Church Family,

This week we conclude our series "God Just Tell Me" in which we've been exploring how to discern God's will for our lives. If you recall, the starting point is to take seriously the guidance that God has already provided for us in His Word. Before anything else, we must remember that God is more concerned about the "who" than the "do." God has revealed his sovereign and moral will to us, and it is clear that He wants us to be holy as He is holy. That is, He wants us to be different from the world around us by being righteous and Christlike. You can have the greatest success in the world, but if you are not living a lifestyle that reflects God's holiness, you can be assured that you are not living in His will. But when it does come to making personal, God-honoring decisions in life, there are some principles that can help guide us. There are open doors, closed doors, frustrated plans, and everyday choices. We will elaborate more on each of these on Sunday, but we see them modeled in the life and ministry of Paul - and he's a pretty good example for us to follow! My prayer is that maybe you will find a greater sense of peace and freedom, knowing that God does not have a specific road map laid out for you but has not revealed it to you. He is not playing "gotcha" games with us! There is room in His permissive will for our everyday choices, and when he has something specific in mind, he will open a door, or close a door, or maybe even frustrate our plans until we get things lined up according to His purposes. So pursue God with all your heart, mind and strength and rest in the knowledge that He is on your side, and He will bless you and guide your path.

See you Sunday!
Jeff

God Just Tell Me: When God's Will Isn't ClearDear Church Family,This week is Family Sunday! The idea behind Family Sund...
08/21/2026

God Just Tell Me: When God's Will Isn't Clear

Dear Church Family,

This week is Family Sunday! The idea behind Family Sunday is to bring the entire church together for worship and to receive communion together as a church family. In the past, this primarily meant that we would bring the children in from Children's Church for worship with their families. But now there is an added dimension we are very excited to add, and that is our Hispanic ministry group. Last week we brought in 10 new members to our church from this group! This has been an answer to prayer, as we've been praying for Pastor Cristian and his calling to grow a Hispanic group within the church. So now, when we all come together on Family Sunday, this includes our Hispanic brothers and sisters. So, as we all gather together, we will see some new faces on the praise team and we will have a bilingual service. Some songs will be in English, some in Spanish, and all will have subtitles so that we all understand what is being said. This will take some getting used to, but I know it will be so worth it as we get a glimpse of the beautiful diversity of the Kingdom of God. Heaven will be filled with people from every nation and from every generation worshipping Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Let's gather for worship this week with eager hearts, excited about what God is doing in our church and ready to experience Him in a new and fresh way!

See you Sunday!
Jeff

God, Just Tell MeStop Overcomplicating God's WillDear Church family,This Sunday we will continue in our series, "God Jus...
08/14/2026

God, Just Tell Me
Stop Overcomplicating God's Will

Dear Church family,

This Sunday we will continue in our series, "God Just Tell Me" as we explore the mystery and challenges of discerning God's will. The title for this week's message is "Stop Overcomplicating God's Will." If we're not careful, we can get "bound up" in our lives by worrying about missing God's perfect will for our lives - especially when it comes to the big decisions in life. It's great that we want to "hit the mark" in these areas - after all, the Greek word for sin is to literally miss the mark. The danger is that we can fall into a deterministic view that understands God's will as a secret plan that He has for our lives but has not revealed to us, and if we miss it, then we're doomed to a life that is less than God's best for us. But the truth is that God's best for us is clearly revealed to us in scripture and is stated clearly and emphatically. It's really a matter of priority. If we have our priorities right, some of the details will flow and work themselves out. And for God, His greatest priority for us is that we love Him with all our heart, mind and strength; that we love others as ourselves; and that we be holy as He is holy. As we do this, everything else becomes secondary and falls into place. Our greatest problem is that we will often focus on the secondary things, while ignoring or neglecting the primary things. We get into the weeds, worried that we're going to miss something - and we do! We miss the blessing and joy of enjoying the goodness of God, living into the freedom of His favor. God says in His word, "Seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33) So let's keep first things first, and enjoy the goodness and favor of a God who loves us, who is for us, and rejoices in our fellowship!

See you Sunday!
Jeff

God Just Tell Me: Discovering God's Will For Your LifeDear Church Family,This Sunday we begin a series titled "God Just...
08/07/2026

God Just Tell Me: Discovering God's Will For Your Life
Dear Church Family,

This Sunday we begin a series titled "God Just Tell Me!" and we will explore what scripture teaches about discerning God's will for our lives. Wouldn't it be nice if God would give us clear, audible directions for what he wants us to do? Sometimes I'm envious of people in scripture who, like Paul, received a very clear and direct calling. Sometimes I long for a blinding light and an audible voice from God! There are so many things that we want to get right in life. What career should I pursue? What person should I marry and start a family with? What school should I attend? As your pastor, I'm always seeking to discern God's will for the direction I should lead the church. And let me tell you, it would be great if God would simply lay out a ten-year plan for what He wants us to do. I hope you don't think any less of me, but I'm still waiting on that! But what if I were to tell you that maybe we're looking at this "will of God" thing in the wrong way? What if I were to tell you that God has already revealed His will for your life? It's not that God doesn't care about some of these things, but maybe He's more interested in how we are faithful with what He's already given us? This week, we will look at four primary aspects of God's will and how they interact with each other, and begin to reframe how we think about discerning the will of God. It's my prayer that this series will relieve some of the pressure and give us a renewed sense of freedom, direction and joy in our walk with God. As always, I invite you to come with a heart and mind ready to receive what God has for you this week.

See you Sunday!
Jeff

Dear Church Family,What an awesome week! We had a great Sunday, with over 750 people participating in our Back to School...
07/31/2026

Dear Church Family,

What an awesome week! We had a great Sunday, with over 750 people participating in our Back to School Bash, and currently we are in the middle of Vacation Bible School, with 44 kids and 50 volunteers, and BLAST, with 15 students and 23 volunteers. That's 117 people here every night, Wednesday through Saturday! But it's about so much more than just numbers. Each of these numbers represent a precious life, a soul knit together by God and created in His image. Our efforts over this last week have been about far more than just chasing numbers and a good time. Our goal is to facilitate the process of reconciling lost souls with their Creator. We have about 44 kids and 15 teens who are engaged in a very intentional evangelistic discipleship program. We don't merely want them to hear the name of Jesus, we want them to begin and grow in a relationship with Jesus. Please continue to pray for this ministry, and that this Sunday we'll be able to celebrate the baptism of new Believers declaring their faith in Jesus Christ! I could not be more proud to be your pastor. So many of you have given so selflessly and so beautifully shared the love of Jesus with our community this week. We are a church that's taking the fight to the Enemy. We're storming the very gates of hell, robbing souls he has claimed - redeeming them through the blood of Jesus Christ and making heaven crowded. Thanks for all you are doing for the sake of the Kingdom! We've accomplished so much, but the job is not complete until the final trumpet blast sounds and Jesus returns. Until then, let's keep pressing on - one soul at a time.

See you Sunday!
Jeff

Dear Church Family,WARNING! This Sunday is going to be gloriously different. This is the one Sunday that we suspend norm...
07/24/2026

Dear Church Family,

WARNING! This Sunday is going to be gloriously different. This is the one Sunday that we suspend normal activities. No Sunday School, no worship service. Instead, we have an amazing opportunity to show the love of Jesus to our community by blessing them with backpacks and school supplies. But more than the "stuff" - they have a chance to meet YOU! They will see your smile. They will hear your words of welcome. They will sense your genuine love and concern. And somehow in this way, they will experience Jesus through you. We give with no "strings attached." Of course, it would be wonderful if people decided to send their children to Vacation Bible School and join our church, but that is not a condition for receiving the blessing. We open the doors of the church with a hospitality that welcomes each individual as if they were Jesus Christ himself, and that's not just this Sunday, that's every Sunday. So church, it's all hands on deck as we serve our community on this special day. Come with a heart eager to serve. Many of you have already given so generously by donating backpacks and school supplies, thank you! Now let's finish the work by loving in the name of Jesus. May He be glorified through us this Sunday!

See you Sunday,
Jeff

God Encounters: Who Will Go?Dear Church Family,This Sunday we wrap up our series on "God Encounters," Also Known As (AK...
07/17/2026

God Encounters: Who Will Go?

Dear Church Family,

This Sunday we wrap up our series on "God Encounters," Also Known As (AKA) "theophanies." This week we will look at Isaiah's unique encounter with God, found in Isaiah 6. This encounter is different from the others we have explored. Rather than God "condescending" to man and concealing his glory, here God reveals himself in his full glory, "high and exalted." When Isaiah gets a glimpse of God on his throne and the seraphim and their thunderous declaration, "Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (6:3), he is immediately made hyper-aware of his sin and declares, "Woe to me...I am ruined!" (6:5). What Isaiah, and the people of Israel needed at that moment was a powerful reminder that God is still on the throne, large and in charge! Why? Because Isaiah was called to minister in a period of time we now call the "exilic period" of Israel's history. That is, God is about to execute his judgment upon Israel. They will be invaded, the holy city of Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed, and the people will be carried off to a strange land far away, into exile. It's natural to ask, "Where is God?" when we're in the midst of calamity, and God wants to make it clear that He is still in control and what is happening to them is within His permissive will. God is bringing judgment and calamity, but He can and will also bring healing and restoration - when the time is right. God disciplines those he loves, but He does not abandon them. Maybe you're going through a rough patch right now. If so, I would encourage you to read Isaiah 6 and be reminded that God is still on His throne, He has not abandoned you, and He will work all things for your good!

See you Sunday!
Jeff

Address

730 SW Fairlawn Road
Topeka, KS
66606

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 12pm

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