SOUTH POINT — On Sunday. Oct. 5, the seven Nazarene churches in the area will join with 18,000 other churches in the Nazarene faith to mark the 100th founding of the denomination.

“Our congregation is excited to celebrate this anniversary with all of our Nazarene family around the world,” Denver Prater, pastor of Sunrise Church of the Nazarene in South Point, said. “At the same time, we want to emphasize that the family never stops growing. There is plenty of room for all.

“In our society today, it seems that relationships often don’t last very long. We invite our community to join us on Oct. 5 to see relationships that have remained strong for 100 years.”

The area celebration will take place at South Point Church of the Nazarene, starting at 10:45 a.m.

All 1.6 million members of the church will hear the same sermon and music, and participate in the same Bible readings in all the time zones across the world.

The Church of the Nazarene traces its roots back to the work of John Wesley, the English evangelist noted for starting the Methodist denomination. The Nazarene church began in October 1908 in Pilot Point, Texas.

In recent years the church has directed its energies to include an international community.

There are now approximately 40 international schools of theology, liberal arts colleges and seminaries. Under church auspices, radio broadcasts are made in 30 languages and printed material in 103 languages.

For more information on the celebration, contact Tim Barnett at 867-5704.