Rev. Andrew Smith, Senior Pastor of the Portland First Church of the Nazarene in Portland, Maine began his ministry in Portland in a multi-cultural church. The Portland Church of the Nazarene consisted of people from Maine who had lived in this country for generations, as well as refugees from the countries of Sudan, Ethiopia, and Liberia. Several of these refugees had been introduced to the Church of the Nazarene by missionaries working in these African countries while many came to the church for the first time once they arrived in Portland, Maine.
The Southern Sudanese population grew immensely and Pastor Smith recognized the need for these people to worship in their own language while retaining fellowship with their American Christian Church family. In June of 2000, under the leadership of Pastor Smith, a second service was created to specifically serve the people of Southern Sudan. In January of 2001, the Maine District Church of the Nazarene gave recognition to this second service as a mission church and this group became known as the Southern Sudan Christian Mission Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Smith, Senior Pastor of the mother and baby church, was blessed to receive Pastor Michael Teny Gatkek as his assistant. Pastor Teny pastors and preaches to the Southern Sudan Christian Mission Church of the Nazarene.
The Portland Church of the Nazarene remains a multi-cultural church, ministering to traditional people of Maine, as well as people from Liberia and Ethiopia, and the Mission Church ministers to the people of Southern Sudan. The message of both of these services is that Jesus saves, sanctifies and calls us to live a holy life. Pastor Smith and Pastor Teny work to get this message out to those who will hear