CCOK301, Author at Christian Church in Oklahoma

Thank You for Supporting the Region’s 2020 Spring Annual Fund

On behalf of the Regional Board, thank you for remembering the Regional Church in your generous giving to the 2020 Spring Annual Fund. We celebrate that your gifts helped the Region reach 53% of its Annual Fund goal! The Regional Church depends upon your faithful giving to strengthen the ministry to clergy and congregations throughout the Region of Oklahoma, and our next appeal will launch in October.

While all of our in-person events have either been postponed or canceled until 2021, the Region has offered several events and meetings virtually: Vacation Bible School and Camp & Conference, Area Clergy meetings, and Commission meetings. We are grateful for your gifts to allow the Region to invest in the technology to keep us connected.

The first Virtual Regional Assembly will be on Saturday, September 26, 2020. We will be providing opportunities to gather on-line for learning, worship, and business. Registration opens soon. We hope you will join us as we unite as Disciples of Christ in Oklahoma.

In this unprecedented and extraordinary season of COVID-19, we give thanks for your health. We are deeply grateful for your congregation as it continues to gather either on-line or in-person for worship, and for your continued ministry into the community in the name of Jesus. Let all you do be done in love.

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong, and may God’s blessing of protection, courage, and grace continue to be upon you.

Peace & God’s Grace,

Pam Holt Signature

Regional Minister, Pam Holt

CCOK3012021-06-24T13:37:39-05:00Aug 11, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

New Covenant Youth Work Day at Oklahoma Regional Office

The Regional Office received a surprise gift last month when the youth from Oklahoma City New Covenant Christian Church arrived at the Regional Office with tools to trim the very overgrown shrubs! A big thank you to the youth and sponsors from OKC NCCC who spent their day cleaning up the flower beds at the Oklahoma Regional Office. We really appreciate your servant’s hearts. Thank you for blessing us with your time and energy on such a hot day!

CCOK3012020-08-11T21:01:38-05:00Aug 3, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Upcoming Ministry Training Classes at Phillips Center for Ministry and Lay Training

Phillips Center for Ministry and Lay Training is excited to offer the upcoming Ministry Training Course Offerings. Click HERE to see the full course catalog and details on how to enroll.

20/21 Session 2: August 17 – October 11, 2020

Theology, Dr. Trish Greeves
Spiritual Development, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian
Communication, Kurt Gwartney, M.Div.
United Church of Christ History and Polity, Rev. Margot Pickett

20/21 Session 3: October 12 – December 6, 2020

Mission of the Church, Rev. David Avery
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Dr. Lisa Davison
Conflict Utilization, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian
Disciples History and Polity, MTP Adjunct Faculty

20/21 Session 4: January 4 – February 28, 2021

Church History, Rev. Jerry Albright
Evangelism, Dr. Bill Tenny-Brittian
Worship, CMLT Adjunct Faculty
20/21 Session 5: February 15 – April 11, 2021
Overview of the Bible, Dr. Alex Ruth
Christian Ethics, Dr. George Flanagan
Introduction to the New Testament, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian
Disciples History and Polity, CMLT Adjunct Faculty

20/21 Session 6: March 29 – May 23, 2021

Pastoral Care, Rev. Darrell Vandervort
Church Administration and Planning, Dr. John Bracke
Ecumenism, CMLT Adjunct Faculty

CCOK3012020-07-28T10:50:53-05:00Jul 28, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Register to Attend: Stewardship in a Time of Crisis

The Oklahoma Disciples Foundation is excited to host Rev. Barkhauer (co-host) for two one-hour live video presentations on August 17 and August 18. Pick the day and time most convenient for you: Monday, August 17, 2020 at 7 p.m. Central Time, or Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 11 a.m. Central Time.

Pre-registration is required. You must provide your name, church and email so we can email you a link to the Zoom video presentation. There is no cost to participate. Gather your stewardship committee members and logon to learn. (A computer or laptop with a camera is necessary to participate in the Zoom conference.)

Click HERE to register.

How should churches make an annual appeal during 2020? How can the church connect with members while practicing social distancing? People have lost income, so is now an appropriate time for the church to ask for money? What’s next in church finance? How do we prepare?

If you are a pastor or member of a congregation asking these questions, you won’t want to miss a live opportunity to hear Center of Faith and Giving Director Rev. Bruce A. Barkhauer’s take on “Stewardship in a Time of Crisis.” It will be a time of helpful and faithful conversation, questions and suggestions as we examine how to think and talk about stewardship during this global pandemic. Discussion will also provide suggestions for the best use of the “Faithful, Hopeful and Loving” materials provided by the Oklahoma Region as well as how your community of faith can maximize or “start” an electronic giving program.

Over the years, Rev. Barkhauer has graciously traveled to Oklahoma to make various stewardship presentations in conjunction with the Foundation. If you haven’t heard him speak, you’re missing out. Rev. Barkhauer brings creative energy to his presentations and shares real life examples with sometimes-humorous undercurrents.

Rev. Barkhauer was called as the first “Minister for Faith and Giving for Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)” in 2010. For 25 years, he led congregations in Ohio and Indiana in achieving high levels of financial support for local and global missions. He is a noted speaker, educator, consultant and writer.

“His energy, vision and entrepreneurial spirit enhance gifts in both business and ministry,” according to the Center of Faith and Giving website. “He brings a biblical based understanding about stewardship combined with theological integrity and weds them to the current trends and best practices related to spirituality and money.”

We hope to see you there!

CCOK3012020-08-12T14:11:44-05:00Jul 27, 2020|Clergy News|Comments Off

2020 Virtual Regional Assembly

Virtual Regional Assembly is scheduled for September 26, 2020. Congregations will soon receive important information on selecting delegates and registration by mail.

In 60 Days of Faith for Women, Rev. Cameron Trimble writes: I have no sense of direction. That should probably alarm you since I am a pilot. Because of this, I get lost quite a bit unless I am using my GSP to guide me to my destination. I usually just end up on small detours, though occasionally I can find myself way off course.

I used to get anxious about these deviations and would carefully follow my GPS for themes direct route from point A to point B. But soon I found myself missing the adventure that comes with not being entirely sure of where you are going. I realized that I saw more awake, more aware, and more curious about the journey when I wasn’t certain I was on the proven path. I had the potential of flying a new route that no one else had traversed before. It’s the subtle shift from being a follower to being an explorer–and it’s the only path I know to a fulfilling life.

Author Martha Beck once said, “A good Wayfinder is someone who’s comfortable losing the way.”

Given all of the challenges we face as a community, especially . . . with a pandemic threatening people we love in mighty forces, when the safety of our children is at stake by a potential return to school mandate, when the need for justice around systemic racism rises to protests, when the poor are run out of resources, when divisiveness is so prevalent, when the medical community is putting their lives and families at risk to save our lives, it seems we are being issued a new call to adventure. We must chart an original path forward to a sustainable future. We don’t have any templates for getting us there — no one has figured this out yet — so it’s up to us to get comfortable feeling lost while we find our way.

Where should we begin on this adventure? We could be anxious. We could be paralyzed. Or, we could be courageous. How about fixing our eyes upon Jesus?

Our 2020 Virtual Regional Assembly will focus on a few verses from Luke 4. This scripture was chosen for our Regional Assembly almost a year ago, and it seems ever more relevant today as we weather the storms in this unprecedented and extraordinary season.

Here’s what it says. Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been raised. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
God’s Spirit is upon me;
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s time to shine!”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”

Jesus, delivering this inaugural sermon in Nazareth, had every eye fixed on him, in awe! In awe!

Jesus had something to say to the people gathered. Jesus had something urgent for them to hear and see. I wonder what Jesus just revealed. I am not sure it was just the words from Isaiah.

In this unprecedented time and extraordinary season that we are living in, it is easy to lose sight of Jesus and what Jesus comes to reveal. It is so easy to lose our way. How do we keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Jesus, in awe?

Join us virtually on September 26, 2020 at the Regional Assembly to find out more!

Always Picking Up the Peaces,
Pam Holt Signature
Pam Holt

Footnotes:
Rev. Cameron Trimble, 60 Days of Faith for Women: A Devotional to Deepen Gratitude, Praise, and Prayer. Emeryville, California: Rockridge Press, 2020. p. 76.

Quoted scripture is from The Message, interpreted by The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II from We Are Called to be a Movement. New York, NY: Workan Publishing Co., Inc. 2020. pp. 4-6.

CCOK3012020-07-16T09:38:51-05:00Jul 15, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Join NBA for a Virtual Seminar Where Faith Meets Social Good

National Benevolent Association (NBA) invites social entrepreneurs and Disciples who want to learn more about the world of Social Enterprise to our virtual SENT Seminar. Participants will experience online education on the importance of impactful work in our communities and lessons on how to plant and grow new faith-rooted social enterprises.

Topics Covered:
• Fundraising 101
• How to Build a Board
• Church and Social Impact
• The ‘Why’ of Faith-Rooted Social Enterprise
• Congregations Pivoting for Social Impact
• Social Service vs. Social justice
• Communication Strategy

Join us online for the Virtual SENT Seminar, Sept. 16–18, 2020. Register HERE

For more information, contact Rev. Darnell Fennell, Director of Social Entrepreneurship, DFennell@NBAcares.org, (314) 993-9000 ext. 6845

CCOK3012020-06-30T13:51:16-05:00Jun 30, 2020|Congregations|Comments Off

Western Oaks Christian Church Receives Award From Oklahoma State Department of Health

Congratulations to Western Oaks Christian Church for receiving the “Certified Excellence” award from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. We congratulate you on your award and accomplishment to become a certified healthy congregation. Thank you for going above and beyond to serve your church and community.

CCOK3012020-06-30T10:30:56-05:00Jun 30, 2020|Congregations|Comments Off

Aug. 15, 2020: National Convocation of the Christian Church Virtual Business Session

I am sure that you are well aware that out of concern for the health and well-being of our constituents, the 2020 EXPERIENCE IT’S REAL! had to be postponed to 2022. The work of the National Convocation goes on. Our Executive Committee and Board of Trustees have been meeting and making plans to handle our business. We are in the process of planning a Virtual 26^th Biennial Business Session on August 15, 2020. We want to handle our business for 2020 in order to keep moving forward.

Event: 2020 Virtual 26th Biennial Business Session
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2020
Time: 11am – 1pm – central time
Where: Online – Zoom Meeting

We do have several pertinent items on the agenda. At the Virtual Biennial Business Session, we will want to:
a. Install new Officers;
b. Install new At-Large Members;
c. Receive the Strategic Plan and Vision Statement;
d. Approve the Amendments to the Articles of Operation;
e. Receive the Advisory Committee report;
f. Receive the Nominating Committee report;
g. and receive the Time & Place Report.

Once you registered for the 2020 Virtual 26th Biennial Business Session, you will receive an email with more information, including the materials you need to review before the meeting. Registration is now open.

If you have questions or need assistance email Brenda Rossy at brossy@disciples.org

CCOK3012020-06-23T12:41:40-05:00Jun 23, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Which Story Will You Choose?

Dear Friends in Ministry,

Thank you for serving as a minister in the Region of Oklahoma! I am always grateful for your pastoral presence, your leadership, and your faithfulness especially in the last few months. I know you all are physically, mentally, and spiritually weary from all that you have had to do to transition to on-line worship. And yet, you are still hopeful, encouraging, and caring for your flock in amazing, creative ways. While I highly recommend some down time for rest and re-creation, I also realize this weekend is bringing another round of anxiety, especially in Tulsa.

The Presidential Rally is headed to Tulsa. Hundreds of thousands of people will be attending this Presidential Rally. My mind and heart cannot even fathom the timing of this event on Saturday, June 20th, for a couple of reasons. June 19th is the celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Tulsa’s history includes one of the worst race massacres in history in 1921. I also am having a difficult time imagining all the people already arriving in Tulsa expecting to stay in hotels and eating. Yes, the economy will receive a boost with sales. Yes, the protests will be significant, extensive, and maybe tumultuous, despite all efforts to be peaceful. Unfortunately, the biggest attender of this event will be Covid-19.

The Digital Poor People’s Campaign is also on Saturday, June 20th. This campaign is a movement of tens of of thousands of people across our nation who will be participating safely from their own homes. This campaign seeks to end the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, militarism and the war economy, ecological devastation, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. The Poor People’s Campaign needs our presence, our voice of advocacy, and our dollars to make a difference in our fragmented world.

I do not wish to tell you what to choose because both are important each in their own way. But I do wish to share that my family and I are participating in the Poor People’s Campaign. I am participating in this campaign because I want to stand with and advocate FOR our most vulnerable neighbors, the millions of poor and low-income people, with my presence and my dollars. These people are blessed, they matter to me and my family, and I believe our voices matter more in this movement.

We are certainly in a holy and historical season of uncertainty, deep grief, and hope. I continue to pray mightily for each and every one of you, your families, your church members, your community, our Region. As we rise strong to follow a call to action for justice, may God’s love, peace, and grace continue to surround us and speak through our voices.

Peace & God’s Grace,

P.S. If you would like to participate in the June 20 Digital Poor People’s Campaign, here is a link for more information. The Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington

CCOK3012020-06-18T09:29:29-05:00Jun 18, 2020|Clergy News, Pamela Holt Blog|Comments Off

Remembering Rev. Dr. Robert (Bob) Elliott

Former Associate Regional Minister Rev. Bob Elliott Passes Away

Rev. Dr. Robert (Bob) M. Elliott died on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. He was 96 years young! Bob was born March 31, 1924, in Independence, KS to Paul and Minnie Elliott. He graduated from Phillips University with a BA degree in 1946, received his Bachelor of Divinity from Phillips Seminary in 1952, and was granted an Honorary Doctorate by Phillips University in 1972.

He was ordained to the ministry at First Christian Church, Independence KS, in 1946. He served as Associate Regional Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma for 33 years after serving churches in Indianapolis, IN, Okmulgee, OK and Enid ,OK.

After retirement, he served as President of The Interfaith Alliance and as Secretary of the United Nations Association, both in Oklahoma City. He established the Oklahoma Institute for Biblical Literacy Foundation in 2009, serving as its President in 2013.

His greatest legacy is his family: Harriette Folk Elliott, his beloved late wife of 68 years from Sand Springs OK; son Robert Michael (Mary) of Chickasha, OK; son Dennis Lee of Guthrie, OK; daughter Kay Elaine of Denver, CO; and son Brian Alan (Myrna) of Oklahoma City; grandchildren Jan Norwood, Samarea (Kevin) Webb, Nicholas (Gina) Elliott, Aaron (Felicia) Elliott, Meagan Elliott, Hannah Elliott and Kathryn Elliott; great grandchildren Kristofer Norwood, Seth (Macy) Norwood, Ethan Norwood, Casee Norwood, Tristan Norwood, April Webb, Ethan Elliott, Oliver Elliott, Uriah Elliott, Iris Elliott, Suhkna Sankhare, Evans Frassine, and Corbin Elliott; and great-great grandchildren Elizabeth, Remington and Rhyder Norwood. Additionally, he is survived by his brother, Gerald Elliott, of Fort Scott, KS.

Service arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) at this link or to the charity of the donor’s choice.