CCOK301, Author at Christian Church in Oklahoma

March 23, 2020: Retired Ministers Gathering CANCELED

This meeting has been canceled. We hope to gather later in the year.

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Dear Retired Clergy Friends,

The next gathering of the Retired Ministers Fellowship will take place on Monday, March 23, 2020 at 10:30am. We hope you’ll join us at Southern Hills Christian Church located at 3207 S. Boulevard, Edmond, OK. Please plan to join us for lunch following the meeting. The lunch location will be announced at the meeting.

Our meetings are primarily fellowship, and occasionally a program. David Hockensmith will provide an update on the Moral Injury ministry in Oklahoma.

We are working toward several gatherings each year and want to invite you to participate. We are imagining these gatherings to be three times per year: one in the OKC area, one in the Tulsa area, and one alternating between Stroud and Enid.

Future 2020 gatherings will be:

Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at Christian Church of the Covenant located at 1205 S. Cleveland, Enid

Please make your reservation through the Regional Office by contacting Ellen Beer, Exec. Assistant at (405) 528-3577 (M-Th 8:30 am-4:30 pm) or emailing ebeer@okdisciples.org. Spouses and friends are welcome to join.

We look forward to seeing you!

Rev. Bill Shields                              Regional Minister Rev. Pam Holt
(405) 820-5693                                (940) 327-9282
blshields@aol.com                          pholt@okdisciples.org

CCOK3012020-03-18T13:43:31-05:00Mar 3, 2020|Clergy News|Comments Off

July 26-31, 2020: Association of Disciple Musicians Conference at University of Tulsa

Save the date for the 2020 Association of Disciple Musicians (ADM) Conference at the University of Tulsa. Click HERE for more information.

CCOK3012020-03-02T13:03:33-06:00Mar 2, 2020|Local Events|Comments Off

2020 Easter Special Offering

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24 NRSV

Across the United States, Canada, and beyond, Disciples are rejoicing in all that the Lord has made. This Easter, we rejoice together as one Church, as the One Body of Christ. We rejoice in all that we accomplish together, and the work God accomplishes through us.

Let us rejoice that the Easter offering, through Disciples Mission Fund, makes ministry possible. Through the general ministries of our Church, lives are changed and our world is transformed. Will you rejoice with us and give to this special day offering?

This Easter season, let us rejoice in all the ways our wider Church embodies the Spirit of Resurrection, through life-giving ministry.

Easter Special Offering is received in most congregations on April 5 & 12, 2020. You may read more about Easter Special Offering and find additional resources at https://disciplesmissionfund.org/special-offerings/easter/

Please click here to give online.

CCOK3012020-03-03T09:54:51-06:00Mar 2, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Regional Assembly/Leadership Training School Registration Opens! CANCELED

This event has been canceled.

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Registration Now Open!

It’s time to register for Regional Assembly and select your workshops for Leadership Training School. You’ll find details about all the activities including our Friday evening all-assembly dinner, our guest preacher, an excellent offering of workshops for laity and clergy, plus a ton of fun things to do in Enid. It all takes place at Central Christian Church Enid on April 24-25, 2020.

Get connected with Disciples from all across Oklahoma!

Learn More!

CCOK3012020-03-18T13:44:59-05:00Feb 27, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

March 17, 2020: John Dear to Speak at Edmond Trinity Christian Church

Please join Edmond Trinity Christian Church (located at 1400 NW 178th St. Edmond, Oklahoma) on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. to hear John Dear, long-time peace activist speak on his new book, Praise Be Peace: Psalms of Peace col Nonviolence in a Time of War and Climate Change. It is a collection of meditations on the anti-war, pro-peace psalms, and the psalms that celebrate creation, as a way to ground ourselves in faith and trust in the God of peace during these times of war and climate change.

Dear has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, including by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Dear has been arrested 75 times in acts of civil disobedience against war and nuclear weapons. He has lived in El Salvador, Guatemala and Northern Ireland and traveled in war zones across the world, including Iraq, Palestine, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Colombia.

Dear has written 37 books, including The Nonviolent Life and his autobiography, A Persistent Peace. He is a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Monterey, California and serves as Outreach Coordinator of Pace e Bene [Peace + All Good].

Dear’s talk will be free and open to the public. Registration is not required. For more information, contact Rev. Don Heath at (405) 823-8511 or disciples@edmondtrinity.org.

CCOK3012020-02-26T13:05:42-06:00Feb 26, 2020|Congregations|Comments Off

Does Your Church Need Free Pews? New Hope Christian Church Has 12 Available For Donation!

New Hope Christian Church is completing a renovation of their worship space. The church is replacing their pews with sanctuary chairs. They have 12 pews available for donation to another congregation. The pews are in good condition and measure 12 feet in length. Each pew has two hymnal racks and card pockets. Any congregation interested in acquiring these pews should contact New Hope Christian Church to take a look at them and/ or to make arrangements to pick them up. You may contact the church at 405-691-5366 or email at newhopeccokc@sbcglobal.net

CCOK3012020-02-27T14:39:56-06:00Feb 26, 2020|Congregations|Comments Off

July 10 – 12, 2020: Disciples Men Gathering at the TCU Campus

Every four years, the Disciples Men of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) gather to pray, teach, support, fellowship and care for one another so that they may return home impassioned and uplifted; moved by the Holy Sprit; ready to lift their churches and their ministries through the grace, power and wisdom of Jesus Christ.

Please plan to join the Disciples Men for the next event on July 10-12, 2020 on the TCU Campus in Ft Worth, Texas.

Schedule of Events

Friday, July 10:
2:00 – 6:00       Registration (TCU Campus Housing Office)
6:00 – 7:00       Dinner (Cafeteria)
7:30 – 9:00       Rally – Auditorium – Keynote – Rick Lowery / Music by Dan Phelps and John Malget

Saturday, July 11:
7:30 – 8:45 Breakfast
9:00 – 9:45 Bible Study – Warren Carter
10:00 – 10:45 Workshops

1) Wounded Warrior (to be assigned)
2) Week of Compassion (Caroline Hamilton-Arnold)
3) Male Spirituality – Paul Koch (Coke)

11:00 – 11:45 Workshops

1) Wounded Warrior (to be assigned)
2) Week of Compassion (Caroline Hamilton-Arnold)
3) Male Spirituality – Paul Koch (Coke)

12:00 – 1:30 Lunch
2:00 – 2:45 Santiago Pinon
3:00 – 4:30 Small Groups and Snacks
4:30 – 6:00 Reflection Time
6:00– 7:00 Dinner
7:15 – 8:30 Music – Business – Keynote – Rick Lowery

Sunday, July 12:
8:30 – 8:15 Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 Worship in the Chapel – Rick Lowery
Click HERE to read about the speakers and to register.

CCOK3012021-06-24T13:38:01-05:00Feb 18, 2020|Disciples Men|Comments Off

Anti-Racism and Healthy Boundaries Online Course

Cultivating Wellness: Anti-Racism and Healthy Boundaries for Clergy & Congregations

Online Two-Week Course from Lexington Theological Seminary

March 16-29, 2020

Work at your own pace in your home or office

Professors: Dr. Yvonne Martinez Thomas and Rev. April Johnson

Tuition: $60 (50% scholarship for LTS alumni)
Registration Fee: $65
Technology Support Fee: $30

Apply

Contact Admissions with Questions: Erin Cash (859) 280-1249

Course Description

This half-credit, two week online course will help to further equip clergy for pastoral leadership across ministry settings by addressing issues pertaining to boundaries and racism in the Church. The goal of the course is to facilitate authentic fellowship and communication with God’s people in congregational and denominational life. It is also intended to help students and clergy meet standing requirements regarding healthy boundaries and anti-racism.

The call to ordained ministry continues to be recognized by many persons to be a blessed and consecrated call. People of all ages, educational backgrounds, employment histories, and socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds continue to hear and respond to the call to ordained ministry and to para-church and faith-based organizations, social /community agencies, heath care institutions, among others. Yet, many clergy feel unprepared for meeting the myriad of challenges they face as they lead congregations during times heightened by social, cultural, and religious change Therefore, the establishment and maintenance of healthy boundaries within diverse ministry contexts become an integral part of cultivating clergy wellness and congregational heath.

Moreover, racism, considered to be America’s original sin[1], has left an indelible mark on the soul of America, its people, and the Church. The importance of clergy, pastoral leadership, and congregations to grasp the gravity and severity of racism in one’s personal life, relationship with others, and with God is paramount to co-creatinghealthy anti-racist congregations that seek to heal the people of God and dismantle the racist structures that exist in society and in the Church.

[1] Jim Wallis, America’s Original Sin: Racism. White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, (Michigan, Brazos Press, 2016), xix-xxv.

CCOK3012020-02-17T10:06:12-06:00Feb 17, 2020|Clergy News, PRAR|Comments Off

Disciples4Water Helping Solve the World Water Crisis

What is Disciples4Water?

Disciples4Water is a Christ-centered ministry that is committed to solving the water crisis, one water well at a time. Disciples4Water helps to create clean drinking water resources in remote locations in the Congo that are in critical need for clean water. First Christian Church Edmond saw a great need to help the Disciples of Christ members in the Congo develop a plan for clean drinking water, so Disciples4Water was created.

In a world where 780 million people lack access to clean drinking water, the creation of water well drilling teams consisting of local citizens brings hope, pride and a source of income to the community. By equipping these drill teams with the tools and skills they require to bring clean water to a population, Disciples4Water are doing more than just giving water to those in need.

By recognizing those education, healthcare and agriculture needs that are associated with a critical need for water, the mission teams can focus projects that solve more than just the singular water problem in an area.

Disciples4Water establishes, trains and supports local teams of water well drillers dedicated to providing clean water in the Democratic Republic of Congo. D4W also supports water-related healthcare, education and agriculture projects through direct funding and in-kind donations. Through the coordination of mission trips with church partners, D4W are able to show donors the impact of their dollars in the Congo.

If you feel led to participate or donate to this ministry, click HERE to read more.

CCOK3012020-02-13T13:40:02-06:00Feb 13, 2020|Congregations|Comments Off

We Love Our Donors!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The 2019 End of Year Giving Reports indicate you care about your Region!

At the end of 2018, you may remember that the Regional Board had to make some very difficult financial decisions which included a reduction in staff. These decisions were primarily due to the downward trend in congregational giving through Disciples Mission Fund. As we reported out about the drastic changes in the Region’s budget and made congregations and clergy aware of their giving patterns, you all responded.

The 2019 End of Year Giving Reports reveal congregational giving through Disciples Mission Fund exceeded the Region’s budgeted amount. Individual and congregational giving to the 2019 Annual Fund exceeded the Region’s budgeted amount. The 2019 Christmas Offering exceeded the budgeted amount. Wow!

With your excellent stewardship, the Regional Executive Committee is proposing to give 10% of this generosity to “missions of the Region” and to set up a reserve fund to do some creative ministries in the future and to help the Regional Office relocate in the next two years. For starters, the Region has invested in 2020 Stewardship materials and resources from the Center For Faith & Giving for every congregation in Oklahoma to have access.

Thank you for caring about the Region who cares about you and your mission and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in our Region and beyond!!

Peace & God’s Grace,

Rev. Pamela Holt, Regional Minister

CCOK3012020-02-11T09:55:08-06:00Feb 11, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

CCOK301

About CCOK301

This event has been canceled.

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Registration Now Open!

Cultivating Wellness: Anti-Racism and Healthy Boundaries for Clergy & Congregations

Online Two-Week Course from Lexington Theological Seminary

March 16-29, 2020

Professors: Dr. Yvonne Martinez Thomas and Rev. April Johnson

Course Description