Come sail with us! We would love to have you and your family join us on the 2024 Assembly at Sea for Oklahoma Disciples. This is a unique opportunity for fun, fellowship, and worship! You can find all the information here. And, you may locally contact Jacqueline Bass at 405-740-2462 . She will be delighted to help you get registered.
2024 OK Regional Assembly on a Cruise Ship!
Come sail with us! We would love to have you and your family join us on the 2024 Assembly at Sea for Oklahoma Disciples. This 4-day Caribbean cruise sailing from Galveston, TX July 11-15, 2024 is a unique opportunity for fun, fellowship, and worship! You can find all the information on the Regional Assembly website https://okdisciples.org/2024-regional-assembly-at-sea. And, locally you may contact Jacqueline Bass at 405-740-2462. She will be delighted to help you get registered.
Join Oklahoma Disciples for 2024 Regional Assembly on a 4-day Caribbean cruise July 11-15, 2024 sailing from Galveston, TX. Make your deposit today! Regional Assembly at Sea
Regional Assembly at Sea
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2024 RA logo – .pdf
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Oklahoma Regional Logo
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The Easter Offering supports General Ministries of the Church. General ministries serve across the United States and Canada, and around the world including the following:
General Ministries also partner in ministry with a variety of far-reaching and unique organizations. Congregations collect this special offering April 2 & 9, 2023. You may donate online here.
Over the years, the sense of the Disciples of Christ assemblies have opposed the death penalty. Here are the Resolutions from past general assemblies: 0324, 9131, 8554, 7534, 7344.
Learn more about the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty on Facebook or on the OK-CADP website.
Oklahoma currently has 25 people on Death Row. Executions are scheduled for the next 25 months, and their names are listed below. Copied from Death Penalty Information Center.
James Coddington (August 25, 2022; Oklahoma County) experienced poverty, trauma, and abuse from the time he was born. He has severe mental illness and drug addiction, and immediately expressed profound remorse for killing a friend while in the throes of a crack-cocaine binge. Executed on August 25, as scheduled. Executed August 25, 2022
Richard Glossip (September 22, 2022; Oklahoma County – Rescheduled to May 18, 2023) maintains his innocence in the 1997 murder-for-hire of Barry Van Treese. An independent investigation found that police urged the perpetrator to say Glossip paid him to kill Van Treese. A box of evidence was destroyed, at the order of Oklahoma County prosecutors, before Glossip’s second trial.
Benjamin Cole (October 20, 2022; Rogers County) has brain damage and has been diagnosed with severe and chronic schizophrenia with catatonia. His attorneys have initiated proceedings to have him declared incompetent to be executed. Executed October 20, 2022
Richard Fairchild (November 17, 2022; Oklahoma County) experienced repeated head trauma as a teenager and has schizoaffective disorder. Evidence of his brain damage, which impaired his impulse control, was never presented to his jury. Executed November 17, 2022
John Hanson (December 15, 2022; Tulsa County) has multiple mental illnesses, brain damage, and autism. He was manipulated by his co-defendant, whose death sentence was overturned and is now serving a life sentence.
Scott Eizember (January 12, 2023; Canadian County) Executed January 12, 2023
Jemaine Cannon (March 9, 2023; Tulsa County. Rescheduled to July 20, 2023) was allowed to represent himself at trial, despite his severe mental illness.
Anthony Sanchez (April 6, 2023; Cleveland County, Rescheduled to September 21, 2023)
Phillip Hancock (May 4, 2023; Oklahoma County. Rescheduled to November 30, 2023) says he killed in self-defense, but his trial court refused to admit evidence relevant to his self-defense claim. His trial judge has been disqualified from multiple criminal cases due to her pro-prosecution bias.
James Ryder (June 1, 2023; Pittsburg County) has untreated paranoid schizophrenia. His jury heard no evidence of his illness, even though his delusions directly contributed to the crime. The District Attorney says that if she had known how severely mentally ill Ryder was, she would not have sought a death sentence.
Michael Smith (July 6, 2023; Oklahoma County) has lifelong documented intellectual disability, but was denied a hearing on the issue. He was 19 years old at the time of his arrest.
Wade Lay (August 3, 2023; Tulsa County) has schizophrenia, but his trial judge allowed him to represent himself without ever having him evaluated by mental health professionals.
Richard Rojem (October 5, 2023; Washington County)
Emmanuel Littlejohn (November 2, 2023; Oklahoma County) has lifelong brain damage as a result of his mother’s alcohol and drug abuse while pregnant. His jury did not hear evidence of his brain damage or his childhood of neglect and trauma.
Kevin Underwood (December 7, 2023; Cleveland County) has autism spectrum disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and bipolar II disorder, none of which were presented to the jury.
Wendell Grissom (January 11, 2024; Blaine County) has severe brain damage resulting from oxygen deprivation at birth and traumatic brain injuries during childhood. His brain damage affects his impulses and explosive behaviors, causing an otherwise non-violent person to commit a single crime for which he immediately showed great remorse.
Tremane Wood (February 8, 2024; Oklahoma County) was represented by an attorney who was addicted to cocaine, alcohol, and prescription pills at the time he represented Wood. The attorney presented no evidence in Wood’s defense. Wood was a lesser participant in a murder committed by his older brother, who confessed to the crime and is serving a life sentence.
Kendrick Simpson (March 7, 2024; Oklahoma County) has PTSD as a result of the trauma he experienced as a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. His trial court refused to admit evidence of his mental illness.
Raymond Johnson (May 2, 2024; Tulsa County) “is a devout Christian whose Indiana church deeply values his role in the life of their congregation.”
Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez (June 6, 2024; Oklahoma County) experienced sexual abuse, poverty, and homelessness during his childhood in Cuba, leaving him with PTSD and brain damage.
James Pavatt (July 11, 2024; Oklahoma County) is an 18-year Air Force veteran with no prior criminal record before the crime for which he was sentenced to death, where it is disputed whether he or his co-defendant was the shooter.
Clarence Goode, Jr. (August 8, 2024; Tulsa County) was sentenced to death while his co-defendants, who may have been the actual shooters, received life sentences.
Ronson Bush (September 5, 2024; Grady County)
Alfred Mitchell (October 3, 2024; Oklahoma County)
Marlon Harmon (December 5, 2024; Oklahoma County) was neglected and sexually abused during his childhood. His victim’s family did not want the death penalty, but prosecutors intentionally kept that information from the jury.
Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee, and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
Offering Collected February 19 – 26, 2023
Please give generously at your congregation or online at Week of Compassion.
“Yet it is because I remember all this
that I have hope
YHWH’s favor is not exhausted
nor has God’s compassion failed.
They RISE UP ANEW each morning,
so great is God’s faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:12-13, The Inclusive Bible)
Welcome to 2023! The Regional Church has adopted a new and fresh logo and we want to explain its meaning.
While the State of Oklahoma continues to symbolize the Oklahoma Regional Church, it is now encased in a circle, representing the liturgical calendar, or the circle of life, or the world.
The Disciples of Christ chalice symbolizes Jesus’ invitation to all to come feast at the table of grace and forgiveness, and our covenant with one another love all of God’s creation and to do this ministry to which we are called together. It also represents a symbol of unity amidst diversity.
The colored ribbon or sash, carried through the chalice and throughout the state, symbolizes the story of the church through the liturgical seasons of the church year: purple for the seasons of “preparation”, white/gold for the “high holy days” at Christmas and Easter, red for “Pentecost” or moments where the Holy Spirit moves, and green for “ordinary time.”
The scissortail symbolizes both Oklahoma as well as a spreader of song and peace throughout Oklahoma and beyond into the world.
Our new logo was designed by Imagist Ink, owned by an Oklahoma Disciples of Christ member, Jamie Bramble, from Simplicity Church in Oklahoma City.
This logo is more colorful than our previous logo, and it is designed to tell a story. You will see this new logo on our website, the Regional Roundup, OK letterhead, and even on Clergy Standing Cards!
Crisis Care Ministries is hosting a four-part series to help congregations navigating changes that have led to decline and significant loss, Embracing God’s Future without Forgetting the Past: A Conversation about Loss, Grief, and Nostalgia in Congregational Life.
The four free, hour-long webinars focus on ways clergy, church staff and lay leaders can work through these experiences with the congregation. Registration is now open for the first session on Tuesday, January 17th at 10:00 am CT. (sessions will be recorded)
By Ron Patrick
President, Men’s Discipleship Council
A new Men’s Discipleship Council (MDC) was approved by the Disciples Home Mission Board. This new organizational structure allows us to bring together a reasonably sized group of people to develop and promote the ministries of Disciples Men with a greater diversity of perspectives.
The General Conference of Disciples Men (GCDM) is the long standing program arm of the Office of Disciples Men. The GCDM consisted of the President of Disciples Men for each Region and the Regional staff person responsible for Men’s Ministries in each of the Regions. The Director(s) of the Office of Disciples Men served as ex officio members. The GCDM was led by an Executive Committee made up of elected officers and appointed representatives from National Convocation, Obra Hisipana, and North American/Pacific/Asian Disciples (NAPAD).
Over the years fewer and fewer regions have maintained functioning Disciples Men’s groups at the regional level, and many regions do not have a staff person assigned to resource Disciples Men. To be effective a new approach was required.
These realities, along with the COVID pandemic, prompted the Executive Committee of GCDM to gather for a retreat in March 2022 to discern and develop a new structure for Men’s Ministries in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The new Men’s Discipleship Council is the result of that effort.
This new organizational structure allows us to bring together a reasonably sized group of people to develop and promote the ministries of Disciples Men with a greater diversity of perspectives. The new Men’s Discipleship Council (MDC) was approved by the Disciples Home Mission Board at its November 2022 meeting.
Each of the five Regional geographic clusters will have three representatives on the MDC (no more than on person from each Regional cluster to be a clergy person). In keeping with our prior structure, National Convocation, Obra Hisipana, and NAPAD will each have two dedicated seats on the MDC. It is our intention to fill the 15 cluster representative seats with men who also represent the diversity in leadership priority of the DOC. In addition, there will be one dedicated seat for an indigenous representative nominated by the Center for Indigenous Ministries.
The Executive Committee of the GCDM also wanted to ensure that the MDC was intentionally including perspectives from across the denomination.
We hope this new structure will enhance the ministry of Disciples Men, but also be a support to the wider church.
The Five Touchstones of Disciples Men (loving, serving, faithful, compassionate, and Christ-like) are the foundation upon which the Men’s Discipleship Council will develop its ministries.
Click here to get a copy of the new organizational structure.
Disciples Men is a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and proud to be a part of Disciples Home Mission.
By Regional Minister Pamela Holt
Because November 1st fell on a Tuesday this year, many Disciples in Oklahoma celebrated All Saint’s Day on October 30th or November 6th. Thank you for remembering those saints in your midst who have walked this journey before you and alongside you.
The Regional Church also celebrates All Saint’s Day by remembering our clergy who have gone before us this last year. We keep a library of these faithful servants on our website. These saints said “yes!” to the call of God to serve vocationally. These saints planted seeds of faith formation over the years and found great joy in preaching, teaching, caring, and offering God’s forgiveness and grace around many tables. They also presided at funerals and officiated weddings, and baptized many. We remember and give thanks.
This past week, I had the privilege of preaching at Yale Avenue Christian Church in Tulsa. I took the opportunity to invite us to also be “saints” with a story from my journal. I do not know the original source.
I learned about a congregation who took their Halloween celebration and tied it to a celebration of All Saint’s Day in a little bit different way. The did this by inviting everyone to come to church on Sunday morning dressed as their favorite saint. St. Paul was there, as well as Saint Francis. Saint Nicholas made an appearance, and Saint John the Baptist showed up too, with his head on a platter!
Then there were those who did not follow the instructions at all. Or maybe, they just had a better understanding of what the word “saint” means. There were a couple of cowboys present, and many people came dressed in the costumes of nurses and doctors, constructions workers and policemen, firefighters and even a politician. One even dressed up as a minister.
At the end of the party awards were given out to those with the best costumes, and then everyone was given a glittery halo to wear. Made with Christmas tinsel, they were beautiful things that hovered over every person’s head just like the real thing might. And then everyone marched into the church sanctuary and took their place for a time of worship with their halos bobbing and swaying and sparkling in the light of candles. The minister wrote, “I was amazed at how funny and eerie and even beautiful this all looked. There were all kinds of people there, from all the different times and places on earth, and binding them all together, making them one, were those delicate, beautiful halos, linking each person with the others and everyone there with all God’s saints in all times and places.”
Saints are not just those in our past who we remember and to whom we are still connected by love. They are also all of us who are baptized, proclaiming Jesus as our Lord & Savior, who gather at the Lord’s Table every week where all are invited to eat the bread and drink from the cup of the new covenant, and who strive every day to love and serve as Jesus. I hope we can recognize our holiness amidst our humanness. It is a thin place to be. Thanks be to God.
You may view those we honor in Oklahoma on our Saints page.
November, 5, 2022
The Regional Board met November 5, 2022 and received reports from the Regional Ministers, Commissions, and ministry partners.
Read Regional Minister Rev. Pamela Holt Report
Read Associate Regional Minister Rev. Michael Davison Report
