It is time for the Southwest Area Disciples Women “Arbuckle Cluster”, quarterly meeting. Join the Disciples Women this Sunday, August 4th at 2pm at the Ardmore El Chico Restaurant.
RSVP is requested. Please contact Donna McCrite (call/text 580-224-1916). The women will begin planning more details about the SW Area Fall Retreat.
You are invited to the annual Northwest Area Disciples Women Missionary Brunch on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at Central Christian Church Fairview. The featured speaker is Linda Sutherlin.
Plan to join the fun and fellowship. As always, women from other areas are welcome to participate.
Dr. Marcia McFee, is the Creator and Visionary of an online worship resource called the Worship Design Studio. She will host a worship planning retreat August 18-21, 2019 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. She takes participants on an immersive learning experience about the liturgical year and helps pastors and worship teams develop an intentional model for designing meaningful and memorable worship experiences. Register Here
Schedule and Agenda:
Sunday evening: THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND THE LITURGICAL YEAR – We’ll lay the groundwork with a look at planning seasonally, team processes, timelines and how to get the most out of your time at this planning retreat.
Monday morning: THE ADVENT/CHRISTMAS/EPIPHANY CYCLE – Make plans to start the liturgical year off with deeply meaningful worship that has people talking about “the best Advent season ever.”
Monday afternoon: THE LENTEN SEASON – This session offers glimpses into the possible depths worship leaders can offer congregations in this poignant season of personal and communal transformation. We will highlight the power of symbols and spiritual practices that flow easily between worship and home, connecting what we do in worship to our daily lives.
Monday night: HOLY WEEK – This will be a one-of-a-kind experience in which the theology of Holy Week will mesh with the message of the Oklahoma City bombing Memorial site–a stunning setting to experience music, poetry, ritual action, and reflection on our commitment to create a more peaceful world.
Tuesday morning: FREE TIME – After four packed sessions, participants will be ready to sleep in, catch up, or perhaps just use the time continuing to plan.
Tuesday afternoon: EASTER CYCLE AND THE DAY OF PENTECOST – This session focuses on ways to enhance festival worship and deepen our practices of communion throughout the year.
Tuesday evening: THE SUNDAYS AFTER PENTECOST – We’ll look at how to manage and plan for this long season, making “ordinary time” extraordinary! The goal here is to spark many, many ideas that pastors and teams can easily develop for the second half of the year.
Wednesday morning: CONTINUING THE PROCESS – Now that participants will have the broad brush strokes planned for the year, this session will help them know what to do when they go home, how to keep the creativity flowing, manage teamwork, and how to get to the nitty-gritty of planning details without falling back into a last-minute rut.
Contact Marcia McFee, Ph.D. with questions. marcia@marciamcfee.com
The livestream participants will be able to follow along as the sessions happen and will be provided with the recordings after the event.
Britton Christian Church Tennis Academy (BCCTA) is so proud of the 12 and Under Junior Team Tennis Team that just returned from the Missouri Valley JTT Championships. The Missouri Valley section of the United States Tennis Association is made up of five states. The BCCTA kids competed for two days and came home with the championship! It was an incredible experience for the children and the sponsors. The USTA was there to do a story on BCCTA because they are an NJTL (National Junior Tennis and Learning) organization. This is the 50th anniversary of the NJTL, started by Arthur Ashe to bring tennis to kids who would not normally get the opportunity to play. You can read the full story on the Britton Christian Church Tennis Academy’s website HERE.
Read more about Britton Christian Church Tennis Academy and their incredible outreach story.
Sr. Minister Ralph Ranney of Memorial Christian Church, OKC has a box of good quality used Stephens Ministry materials to donate. Please call Rev. Ranney at 405-590-6326 to inquire about them. Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.
Mark your calendars for the Oklahoma Disciples Women Fall Retreats 2019. You are welcome to attend any of these events, even if you live in a different area.
Date: September 20-21, 2019
Location: Texoma Christian Camp, 15448 Texoma Christian Camp Road, Kingston, Oklahoma
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Leslie Dotson
Theme: M.A.D. (Making A Difference)
Registration: Click HERE for the registration flyer
Questions? Contact Jessica Tilley 580-618-2046 jessica_m65@hotmail.com
Date: September 27-28, 2019
Location: Central Oklahoma Camp, Guthrie, Oklahoma
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Debi Powell Maxwell
Theme: Our Mountains (based on Psalm 95:4, ‘In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.’)
Registration: Click HERE for the registration flyer
Questions? Contact Wendy Singleton nwaodw@gmail.com
Save the Date: More Details to Follow Soon Including Registration Information
UPDATED DATE: November 1-2, 2019
Location: Camp Christian
We have good news! If you were not able to make it to General Assembly in person, you may watch some of the events online. Click HERE to view:
Indianapolis – As part of its expansion of Ministerial Relief and Assistance and in renewing its commitment to walk with clergy throughout all stages of ministry, Pension Fund of the Christian Church has announced The Gathering – A Retreat for Clergy. The Gathering is a biennial conference promoting the mental, spiritual, and financial wellness of Disciples clergy. The inaugural Gathering, which will also serve as a celebration of Pension Fund’s 125th anniversary, is scheduled for September 8-10, 2020 at the Intercontinental Hotel in New Orleans, LA.
“As part of our 2019-22 Strategic Plan, we are renewing our commitment to walking with clergy from their first day of credentialing until their last beneficiary takes their final breath” shared Rev. Dr. Todd A. Adams, Pension Fund President and CEO. “The Gathering is one way we can provide clergy, and especially those actively serving, with resources for their journey in ministry.”
The keynote speaker, Dr. Matt Bloom, Ph. D. is a professor at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame with expertise in working with a variety of non-profit organizations. He leads the Flourishing in Ministry and Wellbeing at Work research projects which focus on the well-being of helping and caring professions. Matt is passionate about finding real solutions to make work a healthy, vibrant, life-enriching experience as a spouse of a former United Methodist minister. Matt will share the latest research on the well-being of clergy and practical insights about how to build and sustain that well-being.
The conference will open on Tuesday, Sept. 8 with worship led by Dr. Bill Thomas and Andra Moran, and the message by Rev. Starsky D. Wilson, President & CEO from the Deaconess Foundation, St. Louis.
Registration is $100 for those serving congregations with an average worship attendance of less than 99 members and $150 for all others. The registration fee includes the conference, two breakfasts, one lunch, and two hotel nights. Spouse registration is $150 to cover meal costs. Additional bookend discounted room rates are available over Labor Day weekend or following the conference for $156 per night. The event is limited to 500 attendees.
The low registration fee is made possible in partnership with the Lilly Endowment Inc., The Christian Church Healthcare Benefit Trust Endowment for Clergy Health and Wellness, and Ministerial Relief and Assistance from Pension Fund of the Christian Church.
For more information about Pension Fund’s 125th Anniversary celebration or to register for The Gathering, please visit pensionfund.org/125.
Pension Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) provides pension and retirement savings accounts for clergy and lay employees of congregations, regions, general ministries and church-related colleges and seminaries of the Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement. Pension Fund manages over $3 billion in net assets on behalf of those serving in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and related international ministries.
The Commission on Clergy voted in 2018 to require all active and retired-active clergy to attend a one-day PRAR training session during 2019 to meet 2020 standing requirements.
Fall training sessions are being offered across the Region for your convenience. See schedule and registration links below.
The second phase of the Healthy Boundaries policy is in effect now and requires clergy to take the Healthy Boundaries 201 Seminar within 42 months (3 1/2 years) of having taken the 101 Seminar, and thereafter every three years.
Healthy Boundaries 201 training began in Fall 2018. This training will be required in 2019 for NE & SE areas; 2020 for NW & SW areas; and 2021 for Central area. To determine the date you must meet the deadline, add the date you took HB 101 and add 42 months. Details available here.
In preparation for 2020 Standing, remember to keep track of your 16 clock hours of continuing education during the year, which are required according to the Commission on Clergy’s Continuing Education Policy.
We understand that life takes unexpected turns. If you need to cancel, please contact our office 24 hours in advance and we’ll work to help you refund and reschedule. Call Ellen at 405-528-3577 or email ebeer@okdisciples.org
Britton Christian Church serves the community through a Tennis Academy outreach program they offer to Britton Elementary School children and their own church members. They held a 3 day camp at Heritage Hall High School for 70 kids in June. The church has around 28 advanced players who are playing most days of the week. Read the inspiring article below about Britton Christian Church Tennis Academy, published by the Disciples News Service.
(Photo provided by Mike Hays, Britton Christian Church)
Article written by Disciples News Service on July 5, 2019 at 11:17 am
At Britton Christian Church in Oklahoma City, tennis is more than a sport.
Since 2011, a youth group trip to the tennis court has grown into BCC Tennis Academy, which officially opened in 2018.
Participants in Britton’s tennis clubs like Los Gatos learn more than how to swing a racket. This weekly club is offered to students at nearby Britton Elementary School who are behind in reading, and includes tennis lessons, tutoring, time in the church’s computer lab with educational games, and Bible lessons.
The tennis program has grown to reach families across the congregation’s diversifying community, through weekly groups, summer camps and an annual event – and provides a powerful way for church members to volunteer.
“God can use me to make a difference in a kid’s life,” senior pastor Rev. Mike Hays explains. “It’s easy to ask, ‘how is an inner-city kid ever going to connect with me?’ as a white guy who lives in nice area. But kids could care less about that stuff if they know you love them.”
Coaches also use tennis to teach Biblical lessons, Hays says. “For example, the first time you touch a racket you might not hold it correctly. The coach will correct you, and you can’t blow off that advice. Proverbs says, ‘trust in the Lord, rely not on your own understanding’” (Proverbs 3:5).
The tennis academy’s board raised over $250,000 in donations and grants to build three courts on the church’s property, where they offer most of their programs. They also have groups practicing 3-4 days a week at a local country club, which charges the church a discounted fee.
Students of all ages and abilities can participate. The academy teaches all levels of tennis – from beginners two Sundays a month, to competitive teams like the Cheetahs, a 10-and-under club team, who won the state championship last year.
Church membership is a requirement to participate in the upper-level programs, and this program has helped Britton CC reach more families across the community.
“We want to be more than a tennis outlet for kids,” Hays suggests. “We want to minister to their families too, so these programs help bring in families that may be going through difficult times. We had a student start our after-school program, and he soon brought his mom to church. She came to other programs we offer, like ESL and citizenship classes, and church leaders attended her citizenship ceremony.”
Between the tennis academy and other community ministries like a medical and dental clinic, at over 100 years old, Britton Christian Church still finds new ways to serve love to their neighbors.
“God has given us a wonderful tool to get involved in families’ lives, be a blessing, and teach great lessons,” celebrates Hays.
“Love transcends every cultural divide, every racial disparity, every cultural context. Love transcends them all.”
(read the full article HERE)