Meet the Regional Youth Council 2022-23

The Regional Youth Council represents the children and youth of the Region. Through their presence and leadership they provide an example of what a local youth group can be and can do. RYC advocates for children and youth in their communities, congregations, and the Region. Youth members of the Regional Youth Council serve a two (and sometimes three) year term. RYC is a group of sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school from congregations around the Region. The adults that serve on RYC are conversation partners, listeners, guides, and co-learners as RYC develops and sharpens their leadership skills.

Meet the RYC through 10 Questions:
What is one thing on your bucket list?

What words or phrases do you most overuse?

What is one of your weird quirks?

What is your relationship with God like?

Describe yourself in 3 words.

What is one thing that annoys you the most?

What will you do with your 15 minutes of fame?

What is one thing about your church you would change?

What is your comfort food?

You’ve got a free afternoon, will you: read, listen to music, watch a movie, or . . .?

Zaylee Skidmore-Beaney
First Christian Church Sulphur

Gabe Cartwright
First Christian Church Sulphur

Derek Day
New Covenant Christian Church Oklahoma City

To go to a NFL game

Bro

I like to fidget with things

God Is always present in my daily life

Friendly – Funny – Kind

Stepping on gum

Spread positivity

I would go back to traditional communion

Bagel bites

Play video games

Eli Dew
First Christian Church El Reno

Visit every European country

Heck yea

I’m really into murder documentaries.

Improving

Determined – Bold – Curious

People who don’t dim their bright headlights.

Meet Donald Glover

Participation

BBQ Mac and Cheese with chicken nuggets

Play video games

Kyston Haines
First Christian Church El Reno

Travel

Bro

I like meat smokers.

Distant. I keep in touch, but I also do not know God on a day to day basis.

Confident – Honest – Competitive

Laziness

Enjoy every blessing from God.

Food staff

Smoked chicken

Listen to music.

Maryanne Heim
First Christian Church Cherokee

Be in a band

That’s interesting, “Thumbs up”

I’m left handed, but only when it comes to writing

Rocky, there’s ups and downs

Musical – Thinker – Introvert

Stepping in something wet

Nothing, I don’t ever want to be famous

Worship

Pasta/Noodles

Hangout with friends, skateboard

Lauren Hemm
Forest Park Christian Church Tulsa

Meet someone famous

Bro

Love Musicals

Testing

Caring – Bubbly – Fun

People thinking they are above everyone else or homophobia.

Spread positivity

Expand the youth group

Chocolate

Go to the movies or hang out with friends.

Jasmin Pickens
First Christian Church Sulphur

Paige Waldrip
Central Christian Church Enid

Hike a glacier in Switzerland

Y’all and Whoa

I always have to have something to drink with me.

My relationship with God is like driving on the highway. I can be smooth until something gets in the way and then it gets stressful and slower.

Loud – Nice – Ambitious

People making random noises with their mouths.

I would help people find ways to cope with anxiety and strengthen their relationships with God and others.

I would help it be more open to change.

Potato soup.

I would read or be on Tiktok.

Travis Carlson
First Christian Church Chickasha

Egypt. I have always been fascinated by that ancient society.

Literally, it is literally the word literally.

Spaghettios and pringles.

Questioning and embracing

Weird-Punctual-Fun (picked by my 5th girls class)

Being Late

Try to get a free tank of gas.

Greater college involvement.

Tacos

Play Dungeons and Dragons or paint D&D miniatures

Shannon Cook
First Christian Church Norman

Around the world cruise.

Why?

Must brush my teeth before showering.

Like a path that winds and curves and God is a constant alongside.

Caring – Curious – Thoughtful

People who lie.

Feed the whole world.

Consistent inclusive language.

Mac and Cheese.

Read or nap

Tara Dew
First Christian Church El Reno

Go to Hawaii

Struggle Bus

Can’t say the word “idea” correctly

The ocean: it comes and goes like the waves.

Caring – Loud – Loving

Whining

Try to help others

More money to help others

Mexican food

Take a nap

Eula Hledik
New Covenant Christian Church Oklahoma City

Fly – Sky Dive

Cool or Don’t cha know

I eat the chocolate off my 3 Musketeers bar and then I enjoy the center.

I am in awe. The Holy loves me, shows me mercy and grace even though I do not deserve it. Because of this I can accomplish so much than I ever imagined. The Holy instills courage.

Loving – Welcoming – Fun

Throwing out the first pitch at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.

That it be Open and Affirming

My Chicken & Dumplings

Hike while listening to music or go to the Zoo with my grandkids.

Michael Davison
Associate Regional Minister

Ride a camel to a pyramid and climb it.

Groovy or Far Out

I don’t wear socks except on Sunday, to weddings, to funerals, and some hospital visits.

A wrestling match.

Liminal – Extrovert – Pondering

Social Media or Being a Bad Fan (that’s me)

Skin Cancer Awareness to Fund a Cure

Following Fad Theology

Rice

Listen to my Pink Floyd collection on vinyl or hang out with my companion

Michael Davison2022-09-08T14:05:34-05:00Aug 30, 2022|Youth|Comments Off

Intersections Trip Returns: Sept 1-6, 2022

Faith and Economics

This educational trip for adults 21 and older is an opportunity to study a topic in conversation with other disciples. Intersections is based in Washington D.C. this fall. Through group learning and personal reflection participants will consider how, if, their faith and discipleship following Jesus shapes their participation in a consumer driven culture.

This trip is sponsored by our Commission on Laity and led by Pastor Tara Dew and Rev. Michael Davison.

Download the Flyer

Cost is $850 per person and Registration is Open until June 30th.
The fee is based on double occupancy housing. (An additional $550.00 is required to secure a single room.) Rooms: 2 room suites with a king bed or 2 double beds.

Fee Includes:

Housing @ Embassy Suites Alexandria Old Town
Entry Fees & Program
Ticket to Hamilton @ The Kennedy Center
DC Metro Card (loaded w/ $50)

Not Included:

Transportation to Washington DC
Lyft, Uber, or Cab Transportation
Meals

Covid-19

As the variants continue to evolve, some Washington D.C. sites that no longer require proof of Covid-19 vaccination may alter their policies and entry requirements. Knowing this is a possibility, and that it would inhibit your participation in the trip once in Washington D.C., we recommend all Intersections participants be fully vaccinated (2 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca) or Johnson & Johnson shot, at least 2 weeks before the beginning of the trip. We encourage a booster shot as well. Mask requirements vary by site, so we advise participants bring a KN95 or N95 mask. The final itinerary is dependent on the availability of site openings due to Covid-19.

Preliminary Itinerary

Thursday, Sept 1: Travel Day / Orientation to Washington D.C. / Group Dinner / Monuments & Memorials at Night / Evening Examen

Friday, Sept 2: Smithsonian Museums / African American History and Culture Museum / Monuments & Memorials / Evening Examen

Saturday, Sept 3: Holocaust Museum / Arlington National Cemetery / Monuments & Memorials / Evening Examen

Sunday, Sept 4: Worship at National City Christian Church / Free Afternoon / Hamilton / Evening Examen

Monday, Sept 5: NPR Tour / Capitol Tour / Free Afternoon / Group Dinner / Evening Examen

Tuesday, Sept 6: Travel Day to Oklahoma / Remember what you saw, heard, and learned.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Michael Davison2022-05-30T13:52:32-05:00May 30, 2022|Comm on Laity, Events, Regional News|Comments Off

2022 Reconciliation Grant Recipients

The Faith in Action Commission of the Christian Church in Oklahoma announces the recipients of the 2022 Reconciliation Grants. These grants are supported by the contributions of Christian Churches (DOC) throughout Oklahoma who long for wholeness in our world. Recognizing that we live in a fragmented world, we work together through Reconciliation to bring harmony to the dissonance surrounding us. FIAC was pleased to see the expansion of programs bringing our churches together but also reaching out to ecumenical partners and growing programs to address systemic racism, discrimination, and poverty.

In Enid Central Christian Church, Church of the Covenant, University Place Christian Church, and Iglesia Christiana El Shaddai joined together to provide an inclusive Vacation Bible School for children from varied backgrounds and cultures. They also provide a program to improve the relationship among all people served by the police and fire departments of the city. Lastly, working ecumenically they provide the Enid Welcome Table where all are invited to eat together and informally learn of other services that might be of help to them. Reconciliation grants provide funding for part of these programs as the communities of faith come together with other financial and in-kind donations and hours of direct hands-on service to bring wholeness to a fragmented world.

First Christian Church of Midwest City will use their Reconciliation grant, Christmas for Others working ecumenically with other faith-based groups reaching out to meet the needs of low-wealth people by providing hygiene kits, built according to age, sex, and where known, race. Gifts of toys such as dolls will be offered in different skin tones, and food baskets will be provided appropriate to a family’s culture.

Recognizing the power of music to deliver important messages, a grant is being awarded to First Christian Church, El Reno to help sponsor the premiere production of a one-act opera, No Justice, No Peace written by Oklahomans Chris Prather, Choir Director at First Christian in El Reno, Megan Prather, and Kenneth R. Woods. It deals with a family struggling to come to grips with the death of the mother and the life-changing results of police brutality.

Education is a central part of Reconciliation. To that end, In the Spirit Christian Church of Tulsa, was awarded a grant to help support their Emerging Young Leaders Justice Cohort where the youth of the church learn about social justice and advocacy.

First Christian Church of Claremore received a grant to understand better the history of the USA’s indigenous people by touring and participating in the resources available at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.

Yale Avenue Christian church was awarded a grant to provide a tutoring program for refugee children to help them adjust and thrive in school.

Finally, a grant was provided to Caminante, our Global Ministry partner, to help address racism issues that have grown from the masses of Haitians who fled to the Dominican Republic due to the various crisis in their homeland.

Grant Recipients

First Christian Church Claremore
Project: First Americans Museum Learning Trip

First Christian Church El Reno
Project: No Justice, No Peace

Central Christian Church, University Place Christian Church, Iglesia Christiana El Shaddai, and Christian Church of the Covenant
Project: Enid Disciples Joint VBS

First Christian Church Midwest City
Project: Christmas for Others

In the Spirit Christian Church Tulsa
Project: Emerging Young Leaders Justice Cohort

Yale Ave. Christian Church Tulsa
Project: Tutoring Program for Refugee Children

Comm on Faith in Action
Project: Caminante

Michael Davison2022-05-09T13:33:14-05:00May 9, 2022|Faith in Action|Comments Off

2022 Reconciliation Grants

The Faith in Action Commission is calling all participants in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma to make this a year of reconciliation. Our identity Statement is “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. We welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”

There are many opportunities to build harmony,

Seek out another congregation to grow reconciliation with yours and plan events that would foster harmony. You could sing together or intercity churches could welcome rural churches and rural churches could introduce inter city residents to farms.
Start a justice book club
Tour the Greenwood district in Tulsa and learn about the Tulsa Riots.
Take a field trip to the First Americans Museum.
Research and experiment with what others have used successfully to build reconciliation.

Many activities can be done at little cost, but if you need financial help with your plan the Reconciliation Grant process opens for applications on March 1.

Marilyn Knott, Chair

Commission for Faith in Action

Download Reconciliation Grant Packet

Kirkpatrick Conference
Visions of Wholeness: Systemic Racism, Antiracism, and “Reconciliation” in Our Shared History and Tradition

March 18-19. 2022

This academic conference, Visions of Wholeness: Systemic Racism, Antiracism, and “Reconciliation” in Our Shared History and Tradition will be held March 18-19, 2022, at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The conference is sponsored through Disciples of Christ Historical Society’s Kirkpatrick Lecture Endowment.

The registration fee for the day and a half event is $70, which includes three meals. Register for in-person or livestream attendance.

Click here to learn more.

The Commission for Faith in Action has set aside reconciliation dollars to scholarship Oklahoma Disciples clergy that need financial support to attend this event. Contact Rev. Pamela Holt or Rev. Michael Davison for more information.

Michael Davison2022-02-07T11:43:49-06:00Feb 7, 2022|Faith in Action|Comments Off

Silent Night, Holy Night

Images from congregations that streamed Christmas Eve worship.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman. “The Work of Christmas.” The Mood of Christmas & Other Celebrations, Friends United Press, 1985

Michael Davison2022-01-10T13:40:05-06:00Jan 10, 2022|Congregations|Comments Off

Imagine God’s Love Revealed

We imagine God’s love revealed when Jesus called disciples to follow him
And we imagine God’s love revealed when our Region nurtures persons for ministry preparing them for ordination and commissioning.

We imagine God’s love revealed when Jesus drew his disciples into retreat
And we imagine God’s love revealed when our Region gathers children, youth, and adults in summer camps.

We imagine God’s love revealed when the Apostle Paul cared for congregations and helped them find their leaders
And we imagine God’s love revealed when our Region provides care for our pastors, encouragement to lay leaders, and support in transitions.

We imagine God’s love revealed when the early church found ways to break down racial, political, and economic barriers to form true community
And we imagine God’s love revealed when our Region assists pastors and congregations to honestly confront racism in our own time.

We imagine God’s love revealed when a young couple in Bethlehem, overwhelmed by God’s love, gave birth to one in whom they could see God’s face
And we imagine God’s love revealed when we see the face of God in our neighbor, the stranger, and the refugee.

We invite you to share your gift to the Christmas offering supporting the ministries of our Region as we continue our witness to God’s love in our midst.

The Christmas Offering is received December 12 & 19

Michael Davison2021-12-13T11:54:11-06:00Dec 11, 2021|Congregations|Comments Off

the Spirit of Christmas

Ray Charles sang about it.

Someone you follow on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, a Blogger, or your social media of choice is probably influencing about it.There is a personalized Ad waiting to popup in your feed to sell you something to help you experience it.

Jacob Marley tried to warn Ebenezer Scrooge about living it.

And Charlie Brown just wants someone to tell him what “Christmas is all about.”

Linus tells a bit of the spotlight Christian Christmas story about a savior, who is Christ the Lord. Remember, the shepherds returned to the field praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told to them. The story doesn’t say what the shepherds did the next day.

Is that the same thing as the Spirit of Christmas? I know it is hard to ponder in your heart, but in a pluralistic world the Spirit of Christmas may mean a little bit more.

Is it what Linus, Lucy, and the others do for Charlie Brown, and a twinkling star that lifts voices?

All the Whos in Whoville gather and sing:

“Christmas day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to clasp.
Welcome Christmas where we stand
Heart to heart and hand in hand.”

How will you tell someone what the spirit of Christmas is?

If that seems hard to do maybe you can be a sign of the spirit of Christmas this year.

Happy Advent!

Michael Davison2022-10-10T16:17:45-05:00Dec 2, 2021|Michael Davison Blog|Comments Off

RYC Advent Devotional

Members of the Regional Youth Council were asked to consider what the traditional themes of Advent (hope, peace, joy, and love) can mean in times like these. This Advent devotion is divided into weeks and members of RYC, with some guest writers, offer you an opportunity to journey with them through Advent.

Week 1: In times like these what are you hoping for? How are you being Hope for others?

Week 2: In times like these what peace have you experienced? What Peace can you offer?

Week 3: In times like these what brings you joy? How can you offer Joy?

Week 4: In times like these how or when have you experience love? How are you offering Love?

Christmastide: In times like these how will you embody the spirit of Christmas?

CLICK HERE to visit our dropbox and download the ebook in PDF format.

Michael Davison2021-11-22T18:44:25-06:00Nov 22, 2021|Youth|Comments Off

Appreciative Inquiry

appreciation (noun)

a feeling of being grateful for something;

an ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of something;

full awareness or understanding of something.

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appreciation, accessed September 29, 2021)

Has the pandemic made appreciation easier or harder for you?

appreciate (verb)

to understand the worth or importance of;

to admire and value;

to be grateful for;

used to make a polite request.

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appreciation, accessed September 29, 2021)

Has the pandemic made it easier or harder for you to appreciate?

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) recognizes October as Minister Appreciation Month. Specifically, October 10th, is the Sunday that many congregations will recognize their minister(s). In the next couple of weeks, pause for thirty minutes to write a note to a minister(s) that expresses your appreciation for their walk alongside you in faith. It doesn’t have to be lengthy.

Jesus often went away from the crowds to recharge his spiritual batteries for his life in ministry. Your note of appreciation might be that recharge moment your minister needs. Remember, the ministers among us have prayed for, modeled faithfulness, and led struggling people, struggling congregations, and struggling institutions through this pandemic while having their own professional and personal struggles.

Some of these struggles I share. Some I appreciate.

Michael Davison2021-10-01T12:11:08-05:00Oct 1, 2021|Michael Davison Blog|Comments Off

What more can we do?

“Everybody has a story that will break your heart. And if you’re paying close enough attention, most people have a story that will bring you to your knees.” Brene Brown (The Summer Sister Series on The Gifts of Imperfection, Part 1 of 6, June 23, 2021)

There are many of us who have stories that will break our hearts. In the last month we have seen stories on climate change, wild fires, Afghanistan, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, COVID-19. If we are paying close enough attention, these stories will bring us to our knees. Our prayers are necessary for our heart and soul as we pray, sometimes with no words, for comfort and care as well as hope to pour forth on those who are hurting and suffering.

What more can we do? We can use our gifts and our resources in several ways to help bring comfort, care, and hope to our siblings near and far. Week of Compassion is working endless hours around the world. You care by reading about their work on our behalf below and you bring comfort and hope by offering a donation before you leave the website. Creating Church World Service Emergency Clean-up Buckets (or Health Kits) is a way for your community to have a hands-on, working together opportunity to bring comfort, care, and hope upon delivery to people in disaster areas. The COVID-19 vaccination is also a wonderful way for us to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and all our children, from this highly contagious virus that has become unpredictable for our health and the world’s health and well-being. Our prayers and our work together will certainly bring healing and wholeness to this broken and fragmented world in ways that we cannot yet see, but is promised through Jesus Christ. Let’s be disciples of Christ . . .