May 15: Last Day to Register for Church Camp
Today is the last day (May 15) to Register for Church Camp. The Region organizes and sponsors our Outdoor Ministry program (Church Camp) at three different sites. We offer a camp experience for everyone between grads 2-12, and this Labor Day we will offer our first ever, Family Camp, at Camp Christian.
REGISTRATION CLOSES at 11pm tonight or when a camp is at maximum capacity. Learn more about our Outdoor Ministry program and see the current camp registration numbers at the Families & Youth webpage.
Questions? Contact Rev. Michael Davison (mdavison at okdisciples dot org).
READY TO REGISTER? CLICK HERE
Intersections of Faith and Immigration August 31-Sept 5, 2023
The Intersections trip visits New York City this year (Aug 31-Sept 5)
Intersections will focus on immigration, nations, and internationalism. The traveling scholar this year is Dr. Lisa Barnett, Assistant Professor of American Religious History at Phillips Theological Seminary. Colton Lott and Tara Dew are the trip leaders. Both serve at First Christian Church El Reno.
Intersections borrows it’s design from International Affairs Seminar and welcomes adults 21 and older. Participants can expect education about the topic that will challenge your perspective, and conversations with Disciples from Oklahoma that respects everyone’s point of view. Intersections is a “co-learners on a journey” trip that is individual and communal.
Intersections is a trip on the move. Each day will have one educational experience for the entire group with exploring or other options determined by participants. Intersections includes a lot of walking, traversing stairs, escalators, and elevators. Ground transportation via the NY Subway and walking are the least expensive ways to travel the city and will be part of the trip. Ride share services like Lyft, Uber, or cabs are at the participants expense. Breakfast is provided daily at the hotel, while all other meals are at the participants expense. See below about what is included in the fee.
The Itinerary Includes:
- Ellis Island
- Tennament Museum
- 9/11 Museum
- United Nations
Fee Includes: Housing (shared room – two beds / or single), Breakfast daily, Itinerary Entrance Fees, some ground transportation, and a Broadway show. Couples registering for the trip should register one at the single fee, and one for the shared fee.
Shared Room: $1300 pp
Single Room: $1850 pp
Participants cover travel costs to and from New York City and meals except breakfast.
Questions? Contact the Regional Office to be in touch with Rev. Michael Davison or Rev. Colton Lott.
6 Congregations Receive Reconciliation Grants
Reconcile:
1. to restore, settle, or resolve;
2. to make consistent.(1)
Oklahoma Disciples continue the work of reconciliation through serving our neighbors locally and around the world. The Commission for Faith in Action met in April to review Reconciliation Grant applications for this year. Faith in Action celebrates providing a total of $9150 in grants to these congregations that applied.
Enid, Central Christina Church ($3400)
- Enid Welcome Table is a weekly ministry that provides a sit down, served meal on Sunday evenings for food insecure neighbors in Enid.
- Community Hero Project supports the police, fire fighters, and student pilots at Vance Air Force Base with snack baskets. The project invites police and fire fighters to interact with congregations and the community outside of emergency situations to build trust.
- Teen Neurotypical and non-Neurotypical Integration/Socialization will partner teenagers to help the typical teen grow in understanding and acceptance of the non-typical. The non-typical will gain friendship, socialization, and understanding of their community. With the help of adults this program will raise awareness in the community about the needs of non-Neurotypical youth and that Central Christian Church is a welcoming place for everyone.
Enid, Christian Church of the Covenant, Iglesia Christiana El Shaddai, University Place Christian Church, Central Christian Church ($1000)
- VBS is one of the most important projects in the life of the church each year. Many churches are struggling with having enough volunteers to provide a great quality VBS. In 2022, Disciples in Enid hosted a joint VBS that welcomed 60 children and 40 adult volunteers. A reconciliation grant supported this work. This summer, First Presbyterian Church will join the VBS program. The membership and location of the participating churches is very diverse. University Place Christian is in the east side of Enid – a low-income area with a large African American and Hispanic population. First Presbyterian is a typical, affluent “downtown church.” Iglesia Cristiana El Shaddai, is a Hispanic church, Central Christian Church and Christian Church of the Covenant are “middle-American” churches experiencing demographic change. Bringing together children, teenagers and adult volunteers from these diverse churches will promote understanding and acceptance and inclusion.
Midwest City, First Christian Church ($2000)
- The congregation participates in careportal.org, a care-sharing portal connecting people with local opportunities to serve vulnerable children and families in their communities. It may be rental assistance, transportation assistance, dollars for diapers, clothing, or formula.
Stillwater, First Christian Church ($2000)
- First Christian Church has worked with ACE (American-Caribbean Experience) in Jamaica for many years. This year, they are expanding the trip and hosting other congregations (FCC Chandler, FCC El Reno, Central CC Enid, FCC Luther, and Eagle Heights). and have a group of 50 going on the trip. Groups will work on a variety of projects including tutoring, child sponsorships, VBS, micro-businesses, health and wellness clinics, farming and construction. Last year one of the little girls at VBS told a member of our mission team “I thought white people were all bad, but you are very kind and loving. I hope you’ll come back again.”
Caminante, a minister supported by the Commission on Faith in Action ($750)
- Caminante is an ongoing mission priority for the Commission for Faith in Action and the Region. Funding helps support work with local children and adults to learn skills that can help secure jobs in the tourist industry. In the past, the Region helped build “homework rooms” that provided space and leaders to help children with their studies. Covid ceased yearly trips by Oklahoma Disciples, but with as the pandemic ends and an intern from our partners at Global Ministries is in place, yearly trips may begin again.
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1. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “reconcile,” accessed May 8, 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcile.
Church Camp Update: April 24th (Camp Rates Increase Today)
Church Camp Fees Set to Regular Rates Today
There was a surge of registrations for all our Church camp experiences last week! Chi Rho Camp is nearing capacity and our other camps are also filling up. Camp Registration is OPEN until May 15th. But, our registration fees (rates) are increasing today as we enter the next phase of camp preparation. Our camp directors are beginning to finalize their schedules, work with the curriculum with their volunteer counselors, and think about what needs to be purchased for their camp.
It is also time for Rev. Michael Davison to get the Camp t-shirt design prepared and shirts ordered from our vendor here in Oklahoma. We do our best to support local businesses when needing to make purchases for our camps.
Learn More and stay connected to the Region’s program ministries for children, youth, and families by visiting the Families and Youth webpage.
If you have questions about any or our program ministries for children, youth, or families, please contact Rev. Michael Davison (mdavison at okdisciples dot org).
Matching Gift Supports Camp This Summer
Camp is a holy place where children and youth experience an intentional Christian community based on love, acceptance, inclusion, worship, play, and meeting the Divine. Help us make this opportunity more financially accessible for all Disciples children and youth in Oklahoma.
The Northeast Area Council has offered a matching gift of $5000. This generous gift will be combined with a gift of $3000 from the closure of Midwest Boulevard Christian Church for a maximum of $8000 to be used as matching funds to help raise $16,000 (our estimated cost) for adults to be counselors and directors for the 2023 camping season. We are asking individual Disciples, congregations, and Area Ministries to contribute, so that all of the $8000 can be used as matching funds and help further discount the cost of camp for families and congregations.
CLICK HERE to make your gift today and help lower the final cost of camp for congregations and campers. Or, send a check made out to the Christian Church in Oklahoma and memo, Camp Matching Fund 2023.
The Commission for Children, Youth, and Young Adults is seeking ways to make our summer church camps more affordable for our families and congregations. The adults that give of their time and their energy to organize, staff, and lead Discovery Camp, Junior Camp, Chi Rho Camp, and CYF Conference are not monetarily charged when they come to camp to donate their time. However, the camp sites still charge the Region for the adults. That cost has been passed on to the campers throughout the years. This way of paying for the adult volunteers is no longer sustainable for our families or congregations.
In early May, congregations receive an invoice for their campers that have registered for a camp. Funds from the match will be divided by the number of campers registered on May 1st, and applied to the invoices sent to congregations.
Questions? Contact Rev. Bill Hemm, Chair of the Comm for Children, Youth, & Young Adults or Rev. Michael Davison.
Advent in the Movies
Have you seen the themes of Advent in movies or pop-culture? Members of the Regional Youth Council have thought about that question this fall and invite you to join them to see “Advent in the Movies.”
Thank you for joining the RYC on this journey into Advent. As you visit each week, underlined words are a clickable link. You can click the films in this document to watch a clip or a trailer for the film. If you light an Advent wreath at church or at home, you will find an Advent Wreath liturgy at the end of this document. We thank Rev. Dr. Lisa Davison and Rev. Michael Davison for allowing us to include their work in this devotional.
Like the shepherds of long ago, we invite you to go and see this thing which God has made known to you. As you return to daily life each week of Advent, in Christmastide, and into 2023, give thanks and rejoice for all that you have seen and heard as it was made known to you.
UPDATE: Summer Camp Registration Open
What is church camp like? For us, it is a blend of play, prayer, study, worship, and service that creates an intentional Christian community that we call church camp. Hold a date on your calendar for next summer.
The Comm for Children, Youth, & Young Adults is excited to announce the dates and sites for our church camp program. As campers grow up in the program the camp experience gets a little longer and each site offers different opportunities. The sites that host our church camp program provide activities and space that are age appropriate and can enhance the curriculum for campers and volunteer staff.
Chi Rho Camp (grades 6-8): June 5-9
Campers return to Oakridge Christian Camp (Anadarko, OK). This site offers active outdoor additions like the Goliath Zip Line, Go-Carts, and climbing walls for our junior high campers. Oakridge is a non-profit, non-denominational camp.
Discount Rate: $403 / Regular Rate: $475
CYF Conference (grades 9-12): June 19-24
Conference is a day longer next summer and moves north to Disciples Center at Camp Tawakoni (Augusta, KS). Tawakoni is owned and operated by the Christian Church in Kansas. This is a new setting for CYF Conference and will provide excellent amenities. CYF Conference will include a charter bus option to transport campers and some staff from the Oklahoma City area (site tba) to and from camp.
Discount Rate: $429 / $500
Discovery Camp (grades 2-3): June 23-25
Discovery weekend moves east next summer to Camp Christian (Chouteau, OK). Junior campers and staff had such a good time that the CYYA thought it would be perfect for Discovery camp. This site offers a smaller space so campers aren’t walking long distances between activities, has good outdoor play space, and housing. Slight changes to arrival and pick up times for camp will be detailed in January. Camp Christian is a non-profit that was created many years ago by Disciples congregations in the Northeast Area. Board members are Disciples laity and clergy.
Discount Rate: $175 / Regular Rate: $225
Junior Camp (grades 4-5): June 26-30
Campers return to Camp Christian (Chouteau, OK). Campers and staff had a great experience last summer. This site offers a smaller space so campers aren’t walking long distances between activities, has good outdoor play space, and housing. Camp Christian is a non-profit that was created many years ago by Disciples congregations in the Northeast Area. Board members are Disciples laity and clergy.
Discount Rate: $307 / Regular Rate: $380
Water Weekend (grades 8-12): July 7-9
This weekend on the water has been around many, many years, and is sponsored by Texoma Christian Camp (Kingston, OK). It is lake front! The camp has undergone improvements in the last two years. Campers enjoy Saturday on the lake tubing, splashing, and just hanging out. Yes, singing, keynote, and worship are part of the weekend. The Region provides a boat and Michael Davison is part of the volunteer staff this weekend. Texoma Camp is a non-profit that was created many years ago by Disciples congregations in the Southwest and Southeast Areas. Board members are Disciples laity and clergy.
Family Camp: TBA
A weekend camp for families of all sizes and kinds. We will introduce the camp experience: play, prayer, study, worship, and service. This intergenerational camp will have a little something for everyone.
CYYA program ministries are teaching the language of faith and the practice of Christianity for the Church today and tomorrow nurturing disciples to love and serve like Jesus.
@ Families & Youth Webpage & Region’s FB & Twitter (@ccokdoc)
Summer Camp 2023 Dates
The Comm for Children, Youth, and Young Adults is excited to announce our 2023 Summer Camp dates. You can stay connected to our ministries for children, youth, and the adults that serve alongside by visiting the Families & Youth webpage or subscribing to the CYYA Intersections.
Chi Rho Camp: June 5-9
CYF Conference: June 19-24
Discovery Camp: June 23-25
Junior Camp: June 26-30
Sailing Camp: tba
Water Weekend: July 7-9
General Assembly: July 29-Aug 1
Family Camp: tba
More information about next summer will be published in the November and December editions of the CYYA Intersections. Summer Camp Registration Opens February 5th.
See you at Camp!
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