Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr. will keynote the 2016 Oklahoma Disciples Men Retreat. Rev. Jackson is Senior Pastor of East Sixth Street Christian Church, Oklahoma City, OK
The annual event will be held April 1-2 at Central Christian Camp, Guthrie. The event theme is “Looking Forward” and it will feature great meals, fellowship as well as entertainment by the Praise Band of Southern Hills Christian Church.
Click here to learn more and find registration information.
This year’s line up of 44 classes for Leadership Training School is amazing!
If you’re interested in mission ministry, you’ll find 14 classes to learn about local, statewide and international mission activities. Plus, there are two different hands-on mission activities throughout the event.
Concerned about social justice issues, ways to feed your spirituality or learning who we are as Disciples? Check out the 16 classes in the Spiritual Growth track.
Be sure to look over the Practical Ministry classes. 14 – yes 14 classes! From “The Music Wars” to puppet or drama ministry, creative worship, to ways to support your pastor, and tips for elders and deacons serving at the table. You’ll find it here!
We Listened and Added More Classes
We listened to your comments and are providing 3 45-minute classes during our half-day event. Plus you can sign-up for your favorites.
See a schedule and read all the class descriptions at the LTS page, then be sure to click on the Sign Up button to reserve your chair.
It all happens February 6th! Be there!
Dear Faithful Friends in Christ,
When you are hungry for a meal that brings healing and wholeness to your soul, what do you eat? When you are weary from wandering in the wilderness, which way do you turn? When you are seeking forgiveness and in need of someone to remind you that nothing is impossible with God, where do you go?
You eat, you turn, and you gather in community in one of the 151 congregations affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma, where you are welcome at a table of bread and wine, where you hear stories that transform, and where you sing your praises for God’s presence in your life.
The Regional Church is grateful for every congregation in its care and is also grateful for your faithful service and your generosity to your congregation. The Region also needs your gifts. We ask that you continue to make a difference by offering a monetary gift to the Annual Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma. This is a gift that God will bless and multiply to grow our ministry of transformation and excellence in Oklahoma.
To get a glimpse of all that the Region provides for congregations and pastors, please peruse our website, where you will find many of the ways we share resources and information to make Oklahoma a strong and faithful region. Your monetary gift to the Annual Fund will help to support this important work of the Region of Oklahoma. You can safely make a donation on the homepage of our website or by sending your donation to Christian Church in Oklahoma, 301 NW 36th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73118.
Again, thank you for your generous giving so that Christ’s light and love can permeate and transform our broken and fragmented world. Blessings for your journey down Advent Road, where we will soon hear the wonderful story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, Emmanuel — God with us.
Peace & God’s grace,
Rev. Pamela Holt
Regional Minister
P.S. As one of the top 5 regions in the U.S. and Canada, in 2015 Oklahoma credentialed 245 clergy and welcomed 32 new pastors to congregations. We are thriving!
The morning will include an inspiring keynote address from Vy Nguyen during worship, a diverse menu of workshops, several on-site mission opportunities, and time to catch up with old friends.
You’ll want to be sure to choose your workshops when you register as popular classes will fill quickly. Watch for Registration Info Coming Soon
In the days, weeks, and even months following a community tragedy, many persons experience distressing feelings, grief, and other difficult trauma reactions. In consultation with the OSU Vice President for Student Affairs Office, members of the Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee of Oklahoma VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) are sponsoring a “Care and Community Resource Center.”
The center, hosted by First Christian Church, 411 W Mathews Ave, Stillwater, OK, will be open Monday, November 2 from 10 am to 7 pm and Tuesday, November 3 from 10 am – 6 pm.
The Care and Community Resource Center is designed to provide a place for the larger community to gather, support each other, share a snack, and find a listening ear. Licensed mental health professionals as well as trained and credentialed disaster spiritual care providers from Oklahoma VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) organizations will be available onsite. Helpful printed resources and local referrals for follow-up mental health needs will be available as well.
Agencies supporting this effort include:
For more information contact:
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches, Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Ministries, 405-315-1528.
October 19, 2015 will forever be a day etched into the legacy of the Oklahoma Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and into the hearts of the people of Refuge Fellowship Church. Approximately 300 people gathered in the shadows of the Oklahoma City bombing memorial and within the beautiful and sacred confines of First United Methodist Church of downtown Oklahoma City to bear witness to the wonderful works of God and to participate in a Ceremony of Formation as Refuge Fellowship was officially recognized as a Congregation in Formation in the Oklahoma Region.
Sean Shenold, president of Christian Church Commission of Oklahoma, the church planting part of the region’s structure.
The ceremony was attended by ordained clergy, representatives from several Disciples of Christ congregations, the members and active participants of Refuge Fellowship Church, and by two elected Oklahoma City officials. The two-hour ceremony was led in part by Rev. Pamela Holt (Regional Minister), Rev. Jesse Jackson (East 6th Street Christian Church), Bishop Robert Taylor (Restoration Community Church), Rev. Michael Snell (First Christian Church-Midwest City), Rev. John Malget (First Christian Church-OKC), and Rev. Noel Haley-Gray (Refuge Fellowship Church) and featured powerful preaching, uplifting music, and many cheers and shouts of joy and affirmation.
Rev. Noel Haley-Gray
Refuge Fellowship Church was born out of the willingness of Pastor Haley-Gray to follow the call to serve the homeless and transient population of downtown Oklahoma City. For the past ten years, Pastor Gray has been leading, shepherding, equipping, and advocating for the homeless of downtown Oklahoma City as she has sought to provide dignity to those whom she serves and to establish legitimacy for this congregation. The congregation gathers each Monday night at 6:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church (131 NW 4th St, Oklahoma City) for a time of worship and communion followed by a meal that is often provided and served by a different Disciples of Christ congregation.
Early in 2015, Refuge Fellowship received notice from Rev. Pamela Holt that they would be officially recognized as a church by the Oklahoma Region. The ceremony of October 19 marked the culmination of the long road that Refuge Fellowship Church has traveled and helped to usher in a new and exciting future.
For more information regarding the Ceremony of Formation or about the work of Refuge Fellowship Church, contact Rev. Noel Haley-Gray at [email protected]
The congregations in the Northwest Area invite you to attend, “Planning for When Life Happens,” an afternoon learning event on October 25. First Christian Church in Hennessey is hosting. This learning event, organized by the Northwest Area Cabinet, will offer workshops on estate planning, wills and trusts, and creating an advanced directive. Disciples from around the Region are invited to attend this free event. Childcare will be offered along with light snacks. The event is 2:30 – 5:30 pm on Oct 25. Click here to download the flyer and learn more. If you need childcare, please RSVP to Pastor Mickey Moery, minister at First Christian in Hennessey.
As many of you may already know, Refuge Fellowship Church will be holding a large baptism in the Oklahoma River on Sunday, October 18th, at 3 pm. This is the day before Refuge’s big celebration (Monday, Oct. 19th) to mark their recognition as a “Congregation in Formation” within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
We have secured approval from the City of Oklahoma City to conduct this service, which will be held at the boat ramp at 1105 S. Byers Ave., on the south bank of the river, just west of the Lincoln Blvd. bridge.
Refuge Fellowship Church would like to invite all of you to attend, and if you have any new believers who would also like to be baptized in the Oklahoma River, they’re certainly welcome to participate as well.
Refuge Fellowship welcomes any clergy who may wish to participate in the baptism service.
At this time, we are looking to find either a couple of tents with an internal height of around 6 feet (or more) or an RV/motor home, to use as a changing area for our participants. And we also need a goodly supply of towels.
We have surveyed the site, which is a hard-surface concrete boat ramp. While the water is somewhat murky (naturally), the current water temperature is still relatively warm, in the low 70s, though this may change if we get a significant amount of rain between now and then. The underwater surface does have an thin accumulation of mud (perhaps half an inch thick), and there are a number of fist-sized rocks scattered around the area; flip-flops (or hip waders) are recommended for anyone wishing to participate in actually conducting the baptisms.
Please see below for some incredible history of Disciples river baptisms in 1889.
If you or any member of your congregation would like to participate, please contact Rev. Noel Gray at [email protected] or me at [email protected].
Blessings,
Sean Shenold and Pastor Noel
Most of central Oklahoma was opened up to settlement in the first of the land runs, on April 22, 1889, which was a Monday that year. That first Sunday, April 28th, a multi-denominational prayer service was held outside the tent that served as our first City Hall, and on subsequent Sundays the various denominational groups began forming.
As for the Disciples, a Rev. T.J. Head had made the run, and in the May 18th edition of the Gazette, which was our first newspaper, an advertisement appeared, appealing for all area Disciples, and anyone else interested, to meet to begin forming a congregation. For his part, Rev. Head must have been a pretty effective evangelist, as in the next 2 weeks he had 28 new believers make a public confession of faith and wanting to be baptized.
Of course, they had no church building and certainly no baptistery, but the North Canadian River was readily available. There was one problem, however. Oklahoma City in those days was extremely ‘rowdy’, and having already had some problems with the rowdier elements, Rev. Head was concerned about conducting the baptisms in the river. So he approached a Capt. Sikes, commanding C Company, United States 5th Cavalry Regiment. Capt. Sikes was suitably impressed by Rev. Head, and agreed to assist by ensuring the baptisms would not be disrupted.
So, on Sunday, June 2, 1889, Capt. Sikes led a procession down to the river, with 200 cavalry troopers on horseback, in full parade dress, accompanied by the nascent congregation with the 28 new believers to be baptized. Capt. Sikes’ troops deployed on both sides of the river, and thus suitably secured, the baptisms were accomplished without a hitch.
Of course, that group of Disciples goes on to found what became First Christian Church of Oklahoma City. And in the fullness of time, First helped to establish new Disciples congregations throughout the area, directly starting four new congregations themselves, and providing many of the leaders who established the Oklahoma City Christian Missionary Society in the late 1920s.
Twenty years after that, the OCCMS re-organized and changed its name to the Christian Church Commission,which still exists today, and still helps to establish new Disciples congregations in our area – including (among many others) Refuge Fellowship Church. In many respects, therefore, this baptism there in the river all those years ago marked the beginning of the Disciples in today’s Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
So today, in our time, the congregation of Refuge Fellowship Church, in many respects very much like those Disciples of long ago, not having a building or a baptistery of their own, have decided to seek the same solution as our distant predecessors.
The Refuge Fellowship Church sends greetings a wealth of gratitude to our family of supporters since the inception of the vision to serve our community. We value the partnerships in service and worship experience that has so kindly been shared throughout the past eight years.
We are excited to share the news that this body of believers will formally join the Disciples of Christ Fellowship during our Celebration of Formation, Monday October 19, 2015. This celebration will take place at First United Methodist Church 131 N.W. 4th, Oklahoma City beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Many of you have walked with us on this journey and we would be honored to have each of you share in this celebration as we by faith continue the focus to be; a community of Hope with the purpose of recovering the displaced and the underserved within the community.
Our mission remains to transform lives by the living word of God and by demonstrating discipleship through providing resources that empower those disenfranchised and economically oppressed.
As always we pray God’s blessing on each of your ministries and welcome your prayers and support for the up building of kingdom focus within the Refuge Fellowship Church.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Noel M. Hailey-Gray, M.DIV. BCC
Pastor-Servant, Refuge Fellowship Church
The Regional Office of Oklahoma is pleased to share the following news:
Over the past few months, First Christian Church Oklahoma City has been working with Hope Partnership and the Christian Church Commission, studying the needs of First Christian Church’s ministries and the needs of the community.
The church celebrates its long and extremely vital life. They have given birth to numerous congregations in greater Oklahoma City, served thousands of people, and provided spiritual nurture and development. Their facilities and its unique architecture are known to the city. At one time, FCC OKC was a flagship to the Disciples of Christ witness in Oklahoma. Today, however, this congregation is just a shadow of its former self. First Christian Church is no longer sustainable.
SOMETHING NEW, standing on the shoulders of SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL has been conceived! As of Sunday, September 20, 2015 the congregation of First Christian Church Oklahoma City formally voted to allow the conception of a brand new church. Bylaws were suspended for a minimum of two years, making way for a new Board of Governance.
This new church’s name? Restoration. Money was set aside for renovation of the large sanctuary, preparing for the new church’s launch on February 14, 2016.
While FCC OKC will continue to meet in Replogle Chapel for the worship style it cherishes, and enjoy the same fellowship, educational and service opportunities it currently does, room for sweeping changes have been made. Concert dates are scheduled to re-enliven the outdoor amphitheater, and the list goes on!
So now the work really begins. Please pray for us as we follow through this bold plan to become Restoration Church.
In Christ’s Love,
Rev. John Malget, Co-Pastor
Rev. Michael Canada, Co-Pastor
The Region blesses this new journey and invites you to pray with us for this new beginning.