Job Posting: OGMP-Treasury Services Hiring Financial Reporting Accountant
The Office of the General Minister and President – Treasury Services, is looking to hire a Financial Reporting Accountant. Click HERE for the full job description.
Job Posting: Administrative Assistant at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK
Phillips Theological Seminary is looking to hire an Administrative Assistant in the Admissions & Student Services Office located in Tulsa, OK. Resumes will be accepted through Friday, May 24. Please contact MaryAnn Morris, Director of Admissions & Student Services, with any questions 918.270.6464. Click HERE to view the job description.
Share the “Good News” with an Annual Fund Gift!
Greetings Faithful Disciples!
I hope you have “seen the Lord.” Awed and amazed, I hope you are running to tell others the “Good News” that Christ is risen! You may certainly share this “Good News” with a donation to the Regional Church!
The Regional Church needs your generous financial support to continue to equip and empower others to tell this amazing story of God’s love and grace which is for everyone. Here is a glimpse of how your gifts are working to make a difference within the Regional Church.
Leadership Training School Event February 23rd at First Christian Church in Edmond
- 300 Disciples representing 67 congregations attended this remarkable connecting, equipping, and empowering event. View photo gallery
- General Minister and President, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, spent the day with Oklahoma Disciples.
- 19 workshop leaders provided inspirational materials and dialogue on “Abide With Me: Disciples Roots, Inclusivity, & Justice.”
Spring Break Trips: International Affairs Seminar and Caminante Mission Trip
- 15 juniors and seniors in high school and 4 adults representing 10 congregations traveled to Washington, DC and New York City to enrich their faith and learn about “human trafficking.”
- 8 adults representing 3 congregations traveled to the Dominican Republic to engage with children at Caminante, a school that educates children so they are not vulnerable to “human trafficking”.
There’s more —
- The Commission on Youth, Children & Young Adults has been planning and preparing an exciting summer camping season which begins in June.
- The Commission on Clergy continues to welcome men and women who are called to vocational ministry and walk with them on the journey. On March 30th, Crown Heights Christian Church ordained Rev. Ron Motley in a beautiful celebration.
- The Commission on Reconciliation is providing Pro-Reconciling Anti-Racism training around the Region.
- And the Commission on Evangelism and New Church is busy welcoming 3 new churches to our Region.
- Your 2 Regional Ministers continue to provide support and encouragement for Search & Call committees around the Region and a pastoral presence to our clergy in all of life’s varied circumstances.
Thank you for supporting the Regional Church which is committed to following the ways of Jesus by feeding the hungry, caring for the children, building relationships, and showing God’s amazing and steadfast love to all. This is how we strengthen the church — together.
With your dollars, we can continue to lead young and mature Disciples of Christ to share the love and care of Jesus near and far. Please give what you are able and know all gifts are blessed and multiplied by God!
Peace & God’s grace,
East Side Christian Church is Moving and Partnering with Forest Park Christian Church
Press Release From East Side Christian Church:
85 years ago, 65 people met on a cold December day in 1933. They gathered near the intersections of 11th and Harvard in a room that would later become a beer parlor. An ordained UMC Minister named Frank J. Pippin made a suggestion that a new church be formed at 15th and Indianapolis. With the support of First Christian Church downtown Tulsa and others, that dream led to their first small building that is now an education wing.
East Side Christian Church was forged out of a desire for people “east” of town to be able to go to church, and with support from various people, a sanctuary was built in the art deco style. While updates have occurred, the outside of the building still is a beacon to that era.
Spending over two years in discernment and prayer, the congregation voted 100% to sell our building and move. After much more prayer, we have partnered up with Forest Park Christian Church at 91st and Mingo and we will be joining with them and celebrate Easter together on April 21st. Our last Sunday Services will be on Palm Sunday on April 14th.
We are a church of the people, not the steeple and to keep a building of this size open was not being good stewards of our call to show love to the community. We have chosen to partner with Forest Park Christian Church (DOC) because they hold the same values, theology and love that we have focused on for the many years.
Though we hate leaving our building behind, we know that our faith is not in a structure or nostalgia, but in a Creator, who made us to love others and to show that love. We will be able to do that better in a smaller space in south Tulsa.
We will continue our outreach projects like Cuppa-Thanks, but also look for new needs in our new community.
Signs at our church will soon change to let our neighbors and community know.
For information about our property, correspondence can be made to Kelly McKoy with McKoy Company at 918 403-9160 or email [email protected].
Please contact Rev. Evan Taylor at the above contact if you have any questions.
Click HERE to download the Press Release
Oklahoma Disciples Foundation Awards $46,000 in Grants
The Grant Committee has allocated 2019 grant funds, and checks were mailed March 12th. This year, grants totaling more than $46,000 were awarded to 28 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Churches and related institutions. Grant funding awards are based on events or programs with potential to make the greatest impact within communities. You can also see details of the awards for 2018 funding and 2017 funding.
Grant applications and guidelines for 2020 will be available soon at the links below; meanwhile, you may still view 2019 information. If you would like to be added to ODF’s email list for updates on the 2020 Grant Program, please send your contact information (name, address, city, state, zip, email, phone and church) to [email protected]. Or call 405.525.6530 for more information. The deadline for submitting 2020 Grant Applications is 5:00 p.m., February 15, 2020.
Disciples Home Missions 2019 Lent Resources
The 2019 Lent Resource — The Rev. Dr. Betty Miller Green and the Rev. Dr. Irvin W. Green are the co-writers for this year’s Lenten meditations. She is presently the Associate Pastor of Woodland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Columbus, Ohio. He is the pastor of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Kettering, Ohio.
The season of Lent is one of the two most known seasons of the Church (liturgical) year. Whereas Advent leads up to the birth of Christ, Lent marks the final days of Jesus’ life and ministry. The season lasts for forty days, from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) excluding Sundays.
Lent is known for visual or conspicuous expressions of penitence, humility, or sorrow. This is because of the association made between the crucifixion of Christ and human sinfulness. One example of such expression is the placing of ashes on the foreheads of believers on Ash Wednesday. Throughout the time of Lent, sacrificial choices are emphasized. Such choices may include dietary changes (temporary or permanent), giving to the poor, or relinquishing personal luxuries. With the coming of Easter, which is technically beyond Lent, there is a shift from remorse to joy. Jesus, who died for our sins, is triumphant over sin. God’s people are granted a reprieve and a new covenant. Easter is as colorful and full of life as the Lenten season is careful to avoid such celebratory signs.
Job Posting: Praise Band Leader at FCC Edmond
First Christian Church Edmond is looking to hire a Praise Band Leader. If you are interested in this position please contact Rev. John Regan at
[email protected] or by phone at 341-3544. Please include all relevant experience, instruments you play and contact information. Click HERE to view the full job description.
Photo Gallery 2019 Leadership Training School
Thank you for a great Leadership Training School!
Over 240 Oklahoma Disciples gathered on a windy Saturday in February for fellowship, learning and inspiration at First Christian Church Edmond. We are so pleased to see our laity and clergy uniting at 2019 Leadership Training School to learn how to address the important topics of justice, disciples roots and inclusivity. Thank you to our workshop leaders for sharing your ideas and experiences.
We offered a warm welcome to General Minister and President Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens with a rousing rendition of “Oklahoma” at worship. And we appreciated her message of inspiration in worship, her workshop and availability to answer individual questions over coffee.
As you’ll see in the photo gallery over a dozen of Oklahoma’s and international Disciples ministries and mission projects explained their activities to LTS participants in our exhibit area.
We extend special thanks to our sponsors: Phillips Seminary, and the clergy groups from the Northwest, Northeast and Central Areas. We also appreciate the hospitality of First Christian Church Edmond for hosting our event, and Mary Beth and Kim Becker for the delicious treats. Thanks to the Regional Youth Council for their assistance in welcoming our participants.
Leadership Training School is planned, organized and carried out by clergy, laity and Regional staff. Thank you to LTS event leader Shannon Cook and her team: John Regan, Amy Rogers, Shannon Grubbs, Geoffrey Brewster, Colton Lott, Brandon Johnson and the Regional staff Michael Davison, Ellen Beer, Jennifer Gallaway and Pam Holt.
The Rev. Geoffrey Brewster Joins the Pension Fund Development Team
Press Release from Rev. Dr. Todd Adams, President, CEO of Pension Fund of the Christian Church:
The Reverend Geoffrey Shon Brewster will join Pension Fund’s staff as Annual Fund Director on April 1, 2019. Rev. Brewster joins Pension Fund after nine years at Phillips Theological Seminary, where he most recently served as Senior Director of Advancement. The addition of Rev. Brewster to the development team will further shape the expansion of Ministerial Relief and Assistance and help ensure its critical funding.
“Rev. Brewster is the ‘right person at the right time’ to help us expand our base of support while building upon the tremendous generosity of our current donors. His experience and expertise will be a real gift to our team as a whole,” shared Rev. Julie Richardson, Assistant Vice President for Development.
Rev. Brewster began his service to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) during high school, when he served as a children’s ministry intern at First Christian Church, Shawnee, Okla. Rev. Brewster spent 12 years in children’s, youth and young adult ministry, serving Faith Community Christian Church, Choctaw, Okla., and Southern Hills Christian Church, Edmond, Okla., before joining the staff at Phillips.
“During my time at Phillips, it became clear that for our graduates to be successful in ministry, systems of support were needed. Pension Fund is investing in the development and expansion of those systems. I am grateful and excited to be called to raise the resources necessary to ensure these programs thrive and our ministers find the support they need,” said Rev. Brewster.
Rev. Dr. Todd A. Adams, President/CEO reflected, “Not only is Geoff a gifted fund raiser, but his connections to, and understanding of, the challenges facing pastors today – especially recent seminary graduates – will be invaluable to our mission.” Rev. Brewster holds a Master of Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Central Oklahoma. He will work remotely from his home in Tulsa, Okla.
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 more than $3 billion in net assets on behalf of those serving in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and related international ministries.
Disciples Family Night at the Museum
The Commission for Children, Youth, and Young Adults invites all families with children 5 years old and older to the Science Museum of Oklahoma for an overnight on March 15. Yes, we will camp out in the museum after a program featuring fun with a Star Wars theme. Click here to register.
Cost
$25 per person
$80 for a family of 4
$100 for a family of 5 or more
Bring your sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, cot, pillow, and join your Disciples siblings in faith from around the Region for a great overnight of fellowship and worship.
Questions? Contact Rev. Michael Davison or Sally Wheeler (Chair, CYYA)