Regional News Archives - Page 19 of 22 - Christian Church in Oklahoma

A Note from Rev. Pam Holt About General Assembly 2017

GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2017

Thank you to all ONE HUNDRED FORTY Oklahoma Disciples of Christ who attended General Assembly 2017 in Indianapolis. That is quite a presence for Oklahoma! A special thank you to the EIGHT delegates who were nominated by the Regional Board to attend the event on behalf of the Region: Larry & Diana Brown, Peggy Clemons, Debra DeGroot, Chelsea Gray, Janelle Gillesby, Randy Holt, and Sandy Malget.

This was a historical assembly as the Disciples of Christ elected its first African American woman to serve. And it was an emotional assembly as we all expressed our deep appreciation for The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins’ tenure, and welcomed The Rev. Dr. Teresa Hord Owens as its next General Minister and President. It was a beautiful exchange of leadership unlike any other.

There were many other reasons everyone enjoyed this Assembly: reuniting with friends colleagues, seeing family, engaging workshops, celebrating in worships with exceptional sermons. I am sure everyone will share a different moment to highlight. I have three favorite moments to highlight here. The first is from Monday night’s worship in the Convention Center. After wonderful singing, hearing a heartfelt, fervent sermon by the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, partaking in communion, and offering our gifts, everything in that large space got quiet. As my eyes lifted from the offertory prayer, there on center stage sat the Rev. Dr. William N. Blue Eagle McCutchen, in his wheelchair, ready to send us forth with a blessing. It was a moment of being proud and deeply comforted at the same time.

The second moment to highlight is that same night when over fifty of us from Oklahoma gathered in the JW Marriott bar for some refreshment, conversation, a group photo, and a robust singing of OKLAHOMA! It was very fun, very loud, and seemed to draw attention from all who were in the bar who joined in! There is never any doubt where we are from!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

The third moment to highlight is when The Rev. Geoff Brewster and The Rev. Dr. Lisa Davison, both from PTS and Oklahoma, were surprised when they were each recognized and honored with The Rev. Michael Schloff Award at the Disciples Alliance Q banquet.

There are so many more highlights to share from many perspectives! We all came home tired but energized, and very grateful that we are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:47:07-05:00Jul 20, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens Elected

General Assembly elects Teresa Hord Owens as first African-American woman to head mainline denomination

INDIANAPOLIS July 9, 2017 – Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens was elected Sunday night to serve as the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is the first African-American to hold this post and the second woman to lead the denomination.
Hord Owens comes to the position in a time of renewed emphasis on the issues of race, particularly in the United States. Her election comes on the 50th anniversary of the Merger Agreement uniting the African-American and largely white branches of the American-born denomination. She is currently pastor of a predominately white congregation in the Chicago area.

“We need to stop demonizing differences as deficiencies,” Hord Owens says. “We should seek to understand, to work through our differences in priorities, opinions, methods, and goals. This will not be easy, but imagine what an example this will be for the world if we can bridge the gaps in politics, identity, geography and theology.”

Hord Owens’ resume includes more than 20 years in corporate America leading diverse teams in data management before she entered seminary. For the last 15 years, she has been the dean of students at the University of Chicago Divinity School, shepherding a varied student body in both background and theology.
The election of Hord Owens follows the 12-year tenure of the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, who was the first female to lead a mainline denomination in the United States upon her election in 2005. Hord Owens’ term is six years with an option for re-election in 2023 for an additional six-year term.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born out of the Stone-Campbell Movement, part of the Great Awakening on the American frontier in the early 1800s. The denomination is congregationally governed, meaning each congregation appoints its own leadership and determines its own mission and support. There are 32 regional bodies that support congregations as well as relate to the general ministries of the denomination. (Learn more information on structure)

CCOK3012017-07-10T09:46:50-05:00Jul 10, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Thank You 2016 Annual Fund Donors

We honor these contributors for their support to the 2016 Annual Fund

Fred and Marilyn Aaron • Cathy Adams • Harold Aebi • Don and Judy Alexander • Lyeal and Jean Amos • Stacey and David Archer • Blake and Holly Armstrong • Melba Gene Arnold • Dana and Marty Askins • Mona Baird • Wanda Baker • Cecille Bales • Donna and Joe Bales • Donald and Joan Ballew • Mae Neece Barclay • Sharon and Mike Bartlett • Mary and Jim Bearden • Ron and Cara Beer • Mike and Paula Bibee • John and Lila Blair • Joel Blomgren • John and Helen Bloss • Mary Bogert • Jerry and Sheri Book • Gary and Lovilla Bowser • Detra Ann Branch • Leah Brashear • Judy Brawner • Janet Brittain • Ethel Mae Brown • Larry and Diana Brown • Les and Donna Brown • Shirley and Cecil Brownlee • Jo Dee Burger • Verona Burke • James Bussell • Lynne Adams Bussell • Gary and Mary Helen Buttman • Gary Cabbiness • John and Carletta Canada • James and Sue Cannon • Robert L. Cheek Jr. • John and Pam Chilvers • Ann Trueblood Choate • Carolyn Christy • C.M. and Sue Clark • Clay Clinesmith • Alice and Jerry Cochran • Steve and Janet Corley • Lloyd Cox • Millie and William Cress • Thelma Crouch • Nance Cunningham and Howard Stein • Marilyn J. Custer • Judy Cutter • Norman Dalke • Leroy S. and Gloria Davis • Lew and Dorothy Davis • Penny and Lloyd Davis • Randy and Carla Davis • William Davis and Terry Jacobs Davis • Laura DeHart • Tara and Curtis Dew • Page and Nancy Dobson • Paul and Brenda Dodson • Charlene Dorr • Leslie Dotson • Richard and Sue Duckworth • Linda Edgell • Ronald and Dixie Eldridge • Dorothy Elliott • Robert M. Elliott • Margaret Finley • Juanita Fitz • Martin and Paula Foster • Mary Alice Foster • Cleo and Joanne Fowler • John and Helen Franklin • Elton Fry • Irene Fry • LaVerne Frye • Olivia Garrett • Mildred Gee • Donna Gilchrist • Mark Gillett and Julia Jordan Gillett • Neil and Bendy Gilpin • Jack Graham • Eric and Elizabeth Gray • Hettie Green • Marilyn Gunter • Worth Hadley • Robert and Beverly Hall • Patricia Hammond • Ruth and Les Harness • E.R. Harris • Robert and Kathy Harris • Harold and Martha Hatt • Charles and Marilee Hattendorf • Don and Mary Heath • Trudy Hedgpath • George Hedrick • Jeanette and Gene Heitfeld • Richard and Lynda Himbury • Karl and Mary Hirsch • Don and Margaret Hixon • Judy and Stephen Hodgin • Nancy Hodgkinson • Pamela and Randy Holt • Paul and Jo Ann Hopkins • James Howard • Mabel Howard •

Sandy and Jay Hoyt • Barbara Hudson • John and Toni Imbler • Tim and Sandra Ireland • Gina and Chuck Jackson • Anita Johns • Donald B. Johnson and Tary Davis Johnson • Joe Jones • Gery and Shelley Kinder • Nancy Kouns • Tim and Beth Kowalski • Molly Krumme • Lynnette and Randy Kyler • John and Donna Landes • John and Eunice Lassiter • Harold and Jean Claire Lawson • Linda J. Lawson • Marvin and Mary Layman • Vernon and Yvonne Leake • Ronnie and Donna Leigh • Jackie Longacre • Michael and Ruth Longstreath • Fred and Ginger Martin • Betty Maulsby • Jim Maxwell • Kyle Maxwell and Debi Powell-Maxwell •  T. J. and Donna McCrite • Larry R. McDougal • Ruth McElroy • Delbert and Cecelia McGaha • Bernie McNickle • LaDonna and Herman Meinders • Marilyn and John Merle • Dorothy Messenger • Mickey and Pat Moery • J. Charles Monnet • Charl M. Moore • Richard and Clarice Morrison • Andrea and Mike Morriss • Richard and Janet Newman • Raymond North • Donna K. O’Keefe • Bill and Joyce Osmus • Sam and Phyllis Otis • Coy and Fay Parsley • C.D. and Valerie Payne • Kenny Payne Jr. • Charles and Carolyn Pettigrew • Sue C. Phelps • Bob and Mona Pigg • Don and Nancy Pittman • Ruth Reather • Earl and Loree Rice • Barbara J. Robinson • Lynn and Gaye Ann Rogers • Robert L. and Susan Rorschach • Daree Rose • Tom Russell • Robert and Betty Schreiner • Floydette Seal • Esther Semones • Melvin and Betty Sexton • Randel and Dana Shadid • Jim and Constance Sharp • Bill Shields and Kaye Edwards Shields • James and Kathleen Simmons • Robert and Beatrice Simpson • Verna Skouby • Gregory and Peggy Smith • Jody and Patsy Smith • Terry and Kathy Snider • Robert Sonnenfeld • David and Pam Spain • Glenn Speer • Eugene R. and Sallie Spillman • Eileen Stair • Kirk and Kathy Standridge • Roy and Ruth Sturgeon • Thelma Sughru • Kay Sullins • Gene and Thelma Sullivan • Patrick and Linda Sutherlin • Lola M. Tomson • Lee Ann Townsend • Darrel Wade • Leroy Wallace • Richard and Marilyn Walter • Danette Ware • Robert Weitzeil and Lois Lougee • Joe and Alma Wheeler • Donald L. Wiard • Dan and Gwen Willits • Hugh and Barbara Wilson • Luellen Wittenbach • James and Dawn Wood • Tom and Nancy Taylor Woods • Trent and Krista Yadon • George Young • Richard and Peggy Ziglar

Central Christian Church Enid • Central Christian Church Fairview • Crown Heights Christian Church, Oklahoma City • East Side Christian Church, Tulsa • First Christian Church Alva • First Christian Church Anadarko • First Christian Church Calumet • First Christian Church Chickasha • First Christian Church Cushing • First Christian Church Edmond • First Christian Church El Reno • First Christian Church Frederick • First Christian Church Hennessey • First Christian Church Hugo • First Christian Church Idabel • First Christian Church Kingfisher • First Christian Church Lawton • First Christian Church Midwest City

• First Christian Church Pond Creek • First Christian Church Prague • First Christian Church Stigler • First Christian Church Stillwater • First Christian Church Stroud • First Christian Church Tulsa • First Christian Church Wagoner • Garber Christian Church • New Covenant Christian Church, Oklahoma City • Odyssey Christian Church, Tulsa • Southern Hills Christian Church, Edmond • West Side Christian Church, Duncan • Woodlands Christian Church, Ponca City • Yale Avenue Christian Church, Tulsa

CCOK3012017-06-21T15:20:19-05:00Jun 21, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Your Generosity Nurtures Christ’s Church

Dear Regional Church Family,

Greetings! I am writing to thank you for your love for your congregation and to invite you to contribute to the Annual Fund of the larger church to which you belong, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma. This year’s goal for the Region’s Annual Fund is $130,000. As of this date, the Annual Fund has received almost 25% of its goal, and we need your help to reach our goal.

This is an exciting time of year for our young Disciples. Church camps have begun with Junior High young people renewing friendships and growing their faith. Camps for children and youth throughout the state continue through June and July. The Region has also expanded its camping ministry this year to include Grand Camp! This first year, 30 children and grandparents have registered and are excited to spend a weekend making precious memories. Overall, 350 campers’ lives will be transformed by their experiences at camp. Your gift supports this vital ministry that provides leadership for young people.

The Commission on Clergy, consisting of twelve lay people and clergy, have just completed another exhilarating and inspiring season for those who have said “yes” to God’s call to serve. First Christian Church Cherokee ordained Rev. Tom Stanley on May 21st, and Central Christian Church Enid ordained Rev. John Wheeler on May 28th. First Christian Church Tulsa will ordain Zenobia Mayo in August. Your gift supports this vital ministry that provides leadership for the whole church.

At this year’s General Assembly in Indianapolis, ten delegates representing the Oklahoma Region will include: Debra DeGroot, Chelsea Gray, Noel Gray, Janelle Gillispie, Randy Holt, Carmen Jackson, Sandy Malget, Peggy Clemmons, plus Larry and Diana Brown. Your gift provides this important opportunity for these faithful folks to participate as the voice of Oklahoma.

One of the priorities of the Region this year is to develop a Pro-Reconciliation Anti-Racism team. In November 2016, the Region hosted its first meeting where sixty people came to learn and share. The PRAR leadership team will receive its first training later this month. Your gifts are helping this critically needed ministry to move forward.

In April, the Region hosted another successful Leadership Training School, which offered numerous workshops for laity. Your gifts support this valued educational event.

In partnership with Global Ministries, in July a group of dedicated, faithful folks will travel to the Dominican Republic. They bring healing and hope to Caminante, a small school that provides safety and education to children who are easily targeted for sex trafficking. Your gifts are working beyond Oklahoma borders.

Another priority of the Regional Pastoral Staff is to be present to congregations and clergy in Sunday worship and in many of life’s varied circumstances. Your gift makes it possible for the pastoral staff to provide guidance and resources to our 149 congregations as each seeks to share God’s love in unique and beautiful ways in Oklahoma and beyond.

Your gift is also helping the Regional office better communicate with you. The Region has developed a robust website and monthly newsletter to help connect our congregations, and it has invested in new software to provide better care for you who help support the work of Regional ministry.

I am asking that you prayerfully consider giving to the 2017 Annual Fund to help support your Region and to reach its goal.

Again, thank you for your love of the church and your generosity to the Region of Oklahoma that seeks to equip, empower, and connect Disciples of Christ in Oklahoma living the way of Christ’s love.

Peace and prayer,

Pam Holt, Regional Minister

Give Online

CCOK3012017-06-28T10:42:02-05:00Jun 21, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Northeast Area Elects Rev. Kevin Howe New Moderator

The Northeast Area has elected Rev. Kevin Howe as their new moderator. Kevin serves as Community Pastor Harvard Avenue Christian Church, engaging with the greater community of Tulsa since 2014.

His Masters of Divinity is from Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas, and he has been involved in a number of church communities (including churches in Texas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Georgia, and New Mexico).

Passionate for mission and outreach, Kevin has served as a missionary to Honduras through Global Ministries (DoC). Kevin currently serves on the boards of OASIS Adult Day Services and Camp Christian. Some of his favorite activities involve making music, playing sports, and traveling with his wife, Jodi.

A few words from Kevin, “To the Northeast Area of the Christian Churches in Oklahoma (NEACCO), it is truly an honor to be called to serve as moderator of NEACCO, as we share together in service to God and neighbor. The ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in this geographical area takes many diverse forms through many rich gifts, and yet all are bound together in Christ.

As such, I am eager to explore with you how we can support each other through our collective efforts as an area: deepening our relationships with one another, sharpening our communication of ministry efforts, and identifying new opportunities for ministry. All of this will require an openness and flexibility to move in the direction that God leads.

I give thanks for the ways that you will contribute to the work of NEACCO through your support, resources and prayers. With God’s help, we will press forward, seeking to faithfully live out God’s vision for our lives, communities, and this area we know as NEACCO. We have Good News and there is good work to be done!”

In Christ,
Kevin Howe

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:47:44-05:00Jun 20, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Faith in Action Commission Calls for PRAR Prayer

Faith in Action Commission Calls for Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism Season of Prayer

As followers of Christ, we are commanded to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:30-21) John quotes Jesus saying to love one another. (John 13:34) Paul instructs us There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

Have you ever wondered why Paul did not list race? Social scientists began identifying, analyzing, and categorizing race around the 18th century. It was a most meaningful time when slavery and Manifest Destiny needed justification.

Our world is fragmented and hurting because

we lack understanding of the complexities of our society.
we retain carefully taught values; we do not question.
the world is scary, and we are afraid of those who are different than us.
it is to our economic advantage to establish hierarchies of worth among our brothers and sisters.

The Faith in Action Commission is embarking on a process to address each of these realities in our world today. In the fall of 2016, we gathered a group to consider the development of a Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism Team (PRAR) to coordinate this work.

On June 22-24, 2017 a planning task force will develop policies and procedures for this team with the help of leaders from the Illinois-Wisconsin Region who have some years of experience with such a group. We are asking all of you to join us in a season of prayer as we seek God’s guidance in such a time as these.

Oklahoma PRAR Task Force Members

Kelley Becker
Brenda Denson
Leslie Dotson – Associate Regional Minister
Deloris Guess
Brandon Johnson – Editor of policies and procedures
Marilynn Knott – Moderator of Faith in Action Commission
Marty McCutchen
Loretta Payne
Bill Skye
Tom Stanley – Editor of policies and procedures

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:47:49-05:00Jun 20, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Thank You for Supporting Global Ministries

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma is proud to report a gift of $6,600 to Global Ministries. Of this $6,600 gift, $3,600 represents 50% of the Oklahoma Region’s $7,200 commitment to support Caminante in 2017 and $3,000 of this gift will be used for supplies for the July summer fair.

Reverend Jane Sullivan-Davis, CFRE (Executive for Resource Development Global Ministries) says “With your gift, we walk together with international partners on our shared journey.

In South Korea, Global Ministries missionary Kahala Cannon writes that the Unity of Filipino Migrant Workers Association in Korea (KASAMMAKO) planted seeds as they celebrated the 19th anniversary of their organization. Members presented items that represented their struggles of living and working in Korea. A pair of gloves, a roll of ribbon, cloth, and towels were all items which symbolize the labor, sweat, and tears poured out each day in the factories in Korea, and also reaffirm their efforts in breaking down walls of injustice and moving toward self-sustainability.

Thank you for planting seeds through your gift to Global Ministries. With your gift, you walk with international partners in hope, peace, justice, and love.”

To learn more or to support Global Ministries read more here.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:48:03-05:00May 22, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

The Disciples of Christ Historical Society Ministry Opportunity: President

The Disciples of Christ Historical Society has a Ministry Opportunity available for President.

The called leader will head this important and fiscally secure General Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into a bright future of serving the Stone-Campbell Movement and the ecumenical church.

The Disciples of Christ Historical Society, located in Bethany, West Virginia, seeks to call a steward to be our next President. The called person will be given a unique opportunity to serve in continuity within the tradition of extending the ministry of Christ.

The successful candidate will be afforded the opportunity to work in an historic, academic and bucolic setting. The position will be located in a newly refurbished reception area and a newly constructed state-of-the-art archival facility that is contiguous to the Alexander Campbell historic sites and within walking distance of sites honored with the national landmark status.

The ministry, affectionately known as DCHS, embodies the witness of history. We are a society that gathers people into community. The Society is also the trustee of an extensive archival collection and library.

The President serves as a sign of the important gift of history by actively practicing the craft of being an historian while ultimately facilitating and supporting the work of colleagues who are historians of the church, particularly those within the Stone-Campbell family.

For further details read the full job description HERE.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:48:09-05:00May 15, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Green Chalice News – Caring for God’s Creation

Green Chalice would like to teach every congregation how to become a Green Chalice congregation.

The purpose of the Green Chalice Program is to encourage and assist local congregations/DOC Offices and Assemblies who wish to live out their faith by caring for creation. This program is designed to recognize congregations for being good stewards of God’s creation. It also aims to empower congregations/assemblies with ideas and resources to enable them to walk gently on the earth.

The program has two tiers. The first level is to become a Green Chalice Congregation/Assembly. The second level is to become a CERTIFIED Green Chalice Congregation or Assembly.

The following churches are Green Chalice Congregations in Oklahoma.

Bethany Christian Church, Tulsa
Disciples Christian Church, Bartlesville
Disciples Christian Church, Owasso
Edmond Trinity Christian Church, Edmond
Southern Hills Christian Church, Edmond
Western Oaks Christian Church, Oklahoma City

To see a complete list of the Current Green Chalice Congregations and CERTIFIED Green Chalice Congregations, please click here.

Learn more by reading the Green-Chalice-Welcome-Letter. Help care for God’s Creation.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:48:29-05:00May 8, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Thank You For Making LTS a HUGE Success!

Thank you to everyone who helped make Leadership Training School 2017 a success! 48 churches and over 320 individuals participated in Leadership Training School at FCC OKC on April 1st.

Rev. Dr. Bryan Feille shared Ephesians 4:11-13 with us to prepare us for keynote speaker, Laurie Feille’s worship message “Everybody Has a Gift”. Laurie’s uplifting worship message was exactly what we all needed to hear to breathe new life into our churches this Spring. She emphasized the importance of sharing your God given talents and gifts with your church.

Rev. John Malget and the Southern Hills Christian Church Praise Band shared their musical talents during worship. New Vessel Christian Church’s Children’s Choir blessed us as they shared their beautiful voices.

The workshops were not only educational but inspirational, and we would like to thank all our workshop leaders for sharing their time and gifts with their classes.

We would also like to thank Rev. Aaron Krueger (Crown Heights Christian Church) who led the LTS Planning Committee and all of the leaders on the Committee for their time and talents to create a successful event. Last but not least, we recognize the leaders that helped with the worship service at LTS. We recognize each of your talents and are grateful you chose to share them with us.

Rev. Aaron Krueger (Crown Heights Christian Church) acknowledged the efforts of the LTS Planning Team. “LTS was a success, in my book. Regardless of how many people registered, attended, or considered attending, the event, itself was a success. You all worked really hard on making sure all the details were combed over, prepared for, and executed to perfection. Thank you all!”

Thank you to the following churches for bringing 8 or more people!

FCC Claremore
FCC Frederick
FCC OKC
FCC Sulphur
New Covenant
Northwest Christian Church
Pine Street Christian Church
Refuge Fellowship
Southern Hills Christian Church
Waukomis Christian Church
Western Oaks Christian Church

In 2018, Leadership Training School will combine with Regional Assembly for one important event. Mark your calendars for April 27-28, 2018 at New Covenant Christian Church. More details will follow soon.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:48:42-05:00Apr 13, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off