Regional News Archives - Page 21 of 23 - Christian Church in Oklahoma

2017 Reconciliation Grant Applications Now Being Accepted

Dear Sisters and Brothers on the journey,

The Region of Oklahoma (Disciples of Christ) is committed to the journey of Pro-Reconciliation and Anti-Racism (PRAR).

As we work through the process of structuring PRAR; calling and then training a PRAR team, we have the opportunity to offer Reconciliation Grants to our churches and ministries that:

a) promote reconciliation or b) improve intolerance or cultural sensitivity

How to Apply
We’ve attached the current Reconciliation Grant Process and Application. Reconciliation_Policies_Application_Forms_1005. If you have a ministry that matches the requirements of this grant, please fill out the application with all of the required paperwork. Grants will be offered up to $5000 for each project.

April 1 Deadline
The Faith in Action Commission will be accepting completed grant applications postmarked no later than April 1, 2017 or submitted to the regional office before or on that date. We will then review all the applications and approve grants for those qualified applicants.

Applications may be dropped off or mailed to:
Attention: Reconciliation Task Force
Christian Church in Oklahoma
301 NW 36th St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73118-8661

Email Applications to: office@okdisciples.org with subject line: Reconciliation Task Force

If you have any questions, please contact:
Marilynn Knott (Moderator of Faith in Action) marilynnknott1@cox.net / 405-524-5074

Leslie Dotson (Associate Regional Minister) ldotson@okdisciples.org / 918-850-7006

Blessings on this day,
Faith in Action Commission

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:49:47-05:00Mar 2, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Join us to celebrate Richard Keith’s retirement

Join us to celebrate Richard Keith’s 20 years of service and retirement with the Christian Church in Oklahoma. A reception will be held at the Regional Office at 301 NW 36th Street, Oklahoma City from 2-4pm on March 22nd. Cards and a love offering are welcomed.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:50:09-05:00Mar 1, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Immigration Ban: A Statement from Rev. Pam Holt

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) came into existence on the American frontier through immigrants. Our teachings of faith and practice come first from scripture which call us to offer radical hospitality: to welcome and provide for the stranger in our midst, and to love our neighbor, stranger or enemy, as ourself. As followers of Christ, who fed the hungry and the thirsty and who welcomed the stranger, our faith calls us to do the same.

As our General Minister and President, Sharon Watkins, explains, “we have upheld this commitment to offer hospitality to well over 40,000 refugees since the time of WWII, and have done so by providing housing, employment, mentoring, contributions, prayer, and friendship,” and we have offered and experienced many faces of God’s grace and love through our faith and practice.

While we are grateful for our national security which strives to keep our nation safe, and while we support their system that oversees and implements the vetting process, an executive order by the POTUS that unnecessarily oppresses our brothers and sisters who are refugees or immigrants strikes the very core of our faith teachings and practices as ambassadors of Christ.

Our pastors and congregations strive for unity and cooperation among diversity, and we will continue to ardently pray and advocate for the rights and welcome of the vulnerable immigrants and refugees to be in our midst.

Pam Holt

Regional Minister

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:50:46-05:00Feb 8, 2017|Regional News|1 Comment

Leadership Training School – April 1st

Keynote Speaker: Laurie Feille

Rev. Feille graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in December 1996 and was ordained by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in January 1997. Rev. Feille served First Christian Church, Garland, Texas as part time Youth Minister and full time Associate Minister; Arlington Heights Christian Church, Fort Worth, TX as Senior Minister; and Senior Minister of Azle Christian Church, Azle, TX Rev. Feille has a passion for missions and has been on Mission Trips to Bosnia, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya and many places in the United States.

Rev. Feille has served as the Chaplain for the Disciples Women Fellowship of the Trinity Brazos Area Board, Southwest Region of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); on the Youth Ministry Council for the Trinity Brazos Area; on the Patient Advisory Committee for Texas Health Resources; adjunct teacher at Brite Divinity School in Homiletics; and as a member of the Steering Committee for Rippling Hope a newly formed nonprofit organization. Rev. Feille has been a director/counselor/ keynoter at retreats, camps and conferences in the Trinity Brazos Area, North Texas Area, Central Area, Costal Plains Area and the Northeast Area of the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She currently serves on the Executive Unit of the Commission on Ministry for the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and on the board of Church Extension Fund for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:51:07-05:00Jan 25, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Thank you! Regional Annual Fund 2016

Thank you for your gift to the Annual Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)in Oklahoma.

The Region of Oklahoma is thriving! Your gift helps to sustain vibrant and visionary leadership and support to over 280 pastors and 150 congregations.

Your gift helps provide:

critical resources for congregations in transition and congregations seeking a new pastor
opportunities for clergy to enrich their ministry
strong leadership for the movement of God’s spirit in young people attending camps, CYF Koinonia weekend, mission trips to Oklahoma communities, Jamaica, Heifer International and International Affairs
the opportunity to build a Regional Anti-Racism Pro-Reconciliation Team.

To learn more about the many and varied ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma, I invite you to browse the many news articles on our home page.

Thank you for your generosity!

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:51:21-05:00Jan 23, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

ODF Seeking Part-time Admin. Assistant

The Oklahoma Disciples Foundation is seeking a part-time Administrative Assistant to work approximately 20 hours per week at the Foundation offices located at 301 NW 36th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118.

The Administrative Assistant reports directly to the Foundation Executive Director and takes direction from and provides assistance to other staff members.

Click here for a more detailed job description.

Please email your resume to Eric Gray, Executive Director, egray@okdfdn.org or mail it to 301 NW 36th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118

The Foundation is an independent, Oklahoma-based non-profit 501(c) (3) organization related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma. The Foundation accepts gifts in the form of donations of cash, real estate, mineral royalties, stocks/bonds, etc. These gifts are pooled, invested with an outside money manager, and annual earnings (per policy) are distributed to organizations and ministries related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) regionally and worldwide.

http://okdfdn.org/about-us/news/

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:52:17-05:00Jan 17, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

SW Region Searching for a Regional Minister

The Southwest Region is currently searching for a Regional Minister.

The Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a region of 32,625 participating members in over 400 congregations in New Mexico, Texas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, and Liberal, Kansas. The Region is searching for a Regional Minister who:

Embodies and articulates a strong identity as a Disciple of Christ.
Understands and encourages the missions of local congregations.
Proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ in word and action.
Supports and equips clergy.
Works with areas in ministry.
Understands and is experienced with transformation in the church.
Respects and celebrates diversity in race, culture, theology and language.
Is accountable and responsible for all Regional staff and programs.
Maintains and builds relationship with the denomination on behalf of the Southwest.
Delegates and oversees representatives of the Region on boards and in other obligations, done in consultation with the Regional Council.

Interested candidates should send an email of interest to chair of the search committee, Jeff Billings Jbillings@ccsw.org.

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:52:26-05:00Jan 17, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

New Year’s Greeting: Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins

January 2017

Dearest Friends in Christ –

“Hope is a star that shines in the night, leading us on till the morning is bright.”

From the Advent promise of Emmanuel: God with us; to the Epiphany revelation: God-with-us-now, we hope.

And yet, I confess, as 2017 begins, my heart is bruised by the pain and division the United States and Canada have experienced which have filtered into our communities and congregations. Antagonistic elections in the United States have upended civil discourse. Repeated public incidents of both individual and institutional racism have fractured relationships in communities. And beyond our borders, civil wars in places like South Sudan and Syria, as well as natural disasters in long-suffering Haiti, only increase the need for healing of all kinds.

Still, along with “all of creation” in Romans 8:18, we wait expectantly “for the children of God to be revealed.” In fact, we hope to be among them. We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. We know God to be a God of abundance who provides enough for all and makes room enough for all.

This is the time for Disciples to shine! We have long found ways to live together in unity for the sake of God’s mission. Our ability to respect (and engage!) a diversity of faithful opinions is needed now more than ever. Our emphasis on healing the rifts of racism with pro-reconciling work is foundational to moving forward in our part of the world and globally. Our shared sense of service that came through loud and clear in our Mission Gatherings of 2016 gives us some of the connections we need to start living into the wholeness God so ardently wishes for us.

Our deep hope in God’s healing presence leads us to action.

Mission First!

Disciples are on the move toward new ways of being God’s hands and feet in the world through our work on Mission First! The Mission Council met late last year to identify common themes arising from the mission gatherings. We found many Disciples are hearing a call to mission with and for children, youth and young adults through efforts at inclusion, speaking up for the vulnerable and addressing racism. The Council affirmed welcome and accompaniment as hallmarks of our participation in God’s mission. At some of the gatherings – in the MidAmerica Region, for example – people found others who share their missional passions and formed connections to work together immediately. The Administrative Committee is preparing a proposal on how we might implement what we learned from the governance portion of the Mission First! pilot effort.

Pro-Reconciliation

As called for in General Assembly resolution 1328, the Racist Language Audit Task Force presented their report in 2016. General ministries, regions and the General Board, have already started to address the issues surfaced. Governing documents are being translated, sometimes for the first time, into French, Spanish and Korean. The National Convocation, at the 2016 Biennial Session, committed to renewed support for Reconciliation Ministry and calls upon the rest of the church to do the same.

New starts

In 2017, we look forward to new beginnings with our next General Minister and President to be elected in July at the General Assembly, along with our new moderator team. We anticipate gathering once again at the Lord’s Table to be united as ONE, celebrating Jesus’ prayer on our behalf that the world may believe.

Called to Live in Hope

After nearly 12 years, serving as your general minister and president, I still believe we are a church whose time has come. We are a gifted people, called for such a time as this. Refining our missional focus across the life of the Church, renewing our commitment to racial justice, catching the Spirit in new ways to further our part in God’s work of healing and wholeness – we enter 2017 ready to be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving, from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth

With hope in Christ undimmed, I greet you in this New Year. May we all resolve to live right now in “the assurance of things hoped for!” (Hebrews 11:1)

Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins

General Minister and President

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:52:41-05:00Jan 12, 2017|Regional News|Comments Off

Annual Fund: Why Your Gift is Important

Dear Regional Church Family,

Just as this is the season of stewardship in your home church, this is also the season of stewardship for the Region. We are asking you to help support the ministry of the Regional church by making a contribution to the Annual Fund 2016 before December 31, 2016.

Every dollar counts, and every dollar is significant, especially when these offerings are given and blessed by God. These monies are used to support, encourage, connect and equip the faithful in our midst as we all, in our unique and diverse ministries, seek to bring healing and wholeness in our broken and fragmented world.

Making “Mission” a First Priority

Over 400 people gathered at our Leadership Training Event to hear from Vy Nuygen, executive director of Week of Compassion, and to attend a variety of workshops, including many on mission.

Over 300 people gathered at our bi-annual Regional Assembly where we were empowered and sent forth into the community to “do” mission. Read about how we learned to build bridges, served our community, and enjoyed fellowship.

All of our summer youth camps, generously supported by Oklahoma Disciples Men, were full of young people who hunger for a word from the Lord and long to use their gifts in mission. See a list of the many congregations who participated in outdoor ministry this summer.

Our Region welcomed a visit from a Caminante intern Henry Brewer-Calvert, and we celebrated a Regional mission trip to Caminante, Dominican Republic, which is faithfully supported by Oklahoma Disciples Women.

We have held “Mission First!” gatherings in several places around the Region so that our voice will be united with the whole church.

We Serve Over 150 Oklahoma Disciples Congregations

Over 150 Disciples congregations continue to reach beyond their doors in wonderful and creative ministries in and around their communities. We invite you to read about these joys.

Ordaining and Commissioning Clergy

We also celebrate congregations who ordained 8 candidates into Christ’s church: Amy Grogran, Bethany Christian Church, Tulsa; Joy Naylor, Fellowship Christian Church, Broken Arrow; Chuck Jackson, South Grand Lake Christian Church, Langley; Cecilia Tolley, Northwest Christian Church, OKC; Mark Taylor, FCC Edmond; Kaycee Young, FCC Talequah; Drew Kirtley, FCC Duncan; Sondra Ladd, FCC Stillwater. Two congregations commissioned pastors: Lisa Wynn, FCC Guthrie; Evan Taylor, East Side CC, Tulsa. And the Region continues to support almost 300 clergy called to lead in a variety of ways: congregations, chaplaincy, teaching, hospices, non-profits, and prisons.

New Pro-Reconciliation and Anti-Racism Training

On November 19th, the Region hosted a Pro-Reconciliation Anti-Racism (PRAR) workshop where over 50 diverse folks from around the state united to learn how to create a PRAR team in our Region. Learn more about this important new initiative.

Your Gift Makes A Difference

The Region of Oklahoma has numerous things for which we can be thankful. In this season of Thanksgiving, and as you gather with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day, we invite you to make a list of blessings from this past year. We are sure the list will be long! We trust you will give thanks for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which is making a difference in the name of Christ in Oklahoma, not only with prayer, but also with a monetary gift. Thank you for your gift so that we may further our mission. You may securely donate online here.

May God continue to bless you, your congregation, and our Region in the name of Christ. Peace & God’s grace,

Pamela G. Holt, Regional Minister

CCOK3012019-03-18T15:52:50-05:00Nov 25, 2016|Regional News|Comments Off

Christmas Offering to Support Regional Ministries

The Regional Office is the portal that unites the diversity and mission of Oklahoma congregations and Christ’s followers.

Our regional staff and its volunteer board work to

Encourage 151 diverse congregations and their clergy, and 10 non-profit ministries in mission.
Support nearly 300 commissioned and ordained clergy serving in congregations, hospitals, military chaplaincy, higher education, camps, foundations, non-profit organizations.
Help congregations seeking to call a new pastor.
Provide laity and clergy with educational and leadership resources.
Pray for and provide pastoral care to our clergy and their families.
Guide those called by God who seek ministry as a vocation as ordained clergy.
Credential all Disciples of Christ clergy in the Region of Oklahoma.
Provide resources and leadership for young people through summer camps and seasonal retreats.

Please consider supporting Oklahoma Regional Ministries with a gift to the Christmas Offering through your church or you may donate online.