Regional News Archives - Page 6 of 22 - Christian Church in Oklahoma

2020 Christmas Offering Resources

What is the Christmas Offering?

Gifts to the Christmas offering support the work of the Oklahoma Region. It sustains the life of the church by connecting, empowering and equipping Disciples of Christ to love and serve like Jesus. (Received December 13th and 20th)

100% of your gift supports Oklahoma Regional Ministries

Even during this long season of COVID we continue to –

Connect congregations and clergy to each other

Gather Disciples virtually in camps, conferences and assemblies.

Nurture those called to vocational ministry.

Assist churches in calling new ministers.

Participate in the global mission of the church.

Respond to disasters in Oklahoma with dollars and resources.

Walk with those in conflict.

Lead the church to address racism.

Inspire leaders to experiment and create.

Witness to the power of God to make ALL things new.

Click here for Advent Wreath Videos

Click here to download the video

Worship Slides

Download Slide 1
Download Slide 2
Download Slide 3
Download Slide 4

Sample of Slides

Logos

Download Landscape Rejoice logo with manger

Download Landscape Rejoice logo type only

Download Instagram Rejoice logo

Download Oklahoma ornament logo

Bulletin Insert

Download Insert

CCOK3012020-11-28T09:52:43-06:00Nov 27, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Fall 2020 Annual Fund Campaign

Dear Friends in Christ,

Thank you for being a partner in the ministry and mission of the Regional Church in Oklahoma. Your ongoing financial gifts to the Regional Church help to connect, equip, and empower clergy and congregations in Oklahoma to reach out with the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Please prayerfully consider giving a gift to the Fall Appeal for the Regional Church. Every gift, blessed and multiplied by God, has the capacity to strengthen our ministry together.

While all of our in-person Regional events were cancelled due to the unprecedented pandemic these last eight months, we have been able to gather virtually to continue the ministry of the Region. In fact, we just held the first Virtual Regional Assembly on September 26, 2020, which was remarkable. We were able to see one another, learn together, worship together, and conduct Regional business together. We had 75 clergy and 60 certified delegates representing 27 congregations in attendance via Zoom, and many others throughout the Region joined the Assembly through YouTube. If you missed it you may view the 2020 Virtual Regional Assembly replays here.

Your Regional leadership also continues to provide opportunities and resources for youth and children through this same technology. Clergy continue to gather for support and sharing, and congregations have been able to utilize the Region’s technology until they could acquire their own. And now you may access podcast interviews of our Regional Area Moderators.

Your gift to the Regional Church makes it possible for all of us to stay connected through technology, even more so with a pandemic, and we are ever so grateful.

We are committed to continuing our focus on Jesus and the Bible in 2021 to keep our faith grounded in these unstable times. Also, we are committed to the creation of new ways to connect, equip, and empower Disciples of Christ:

strengthening the voice of hope and assurance of God’s presence among us,
using our voices and our feet to advocate for justice for the oppressed,
lifting our hands and hearts in prayer beckoning the Holy Spirit to help us bring healing and wholeness to this very broken world.

Your gift will help us accomplish these priorities. We have enclosed an envelope so you may send a check to the Regional Church, or you may give online using Givelify here.

Again, thank you for your part in the meaningful, life-giving work of the Regional Church. Stay safe! Stay well! Stay hopeful!

Peace & God’s Grace,

Pamela G. Holt, Regional Minister

Some Regional Leaders’ responses to “What do you enjoy about the Regional Church?”

“The people! Learning and meeting all the people, and learning all the
Region does!” says Jacqueline Bass from Wildewood Christian Church, OKC.

“The relationships,” writes Rev. Michael Oberlender from FCC Chickasha. “When I think of relationship, I think of connectivity. As a family, we are
bonded together and enjoy a covenantal bond like no other entity.”

“Seasoned colleagues, responsive regional ministers, critical theological exploration at PTS, and a Disciples history of being a powerful voice of
reasoned Christianity!” writes Rev. Colton Lott from FCC El Reno.

CCOK3012020-11-03T14:09:38-06:00Nov 3, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Regional Minister Searches Open in Kentucky and Ohio

8/20/20

Regional Minister for the Christian Church in Kentucky

Receiving applications through December 15 2020. Online job description

Is ordained in the CC(DOC) and wholeheartedly supports its Design and its established policies and procedures, including the Search and Call process.
Is called to the service of the wider church and the local congregation
Is called to pastoral counseling and consultation with both clergy and congregations
Is a person of authentic faith; an innovative thinker; a visionary leader; an effective communicator; and has a pastoral presence.

Is responsible for:

Leading the Region in casting, implementing, and evaluating the Vision and Mission of the Region
Interpreting the mission and ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to the region
Providing pastoral care, counseling, and leadership to clergy and local congregations
Traveling to congregations (or visiting remotely) within the Region for the purpose of building relationships and fostering good communication
Overseeing the Search and Call process with congregations
Serving as head of staff, supervising the work of associate regional ministers, contract staff, and administrative staff, including reviews, terms of employment, and disciplinary measures
Serving as a resource to the Regional Board and all of its committees, commissions, and working groups
Working with the established boards, committees, and any other ministries and task forces to carry out the ongoing work of the region
Strengthening relationships with
– College of Regional Ministers of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
– Kentucky Christian Missionary Convention
– Southeast Regional Fellowship (Disciples Regions in the Southeast)
– West Area of the Christian Church in Kentucky
- Green Chalice, a Disciples Home Missions organization with roots in Kentucky
- Disciples Appalachian Scholarship Ministry (formerly Kentucky Appalachian Ministry)
Participating on these boards:
- General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the USA and Canada
- Lexington Theological Seminary Board of Trustees
- Kentucky Council of Churches Executive Committee

The Regional Board, with the consultation of the Personnel Committee, is responsible for supervising the Regional Minister.

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky

All applicants are required to provide updated search and call paperwork in order to be considered. Furthermore, all applicants are required to submit a Letter of Interest to the Search Committee Chairperson:

Rev. Kory Wilcoxson
c/o Crestwood Christian Church
1882 Bellefonte Dr., Lexington, KY, 40502

The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2020.

Candidates should also have current Disciples Search and Call papers on file with the Office of Search and Call in Disciples Home Missions.

10/13/20

Regional Minister for the Christian Church in Ohio

Receiving applications through November 30, 2020. Online job description and regional profile

The Regional Pastor and President provides executive and visionary leadership for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Ohio. The Regional Pastor and President will enhance congregational vitality and mission through a ministry of: authentic connection, presence, process development and creative leadership; spiritual development and practice in personal and communal life; pastoral care and nurture of the congregations and ministers within the Region through quality communication and wise, prayerful counsel; and attention to the development of community by encouraging networking, collaboration and cooperation of congregations and leadership. The Regional Pastor will be affirming and inclusive, creating a space where all Disciples in Ohio are welcome at the Table.

Interested persons should send a letter of interest to:
Debbie Saxe, Regional Search Committee Co-Chair
230 Stow Avenue, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221

The application deadline is November 30, 2020

Candidates should also have current Disciples Search and Call papers on file with the Office of Search and Call in Disciples Home Missions.

CCOK3012020-11-03T11:26:36-06:00Nov 3, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

GMP Receives National Convocation’s Liberation Award

The African American Liberation Award 2020 of the National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President

Rev. Terri Hord Owens Honored

The National Convocation’s African American Liberation Award is presented to persons who are strategic and instrumental in opening doors of opportunity and empowerment of African Americans and other oppressed people. The presentation to our Rev. Terri Hord Ownes, our General Minister and President reads:

“For Your Bold Leadership in These Times of Uncertainty, Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian Teaching the Church to Pray With Specificity and Confidence.”

Congratulations and may God grant you grace to carry on.

Learn more about the National Convocation Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

CCOK3012020-11-03T10:25:26-06:00Nov 3, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Pastoral Appreciation: Intentional Self-Care and Gratitude

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

The Region thanks each of our ordained and commissioned ministers who are serving in local congregations, in hospitals, and in higher education. Thank you for sharing their gifts, talents, energy, wisdom, kindness, creativity, and time to bless others. We appreciate all you do every day to make and shape those in your care in the Oklahoma Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

In honor of Pastor Appreciation Month, we give thanks and also encourage our clergy to take some time for intentional self-care this month. If we clergy are not taking care of ourselves and tending to our own disrupted patterns of behavior in this extraordinary and unprecedented time of ministry, then we will not be very effective at caring for others. We encourage healthy leaders to be able to care for and help bring healing and wholeness to their broken people in the community and this fragmented world. And, it would be best to choose self-care rather than our bodies insisting on it with a crisis.

We offer to you the wisdom from Ashley Allen, author of “You Are Important: Nine Ways to Put Yourself First.”

She writes,

“Putting yourself first is not selfish. It is responsible. Use the mind, body, and spirit trifecta to increase well-being and remind yourself that you are important.”

Allen offers 9 ways:

3 for the body: exercise, nutrition, and careful choosing of cleaning products;
3 for the mind: be around positive people, do something you love and enjoy, and learn something new;
3 for the soul: practice and write gratitude, meditation and prayer, and unplug.

Read the full article here.

May God’s blessing be upon you as you continue to love and serve in the way of Jesus Christ!

Regional Minister Pamela Holt

CCOK3012020-10-07T14:38:13-05:00Oct 7, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Thank You for Supporting Caminante’s Matching Funds Appeal

As the recent Caminante Matching Funds Appeal is coming to a close we want to thank each of the donors that have made the appeal so successful. We are pleased to announce $2,500 has been raised from individuals and churches. We are close to our $3,500 goal. Because the contributions will be matched, we hope to close out the appeal strong and reach our goal of $7,000 in the coming weeks.

The pandemic has devastated thousands and thousands across Latin America, setting back the clock on the social and economic gains made over the last twenty-five years. Picturesque Caribbean towns, like Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic, once attracted throngs of tourists and urban residents to their white sandy beaches and turquoise-blue seas. Now they are all abandoned. The vast informal labor force who provided food, drink and services have no safety net and are increasingly destitute. Covid-19 is shattering parents’ middle-class dreams that their children escape the grinding poverty and sexual exploitation of their region.

Caminante is trying to keep their people’s dreams alive, but the expenses of their mission are increasing. Along with education programs, they are now providing food to children and their families and masks and disinfectants to combat Covid-19.

We have seen Sister Denisse and the Caminante staff change lives and give people hope and a future. Caminante’s success is due in part to the Oklahoma Region’s support, individuals and churches supporting this worthy ministry. We thank you for your support.

CCOK3012020-08-11T10:24:33-05:00Aug 11, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Thank You for Supporting the Region’s 2020 Spring Annual Fund

On behalf of the Regional Board, thank you for remembering the Regional Church in your generous giving to the 2020 Spring Annual Fund. We celebrate that your gifts helped the Region reach 53% of its Annual Fund goal! The Regional Church depends upon your faithful giving to strengthen the ministry to clergy and congregations throughout the Region of Oklahoma, and our next appeal will launch in October.

While all of our in-person events have either been postponed or canceled until 2021, the Region has offered several events and meetings virtually: Vacation Bible School and Camp & Conference, Area Clergy meetings, and Commission meetings. We are grateful for your gifts to allow the Region to invest in the technology to keep us connected.

The first Virtual Regional Assembly will be on Saturday, September 26, 2020. We will be providing opportunities to gather on-line for learning, worship, and business. Registration opens soon. We hope you will join us as we unite as Disciples of Christ in Oklahoma.

In this unprecedented and extraordinary season of COVID-19, we give thanks for your health. We are deeply grateful for your congregation as it continues to gather either on-line or in-person for worship, and for your continued ministry into the community in the name of Jesus. Let all you do be done in love.

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong, and may God’s blessing of protection, courage, and grace continue to be upon you.

Peace & God’s Grace,

Pam Holt Signature

Regional Minister, Pam Holt

CCOK3012021-06-24T13:37:39-05:00Aug 11, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

New Covenant Youth Work Day at Oklahoma Regional Office

The Regional Office received a surprise gift last month when the youth from Oklahoma City New Covenant Christian Church arrived at the Regional Office with tools to trim the very overgrown shrubs! A big thank you to the youth and sponsors from OKC NCCC who spent their day cleaning up the flower beds at the Oklahoma Regional Office. We really appreciate your servant’s hearts. Thank you for blessing us with your time and energy on such a hot day!

CCOK3012020-08-11T21:01:38-05:00Aug 3, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

Upcoming Ministry Training Classes at Phillips Center for Ministry and Lay Training

Phillips Center for Ministry and Lay Training is excited to offer the upcoming Ministry Training Course Offerings. Click HERE to see the full course catalog and details on how to enroll.

20/21 Session 2: August 17 – October 11, 2020

Theology, Dr. Trish Greeves
Spiritual Development, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian
Communication, Kurt Gwartney, M.Div.
United Church of Christ History and Polity, Rev. Margot Pickett

20/21 Session 3: October 12 – December 6, 2020

Mission of the Church, Rev. David Avery
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Dr. Lisa Davison
Conflict Utilization, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian
Disciples History and Polity, MTP Adjunct Faculty

20/21 Session 4: January 4 – February 28, 2021

Church History, Rev. Jerry Albright
Evangelism, Dr. Bill Tenny-Brittian
Worship, CMLT Adjunct Faculty
20/21 Session 5: February 15 – April 11, 2021
Overview of the Bible, Dr. Alex Ruth
Christian Ethics, Dr. George Flanagan
Introduction to the New Testament, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian
Disciples History and Polity, CMLT Adjunct Faculty

20/21 Session 6: March 29 – May 23, 2021

Pastoral Care, Rev. Darrell Vandervort
Church Administration and Planning, Dr. John Bracke
Ecumenism, CMLT Adjunct Faculty

CCOK3012020-07-28T10:50:53-05:00Jul 28, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off

2020 Virtual Regional Assembly

Virtual Regional Assembly is scheduled for September 26, 2020. Congregations will soon receive important information on selecting delegates and registration by mail.

In 60 Days of Faith for Women, Rev. Cameron Trimble writes: I have no sense of direction. That should probably alarm you since I am a pilot. Because of this, I get lost quite a bit unless I am using my GSP to guide me to my destination. I usually just end up on small detours, though occasionally I can find myself way off course.

I used to get anxious about these deviations and would carefully follow my GPS for themes direct route from point A to point B. But soon I found myself missing the adventure that comes with not being entirely sure of where you are going. I realized that I saw more awake, more aware, and more curious about the journey when I wasn’t certain I was on the proven path. I had the potential of flying a new route that no one else had traversed before. It’s the subtle shift from being a follower to being an explorer–and it’s the only path I know to a fulfilling life.

Author Martha Beck once said, “A good Wayfinder is someone who’s comfortable losing the way.”

Given all of the challenges we face as a community, especially . . . with a pandemic threatening people we love in mighty forces, when the safety of our children is at stake by a potential return to school mandate, when the need for justice around systemic racism rises to protests, when the poor are run out of resources, when divisiveness is so prevalent, when the medical community is putting their lives and families at risk to save our lives, it seems we are being issued a new call to adventure. We must chart an original path forward to a sustainable future. We don’t have any templates for getting us there — no one has figured this out yet — so it’s up to us to get comfortable feeling lost while we find our way.

Where should we begin on this adventure? We could be anxious. We could be paralyzed. Or, we could be courageous. How about fixing our eyes upon Jesus?

Our 2020 Virtual Regional Assembly will focus on a few verses from Luke 4. This scripture was chosen for our Regional Assembly almost a year ago, and it seems ever more relevant today as we weather the storms in this unprecedented and extraordinary season.

Here’s what it says. Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been raised. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
God’s Spirit is upon me;
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s time to shine!”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”

Jesus, delivering this inaugural sermon in Nazareth, had every eye fixed on him, in awe! In awe!

Jesus had something to say to the people gathered. Jesus had something urgent for them to hear and see. I wonder what Jesus just revealed. I am not sure it was just the words from Isaiah.

In this unprecedented time and extraordinary season that we are living in, it is easy to lose sight of Jesus and what Jesus comes to reveal. It is so easy to lose our way. How do we keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Jesus, in awe?

Join us virtually on September 26, 2020 at the Regional Assembly to find out more!

Always Picking Up the Peaces,
Pam Holt Signature
Pam Holt

Footnotes:
Rev. Cameron Trimble, 60 Days of Faith for Women: A Devotional to Deepen Gratitude, Praise, and Prayer. Emeryville, California: Rockridge Press, 2020. p. 76.

Quoted scripture is from The Message, interpreted by The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II from We Are Called to be a Movement. New York, NY: Workan Publishing Co., Inc. 2020. pp. 4-6.

CCOK3012020-07-16T09:38:51-05:00Jul 15, 2020|Regional News|Comments Off