In Remembrance

With sadness we pass along the news of the passing of faithful servants who have provided spiritual leadership to Oklahoma Disciples. Our prayers of comfort are with their families and friends.

Dorothy Coffman Messenger

Dorothy Coffman Messenger was born March 4, 1915, in Dallas, TX, and died on November 5, 2017, in Edmond, OK. The daughter of John Richard Coffman and Rhe Harper Coffman, she grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and was graduated from Stripling High School there in 1931.

Services will be held at 2:00 pm Thursday, November 16, 2017 at Southern Hills Christian Church, 3207 S. Boulevard Ave., Edmond, OK.

She attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where she met G. L. “Andy” Messenger. They were united in marriage on August 27, 1936, and were both graduated from TCU in 1937. She earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Business. Following college, they moved to Chicago, where G. L. attended the University of Chicago Graduate School, and Dorothy was employed at the former International Council of Religious Education.

Their first full-time pastorate was at Canyon, TX, where they began serving in the fall of 1939 and where their daughter, Myrna, was born. There followed two more Texas pastorates—at Center and at Denton—and the birth of their two sons, Mac and Scrib, in Denton. There was a 5-year pastorate at the Glen Oak Christian Church in Peoria, IL, and then in 1952 they moved to Stillwater, OK, where they served for 12 years at the First Christian Church. There followed nearly 13 years at Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville, and 8 years at First Christian Church in Woodward. Having retired from full-time ministry after Woodward in 1984, they ended their formal ministries with four interim pastorates.

Dorothy was employed for 28 years in the field of accounting in Oklahoma. She worked in the Office of Engineering Research on the OSU Campus at Stillwater for 11 years; in Dewey, she worked as Accounting Manager for Five Star Engineering and Foundry for 10 years; and her last employment before retirement was with the H. C. Price Company in Bartlesville.

Dorothy was active in all phases of church life. She was Moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma 1982-84; a past President of the Oklahoma Christian Women’s Fellowship; an Elder at Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville; and an Elder Emeritus at the First Christian Church in Woodward and at Southern Hills Christian Church in Edmond. Through the years, she taught church school classes of all ages, was a retreat leader and teacher in numerous workshops, and was a Laity Sunday speaker for various churches across Oklahoma. She was also a volunteer for many interdenominational projects.

Throughout her years of dedication to church, work, and family, she and her husband had the privilege of traveling widely in the States and overseas. Those travels broadened and enriched their perspectives.

Dorothy was predeceased by her husband, Andy, to whom she had been married for almost 67 years. She is survived by her daughter, Myrna Ranney, of Edmond; her two sons, McDiarmid “Mac” Messenger (wife Gail), of Geneva, Switzerland, and Scribner Messenger (wife Mary Jo), of Columbia, Maryland; 14 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

Memorial service arrangements are pending. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, any gifts be made to any of the following: The G.L. “Andy” and Dorothy Coffman Messenger Fund, The Disciples Divinity House, 1156 East 57th St., Chicago, IL 60637-1536; Tree of Life Endowment Fund, Southern Hills Christian Church, 3207 South Boulevard, Edmond, OK 73013; or The G. L. and Dorothy Coffman Messenger Fund, Phillips Theological Seminary, 901 North Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK 74016

May God’s grace and peace surround his family during their time of sorrow.

Rev. Mark B. Newman

We share with you the passing of Rev. Mark B. Newman (71) who died November 2, 2017. Funeral services will be held Thursday, November 9, 2017 at Eastside Christian Church, 1438 S. Indianapolis Ave., Tulsa, with Rev. Anna Hubbard and Rev. Charles Ragland presiding. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Park, 4161 E. Admiral Place, Tulsa, with a reception for the family following at East Side Christian Church. Mark is survived by his wife Cheryl, brother Richard and sister Linda.

Friends may visit at Payne Funeral Home, 102 W. 5th St., Claremore on Wednesday November 8 from 1:00-8:30 pm, with the family receiving visitors from 7:00-8:30 pm. Service information is available at this link.

Rev. Newman graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1973 and received his Master of Divinity from Phillips Graduate Seminary. He was ordained on May 2, 1993 at East Side Christian Church, Tulsa. Mark served as pastor of First Christian Church Claremore, OK and First Christian Church Monongahela, PA and served in associate and interim pastorates including East Side Christian Church and First Christian-Presbyterian Church, Pryor. He was active on the Oklahoma Regional Board and Northeast Area Board, participated in outdoor ministries, and served in leadership for the Claremore Area Ministerial Alliance.

Rev. Dr. Dennis E. Clark

We are saddened to share the news of the death of Rev. Dr. Dennis E. Clark (68), former senior minister of First Christian Church Guthrie. Dennis died unexpectedly Monday May 1, 2017 at his home in Siler City, North Carolina.

A memorial service is planned for Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. It will be held at Crossings Community Church, 14600 N. Portland, Oklahoma City, OK.

In lieu of a graveside service, there will be a Celebratory Reception, 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, at First Christian Church in Guthrie.

Dennis received his Bachelor of Theology at Northwest Christian College, and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity at Phillips Graduate Seminary.

He is survived by his wife Cathy, daughter Carmen Bond and husband Donnie (Edmond), and son Darin Clark and wife Holly (North Carolina). Cards may be sent to Cathy’s home at 131 Autumn Dr., Siler City, NC 27344-8876.

May God’s grace and peace surround his family during their time of sorrow.

Rev. Randolph Collinson

Rev. Collinson (84) passed away December 16, 2015 in Tulsa. A graduate of Phillips University and Seminary, and Oklahoma University, he served as pastor to many Oklahoma, Illinois and Georgia congregations.

Services will be held Monday, December 21, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at Fitzgerald Southward Colonial Chapel, 3612 E. 91st Street South, Tulsa, with interment at the Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Fort Gibson, OK. Rev. Jay Holt and Rev. Leslie Dotson, associate regional minister, will be officiating the celebration of life and grave side services.