The congregation worshiped for the last time on June 26th. Odyssey had moved from First Christian in Jenks to Boston Ave. United Methodist Church. A few excerpts from Rev. Phil Ball’s last letter to the congregation:
“I write to you in celebration of the 14 years we have both experienced and shared God’s Light. While Odyssey’s form will soon separate into its component parts, you will continue to bear the light as those who have known a place where real life was integrated with real faith lived out in vulnerability, growth, expansion, compassion, grace, and service.
I need to add something we did which in my own mind stayed below the radar for most of us. Because we have been so personal in our missional activities, and these consistent gifts from 10% of our regular budget were not directly ‘personal’, it was easy for them to go unnoticed and uncelebrated. We have from May of 2005 through June of 2019 given a minimum of 10,000 dollars per year to these combined agencies including the Disciples Mission Fund; Disciples Week of Compassion, The Annual Fund of the Christian Church in Oklahoma; the Northeast Area Office of the Christian Church in Okla., and finally the global Church World Service which serves millions of people worldwide and especially the refugees from war. We have to my memory never had a year where giving to our regular budget was less than 100,000 dollars annually which meant that the minimum we have given away to these 5 agencies was more than 140,000 dollars over Odyssey’s life span. And that was in addition all the special acts and items we gave during the year!
I invite you to be proud of the witness this congregation that never had an average worship attendance of more than 45 people per week has done through the generosity of God, and the vision that we could make a positive difference in God’s world. We have!”
