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KANSAS-OKLAHOMA CONFERENCE

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 

 

 

                 K-O e-NEWS

            MAY 2, 2011 

 

 

 

 

 Reports from K-O Reps. on National Committees

 
 Jane Teder - UCC Executive Council
Sean Weston - UCC Local Church Ministries
Leslie Penrose - UCC Justice & Witness Ministries

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 CoH Neighborhood Garden celebrates First Harvest!

 

 As part of our Easter weekend celebrations, Community of Hope in Tulsa, OK celebrated the first harvest of 2011 in our Neighborhood Garden on Saturday, April 23.  We harvested enough organically-grown lettuce and spinach to fill two 60-quart totes to overflowing.  After washing and rinsing, it was enough salad mix to feed 14 families.  The salad mix was delivered that day to our Tables-to-Go families, volunteers, and church staff. 

CoH first harvest
Rev. Bob Lawrence and Nancy Hines, a companion of Community of Hope 

 

 

(Our Tables-to-Go ministry provides a free Angel Food basket, fresh vegetables, and other household supplies on a monthly basis for 10 low-income families living with HIV/AIDS in the Tulsa area.  Our Neighborhood Garden is comprised of 40 raised beds that are managed by Companions of Community of Hope and our neighbors.  We have 5 beds dedicated to our Tables-to-Go families, and Saturday's harvest was made up of the output from just 2 of those beds.)


--
Rev. Bob Lawrence, MDiv
Pastor
Community of Hope UCC
2545 S. Yale Ave
Tulsa, OK  74114
918-747-6300
www.cohope.com

 

 

 

 

 

 PULPIT SUPPLY LIST

 

 PULPIT SUPPLY LIST

From time to time churches are in need of a pastor to come and lead worship on a temporary basis.  It might be because the regular pastor is on vacation or sabbatical or it could be that the congregation is in-between pastors and awaiting their interim to arrive.  In any case, the conference minister often receives phone calls or requests for a list of names that the congregation can telephone.  To that end, Krista Betz is creating a list of persons who would be willing to receive a phone call and possibly lead worship in our Kansas-Oklahoma Conference churches from time to time.  The list will include only authorized ministers in good standing in the United Church of Christ or persons in good standing in one of our partner/formula of agreement denominations.  If you are such a person and would like to be included in the list, please email Krista at [email protected].  Let her know your name, email, phone number, town in which you reside, how many miles you would be willing to drive from there, and where your authorization for ministry/standing is held.  Thanks!!

 
  

 

 

From a Mustard Seed:

Enlivening Worship and Music in the Small Church

Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 07:00pm - 08:00pm

Small congregations can, and should, have beautiful worship! In From a Mustard Seed, a new webinar based on the book of the same name, an experienced pastor-professor and an experienced church musician will provide a model for faithful and excellent worship in congregations that average 75 or fewer people in weekly worship. This interactive webinar will offer a vision, spiritual practices and practical guidance for transforming your congregation's worship. Participants will reflect on the theology of worship and ways to enliven diverse styles of music in corporate worship. While the limitations of small congregations are obvious to their members and leaders, the possibilities for creative music and worship are often greater than we can imagine!

 

Rev. Bruce Epperly, Ph.D. is a theologian, spiritual guide and pastor. Ordained in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he is the author of 19 books including Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living; God's Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus; and Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry, selected as the 2009 Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy. He has been described as one of America's leading process theologians.

 

Daryl Hollinger, DMA, is Dean of the Chapel and Adjunct Professor of Worship and Music at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He serves as Minister of Music at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As a composer, Daryl has received commissions from choral groups, congregations and national organizations. His most recent set of compositions, "From Every Corner: Diverse Organ Preludes," was published by Augsburg Fortress Press.

 

This webinar will begin at 7 p.m. EASTERN time and run for one hour.

 

PLEASE NOTE: All participants must have a unique login. Shortly after registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to obtain yours.

 

For questions, please contact Gregg Carlson at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Registration is $14.99 per person.
 

Click here to register!

 

 

 

 

 

      BIBLE STUDY MATERIALS for UCC WOMEN:


submitted by

JoAnn Chance,

KOWF Communications

 

 

BIBLE STUDY MATERIALS for UCC WOMEN:

 

The HORIZONS Ecumenical Bible Study

for 2011-2012 is entitled:

"Confessing the BEATITUDES"

by Rev. Margaret Aymer,

which will focus on specific scriptures in Matthew and Luke, plus

others in Psalm, James and Romans, and help us learn together

what it means to speak the truth about who God is calling us to be.

 

The Bible Study is the "Spring Edition" of the subscription or

"partnership" in  "UCC Women in Mission Partners" -

part of our covenantal partnership with UCC women's ministries,

being UCC women together and supporting the missions,

leadership development opportunities, and ministries of

UCCWM.

 

Electronic individual subscriptions are $24.00.

Printed paper copies individual subscriptions are $34.00

 

Each "parnership" gives a person a copy of each of the

COMMON LOT  Quarterly publications...

a Summer edition, Fall edition, and the Winter edition

(which shares the "Women's Week" materials), and then

the Spring edition IS the large Ecumenical Bible Study

(materials written in a format to provide 9 Lessons, plus

"suggestions for leaders" for each lesson and some

additional materials).

 

Subscriptions (which should be requested soon, so that

the Bible Study for 2011-12 can be sent in the coming weeks)

can be secured by sending checks to:

   UCC WM       (UCC Women in Mission)

   and sent to:

   UCC WM

   Attn: Financial Services

   700 Prospect Ave E

   Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.

 

The study materials look to be very user-friendly and

interesting, so hope you will enjoy using them as well

as reading and sharing the COMMON LOT quarterly

materials.

 

 

28th GENERAL SYNOD

  
 

      

Planning on joining us?

      

Congratulations Shannon Gorres! 

 

Shannon Gorres has been selected as 1 of 40 top young adults headed to seminary by the Fund for Theological Education, which means she'll receive the 2011 FTE Congregational Fellows financial award and meet with other leaders from a variety of Christian denominations across the nation in June. 

 

Shannon started the Hispanic Ministry programs at Plymouth Church in Lawrence in 2008 and became a licensed pastor. This fall she will start the Master of Divinity program through Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, with a combination of online and on-campus courses, then complete it with a Certificate of Sexualityand Religion at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley next year.

 

 

A LETTER FROM KU ECUMENICAL MINISTRIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

To:      K-O Conference

From: Ecumenical Christian Ministries at the University of Kansas

Contact: Development Coordinator, Teresa Zaffiro

Cell: 785-764-4662, E-mail: [email protected]

 

MINISTRY OF THE HEARTH:  Ecumenical Christian Ministries at University of Kansas Continues Raising Funds for Essential Building Renovations and Community Work

 

ECM is one of the oldest campus ministries of the Presbyterian Church. It was established by First Presbyterian Church in Lawrence, Kansas in 1905. It was then known as Westminster House. It became the Ecumenical Christian Ministries (ECM) in the 60's. ECM has served the Lawrence and University of Kansas community for over 105 years! As spring rolls in, the ECM at the University of Kansas continues to offer a plethora of programs that are both faith-based and grounded in social justice. Our alternative spring break trips are bringing almost forty students to New Mexico, Arizona and Appalachia to experience new cultures, engage in community and service work and reflect on "what they want their lives to say". We continue as well our weekly Faith Forum, University - Community Forum, Veggie lunch and Human Sexuality classes.

 

As a result of all our activity, the ECM building has over 900 people moving through it a week. It is a busy space, but it is also a vital community space and a special place for many reasons. The ECM is a "hearth", a place where people gather to share food, ideas, their life experiences, passions and faith journeys. It is a hearth where people of all walks of life are welcome.

 

We recently sent to congregations in Kansas a letter describing our first ever Ministry of the Hearth Capital Campaign to make necessary improvements to and care for the building where our important work takes places. Our 18,000 square foot building is on the National, state and local Register of Historic Places. Already due to capital improvements we have seen increases in energy efficiency in heating and cooling. Other capital improvements would include making the building more ADA compliant, improvements to the on-site student residence, "Koinonia", continued energy efficiency projects, and an expanded interfaith meditation chapel.  Our building, designed after the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, is historically, architecturally and socially significant.

 

 We have been working hard but have more to go. We risk losing a $119,000 capping grant from the Mabee Foundation in Tulsa, OK, if we do not raise $60,000 more by May 24th. We will not receive another extension on this grant and cannot afford to lose it. Right now we are making a final push for donations from foundations, generous individuals and community groups. We hope to meet our goal of 60,000 in the next sixty days.  If you received a letter from us, please consider a one-time gift or a pledge of up to five years ($1,000 is $200 a year and helps us immensely). 

 

If you did not receive a letter and are interested in donating with us, contact Teresa, the Development Coordinator at 785- 843-4933 or email us at [email protected]. With your help we can reach our goals and continue the vital work of youth and campus ministry in Kansas! 

 

 

Oklahoma Association Annual Spring Meeting
 

.OK Spring flyer

ASSOCIATIONS AND CONFERENCE COMING EVENTS

Link to

the K-0

Calendar 

May 7th -- Oklahoma Association Meeting, Fellowship UCC, Tulsa

 

May 14 - K-O Conference Council Meeting, Conf. Office

Prayer Requests from our K-O Family

Lord, hear our prayers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

K-O PRAYER CALENDAR
 

 

 

 

 

Bethany UCC - Hiawatha, KS ~~ Rev. Shane Spangler & Congregation

 

First Congregational - McPherson, KS ~~ Rev. Constance Lunn, Interim & Congregation

 

Sean Weston - Member in Discernment,  North Central Association

UCC CALENDAR OF PRAYER
 

 UCC PRAYER CALENDAR FOR MAY 2011

K-O INTERIM CONFERENCE MINISTER'S SCHEDULE
 

 

May 7  Oklahoma Association Meeting, Fellowship UCC, Tulsa

 

May 8 Open Arms UCC, Oklahoma City, OK

 

May 15  Zion UCC, Kansas City, KS for the service of farewell for Rev. Kevin Olsen

 

May 22 Midland UCC, Nickerson, KS for the service of farewell/retirement of Rev. Bob Smith

 

May 29  First Congregational UCC, McPherson, KS

 

 

Krista would be happy to visit your congregation.  Call her  at 316-686-4331 to schedule a date.

K-O CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
 

 

Cathedral of Hope, Oklahoma City, OK  Rev. Joe Meinhart is interim pastor
 
Church of the Good Shepherd, Kansas City, KS 
Rev. Art Foster is serving as stated supply

Congregational UCC, Carrier, OK   Rev. Gordon Epps is interim pastor 
 
Community Congregational UCC, Gaylord, KS 
Rev. Linda Kemp is interim pastor.
 

Fairmount UCC, Wichita, KS  

Federated Church, Kingfisher, OK Rev. Sam Steele is interim pastor 

First Congregational UCC, Anthony, KS

First Congregational UCC, Centralia, KS 
Pastor Scott Caulley is supply pastor.
 

First Congregational UCC, Great Bend, KS 
Rev. Stan Crawford is interim pastor.
 

First Congregational UCC, Goltry, OK 
 
First Congregational UCC, McPherson, KS 
Rev. Constance Lunn is interim pastor
 

First Congregational UCC, Onaga, KS  
Pastor Scott Caulley is supply pastor. 
 

Highland Trinity UCC, Newton, KS 
Rev. Bill Hickerson is supply pastor

Immanuel UCC, Ellinwood, KS

Midland Community UCC, Nickerson, KS  Rev. Bob Smith has announced his retirement.  His last Sunday leading worship is May 22.

 
St John UCC, Baldwin City, KS  Rev Lewis Hinshaw is supply pastor

 
St. Paul UCC, Eudora, KS  Pastor Rodney Nitz is supply pastor
 

 
St. Peter's UCC, Inman, KS 

 

United Church of Norman, Norman, OK Rev. Warren Jensen is interim pastor.

 
Zion UCC, Junction City, KSRev. Patty Brown-Barnett is interim pastor

 

Zion UCC, Kansas City, KS  Rev. Kevin Olsen has announced his resignation effective May 31.  His last Sunday will be May 15.

QUICK LINKS
 

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United Church of Christ

 

Kansas-Oklahoma Conference  

 

White Memorial Camp and Conference Center 

 

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CONTACT INFORMATION
           

   Rev. Krista Betz, Interim Conference Minister

    Kansas-Oklahoma Conference 
    1245 Fabrique                                         
    Wichita, KS 67218
    800-880-6466
    Sara Shaw, Camp Director
   
620-767-5165 (Camp Office)
   
620-202-0311(Cell)
   
620-767-7244 (Fax)
   
1271 South 1050 Road
   
Council Grove  KS  66846-8520
   
[email protected]

 
    Nancy A. Wolfe, Conference Communications Coordinator
    3020 SE Virgo Ave
    Topeka, KS  66605
    785-806-4580

 
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