Safeguarding God's Children Training

A Safeguarding God's Children Training opportunity will be held on April 22 at St. Thomas, Pawhuska. Please contact Mother Andrea if you would like to attend - bnaokies@cox.net

There will also be a training on April 27 at 3 p.m. at the Diocesan Offices. Please contact Sabrina Evans 405 232 4820 to register.

Education for Ministry (EfM) 

As of March 31, there are 930 EfM Groups throughout the United States, consisting of 6,801 students. There are 1,035 lay mentors and 187 clergy mentors. Over 81,000 people have completed training or taken one or more years of training.

EfM International is in five countries (Australia, Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom).

There are 17 active online groups and 139 students in these groups.

Education for Ministry is a 4-year adult education program administered and accredited by the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee TN. The course covers the Old and New Testaments, Church History, and Theology, as well as theological reflection. The seminar style classes are usually held once a week for 2 or 3 hours with students at all levels sharing their experiences with the readings, exercises, and reflections. The students and graduates experience a maturation of their ministry through the program and become confident leaders in their parishes and beyond.

EfM will be winding down soon for the 2011-2012 year but new classes will start in the fall. If you are interested in exploring your ministry as a potential mentor for EfM, there will be a Mentor Training Event August 16-18 at St. Crispin's. Check information, go to:  http://www.epiok.org/Christian%20Formation/education-for-ministry.html. Here you will also find a list of mentors and other resources.

Steven Charleston has written a new book called HOPE AS OLD AS FIRE. Described as a "spiritual diary", this book is a collection of the daily meditations Bishop Charleston wrote each morning throughout 2011. In the beginning of that year he joined Facebook, the global social network online. As part of his daily devotions, he spontaneously wrote his prayerful thoughts each morning between 4:00 and 5:00am. At first, only a handful of people read them, but as news spread about the depth and beauty of his words, hundreds more joined. Today over 1,000 people are part of this unique spiritual community. In response to their requests for a collection of his meditations, Bishop Charleston created HOPE AS OLD AS FIRE. It will be available for the first time at the Full Circle Book Store, 50 Penn Place in Oklahoma City with a special book signing at 7:00pm on Wednesday, April 25. As of May 7, 2012, it will be available online at www.redmoonpublications.com.

• Maximizing technology
• Video projectors and hardware
• Presentation software
• Media design, fonts, and layouts
• Enhancing worship with media
• Video recordings and streaming
• Video camera systems
• Implementing Facebook and YouTube
• Environmental Projection
• and much more.

A group of 48 people at All Souls Episcopal Church have just completed reading the Bible in 90 days. Using a reading schedule developed by an agnostic who was converted by reading the Bible, this group began reading Genesis on January 9th and finished Revelation on Holy Saturday of Holy Week. Most were able to read the daily portion in 60 minutes or less.

The group, which met weekly on Monday nights, was facilitated by Fr. John Lock. The meetings were a time to review how the material read in the past week fit into the "one story" of the Bible--the overall unfolding of God's saving purposes in history, culminating in Jesus of Nazareth. Particular attention was paid to how the Old Testament points forward to Jesus, and that He is the interpretative "key" to the whole Bible. In addition, illustrations, charts and other handouts were distributed at these meetings to aid comprehension in the coming week's reading. The meetings were also an opportunity to try to stump Fr. Lock with questions about the Bible.

The participants gathered on Wednesday in Easter week to celebrate this accomplishment with a dinner and a time to share what had been learned from the experience. The time of fellowship exhibited how close the group had grown in the past three months.

At the dinner, many stood up to speak about what they had gained from reading the Bible. For a majority this was the first time reading the entire Bible. Some noted that they were challenged by parts of the Old Testament, especially the depravity of some human acts and the sometimes harsh judgment of God. Speaking for many, one commented how meaningful it was to be reading the New Testament in conjunction with Holy Week and its services, and in a similar vein, one said that he thought this was a better Lenten discipline that giving up Scotch. 

Several readers reported that they were liberated from a personal sense of guilt by reading and being reminded of God's grace and love. Another reader wrote "But the bottom-line take-away for me was this: God forgives. I know that's Sunday School 101, BUT....when you read the entire Bible, cover to cover, you really see it.  God forgives....over and over and over again!  And for that, I'm grateful." 

Over 50 people registered for the Mind, Body, and Spirit Event held at St. Augustine's of Canterbury, OKC - the Diocese's first conference in conjunction with the Senior Ministries Commission. To say this was a success is an understatement! With six excellent speakers and the opportunity to choose three, along with guest speakers from the Oklahoma Police Department and Oklahoma Banking Association at lunch, the day was filled with sharing and resources.

Group participating in Tai Chi 

Lunch Speakers from the Oklahoma Police Department and the Oklahoma Banking Association give warnings on current scams making the rounds in Oklahoma and what do do about them.

St. Christopher's, MWC Outreach Golf Event
          

Vital, Healthy, and Growing Congregations

Applying the Five Keys

A Workshop for Clergy and Lay Leaders of the Diocese of Oklahoma

Lead by The Very Reverend Kevin Martin

Author, Speaker and Dean of St. Matthew's Cathedral, Dallas

At a time when many Episcopal Churches are in decline, is it possible to create vital, healthy and growing congregations? Yes it is, and Dean Kevin Martin will be with us to help our congregational leaders improve insight and skills in leading congregations for the New Millennium. Dean Martin has taught church leaders and consulted with congregations for over 15 years, and he is the author of two books and numerous articles on leadership and congregational development. Participants will learn:

* Why doing church the way we have always done it does not work today.

* How the culture is changing and demanding new missionary efforts from our congregations.

* What you can do as a leader to help your congregation respond to the challenges of a Post-denominational and Post-modern world.

Drawing applications from his book 5 Keys for Church Leaders, Dean Martin will give practical information on steps all leaders can take in becoming more effective leaders for today's Church.

Location of Workshops

The two day work shop will be offered both in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

May 18-19, St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, OKC

Friday, May 18th, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. for Clergy and Program Staff

Saturday, May 19th, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. for Vestry and Lay Leaders

June 1-2, St. John's, Tulsa

Friday, June 1st , 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. for Clergy and Program Staff

Saturday, June 2nd, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. for Vestry and Lay Leaders

Registration information

To register, please visit the diocesan website www.epiok.org and click on the "events tab" and scroll down to "Healthy and Growing Congregations" and click "register now."

You can also email the Assistant to the Canon to the Ordinary, Diane Ellsworth at dellsworth@epiok.org. Questions, call Diane at 405-232-4820 or 800-584-0823.

New Hope Sunday - May 6
 

May 6 will be New Hope Sunday for the Diocese of Oklahoma. New Hope began as a ministry of the Diocese in 1992, providing a summer camp experience for children who had a parent in prison. Today, New Hope, as a non-profit corporation, continues to provide services to Oklahoma children with incarcerated parents, and while those services have expanded, summer camps remain a primary focus. For the last 20 years, New Hope's success has been closely tied to the support we have received from Episcopal churches and individuals, who have donated money and time generously.

The New Hope residential camp for children aged 8-11 will again be located at St. Crispin's, July 22-27. Two other residential camps for children aged 12-13 and 14-15 will be located at a camp facility near Guthrie, June 10-15 and July 8-13. Day camps for children in the Tulsa area will be held June 18-22 and June 24-29. New Hope, with your help, will serve about 200 children this summer from around the state. Your support of New Hope is much appreciated.

If you would like to coordinate New Hope Sunday for your church, contact Judy Gann, judy@newhopeoklahoma.org or 918-361-3903. To donate, please visit New Hope's web site. http://www.newhopeoklahoma.org. To volunteer, contact Phillip Bowman for a volunteer application by e-mailing phillip@newhopeoklahoma.org. If you know children in your area who qualify for one of New Hope's camps please contact Lindsay Fry-Geier, Lindsay@newhopeoklahoma.org for applications.

christianformation@epiok.org

(405) 232-4820