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Bishop's Schedule
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December 16
St. Michael's, Norman
December 21
All Souls' Episcopal Church
Ordination to Sacred Order of Deacons
Stewart Douglas Clem
December 22
St. Paul's Cathedral
Ordination to Sacred Order of Deacons
Justin Price Fletcher
Kenneth Ray Orsburn, Jr.
Carter Clay Towles
Christmas Eve
St. Paul's Cathedral
December 29
Trinity Episcopal Church, Tulsa
Ordination to Sacred Order of Deacons
Laura Eileen Beck
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Save the Date
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December 14
Circle of Friends
St. David's Episcopal Church, OKC
Lunch and share
April 26 -28, 2013
Altered (formerly Vocare)
St. Crispin's
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Upcoming Diocese Events
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To register or for more inforamtion please go onto the Dicoesan Web Site below or call the local congregation:
January 25
10 - 1
Safeguarding God's Children Training
Diocesan Offices
January 19 - 21
Miqra - A Public Reading of Scripture
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Edmond
February 2-3
New Beginnings
St. Crispin's
February 7
Safeguarding God's People
Train the Trainer
Diocesan Offices
10 - 4
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Companion Diocese Uruguay
Holy God, source of healing and of peace, bless with your grace the companion dioceses of Oklahoma and Uruguay. Through our partnership one with another may we grow in mutual affection and communion, seek a more profound experience of truth, build up the Church in unity and give glory to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
New Web site:
http://uruguay.anglican.org/
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The Next Issue of this Newsletter will be on Friday,
December 21, 2012.
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We Are Epiok.org
December 14, 2012
Issue 49
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 News, Events, and Offerings |
When Christmas Hurts - A Service of Comfort
St. John's Episcopal Church
4200 S Atlanta Place, Tulsa, OK 74105
918-742-7381
www.sjtulsa.org
Sunday December 23 at 3:00 pm
Does loss, sorrow, pain, depression, addiction, or anything else make the holidays difficult?
Please join with members of St. John's Episcopal Church and the community as we gather to sing, pray, and enjoy quiet together. At the conclusion of the service there will be time for further fellowship.
Everyone is welcome to attend this service: those in need and those willing to offer support and compassion. Please invite friends and neighbors who might appreciate this beautiful and peaceful service.
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Fresh Start Completed for Four New Clergy
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(l to r) Blake Woods, Anita Slovak, Bishop Ed, Tim Baer, and Kirsten Baer
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Fresh Start is targeted to support recently ordained priests and priests who have been called from outside the Diocese to serve in congregations in Oklahoma. The program promotes the development of collegial relationships among clergy and seeks to nurture healthy relationships with the Bishop and his staff whose ministry it is to support the holy work that takes place in congregations. The curriculum provides a range of tools and concepts for successfully engaging this time of change and is offered over an 18-month period.
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St. Mary's School
St. Mary's Episcopal School has embraced the tradition of featuring St. Nicholas and St. Lucia on the first and second Monday's following the beginning of Advent. The oldest 5th grade boy and the oldest 5th grade girl portrays the saints.  St. Nicholas, Nathan Folmar, visited each classroom sharing his history of giving gifts anonymously and  St. Lucia, Rachel Webb, told of her cause for the poor and sightless. On the third Monday of Advent, the school will celebrate Las Posades - the story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem - done completely in Spanish |
Junior Daughters of the King Reinstituted
The Elisabeth Junior Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King was reinstituted with eight new Junior Daughters on November 18 at St. John's, Norman, during Bishop Ed's visit. The new Junior Daughters are
(from left to right in the photo) Ayn Linneman, Katherine Boone, Mackynzie Kiester, Magnolia Siler, Emma Brown, and Abbey Colijn. Sarah Boone and Emily Merckx who are not pictured.
One of the girls' mothers was a Junior Daughter in the Dorcas Chapter several years ago. The lively, reinstated Junior chapter is sponsored with delight by Martha Chapter of the Daughters of the King at St. John's, Norman, and two of the Daughters serve as co-directresses for the Juniors.
The girls were presented to Bishop Ed for admission during the 10:30 am service by Sylvia Crucet, Daughters of the King Diocesan President, from Hannah Chapter at St. Michael's, Norman.
Junior Daughters of the King are girls age 7 to 21 who are baptized, have gone through a period of study, and then promise to pray daily and serve Jesus Christ; be Christ's faithful servants and extend God's love to all people; and work to grow in Christian faith and commitment through fellowship, prayer, and Bible study.
The Order of the Daughters of the King was founded in 1885, and the first Junior chapter was started in 1896. The order is an international community of women in the Episcopal Church as well as Anglicans, Lutherans, and Catholics, who take lifetime vows and follow a rule of life that includes prayer, service, and evangelism.
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Tulsa Christmas Parade
 Last week 40 Episcopalians took to the streets to evangelize. You read that correctly. The Episcopal Churches in Tulsa evangelized. We participated in the Tulsa Holiday Parade. Our float was constructed by volunteers and included a gold seat for St. Nicholas and a
 lmanger with children dressed as angels, Mary, Joseph, and shepherds. Adults and youth walked the parade route handing out cards informing people about the St. Nicholas tradition and inviting them to discover the Episcopal Church. Here is a story in the Tulsa World about the parade. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=18&articleid=20121208_18_A1_CUTLIN344349 
Here is a link to a website created for the Tulsa area churches so we can begin shared advertisement. http://www.episcopal-tulsa.org/ |
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Summer Camp 2013 Applications Posted
A job description for St. Crispin's Summer staff and application are now on-line at http://www.epiok.org/camps/stcrispins.html.
This includes summer staff, CIT's, deans, volunteers, nurses, and chaplains! We will conduct staff interviews only for those applying for Summer Staff on January 4, 2013, at the Diocesan Offices. |
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 Safeguarding God's Children
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Safeguarding God's People - Train the Trainer Event
We will offer our first training session for trainers on February 7, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. here at the Diocesan Offices. If you are interested in becoming a trainer, please contact Sabrina Evans (sevans@epiok.org) or call 405 232 4820.
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Whole Creation Community
Giving Leaves a New Life:
A Tale of Ministry Through Recycling
Last Sunday parishioners at St. Paul's Cathedral brought their bagged raked-up leaves to church where the Regional Food Bank had parked a truck and trailer to collect them. That afternoon the RFB drove off with a whole trailer full of leaves that will turned into compost for their Urban Garden program. What would have otherwise just been added volume in our  overloaded landfills will instead enrich next spring's crops that will help feed the hungry in Oklahoma. This project gives us a model to ponder: how can your parish devise a project to collect and recycle something that can be transformed and reused, often in a way that provides help for the poor and needy? Whatever form that takes, it will at the same time help reduce consumer waste -- a win-win ministry! You can arrange with Ferrella March at the Cathedral to list your event on our Whole Creation Facebook page, so it will inspire others as well.
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Oklahoma Episcopal Youth Events
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MIQRA
REGISTRATION IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR THIS EVENT!
You have been seeing the word and some information but here's more! A Miqra (meek rah) is a public reading of Scripture.
Our Miqra is to be offered January 19 - 21, at St. Mary's Episcopal Church,  Edmond. We actually begin on Friday (the 18th) morning, with the help of volunteers - college students, youth ministers, and other volunteers - and the reading begins.
A small group of youth who have been working on the planning will get together on Friday after school and do the prep work to ready for everyone. We will share a meal together and worship together. The reading continues.
The event officially begins on Saturday (the 19st) at noon. Everyone who comes will have an opportunity to sign up to read scripture, but it is not mandatory that you read. Reading slots are 1 hour in length and a maximum of three can sign up for a particular hour.
Periodically throughout the weekend, we will pause in our various program activities to listen to the reading. Participants are also given free time where they can choose to sit in the nave and listen to the reading. Reading continues around the clock from the time we start until finished. These readings are usually covered by parents and adult volunteers.
Now, while the reading is going on in the nave, we are offering all types of workshops for the participants. They will have "tribe time" in which they will engage in discussions or activities. We will have games, movies, crafts, and of course, food.
We will end on Monday morning at 9:30 with a closing worship service. We will read the final chapter of Revelation together as a group at our closing worship.
So what are we asking of you? Hopefully, you will want to attend and participate. Maybe you play a musical instrument and would like to be a part of that offering. Talk it up with the youth in your congregation. Get them excited about this 1st Miqra. Get people registered!
Adults - we need lots of help for this. You don't have to be involved in Youth Ministry to participate. Volunteer to be a tribe leader, reader, provide snacks, or even lead a workshop!
This promises to be one of the best events we have ever offered!
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Important Dates for Youth - Diocese of OK
Miqra - January 19 - 21 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Edmond. Send in your registrations now!
New Beginnings - 6th - 9th graders - February 2 - 3, 2013, at St. Crispin's - Registrations have been mailed out but you can find the brochure on the web at: http://www.epiok.org/Christian%20Formation/new-beginnings.html
Mission Camp - March 18 - 22, 2013.
Summer Camp Spring Training, March 22nd-24th, at St. Crispin's. For anyone who is chosen as Summer Staff or Counselors in Training, this is a mandatory training event.
Happening - 10th - 12th graders - August 2 - 4, All Souls' Episcopal Church, OKC.
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Christian Formation Resources |
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Fun Family Activities
Ideas for the Happiest Christmas Ever! 
1. Create a family motto that will serve as a touchstone for reclaiming the Christmas spirit. It could be something like, It's about being present, not just about presents.
2. Write down simple acts of kindness on separate pieces of paper - such as, treat a friend, let someone get ahead of you. Put them in a jar or dish on your table. Each morning randomly choose one as your Advent activity of the day.
3. Connect with nature, always a gentle reminder of God's presence. Go for a long walk, watch the sun set or snow fall, or feed the birds.
4. Unplug for an entire evening. Turn off the television, stay away from the computer, don't answer the phone. Experience true silence as you engage in quiet activities. Use some of this time for prayer and reflection.
5. Whether or not you have children, read Christmas stories and poetry, including the letter from Francis P. Church of the New York Sun in 1897, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," a wonderful reminder that goodwill lives deep within all our hearts. Or watch It's a Wonderful Life, about the power of faith, love, and hope.
7. Write a letter to your parents, children, siblings, or friends, listing ten things you love about each of them. Put the letters under the tree to be opened Christmas morning.
8. Every morrning, Thank God for the gift of a new day. Start with the words, Life is good.
9. At the end of every day, write down one small thing that felt like a graced moment: kind words spoken or heard, a hearty laugh, or the opportunity to give or receive help. Put the slip of paper in a special box under teh tree. Other family members can do the same. Read them all on Christmas evening to see how your lives were touched by God and how you touched the lives of others.
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Epiphany Ideas
 We have done a sparkler parade the past few years. Lots of fun. We have a meal, then process out our side door where we light sparklers (oooh! aaaah! Light in the darkness!) and we process up the sidewalk and back into the main entrance to the sanctuary. Obviously sparklers don't burn long - so we aren't outside long - but everybody gets a kick out of it. Just don't light your sparklers too close to the door where everyone is exiting - the smoke will blow back in and choke those who are waiting!
The American Bible Society has Epiphany activities for a Dramatic Reading, Prayer Star craft, Epiphany cookies, and an Epiphany party. http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/bible-resources/bible-resource-center/church-resources/church-seasons/epiphany-activities
Pinterest has some fun ideas including paint stick wise men, and handprint camels! http://pinterest.com/iver62984/epiphany/
The Three King's Cake is a European tradition. The cake - usually a flat circle - hides a bean or two, a doll or a clutch of tiny fortunes. The significance of the hidden fortune varies. A hidden dime might
signify wealth in the coming year. The finders of two dry beans might become king and queen of the Epiphany party. In New Orleans, the finder of a hidden black bean must give a party for all the other
guests. Invite your group to make (and eat) a traditional King's Cake.
Ingredients:
½ c. blanched almonds
1 c. sugar
6 T. soft butter (save the
wrapper)
1 t. vanilla or almond extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. raisins or currants
1¼ c. flour
1½ t. baking powder
beans, dimes, or thimbles
1. Grind the almonds with ¼ c. sugar in a food processor or blender.
2. Use a fork to mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl until thoroughly blended.
3. Beat in the eggs (saving a tablespoon of egg to glaze the top) and the extract.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture.
5. Stir in the sugar-almond mix, the raisins or currants and any fortunes (beans, dimes, etc.)
6. Turn the dough onto a greased cookie sheet (use the paper from the butter to grease the sheet).
7. Pat the dough flat into a ½" circle.
8. Spread the reserved beaten egg on the top of the cake.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Recipe will serve 12.
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Prayer for 3rd Sunday of Advent
You were born to deliver us and to reign in us:
we pray for your Holy Church, called to bring in your reign . . .
Reign in us forever, and help us to live out the justice of your Kingdom.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
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Contact Information
Sabrina Evans
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