NEO TEAM UPDATE
Blessing Our Community Webinar |
| Join us on September 10 at 12 p.m. as we are joined by special guest, Kristen Donavan. Kristen is a mom, pastor, and the executive director of Jubilee Partners Compassionate Ministry Center in Oklahoma City, OK. Jubilee Partners’ mission is to support youth in their communities through education, fostering healthy relationships, and developing life skills. They currently run four programs in three different communities for children in preschool to twelfth grade.
Kristen will share her experience partnering with both local schools and churches. She will discuss how churches can start small and build relationships with schools to make a Kingdom impact in their community. If you have ever wondered how you can be a blessing to both children and school employees in your community, you will not want to miss this conversation! She knows Oklahoma and resources available… and is actually starting some work now in NEO!
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Celebrating God’s Goodness
We have had a great summer in NEO! People are still telling me how much they enjoyed and benefited from Assembly. We had outstanding camps for children and youth – I was in a church a couple of weeks ago and all four students who were baptized shared that decisions were made at camp! Local churches had creative VBS and sports camps, making connection with kids and families to bring them to Jesus. And District Discipleship Day was exceptional. Thanks to Joe Gschwandtner and all the team that worked together to create a training event unsurpassed in USA/Canada!
You probably are wondering what local churches in NEO are celebrating as we say goodbye to summer and prepare for Fall:
Pastor Brady Thelander, Sapulpa – We are celebrating 3 first time confessions of faith, and 6 baptisms. We also hosted our first “Lunch with the Pastors” to help onboard guests.
Pastor Daniel Surratt, Tulsa Central – I want to celebrate our summer VBS. I am proud that our church took the step of engaging the children in our church and community this summer!
Pastor Jim Thornton, Tulsa Hills –
- Lauren Stout is doing an outstanding job leading our Children’s Ministry. The nursery/preK age group has recently expanded into a third room on Sunday mornings… and there are more on the way!
- Our Kids Ministry room is undergoing a significant remodel, including a NazSafe restroom. Joys to the World will be returning to Tulsa Hills this fall, as a result.
- Kasey and Amanda O’Donnell are leading us in preparation for our inaugural season of Upward Flag Football this fall.
- Myrtle Watson continues to lead Martha’s Foundation with vision as we recently completed an expansion project in the parsonage to accommodate more effective ministry to first-time teen mothers and their children.
- A new connection group will launch in September under the leadership of Jerry Pound and his team.
- Angela Jones has started a new ministry for college age.
- Kim Winn and Christy Thornton have done an excellent job making the preparations for our upcoming Missions trip to Romania as our team of nine will partner with Thousand Cranes/Open Door Foundation. This ministry serves women subjected to sex trafficking. It is the only emergency shelter within Romania that offers a holistic approach to care for trafficking survivors.
Austin Troyer, Tahlequah – What I am celebrating is our church’s effort to try something new this summer to bless our community. We did several cookouts in the skate park downtown and were stunned at the turnout, the excitement of volunteers, and the hospitality of our neighbors. We also took our VBS out into the community and did a family VBS in another downtown park.
Pastor Brian Loderhose, Owasso Silver Creek – We had a tremendous Christmas in July VBS, and the children packaged 200 boxes for Samaritan’s Purse. These will serve the underprivileged this Christmas. For the following 5 weeks, 6 weeks in all, we are gifting organizations in our area with gifts to meet their needs. We brought in peanut butter and jelly for Manna House, Crayola’s for Bailey Elementary, diaper and wipes for Compassion Women’s Center in Claremore, HUGS, (hats, gloves, scarfs) for John 3:16 and we end this with an offering to fund our benevolence fund to meet future needs. We have baptized three this year.
District Superintendent Dave McKellips, Kaleo – After our founding pastor took a ministry position in Florida, the church board prayerfully considered the next step for this young church. The answer that came to all was that merging with Audacity Church would be the path for greater kingdom impact. Kaleo and Audacity Church bodies voted overwhelmingly on August 11 to merge, not as a sign of failure, but to advance the kingdom impact of the churches. On August 18, our final Sunday as Kaleo, four children and teens were baptized, continuing our mission of REMADE, REFILLED and RELEASED. Staff Members Wendy Johnson, Genesis Burns and Joshua Burns will be taking on staff roles at Audacity under Lead Pastor, Ronnie Baker.
Pastor Matt Lee, Miami New Life – Pastor Matt Lee will be installed as Pastor on Sunday, September 1. Matt comes to us from Mid-America Nazarene University where he served as a Resident Director and Adjunct Faculty member. Matt has experience as youth pastor, associate, church planter, missionary and professor and will be a blessing to Miami and the NEO District.
Pastor Carl Brown, Hominy – The Church Board and Pastor had a very positive Church/Pastor Review on August 11. Pastor Carl has served as Lead Pastor for 20 years and he and Sandra have been a part of this church and community for over 40 years.
Pastor Rod Thelander, Sand Springs – I want to celebrate the fact that we have an awesome NEO District, and we had 7 of our good folk attend the D.D.D. event hosted by our Regency Park Church! All of our people were blessed, inspired, and challenged by the speakers and came home refreshed and renewed to keep on making disciples here in Sand Springs! Big thanks to Joe G. and his team for putting on such a great event!
Pastor Wayde Normandin, Tulsa Southwest – I am excited to share some wonderful updates about the ongoing improvements at our church. We are in a season of transformation, and here is a list of the improvements we are thrilled about:
- Sanctuary Flooring: We tore up the old carpet in the sanctuary and discovered beautiful 80-year-old red oak floors underneath. These have been restored to their former glory and look fabulous.
- Seating: We have added new chairs for a more comfortable and modern seating experience.
- Stage Carpet: A new carpet has been installed on the stage, enhancing its appearance.
- Windows: New windows have been added to the sanctuary, bringing in more natural light.
- Painting: The sanctuary has been painted a beautiful color, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
- Technology Upgrades: We are preparing to install new TV monitors for worship, and thanks to the generosity from ABBA Compassionate Ministry they have significantly upgraded our sound system, for which we are very grateful. Additionally, we have purchased new microphones to improve our audio quality.
- Lighting: All new LED lighting has been installed throughout the church, made possible by a grant from PSO.
- Signage: We are in the final stages of approval for a new neon sign. Since we are located on Route 66, we qualified for a sign grant through the city.
- Outdoor Improvements: We have installed a new awning, safety lighting, and concrete entryways to our church and gymnasium, enhancing the exterior of our facilities.
- Building Removal: We are most excited to share that the old, dilapidated building next to the church, which had been unoccupied for decades, has finally been torn down. We are so grateful that our prayers have been answered, as this building was quite an eyesore. Its removal has greatly improved the appearance and safety of our surroundings.
In addition to the changes within our church, our neighborhood is also undergoing a significant transformation. The old Eugene Fields neighborhood, now known as River West, is seeing the development of new apartment complexes and parks. The new Anne & Henry Zarrow YMCA is also being constructed in our area. We are thrilled to be part of this transformation and look forward to the positive impact these changes will bring to our community. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Pastor Paula Neal for her invaluable help in guiding us in selecting the colors and design elements for our sanctuary. Her time, expertise, and willingness to assist us have been immensely appreciated. We cannot thank her enough for her support.
2024 Ministerial Forum @ SNU
September 16-17, 2024
You are invited to join us once again on September 16-17 at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene for the 2024 Ministers Forum.
We are preparing a fantastic event with inspiring keynote speakers and breakout session presenters. I have no doubt that you will thoroughly enjoy them along with a great time of worship. Our goal is that you leave inspired, encouraged, and equipped!
So register now, and remember to invite your entire ministry team, volunteers, and others you know who might benefit from this time of renewal. Also, retired ministers, spouses and district superintendents are free!
This is one event you don’t want to miss!
The link to the registration is below. I hope to see you there!
Thank You Dianna Potter
Diana Potter has a huge heart of compassion and is always looking to minister to the last, lost and least. This compassion moved her to respond to the significant need for legal counsel for the thousands of immigrants in our area. Dianna completed training to be recognized by the Department of Justice as a legal advocate on immigration matters and led the effort on the District to establish Pathways of Hope as an Immigration Center. Diana has resigned from leading our Immigration Center but will still be involved in this needed effort via other immigration centers.
If you know of people who would want to work to keep Pathways of Hope alive, contact our District Superintendent asap.
NEO School of Ministry Class
“Becoming a Holy People”
Monday Evenings, 6–9pm, Starting Sept. 30, District Office or Zoom; $200
One of the distinctives of the Church of the Nazarene, is that we are a holiness people. But what does that mean? Is that still something that matters today? How do we help the people we will minister to understand that concept? These are some of the questions we will address in the class.
This will be a very intensive class and will run five weeks. We will try to accomplish the work in four weeks but will reserve the last week if necessary. The class starts Sept. 30 and will go until Oct. 21 (or the 28th if needed). I will attach the student guide with my contact information on the syllabus main page. This is a vitally important class with what the churches are facing today. Come prepared to participate and learn. I look forward to seeing you all on Sept. 30. – Bret Metcalfe
Future Classes in English
- Preaching the Story of God, taught by Keith Schubert, beginning Nov 4.
- Leading the People of God, taught by Austin Troyer, beginning Jan 6.
- Administering the Local Church/John Wesley’s Theology, beginning Feb 17.
Contact Pastor Bret Metcalf or Dr.McKellips if you are interested.