Oklahoma Outlook | Fall 2022

Oklahoma Outlook FAL L 2 0 2 2

Taking a Step of

Faith PAGE 10

Compassion is Not a Theological Distraction

PLUS!

The Church’s Mandate to Live Compassionately

A Passion for Adoption & Backyard Orphans

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Reaching the Least, Last & Lost of Oklahoma

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Contents From the Editor 7 Fall Events 9 Compassion is Not a Theological Distraction 10 A Passion for Adoption 15 Why Foster?

18 Just Take a Step 20 In Your Own Backyard 24 A God-Sized Dream 28 Around the State 33

Oklahoma Outlook Oklahoma Assemblies of God 8701 N. Kelley Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73131 The Oklahoma Outlook is published by the Oklahoma District Council of the Assemblies of God. Publisher: Dr. Darryl Wootton Editor: Jayson Evans Designers: Jayson Evans, Chris Ainsworth, Kyler Clapp Contributors: Kyler Clapp, Heath Cole, Crystal Cole, Jayson Evans, Johan Mostert, Darryl Wootton

www.okag.org ©2022

Oklahoma District Council of the Assemblies of God

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Inside Ad

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Welcome to Daughters Conference – 2022, Friends!

The Spirit and Bride say, “Come!”

THE YEAR 2022 – WE ARE LOOKING UP, AREN’T WE? Between Shortages (Famines,) Sickness (Plagues of every kind,) Sword (violence on the rise everywhere), Wars and rumors of War, and Environmental Disasters regularly, we are All LOOKING UP!!! Whew! Jesus said: “when you see these things, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh” (near!!!)

This year’s theme is very Exciting and Full of Hope! Our core scripture is found in Revelation 22:17.‘The Spirit and Bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes, take the free gift of the water of life.’

Number (13) of our Statement of (16) Core - Fundamental Truths is THE BLESSED HOPE! “THE RESURRECTION OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN CHRIST AND THEIR TRANSLATION TOGETHER WITH THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD IS THE IMMINENT AND BLESSED HOPE OF THE CHURCH.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1Corinthians 15:51,52) Here are (3) questions we will explore at Daughters Conference this year: • • •

What does the “Rapture” of the Church mean – is this term found in scripture?

JESUS ascended over 2,000 years ago and promised to Return for his own. Is this a myth?

How will we know when He is coming and what will be the Signs of His Return?

We likely have an entire generation of our Church who does not know, understand or fully believe in – the Return of Jesus Christ! (And based upon the list of current events outlined above, it could happen any day…There are many reasons for this ignorance, but suffice to say, we have felt arrested by the Holy Spirit to re-visit and re-emphasize this Critical, Core Biblical Value.

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I am EXCITED to IGNITE (for the first time) and REIGNITE SPIRITUAL PASSION IN OUR WOMEN, REGARDING THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH – OUR BLESSED HOPE!!!

Come, Holy Spirit; we need you! Friends, I challenge you, “bring your burdens to the Lord,” and He will meet you Here!

My experienced team and I are here to serve and pray with you- moments in His presence can heal hurts, brokenness, sickness, unrealized dreams, confusion, and discouragement.

Honored to Serve!

Susie Purkey, Director, Oklahoma Women’s Ministries

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Oklahoma Outlook. Our goal is to tell the stories of what God is doing in Oklahoma and ensure everyone feels connected.

Times have changed. Over the years, the audience for the Outlook publication drastically declined. Printed subscribers are few, and electronic subscribers have spent minimal time engaging in articles over the last several years. Perhaps they are all speed readers.

Dr. Darryl Wooton

Welcome to the new Oklahoma Outlook.

We desire to be effective and efficient. Rather than publish a monthly newsletter, our media team will send out an electronic newsletter containing pertinent information and strategic encouragement on the first of every month.

Quarterly, this new Oklahoma Outlook printed edition will be sent to you. Each edition will contain all essential information for the upcoming quarter and encouraging stories from our ministers.

Please browse through this first edition. We would love to hear what you enjoy, what you find helpful, and any suggestions you might have.

Please let our media department know when you have testimonies or shareable information from your local ministry by emailing outlook@ okag.org.

We are better together.

Darryl Wootton

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Coming Up

September 2022 –December 2022

September

PK Retreat (Camp Cargill) September 3-5 Daughter’s Conference September 9-10 Fall Tour (Northeast Region) September 13 Called Conference September 17 Fall Tour (Northwest Region) September 19 Fall Tour (Central Region) September 20 Main Event Men’s Conference September 22-24 Fall Tour (Southwest Region) September 26 Fall Tour (Southeast Region) September 27

October

Minister Appreciation Month October 1-31 OSOM (OKC) October 1 District Ministers Retreat (Branson, MO) October 3-5 OSOM (Muskogee) October 8 Light for the Lost (Section 3) October 10 Youth Fest October 14-15 OKNWM Seminar October 22 Light for the Lost (Section 1) October 25

November

Youth Pastors Retreat OSOM (OKC) Light for the Lost (Regional Evenings) OSOM (Muskogee) OKAG Orphan Care Network Launch Century Leadership Roundtable PB&J Retreat (Camp Cargill)

December

OSOM (OKC) Senior Ministries Heritage Christmas OSOM (Muskogee) Missions Faith Promises Due Ministerial Credentials Renewal Deadline

November 3-4 November 5 November 7 November 12 November 15 November 17 November 18-19

December 3 December 3 December 10 December 15 December 31

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Compassion is Not a Theological

Distraction

by Johan Mo stert

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In the decade of transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa, I was leading our national church’s social services department.

My department employed 450 persons who served as social workers rescuing children from abuse and neglect and nurses caring for frail and indigent elderly in ten homes for the poor aged.

We cared for hundreds of children who had been removed by the courts and placed in alternative care, and our “Children’s Village” was a national model of the church’s commitment to excellence in professional childcare. South Africa had become the epicenter of the global AIDS crisis during this period.

Church members initiated home-based care for persons in their communities because the hospital systems could not accommodate the many who were suffering. Refugees were flooding into the nation as law and order collapsed in the countries of our region. The transition to democracy after decades of apartheid struggled to serve the whole population, not just the privileged 10%.

During all this social chaos and transition, we were invited to a national church conference where we celebrated the church’s phenomenal growth and what the Lord had helped us accomplish as the largest Pentecostal denomination in Southern Africa.

We rejoiced over hundreds of new church plants.

We praised God for thousands of new members who were added to the church. We honored our African missionary activities that stretched from Zimbabwe

to Uganda. But in all of the exuberant Pentecostal excitement, no one thought to celebrate the impact the church was making on the poor, the orphans, the widows, or the displaced refugees. And yet, there was so much to celebrate

• Churches were ministering to the poor in a na•

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tion with no social security net for the vulnerable and homeless.

There were foster parents who stayed up all night to cradle traumatized toddlers who had been abandoned in the streets of Johannesburg.

One of our social workers had rescued three young sisters who had seen their father murder their mother during a family outing and then turn the gun on himself while they were all sitting in a car.

A team of young people reached out to the children of refugees from war-torn Congo and other politically destabilized Sub-Saharan regions. The refugees were living in squalor in makeshift shanties. There was no water, sanitation, or warm clothing when the Highveld winter set in, and no source of food security for their next meals.

It was almost as if the church had decided that compassion was something that would interest the secular world outside of the church but did not have any relevance to promoting the eternal values of the Kingdom of God. There was this unspoken sense that compassion ministries are very nice, but they are not as important as church planting strategies, missionary endeavors to foreign lands, or strategies to grow Sunday church attendance.

The message was an unspoken understanding: Compassion ministries had become a theological distraction! www.okag.org

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I think it is time for us to push back against this misunderstanding! When Jesus announced that all power had now been bestowed on Him and that He was now deputizing His disciples to perform His divine agenda, He clearly articulated the prime directive of His Kingdom: “MAKE DISCIPLES” (Matthew 28:18-20). We know that many activities could serve the goal of making disciples, like anointed preaching, building church facilities, holding prayer meetings and Bible studies, and promoting Sunday School and youth ministries. These activities all have the potential to advance the goal of making disciples. The question we need to ask ourselves is how important is it to promote compassion in our task of making disciples of Jesus Christ?

Here are six reasons why compassion is integral to the disciple-making task that we are called to perform

1. Jesus was a Man of Compassion Jesus wept compassionately when His friend Lazarus died (John 11: 33-35). He was touched by the illnesses that oppressed the crowds that came to listen to him, and he had compassion on them and healed them (Matthew 14:13-14). A person with visual impairment cried out to him to have mercy, and Jesus had compassion on him and healed him (Matthew 20:30-34). On one of his journeys, he encountered a funeral procession of a single mother who had just lost her only son. His heart broke for her loss, so he stopped his journey and gave life back to the boy (Luke 7:12-15). Even when he was at death’s door, he ensured that his mother would be taken care of (John 19:26-27). Jesus was a man of compassion!

2. Showing Compassion is Actually Serving Jesus Himself Jesus had such compassion for people and identified with their distress that he coupled discipleship with His disciple’s level of compassion to those in need. He explained that when his disciples reached out to people who were hungry, poor, sick, incarcerated, and in distress, they were actually ministering to HIM. In fact, he turned this around to indicate if disciples FAILED to do this, they were abandoning HIM in HIS distress! (Matthew 25: 33-46).

3. Compassion is Displaying the Heart of Go d When the Lord led the children of Israel out of their Egyptian slavery, they had no idea who this God was.

So, he had to start teaching them the basics. Their ignorance was immense: No, I’m not the gold idol that Pharoah had, nor do I live in the Nile. No, I don’t take bribes. No, I don’t favor the rich and powerful (Deuter-

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onomy 10). Then he begins to teach them about His character, but He does something very interesting with this lesson. He couples His revelation of His character with an expectation that His children would grow up to be like Him: I am holy, so YOU must be holy (Leviticus 11:44-45). I stick up for orphans and widows by ensuring they have food and clothing, so YOU must also show compassion for them (Deuteronomy 10: 17-19). I took care of you when you were foreign aliens in Egypt, so I expect YOU to take care of the aliens among you (Leviticus 19:4).

Throughout scriptures, He makes sure we understand His compassionate nature to the persons who live around us but without privilege or power: persons who don’t have legal representation in the court system (Deuteronomy 27:19),

• persons whose rights have been violated by their rulers (I Chronicles 16:19-20),

• people who have physical disabilities and those • •

who were exploited by powerful vested interests (Job 29:15-17), people who struggle because they are not citizens (Ezekiel 47:22), single mothers, their children, and the poor in their communities (Zechariah 7:9-10).

And when the later rulers of Israel neglected these principles, prophet after prophet was sent to them to condemn their violations of the law of God. God tells them that He had grown tired of their religious ceremonies (yes, the ones He instituted for them!). He says that they disturb Him! Why don’t you rather “seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow?” (Isaiah 1:10-17). He says His children go through all the religious exercises like worship and fasting, but when they get home, they exploit their laborers, they ignore the injustices and oppression of the poor, and they overlook the distress of the homeless (Isaiah 58).

Amos, the reluctant prophet, blasts them for their racial injustice, economic exploitation of the poor, persecution of the needy, corruption, and bribery. It’s almost as if Amos is crying, “What are you doing??” Let me suggest the way of the Lord, “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:21-24). Then Micah sums it up perfectly, “and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8). One has to conclude that when compassion is not foremost in the life of a disciple, you are left wondering if they even know who God is!

4. Compassion is a Powerful Strategy for Evangelism When the world is so full of injustice, inequality, suffering, and exploitation, we must understand the power of a bit of compassion. Jesus understood that showing compassion in this broken world is a powerful evangelical strategy. “Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

The classical philosophers called this “seeking the common good.” When you have a band of people who are always looking for ways to serve others, volunteer in their community and carry the burdens of the less fortunate, you set yourself up to get inquiries from a world that knows that compassion is needed! So, Peter said, now THAT is when you need to be ready to give a reason for the hope that lies within you (I Peter 3:15).

Pastors need to equip saints for compassionate service.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explained that our role as pastors should be to cultivate disciples who understand how to serve. Pastors are part of a team of gifts that Jesus gave as gifts to the church (Ephesians 4:11-12), and our collective task is to “equip the saints for the work of serving (ministry).”

Johan Mostert is a former Professor of Community Psychology at Assembly of God Theological Seminary. Since 2014 he has been CompaCare Director with COMPACT Family Services.

5. Compassion is an Expression of Spirit Baptism When Jesus declared that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him after His ordeal in the wilderness, he made it clear that the evidence was His compassion for the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed (Luke 4). Paul also confirmed that being filled with the Spirit is displayed in a life of compassion, characterized by love and kindness, doing good, and displaying gentleness to those who are weak (Galatians 5:16-24). It’s almost as if he is pleading for those of us who are filled with the Spirit to allow the Spirit to prescribe our actions as well (v. 25)

6. Showing Compassion is a New Testament Commandment The entire New Testament continues this theme of compassion! We are to “clothe” ourselves with compassion (Colossians 3:12). We need to learn to support our brothers and sister when they are in need (Romans 12:13). We need to extend hospitality to strangers, minister to those in prison, and support those who are being tortured (Hebrews 13:1-3). Paul encourages us to comfort those who are mourning as they try to process their loss (Romans 12:15). We need to love our neighbors (Luke 10:27), and if one of them is violated on the streets, even if they are from a different culture, we are expected to reach out with practical help and support them (Luke 10:25-37). Compassion is the essence of our walk with Christ!

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Main Event

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A Passion for

Adoption

by Kyler Clapp

After quitting their jobs and moving from Missouri to Oklahoma, Rebekah Howell and her husband Scott have been dedicated to sharing the vision and heart behind Backyard Orphans. The goal of Backyard Orphans is to engage, equip, and empower the local church, which Rebekah is very passionate about.

Rebekah discovered her passion for orphan care at a young age during a service where her pastor, Dennis Reynolds, shared a particular passage of scripture. “In Romans, Paul talks about the spirit of adoption that we’ve received. And that was kind of the light bulb moment for me because I really had it in my mind at a young age.”

Rebekah said. “My whole idea of ministry was the scripture

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from John that says, we love because he first loved us. So our response to what we’ve received is to extend the same thing, right? And we kind of see that repeated in scripture a lot. And so, when I learned about the spirit of adoption, in my brain, the light bulb just clicked like, oh, I received adoption. I want to give adoption. I’ve been adopted. I want to adopt. And it just kind of spiraled from there and became more and more deeply rooted.”

As she started back to the booth she was working, Trisha Porter stopped Rebekah in her tracks. “I’m going to say something,” Rebekah recalls Trisha telling her, “you can stop me if this is just me and it’s not the Lord, but would you consider becoming part of our team? Have you ever prayed about that? Would you pray about that?”

Immediately, Rebekah felt the Holy Spirit moving her to just say “yes.” As Rebekah remembers, “I couldn’t speak for a minute. I’m crying, and Trish is crying. She doesn’t know why she’s crying. And when I could speak, I told her yes, absolutely. I would love to.”

Trisha and Rebekah talked more about her plan to move to Oklahoma. Eric and Trisha had talked with the Oklahoma Assemblies of God about implementing orphan care ministries at the district level in Oklahoma. It seemed prayers were being answered for both parties.

Rebekah went home, notified her job of the news, and shortly then after moved to Oklahoma with her husband and family. “I will say there definitely was some element of a leap of faith because we dropped everything, quit our jobs, and moved in with the family with no jobs lined up,” she said. “I did not have my credential yet. I was not approved as a missionary yet.”

Having previously worked for the General Council Headquarters, she became familiar with organizations specializing in adoption and orphan care. “My husband Scott and I heard from the Lord back in August of 2021. I was working at the Assembly of God national headquarters just doing an administrative position in the chaplaincy department,” she said. Rebekah often prayed over each ministry and pastor as their reports came across her desk. One ministry, however, kept highlighting itself to her. “I’m processing these quarterly and monthly reports in my cubicle. I kept getting reports from Trisha and Eric Porter the founders of Backyard Orphans, and they’re doing foster adoption ministries. And the Lord would just like break my heart when I would process their ministry reports in my cubicle, and I’d cry like a crazy person.”

She communicated with her husband and mom about how she wanted to be more involved with adoption, whether in her personal life or local church. Still feeling like she was supposed to move to Oklahoma, she ran into the Porters at an event. “I saw the Porters at their booth. It’s a big silhouette of a house, and across the back of it in big letters, it says, because children need families. I went up and introduced myself,” Rebekah recalls. She began describing how she worked in the chaplaincy department and had processed their reports, having a casual conversation.

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The Howell’s moved to Ardmore, Oklahoma in September of 2021. During this time, Rebekah went through Backyard Orphan’s on-boarding process. “They did such a good job of training me, of inviting me into other churches’ training so that I could observe and learn, and then allowing me to do some training and observe and give feedback. They invest so well in their team members that you really feel prepared that you can help equip churches, help engage, equip, and empower churches to minister, to foster adoptive and at-risk biological families,” Rebekah said.

Her work with Backyard Orphans is not her first experience working with people who needed a sense of family.

She volunteered at her church for many years, serving hot meals, leading after-school programs, and working with individuals with psychological conditions.

There is a great need throughout each gender, age, and community for the family. Research reveals that 82% of individuals trafficked within the US who are from the US spent time in foster care. “At least half of our homeless population spent time in foster care, and most state prisons set their annual budget based on how many children are about to age out of foster care. Clearly, a lack of permanency, a lack of family, is a major obstacle for folks.”

While working with Backyard Orphans, Rebekah has learned the need for a system that will provide for every child in need. “There are around 400,000 kids in care nationwide right now. Out of those 400,000, about 100,000 are available for adoption. Currently, there are 350,000 churches in the US,” according to Rebekah. “If

every church had one family who fosters or adopts, especially when you factor in sibling sets, there would be more than enough families to cover kids currently waiting to be adopted.”

Rebekah has partnered with the Oklahoma Assemblies of God as a missionary with the Oklahoma AG Foster Care Network, and is continuing to work with Backyard Orphans to inform churches on how they can meet the needs of orphans in their own communities.

“I feel that the Father continually puts me in places I have no right to be; I am acutely aware that I’m often the youngest and least experienced person in the room. The work the Father is doing here amongst His people has very little to do with me. For some reason, I have the honor of a front-row seat.”

How You Can Support Rebekah & Scott Pray for them.

Have them minister in your church (rhowell@backyardorphans.org) Pray with Backyard Orphans at prayer.BackyardOrphans.org, a free resource for churches, individuals, small groups, etc. that guides the reader through praying for the diverse group of individuals who impact kids in care.

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Why Foster?

by Heath and Crystal Cole

Fostering is an opportunity to give back and opens the door to many opportunities, such as spreading the love of Jesus and the goodness and mercy he has to offer to children who often feel neglected, unlovable, unsafe, and unwanted. In 1 Peter 4:11, God has commanded us to step out in faith to share the Gospel. In foster care, there are hard days, days we make sacrifices, but those moments allow God to pour out His grace and love so that He may be glorified.

We felt like there was more than just taking in a foster child that we could offer to help, and with that said, Victory Worship Center is excited to announce that we have recently launched our Psalms 139 Project, a supply house full of diapers, wipes, clothes, formula, and car seats. Anything that a foster family would need when put in the same situation that we were recently put in. There will be no charge; show up and get what is needed so that the child is not turned away due to a lack of necessities.

Losing our kids to the State of Oklahoma has been a turning point in our lives and has aided our hearts for foster care. As you probably have gathered, we are foster parents. We recently just adopted our first little girl, Ava Marie. After Ava’s adoption, we were contacted by the state about taking in a two-month-old little boy. Of course, we couldn’t say no! This angel baby came with eight onesies, a diaper bag with ten diapers, three bottles, and a filthy car seat. My heart broke, and my first thought was, “how am I going to get everything I need for this baby?”

Not everyone is called to foster, but we pray that more families will trust in His power to equip them with everything they need to do His will. We hope this encourages you to consider fostering, providing respite care, starting a foster care ministry, or volunteering to serve foster children and families. You will truly experience God’s grace in a unique way.

We have recently been in contact with several foster families, and one of their biggest concerns when going into foster care was the lack of necessities for these children.

Some come with a trash bag of clothes, and some come with nothing. So not only are these children without a family, they are without necessities such as clothing, shoes, and other things.

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Heath and Crystal Cole have been the pastors of Keota Assembly of God since 2017.

WHY

The Church is Biblically mandated to care for the vulnerable, which includes the 400,000 children in U.S. foster care. We see a day where there are 20,000 children being cared for by the families within our 13,000 Assemblies of God churches! This inaugural AGFCN conference will bring momentum to this initiative!

WHAT

This 2-day conference will provide participants with an outstanding opportunity to learn about foster care ministry, be equipped to get started in their own church, discover local resources, and network with other foster care ministry leaders! Through general and breakout sessions, they will glean from gifted speakers who are experts in the field of foster care!

WHO

The conference is designed to unite hundreds of church and district leaders from across the nation.

Our desire is that they would leave inspired and equipped to lead the families in their churches into Biblical foster care ministry! We firmly believe that all AG churches can do something in foster care.

WHEN

A GATHERING OF LEADERS CARING FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN

The conference will be held October 6-7 at Calvary Church in Irving, TX (conveniently located near DFW airport). Check-in will begin Thursday at 5:00 PM with the opening session starting at 7:00 PM. It will conclude on Friday following the 7:00 PM general session.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT

www.okag.org AGFOSTERCARE.NETWORK/CONFERENCE

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Just Take a Step

by Jayson Evans 20

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When Josh and Nicole Seabolt decided to become foster parents, they had no idea they would eventually adopt three children. But that’s precisely what happened, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

As pastors of Generations Church in Guthrie, OK, Josh and Nicole live in a community that values foster care. When they began pastoring the church, it was already involved in reaching out to this community, and the Seabolts decided to join a summer outing for kids in the foster-care system in 2017. It was at this outing that they began feeling a burden for fostering.

“One of the kids kept asking me, take my picture, take my picture doing this,” Josh recounts. “I finally asked him, “why do you want me to take your pictures so much?” And he said, “So I can show my mom when I get to go home one day.”

This was the moment where Josh’s heart for fostering took hold. “I texted Nicole from across the play-

ground and said, “Hey, you need to pray for me because I think we’re going to be foster parents.” She texted me right back immediately and said, “Me too.”

Two days after this life-changing moment, Josh and Nicole began to fill out paperwork to become foster parents. The Seabolts went through the approval process to become foster parents and welcomed their first children two months later. A baby, a toddler, and a six-year-old, all of the Vietnamese descent.

“We went from zero children to three in one night,” Nicole remembers.

What Have We Done?

The first few months were difficult for the Seabolts. The learning curve was steep because of not being parents before fostering and maneuvering through cultural differences. Josh even had to fight the impulse to quit entirely. He remembers asking, “How can we put the brakes on this thing? What have we done?”

“You’re learning a whole new routine,” Nicole said, “they were six months, 18 months, and six years, they had a routine, but that’s not in the DHS paperwork. You’re not told any of their routines.”

Fortunately for Josh and Nicole, they had a support system to keep them going. “We had support from our family, friends, and church family,” Nicole said. “Our church was incredible” Having several foster families already involved in the church, the support system was in place to help the Seabolts through the early stages. Text messages streamed in, “Is there anything we can do?” Several church members organized a party to provide toys and other items for the kids. “At the beginning, you need somebody that’ll listen to you and remind you that it’s okay not to be okay,” said Nicole.

Expect the Unexpected After fostering the children for a few months, the Seabolt’s hearts began to stir again. The idea of adoption became a topic of conversation, but the reality that these kids could be returned to their biological parents remained. Josh and Nicole believe the goal of foster care is reunification with the birth parents, and it appeared that this would be the case with their three children. “God gave us grace during that season,” Josh said. Throughout the fall of 2017, as the Seabolts pursued adoption, the case went back and forth.

During this time of uncertainty, Josh and Nicole had the unexpected opportunity to begin building a relationship with the biological mother. “In our case, we were able to give her a mother’s day gift because she made the ultimate

sacrifice to do what was best for her kids,” Nicole said.

“We just had to trust, which is way easier said than done.”

By December 2017, it was apparent that the children would be returned to their biological mother. Nicole wanted to go to the court hearing to be there in support of what was happening. Right before walking into the courtroom, their caseworker confirmed that the plan was for the children to go home. When the judge asked for the district attorney’s recommendation, Nicole was stunned to hear the DA ask that the state proceeds with adopting the children. “God changed the minds of men, and it changed in that courtroom,” Nicole said. “Expect the unexpected, and don’t be surprised by anything because you just never know.”

Not an Option As local church pastors Josh and Nicole have long held to the passage in James 1:27, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” Josh sees this passage as a mandate to all church leaders and congregants. “You don’t have to be encouraged to do orphan care. It’s not an option. As followers of Jesus, as pastors, and as ministry leaders, it’s our mandate,” Josh said. “When we came to our church, we had many needs. I think every blessing we’ve had as a church is because we’ve championed orphan care and widow care.”

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Josh and Nicole believe anyone can participate in foster care and adoption. It always begins with prayer, but there are many other ways to provide support. A practical method of support the Seabolts received was through respite care. Respite is a temporary relief for families or caregivers who are caring for other family members or friends of all ages. “That’s a game changer, keeping people in foster care long term, so everybody can do something,” said Josh.

When considering the foster care and adoption crisis in Oklahoma, Josh is passionate that churches find a way to get involved. “It’s really heartbreaking that there’s even a foster adoption crisis in our state, every church has a mandate to do this, and we’re all going to stand before the Lord. He’s going to ask us, “What did you do with what I put in your hand?”

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Taking the first step of foster care or adoption is challenging but rewarding. Adopting three children has been a life-changing experience for the Seabolt family, and they would encourage others to take the leap of faith. “We want to pray for foster families; we want to give to foster families. We want to help foster families, but we need foster families too. We need more foster families, and that eventually leads to adoption. So I say, take a step, just do it.”

Ad

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In Your Own

Backyard

by Kyler Clapp

In 2011, God called Eric and Trisha Porter to become orphan care missionaries, leading them to found Backyard Orphans, a 501c3 ministry focused on engaging and equipping the church to care for hurting children in their own backyard.

“In 2011, our family of five was pursuing adoption. We began the application process because we knew God was speaking to us, but lo and behold, we ended up pregnant,” Eric Porter recalls. “This changed our plans, but God was doing something greater than we could have ever planned.”

During this time, the Porters became aware that over 400,000 children are in U.S. foster care, and around 100,000 are waiting to be adopted. The Porters quickly realized the solution, “The problem seemed overwhelming at first. Then, God showed us that there are 350,000 churches in the U.S. We began to understand that there were kids in our backyard who felt orphaned and needed families urgently.”

Realizing this new call upon their hearts, the Porters began to shift their focus to orphan care ministries. Eric and Trisha took a leap of faith as they resigned from their youth pastor’s position at James River church.

Soon after, they began the process of becoming U.S. Missionary Chaplains, which would help them launch Backyard Orphans.

“After we left the local church, God put a plan in our hearts to develop a ministry that would equip the local church to care for hurting kids in their own backyard,” Porter said. “God drew our attention to scriptures like Psalm 68:5-6 (NLT) “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

God places the lonely in families...” God’s plan is for the church to care for the vulnerable and the hurting through families.”

Following God’s divine plan, they ended up in Dallas, Texas, with the North Texas District (NTD). They planned to develop a ministry within their district that would equip their 600+ churches to get involved in orphan care. “The Keep” was born, and God began to open doors beyond just one district and denomination. God gave the Porters more opportunities that reached beyond just the local church. Opportunities arose in other communities, other states, and even other nations. After serving in the NTD for five years, the goal was to expand the team’s reach nationwide.

In 2017, the next phase, Backyard Orphans, was born.

Shortly after the launch of Backyard Orphans, the Porter’s hopes of adoption had come full circle. In 2018, they adopted two beautiful children into their family.

The Porter team is now a team of eight.

“In 2019, we knew it was time to multiply ourselves so we could reach kids in an exponential way! So, in 2020, we launched two new initiatives: (1) our Network Training process to allow us to reach large groups of churches and (2) our Trainer Summit program to mobilize more leaders to train churches,” said Porter.

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“Backyard Orphans exists because children need families.

We see a day when more families are waiting for children than children waiting for families,” Porter tells us. “We firmly believe that God’s solution for the orphan crisis is the local church.”

With this belief in mind, Backyard Orphans guides church leaders in developing foster care, adoption, and support ministries. With over 6,600 children in Oklahoma foster care, one of the top needs is for more foster families. As a result, the Porter’s prioritizes recruiting foster and adoptive families while the church builds a support system around them. “Kids don’t just need a safe place to call home; they need the love and grace of Jesus Christ.”

Four Levels Where Churches Can Get Involved: Level 1–Speak Up:

Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us to speak up for the vulnerable. Prayer is the beginning stage of this ministry. Backyard Orphans has created a tool to help: prayer.backyardorphans.org.

Backyard Orphans now trains churches, pastors, next-gen volunteer teams, networks/districts, and trainers. “This only happens because of the faithfulness of God to open doors and speak to the hearts of more believers to get involved,” he said.

Level 2–Concrete Services:

Many Assembly of God churches in Oklahoma are already involved in orphan care or are joining the cause. “The groundwork began six years ago under the leadership of Superintendent Frank Cargill,” Porter said, “Now, with Dr. Darryl Wooten as Superintendent, Chapter 2 of the Oklahoma AG Foster Care Network is ramping up!”

Level 3–Relational Support:

Eric understands that not every church is called to foster and adopt, but every church is called to do something.

“Our strategy is to engage, equip, and empower churches and their leaders to get involved in all levels of foster care and adoption. Whether you are a rural, urban, or suburban church of 50, 500, or 5,000, you can do something for the kids in your own backyard.”

Many churches can also get involved in meeting the physical needs of those involved in foster care. The on ramp to this level is the CarePortal tool. For more information, visit CarePortal.org.

This level is about discipleship. Finding ways to care for the biological families to get their children back home and wrapping around foster or adoptive families with childcare or support groups.

Level 4–Open Your Home:

24/7 living room discipleship. Not every family is ready for this, but God can surprise us. We need more foster parents and adoptive parents. This is a solvable problem with almost 500 children ready for adoption and 460 OKAG churches.

OKAG Orphan Care Network Launch Event November 15, 2022

OKC Area 11:00am –1:00pm Tulsa Area 3:00pm – 5:00pm www.okag.org/fostercarenetwork

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A God-Sized

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How were you able you get the Dream Center running, and what was it like seeing God move through this avenue?

It began with a God-size dream. I visited the LA Dream Center and began to ask the question, what if? I recruited a group of leaders to serve on an advisory committee to plan and launch the DSM Dream Center. The planning took one year and a half before launching.

Why is compassion a necessity for ministry?

Get to know Jamel Crawford, the new Compassion Ministries Director of the Oklahoma Assemblies of God. Please introduce yourself and your family.

Jamel and Melissa Crawford. We have three kids: Jace Crawford (8), Jacoby Crawford (6), and Journey Crawford (3).

How did you and Melissa meet?

Melissa and I met at church (Metro Assembly in Des Moines, IA). She served as a youth leader when I was the youth and children’s pastor.

Can you briefly explain your ties to Oklahoma?

My ties to Oklahoma began in 1992 when I moved to Tulsa to live with a family that attended Carbondale Assembly of God. I was one of several boys that moved from Brooklyn, NY, to live with Jerry and Carol Bockmuller. I graduated from Charles Page High school in Sand Springs and attended Carbondale Assembly.

When you look throughout Scripture, you can see compassion demonstrated. We must go from concern to compassion. Concern does not engage.

Compassion leads us to get involved and address the need. The church has an excellent opportunity to share hope and meet the needs of orphans, widows, the hungry, prisoners, and the poor.

How can a church become more involved in community outreach?

Many churches are doing amazing outreaches in their community. That has happened because each church identified the needs in its community. Churches must go out into their community and find out their needs.

One simple step would be to meet with local leaders and officials (school superintendent, principal, police, etc.).

As our new Compassion Ministries Director, what are some initial steps you will take to make compassion a primary focus of the OKAG? Here are two initial steps: 1. Connect with as many pastors and churches as possible. Some churches are doing great work in their community. I want to celebrate what God is doing; while learning what has made their work successful. The hope would be to use that information to help other churches. 2. Work with our Superintendent to champion the local church to meet the growing need for Foster Care in our State.

What was the heart behind the Des Moines Dream Center?

The heart behind the DSM Dream Center was to mobilize the faith community to meet the growing needs throughout Des Moines. The DSM Dream Center was created to help RESTORE HOPE and help people PURSUE DREAMS.

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Thank you Dean and Joy! We are so thankful to the Guthrie family for their leadership over these last thirteen years. They have had an immeasurable impact on our next generation, and we cannot thank them enough!

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Around our State

DISTRICT NEWS

Evangelist Reports • • •

Chaplain Dale & Virginia Floyd – In July we had 28 men & women saved in our prison services.

Reverend Leonard Stoner – 3 saved on a Sunday morning & following in Water baptism.

Reverend Michael Lobmeyer – We have had people filled with the Holy Spirit both at our church and at the Detention Facility in Okmulgee.

Will be baptizing several members in August from Baptism Classes.

Prayer Request • •

• •

Anita Davis – Healing from surgery is not going as planned. Please pray for quick recovery.

Joel & Anahy Garcia – Pray for Joel as he is recovering from knee surgery. Pray for our church, Iglesia Nueva Vida in Pryor, as we are in a very excited transition, to get the keys of our new building, we need wisdom.

Marna Hillard – prayers for continued healing and for her ministry.

Fred & Janice Ticeahkie – pray for Fred. Hospital for 4 days, found blood clot in his leg. Healing for whole body. Janice needs miracle for her lungs, complete healing from cough left over from COVID! Prayers for prayer meeting in September at Kiowa Tribe’s Complex.

Needed •

Tishomingo First needs a youth pastor. Please call 580-371-2112

Itinerating Missionaries • • • • • • • • • •

Aaron & Krista Bruton Michelle Castle Kirk & Karla Ford Chris & Amy Hales Daniel & Janene Hazelrigg Joni Middleton Ryan & Lauren Plute Fari Rider Jared & Kaila Shoultz Jim & Jody Smith

Please contact the OKAG Missions office for details.

In Memory • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Danny G. Walter (8/19/1941 - 3/8/2022) Billy G. Covey (2/18/1931 - 3/12/2022) Jack Salkil (3/27/1947 - 3/21/2022) Lloyd Lee McGuire (2/14/1931 - 4/18/2022) Robert Louis Pennza (10/12/1948 - 5/9/2022) Joe E. Bartlett (9/16/1926 - 5/10/2022) Gerald W. Van Horn (7/22/1933 - 5/20/2022) Roger Dale Myers (11/7/1948 - May 20, 2022) Gary David Pollard (11/20/1943 - 5/26/2022) David J. Boutwell (4/28/1941 - 6/11/2022) Kenneth R. McGee (5/28/1937 - 7/7/2022) Johnny E. Elliott II (2/2/1942 - 7/11/2022) Gene L. Drain (11/20/1933 - 7/13/2022) Ray L. Hood (5/27/1922 - 8/2/2022) James W. Wright (3/25/1938 - 8/7/2022) William A. Webber (1/13/1933 - 8/9/2022)

Information •

Help for Pastors call (918) 758-4147 or visit www.pastoralcareinc.com.

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The New

Exciting things are happening at the Oklahoma Assemblies of God. We’re launching a new online community, and we want you to be one of the first to know. This new program is called Realm. If offers more ways for you to support and connect with each other online. In the coming weeks, look for announcements about giving and our new Realm app. Some of you may have already noticed our updated online giving web page. As we make this transition, here is what you need to know: Realm allows you to manage your contact information, give online, and keep in touch with the groups that matter to you.

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