February 25, 2015
CHURCH OF THE SERVANT Bi-Weekly NEWSLETTER
Issue: 15.4
March Mission Focus Skyline Urban Ministries
Learn how we can continue to make a difference right here in our city!
Do Something Special! We are asking everyone to invite a friend to join them in worship Palm Sunday. Inviting people to church is essential to our faith and work serving Christ. Stephen Covey asked the question in his famous 7 Habits of Highly Effective Churches, “What is the one activity, if you did it consistently and did it well, would yield dramatic results in your life?” That’s stuff we can think about, give an answer to, but few actually do – which is why we see so few results. When it comes to evangelism, outreach, church growth or whatever you want to call it, what’s the one activity?
Invite people to church.
Dr. Robert Gorrell Senior Minister
It requires no significant training or skill. Opportunities to exercise the strategy are near endless. Consider this from Dr. Thom Rainer in his book, The Unchurched Next Door: 82% of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited. Most people come to church because of a personal invitation. Those two things alone ought to at least make you think. Take a breath now and consider this: 7 out of 10 unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives. Now, while your wheels are a-spinnin’… You need to have a clear plan. Clear plans yield stronger action. Make a list of specific folks you would love to invite to church over the next two months.Pray and ask God to lay on your heart friends, neighbors, classmates, co-workers and family members who live in our area whom you can invite to church. Write down those names. Pray the Lord will open their hearts to the idea of visiting church, so they will be open to your invite when they get it. Next time you get into a conversation with one of these people, get your radar up for your natural segue into a casual invite. Schedule a place to land for Sunday morning breakfast in town and invite your friends via phone, Facebook or Twitter to converge there and head to church together. For a mid-week idea, make it dinner and then let them know everyone is heading to Holy Thursday or Good Friday services afterward and everyone is invited. If possible, invite them into your life before inviting them to church. Asking someone to church after you’ve at least had them over for coffee increases the odds of a positive response. Invite them to church outside of church. That is, invite them to something your church is doing outside the church walls (like a barbeque or block party) and then invite them to church at that event after they’ve relaxed a little with your group. Inviting someone to church is inviting them to know Jesus! - Robert
Television Ministries
We are looking for volunteers to help with setup, tear down, sound checks, and run the soundboard on Sunday mornings. Schedule is as follows: 7:30-9:00am - Setup and soundcheck 9:00-10:30am - Run sound for 9:15 service 10:30-11:50am - Run sound for 10:45 service 11:50am-12:15pm - Tear down equipment If you or anyone you know might be interested in helping with any or all of the above, please contact Heather DeShazo at hdeshazo@churchoftheservant.com. Page 2 I ChurchoftheServant.com
Missions March Mission Focus: Skyline Urban Ministries
The mission and vision of Skyline is to impact lives, empower those in need, to address the roots of poverty in Oklahoma, and to foster a new era of compassion & respect for those living on the margins by promoting a change in attitude. Skyline is a United Methodist Ministry with many services: The Food Resource Center; The Eye Clinic; Primetime, senior adults’ meals 3 days a week; The Clothes Closet, open daily with special events for school uniforms and teen prom dress station. Learn about Skyline Urban Ministries this month: Sunday, March 8 - Mission Moment in worship and Mission Central in the Concourse will have a Skyline display the whole month. Come see ways to volunteer right here in the city. Sunday, March 15 - Tour the brand-newly-opened Skyline Mission Food Resource Center and see all the ministries up close and personal. Great opportunities for groups and families to have an outing together! Gather after worship at 12:15 in 13:2. $5 will cover a sack lunch and transportation to Skyline for all who want to go! Bus will return to church by 3 p.m. Make your reservations at the Welcome Center or at scobden@churchoftheservant.com. Sunday, March 22 - Special Fish Appeal for Skyline in all worship services to reach our goal of $35,000!!
Bless Our Schools: Hefner Middle School
Mission Trip to Kenya September 24 - October 6
Places are still available! If you want to experience a life-changing (yours!) event, join us for our next trip to Maua, Kenya. Contact Ann Knutson, annknut@ gmail.com or 323-4292.
We are half-way through the school year in our first year in partnership with Hefner Middle School. The goal of the partnership is to enrich the school by supporting and appreciating faculty, and filling any gaps serving the students and faculty. Right now we prepare weekly backpacks of food for students to take home on the weekend. Teacher Appreciation Luncheon: Thursday, March 5, 11 a.m.1 p.m. Prepare a dish and/or come and serve the teachers. If you are willing to help bless our schools, please contact Amber Neaves at neaves3@sbcglobal.net.
Important Dates for Mission: Thursday, March 5 -
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon at Hefner MS
Sunday, March 8 -
Monthly Mission focus for Skyline begins
Monday, March 9-22 - Vietnam Mission Team travels Saturday, March 14 -
Hannah’s Promise 5-9 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 -
Lunch and Tour of Skyline Ministries
Sunday, March 22 -
Special Fish Appeal for Skyline
Carolyn Hays, team member from our last Kenya trip, sought out eyeglasses and frames from a national organization to take to Maua Methodist Hospital. The Chief Medical Officer at the hospital, Dr. Inoti, is an ophthalmologist, and had requested specific items. It was important to our team that we provide what they needed and not just what we were able to scavenge. Carolyn worked very hard as liaison between Dr. Inoti and the US organization. SERVANT February 25, 2015 I Page 3
Missions
“Shaping Generations with Hearts for Others” Mission Reflection by Dr. Robyn Goggs
What an amazing day Stop Hunger Now is for our congregation! This past Sunday the temperature was 20 degrees outside, yet over 1400 people came to church to help to make 155,304 meals! I have an eight-year-old son who was so excited on Saturday night, you might have thought it was Christmas! He was in bed by 8 p.m. and up by 6 a.m. with his Stop Hunger Now sweatshirt and hat on and ready to go participate. He loves going to church, but this is by far his favorite Sunday of the year. On the way home, I asked, “Why is this Sunday your favorite, Noah?” He said, “Mom, making meals is so fun and I like doing things that are good for people.” Ah, the wisdom that comes from the mouths of children! In preparation for the day, Scott Smith and Tom McGee, with their leadership teams, gathered supervisors and coaches to lead all over our building. I am so grateful to the many of you who came this week to help prepare. On Sunday, as I walked around the building watching parents and children, boy scouts, girl scouts, work colleagues, friends, and whole families working together, Noah’s words made such sense for all of us. This was a great day because it was so much fun and we were all doing things that make a difference in the lives of others. The fact that The United Nations reported 100,000 less people than last year were chronically hungry means we are making a contribution to the alleviation of world hunger. What a celebration this day of worship and service is for our congregation! How I anticipate passing the one millionth meal that Church of the Servant will have made when we do this again next year! Yet what I realize is that I don’t want my son to just experience this feeling once a year, but regularly experience the euphoric feeling of living his life beyond himself, as his faith is shaped and deepened by these experiences. Next month, in March, we shift our focus from feeding people around the world to feeding people right here in Oklahoma City. Our Monthly Mission focus for March is Skyline Urban Ministries. Located on SE 15th street, this ministry serves people in the poorest zip code of our city. Last year Skyline served more than 22,000 people. Skyline projects, with the opening of a new food resource center last fall, that they will feed well over 30,000 people in our city. And we are a part of this! Skyline has a multitude of wonderful ministries that serve our community. We will be sharing and celebrating this throughout the month as we seek to raise $35,000 this year for Skyline. On Sunday, March 15, I will be taking my son, Noah, to see the Skyline Food Resource Center after morning worship. We will be on the bus that will be provided for anyone in our congregation who wants to go see and experience all the ministries of Skyline. Will you reserve your space and come with us? Bless each of you for your commitment to God’s mission here on earth. - Robyn
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Confirmation is well underway and we just got back from a weekend retreat at Canyon Camp. I always have such high hopes for retreats. I pray constantly that God will move, the students will be engaged, and everyone will have fun on a weekend that goes by so quickly. My hopes were far exceeded! The confirmation class came together and joined bonds that will not quickly be broken and they dived into God’s word head on. These students are engaged and ready to hear God’s word as they go through this process of exploring what their faith means. None of it would be possible without my amazing small group leaders: Tim LLoyd, Charlie Bogie, Grant Flurry, Billy Barto, Amy Johnson, Jacquie Hester, Amber Neaves, and Gaybra Schultz. They are dedicated to showing these students God’s love, and for that I am thankful to them. Please be in prayer for our students and leaders as we continue Confirmation, and come rejoice with us April 12 when they get confirmed! - Jenna Savage
4th and 5th grade WOW participants are proud to show the ashes they received at the Centrum Ash Wednesday Service!
Student
Children Over 100 children participated in Ash Wednesday services. The evening activities included worship led by Tim Travers for the preschoolers and lower elementary, putting their thumbprints of ashes on a cross signifying giving their sins to God. When they return on Easter Sunday we have a good idea that those thumbprints will be washed away, just like our sins. The lower elementary kids also wrote their prayers of forgiveness and attached them to a cross signifying they understand that God loves them above all else, and will forgive them. 4th and 5th graders met for discussion on the meaning of Ash Wednesday and then attended the 7:00 Worship service in the Centrum. Thanks, Cathy
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Adult PRIME TIME
Church of the Servant Community Hall Thursday, March 12, 10:30 a.m.
Get ready for a “barn burner” program this month at Prime Time, presented by Dr. Matt Schinske! Matt recently became principal keyboardist at Church of the Servant, where he is excited to be sharing his music weekly. Matt is a writer, arranger, composer, and performer who has been internationally published by both the Shawnee Press and Alfred Publishing Company. His most recent musical release, “Bird’s Eye”, has been nominated for best new song of the year! He has also been asked to write a book of Christmas arrangements that will be available this fall through the Alfred Publishing Co. On a personal note, Matt is married to Stacey Schinske and they have a 21 year-old daughter, Jessa Schinske. Make plans now to attend for this very special program! The program will be followed by a great meal of Shepherd’s Pie w/crusted bread, and our usual time of fellowship with old and new friends. You can enjoy the program and lunch for $10.00, or if you come only for the program, the cost is $2.00. Be sure to sign up at the Welcome Center, or call the church office at 721-4141 no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 9. If you sign up, and then see you will be unable to attend, please call to cancel your reservation, as Prime Time must pay for all meals reserved. See you at Prime Time on Thursday, March 12!
Troop 177 On Friday, January 16, the troop went to Trappers Rendezvous near Burrton, Kansas. After the troop was done setting up camp we went to the salt mines in Hutchinson, Kansas, and toured the Strataca Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Trappers Rendezvous is a yearly event sponsored by the Quivira Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Trappers tradition started in the 1830s when members of the Denver fur company would meet with fur trappers and Indians to trade pelts for goods. Now Boy Scouts attend Trappers to trade stuff. Troop 177 participated in Stop Hunger Now. We just set our 2015 schedule this last week and are looking forward to some new activities this year. Visit www.BSAtroop177ok.org to learn more about Troop 177 or follow us on Facebook at BSA-Troop-177. Max McChesney BSA Troop 177 Scribe Page 6 I ChurchoftheServant.com
Music What a wonderful time it was to share Valentine’s Day with Hannah’s Promise! One of our amazing group classes spent the evening chatting, performing, and sharing Valentine’s cards with all the children and volunteers of this wonderful mission program at Church of the Servant that provides support to families with children with special needs. We’re very proud of our students as they make a difference in our community and begin establishing a long lasting relationship with the children and volunteers of Hannah’s Promise.
Thank You, Ron!
Music Ministries at Church of the Servant have undergone a significant transition with Mr. Ron Staton no longer anchoring the duties of accompanist within the 9:15 and 10:45 worship services. Ron first came on staff in the fall of 1989 and has been a featured performer in countless occasions of Sunday worship, special Easter and Christmas seasonal events, and other appearances of the chancel choir. Church of the Servant would like to extend a word of thanks to Ron for these many years of excellent service. We are grateful for Ron’s musical gifts and appreciate his time here.
SERVANT February 25, 2015 I Page 7
Women
Save the Date: Game Night, a Dish and Dice Friday, March 27, 6:30 p.m.
Bring a dish to share and a fun competitive spirit for a night of bunko. Our $5 donation for the evening will go to support a women’s shelter mission. You won’t want to miss the food and fellowship of the evening! Childcare will be provided with advance registration. Registration is online and at the Welcome Center.
Get Connected with Women’s Ministry information and stories on our blog: cos-women.com Mark your calendar: Spring Offerings of
Women’s groups begin right after Easter! Maybe the cold days and dark nights of winter kept you from joining a women’s group. But have no fear or regret, the spring studies are coming! A seven-week series of studies will be offered beginning the week of April 7 and ending the week of May 18. There will be Tuesday morning classes, Wednesday morning and evening classes, and Friday morning classes. Registration and information for this series of classes are posted online and on our blog.
youyou are seen are known you are
free
Women of Faith July 24-25, 2015 Share the Love: The Farewell Tour
After 20 great years of Women of Faith, this is the last year of this wonderful weekend format for women all over the country to come together to celebrate their love for Christ and to discern God’s direction for us. Through worship, great speakers, and amazing fellowship, this will be a life-changing weekend. To see the details of speakers and events check out www.womenoffaith.com. Right now, Women’s Ministry has secured 40 seats at the amazing price of $85. Tickets online are $110. These are on a first-come, first-serve basis until they are gone on March 27. To reserve your seat contact Susie Cobden at scobden@churchoftheservant.com.
PATSY CLAIRMONT
SARAH JAKES
MARILYN MEBERG
MARY GRAHAM
SANDI PATTY
JEN HATMAKER
KORIE LUCI ROBERTSON SWINDOLL
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
CONTACT NAME:
THELMA WELLS
Susie Cobden
CONTACT INFO: scobden@churchoftheservant.com
JULY 24-25, 2015
AMOUNT:
$85
FRIDAY 7-10pm | SATURDAY 9am-5pm COX CONVENTION CENTER ARENA
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WOMENOFFAITH.COM
1.888.49FAITH
(1.888.493.2484)
Our Prayers
Our Life Together
u Russal & Phyllis Brawley as Phyllis recuperates from surgery. u Jason, Jacque and Emma Bruce as Emma faces surgery. u Marty and Dottie Christensen as Marty recuperates from surgery. u Clay, Julie, Will and Charlie Cockrill as Julie’s mother and Will’s and Charlie’s grandmother, Cathy Woodall, deals with health issues. u John, Dawn, Sarah and Noah Gilstrap as Dawn’s father and Sarah and Noah’s grandfather, David Wilson, deals with health issues. u Rick and Lisa Harris, as Lisa recuperates from surgery. u D.A. and Carol Heggie, as Carol is hospitalized at Mercy Health Center. u Gene and Susy Imke as their sister-in-law, Judy Quinn, deals with health issues. u Kent, Dana and Blake Israel as Kent’s grandmother, Pat Clark, recuperates from surgery in Texas. u Brenda, Tyson and Grant Morris, as Brenda’s father and Tyson’s and Grant’s grandfather recuperates from surgery. u Steve and Jimmie Pallesen as their grandson, Tate Burns, recuperates from injuries in a vehicle accident. u Rusty, Piper, Kenna and Seth Pfister as Rusty recuperates from surgery. u Roy and Trina Ramirez as Trina deals with health issues.
Our Sympathy
u Ron and Sharon Hendricks and Family at the death of their great-niece, Ashley Jae Moreland. u Nancy Tessier and Family at the death of her son, Todd Tessier.
Celebrating Memories u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Phyllis Pease by Art & Joane Schmidt. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Jo Gentry by James & Barbara Gayle. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Jo Gentry by Tom & Evelyn White.
Celebrating Memories
u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Missions Ministry in honor of Courtney Robinson by Pat McGarrity & Leroy Ball. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Missions Ministry in honor of Manu Contreras by Pat McGarrity & Leroy Ball. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Hannah’s Promise in honor of Noah Latham by Pat McGarrity & Leroy Ball. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Hannah’s Promise in honor of Danielle Robinson by Pat McGarrity & Leroy Ball. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Hannah’s Promise in honor of Craig Robinson by Pat McGarrity & Leroy Ball.
u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Care Ministry in memory of Jo Gentry by Bob & Opal Warren. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Care Ministry in memory of Jo Gentry by Marty & Dottie Christensen. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Music Ministry in honor of Carrie Scott by Jerry Thomason. u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Missions Ministry in honor of Ashleigh Robinson by Pat McGarrity & Leroy Ball.
Margo Price at award ceremony.
u Janice Reynolds as she deals with health issues. u Chloe Roberts as her brother, John Wade, recuperates from surgery and is in rehab in Washington state. u Elaine Schmidt, as she recuperates from surgery.
Celebrating
u Margo Price has been recognized as Edmond’s 2015 Woman of the Year for her work with Miracle League Baseball.
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Church of the Servant
14343 N MacArthur Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73142-9725
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Registration begins March 1st! –– www.churchoftheservant.com