JUNE 3, 2015
CHURCH OF THE SERVANT Bi-Weekly NEWSLETTER
Issue: 15.10
Move Up Sunday!
May 31 was our Move Up Sunday for upcoming 1st through 12th grade. We were so excited to meet the new faces in our Sunday school classes! Read more inside about our OUTSTANDING Sunday morning leaders.
Getting to know Dr. Robert Gorrell
This summer we hope you'll be blessed with a series: "Getting to Know Our Clergy." Today, we start with our Senior Minister, Dr. Robert Gorrell.
Dr. Robert Gorrell Senior Minister
Page 2 I ChurchoftheServant.com
I grew up in Oklahoma City. My call to become a Christian happened while I was a student at OCU. If you were giving to the church in the 1980’s your generosity provided the campus ministry that brought me to Christ! After graduating with my degree in science, I worked for a couple of years. Eventually I ended up serving as the youth director at St. John’s here in Oklahoma City. After several years there I was at a Sunday night service where I experienced a very real call to become a pastor. Soon I was attending seminary at SMU and serving at a wonderful and very diverse church in Dallas. I had a tremendous experience in Dallas and grew a great deal spiritually. Following seminary I returned to Oklahoma. Coming home to Oklahoma, I met and fell in love with Prudy Mercer, one of our city’s outstanding business women. Prudy and I were married and along with her two daughters, Tiffany and Stacye, we formed a new family. Then I completed my doctorate in psychotherapy fulfilling a need to better equip myself for helping laypeople in the church. I also received an honorary doctorate from my alma mater, OCU. In 2006 I was appointed as the Senior Minister at Church of the Servant. And what joy and challenge I have experienced in that role! We have come a long way together and I’m looking forward to many more. Our daughters are married now. Tiffany and her family live in New York. They will be joining us on the Journeys of Paul trip this summer. Stacye and her family live in Oklahoma City and are very active at Church of the Servant. As many of you know, I love to play guitar for fun. We are dog lovers and are spoiling two westies, Katy and Rusty. I have recently completed a post-graduate program at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago as part of my continuing education. The experience at Northwestern had a profound effect on me as we face complex challenges sharing the Gospel in this culture. Nietzsche wrote ‘God is dead.’ He was not saying that God had literally died rather that we are a part of a culture that functions as though God does not exist. In the middle of this culture I stand firmly on the Wesleyan tradition of grace and love. I love Jesus more every day and I love the people of church with all of my heart. I especially want to thank my wife, children and grandchildren for their faithful love and support. May God continue to bless our church! - Robert
Important Dates to Save on Your Calendar: Month of June - Help at Skyline for Clothes for Kids
Missions
June 22-25 - Reading Week with Project Transformation Sunday, Sept 20 - 6th Annual Fit to Serve Fun Walk and 5K
BLESS OUR SCHOOLS
Thank you for all your support this year! We finished the school year at Hefner Middle School by providing a beautiful luncheon for all the teachers and staff on their final day. Church of the Servant was awarded their Community Partner Award for the year. Principal Toye Mitchell expressed what a tremendous encouragement our relationship has been to the teachers with the special luncheons and thoughtful gestures during the year. The volunteers who have prepared and run the weekend food backpack program have taken such a burden off the staff and counselors. This was a great first year and we look forward to growing into the relationship next year by fully coordinating the backpack program next year. Special thanks to the leadership of Amber Neaves and Jim and Linda Talkington this year. Watch your newsletter, as we will have days to help in the building in August!
School Supplies for CHILDSHARE
Throughout the summer, school supplies go on sale. Why not pick up a few extras to help the foster children connected with CHILDSHARE? Drop your supplies at the Mission Kiosk on Sundays or bring them to the Missions office during the week.
Project Transformation
Partnering in the Summer with Church and Community for Literacy Readers and Listeners are needed June 22-25, mornings, 9-noon at Chapel Hill UMC. Meals are needed for interns three evenings during this week. Would your class or small group serve a meal to 10 college students at OCU? Please sign up at the Welcome Center on Sundays or contact Susie Cobden at scobden@churchoftheservant.com.
Skyline... Our Urban Ministry In March, the Special Fish Appeal raised $23,225! Most of this gift will go to fund the Clothes for Kids program. Earthglow will also be donating 20,000 for designated programs this year, which takes our church giving to $43,225. This is a great accomplishment to celebrate! There are many ways to be connected to Skyline. Giving is just one and always needed, but the gift of your time as a volunteer is also precious. Clothes 4 Kids Volunteers Needed Each summer Skyline Urban Ministry provides two new school uniforms, underwear, socks, and shoes to hundreds of children in need. Donate your time! With the large volume of clients we receive during Clothes 4 Kids, we always appreciate volunteers! Below are the dates of volunteer opportunities: Clothes 4 Kids Registration June 1 – June 25: Mondays – Thursdays Shifts Available: Mon/Wed 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Tues/Thurs 9:00 a.m. – noon; or 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Description: Interview parents and complete intake forms to determine clothing and shoe sizes of children needed for ordering inventory. Volunteers need to arrive 15 minutes prior to start of shift for brief training. Clothes 4 Kids Distribution July 13 – July 24: Mondays – Fridays Shifts Available: Mon – Fri 8:30 a.m. – Noon and 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. Description: Personal shopper – personally take each child to designated areas to try on shoes and school uniforms to ensure a proper fit for the child. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, contact Melissa Ramey at (405) 632-2644, mramey@skylineurbanministry.org. SERVANT June 3, 2015 I Page 3
Missions Members Helping Members: Kim and Neal Bilger and Marilyn Staats
On Saturday, May 23rd, Neal and Kim Bilger and a group of their family and friends showed up, ready to work, at the home of Marilyn Staats! Neal and Kim are in the process of adopting for the second time and decided to use a fundraising option through the Both Hands Foundation that is based on the James 1:27 call to serve both the widow and the orphan. They were connected with Marilyn through members of our church and were excited to have the opportunity to help her with landscaping and general household odds and ends that needed to be done since her husband, Arvon, passed away last July. The Bilgers and their crew, many of whom are church members and in the Seasons Sunday School class, were blessed by the opportunity to get to know and serve another church member. Prayer kept the rain away until the work was done and all agreed it was a great day! To learn more about the project, you can visit the Bilger’s project site at: www.bothhands.org/project/bilger-5139 or visit this site to see a video of the workday: https://youtu.be/HnC15bHP4FU.
Music
SUMMER CAMP: The Kid’s Musical Project
Calling All Kids entering Kindergarten – 5th grade (Fall 2015). The COS Kid’s Musical Project will once again sponsor our annual summer Kid’s Musical Camp, Sword of The Spirit, June 22-June 25, 9:30am-Noon. Performances will be June 25 at 6:30pm and on June 28 during both Celebration Center worship services. Camp is led by Paul Gebb, Director of Children’s Choirs, & choreographer Brooke Gebb. Registration forms can be downloaded on the church website, under Kid’s Musical Project. Registration ends June 15. For more information or questions, contact pgebb@churchoftheservant.com.
Women
Summer Bible Study
Spending Time In the Upper Room Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m.
Would you like to connect to the Word and a great group of women this summer? Then come on Wednesday mornings to study and share the Scripture devotions from the Upper Room Publication. This small treasured book can be purchased in Earthglow. Each week under the leadership of Debbi Marshall and Patricia Hocker, the group will share Scripture as it intersects with everyday life. Prayer and a time of reflection are also included. The class will run Wednesday mornings, 9:30-11:30, May 13-July 29. Each week is a stand-alone study. To enroll, contact Susie Cobden at scobden@churchoftheservant.com or 728-4711.
Page 4 I ChurchotheServant.com
Adult Catching up with Tiffany
Tiffany (Smith) Edde served as an intern at Church of the Servant while she worked on her Masters of Divinity degree at SMU. Tiffany loves and appreciates all of her friends at our church. Today, Tiffany serves as a United States Marine Corp chaplain at Paris Island. She preaches to thousands of young Marines every week. We are so proud of you Tiffany! And we pray for you and all those you serve!
W
MAKING THE MOST OF WORK
hen you read the Bible, you’ll meet a lot of people God used who didn’t have “Christian” jobs. Nehemiah was a city planner and Esther was a powerful woman in a political world. God used them both. I wanted to share some thoughts with you about work. After all, we spend way more time at work than we do at church. But so many of us are miserable in our jobs. We view them as a means to an end. It’s something we get through so we can get what we want (the weekend or retirement). I’ll start at the beginning. In the beginning, God worked. The Bible begins talking about work as soon as it begins talking about anything - that is how important and basic it is. Work was not an evil that came into the picture. God’s plan for humans always involved them working, living in the constant cycle of work and rest. God made the world to need work. While God created other forms of life, only humans are explicitly given a job. We are called to stand in for God here in the world, exercising stewardship over the rest of creation. The Bible sees all work as distinguishing human beings from animals and elevating them to a place of dignity. In Genesis, God is a gardener. In the New Testament, he is a carpenter. God made it our job to
develop and build this society. We’re not just here to take up space – we are here to cultivate the garden. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul counsels readers that when they become Christians, it is unnecessary to change what they are currently doing in life in order to live lives that please God. In other words, you don’t have to quit your job and become a missionary to make a difference. You can be a missionary at your job.
So how should we connect work to worship?
How we view work and how we do our work matters more than you might imagine. Jesus spend the majority of his life as a carpenter, not a rabbi. He spent more time making tables than walking on water. Jesus knew what it was like to get up and go to work everyday. Working with his hands was not beneath him. Check out this quote from Dorothy Sayers. “The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to moral instruction and church attendance. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables.” The Apostle Paul said it this way: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for
the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23-24 . Work is not about economic exchange, making money or getting the dream, it’s about God-honoring human creativity and contribution. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this: “If it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep the streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of Heaven and earth will have to pause and say, “here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.” I’m blessed to be a pastor at Church of the Servant. But don’t you ever think your job isn’t important. Don’t you ever think what church staff are doing is more impactful than what you’re doing. Don’t ever think you can’t make a difference at work. Every Monday, go to work with God in mind. Go with a divine perspective. Understand that God has you there for a reason and that wherever you are, you are a minister of the Gospel. - Pastor Scott P.S. If you want to read more on this subject, check out the book by Tim Keller, titled: Every Good Endeavor. SERVANT June 3, 2015 I Page 5
Children Move Up Sunday!
Sunday, May 31 was Move Up Sunday for upcoming 1st through 12th grade. We were so excited to meet the new faces in our Sunday school classes! We know that you and your children are excited about your child’s new classes, and wanted to give you a chance to get to know a little about the OUTSTANDING leaders that will be working with your children in the elementary area. Here are a few of the reasons our leaders enjoy your children in Sunday school: Troy Weber (1st grade) says that he loves teaching the word of the Lord to young people and sharing the joy they will come to know as they get older. Amy Weber (1st grade) enjoys seeing children and getting to know them better. Rick McDaniel (2nd grade) likes to see them learn and loves sharing the stories of Jesus with them. He is the biggest kid in the room!
Pictured: Grapple in Suite 45, PJ and Betsy Gaske leading last fall/winter.
Mitchell Dye (2nd grade) enjoys volunteering because it makes him feel better about who he is and the kids never fail to make him laugh! Debbie Colclasure (3rd grade) loves telling the kids how much Jesus loves them and how special God made each of them. It is a rare Sunday that they don’t make her laugh! Janis Ridgell (3rd grade) enjoys teaching kids about Jesus and getting to hear their views of the world. Max Colclasure (4th grade) enjoys sharing Bible stories with the kids as he helps them build a strong foundation. Vivi Grigsby (4th grade) says serving in Sunday school is a joy for her! Stephanie Henson (5th grade) loves the children. Connie Brewer (5th grade) enjoys the insight of the 5th grade group. Courtney Hudson (5th grade) enjoys getting to know the young people of our church. Shayne Hudson (5th grade) says that teaching reaffirms his knowledge and faith. He realized that his children knew more people in the church than he and his wife. Teaching has given them the chance to meet more people! Greg Stevens (Grapple 9:15 in Suite 45) says he enjoys teaching because it is the most fun way to share his love for the Lord, and he is truly blessed to be there with his kids. These and other SUPER SERVANTS are here to share the love of Christ with your children! Please get to know them and thank them for the wonderful jobs they do. We are always looking for more SUPER SERVANTS! If you are interested in becoming part of this wonderful team, come talk to us!
SERVANT KIDZ CAMP – July 17-19 Canyon Camp (near Hinton OK) For in-coming 1st – 5th graders Registration forms are available at the Welcome Counters and on the church Website.
Page 6 I ChurchoftheServant.com
Our Life Together Our Prayers
u Dan and Cathy Bush as Cathy recuperates from outpatient surgery. u Dave and Marge Carmichael as Dave’s sister, Beth Beale, deals with health issues and faces surgery. u Sarah Chastain as Sarah recuperates from surgery. u Mary Dickson as Mary deals with health issues and recuperates from a procedure. u Louis and Hazel Fannell and Jeanie Fannell as Hazel deals with health issues. u Kinlee Farris as Kinlee recuperates from surgery and undergoes treatment.
Our Sympathy
u Ryan Sarah, and Alaina Eads and Family at the death of Ryan’s mother, Brenda Eads. u Cathy Hersom, Robbie, Kristin and Cole Hersom, Blake, Katie and Judson Middleton and Family at the death of Cathy’s sisterin-law and Robbie’s and Katie’s aunt, Heidi Hersom-Kearney. u Kevin and Cindy Long, Amanda and D.J. Bruner, Jessica and Kyle Miller, and Meghan and Tyler Thompson and Families, at the death of Kevin’s father, and Amanda’s, Jessica’s, and Meghan’s grandfather, Bob Long. u Robert, Vickie, Dominic and Lucian Mackey and Family at the death of Vickie’s mother, Sherry Guzman.
u Marion Guy as Marion deals with health issues and recuperates from surgery in Houston, Texas. u Steve and Dawn Houchin, Lizette Stephens and Eric Nance as Dawn recuperates from surgery. u Steve and Angie James as Steve’s mother, Carolyn Parks, recuperates from surgery. u Kathy Kennedy as Kathy deals with health issues. u Kevin and Cindy Long as Cindy’s mother, Hallie Crayme, deals with health issues and faces surgery. u Barbara Mayfield as Barbara recuperates from outpatient surgery.
CARE MINISTRIES
When a family is faced with an illness or crisis, it is sometimes difficult to remember to inform Care Ministries of that special situation. As a church family, all of us can help. If you know of a member who would benefit from our specialized care or our prayers through Care Ministries, call Care Ministries at 728-4738 or 312-4634.
u Brad, Melanie and Bridgette Mealor as Bridgette undergoes treatment.
u Sherry Robertson as Sherry’s friend, Fran, deals with health issues. u Ruth Strumpler as Ruth recuperates from surgery and is hospitalized at Mercy Health Center. u Tom and Elaine Swanson as Tom’s sister, Emma Bozenski, is hospitalized at Norman Regional Hospital.
u Dick and Susan Muehleisen at the birth of their granddaughter, Campbell Muehleisen. The proud parents are Matt and Windy Muehleisen. The proud sisters are Riley, Sydney, and Reagan Muehleisen.
Celebrating Memories u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Emma Stephens by Lizette Stephens u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Care Ministry in memory of Don Moore by Sarah Chastain u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Earthglow in memory of Kenneth Hazen by Earthglow Managing Staff u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Becky Shank by Caring of Souls COS Group u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Earthglow in memory of Carrie Attalla by Earthglow Managing Staff u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Raymond Crooks by Deborah Reardon u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Ray Crooks by Carol & Larry Woodard u A contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Care Ministry in memory of Ray Crooks by Barbara Eskridge
u Wes and Jeanie Mills as Wes deals with health issues. u Warren, Iris, Kris and Kody Muller as Kody deals with health issues and undergoes tests.
Celebrating
New at Earthglow…
Stop by Earthglow and check out the cool ice cream cone lip gloss/pen, and cupcake lip gloss (available in 6 scents), by Cupcakes and Cartwheels. We also have the ever popular picnic dishes decorated with pictures of ants. Thanks for shopping at Earthglow!
SERVANT June 3, 2015 I Page 7
Church of the Servant
14343 N MacArthur Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73142-9725
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED