July 2024 Newsletter by Church of the Servant UMC

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CHURCH OF THE SERVANT’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Rev. Kyle Anderson Senior Pastor

Pastor's PERSPECTIVE

EMBRACING FAITH & COMMUNITY

Servant Faith Family,

What an amazing experience this past Sunday, June 30th, was for me and my family. First, the service in our Celebration Center itself: the beautiful music by the Praise Team and the Celebration Choir, the gracious welcome by the Chair of our Leadership Team Todd Neaves, Sheri’s powerful prayer and reading of the scripture, and your willingness to laugh at my jokes! In all, for me, the service provided a powerful opportunity to offer God praise and to experience the Lord’s presence in our midst.

Then the wonderful reception after the service where you so graciously welcomed Sheri and me to the Servant faith family. As some of you asked towards the end, yes my face did begin to get tired, but I could not stop smiling. Your words of encouragement, cards, sincere excitement, and so much more filled my heart (and molded my face) with joy!

Additionally, thank you for the great hospitality you showed my wife Heather and our children Kaden and Rowan. The way in which you welcomed and shared with them how happy you were for them to be part of the Servant faith family gave me great comfort. I am confident now more than ever that this is going to be a place that my family and I can truly call home for many years to come.

With that, now the work begins. We have had our introductions and will continue to get to know one another in the weeks and months to come, but now is the time for us to embark upon our journey of carrying out God’s Kingdom work together. I am excited for that journey and anticipate that God has great things in store for us here at Church of the Servant. I look forward to continuing that journey with you this Sunday!

Blessings,

Pastor Kyle

SUNDAY WORSHIP

10:00 AM

Join us for worship this Sunday. We will be gathering together to celebrate and give thanks, to connect with one another, and to seek guidance and inspiration for the week ahead.

Sunday service time is 10:00 a.m. and includes uplifting music, prayer, and a message that I believe will speak to your heart. Whether you are a longtime member of our community or are joining us for the first time, we welcome you and look forward to seeing you there!

BEING THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD

Hello friends,

I feel like I am “settling in” like I clean house. I start a task, which takes me to a different part of my office, or I answer a few emails, and remember I need to put some more books on a shelf, and then realize that I need to go to a meeting, or someone comes to visit me (which I love!), and then I start the rounds again!

Hopefully in the very near future, I will be settled in, and will have boxes unpacked and pictures on the walls at home and at the office. I so look forward to meeting you all and getting to know you. I can’t wait to be serving along side you in mission and ministry and hearing your stories. I want to know what brought you and your family to Church of the Servant, to hear of your ideas and thoughts concerning the future.

A church is a wonderful place to dream dreams, to connect to each other, to connect to God, to connect the broader community, and to help the community to connect to God. I hope that you feel comfortable coming to church and come to events, and to invite your friends. And don’t just invite them once. Keep inviting, offer to drive them, and go to lunch afterwards. That is being the Church of the Living God, the true Church of the Servant.

See you soon!

In God’s Grip, Pastor Sheri

Rev. Sheri Lashley Associate Pastor

BIBLE STUDIES

UPCOMING WEEKDAY STUDIES

Precept Bible Study with Nancy Harris "The Book of

Revelation"

Behold, Jesus Is Coming!

Take the mystery out of the Book of Revelation. By letting the text speak for itself, you'll discover that you really can comprehend the events surrounding the end of this age.

The Book of Revelation is a letter written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge. It uses visions and symbolic imagery to offer a glimpse of God's plan for a new creation. See how the strange visions of Revelation point to the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham and his purpose for humanity.

TWO OPPORTUNITIES: Class 1 study is for those who are able in body and can come to the church each week. Class 2 - Zoom study is for those who are out of town or those who are ill and cannot make it to the in-class study each week. These are two separate studies for continuity.

CLASS 1 – IN-CLASS STUDY

Begins: September 4, 2024

When: Wednesdays, 9:30—11:30 am

Where: Church of the Servant: Room 12

Leader: Nancy Harris

Because there is so much in this study, we will leave it open ended, and the study may run into 2025. This class currently has 18 students enrolled.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THESE CLASSES!

CLASS 1 – ZOOM STUDY

Begins: September 5, 2024

When: Thursdays, 9:30—11:30 am

Where: BY ZOOM

Leader: Nancy Harris

Because there is so much in this study, we will leave it open ended, and the study may run into 2025. This study is tentative on 10-12 students signing up.

Fill out the form online at ServantOKC.org/bible-studies, or send your contact information to Nancy Harris by email at nancyquilter@cox.net or text to 405-420-5463. Send the following: Name, Address, Cell Phone, Email., Zoom or In-Class study. DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS AUGUST 25th.

"THE STUDY OF LUKE" by Lisa Harper

Beginning September 4 | For Women

Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 AM | “Bible Babes”

Bible study group led by Patricia Hocker

“Bible Babes” is a women’s Bible study group that is open to everyone and welcomes new friends. They will begin "The Study of Luke" by Lisa Harper on Setpember 4th. For more information, call Patricia at 405-535-9121.

SERVANT KIDS Report

SUNDAY MORNINGS WITH SERVANT KIDS

Servant Kids meets in person each Sunday at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. (two-hour programming is available). The same topic will be covered all morning long, but each hour will have different activities and videos to reinforce the lesson. This is a great option for parents who want to attend both a class and worship service on Sunday mornings. Drop your kids off between 9:45-10:00 a.m. and pick them up again at noon!

Kids ages 3 years old through fifth grade will meet downstairs in the Children's area each Sunday morning. Once the lessons start for the morning we will split into age-appropriate groups: preschool and kindergarten will be in a group and elementary kids will be in a different group.

SUMMER IN STARBRIGHT

Weekdays at Church of the Servant are full of learning, laughing, and growing with over 100 children in attendance on Mondays and Wednesdays in Starbright's summer program. Starbright Children’s Day Out is a play and rest program for children 6 months through 2 years of age. Starbright is designed to give children the opportunity to learn developmental skills and preschool readiness through activities such as crafts, music, circle time, and free play.

BUILDING THE KINGDOM 1-DAY VBS!

Saturday, August 17 | 9 AM - 4 PM

Children ages 3 through 6th grade are welcome to join us at Church of the Servant on August 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a fun-filled day of VBS while we learn to Build God's Kingdom!

We will hear Bible stories, play games, create crafts, do epic science activities, and make our own snacks! Pizza will be served for lunch. This event is free, but you must sign up!

"Everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock. The rains come down. The water rises. The wind blows and beats against the house, but the house does not fall. It is built on the rock."

– Matthew 7:24-27

REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!

For participants and volunteers, go to https://vbspro.events/p/d15815

EARTHGLOW GIFT SHOP

Support Missions! Shop at Earthglow!

Earthglow Gift Shop is staffed entirely by volunteers. All profits from the sales of the shop are distributed annually to United Methodist missions in OKC. We have donated OVER $1,000,000.00 since inception. Earthglow Gift Shop is located in the main concourse of the church.

STORE HOURS:

Sunday, 9:00am-10:00am, 11:00am-11:30am

Tuesday – Thursday, 9:00am- 3:00pm

WOMEN'S SPIRITUAL RETREAT

September 6-8, 2024

LADIES! You are invited to a transformative weekend at the Chickasaw Retreat Center for "A Broken Teacup" Women's Spiritual Retreat, hosted by the Church of the Servant. This retreat is designed to delve into the beauty and strength that emerge from our brokenness. Just as a teacup is carefully mended and cherished, we too are lovingly restored by God. Our fractures become integral parts of our unique stories and purposes.

I S S I O N S

WHIZ KIDS SAY “GOODBYE” TO TWELVE 5 th -GRADERS

At our last meeting of the year, twelve kids graduated. Pat Travis made name bracelets for the kids, and Sherri Price did a wonderful job making the kids feel very special during her Clubtime presentation. We celebrated with pizza for everyone, thanks to Patsy Hooten, and ice cream, thanks to John Hays.

We also had to say goodbye to our first high school student to ever help with Whiz Kids. His name is Kazden Koehn, and he’s going to Cal Poly in the fall. The tutors and other volunteers gave money to go toward a book fund for him. Shirley bought a pennant and a Cal Poly mug. She put all the money collected in the mug. It was over $300. Kazden was very surprised! We finished the day with a great video by Jaci Finch. We are grateful to Doug and Jaci for all the time they spent taking pictures and developing them for our Star of the Week posters.

VOLUNTEER RECRUITING DAY IS SUNDAY, AUGUST 11th. Please consider joining our Whiz Kids Family. We have openings for tutors, subs, the transportation team, the set-up team, and the cookie team.

Carolyn Hays & Shirley Rolston Whiz Kids Coordinators

CASH FOR CANS MINISTRY

The Cash for Cans trailer is finally empty and ready for your donations. The church recently received approximately $250 for our aluminum cans from the recycling center. The trailer is located on the west side of the church’s parking lot.

Thanks to everyone who supports this ministry. We would like to especially thank Charles Waggoner and his family who built the trailer and took responsibility for selling the cans for many years.

M I S S I O N S

The Bible Babes (ladies Bible study group) got “Rock’n on May 22nd; they painted 95 rocks. Patricia

MVC SERVICE PROJECT

MVC ladies gathered together for fellowship, food, fun and service to the community last Monday. Lynda Barnes graciously opened her home for us for dinner and to make care kits to pass out to the homeless population. Lynda purchased kits from WINGS and we built a kit around it. Yvonne Morgan donated her mini prayer journals so we were able to create a bag filled with Wings care kits, water bottles, peanut butter crackers, handmade notes and a “little Jesus.” We had fun and we are now gifting the bags to our homeless brothers and sisters.

Hocker delivered the rocks to the VA Hospital rock garden for Memorial Day.

Calling All Military Veterans

UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION

As we move forward in our mission to support and honor the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces, we are working on several upcoming events designed specifically for our military veterans. One such event is Veterans Sunday, which will be held on November 10, 2024.

Veterans Sunday: Honoring Our Heroes

Veterans Sunday is a special day dedicated to recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of our veterans. We will be hosting a special church service and a recognition ceremony. This day is not only a time for us to show our gratitude but also an opportunity for veterans to connect and share their experiences.

To ensure that you receive timely and relevant information about Veterans Sunday and other events, we kindly request that all military veterans update their current emails and mailing addresses. This will allow us to provide focused informational emails and keep you informed about all the activities we have planned.

Please update your information by filling out the form at ServantOKC.org/veterans, or by contacting David Myers at 479-586-2212 or bugmesh@gmail.com. The following information is requested:

• Name

• Mailing Address

• Email

• Branch of Service

• Rank at Separation

• Theater of Operations

Stay Connected

Staying connected with our veteran community is a priority for us. By updating your contact information, you will receive:

• Personalized invitations to events like Veterans Sunday.

• Important updates and news relevant to our veteran members.

• Information on resources and services available to veterans.

We are committed to making sure that our veterans feel supported and valued within our church community. Your participation and engagement are vital to the success of our events and initiatives. We extend our deepest gratitude to all our veterans for their service and sacrifice. We look forward to celebrating Veterans Sunday with you and hope to see many of you there. Please take a moment to update your contact information so that we can keep you informed and connected.

For questions or assistance with updating your contact information, please contact David Myers at 479-586-2212 or bugmesh@gmail.com. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Update your contact information at ServantOKC.org/veterans.

ALZHEIMER’S & DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS’ SUPPORT GROUP

ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA

CAREGIVERS' SUPPORT GROUP MEETS THE THIRD TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH

Do you have a loved one who is dealing with Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia? If so, we invite you to come to our support group, which meets on the third Tuesday of each month (3:00 – 4:30 PM) at Church of the Servant in the Library. The meeting dates for the next few months are July 16, August 20, and September 17. Our group is an official support group offered by our local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, and our group facilitators have been trained by that same local chapter. The group is open to anyone in our community whose family has been affected by dementia. You can register by contacting Vicki Roberds at (405) 728-4738 or vroberds@churchoftheservant.com. Whether your loved one is living at home or if they’re a resident at a care facility… either way, we hope you’ll consider attending. If you need care for your loved one during the time you’re at the meeting, you’ll need to make your own arrangements for that care. There is no cost to register for the group. We hope you’ll consider staying connected with others who are going through a similar experience that you are. A burden that is shared is always a burden that becomes lighter. Come and see what kinds of blessings come your way when you become part of the giving and receiving of support.