Newsletter October 2022

CONNECT

Greetings Church of the Servant Family,

I hope you are well! Throughout the pages of this newsletter, you will discover many opportunities to connect with the ministries and people of Church of the Servant! The final three months of 2022 will fly by, and if we are not careful, we may miss out on a special moment. I am excited for the next three months of ministry because we are entering one of my favorite times of the year. However, before you jump into the pages of this publication, I want to speak from my heart.

For me, the weeks after the vote on September 11 were complex. I experienced a range of emotions on the day of the vote, and just after the vote, and I know many of you have felt the same. Thankfully, since the vote, I have met with Bishop Nunn, our District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Sam Powers, and the Assistant to the Bishop, Rev. Dr. Joe Harris. As I reflect upon the meeting, I am pleased to say this meeting was a hopeful and helpful conversation. In fact, I was truly grateful for the meeting and the spirit of all involved. For me, our time together helped with healing and planning for the future. I am proud to be the Senior Pastor of Church of the Servant, and I am honored to serve you and with you in the ministry of this great church.

I am hopeful for our future, and I invite you into this season of Thanksgiving and Hope with me. I look forward to the final three months of 2022 and all the wonderful ministry we will share in 2023. I am very excited about the work underway for Discipleship Ministries in 2023! In January, I plan to launch a year-long discipleship focus for our congregation.

Before the New Year begins, we have so much to do and to be part of at Church of the Servant – Servant Fall Fest, All Saints Sunday, Thanksgiving, Walk Through Bethlehem, the Christmas Music Festival (on Sunday, December 4), Christmas Eve, and a special worship service on Christmas Day – the list goes on and on. Read every word on every page of this newsletter and be thankful there is much to do in the mighty name of Jesus Christ at Church of the Servant!

Finally, be on the lookout

special announcement for Wednesday Night Fellowship Meals and Bible Study

back soon!

Dr.

CHARGE CONFERENCE 2022

Tuesday, November 15, 6:30 PM

On Tuesday, November 15, the annual Charge Conference for Church of the Servant will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Community Hall. Every fall, Charge Conferences are held throughout the world. Charge Conference is an annual meeting required by the Book of Discipline. During this meeting, the salaries of appointed clergy will be approved, a slate of new Board of Governance leaders who will serve through 2025 will be elected, and other ministries of the church will be celebrated. The District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Sam Powers will lead the meeting. All are welcome to attend. However, only members of the Charge Conference are able to vote. If you have any questions regarding Charge Conference, please contact the church office.

BIBLE STUDIES

LARGE-GROUP BIBLE STUDIES

FOR MEN & WOMEN

Ongoing

Buck and A Bible and Women in the Word meet every Tuesday in Community Hall (or The Point during construction). Men’s Bible Study meets at 6:30 a.m., and Women’s Bible Study meets at 9:30 a.m. Join at any time!

CAFÉ 13.2 HOURS OF OPERATION

Nights - 5:45-7:45 PM

Wed Mornings - 8:30-11:30 AM

Mornings - 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Mornings - 8:00-10 AM, 9:45-11:45 AM

Volunteers Needed!

Jessica King Director of Connections

HOSPITALITY IS FOR EVERYONE

The holidays are right around the corner, and our building renovations are nearly complete. As we move into this next sea son, let us begin to think about the families and individuals God will send us in the months and years to come. We want to be ready as a church to welcome them with warmth and openness as they come here to encounter the transformational love of Jesus Christ. One way we can do that is by being a hospitable church, not only to our brothers and sisters that we know and worship with, but for the wanderer, the lost, the seeking, or the passing through.

If you would like to join our Hospitality Team, I invite you to join us for team train

on Sunday, November 6, 2022, in Com munity Hall. If you are already a part of this amazing team, please mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend.

BECOME A MEMBER!

We are committed to coming alongside anyone who wants to move forward in their relationship with God. If you are interested in becoming a member of Church of the Servant, we welcome you and would love to help you make Servant a place you can call “home.”

If you would like more information on membership, please contact Jessica King.

ServantOKC.org/membership jking@churchoftheservant.com

405-721-4141

Welcome NEW MEMBERS!

It is with great joy that we celebrate the newest additions to our church family!

Emily Barlow

Rodney Barnes

Susan Barnes

Michael Brock

Sarah Brock

Megan Brown

Jacob Brydges

Betty Burns

Jay Burns

Kathryn Cain

George Cannon

Judy Cannon

Bill Clemons

Sandra Clemons

Kenneth Coffey

George Craig

Lisa Farhood

Jackie Gray

Jana Gray

Clare Greene

Lillian Greene

Dustin Jones

Chris Koehn

Laura Koehn

Brock Lutz

Angelika

Machnik-Jones

Camille Mason

Lisa McPherson

Mark Mills

Mona Mills

Samuel Mosley Cody Osborne

Kristal Osborne

Michele Parker

Raymond Parker

Michael Potts

Cyrus Rayner

Barbara Reynolds

Kenneth Reynolds

Cynthia Stacy

Larry Stacy

Patrick Solomon

Anita Walker

Fran Walker

Mark Walker

Buck Whitehead

Grace Whitehead

Mary Whitehead

Addison Wilson

Mary Wilson

Jonathan Wilson

Thomas Wilson

Mark Wood

Virginia Wood

Kourtney Aller

Director of Servant Kids

SERVANT KIDS Report

SUNDAY MORNINGS WITH SERVANT KIDS

Servant Kids meets in person each Sunday morning this summer at 10:00 a.m. and/or 11:00 a.m. Elementary kids (grades 1-5) will meet in The Point Student Center on the south side of church. Kids in kindergarten and younger will meet downstairs. 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! Virtual options are available on our website each week. If you can’t make it in person on a Sunday morning, check out the lessons and videos online at ServantOKC.org/kids

Josh Snodgrass

Assistant Director of Servant Kids

UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND OTHER INFORMATION, SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT ON COMMUNICATION ABOUT EVENTS! CONTACT KOURTNEY TO CHECK OR UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION AT KALLER@SERVANTOKC.ORG OR 405-728-4715.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! WE POST UPDATES,

MORE, SO DON’T MISS

OCTOBER HAPPENINGS…

HOLE IN ONE

SUNDAYS IN OCTOBER

AGES 3 YEARS THROUGH KINDERGARTEN

This month, we are talking about God’s plans for us. The prophet Jeremiah shares the wonderful truth that God knows the plans He has for us. Even when we don’t understand the plans and even when they are hard, we can still trust God because of Who God is, and God’s plans are always a hole-in-one!

God loves us, and God keeps His promises. We can fully trust God’s plans because God’s plans are always best!

Our memory verse this month comes from Jeremiah 29:11 and says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.” This month, we will learn that God has a plan for each of us and we can always trust those plans. God’s plans are always the best, and God keeps His promises. We can trust God’s plans even when they’re hard.

Who has plans for us? God has plans for us!

CLIFFHANGER: THE STORY ISN’T OVER SUNDAYS IN OCTOBER GRADES 1-5

This month, we will learn about the connection between GRIT and God’s character, as shown through God’s big story. Grit is refusing to give up when life gets hard.

As we continue our journey through God’s Big Story, we take a clos er look at the lives of Joseph and Moses. Both men trusted God through hard circumstances and would not give up. These are two heroes of the faith, and we hope to help kids see how their stories connect between Genesis and Exodus.

God has been faithful throughout history and has helped people get through and overcome incredible difficulties. God’s Son, Jesus, endured the pain of the cross and death itself so that we could have a forever relationship with God. God gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us to keep going, even when life gets difficult.

Our memory verse comes from Galatians 6:9 and says, “Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don’t give up.”

We will learn how to hold because God is with us and there’s a bigger story. We will discuss how to hold on even when we don’t know what to do. We should hold on because God knows what we’re going through and is still in control. We can’t wait to see you in October!

FALL FEST

O c t o b e r 3 0 t h

p

PAINTING,

MORE!

WE NEED YOU FOR FALL FEST!

Stop by the Servant Fall Fest table in the concourse on Sunday to sign up to lend a hand – or a trunk! Fall Fest will be Sunday, October 30, 4-6 p.m., and includes a trunk-or-treat in our parking lot where kids can safely trick-or-treat and play games. We need Sunday School classes, Bible study groups, small groups, families, groups of friends, and individuals to com mit to providing a car and passing out candy during Servant Fall Fest. We welcome decorated trunks and costumed volunteers, and there will be prizes awarded! We also need hospitality volunteers during the event, help with set-up and clean-up, inflatable monitors, donations of baked goods for the cake walk, and donations of bags of individually-wrapped candies.

This FREE family-friendly event is the perfect opportunity to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to visit our church. Other activities will include inflatables, balloon artists, face painting, the cake walk, BINGO, hot dog dinner, and more! Guests are encouraged, but not required, to bring donations of diapers or wipes for Infant Crisis Services. If you are interested in providing a trunk, and for other group or individual volunteer opportunities, please contact Kourtney Aller at 728-4715 or kaller@servantokc.org . You can also register online at Servantokc.org/events

WARM WORLD IS 50!

LET’S CELEBRATE!!

SERVANT STUDENTS

Heather Winner Director of Servant Students

OFF-CAMPUS MINISTRY

Would

more information about

Student ministry always seems to find ways to become more interesting. In our two-and-a-half years here at Church of the Servant, there has never been a dull moment. As construction began over the summer months and began to bleed into the beginning of the school year, we had to determine how we were going to con tinue doing ministry amidst the changes in the building. We decided that doing what we called GROW Groups would be best. These were four groups, separated by grade and gender, that gathered in the homes of volunteers. The goal of these groups was to combine multiple small groups, allow them to connect with one

another, build and strengthen relation ships, all while spending time in prayer and small group together. On Wednesday, September 28, we wrapped up our month of GROW Groups and began looking for ward to being back in the building. GROW Groups were only possible because of our incredible adult small group leaders and those families who opend up their homes for the weekly GROW Group meetings.

Since students were gathered in leader’s homes instead of at the church for the month, there was less of an opportunity for us to spend time with our students.

Skyler Rodriguez

Assistant Director of Servant Students

Seeking a way to connect with students throughout the month, we set up after-school meet-ups throughout the school districts. The first week, we gathered at Coffee Jerks in the Deer Creek school district. The next, we were at Sonic by Piedmont High School and Middle School. The following week, we met at Babble Coffee and Tea close to Putman City North. And on our final week, we were at the Freezing Cow near Bethany Schools. These were great ways for us to connect with students after school. We have found that it is very hard for students to turn down free coffee, drinks, and food.

All-in-all, September was a great month of ministry. It was different. It presented its own new, unique challenges, but God was present through it all and made Himself known even outside of our building. We would like to thank you for your prayers as we navigated through this month of newness. But, as great of a month as it was, we are ready and excited to finally be back in the building! And what a better way to start it than a big ol’ party?!

FALL KICKOFF 2022

Yes, this has become a tradition for Servant Students to begin this incredible Fall season with a Kickoff like no other. This year’s Fall Kickoff was different from last year’s as it was our student’s first Wednesday night on campus since the beginning of the school year. We wanted to celebrate being back together and back at home after our time in separate Grow Groups around town.

Students were excited for the Kickoff after all the buzz from last year’s tournaments. The concept remained the same: students were challenged to assemble teams of 6-8 students to play ultimate football (a combination of ultimate frisbee and football). But the students knew we wouldn’t be playing with frisbees or with a football; we would play with fall-themed items. This year, students played with a plastic pumpkin, a tombstone, ears of corn, pumpkin spiced coffee, pumpkin bread, a bag of autumn leaves, and, for the championship round, an apple cider ball (or just a bag filled with apple cider – keeping things interesting, right?). It was a blast with a little bit of mess. Students ended the tournament with loads of laughs a bonded with one another after some time apart. Along with the main event, students were also encouraged to enter the cornhole tournament and the pumpkin painting competition. Both of these events offered alternative options so that students would jump in wherever they felt most com fortable. Of course, we all also bonded over Wildcat Willy’s Snow Cones and all its awesome flavored ice and sweets.

All in all, we enjoyed every bit of the night, but most of all, it was wonderful to have Servant Students filling the field and back on campus and excited about what is ahead.

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR SERVANT STUDENTS?

OCTOBER STUDENT CALENDAR

CHORAL MINISTRIES

There are no auditions required, and we are hopeful to see people of all ages becoming involved in the choral ministry.

JOIN THE CHOIR FOR CHRISTMAS!

Greetings, Church of the Servant Family!

I hope that you are being blessed by the ministry of our Celebration Choir as they continue to work diligently each week to prepare true "first-fruits" offerings for our worship services. As you interact with our choir members in Sunday School and other church activities, please be generous in expressing your thanks and support to them for their faithful stewardship of their time and talents in our ministry.

As we prepare for the Holy seasons of Advent and Christmas, we are busy working on Joseph M. Martin's gorgeous new Cantata "A Weary World Rejoices," and we would love to have you join our efforts. Beginning Wednesday night, October 19, our rehearsals will be intensely focused on preparing this music for presentation in a special Christmas worship service on Sunday, December 4, as well as other Sundays in the Advent/Christmas Season and on Christmas Eve. As current members of the choir will tell you, our rehearsals are efficient and productive and we always honor our commitment that you will be prepared, confident, and joyful in our offerings. If you would like to join us, all that you need to do is show up to our rehearsal on October 19 in the choir room. We would love to have you, and we believe that you will be blessed.

Yours in Christ's Service,

Josh Phelps Director of Choral Ministry

Join the Choir!

We sing in the 10:00 Sunday morning service, and we are planning something special for Advent and Christmas. Rehearsal is Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Choir Room (downstairs). All are welcome to attend! Please plan to join us this Wednesday! For more information, contact Josh Phelps at jphelps@churchoftheservant.com .

Josh Phelps Director of Choral Ministries

PRIME TIME

Prime Time is a Seniors community within Church of the Servant that was initially formed in January 1987 by 27 hardy and enthu siastic people who braved an Oklahoma ice storm to begin what is today a robust ministry of the church. While Prime Time has predominantly been for those 50+ years of age, we would never turn away younger folks! Any and all adults who would enjoy a community of Christians gathering for top-notch entertainment, tasty lunches and warm fellowship, are invited to join us!

Typically, Prime Time meetings follow the school year, running from September through the following May. This year, because of the ongoing construction activity in the church, we will not be able to have our first program and luncheon of the season until November 10.

We will gather that Thursday, November 10 at 10:30 a.m. in Community Hall. With a small increase in price to help with food cost, the price for the program plus lunch will now be $12, but program only will continue at $2.

LOOKING AHEAD MARK YOUR CALENDARS

PRIME TIME FUNDRAISER – G3 CONCERT

Tuesday, October 18, 7:00 p.m. in the Centrum

G3 (Gospel Guitar Guys) – a popular group that has gained a WOW rating with its past performances at Prime Time, as well as Branson, Oklahoma State Fair, Oklahoma Opry, UCO Jazz Lab, and other popular venues. They are favorites wherever they go! Tickets are $10. Get your tickets now by signing up online at ServantOKC.org/prime-time , or stop by the table in the concourse on Sundays, October 2, 9, and 16. All proceeds will go to support future Prime Time programming and missions.

1ST PRIME TIME PROGRAM OF THE YEAR!

Thursday, November 10, 10:30 a.m. in Community Hall

On Thursday, November 10, we will kick-off Prime Time for the current year! We’ll enjoy a delicious lunch, warm fellowship, and an insightful message from Rev. Dr. Matthew Mitchell, our Senior Minister. Put it on your calendar now! Registration will be available soon!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION!

Thursday, December 8, 10:30 a.m. in Community Hall

Josh Phelps, our Director of Choral Ministries, along with his talented wife, Lacey Phelps, will bring Prime Timers a spectacular program steeped in the beautiful music of the holidays! And we’ll encourage Josh and Lacey to also indulge us with some time for sing-along! It will be a terrific morning!

EARTHGLOW GIFT SHOP

If you haven’t been by Earthglow to see our new look, please stop in. We have so much Halloween and fall decor! No doubt you will be able to find something you need to brighten up for the holidays.

Earthglow Market is set for Saturday, November 12, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. We are expecting almost 100 vendors with a great variety of items to take home. We will also have our usual great lunch and bake sale. We hope to see you there. Proceeds from booth rental, food/bake, and profits from Earthglow Gift Shop go to local missions.

We are back to our regular hours as shown:

• Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

• Friday - 9:00 a.m. - Noon

• Sunday - 8:45 - 11:30 a.m. (before and after service)

WHIZ KIDS WELCOME

During Club time, we have been learning about what a great God we have and how He created everything in this world to be unique and special. One beautiful Fall day, we went outside to examine things in nature and discover how even there, no two things are exactly alike. In spite of these differences, we are all connected to each other.

Another special day was arranged for us by the director of Family Connections for Putnam City Schools. Three great college students from UCO,

SNU and OCU came to talk to the kids about the importance of developing good habits now while they are in elementary school: doing homework, practicing reading and math, and listening to their teachers. Our teacher liaison gave the kids questions to ask the students. The students were engaging, professional and really connected with the kids. Their majors included Education, Communications, and Business.

IT’S TIME FOR CHRISTMAS GRACE!

Organizations have been contacted and names of individuals and families have been gathered so that, once again, our congregation can help make Christmas a brighter occasion for others. There will be older adults and families, as well as those in recovery or in shelters. Names can be selected beginning Sunday, November 6, with gifts to be returned by Sunday, December 4. For more information, contact Holly Browning at hbrowning@churchoftheservant.com or call the church office at 405-721-4141.

AFGHAN NEIGHBORS LEARNING ABOUT THE CULTURE

Working with the Afghan refugees has been a blessing for me. They are a very hospitable people. If you go to their homes, they offer you tea and something else to eat, and sometimes ask you to stay to have dinner with them too. Recently, Church of the Servant has provided funding so that the two oldest teenage daughters can take driving lessons. I have been dropping the girls off at their classes, and soon will be dropping them off for the driving portion of the course. This has been such a wonderful opportunity for them! This is nothing that they would have been able to pay for on their own, because it is a family of eleven and the father is the only one employed and has modest wages.

AFGHAN NEIGHBORS AN OUTING IN THE HEAT Soccer/Futbal

On a recent Sunday afternoon, which was supposed to be relatively cool, I decided to invite some of the Afghans to go to my grandson’s soccer game. It was spur of the moment, so I just showed up at their apartment and asked what four people would like to go, as that’s all I could fit in my car. Dad was at work and the oldest son was gone, so I took Mom, two teenage girls, and a kindergartner. I was thrilled that the females got to go, as many times they tend to stay at home. Off we went with bottled water and folding chairs. All of them except for the 5-year-old were in their long tunics, pants, headscarves, etc. Mom wore a COVID mask not to protect from COVID, but because she isn’t supposed to show her face outside of her home. We made our way across the field and settled in next to my grandson’s family. We went through introductions. I’m not sure if they understood the terms –stepson, daughter in law, etc. – because we weren’t using a translator, but I hope they got the basic idea of family! The temps got hotter and hotter, but they acted as though the weather was perfect. I ended up getting umbrellas out of the car and they were very appreciative! They kinda laughed as we yelled and clapped during the game, but didn’t express much other emotion. After the game, I took them home and felt that it had been a wasted effort and that they probably wished they stayed at home in the air conditioning. However, about a week later, I ran into a young woman who teaches English to the teenage girls and their mom. She brought up the soccer game and said how much they enjoyed it! I felt better and decided to do more spur of the moment outings as our temperatures really do get cooler!

Ann Knutson

One of the reasons that this has been a blessing for me is that I have been able to learn about their culture and it's made me realize that just about everything we learn is culturally-based. And it makes me happy to know that just by dropping them off at their driving class I am helping them to have an opportunity that they would not have had otherwise. If they were still in Afghanistan, they would not have learned to drive, because my understanding is that the Taliban doesn't allow women to drive. In some ways, I feel like this is such a minor thing, but in other ways, it is giving them a major opportunity that will result in their lives being so different. These two girls are old enough to drive, but in Afghanistan they were only able to go to school for five years, and now they have been placed in age-appropriate high school classes, and learning English as they go. Their English is rapidly improving, and I just can't even imagine navigating a high school when you barely speak the language, and they would never have encountered any thing like an American high school before. In Afghanistan, women don't spend time with men who aren't related to them, so just going to a co-ed public school is a big deal. And when I take them to the driving classes, Spero provides an interpreter who happens to be a man. When I first introduced him to them I could tell that it kind of surprised them, and may have been a bit of a stress. I think it's a good thing that they are able to interact with people of both sexes, of their culture and ours, and I'm glad that their horizons are expanding. There are so many little things that I could write about that are new for them. It is all a steep learning curve for them, and I think a learning curve for those of us who are assisting them also.

Both families that our church are sponsoring are good people and I'm enjoying getting to know them, and enjoy seeing them progress in their English skills and in their knowledge of American society. I worry about all of them and wonder what their lives will be like in five years or in twenty years, and just pray that everything turns out well for them.

Jeanne Mapes