Conference E-Newsletter
January 2021 - Volume 4, Issue 1
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The purpose of the Oklahoma Conference is to
"Proclaim, Disciple, Live With Christ"
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Due to the Christmas season's celebration, the Executive Committee met on December 10 for the last meeting of the 2020 fiscal year, and it was a blessed time. Looking at the end of 2020 year, we see that COVID-19 is still alive and strong. It is time to be prayerful and faithful! Many of our members throughout the conference family have been held down by the virus, and unfortunately, a few have passed because of it. Do you believe the Lord is coming soon? If not, look around! Read! Pray! He's coming! Amen!
The financial report given by Carlos Portanova showed a growth in the tithe giving for the year through November. Praise the Lord for His blessing, but we still need to pray and be diligent in our faith.
As you know, the 70th Oklahoma Constituency Session will be held in April. A lot of time and preparation has gone into planning this special session so God may be glorified. The Constitution and By-Laws Committee has met two times to accomplish their essential job. Each of your churches has received its forms for your delegates, and were due at the office on December 31, 2020. Currently, the department leaders and administrators are in the process of preparing their reports for the session.
Because of the COVID-19 virus and all the changes that have come about because of it, the Executive Committee voted to have the constituency meeting at Wewoka Woods. As in the last session, we were planning for the 2021 session to be held at the Edmond church, but with approximately 350 individuals in attendance and needing six feet of social distancing, a larger facility is required. Please fast and pray for the future of the Oklahoma Conference and the part it will play in God's last days. Pray for the leaders, churches, and individual members to grow in His grace and peace during these chaotic times.
- Pastor James and Kim Bokovoy are going to the Sapulpa/Sand Springs district in January 2021.
- Pastor Andrew and April Spooner are going to the Bristow/Okmulgee district in January 2021.
Please pray for both families as they make their transition. May God be with each of you now and through the new year. Happy New Year to all of you!
Your servant in Christ,
Apple Park, Executive Secretary
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The Oklahoma Conference Children's Ministry team is excited to announce and extend an invitation to an upcoming Mother-Daughter Tea Party at the Sheraton Hotel - Bricktown in Oklahoma City. The programing will be geared toward girls ages 3-13. Registration is $15 per person and will open on January 14. Click on the link below for updated information. Because we will be following CDC guidelines, space will be limited and masks will be required. |
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OKC Hispanic Church Leads in Hurricane Relief Effort |
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Hurricanes Eta and Iota pummeled its victims with force, causing the greatest devastation that Central America has seen in recent years. The impact in Honduras was among the worst recorded. When the storms settled, over 100 Hondurans had lost their lives and the country faced an estimated loss of $10 billion. Our concern grew as we learned that more than 300 Seventh-day Adventists suffered a total loss and are now homeless.
We believe the Lord is calling us to serve. We are compelled by His words resonating in our hearts: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” In response to His calling, the OKC Central Hispanic Church is preparing a shipping container with disaster relief items to be sent to Honduras in February 2021. The container, measuring roughly 40’x8’x8.6’, will be sent directly to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and will be distributed to our church members and the rest of the local community under the instruction of Conference President Raul Galo and Union President Adan Ramos. Items that are needed urgently include food, clothes, hygiene products, appliances, furniture, and any other resource that may be of immediate necessity. The cost of this project is estimated to be approximately $5,000. The church has already begun collecting donations among its members and would like to include the rest of our Oklahoma Conference in this act of service.
We extend an invitation to our churches to dedicate a Sabbath of their choosing in the month of January to collect a special offering to benefit this mission. The Sunday after the selected Sabbath could be set apart to bring any additional donation (food, clothing, appliances, etc.) to the OKC Central Hispanic Church, where we will store it until the delivery date in February.
Our church asks you to consider helping our brethren in Honduras. We ask that you help us lift this project in prayer so that every life that is touched may be impacted for Jesus. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Zenia Bueno at 405-397-7618.
By Andrea Chavez
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Wewoka Woods Adventist Center Giving Opportunity |
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MUSKOGEE, OKLA.- The Muskogee Pathfinders collected food and monetary donations to deliver 10 Thanksgiving baskets to needy families. This project was a 4-step process. Step 1: leave paper sacks at homes for donations. Step 2: collect filled bags. Step 3: sort the food. Step 4: deliver the baskets. Many thanks to Kathy Jones for heading up this project every year, and for the Christmas baskets that were distributed in December.
By Cindy Adams
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Clothing Giveaway to Benefit Veterans, Low-income Residents |
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MUSKOGEE, OKLA.- Pictured above are dedicated people involved with our clothing giveaway for veterans and community members in need. From left, American Legion Post 20 Adjutant Raul Rizo, American Legion Auxiliary member Nancy Ellis, Adventist Community Services Director Judy Reid and Kathy of Adventist Community Services.
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TCC Partners with Adventist TCSC to Help Feed Families |
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TULSA - Families around Tulsa are in need of assistance and Tulsa Community College (TCC) is helping put food on their tables. "Community is our middle name so it’s a great way for us to get out in the community and talk to people from all walks of life," Lydia Mauldin, Admissions and Prospective Students Services Coordinator at TCC said. Mauldin and other TCC representatives recently assisted with a grocery giveaway at the Adventist nonprofit Tulsa Community Service Center. Cars line up for a contactless drive-thru where they get meal boxes full of produce and bread.
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Friendship Evangelism Overcomes COVID-19 |
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OWASSO, OKLA.- Three Angels Owasso/Collinsville member Mikel Morrison met Nathan Vanderpool at a skate park in the spring and developed an acquaintance. Mikel asked if Nathan would like to study the Bible; Nathan agreed. They studied together using Amazing Facts’ “Storacles of Prophecy” over the summer and, on Sabbath, December 12, 2020, Alfonso Orellana baptized Nathan into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Praise God that even in adverse times, the Spirit is still moving to help His sheep find their way home to Him.
By Helen White
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Tulsa Adventist Academy Students' Acts of Kindness |
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TULSA - The count is in! On the last day of school, TAA classrooms tallied the results of their canned food drive. TAA families donated 2,447 food items that were distributed to both the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Adventist nonprofit Tulsa Community Services Center. Students were given a little more than two weeks to collect canned goods, pastas, proteins, cereals, and more. Some friendly competition between classes resulted in a very small margin for grades 9-12 to win a pizza lunch on the last day of school in December. Thanks to each family who donated these items!
Miss Gil's students, grades 2-4, bought gifts for children receiving services from Tulsa's Child Abuse Network instead of having their own gift exchange; they also enjoyed a pizza party on the last day of school.
By Caroline Fisher
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Living Nativity Scene Brightens Church |
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BROKEN ARROW, OKLA.- A tradition of a living nativity scene thrives thanks to Sonny Harmon, a member of the Broken Arrow Seventh-day Adventist Church. He once again used his talents to create a living nativity scene for the third year, calling upon church members to be part of the reenactment during church service. Church members remembered the Savior's birth with joy and laughter (as Sonny searched for three wise men) and joined in praise singing as those chosen as wisemen, Mary, Joseph, angels, sheep and shepherds heartily sang “Away in a Manger,” a song beloved by young and old alike.
We are looking forward to next year as Sonny searches the congregation for participants, especially for three men that are wise, and we are able to recall and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
By Judy Marquette
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Pastor Gilbert Green Retires |
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Pastor Gilbert and Marjorie Green have officially retired. Pastor Green has been the location director at the camp meeting booth for many years while pastoring different districts. Marjorie has sung the "Campmeeting Song" for the last evening of each campmeeting for many years while serving the Women's Ministries for a time. Pastor Green and Marjorie made the decision to retire this year and have moved to Tennessee. They are already sorely missed.
The Greens started their ministry in the Alabama/Mississippi Conference in 1976 as literature evangelists. Through the years following, they served in the Southern Union Conference, the Carolina Conference, the Georgia/Cumberland Conference, the Texico Conference, and finally the Oklahoma Conference beginning in 1987. The Greene family served the Oklahoma Conference for 23 years, bringing their total service years to 44 years. May God watch over them wherever they go.
By Apple Park, Executive Secretary
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Dear Coronavirus 2020
Lives are disrupted, damaged or lost. Economies devastated; plans destroyed. The pandemic of 2020 will never be forgotten. But what if, in the midst of fear and anxiety, the Church provides a message of hope.
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The Oklahoma Youth Department has been working hard to provide updated resources for our children, youth and young adults. Please check out our new web pages on the Oklahoma Conference website. |
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The Ultimate Guide to Playing With Your Child |
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What should I play with my child?
For the most part, follow your child’s lead and interests. These could range from building blocks, Legos, playing ball, dress up and role-play, but these are as varied as they are individual to each child. However, when you are stuck and don’t know what to play, there are a few staples that almost all children like.
Young people today have more opportunities to enter into friendship and relationships with more diverse people than any previous generation. They don't always have the tools to navigate diversity well or interpret it through the eyes of their faith. As ministry leaders, the most important thing we can offer is a listening ear.
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At Southwestern Adventist University, More Than $50,000 Raised to Meet Student Needs During Pandemic |
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As the COVID-19 pandemic affected life for everyone, Southwestern Adventist University focused on meeting student needs through the Fighting Food and Housing Insecurity fundraising campaign. Launched with a goal to raise $50,000, SWAU has recently concluded the campaign, exceeding the goal thanks to the generous support of 60 individuals from across the globe. This fund was integral in ensuring that students were able to receive direct financial assistance to ease hardships that resulted from the pandemic. |
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Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division, and daugther, Irma Henry were kidnapped by unknown individuals in Port-au-Prince, Haiti during the holidays. After four days captivity they were released unharmed on December 28, 2020.
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The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing emergency supplies to Fijian families whose homes were destroyed overnight by Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
In a Facebook post, ADRA South Pacific regional humanitarian adviser Michael Peach said the cyclone sat over Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island, for three hours, wreaking havoc in communities like Labassa, whose residents sheltered in evacuation centers.
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Tulsa-area Women's Ministry gathering at the home of Dennis and Joy Carlile in 1996. Do you recognize any of these ladies? |
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This crazy-delicious Creamy Tortellini Soup is a cozy 25-minute dinner recipe that is surprisingly healthy, too. Instead of being loaded with cream (like most tortellini soup recipes), this one is made creamy with a little cashew butter. You'll never guess this is a healthy soup recipe! |
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Please share your church and school activities by emailing pictures and stories to [email protected]. Invite others to sign up to receive our E-Newsletter by visiting our conference website at www.okadventist.org. The sign-up form is at the bottom of the home page.
Daniel Ortega, Communication Director
Yesenia Ortega, Newsletter Manager
Caroline A. Fisher, Newsletter Editor
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