Conference E-Newsletter
June 2018 - Volume 1, Issue 5
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The purpose of the Oklahoma Conference is to
"Proclaim, Disciple, Live With Christ
"
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The communication department has recently rolled out a
brand new website for the Oklahoma Conference. This site was built from the ground up to focus on relevant content and easy navigation. Our prayer is for the website to be a place to find resources for your personal spiritual walk as well as for your church ministries. Take some time to browse around the site for new ministry ideas, books to read, and even the upcoming events of the Conference. If you have any questions or issues, please contact the communications department at
communication@okla-adventist.org
. Enjoy!
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Oklahoma Camp Meeting
July 13-21, 2018
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Featured 2018 Camp Meeting Speakers
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James Rafferty
James Rafferty is a Co-Director/Gospel worker for Light Bearers Ministry, a supportive evangelistic publishing ministry that has printed over 550 million pieces of literature in over 30 languages for world-wide evangelism.
He has conducted seminars on Daniel and Revelation for hundreds of pastors from every Christian denomination. James is a featured speaker on 3ABN.
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Nic Coutet
Nic Coutet serves the North New South Wales Conference in Australia
as the Director of Church Revitalisation, Director of Marketing and Distribution, and
director of a national breakfast radio show on Faith FM. He was previously a General Manager of three states, servicing the largest retail company in Australia and successfully leading a team of more than 400 employees from 180+ supermarkets.
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Camp Meeting Youth & Children's Divisions
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We are excited about the Christ-centered, Bible-based programs that are planned for all our children, youth, and young adults at July's camp meeting.
Parents, please remember to have your child registered prior to sending them to any meetings or activities. A wrist band will be provided to every child. Keeping your children safe is a top priority for our team.
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Division: Beginners
Ages: 0-2
Leaders: Kathy Jones & Debby Fisher
Theme:
The Farm in Heaven
Meeting Location: NE Auditorium
Available Activities: Play Yard, Swim, Boat, Horses
Don't miss: Fun songs, manipulatives (maybe even a jump house)
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Division: Kindergarten
Ages: 3-5
Leaders: Yesenia Ortega & Pastor Nathan Shires
Theme:
Bible Hereos
Meeting Location: Auditorium Balcony Room
(Right)
Available Activities: Swim, Boat, Canoe, Horses, and Nature
Bonus: Daily interactive puppet show and discovery play centers.
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Division: Primary
Ages: 6-9
Leaders: Pastors TJ Sands & Walter Martinez
Theme:
Bible Hereos
Meeting Location: Auditorium Balcony Room
(Left)
Available Activities: Swim, Boat, Canoe, Horses, Nature
Bonus:
Fun group activities, engaging Bible stories and crafts
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Division: Juniors
Ages: 10-13
Leaders: Pastors Andrew Spooner & Dominick Alipoon
Theme:
Into the Flame
Meeting Location: Lodge Room 2
Available Activities: Swim, Boat, Canoe, Horses, Nature, Glow games
Bonus:
Fun group games/activities (catapulting!), Q & A sessions, engaging lessons on how God is an interactive God, a strong emphasis on prayer. Juniors may also help with a community service project (see ad below).
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Division: Teens
Ages: 14-18
Leaders: Pastors Kevin Bruce & Robert Quintana
Theme:
A Stranger Faith
Meeting Location: Lodge Room 1
Available Activities: Swim, Boat, Canoe, Horses, Nature
Bonus: Softball Game vs Pastors
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Division: Young Adults
Ages: 18-35
Leaders: Pastor Jose Torres & Kris Bryant
Theme:
Joseph, A Man of Faith
Meeting Location: Tent
Available Activities: Swim, Horses, Boat, Canoe
Bonus: Inductive Bible study, community outreach, and group social
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Camp Meeting Events to look forward to...
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Take some time on Sunday morning to join us for a fun
5K run/walk. The first 17 year-old and older male and female and the first 16 year-old and younger male and female to cross the finish line will get special recognition with a medallion. We encourage all ages to participate and enjoy nature before the heat of the day!
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We invite all
youth ages 14-18 to join us for a friendly game of
softball against our pastors on Friday, July 20 at 10:00 a.m. Meet at the baseball field on the west side of the camp. A few gloves are available, but we encourage you to bring your own to assure the right hand and size.
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During Camp Meeting, the Junior Division will focus on
community service
(and more!). On Wednesday, July 18, Juniors will collect canned foods to donate at the local food bank,
Inter-faith Food Pantry
in Seminole. Please bring your non-perishable foods, as well as shampoo, toothpaste, and body wash, for donation as we minister to our local community and
teach our young people the joy of service and mission.
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For questions regarding the
Church Communication Workshop
contact Daniel Ortega at
Communication@Okla-Adventist.org
or (405) 550-6570.
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Meanwhile, at Wewoka Woods this Summer...
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More than 600 members and visitors attended
Spanish Camp Meeting over
June 1-3. Guests came from Oklahoma and the north Texas. The guest speaker was Joel Jaimes Carrero, President of the Northeast Conference in Colombia, South America. Pastor Tomas DeGives, the Spanish Coordinator for Mid-America Conference, led seminars for the youth throughout the weekend. The music of recording artist Sampaguita from San Diego, California, lifted spirits and a church group from Richardson, Texas, shared a heart-touching drama.
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Zomi Camp Meeting took place June 9-10 with over 160 people, mostly from the Tulsa and Guymon Zomi churches. Pastor Suan Lian Mang from Atlanta, Georgia presented the worship hour message, and Pastor Thank Khan Mang from Bowling Green, Kentucky and Pastor Daniel Ortega presented seminars for the young people on Sabbath afternoon.
There was a high level of participation by the young people any time the entire group came together. The youth and young adults that lead out in song service, special music, and various parts of the programing.
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Native American Summer Camp
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Junior Camp is getting underway and 'tween and teen camps are just around the corner. If you have kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews ages 12-16, we encourage you to sign them up soon!
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Did you know you can give your tithes and offerings online? As we travel throughout the summer, it can be easy to forget to give. AdventGiving is an easy, secure way to give from anywhere in the world. You can even set up recurring giving which deducts your designated offering from your account automatically. Find out more ways to give at
okadventist.org/give.
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Southern Hills Celebrates 50-year Anniversary
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On Sabbath, April 7, members old and new joined together to celebrate 50 years of the Southern Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Members assembled in the sanctuary Sabbath afternoon to hear reports by Mike Levescy and Lenora Anderson about the church's origins. There were 106 members who transferred from the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. Levescy and Anderson shared the first board meeting notes, the first church officers, and the charter members of the church. Birdie Stremlow gave an inspiring report of how Community Services, led by her mother, Opal Smith, was instrumental in serving the community and giving Bible studies. Stremlow served as Community Service Leader for three decades, and assisted ADRA during the catastrophic tornado of 1999. Carla Everett gave a current report of Community Services.
Southern Hills' pastor, John Moyer, spoke and then introduced a previous pastor, Gilbert Green. They both have contributed to the church's success and spiritual atmosphere. Twelve pastors have graced our pulpit, led our board meetings and prayer meetings, and have been our spiritual leaders.
By Susan Castillo
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Zomi Youth Group Participates in SW Union Sports Weekend
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The Southwestern Union Youth/YA Department hosted a
Sports Tournament Weekend at Southwestern Adventist University on May 18-20. Over 30 teams attended the spiritual retreat and participated in one of the three tournaments: soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Friday evening and Sabbath, young people were blessed with powerful messages and testimonies from Michigan Pastor Taurus Montgomery, former NBA player Sandy Smith, and former NFL player Michael Charles. The Tulsa Zomi enjoyed the fellowship and messages and had a great time.
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Muskogee SDA cooks up Interest in Healthy Eating
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The Muskogee SDA Health & Temperance ministry
teamed up with the Muskogee Public Library to offer a “hands on” bread making class on March 22. The library posted an online registration and within 48 hours there were over 15 people signed up. A total of 21 persons attended the class.
Each participant chose a partner. Then instruction began as to ingredients and process of making wholesome, nutritional bread from scratch. With each step, the partners were able to mix the ingredients together, making enough dough for two loaves. There were many smiles and laughter as all had fun working with each other. At the end of the evening each student...
click here to continue reading story!
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Camp "Moose on the Loose" was the theme this year for VBS and Andrea Powell was our leader. Amid all the fun and games our children learned of the forgiveness and love Jesus has for everyone. Every craft, lesson, song, and game showed the attendees how much Jesus loved them. As an outreach to the community, VBS was a great success as several parents attended a Sabbath church service for the first time. It was a work of love for our members that participated and for those that kept the program in their prayers. The program material was then donated to another church.
By Judy Marquette
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Old Friends Reminisce With Retired Pastor
May 27 was the 80
th
birthday of Elder Arlen Holerud. His wife, Beverly, and daughters, Nancy, Becky, and Karen, joined with friends and staff at Emerald Care Center Southwest in Oklahoma City to celebrate. Pastor Holerud was a loved and appreciated pastor in the Oklahoma Conference for many years, so it only seemed fitting to gather together everyone who loved him to celebrate his life.
Pastor Holerud sat in his wheelchair in the middle of the gathering where people could greet him and share hugs. He was very happy to see everyone, and his grin lasted for two hours. His recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease has limited his vocabulary and his adventures, but it has not dampened his positive spirit and his love of people. He is often seen roaming the halls of the nursing home greeting his neighbors, or posted at the front door greeting visitors who arrive to visit patients. His years of pastoring still ring true: he speaks of Jesus and the church. Staff love and appreciate him, and one staff member refers to him as “Papa.”
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On May 27, the Children's ministry team met together at the conference office to enjoy a wonderful breakfast and to work on ways to better support our local church Children's ministry leaders and develop better networking options in each region. The team also began to brainstorm on ideas for new children's programs for the following year.
Please continue to pray for and support our Children's ministry leaders at the local church and for our precious children that they may grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ.
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The Oklahoma Conference Youth Department is looking for a
NEW LOGO that will represent all the ministries under its umbrella. We are inviting all our young people to go to
okadventist.org (youth ministries page) to get the guidelines and requirements for the contest. We look forward to getting some awesome designs.
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Please share your stories of activities at your churches and schools. Email your pictures and stories to
Communication@Okla-Adventist.org
so we can share them with our constituents throughout the conference. Also, 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
Caroline A. Fisher
,
Editor
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Communication@okla-adventist.org
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