Topic of Climate Change opens Evening of Listening series for 2017
The popular
Evenings of Listening series co-sponsored by OCC and St. Paul's Cathedral will re-commence at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2017. Members of
OCC's Committee of the Environment will present a program titled "How to Open Dialogue on Climate Change."
The event will be held in Dean Willey Hall, St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th, OKC. Free parking is available in St. Paul's parking lot at 7th Street, on the south side of the Cathedral.
Changes we see in the weather or nature around us cause a mixture of emotions. These may include fear, disbelief, denial, anger, passion, and even helplessness. We may have questions we are reluctant to raise. How do we address the issues and support each other in making needed changes?
A team with the Oklahoma United Methodist Environmental Coalition has developed a public education program that they've "taken on the road" around Oklahoma for over a year. This presentation is a user-friendly, interactive approach to facing, expressing, and acting on our love for our planet home, our concern for the changes happening, and our desire to do things that will make a difference.
At this
Evening of Listening, the program will be presented and then opened for conversation around the way the program is organized. This is also a "train the trainer" event for those wishing to replicate the presentation in their own churches, worship centers, and organizations.
This event is free and open to the public.The Evening of Listening series is a bimonthly presentation of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches in cooperation with St. Paul's Cathedral.
INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH TOUR
The Religions United Committee of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches organized and conducted an International Interfaith Tour to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, January 4-11, 2017. Twenty-two persons participated in the tour: seven Jews, ten Christians, and five Muslims. Twelve participants came from Oklahoma City or surrounding cities and ten came from the Tulsa area.
We are grateful to the Zarrow Family Foundation for generous financial support which helped to make the tour possible.
We all learned a great deal about the land which all three Abrahamic faiths call "Holy" and about the current geopolitical situation.
Throughout the year members of the Religions United Committee and other participants will be presenting their own reports, including stories and visuals, at various locations. The first such event "Our Holy Land" will be held at 5:00 p.m. on February 26 at Harvard Avenue Christian Church (5502 S. Harvard Ave., Tulsa).
For those in the Oklahoma City area, a presentation will be held between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. on March 5, 2017 at Temple B'nai Israel (4901 N. Pennsylvania, OKC). For more information, visit the
OCC Announces 2017 Disaster Spiritual Care Academies
Oklahoma has experienced a new disaster, on average, every 7.5 weeks since March 2015. Although the new year has just begun, we are preparing for the upcoming 2017 storm season by scheduling a number of trainings, organized into three "Academies."
Scheduled for three locations across the state, these trainings are designed for those who want to be prepared and credentialed to respond to disasters in their local areas. Trainings are open to clergy and non-clergy, although only clergy qualify for credentialing at this level. (This training is required for ALL additional courses and Provider categories.)
* Local Spiritual Care Responder training: Tulsa, Feb. 2, 2017
* Local Spiritual Care Responder training: Oklahoma City, Feb. 9, 2017
* Local Spiritual Care Responder training: Duncan, Mar. 9, 2017
Intermediate Disaster Spiritual Care Academy
These trainings are for clergy and non-clergy seeking credentialing as "Deployed Spiritual Care Responders" who are trained and prepared to respond to disasters outside of their local areas. The Local Spiritual Care Responder training is a prerequisite for trainings in this category.
* Intermediate Disaster Spiritual Care: Oklahoma City, Mar. 23, 2017 * Religious and Cultural Competence: Oklahoma City, Mar. 23, 2017 * QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer): Oklahoma City, Mar. 24, 2017 * Psychological First Aid: Oklahoma City, Mar. 24, 2017
* Intermediate Disaster Spiritual Care: Duncan, Apr. 5, 2017 * Religious and Cultural Competence: Duncan, Apr. 5, 2017
Team Leader Academy
Team Leaders are trained and prepared to coordinate and direct teams of trained responders. Local Spiritual Care Responder and the Deployed Spiritual Care Responder trainings are pre-requisites for this category.
* ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training): Oklahoma City, March 29-30, 2017
* Team Leader Training: Oklahoma City, April 27, 2017
Oklahoma VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) honored Mary Hughes Gaudreau, OCC's director of emotional and spiritual care with their "Eye of the Storm: Resilience in Chaos" award during the January 2017 Oklahoma VOAD Conference. This individual honor is described by Oklahoma VOAD as the award given to "an individual who has demonstrated an exceptional ability to maintain calm and focus during and after disasters, while ensuring survivors receive the highest quality care."
OCC was also nominated for the OKVOAD
Organization of the Year award which our partner organization, Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City, won. Congratulations to Catholic Charities, awarded as "the organization which, during the last year, has best exemplified 'The 4 C's of VOAD' (Coopera-tion, Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration) which has repeatedly resulted in extraordinary delivery of services to disaster survivors."
Additional award winners included:
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Lura Cayton, recently retired from FEMA and former OCC disaster response coordinator
Unsung Hero Award:
Bill Mast, Mennonite Disaster Services
Servant Leader Award:
Richard Norman, Oklahoma United Methodist Church Disaster Response
Outstanding Public Partner Award:
City of Tulsa: Working in Neighborhoods
Outstanding Private Partner Award:
Malarkey Roofing Products
Congratulations to all of the winners!
PROTECTING HOUSES OF WORSHIP
February 13, 2017 / Monday / 6:30-9:00 p.m.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
900 S. Littler Ave., Edmond, OK
Plan attend this very special 1-night event for the faith community. Topics of this panel include:
Responding to Threats
Active Shooters
OK Self Defense Act
Developing a Security Plan
Representatives from these agencies will provide expertise and guidelines for houses of worship:
Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office
Edmond Police Department
Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation
US Department of Homeland Security
FBI - Oklahoma City
Edmond Fire Department
Open to: All Houses of Worship in the Edmond and OKC metro
Recommended for: Pastors, Deacons and other Church Leaders, Church Security, Ushers, and members who are active or retired Emergency Responders
The 2017 OCC Annual Dinner has been scheduled for November 9 in the Sam Noble Special Events Center at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 1700 N.E. 63rd Street, Oklahoma City. Please put this date in your calendar now. More details to come as they are available.
2017 Day at the Legislature: Evening Reception and Worship Service Added
Please join us on
March 6, 2017 for the 34th annual
Day at the Legislature! This important event is a rare opportunity to network and learn from the brightest speakers today on a variety of topics related to two of OCC's focus areas: Poverty and Environment. Individuals, schools, civic organizations, and church groups are all encouraged to participate.
For those wishing to stay beyond the closing session (and hopefully miss rush hour traffic), St. Paul's Cathedral is offering an evening reception from 4:30 to 5:15 in the foyer of the Education Building. An invitation to all State Legislators will be extended. This will be followed by a Worship Service in the Sanctuary from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m.
A wonderful array of speakers has been lined up to educate, motivate, and encourage you! We are excited to presentOklahoma Commissioner Terri White as the keynote speaker on Poverty, and the Rev. Dr. Mark Davies of Oklahoma City University as the keynote speaker on the Environment. Commissioner White has addressed this body during the last two years and is always in high demand as a speaker. She heads the Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for the State of Oklahoma. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics at OCU and is heavily involved in environmental issues both in Oklahoma and in national-wide organizations.
The Rev. Peter S. Sawtell, Execu-tive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, will be the closing speaker in the sanctuary at St. Paul's Cathedral at 3:45 p.m. and will also present an afternoon breakout session. Sawtell has a diverse back-ground in academics, professional work, and community involvement. He is based out of Denver, CO.
The entire event, including lunch, afternoon workshops, closing session with Peter Sawtell and the evening reception and worship service will be held at
St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th St., OKC, due to ongoing renovations at the State Capitol.
Free parking is available around the Cathedral on 7th Street and on Robinson, as well as in the parking lot on the south side of the Cathedral.
Complimentary transportation will be available from Tulsa and Lawton via church vans. East Side Christian Church, Tulsa, has limited seating available; to reserve a seat on the van from Tulsa, please contact Evan Taylor at etaylor@escc.org. Cameron Campus Ministry will provide free transportation from Lawton. Please contact them at 580-699-2004 to reserve a seat.
We are working with other cities to arrange free transportation and will make that information available soon.
Check-in (with coffee and pastries) begins at 8:30 a.m. The cost of registration is
$40 per person.
"How to Open Dialogue on Climate Change," 6:30 p.m., St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th, OKC.
February 26, 2017
"Our Holy Land," a review of the OCC International Interfaith Tour, 5:00 p.m. at Harvard Avenue Christian Church, 5502 S. Harvard Ave., Tulsa.
March 5, 2017
"Israel and Palestine: A Chance for Peace," a r
eview of the OCC International Interfaith Tour, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Temple B'Nai Israel, 4901 N. Pennsylvania, OKC.
March 6, 2017
Day at the Legislature, 8:30-4:30 p.m., plus optional reception from 4:30-5:15 and Worship Service from 5:15-6:00. To be held at St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th, OKC.
April 19, 2017
Evening of Listening, 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th, OKC. Topic to be announced.
May 11, 2017
Evening of Listening, 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th, OKC. Topic to be announced.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
February 8, 2017
Integris Pastoral Care presents
"Soul Injury: Liberating Unmourned Loss and Unforgiven Guilt." Integris Baptist Medical Center, Conference Rooms J & K, 1:00-3:00 p.m. No registration required for this free program. More info at (405) 949-3195 or
www.integrisok.com/pastoralcare.
February 9, 2017
Neustadt Lecture Series 2017 -
"Jewish and Christian Scriptural Traditions:Canonicity -Considering Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Discoveries." Oklahoma City University. 1:00-8:30 p.m. Free to the public. Call Lisa Wolfe for more info at
405-208-5286.
February 11, 2017
The Oklahoma Gospel Singing Convention is sponsoring a
Sweetheart Concert and Banquet featuring the Black Family Bluegrass Group and other musical guests. Starts at 6:00 p.m. at Southeast Expo, McAlester, OK. Tickets are $20 per person or $35 per couple and may be purchased at Cross Your Heart Christian Book Store, 313 S. 6th Street in McAlester. Phone: 918-421-8854 for ticket information.
February 11, 2017
The Crossroads Church Orchestra presents "Love is in the Air,"a free live concert for St. Valentine's Day at 6:00 p.m. in the Student Life Center at Crossroads Church, 89th and Shields Blvd., OKC. The Crossroads Church Orchestra offers several community-wide events throughout the year as part of their Crossroads Concert Series.
February 13, 2017
"Protecting Houses of Worship," a presentation including Sheriff John Whetsel, FBI Special Agent Kurt Stoner, and other local law enforcement personnel, including Protective Service Advisor Glenn Moore of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. Hosted by St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church-Edmond, 900 S. Littler Ave. from 6:30-9:00 p.m. For more information, call 405-340-0691 or see website: www.stjohn-catholic.org.
March 3, 2017
Faith Community Nurses Association Conference "
Collecting the Wisdom: Harnessing the Power of Faith Community Nursing."
For nurses, health professionals, health ministers, clergy, and anyone interested in gaining skills in a caring ministry in their faith community. Crossings Community Center, 10255 N. Pennsylvania, OKC. Details at www.fcnaok.org. or contact Brenda Rice at 405-642-1512, brenda@rice. net.
March 26, 2017
The 2 Windows Project
A discussion panel on Creation and the Environment with Fr. Richard Rohr. 6:30 p.m. Tickets $5 in advance and $7 at the door (if available). Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.
March 26-28, 2017
Young Clergy Conference: a conference for clergy under 40. Complete information and schedule: www.youngclergycon.com.
OCC is conduct
ing a $5 million endowment campaign. Funds raised will provide enduring support for OCC's programs in disaster spiritual care, social justice, and interfaith understanding.
Endowment opportunities include endowments ranging from $5,000 to $1 million. For the news release announcing the campaign, click HERE.
If you would like more details and a campaign booklet, please call the OCC office at (405) 525-2928.
Oklahoma Conference of Churches
301 N.W. 36th Street
Oklahoma City, OK
73118
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches connects, motivates, and empowers the witness of Christian communities and individuals through-out Oklahoma on issues of faith and social justice.
The Rev. Peter S. Sawtell, Execu-tive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, will be the closing speaker in the sanctuary at St. Paul's Cathedral at 3:45 p.m. and will also present an afternoon breakout session. Sawtell has a diverse back-ground in academics, professional work, and community involvement. He is based out of Denver, CO.
