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September 2020
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
  • September 13, 2020 - Interfaith Youth Tour Now virtual!
  • October 1, 2020 - "A Mother's Pain" panel
  • October 22, 2020 - "Faith and Politics" panel
We're excited to announce the locations for this year's tour!

This year's tour will include:

- Dharma Center of Oklahoma
- Stillwater Mosque & Islamic Center
- Vernon Chapel A.M.E. Church
- Emanuel Synagogue
- Traditional practitioner from Muscogee Creek and Seminole Tribe

For the past 13 years, Oklahoma Conference of Churches has become known for the Interfaith Youth Tour, when students visit diverse houses of worship to gain understanding and appreciation for other faith communities.

This year, we are moving to a virtual experience that will be better than ever! Having it online will allow us to include faith communities outside of the OKC metro and to double the number of locations.
This also means adults are welcome to join in on the fun!

This year, we are asking for a suggested donation of $15 per participant when you register here. This will help with costs associated with producing this event, as well as to continue similar work at OCC. If you are a student, or if this is a hardship, please register even if you are unable to donate at this time. To help ensure youth groups and others can participate, we are offering a sponsorship opportunity:

Sponsoring organizations will receive a discounted “price” for participants, and will be gratefully acknowledged in the OCC newsletter and on our social media. 

For example:

$250 donation = 25 “seats” for the Interfaith Youth Tour + acknowledgment 
$100 donation = 10 “seats” for the Interfaith Youth Tour + acknowledgment

We're thrilled to expand this event and bring even more young Oklahomans into a deeper understanding of diverse faith experiences and consequently, of their neighbors.
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches
Opioid Summit for
Communities of Faith
Miss the premiere? It's available on demand!

Faith communities are called to play a role in addressing the escalating opioid and stimulant crisis in Oklahoma. As you'll learn in this conference, this type of addiction hits people at any age, from any walk of life. Our communities are stronger when we support our friends, neighbors, and loved ones through life's struggles.

This virtual conference is designed for you to go through at your own pace, at your own convenience. We hope you will return to revisit some of the material, and that you share this information with your networks, as it will continue to be available (we ask for registration in order to keep track of attendees for grant purposes). The conference also includes an announcement about upcoming grant opportunities for faith communities to start a ministry!

There is no cost to attend the virtual conference, but we are asking for a suggested donation of $15 per participant (which was the cost of lunch) to help us continue to provide quality programming in the future.

The conference includes:
- Panels on prevention, stigma, treatment, and how to support a loved one struggling with addiction
- Personal stories of addiction and recovery
- Programs and services available in Oklahoma
- How to access services and treatment from the comfort of your own home

We look forward to continuing the conversation around supporting addiction recovery within our faith communities!


Our deepest gratitude to our partners, without whom this conference would not be possible:
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
DCCCA "Improving Lives"
NorthCare
Crossings Community Church
Hope is Alive Ministries
Valley Hope
Serenity Outreach Community Church
Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Treatment
The Oklahoman reported this week that Oklahoma is in the bottom 10 of states' response to the 2020 Census. The deadline for Census data collection is coming up fast due to the Trump administration’s decision to end data collection a month early.

The Census ties into funding for education, health care, transportation and more. For every person that doesn’t complete the Census, Oklahoma loses roughly $1,700 annually for the next decade. That can add up to billions in lost revenue.
Help spread the word that people can still respond at 2020census.gov.


Faith leaders are among the most trusted messengers in our communities and are positioned to play a key role in ensuring that everyone is counted in the 2020 Census.

OCC can send you a packet of resources, from liturgy to a bulletin insert, to help you promote the Census,

Hear from Rev. Fleck and other Oklahoma faith leaders on why the Census is so important for our communities, and please share this video on your social media to spread the word!
Sign up for Advocacy Alerts
Want to get updates about opportunities to engage in advocacy with OCC?

Click here to stay informed!
CAIR Banquet Now Virtual

CAIR-OK has moved their Annual Banquet to a private, virtual setting on September 12th. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician, epidemiologist, professor and progressive activist. Featured speakers also include Hassan Shibly, Amer Zahr and our very own Rev. Shannon Fleck.

CARES Act Resources Available for Those Struggling
CARES Act funding is available through September 30 for those struggling financially due to COVID. They're offering individual and family assistance to those who are facing housing crisis and eviction due to loss of wages or hardship related to COVID. The resource center will provide support through eviction prevention, financial assistance and connection with wraparound services, including job retraining. 

Visit https://okcommunitycares.org or call 211.
Vigil for Immigration Justice
Join the weekly prayer vigil for immigration justice, now being held on Zoom every Thursday at noon at https://zoom.us/j/157544370.

In the meantime, consider this report released by New American Economy in partnership with the City of Tulsa, which highlights how immigrants are both essential to Tulsa’s rapid response efforts and especially vulnerable due to gaps in our federal relief package, language access barriers, and increased risks of infection associated with frontline and essential work.

To receive more information about this important coalition or the in-person vigil, email Rev. Lori Walke.
Help us reach our goal of adding 5 monthly, recurring givers each month.
Gifts of any size help support and sustain OCC.

Click below to start your monthly gift of $10, $20, or $40.

BONUS: Recurring givers get a snazzy OCC sticker to put on your computer, bag, face - wherever you like!
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301 N.W. 36th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
(405) 525-2928

The Rev. Shannon Fleck
Executive Director
Your gift is tax deductible. OCC is a 501(c)(3) organization.
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches connects, motivates, and empowers the witness of communities of faith and individuals throughout Oklahoma on issues of faith, care, and social justice.