Church of the ServantBi-Weekly Newsletter

May 9, 2013

Issue: 13.9

Believe s Belong s Become

United Methodist Church of the Servant s 14343 North MacArthur, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73142 s (405)721-4141 s www.ChurchoftheServant.com

Vietnam may be far removed from Oklahoma City when the distance is measured on the map, but through the love of Jesus Christ that gap is nar-rowed to but one small step. I am so grateful to my Church of the Servant family for your prayers and support as I participated in this wonderful mission opportunity. It was those prayers that gave me the confidence to travel with peace. On my arrival, what I found far exceeded any expectation that I might have previously held. The Methodist Church in Vietnam is growing at an exponential pace as men, women and children--whole villages at times--are professing Jesus Christ as Lord. God is in the process of rais-ing up his Church through the dedicated work of his people. I was stunned by the depth and the quality of their leadership, as in them I found a group of men and women that are well educated, Spirit filled and passionate in regard to their love for Jesus Christ. At every turn they are succeeding in our common call to make disciples of Jesus Christ and these disciples are indeed transforming the world around them....

VIETNAM MISSION

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May is Foster Parent Awareness Month

A young couple was recently asked why do you foster? The mother replied, “I guess my heart is just bigger than my brain.” Foster parenting is not for the faint hearted, but is definitely a calling that God puts on the lives of certain people. Many times answering that call is scary because knowing what kinds of support systems are in place to support a family during the commitment is not known.

Right now we are exploring how Church of the Servant can support foster parents, foster children and biological families in this journey. The Season Sunday School Class has begun a dialogue of what this looks like for their class to consider creating a framework of support for foster families. This class would love to invite others into the dialogue of be-ing a part of this support or if you feel you have been called to foster and don’t know how to begin.

Please come join them at 10:45 this month to discuss how this mis-sion to our Oklahoma children could find a home here in the church.

Special Fish Appeal for Skyline Clothes for Kids

Sunday, May 12Every spring we support the ministry of

Clothes for Kids as over 400 children receive a year’s uniforms for school through this min-istry. $80 will purchase uniforms for a child for a year. Please come prepared this Sunday to support this ministry in some way.

Dear Friends of Stop Hunger Now, More than one billion people in the world do not have enough to

eat – more than the population of Canada, the United States and the European Union. Today 25,000 people will die because of hunger and hunger-related causes. Catastrophes like the earthquake in Haiti tempo-rarily increase hunger, but the reality is that an earthquake that brings the loss of life equivalent to that in Haiti happens every 9 to 10 days, week in, week out. Chronic hunger, not earthquakes, is ravaging our world.

No one knows this better than those working with Stop Hunger Now. We know that while many are starving for food, many more are starving to give. We also know that numbers and statistics can too often over-whelm, leaving us feeling helpless or worse, apathetic. We are very proud of the fact that our organization provides not just an accountable, expedient channeling of donations to relieve hunger, but we also provide events in which volunteers can personally know the deep satisfaction of hands-on relief work.

We are happy to inform you that on April 19, 2013, meals from your Stop Hunger Now packaging event were loaded on to a container to-taling 285,120 meals from our Jackson, MS Warehouse. Those meals are headed to our partner, Reach Now Zambia. This shipment will serve needy children in Zambia through Reach Now and Mission Touch Min-istries. Mission Touch Ministries supports approximately 7,800 children with a hot meal each school day in and around Lusaka, Zambia. Many of the children served are drawn into the schools from the streets because of the provision of food. The enrollment at the schools often doubles when the feeding program is introduced, brightening the future of count-less needy children. http://creatorstouch.org/mtm.html

Lives will be changed because of you! Stop Hunger Now thanks you for choosing us as your mission partner. Thank you for paying attention to the statistics and choosing to not just hope and pray that people get food, but for making sure they do.

With gratitude, The folks at Stop Hunger Now

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What is God’s Plan for Your Family?One of my favorite athletes is a guy named Chris Spielman, the former all

pro linebacker. I was not a fan of his team, the Browns. And I only watched him when he played one of the teams I like. I am a fan of Chris Spielman be-cause of who he is off the field. Chris writes: I always joked that it was time to stop playing when I had to be helped

off the field. That time came I briefly but agonizingly paralyzed after a jarring collision with Chicago’s Casey Weismann.

The Massillon, Ohio, native and 10-year NFL veteran had dangerously compressed spinal disks, and doctors warned him that any further injury to them could mean permanent paralysis.

“I couldn’t take the risk,” he says. Neither could his family. Stefanie, 32, his wife of 10 years, was diagnosed with breast cancer and their daughter Mad-die, 5, and son Noah, 3, had come to depend on Dad during their mother’s illness.

Maddie said, ‘I don’t want Daddy to be in a wheelchair - he won’t be able to go swimming with me,’ Spielman recalls.

It was a no-brainer. The stakes were too high. Chris chose to make his family the priority. What about you?The Bible teaches that there are all kinds of families. Some that look like the family on ‘Leave it to Beaver.’

Some that don’t. Some families are made up of people who don’t have any legal or biological connection at all—friends who make a commitment to care and support one another.

For the next few weeks in the 9:15 and 10:45 services, I’m going to dig deep to find out what God has to say to us about family. I want you to take this time to simply ask yourself, “Am I the kind of family member God wants me to be?”

One of my favorite writers, Phillip Yancey, said it like this in Christianity Today (May 20, 1996).I have learned more about grace, forgiveness, diversity -- and yes,

original sin -- from my family than from all the theology books I have read. What is God’s plan for you and your family? Come and find out! - Robert

Dr. Robert Gorrell

EarthglowEarthglow’s donations this year are to these missions: Prepare the Way

$1,000, Stop Hunger Now $1,000, Skyline Eye Clinic $8,000, Circle of Care $4,500, Skyline Summer Academy And Peace Challenge Camp $2,500, Exodus House $2,500, Penn Avenue Redemption Church $2,500, Camp Caveat $3,000, Neighborhood Service Organization $4,500, Oklahoma Methodist Hispanic Ministries $500.00, totaling $30,000.00. Earthglow has given over $6,000,000.00 to missions since its beginning. Thanks for your ongoing support…your purchases in the Earthglow shop are what has made this all possible!

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Our Mission team consisted of seven people from Ohio, one Oklahoman and fifteen Vietnamese Methodist ministers. In our work together we traveled almost 1,000 miles by motorcycle from DaNang in the central portion of the country, to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Visiting two to three churches a day along our route, we had an opportunity to get a true sense of what God is doing in Vietnam. The churches we visited ranged from just over forty people in worship, to one congregation of over one-thousand members who gather on a weekly basis to worship in what is essentially a large barn located on a coffee plantation! The overwhelming sense that I drew from these meetings was one of both joy and purpose. The people are excited about their faith in Jesus Christ and they are anxious to share that good news with all who will listen.

The question for us as Church of the Servant is how we might be involved. One of the desires of the Vietnamese Church is to establish five extremely large congregations in strategic metropolitan areas. To accomplish this goal there is a massive need for pastoral training. I have been invited to work with their leadership team to develop and teach a curriculum on administration in the very large church, while Dr. Gorrell has been asked to teach pastoral leadership and preaching at the United Methodist

Center in Ho Chi Minh City. There are possibilities to help establish new congregations through the support and train-ing of new pastors and the provision of care and suste-nance to orphans and children with disabilities is an ever present need. Our task is to prayerfully consider what God is doing in Vietnam and ask if, how, and when God wants us to be a part of this movement. That process of discern-ment is the challenge--following God’s lead then becomes straightforward.

For me, the two weeks in Vietnam proved to be a pow-erful experience reenergizing me for ministry both here and there. To be surrounded by smiling faces and to be swallowed up in their embrace of me in the love of Christ has marked my heart and drives me daily to prayer for the future of their Church. It was a blessing that will not soon be forgotten and it is one that I hope to share with others in the near future.Rev. Randy ShraunerExecutive Minister

VIETNAM MISSION... Continued from Cover Page

May MissionUMCOR Cleaning Buckets

Orange bucket mountain has arrived outside the Cel ebration Center. These 5-gallon buckets present a challenge for us as a con-gregation. Could we all take one and fill it with cleaning supplies that will be distributed throughout our nation by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to places that are recovering after hur ricanes, fires, tornadoes, and floods?

Each bucket has the same list of specific supplies for filling it. The total cost of the supplies is around $55. This is a great mission project for a family with children, a Sunday school class, small group, or even just one person. What a tremendous gift of solidarity and hope that it will offer when our United Methodist Committee on Relief delivers these to communities in dire situations!

The buckets will be available for check-out beginning Sunday, May 5, and all need to be returned no later than Sunday, May 26. They will then go to our United Methodist Annual Conference, and Volunteers in Mission will deliver then to the headquarters in Louisiana.

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Sign Up for the Servant Foundation Golf Tournament

Scheduled - June 1The tournament will be a 4-person scramble tournament with play begin-

ning at 8:00 a.m. at the Fairfax Golf Course. Cost per player is $55 which includes golf fee, range balls, golf cart, lunch, and prizes. This tournament is an annual event and always well attended and enjoyed by all. Get your team together now, both men and women and sign up this Sunday May 12 at the special table in the concourse. If you would like to be a hole sponsor you can sign up for that as well. The sponsorship costs $100. If you have questions about the tournament call Tom McGee in the church office at 721-4141.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels

without knowing it.” - Hebrews 13.2

If you haven’t visited 13.2 lately, you should stop by! We have several new frozen drink flavors just in time for summer! WE NEED YOU! Do you love providing hospitality and serving others? Whether you like coffee or not, it is a blast to volunteer!

“I work in 13:2 during the early shift at least one Sunday a month and every Monday night. I enjoy volunteering because of the relationships that have been established between the patrons, other volunteers and me. I always leave feeling like I was the one being blessed instead of my serving others. I also like to think of the verse that

defines the coffee shop (Hebrews 13:2) which makes me wonder just how many angels may have come through for a cup of coffee and a smile!” -Laurie Simpson, long time volunteer

Here are the spots we need filled:• 2 volunteers for Sunday morning, once a month for the 7:30-9:30 shift• 2 volunteers for Sunday morning, once a month for the 9:15-10:45 shift• 2 volunteers for Special Events as needed, such as Good Friday and VBS, etc. Please contact Dana Israel if you are interested! 918-914-0630disrael@churchoftheservant.com If you have a spouse or friend that you love working with,

this would be an awesome opportunity to volunteer together! Or you can serve with one of our wonderful volunteers. If you want to come hang out for a Sunday to see if it is something you might be interested in, come on by!! There is no long term commitment if you find you don’t have the time. It’s easy and fun!

ALSO: 13.2 has a new Facebook page! “Like” us on Facebook to find out about new drink flavors, additional times we will be open, inspiration, and much more! http://www.facebook.com/COS13.2

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Get to Know Me:I am a freshman at Edmond Memorial High School. Student ministries are like a

family to me. They are just like a big support group. I know that anytime I am struggling with something I can always rely on any of them to help me through it. Being a freshman I can look up to any of the older kids as mentors. Someday I hope that the middle school kids can look up to me as a mentor as well. I don’t know what I would do without Student Ministries. - Regan Gillespie

Dayspring!Dayspring forms are out! For all incoming freshmen and

graduated seniors! Join us from July 6-10! Come pick one up at the Student’s point area! Contact Sang Nguyen for more information. snguyen@churchoftheservant.com 728-4754

Move Up Retreat!Join us as we celebrate our incoming freshmen group!

This will be for all our freshmen to graduated seniors! Join us June 7-8! Contact Sang Nguyen for more information. snguyen@churchoftheservant.com 728-4754

T’weens Discover- July 8-12Got Spirit? Finding God in the Everyday

ALL STUDENTS Entering Grade 6Acknowledging the uniqueness of pre-t’weens, this camp for rising sixth graders

is designed to help t’weeners explore the concept that God is always with us. In “Got Spirit” campers will explore different ways God reveals God’s self to the human family, by affirming God’s presence in the ordinary moments of life. Not only will campers discover

Cub Scout Pack 177Cub Scout Pack 177 has had a busy spring! In March, the Pack visited Martin Nature Center and learned how to determine

the animal species that live in our community by observing their tracks, other markings, and paths. The event closed with the Pack learning how to make “Green” bird feeders using only string and fruit.

In April, the Pack visited the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s office and had the opportunity to meet “Thor,” the K-9 officer sta-tioned at the Highway 74 and Covell satellite office. We also participated in the Oklahoma Science Museum Cub Scout “Bright Nights” where we learned about the physics of explosions and had a great time spending the night in the Museum.

Other April activities included a workshop at the Church where we learned how to use simple tools such as hammers, pliers, and screwdrivers. We had several brave dads willing to assist during the hammering activities! The pack has also been busy preparing for our upcoming camping events by learning how to pitch tents, provisioning, and planning supply requirements.

Our upcoming events include:• our first official campout at Family Camp - John Nichols Scout Ranch on May 17-19• setting Memorial Day Flags honoring those who have served by placing US flags for each veteran at Memorial Park Cemetery on May 23• Twilight Camp June 3-7 at Vox Printing• participating in the 4th of July LibertyFest Parade in Edmond. Check out our Facebook page, BSAPack177, and our website,

www.BSApack177ok.org, to view pictures and keep up to date on our scheduled events!

Marc McChesneyCubmaster, Pack 177405-990-0497

how God is found in daily Scripture texts, they will experience the various ways that people of faith respond to the presence of God, all within the beauty of creation and fun in each of our campsites. Cost:$247

Please contact Jenna Savage at 405-728-4753 or jsavage@churchoftheservant for more information.

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Save the Date…Servant Children’s Choir Camp

Attention all K-5th graders (fall 2013) interested in participat-ing in a week-long summer musical camp. If you enjoyed the music of the children’s choir on May 5, you will want to be a part of this event. This God-centered week of fun and fellowship will culminate in a musical production called “God of this City.” The camp will take place June 24-27, 2013 (9am – 12pm with two Celebration Center performances during the June 30th services).

The camp will be directed by Church of the Servant member, Paul Gebb; choreographed by Brooke Gebb; and will utilize the talents of many Church of the Servant youth apprentices. The story for the musical focuses on a group of kids who set out to save a homeless shelter slated to be shut down by the city. With

God’s help, and through their desperate quest to keep the shelter open, these children realize they can make a difference right where they live. HE is God of this city! Songs include: Live Out Loud, God of This City, and ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. Join this ministry and serve the Lord. Registration forms can be downloaded on the Children’s Music Ministry page. http://www.churchoftheservant.com/sub-ministry.php?m=music&s=youth-children-s-music Check this page often for all up-dates about our programs. For more information or questions, contact us at joyfulnoise@churchoftheservant.com.

THANK YOU!Together we collected enough items to put together

31 Health Kits to present to UMCOR at the end of May! Your help in this ministry is such a blessing to others, as well as to yourself. We will put these on their truck when they come to pick up the Flood

Buckets that the congregation will be filling this month. Again, thank you for your help in our

Kid’s Mission Project.

VBS “Create” Nights Every Wednesday in May!

Vacation Bible School is just around the corner and we are seeking fun, flexible, volunteers to help turn Church of the Servant into a Castle for Kingdom Rocks.

Every Wednesday Evening in May from 6pm-9pm, we will be meeting to create decorations for VBS. NO CRAFT EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Dinner, childcare and detailed instructions provided. We start May 1. Please RSVP to Jill Perrin 401-330-7136 or jill@splatcat.com.

u Mike and Cindy Brecheen as Cindy’s uncle, Jim Stover, recuperates from injuries sustained in an automobile accident and is hospitalized at Integris Baptist Medical Center.u John and Linda DeFrees as their friend, John Powell, deals with health issues.u Frank and Fran Esch as Fran is hospital-ized at Mercy Health Center.u Milt and Frances Ferguson as Frances faces surgery at Dean McGee Eye Institute.u Denene Harper as her great-niece, La-rissa Hamilton, is hospitalized in Ft. Worth, Texas.u David and Margaret Hensley as David is hospitalized at Mercy Health Center.u Rick and Shirley Jackson and Norman and Jacque Long as Shirley’s and Jacque’s mother, Marie Skelton, deals with health issues.u Dorothy Keyser as she deals with health issues and undergoes tests.u Fred and Sue Knight as Sue recuperates from outpatient surgery.u Mary McHard as her daughter, Janet McHard, undergoes treatment in New Mexico.u Ken and Nan Miller as Nan faces surgery at the Bone and Joint Hospital.u Tate, Gina, Ryan, and Jaeden Musae as Gina recuperates from surgery.u Pat Norton as she deals with health is-sues and undergoes tests.u Bill and Cleda Spaeth as their son, Eric Spaeth, deals with health issues and is hospitalized at St. Mary’s Hospital in Deluth, MN.u C.V. and Hazel Spencer as C.V. deals with health issues.u Steven, Angela, and Angelica Strozier as Angela deals with health issues.u Jim and Cheryl Wheelbarger as Cheryl faces surgery at Integris Baptist Medical Center.

u Congratulations to Zack Travers, graduat-ing senior, Edmond North High School, for the following scholarships and awards: Oklahoma City University Presidential Scholarship; Un-dergraduate Business Scholarship; Chesa-peake Presidential Scholarship; Oklahoma City Community Foundation Scholarship; OCU President’s Class. Zack is the son of Tim & Jacki Travers and brother to Zoe Travers. u Lisa Murray will begin a new position as the Chief Investment Officer at the State Treasurer’s Office.uMadelyn Olivia Friden, infant daughter of Brian Friden & Allison Smith Friden, received the Sacrament of Christian Baptism on March 24, 2013 in the Celebration Center at 12:15 PM. Rev. Tim Travers officiated the ceremony. A host of family members were present to celebrate.uCoy Wayne Cottle, infant son of Billy Cottle & Krysten McCullough, received the Sacra-ment of Christian Baptism on May 5, 2013 in the Celebration Center at 12:15 PM. Rev. Tim Travers officiated the ceremony. A host of family members were present to celebrate.

uA contribution has been made to The Ser-vant Foundation, Inc. in memory of Mickey Gross by Delbert & Colleen Carman.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Undesignated Memorial Fund in memory of Dutch Dennis by Jean F. Pate.uA contribution has been made to The Ser-vant Foundation, Inc. in memory of Mickey Gross by Jack T. Massey.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Mickey Gross by Dorothy Keyser.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Dutch Dennis by Virginia Rhodes.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Ray Lauffenburger by Primetime.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Frances Durrett by Primetime.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Music Ministry in memory of Dutch Dennis by Dennis & Joyce Gray / Paul & Michele Wells.uA contribution has been made to The Ser-vant Foundation, Inc. in memory of Mickey Gross by William & Linda Kennedy Jr.uA contribution has been made to The Ser-vant Foundation, Inc. in memory of Mickey Gross by Judy Raulston.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Memorial Fund in memory of Dutch Dennis by Exploring Together Sunday School Class.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Mickey Gross by Don & Becky Jacks.uA contribution has been made to Church of the Servant Sr. Minister’s Discretionary Fund in memory of Jack Farris by Don & Becky Jacks.

uGail Bright and Mike, Cindy, Lauren, and Ben Brecheen and Family at the death of Gail’s husband and Cindy’s step-father, William “Bill” Bright.uFamily and Friends at the death of Tom Brinkworth.uConnie Harrison and Family at the death of Connie’s niece, LeiLoni Piegdon.uNorman and Kipp Neaves and Family at the death of Kipp’s sister, Lynn Jones.uVan and Sammye Bumpas, Nonna Mc-Corkle, and Kevin and Monica Wittrock and Family at the death of Sammye’s, Nonna’s, and Monica’s mother, Billie Amis.uBill and Mary White and Family at the death of Mary’s uncle, Delbert Fuhrmann.uFamily and friends at the death of Sue Wood.