Dear NEO family,

Wasn’t last Saturday exciting! Rain, sleet, and 6 – 8 inches of snow following an 80 degree day; Kids Mission Day with almost 50 brave souls getting out despite the conditions; Nominating Committee and Coaches meeting; pastors facing questions about having services on Sunday! Want to try it all again tomorrow?

It is great to read about all the exciting plans being made for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday in NEO churches. I pray that God will bless your efforts to reach out to your community during the next 9 days! I pray that you will have many seekers at your services and that they will be exposed to clear teaching on the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection! And I pray they will sense the power that raised Christ from the dead in your lives and services!

HUGE DISTRICT TRAINING DAY, April 25 at Broken Arrow. Outstanding workshops planned for those who work with Children, Youth and Adults. In addition, there will also be a workshop with helps for Local Church Treasurers and another for Pastors as they prepare their Annual Report. We encourage churches to load up People Movers, Vans and Cars for a wonderful time of enrichment, encouragement and connection with others who are trying to make a difference in local church ministry. Lunch is included and the registration is only $6 if received by April 17.

The session for Treasurers will address the following:
1. Church Reporting Requirements: Basic Tax Forms
2. Receipting for Charitable Contributions
3. Accountable Expense Reimbursement Plans
4. The Pastor's Report and Fund Assignments
4. Understanding Housing Allowances
5. Reporting to the Church Board
6. Structuring Advantageous Ministerial Compensation Packages
7. Proper accounting procedures ; division of responsibilities; checks needed to prevent misuse of funds.

I hope you are planning to bring your youth group to Regional Extravaganza at SNU May 22-25! It is going to be an awesome weekend of fun competition, incredible worship experiences with special guest OneTimeBlind, and the chance to connect with others from the NEO District and South Central Region.

Many of you have had questions about the schedule since the timing of the event is going to be a bit different this year. Extrav will take place Friday night (22) – Monday morning (25). A schedule of the event will be posted on the website soon. You can access the Extravaganza webpage by going to http://www.nyi-snu.org/ or http://www.extravaganzamerge.com/.

Following is a list of NEO attendance leaders in March, 2009 verses April, 2008:

Sunday School/ Bible Study
Tulsa Family +108
Bristow +22
Wagoner +19
Tulsa First +16
Drumright +13
Hominy +11
Dewey +8
Horton Chapel +7
Skiatook +6
Chelsea +5

AM Worship
BA Connection +103
Claremore +26
Drumright +26
Wagoner +16
Bristow +13
Dewey +13
Skiatook +9
Bartlesville +9
Owasso Silver Creek +7
Chelsea +5


I WANT TO CELEBRATE. . . . . (from Pastor's monthly report)

Gordon Smith, Dewey…“Fireproof Your Marriage” series is still going really well, and we have had tremendous turnout for it. People are growing, marriages are being strengthened. Mike Ellis became a member of our church this month.

Jim Kent, Tulsa Southwest… receiving 9 new members by profession of faith.

Nathan Burns, Owasso Silver Creek…We have a family going through a difficult time. Our church has stepped up and poured out God's love in an amazing way.I am privileged to Pastor this great church.

David Stevens, Vinita… Several we were praying for were back in church March 28, including one member who has been home-bound for months! God is faithful to answer our prayers. Our teen group attended Acquire the Fire in Tulsa and more than one said, “It was a life-changing experience.” Our Wednesday night Caravan and Teen groups are going very well and we had 51 total attendance on Wednesday night March 4. Teen sponsors are also excited and are planning a Spin Lock-in. The board voted to call Ben Stevens as Youth Pastor.

Gerald “JJ” James, Claremore…. Construction on our Family Life Center and Parking Lot is moving along well. Our Celebrate Recovery Program has been accredited and is now a nationally recognized Celebrate Recovery. This week we are enjoying the ministry of Dr. Chic Shaver in our Spiritual Renewal Services.

John Whitsett, Tulsa Central… Really good services, even though Spring Break and snowstorms clobbered us numerically. We’re also starting to get some visitor flow as part of our invite3 emphasis.

Stephen Hundley, Cleveland…Our Community Dinners are ever growing with 86 and 96 the last to events. Also, our Sunday evening attendance has grown, since moving to a small group format. We have gone from around 25 in attendance to mid 40’s. Praise God!

Casey Hollingsworth, Miami New Life… Life Groups continue to be an amazing success. We’re almost averaging the same attendees at Life Groups as we have on our Sunday morning worship service. Hearing reports how God is using these small groups to develop connectedness with God and between life group attendees.

Wayde Normandin, Chelsea… our church has been focusing on several financial goals this year. We met another one of our financial goals this month by fully funding our emergency fund. We also collected $201.08 for the Alabaster offering. Some members thought this was one of the highest amounts for our church in recent memory. We also met our goal of missionary books read for the year.

Jim Wilson, Barnsdall… Looking forward to celebrating Easter with the Pawhuska Church. No service last week due to inclement weather.

Jim Wilson, Pawhuska….We are preparing for a children's crusade in May, Biker Breakfast in May, and an additional Bible study has formed on Wednesday night.

Claude Guy, Sand Springs… No matter what our circumstances may be, loss of a loved one, decrease in health, crazy weather, trying economic times, uncertainty of the future - one thing we can be certain of is the power and strength of the One who holds our hand. The Spirit of Christ has filled our services and touched our hearts. By the grace of God, prayers have been answered, new ministries started and financial giving remains strong. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and for His people who continue to be faithful to Him and the work of His Church.

Angela Bentley, Bristow… God’s goodness and faithfulness to us. We now have a new pianist and a new worship team is forming! Our services have been blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit and there is a great sense of love and unity within our body. Many are involved in projects or programs aimed at fulfilling our purpose this Easter season – bringing others to Christ!

Alan McBroom, Davenport…We had a great inaugural kids initiative Wed, Mar. 25th called "Healthy Habits For Healthy Kids". We've set it up like a VBS programs with different stations the kids go to. We teach exercise, nutrition, and spiritually healthy habits in a fun way. My daughter Sabrina even wanted to have it again (which is a huge endorsement!) everyday. The kids were excited, the workers were excited, and we even got positive feedback from parents. For instance, all the kids, even the picky eaters, went home saying they tried and liked zucchini! Isn't this a program every Mom and Grandmother would be proud of?!

Don Cowan, Sapulpa… Crazy Love Spring Harvest, salvation of the lost, and Community Love projects. Continued presence of God in our worship services.

Jim Thornton, Tulsa Hills… Lots of new babies. (none of which are in the Thornton house!) I graduate with a Masters of Arts in Church Leadership next month!

Hope you have a blessed (and sunshine filled) weekend!
Dave McKellips