Dear NEO family,

What a beautiful week in Northeast Oklahoma! Hope it stays that way over the holiday weekend! What do you have on the schedule for the weekend? Many of our students will be with a thousand other students at Extravaganza 09 at SNU. Whatever else you do (yard work, round of golf, etc.), I hope you have a barbeque with family or friends and an energizing worship experience with your church family.

Can you believe we are only 9 days away from our Annual Celebration of Mission and Ministry? I know we will have hundreds of delegates and guests for the three days of conventions and assembly. I hope those who cannot join us for the business will make a special effort to join us for the three evening services. I am so excited about the services. Besides great music and preaching, we will stories of God’s work in our midst – youth making a difference, progress of three NewStart churches; “Cardboard Testimonies” from Celebrate Recovery (you will be talking about this for weeks!) and more.

My experience in two churches this week lifted my spirits. Sunday I had the privilege of attending one of our NewStart Churches – Connection Church, led by Pastor Brad Farnsworth. Do you ever wonder if our new preachers know how to communicate the holiness message to a young audience? If so, I wish you could have heard Brad preach on purity of heart in his “Happy Don’t Live Here” series last week! The message was compelling and clear. Thanks, Brad.

Wednesday night I went to the Wednesday night community dinner at Skiatook. After dinner and Pastor Jesse Madaffari’s devotional, I met with many of the congregation to discuss what God is doing within the congregation. I heard new families tell of coming and experiencing love and acceptance. I heard may ways this small church is making a big impact in this community with their love and sacrificial service. There is unity and harmony as they join hands in mission. Thanks, Jesse and the Skiatook family!

Here are pictures of recent visits: (I don’t have Skiatook yet!)

BA Connection, May 17, 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abt2TZizYsWTJag&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharshar

Owasso, May 10, 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abt2TZizYsWTJSA&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharshar

Drumright, May 3, 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abt2TZizYsWTJLg&emid=sharview&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharview

And don’t forget to check out our website: http://neonaz.org/


Thanks to all of you who gave so generously to make sure our connectional budgets were paid! Do you ever wonder if paying your Pensions and Benefits budget really impacts anyone in NEO? Well, it does. This past year, as usual, we received more benefit dollars than we paid. NEO churches paid $155,315 this past year, but received benefits totaling $213,036. $143,514 was paid in Basic Pension benefits to our district ministers and widows; $53,500 was deposited in our minister’s Nazarene 403(b) accounts; $8,972 was used to pay life insurance claims and $3790 was given in emergency medical assistance.

THANKS FOR PAYING YOUR P & B BUDGET! IT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

AN OLD FARMER'S ADVICE

(provided to me by Mollie Myers)
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

*Keep skunks and bankers at a distance. (sorry Josh, Mike and others!)

*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.--
Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

Have a blessed weekend! You are loved!

Dear NEO family,

Have you taken time to praise God for His blessings today? Today, we can thank God for sunshine….and for the recent rain. We can rejoice that God is real and really cares about us, and has promised that He will not abandon us. As I count my blessings, my partners in ministry in Northeast Oklahoma are also high on my list!

I want you to share in my joy that the new NEO Website is almost complete. It will soon be switched over to our old web address, but for now it can be found at: http://neonaz.org/. Check it out and let us know any suggestions you have. A HUGE thanks to Ed Phillips, one of the lay leaders at Collinsville, for his work as our webmaster. Ed has voluntarily given his expertise and time and we greatly appreciate it. Gloria McKellips and Vicki Crossland have also worked hard to get info entered on the site.

We rejoice with Rhonda Kyncl of the OU Nazarene Student Center on successfully defending her dissertation a few days ago. She will be graduating on May 15 with a doctorate in English Composition, Rhetoric and Literacy. God has provided a full-time position on the OU campus. She will continue to work at the Writing Center on campus, but she also will be involved new faculty orientation and orientation for all new international graduate teaching assistants. Check out the 2:8 House and the OU Nazarene Student Center at http://www.28house.org/

Jim Kent pulled some ligaments around ribs last week.

Jesse Madaffari will be having double hernia surgery on Friday, May 22.

Ken and Diane Book have resigned from Okmulgee and are moving to Lubbock. Pray for the Books and the Okmulgee church during this time of transition.

Jonathan Martin, son of Phil and Debbie Martin (District NMI President) has been diagnosed with AAT Deficiency-related Emphysema. This is an inherited condition that is usually not diagnosed until a person is in their 30s or 40s. Jonathan has suffered severe damage to one of his lungs and there are signs of damage in the other lung. Specifically, we can pray that his body responds to the treatment. Usually, it is evident in the first transfusion whether the treatment will be effective. For more specific information on this disease, you can go to the website - http://www.alphaone.org/. Siblings Joy and Jarod will also be also be tested to see if they have the same condition.

Word in Due Season (from Family Research Council newsletter)
It was a speech so powerful and uncompromising that those in attendance couldn't help wishing that it had been broadcast to every church in America. With the nation in moral crisis, Christians everywhere are hungry for the kind of spiritual leadership that Archbishop Emeritus Raymond Burke brought to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Friday. With many from FRC in attendance, one of the most distinguished Catholic leaders delivered a call to conscience that deserves repeating.
"I come to you, not as someone who stands outside of our nation but as a citizen who... takes responsibility for the state of our nation and, therefore, cannot remain indifferent and inactive about what most concerns the good of us all... Over the past several months, our nation has chosen a path which more completely denies any legal guarantee of the most fundamental human right, the right to life, to the innocent and defenseless unborn. Our nation, which had its beginning in the commitment to safeguard and promote the inalienable right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" for all, without boundary, is more and more setting arbitrary limits to her commitment... With unparalleled arrogance, our nation is choosing to renounce its foundation upon the faithful... love of a man and a woman in marriage, and, in violation of what nature itself teaches us, to replace it with a so-called marital relationship, according to the definition of those who exercise the greatest power in our society... What those who were so enthused about the strong message of change and hope in the United States, delivered during the last election campaign, are now discovering is a consistent implementation of policies and programs which confirm and advance the culture of death, which can only finally leave our world without the Great Hope... The change which brings hope can only be the renewal of our nation in the divine love which respects the inviolable dignity of every human life...and which creates and gives growth to new human life through the love of man and woman in marriage. Any hope which is incoherent with the Great Hope is truly illusory and can never bring forth justice and its fruit--peace--for our nation and world."

Have a great weekend! You are loved!

Dave

Dear NEO family,

I want to thank all the local church leaders, especially our pastors, who are getting their annual reports in this week. It will only be a few days until we gather for our Annual Celebration of Mission and Ministry.

Annual Celebration of Mission and Ministry
May 31 – June 2
Tulsa Central Church of the Nazarene

NYI CONVENTION – Sunday, May 31, 3:00 – 5:00 pm

President Jonathan Odom is planning a time of inspiration, challenge and fun. Monte Cry, Global NYI President will speak.

GREAT COMMISSION RALLY- Sunday, May 31, 6:00 pm.

This service for all ages will feature lots of uplifting music and a focus on youth and mission. High School Graduates are asked to gather at 5:40pm to help carry in the flags of the nations. NEO Youth will be sharing about their involvement in God’s global mission. Monty Cry will be preaching.

NMI CONVENTION – Monday, June 1, 8:30 am.

President Debbie Martin is going to have many reports by video to keep everything moving and to celebrate accomplishments. Our Missionary, Monte Cyr, who has served in Africa and the Caribbean, will be featured.

DISTRICT ASSEMBLY –

• Monday, June 1, 7:00 pm. This service will include exciting reports about how God is working through our three NewStarts of 2008-09. General Superintendent Nina Gunter will challenge us with a fresh look at the mission of the Church of the Nazarene.
  
• Tuesday, June 2, 8:30 am. Dr. Nina Gunter, presiding and preaching. Report of our District Superintendent, Dave McKellips. Zone Cluster meetings where pastors will share accomplishments in 2008-09 and mission action plans for year ahead. Report of SNU President Loren Greshem. Brief but important business will also be conducted.
  
• Tuesday, June 2, 7:00pm, Ordination Service. All those receiving their District license for the first time will be recognized. Those retiring will be honored. Dr. Nina Gunter will preach and we anticipate four pastors being ordained.
  

Many of the churches in NEO had an outstanding April statistically. Below are churches that led the way in numerical growth over last years stats:

NEO TOP LEADERS FOR APRIL

Sunday School/Discipleship
Family +138
Broken Arrow +79
Regency Park +61
Owasso Silver Creek +41
Muskogee First +37
Fuente de Vida +30
Drumright +23
Wagoner +21
Sand Springs +19
Bristow +15

AM WORSHIP
BA Connection +132
Broken Arrow +68
Glenpool SoCo +68
Regency Park +37
Muskogee First +36
Claremore +31
Fuente de Vida +30
Owasso Silver Creek +24
Bristow +23
Sand Springs +23

When asked what they are celebrating this month, pastors wrote:

I WANT TO CELEBRATE…

Don Nichols, Tahlequah…We want to celebrate Native American Camp Meeting. We partnered with 4 local churches to hold Native American Camp Meeting. We have experienced a great sense of community. The Corporate church is alive and well in Tahlequah, OK. God has visited our services and we have experienced Camp Meeting. People have been saved, friendships renewed and a Powerful sense of Community has developed.

Jeff Wooten, Wagoner…As most know our name has changed and is awaiting the assembly approval from Wagoner Church of the Nazarene to Cornerstone Community Church of the Nazarene. We now have an associate pastor and another young man that has just been locally licensed. We have 8 adults and 4 youth now helping in our growing children’s church program, and 3 more adults added for Wednesday night. We have had to add more people or the nursery because we can have up to 7 babies in there, another one just born, and another one will be here soon. I have been a part of and have been the pastor of growing churches, but I believe that we are doing it right. Steady and consistently. We actually had 15 signed up for the “HUGE” training day. Only 11 made it, but that has been unheard of in the past. God is healing marriages, touching hearts, blessing those who are ill, bringing em’ in, and finally going to ordain their pastor. Prayer requests: Good days come with good battles. Unspoken requests: Ball family, Long family, and Fontenot family. Spoken requests: Matt Wooten age 17 has two huge kidney stones, new baby “Ryland” mom is 44years old, Pat Keyes back surgery on the 28th, and Alan Robertson begins 44 days of radiation for prostate cancer on the 27th.

Jim Kent, Tulsa Southwest… receiving 5 more new members by profession of faith for a total of 14 new Nazarenes this year. I also want to celebrate a fantastic Easter service; the spirit of God was so evident. Many said it was the best Easter service we’ve ever had.

Don Cowan, Sapulpa… The baptism of 4 believers. An encouraging pastoral review and commitment to a bright future.

Gordon Smith, Dewey…We are assembling our first ever, in the history of our church, a missions trip. We are going to the Dominican Republic, and has provided above and beyond the money that we need for the trip. We had a fund raiser selling Indian Taco’s to the community, and many other fund raisers that have exceeded our expectations. We are looking forward to what God is going to do, and we are thankful for what he has already done! We had a tremendous Maundy Thursday Service that we call “In the Valley of the Shadows”. It was a very intimate, meditative, and moving service that greatly prepared our hearts for Easter! It was truly a beautiful service! We had a men’s camping retreat on the farm of one of our members, and the men just had a refreshing time of fellowship.

John Whitsett, Tulsa Central… Great services every Sunday of the month, plus during Holy Week as well. Visitor flow seems to be picking up (which is what we were hoping for with our invite3 emphasis), and it appears we’ll be able to close year with all denominational assessments met w/out tapping any emergency or contingency funds. I know I keep saying this, but I really feel we are about to turn a corner to where the sense of God’s presence with us is going to be more obvious and apparent instead of being somewhat behind-the-scenes.

David Stevens, Vinita… I thank God for all His blessings! He has been with us and helped us through difficult times in the past year. Budgets are paid. The spirit and attitude of the people of Vinita Nazarene is great. Our children’s ministries and teen ministries have grown and become more effective in the past year. The Sunrise Service on Easter helped our attendance be a little higher.

JJ James, Claremore…God moved in a powerful way in our revival services with Dr. Chic Shaver. In fact, people have been standing up and testifying in every service since the revival. In the past several weeks we have heard over 20 testimonies of how God has changed lives. One of those is from a man who was an atheist. He attended our church for two months just to explore the claims of Christianity. He was saved during revival. There is another couple who were jobless, homeless, and without a car. We helped them find a home, job, and car. They came to my office a couple of days after revival. They asked Jesus into there heart and decided they wanted to start there walk with the Lord right, so I married them that same day. We had another record attendance on Easter Sunday and six people were baptized. Then we had Jeff and Sheri Easter in concert the next Sunday PM with a record attendance of 450! God is sure blessing!

Angela Bentley, Bristow… I want to celebrate a wonderful Easter season. We had a beautiful Good Friday service and attendance at our Easter worship service was 98. There is a new sense of expectancy and anticipation of what God is doing in and through us. We are experiencing a spiritual renewal, there are visitors in almost every service, and an atmosphere of excitement and eagerness to serve has become absolutely contagious! God is so good and faithful!

Casey Hollingsworth, Miami New Life…Two ‘New Life’ baptisms and receiving 4 ‘New Lifers’ into membership.

Stephen Hundley, Cleveland… Averaging in the mid 40’s in our Community Groups. Seeing new families come and get involved in our groups. Deeper spiritual growth happening with many in our Community Groups! A sense of community.
Rodney Durr, Muskogee First… We received 17 new members this month, 15 of whom are new Nazarenes, bringing the total new members to 22 for the year, 20 of which are POF. Three new families started coming since Easter, and two of them have had their names added to the contribution record.

Wayde Normandin, Chelsea… We had a list of goals for our church this past year and we have accomplished most of them.


It is great to be a part of the NEO team! You are loved!

Dave McKellips