Ministry wives encouraged to let their light shine
EDMOND—Ministry wives from 87 churches across Oklahoma gathered on Sept. 28-29 at Edmond, First for Ministry Wives Weekend, which had the theme, “Radiant Beauty,” which is based on Ps. 34:5, “Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.” The 230 women in attendance were inspired to let their light shine in order to draw others to Christ. The retreat featured keynote speaker Lori Merrill, founder and...
Church plant multiplies ministry legacy in east Edmond
EDMOND—The church plant East Edmond Community Church officially launched with 81 people present Sept. 30, meeting in the Hilton Garden Inn and Edmond Convention Center, located at I-35 and Covell Road. The plant is sponsored by nearby Edmond, Waterloo Road; Edmond, First and the Church Planting Group of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. The church plant team is led by two longtime friends, Ray Strauss and Aaron Day, son of...
Southern Baptists ‘send our best’: 66 IMB missionaries go to the nations, 11 from Okla.
RICHMOND, Va.—Southern Baptists celebrated the sending of 66 new International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries on Wed., Sept. 26, at Richmond, Va., Grove Avenue—with each new missionary sharing firsthand how God has woven throughout their lives a desire to take His Gospel to people who have never heard it. Of the 66 new missionaries, 11 have ties to Oklahoma, either by upbringing or education. Many of the 11 are serving in closed...
OKC, Rancho Village positions for the Latino future
Oklahoma City, Rancho Village recently combined the worship services of their English and Spanish-speaking members into one service. The move is designed to make the church more responsive to the needs of the community that lives around the church. “We call it one body, bringing everyone into the sanctuary together and keeping us together as much as we can,” Pastor Floyd McKee explained. “There is still some separate time, after the...
Prodigal prayer ministry: The fruit of a mother’s and daughter’s transformed lives
BARTLESVILLE—The enemy meant to destroy them, but today they are destroying the enemy. In 2013, Francine Perry, a member of Bartlesville, First, started the Come Grow with Me Bible study with 25 women who met in a home for several years. Today, that study has grown to nearly 140 women from area churches who meet weekly in the Bartlesville, First worship center. It was during the growth of this Bible study that Francine and Paul Perry,...
See You At The Pole: Students observe ‘Global Week of Prayer’
Each September, students globally gather around flag poles at schools to observe a time of prayer. This event is known as See You At The Pole (SYATP), and it has challenged students to pray for their schools, classmates and communities for nearly 30 years. See You At The Pole began when a small group of teenagers felt the need to pray for their community, according to syatp.com. This led them to visit three different schools in their...
