Turning lemonade into love: OBHC honors giving 7-year-old
SULPHUR—A’Layah Robinson is no ordinary 7-year-old—she’s a giver. After growing up in foster care, she and her brothers personally know the struggles of going from one house to the next. One Saturday afternoon, A’Layah saw a group of teenagers at a lemonade stand, and something sparked in heart. She decided to start her own stand to help foster kids. What started out as a small idea turned into Lemonade for Love: an in-depth ministry...
Oklahoma Bible Conference studies 1 Peter, offers refreshment time for pastors
DAVIS—“When it comes to preaching and teaching 1 Peter, knowing those resources, the ‘well’ in which Peter drew, is going to really help you as work through it. 1 Peter is a dynamite book,” Heath Thomas said during his opening lecture at the Oklahoma Bible Conference, May 8-10, at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center. Approximately 50 pastors and church leaders met in Falls Creek’s Mathena Family Event Center for the annual...
Bethany ‘bag ladies’ bless Oklahoma City homeless
BETHANY—It started with a magazine article that Eileen Atkins read about church members making mats out of plastic bags and giving them to the homeless. She thought this sounded like something the women in her church would enjoy doing, so she told them about it, thinking someone else would take charge of the group. To Atkin’s surprise, the women asked her when she was going to start this ministry. “I didn’t want to do it because my...
Perspective: Transitional pastors
What do you do when your church has gone through a difficult time and the pastor leaves? What do you do when you have a pastor who served for a long period of time and then retires or leaves to pastor another church? These are just two of the scenarios played out in the lives of churches. In each case, the church has a decision to make. Does the church forge ahead and find another pastor, or do you take some time to determine where...
Spencer’s baptism just one of many amazing stories at Coweta, Community
COWETA—This is Spencer Shamas’ story. But it’s also the story of a church plant in a small Oklahoma town that is making a big impact. Let’s start with Shamas. Shamas was born in Okmulgee, where he grew up attending the Lutheran church, playing sports and was a curious soul trying to understand life. A deep thinker, he was always inquisitive, wondering how things worked and what might be beneficial to him. For example, at age 14, he...
Appleby Society at Falls Creek
In 1917, near the end of Falls Creek’s first camp session, a young believer by the name of Rosalee Mills surrendered her life to God in a call to ministry. With that recorded decision, Mills became the first person ever called to ministry at Falls Creek. Mills attended college at Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) and then taught in the Shawnee public schools for five years. While preparing for missionary work at the Southern Baptist...
