OpenTable UCC

Thanks to Rev. Bob Lawrence and our volunteers, we had a great 2013 launch of our Open Place youth group. The group gathered for Pizza on Thursday, then attended the Equality Gala in Tulsa on Saturday.

This ministry is made possible by funding grants from the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ, and the Justice and Witness Ministries office of the national United Church of Christ. Thanks to K-O Conference leader Edith Guffey and Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer for their help and support.

We are also honored that Wayne Majors, who performed with his wife at our Earth Day celebration, has written a song inspired by that day. Here’s his preliminary video.

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This year has also been very successful for Food for Kids Owasso. Thanks to the help of several area churches and organizations, we have provided weekend snacks for about 180 Owasso students this year. Kim Densmore has done a great job of coordinating this ministry. Our hosts at Disciples Christian Church have provided a great facility for distribution of the weekend backpacks.

We thank everyone who makes these great things happen, and we thank God for touching the hearts of our coworkers and allowing us to follow in the way of Jesus.

Faith Wylie, Lay Leader

Open Place Owasso

After a few months of waiting, we finally have a coordinator for our OpenPlace teen activities, so we’re ready to start up again.

Join us for our grand re-opening THIS Thursday, May 2 from 3p-5p at the Pizza Hut across the street from Owasso High School and meet Rev. Bob Lawrence, the new administrator for our OpenPlace activities.

We’ll have free pizza and soft drinks for everyone, permission slips to participate in future activities, and the special permission slips for those who will be joining us at the Equality Gala on Saturday, May 4.

Hope to see you all on Thursday!

Rev. Bob Lawrence

I would like to start off by saying what a privilege and a joy it is to be able to journey with you at this time.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, my official title is Supply Pastor, and I am working on a very limited part-time basis (10-15 hours/week). As a supply pastor, my responsibilities are basically just to make sure you are all doing okay. I will be working enough hours to plan, prepare for, and lead worship each Saturday (although I will be absent one Saturday every other month), to provide guidance to your congregational leaders, and to provide limited pastoral care.
I will also be working with the OpenPlace ministry for the next two months and, depending on funding sources, a little bit longer.

The primary difference between a supply pastor and a called pastor is like the difference between “just dating” and being married. As a supply pastor, I am continuing my search for a full-time position, and OpenTable is continuing its search for a called pastor. In the meantime, we’re checking each other out while keeping our options open. Like our real lives, sometimes “just dating” turns into a marriage. So, all options are available as we journey together for however long God desires.

I am excited to be with you, and looking forward to sharing this part of our journeys. If you need to contact me, email is the best way at uccrevbob@gmail.com.

Open Place Owasso

What a busy, exciting month! Here’s why:

• OpenTable UCC and Disciples Christian Church are joining together to plan a special day of worship focused on God’s sacred gift of our planet Earth on Sunday, April 20.
• Some of our companions have visited with two potential candidates for our part time minister position. We will meet Friday, April 12, 7 p.m. for OpenTable Companions Meeting to discuss hiring a minister. This is an exciting time for our group.
• We have received a grant from the KO Conference and hope to get our Open Place group together on a regular basis later this month.

Put these events on your calendar:

Thursday, April 11, 6 p.m. Celebrate Earth Planning session with dinner

Saturday, April 13, Worship at 5 p.m. featuring guest minister Dr. Bill McCutchen
followed by dinner.

CELEBRATE EARTH OWASSO April 20-22
Saturday, April 20, No worship (work session to set up for Sunday)
Owasso Farmers Market Opens for Season, 8 a.m. – Noon, YMCA parking lot
Owasso Pow Wow, 2 – 11 p.m., Owasso Seventh Grade Center

Sunday, April 21
10:30 a.m. Eco-centered Worship led by Rev. Dr. Bill McCutchen
Noon: Community Pot Luck organized by Open Table UCC
Afternoon: Environmental Awareness Booths, drumming, dancing, conversation
2 p.m. Sacred Earth Tree Planting Ceremony led by Bill Running Wolf Davis
3 p.m. Friendship Tree Planing Ceremony for OpenTable and Disciples to mark our putting down roots at Disciples
6 p.m. Stew Supper. Bring food items for a local food bank
7 p.m. Campfire and songs

Monday, April 22 Earth Day

OWASSO COMMUNITY GARDEN
At the Owasso Community Center, 76th St. N and Cedar
Thursday, April 11, 7-8 pm, Growing Tomatoes

We have two opportunities to worship together this Holy Week. Both are shared services with Disciples Christian Church. We look forward to the chance to get to know each other better.

We will share a Maundy Thursday fellowship dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 at Disciples, 129th East Ave and 66th Street N. in Owasso.

The liturgy will be part of the shared experience around the community table. We will remember both the last supper and the passion as part of our table fellowship. Don’t forget if you have volunteered to participate in the service or to bring food for the potluck dinner. It should be a really moving experience.

The OpenTable group will NOT have a worship service on Saturday night. Instead we’ll get up early Sunday morning for …

Sunrise Service, 7 am outside at the Disciples Christian Church. Temperatures should be moderate, but there is a chance of showers. If it is raining, we’ll move inside.

Easter Breakfast, 7:30 – 8:30 am. James at Disciples is making waffles, bacon and sausage. Some other goodies are planned, too. It should be delicious and fun.

Traditional Easter Service. 8:30 am. Joint service with Disciples and OpenTable. We will share in the service, and a few of our folks may even join with the Disciple singers for a special musical number. Afterwards, enjoy another cup of coffee (or go home and take a nap).

Please come. Bring a friend if you like. We look forward to sharing these special times with our companions on the journey.

Spring is an exciting season for the church, and an exciting time here at our little piece of the worldwide church.

Here’s a brief calendar:

Saturday, March 17: 5 pm Last worship in Lent. Ever feel tired, dirty, and thirsty? Believers have used the image of water to express the blessings of God in our lives. That will be the focus of our worship.

St. Patrick’s Day dinner follows worship. Faith will bring corned beef and cabbage, plus something sugar-free for dessert. Carla Mae will bring corn bread and salad. We’ll celebrate with Carla Mae the joy of having her daughter living with her again.

Thursday, March 21: We meet with Edith Guffey, our conference minister, at 5 pm at the church.

About 6:30, we will meet with the Disciples to plan our joint Earth Day celebration. We will plan how we will participate in the UCC’s Mission 4/1 Earth. Rev. Bill McCutchen, who is Native American, has suggested a joint worship service focusing on Native American philosophies about the environment.

Saturday, March 23: Palm Saturday? We’ll worship together followed by dinner.

Holy Week Activites: We will celebrate Holy Week with our partners at Disciples Christian Church

Thursday, March 28: 6-7:30 pm. For Maundy Thursday, we will remember the Last Supper during a fellowship potluck dinner. The entire service will occur as we are seated around the tables, including the moments with the cup and loaf. After dinner, we will remain in fellowship as we ponder the passion story in a quiet, candle-lit time.

We will not worship together on Saturday night, March 30. Instead, we will join Disciples at a sunrise service, breakfast and early worship.

Sunday, March 31: Joint Easter Worship

Outdoor sunrise service at 7 am
Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 am. Bacon, sausage, Belgian waffles, creamed eggs, fruit, homemade cinnamon rolls. Yum!
8:30 am: Easter Worship in the sanctuary
Come early, then go home and take a nap!

Monday, April 1. Mission 4/1 Earth kicks off.

Here’s a great link: http://www.ucc.org/earth/

Getting ready for our first worship at Disciples.

We celebrated our first worship at our new location at 66th St. North and 129th East Avenue this evening.

The folks at Disciples Christian Church have been very gracious in welcoming us. Thanks to Marty, Bill and Brenda for helping us get settled and joining us for our first service in their church.

We also said goodbye to our lay leader, Jennifer, who is moving to Kentucky to be closer to her family. We will all miss her.

Tim and Carla Mae provided beautiful flowers and a cake for Jennifer.

Coming next week: We will celebrate the end of Epiphany on Fat Saturday, Samedi Gras.

Join us for Mardi Gras cajun dinner on Saturday, Feb. 9. Worship at 5 p.m. Cajun dinner at 6 p.m. Beth is fixing jambalaya. Carla Mae is making gumbo. Tim will get some cajun chicken. Faith will make King Cake.

Thanks to Jennifer, our lay leader, for her leadership and friendship.

We are invited to worship and lunch at Fellowship Congregational Church in Tulsa at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10.

We will have a joint Ash Wednesday service with Disciples on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 pm.

Please feel free to join us for any and all of these activities.

Of course, we had food!