Northeast Oklahoma District Church of the Nazarene

Dear NEO family,


Greetings in the strong name of Jesus! What a storm we endured last evening. I’m curious…do you have songs you sing during the storms of your life? Last night I found myself singing a song that meant a lot to me during my childhood, “Till the Storm Passes By”. Here are the words of the chorus:

      Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
      Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
      Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
      Keep me safe till the storm passes by

I just listened to a couple of artists singing the song on U-tube. You may want to hear Ben Speer sing this gospel classic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21VW741urFY&NR=1 ) Whatever the storm, I am glad that our God walks with us and will work in it for our good.

Retiring Pastors: Two of our fine pastors are retiring from pastoral ministry (but not from service to our Lord) on Easter Sunday. I will have the privilege of attending a luncheon honoring Randy and Bonnie Schuneman this Sunday in Bartlesville and a retirement party for Harold and Gaylia Johnson on Easter Sunday evening in Cushing.

The NEO March statistics and leaders in attendance growth are posted on our website (http://www.neonaz.org/resources/stats-report ). I think you will be encouraged to see the way God is blessing some of our churches. Here is what some of our pastors are celebrating:

I WANT TO CELEBRATE...3/2011

Brad Farnsworth, BA Connection. . . 3 kids in our 65th St ministry, plus 3 adults, gave their hearts to Jesus this month; C3 Life Group meeting on Sunday evenings averaging 10-12 adults; 14 first-time visitors during the month.

Cole Weston, Okmulgee. . . We finished work on our sign; several new families have been visiting our church and seem to have found a home.

David Stevens, Vinita. . . New people continue to come. One new family drives in from South Coffeyville. Illness has really taken its toll on the attendance average this month, but the Lord has been faithful in our services. One of our older members testified that when Carol Stevens laid her hands on him and prayed for his healing he felt a warmth come over him, and during the afternoon the debilitating pain in his legs completely stopped.

Gerald James, Claremore. . . We had an amazing revival with Suzi Shellenberger. Praise the Lord!

Casey Hollingsworth, Miami New Life. . . A fresh outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on our church! Words can’t describe what God is doing in our church. Lives are being transformed and miracles are taking place every week. We are seeing both numerical growth and spiritual growth. We come together expecting God to do something special. I praise Him for personally sanctifying my life in a way I’ve never experienced before. He is so good!

Steve Davis, Sapulpa. . . Financial Peace University; 2 New Ladies Bible Studies; Great time of vision clarification; Beginning to see God answering prayers in a new way.

Bill Hilton, Tulsa Living Hope. . . The last mortgage payment has been made!

End of the Church Year. Easter Sunday ends our statistical year. I hope your church will finish strong with many people entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Thanks for your attention to our Giving Goals for each local church. We are a connectional church. We are not independent, but interdependent. We are better together. Let’ work hard to be great team players and be 100% on our giving goals.

Dates to make sure you have on your calendar:

      NYI Golf Tournament, April 30
      NYI Extravaganza, May 27 - 29
      NEO Homecoming 2011, June 4 – 6, Central
            NMI Convention, June 4, 10am – 4pm
            NYI Convention, June 4, 10am – 4pm
            Homecoming Celebration, June 5, 6pm
            District Assembly, June 6, 8:30am – 4:30pm
            Ordination Service, June 6, 7pm
       NEO Kidz Kamp at Sky Ranch, July 14 – 17
       Youth Camp at Camp Bond, July 22 – 25 http://www.neocampcatalyst.com/
Nazarene Publishing House announces Mother's Day contest. Send an email to dhb@nph.com and let Nazarene Publishing House know why your mom is the best in 50 to 100 words. The winner's mom gets three books of her choice plus a computer bag full of goodies. Submissions must be in by April 29. The winner will be announced May 2. Visit the Nazarene Publishing House Facebook page, facebook.com/nazarenepublishinghouse, to find out who won.

To see Nazarene Publishing House's selection of books for moms and grandmothers, click here.

Have a blessed weekend! You are loved!

Dave McKellips