"I refuse to sacrifice the next generation on the altar of my preferences."    

 - Andy Stanley

Dear NEO family,

I am thinking cool thoughts as I write to you! Cause you are “cool”! Actually, I have not been a part of anything as cool recently as the swimming area at Cave Springs! Coming off the slide into 63 degree water gets your attention!

It was sure fun to join the kids and sponsors at Kidz Kamp last week. A huge thanks to Linda Holland and the wonderful sponsors who made the camp a success. This weekend I will attend a couple of days of Camp Catalyst. Doug Gunsalus and his team are geared up and ready for a wonderful weekend with our students. (And it is not to late to register and attend!)

Camp sponsors are some of my heroes. Many use vacation time to attend. They sleep on bunk beds, are in the heat around sweaty kids and serve as surrogate parents, counselors, friends and even discipinarians. Why? To hang out with our students and help them encounter Christ. God bless our camp counselors!

M11 Workshop Audio Recordings now online

Almost 100 workshops were given at the USA/Canada Nazarene meeting this year, and audio recordings from the presentations have been put online. A host of experienced and passionate presenters gave talks ranging from tithing to urban outreach to multi-site churches. They are available on the Grace and Peace Magazine website (on Church of Nazarene site ).

Most important characteristic in leaders: What characteristics do you look for in leaders? Christians in Corinth were caught up in the comparison game, ranking people with certain gifts as more spiritual, more honored than others. Paul’s response to them cut through their bickering to focus on the one characteristic that outshines all others: love. From God’s perspective, love is the indispensable characteristic of a leader. Without it, nothing else matters. Is love the defining characteristic of your leadership?

Have a blessed weekend!

Dave McKellips

NEO District Superintendent

NEO at NYC

Dr. McKellips and all of NEO,

On behalf of my teammates, Ryan Amey and Kelsey Hendrix, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of NEO for all the time, money and prayer given to make NEO NYIs NYC experience a success.

 Truthfully, I was disheartened by the lower attendance from our district and throughout the US and Canada for NYC.  However, as we started the trip, it was evident that something social was going to happen.

 On our way out of town, we had a 3 hour delay that was the bus company's fault.  A late arrival by the bus was compounded with the sending of the wrong bus.  But 12 hours later, we were together in Louisville, KY and the place was buzzing with anticipation.

 We came out of the gates with an incredible party thrown by SNU's admissions team.  People were leaving other university parties to come to ours.  When we left, the whole of all the other universities were tearing down and no one except SNU was there.  It was one of the single best events I have attended in my decade of doing youth ministry.

This was followed up by an early morning for our ministry with others project.  NEO was split into three groups.  2 groups worked with the boys and girls clubs painting and cleaning, while another group spent time working with a group called beading for autism.  It was great to be a part of such big ministry team doing so much in a short amount of time.

It was at that point that we ran head first into a very well planned conference that felt more like church than a conference.  Each speaker took us through part of a journey that prepared us for a calling.  Each piece of the puzzle started to fall into place and the journey from creation to brokenness to resurrection and the calling for each of us to be a part of unbreaking our world was tread by everyone there. 

While it was fun for us to share about our favorite moments from the conference, the truth is that the whole of NYC will stick out in our minds as a moment in time where God was especially close.

The culmination of this event was when our district took the opportunity for a debrief.  We worshipped together and then had a testimony time.  Ryan Amey started the evening off right by sharing his heart.  The flood gates opened up.

Over the next 3 hours, students shared what God was doing in their lives.  We laughed and cried.  People shared of moments of transformation, and several shared of callings on their lives to ministry!

Maybe the theme of our time together than night was God healing hurt on an individual level.  It was hard for me and I am sure the rest of the sponsors to hear these young people describe the pain that they had suffered through their lives, the loss of value, and the personal heartache. 

But!  And I use this word with an exclamation!  God broke through the pain and healed students and gave them value again!  There were at least 35 students who shared and I will tell you that not a one of them ended on a bad note.  The story shared time and time again was that God broke through this week and healed wounds!  Praise his name!

As they were sharing, I was reminded of several of the speakers and how each of them hit on a point, possibly even unintentionally.  One talked of the tree of life, and I was reminded of the sin that stripped the life out of there tree and brought death.  Sin and darkness ensued.

But when you fast forward, Jesus is crucified on a dead tree and brings life through it!  This is what God does!  It is him MO.  Get ready, when things look gloomy, God begins to show up and provide life.  The things that are dead and in jeopardy of being used in a mighty way by the life giver!

Ryan concluded our time together with a stirring and inspired calling to our youth to go out and spread the fire that had been given to them.  He called us to unite and be one.  And as I stood back, I could only see one body of believers.

May the light of God come to our churches through our youth and may they ignite us once again.

Praise God for NYC and for our wonderful leadership for paving the way for this incredible event that continues to bring us face to face with God almighty.

Doug Gunsalus

Lead Pastor

South County Community Church

Dear NEO family,

I trust you are having a great week, despite the Oklahoma heat! It is a good time to remember to count our blessings. Of course, July 4 reminded us of one of the blessings we have living in a country with our freedoms and religious heritage.

Summer heat reminds us that church camps are coming. We are praying for our youth at Nazarene Youth Conference in Louisville this week. And we are pumped about the upcoming camps for our district kids and youth.

Kidz Kamp is July 14 – 17 at Sky Ranch. Our NEO Kidz Kamp Director, Linda Holland writes:

I'm very excited, God has put together an awesome Kamp.  We have Kay Vernier for our speaker, Bob Skinner for our missionary, Remedy for our music/fun times and some guest appearances.  Our theme is Mission: Possible.  "With man it is impossible but with God all things are possible", Matthew 19:26.  Our question is what is your "it"?  What are you going to allow God to do for you?  Would you ask the churches to please pray that God will touch the heart of everyone at Kidz Kamp from the campers to the workers?  Please pray for the workers that God will give wisdom and strength.  Please pray for protection for the campers and for a few nice cool breezes to blow our way. 

Camp Catalyst for our youth is the next weekend, July 22 – 25 at Camp Bond. We will learn to Be The Change (Chris Pollack, keynote speaker), play games (Outpost with Doug), worship (Remedy, an SNU Band), and encounter Christ (you!) Register online at www.neocampcatalyst.com.

This coming week I meet with Church Boards (or Search Committees) in four of our churches looking for pastors. Pray for God to direct Tulsa Central, Bartlesville, Wagoner, Claremore and Cushing as they seek God’s guidance in finding lead pastors. Great days are ahead!

By August 24, every local church board and pastor should have completed and mailed in its “Annual Written Goals and Expectations”. I look forward to seeing the great plans God is giving NEO churches and the clarifications of our expectations for one another as we partner in ministry.

I WANT TO CELEBRATE...6/2011

Jim Johnson, Barnsdall. . . We had 21 people join our church this morning (June 26)! God is abundantly blessing our church.

Gerald Burch, Coweta Point of Grace. . . Brought in one new member to the church.

Angie Bentley, Bristow. . . another positive pastoral review, the faithfulness of God’s people and His sustaining grace!

 Jim Wilson, Pawhuska. . . Pawhuska Nazarene is really beginning to focus on what the church needs to be for the future and on the needs of the lost in our community. I have spoken about this for years now, and it is beginning to take hold in all of our hearts. New members are breathing a fresh enthusiasm in all of us.

Claude Guy, Sand Springs. . . We had a great Superhero Bible Discovery Weekend for our kids.  We had services Friday, Saturday and two on Sunday.  We took a group of 47 adults and kids to Blue Bell Ice Cream for their summer celebration and to Chandler Park for a cookout and more games.  We even brought in an inflatable and pizza Sunday night for even more fellowship time.  Rev. Kay Vernier gave lessons on the great superheroes from the Bible, and the greatest – Jesus himself, who came to us and gave his very life so that we can be forgiven from sin.  There was a great response from the children and even brought a new family into our church.  We celebrate what God is doing in our children and in our adults as they served this weekend despite the hot temperatures outside.

Dwain Young, Horton Chapel. . . On June 5, we had a special Children's Day Service with five children accepting Jesus. On Father's Day we had a special Father's Day and Missionary Service.

David Stevens, Vinita. . .   There have been several times over the past few years that we have prayed for someone who had a diagnosis of cancer. Again this month a lady reported that after God's people prayed the cancer is now gone. Another member has received a kidney transplant from his daughter and is doing well. God is answering our prayers! 6 young people were baptized on a Wednesday night a few weeks ago - 3 children and 3 teens. They were involved in our Caravans.

Brad Farnsworth, BA Connection. . . One baptism during month of June ; sent a team of 5 to help with the Joplin victims; honored Pastor Don & Jerry for 50-yrs of marriage and interviewed them as a part of the Soul Mate service on June 26.

Steve Davis, Sapulpa . .

• Continuing vision clarification
• Beginning to see God answering prayers in a new way
• Several members sent to Joplin to help with tornado recovery
• Collected and Sent tornado relief supplies to Joplin
• Repeat new attendees finding a home here
• Great vacation Bible school

Scott Behm, Chelsea. . . Our Father’s day celebration emphasized how Christ is the light of the world.  We tried to emphasis how we as fathers have certain joys and responsibilities.  One of those is that we as fathers are to share Christ’s light, in the way we live our life, in the lives of our families and in our communities.  We honored, each man by giving them a Hershey candy bar (symbolizing comfort) at the beginning of the service and then a 100 grand candy bar in the middle of service (symbolizing wealth).  Then each man, near the end of the service, received a flashlight (symbolizing the light of Christ). 

We talked about how the first two meant little, if we did not have the light of Christ.  Every flashlight was lit when each man received his light, and we emphasized that as each man turned off his light, that they were the only person who could.

When a fourteen-year-old young man came forward and said, (bypassing the candy bars) he would like a flashlight because he would be a dad someday, was the confirmation that Holy Spirit was at work.

Grace and peace,

Dave McKellips