District Thanksgiving Service Sunday, November 18th,  5pm Central Church of the Nazarene

Join us for a wonderful time of corporate thanksgiving and praise.  The service will include: ·  Songs and testimonies of Thanksgiving. ·  Reports and awards from God’s work in our churches through Engage the Word. ·  Expressions of thanksgiving to our District Leaders and pastors for their faithful ministry through the year. ·  Communion as a District family After the service, you are invited to stay for Pie Fellowship

NEO Nazarenes, you are cordially invited to a pie social following our Thanksgiving Service on November 18th. Pumpkin, Pecan, Cherry, and Apple Pies will all be served. There will be some specialty pies like Coconut Cream that will be available in limited quantity and will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost of $5 per person will include pie, ice cream, beverage (hot or cold), and wonderful fellowship. All the proceeds will go to Owasso Silver Creek Student Ministries' Youth Room Remodel.

SUNDAY, NOV. 4 5:00 - 8:00 PM FIREY TRAILS IN SAND SPRINGS COST: $8 BONFIRE HOT DOGS SMORES HAY RIDES GAMES MUSIC AND MORE. . . Check out www.fireytrails.com for directions and site information  District News Pawhuska Church extended a unanimous call to Rev. Tony Siebels to be their next lead pastor. Tony has accepted the call and will begin his ministry in Pawhuska in early December.  Free Webinar on a Legacy of Godly Stewardship Tuesday, November 1st 7:00pm CDT

Anybody can leave money to their children, and should (Proverbs  13:22). But how does one pass a philosophy of Godly stewardship onto the next generation? The fabric of families is relationship, not money; and building family unity is far more important than building net worth. Make plans to pass on your philosophy of stewardship, and make a difference for generations to come. Make plans to join this free webinar with Dr. Mark Lail. We know you will be glad you did. CLICK HERE to register. Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with all the information you will need to join on the night of the webinar. This webinar is being brought to you by Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries International (SDMI) and the Church of the Nazarene Foundation. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at DiscipleshipPlace@nazarene.org

Help Needed for District Work Projects

A new start church is going to rent our Glenpool facilities. We need to move some equipment out of the church and would like to do so on Saturday, November 3 beginning at 10am. Email Dave McKellips if you can help, dmckellips@neonaz.com. Pastor Curtis and Lesta Martin have helped lead a very successful “restart” at our Mannford Church. Our District Work and Witness team would like to help give a facelift to the facilities.  Work days are being planned for November 9 and 10, beginning at 9am each day. Projects will include painting, flooring and clean up.     Contact Brian Loderhose for more information, bloderhose@vankeppel.com.

New Barefoot Ministries Online

Barefoot Ministries has launched a new online resource, designed to aid not only in the ministry/teaching side of local youth ministry, but in the communication and administration side as well. This comprehensive resource is packed full with a 7-year discipleship curriculum, spiritual formation content, training videos, event planner, people tracker, games and much more. For more information and go to Barefoot Online to sign-up for a free 15-day trial.

Robert's Rules of Order Changes

Pastor, did you know that there are significant changes to "Robert's Rules of Order" which our Nazarene Manual determines to be our guideline for official business meetings? There is a helpful list of considerations for electronic voting, a feature that most of us are using more and more. And for small boards (under 12) there are changes that make the meeting less formal but is just as proper and recognized as valid. For instance, debate cannot be limited, motions don't need seconds, discussion may be held without a pending motion, etc. Check it out; it may help you when someone thinks the meeting is out of order or you need to act in an official capacity and dot the i's and cross the t's. It may be helpful for you to look at the article at Church Management.

NEO District Marriage Enrichment Conference February 15-16, 2013 Tulsa Central Church with Bryce & Beth Fox Engage the Word continues through November 4th. Click HERE to read the latest news in the Manna House quarterly newsletter.

Grace and peace, Dave

Dear NEO family, As I imagine all of you know, October is designated as Clergy Appreciation Month. NEO has an OUTSTANDING team of pastors and chaplains who serve the Lord and His church faithfully, and often sacrificially. I trust that every church is planning something special for all of your pastors. Most of the Pastor/Church reviews I do are fun in NEO because the pastors and boards usually treat one another with love, acceptance, grace, and honor. Last Thursday, October 11, I was in Davenport for a review with Pastor Lowell Clark and the board. It was a love feast, as they showered one another with affirmation and support. They tell me that if there are issues, they face them together. This is how it should be! Of course, pastors and spouses have physical, relational, emotional and spiritual needs, just like all of us. Kay Hilton (Tulsa Living Hope) has been released from the hospital after seven weeks of treatment for internal bleeding and blood clots. Ambre Weston (Okmulgee) has developed gall stones, but she is pregnant and there is nothing that can be done until after the baby is born (due in January). Some of our pastors are bi-vocational and work two full time jobs.  And they deal with financial stresses and sometimes sleepless nights as they long to see a breakthrough in their church. Thom Rainer recently wrote an article dealing with “The Secret Pain of Pastors”. As we think of how to honor our pastors, this may help some of us have more insight into what our pastors are dealing with.

Thom Rainer Reveals the Secret Pain of Pastors Not all the news about pastors is discouraging. Pastors feel privileged to be called to their places of ministry. They have a deep love for those they shepherd. Most of them could not conceive of doing anything else. But please hear me: many pastors are hurting. LifeWay Research conducted a national survey of Protestant pastors. Among the questions they asked were two related to the hurts I noted above. The Discouragement Factor One of the key symptoms of the pain experienced by pastors is discouragement. More than one-half (55 percent) of pastors are presently discouraged. I suspect that if we surveyed pastors over just a few months, we would find almost all of them experience deep discouragement. Some interesting facts we discovered in our study: · There was no pattern of discouragement related to the geographical location of the church. · There was no pattern of discouragement related to the size of the church. · There was no pattern of discouragement related to the educational level of the pastor. · There was a significant pattern of discouragement related to the age of the pastor. The younger the pastor, the more likely he was to be discouraged. The Loneliness Factor Most pastors experience intense loneliness at times. When we conducted our survey, more than one-half again (coincidentally the same number, 55 percent, as noted above) said they were lonely. Again remember that this survey was for a specific point in time. Which pastors experience the greatest amount of loneliness? Our study noted some discernible patterns: · There was no pattern of loneliness related to the geographical location of the church. ·  Younger pastors were more likely to be lonely than older pastors. ·  The larger the church, the greater the likelihood the pastor was experiencing loneliness. · The greater the education level of the pastor, the more likely he is to be lonely. Why the Pervasive Discouragement and Loneliness? Why are so many pastors struggling today? In an earlier article I wrote on pastoral depression, I noted the following possible reasons: Spiritual warfare. The Enemy does not want God’s servants to be effective in ministry. He will do whatever it takes to hurt ministers and their ministries. Unrealistic expectations. The expectations and demands upon a pastor are enormous. They are unrealistic. But if one person’s expectations are not met, that person can quickly let the pastor know he is a failure. Greater platforms for critics. In “the good old days,” a critic was typically limited to telephone, mail and in-person meetings to criticize a minister. Today, critics have the visible and pervasive platforms of email, blogs and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. Failure to take time away from the church or place of ministry. Workaholism leads to burnout. Burnout leads to depression. Marriage and family problems. Too often the pastor neglects his family as he cares for the larger church family. Financial strains. Many pastors simply do not have sufficient income from the churches they serve. That financial stress can lead to depression. Some pastors do not know how to manage the money they do have, leading to further financial strain. The problem of comparison. Every pastor will always know of a church that is larger and more effective. Every pastor will always know of another pastor who seems more successful. The comparison game can be debilitating to some pastors. This one thing I do know: Pastors need our prayers more than ever. They need our support and encouragement. I am committed to pray for my pastor every day, even if it’s only for a minute or so. Will you do the same? Our pastors pour out their lives for us daily. What can you do to help our pastors?   LifeWay Research contacted 1,000 Protestant pastors across the United States by telephone. The calling list was randomly drawn from a list of all Protestant churches. Up to six calls were made to reach each sampled phone number. Each interview was conducted with the senior or solo pastor or equivalent position. Responses were weighted to reflect geographical distribution of Protestant churches. The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +/- 3.2%. Margins of error are higher for sub-groups. Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources (LifeWay.com). He was founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His many books include Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, The Unexpected Journey, and Breakout Churches. Welcome New Staff Sapulpa Church is pleased to announce the addition of a new Associate Pastor of Worship Arts, Jared Chesnut. Jared & his wife, Shealyn, come to us from Effingham, IL. Shealyn is the new 2nd Grade teacher at Kendall-Whittier Elementary in Tulsa. We welcome Jared & Shealyn to NEO! Engage the Word continues through November 4th.

NEO September Statistics

Attendance for September                                             2012-13        2011-12 SDMI                                           2944                 2992   Morning Worship                  3731                3854   ​

view complete report

I Want to Celebrate. . .

Bill Hilton, Tulsa Living Hope. . . Two weeks ago one of the children was looking very sleepy. The reason? He said he was so excited about coming to Sunday School that he got up and dressed at 4:00 a.m. that morning. How many of us are that excited about SS and church?  This past Sunday the father of three of our new children (13 of them) who walk to church attended and seemed quite interested. He said he may bring his wife with him. John Hazelton, Country Faith (previously Horton Chapel). . . We had a good day with the Young Family Bluegrass singers.  We had 41 on Sunday morning and 36 in the afternoon.  We have put new carpet in all of the old parsonage and made it into a nursery.  We are preparing for young couples and children. David Stevens, Vinita. . . We are continuing to see people mature as disciples. It is a slow process, and requires patience. We have several kids under 5 attending regularly. There is a certain sound right after the service ends:  all the people visiting together and not hurrying out the door. Our people, especially the newer ones, are learning to enjoy being together with God’s people. God is good. Joel Heid, Dewey. . . Our annual Women’s Retreat was successful and is booked for next year already.  We are excited about our new Prayer Team.  The prayer team’s job is to exclusively plan & promote anything prayer.  They will help keep the church accountable, suggest innovative ways to pray, and keep prayer central to all activities. We are planning a trip to Ft. Worth for the prayer conference. Casey Hollingsworth, Miami New Life. . . Great emphasis Sundays!  Had a teen Sunday with our teens leading the entire worship service.  Had 'Friend Day' Sunday and enjoyed a wonderful day of connecting with one another as we spent the day at 'Twin Bridges' park enjoying some food and entertainment. Larry Allen, Bristow. . . We have moved to Bristow which gives me more access to my people.  We had a wonderful revival. Don Engie, Grove Lakewood Community. . . The way God continues to lead people here! We have had 5 new people come this month – and we have made so many more contacts in the community. We also had our first GroveKids Sunday. Two Sundays a month we have Children’s Church for the kids – using the missiolife curriculum. The other two Sundays, the kids help lead in the service! We have kids help pass out bulletins, collect offering, pray at the start of the service, and help lead worship. We want to disciple and teach the kids now – what it means to be a follower of Christ - to serve as Christ served. Scottie Behm, Chelsea. . . We had our second annual local mission day held during the Chelsea community carnival. Our GUYS ministry outreach had another successful day of encouraging our friends in the community.  Our congregation provided a free hot dog lunch at the church for the Saturday crowd at the local community carnival.  We estimate that over 150 people and close to 200 hot dogs, chips and bottled water were given to fair participants. A noticeable difference this year was that several, large families came and one family had 19 people. Another was a grandmother hairdresser, with six grandchildren. We also shared a simple message “Jesus Loves You” and gave away over 500 bottles of water as intergenerational teams mingled through the crowd before and after the local parade as well as during the carnival.  One visitor (teen) said yes to us when we asked her to join us giving away water.  She later told her mother, “This was the best day of her last 7 years that [she] had lived in our town.” Click HERE to read the latest news in the Manna House quarterly newsletter.

Grace and peace, Dave

Dear NEO family, Every week I hear reports of God working in the lives and churches in NEO. That is especially true in revival campaigns in our churches: We had a great revival with Dr. Chic Shaver and Sufficient Grace. It began with a tremendous seminar on Saturday on Witnessing Without Fear. Many people found the Lord for the first time or came back to him. Some people were wonderfully filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the first revival in the church since anyone in the church can remember. We are already planning a spring revival with Rev. Scott Ferguson. We had 70 people there on our last night of the revival. God is so good.                               - Pastor Larry Allen, Bristow We have been praying for a mighty move of God for a very long time. It is beginning. It is a joy to listen to God speak to us through Dan Bohi. It is evident that he has spent the time to seek God, to know His word and to preach it with anointing. I especially love the way he integrates scriptures from all over the sacred text into a coherent theme and message. ...While it is obvious he has done his homework in studying Bible scholars, ultimately he listens to God and His Word and not to man. Sunday Morning we had 160 of our best people respond to the call for being sanctified by the filling of the Holy Spirit. As I listened to his message, the Holy Spirit challenged me about my fruitfulness. This Pastor went forward, crying out to God to make me a great witness to lead many more to Christ. I am guessing that most who responded were folk who are good solid Christians like me who are not satisfied to just be good and have some effectiveness. Monday night there were waves and waves of response for forgiveness, for healing of depression, guilt and the body.              - Pastor Geoff Gunter, Tulsa Regency Park Dan Bohi will be our speaker at Spiritual Renewal Week, January 25 – 27, 2013. Three of our churches have scheduled revival meetings for Oct. 7 – 10: ·       Barnsdall with Dr. Ark Noel as evangelist ·       Claremore with Kirk Zahniser as evangelist ·       Sand Springs with Dr. Curtis Lewis as evangelist Let’s join in prayer for these efforts and attend as you are able.

In a recent meeting of all Southern Nazarene University faculty and staff, President Loren Gresham announced SNU’s fall enrollment stands as the third highest student count in the institution’s 114 year history.   A traditional student enrollment of 1,096 and a census day record in Professional and Graduate Studies of 1,088 accounted for SNU’s fall enrollment total of 2,184. The traditional student enrollment figure reflects an outstanding spring-to-fall increase of 12.3 percent and includes a first-time student count of 390.   "This increase in enrollment represents a lot of hard work over the past year from the people on our campus," Gresham said. "Each member of our faculty and staff has played a valuable role in this accomplishment."

Quote of the Month from Oklahoma Marriage Initiative Love isn’t perfect. It isn’t a fairy tale or a story book, and it doesn’t always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. Love is work, but most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, every second of it was worth it because you did it… together. New Staff Members Bartlesville First has extended a call to Tyler Dunlop to become the new Associate Pastor of Worship.  Tyler and his wife Carey and their three children (Sam, Regi, and Graison) come to us from the Venice, Florida Church.  We welcome them to NEO!

Click HERE to read the latest news in the Manna House quarterly newsletter.

This fall, from September 30 through November 11, 2012, the Church of the Nazarene Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries office is delighted to provide a 40–day Bible reading emphasis especially for you. Available in print, online, and via your smartphone, Engage the Word is an intergenerational Bible reading plan designed for everyone in your church family. There is no cost to sign up and participate. Engage the Word is easy, but it will make a difference! Visit www.engagetheword.nazarene.org  for a full list of available resources to help with this transformational emphasis.

Grace and peace, Dave