From Pastor Kayla’s Desk 3/3
Save the Date: Saturday March 11, 9:30am-12:30pm for our “All-Church Visioning Retreat.” A light breakfast will be served at 9:30am, and then we will gather to reflect on the current strengths of our church, where we can focus our energies, and what our dreams and passions are for the future.
Over the next few week’s we’ll be taking a walk down memory lane as we review and remember our history as we look forward to discerning the future vision God has for us.
Hope. United: The next five years 2010-2014
As we entered our tenth year as a congregation, we began to realize that God was calling us to a time of renewal and change. We began a process of re-examining our mission and vision, our ministries, even our location and our name, all in an effort to discern what the stillspeaking God was saying to us now. What was God calling us to be and do as we entered a new decade? We gave this congregational journey a name, “Hope. United.”
February 2010 Raised $222 during for The Winds House during our Valentines Fundraiser
March 14, 2010 Began worshipping at the building of the Mayflower Congregational Church after 9 1/2 years at the First Unitarian Church. We celebrated our leave-taking and new home with many special worship services and events.
April 18, 2010 Monthly collections of supplies for The Winds House, an HIV treatment facility, begins
May 30, 2010 Held our farewell service for Rev. Dr. Scott Jones.
June 6, 2010 Our 2010 Summer Preaching Series began.
June 26-27, 2010 After being absent from OKC Pride in 2009, we participated in OKC Pride by having a booth and being in the OKC Pride Parade. It was sure good to be back!
September 8, 2010 We restarted our Circle of Hope Bible Study held every other Wed night.
September 12, 2010 We launched our new logo and redesigned website that recognizes and celebrates our past, present and future, as a congregation of the United Church of Christ.
October 3, 2010 Rev. Dr. Joe Meinhart preached his first Sunday sermon as our interim pastor.
December 2010 Began our first official advertising to outreach to LGBTQIA people in Oklahoma City.
January 2011 Expanded our Circle of Hope Bible Study to be held weekly.
March 2011 With Lent and Easter plans set it motion, we started to prepare for OKC Pride to make our participation bigger and better than ever.
October 2011 Held a School Supply Drive for Wilson Elementary School.
November 6, 2011 Honored Bob Lemon as our 2011 Hero of Hope.
November 13, 2011 Remembered and honored the veterans that have served our country.
November 20, 2011 Remembered those who have suffered from Transgendered hatred and prejudices in our first annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Our congregation unanimously voted for Rev. Matthew Perkins to be our pastor.
December 2011 Held a Warmth for Winter drive to collect hats, gloves, scarves, socks and coats for the children at Wilson Elementary School. We collected and donated 37 pairs of gloves, 23 winter hats, 8 scarves, 20 pairs of socks, and 20 coats.
January 22, 2012 Ben Files, member of Cathedral of Hope, is ordained in the United Church of Christ.
March 1, 2012 Started a 2 month long Gay Church 101 study during our Circle of Hope Bible study. This was a very popular and exciting look at the UCC’s view on scriptures regarding homosexuality and why we believe It’s OK to be Gay!
April 1, 2012 Our new Rainbow Heart and Cross advertisement debuted. This design was created by Larry Harper and displays the inclusive message of our church
May 19-20, 2012 We participated in the OKC Pride Festival and Parade. We debuted our new float and t-shirts to honor Larry Harper and his Rainbow Heart and Cross design.
June 17, 2012 Rev. Matthew Perkins is installed as 4th settled pastor.
June 24, 2012 Commemorated the 1969 Stonewall riots by holding the 1st Annual Special Collection for the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns.
July 2012 Held a School Supply Drive for Wilson Elementary School.
August 5, 2012 Celebrated 12 years of reclaiming a Christianity of extravagant grace, radical inclusion, and relentless compassion.
November 11, 2012 Honored Dr. Ed Shadid as our 2012 Hero of Hope.
December 16, 2012 Revived a tradition and had a Christmas Potluck with Centerpiece Auction.
December 2012 Held a Warmth for Winter drive to collect hats, gloves, scarves, socks and coats for the children at Wilson Elementary School. We made 150 scarves and collected 24 pairs of gloves, 22 winter hats, 5 scarves, 15 pairs of socks, and 8 coats.
January 2013 Sent cards signed by people in our congregation to Newtown, CT for those impacted by the violence.
February 3, 2013 The new Singles Ministry met for the first time to plan events of this exciting new ministry.
February 2013 Raised $826.55 for the Winds House with our Chocolate Deca-dance Fundraiser. Collected school supplies for Wilson Elementary School,
May 19, 2013 Participated in the OKC Pride Festival and Parade.
May 2013 Worked with the, local UCC churches in the Oklahoma City area, the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ and the UCC National Offices to determine the needs of those impacted by the Tornadoes during Pride weekend.
June 16, 2013 Collected a special offering to purchase blankets through Church World Service to help people in need around the world.
July 2013 Changed gears to help Wilson Elementary meet the requirements for school uniforms. We collected donations each Sunday and had a fundraiser party. We raised $1180 and were able to deliver the check during the first week of school so that students in need had the required uniforms to go to school.
August 11, 2013 To continue our tradition of inclusiveness, we celebrated our 13th Anniversary by making communion gluten free.
September 8, 2013 The Singles Ministry became so popular and wanted to welcome of all people, singles and couples, that it was renamed the Out & About Ministry.
September 28, 2013 Held our first Coffee House Night. This has grown into a permanent gathering of people once a month from Cathedral of Hope and Church of the Open Arms for a time of community and fellowship.
October 2013 Had an anonymous donation given to the church to go towards school supplies for Wilson Elementary. We delivered 2 boxes of file folders, 6 containers of disinfecting wipes, 24 boxes of Kleenex, 24 dry erase markers, 48 erasers, 48 composition notebooks, 51 spiral notebooks, 60 highlighters, 110 pairs of scissors, 144 pencils, 175 pencil top erasers, 240 markers, 416 sticks of glue, 960 crayons and 10800 pieces of notebook paper.
November 8, 2013 Offered a free showing of Southern Baptist Sissies.
November 17, 2013 Honored Ginger Lamar as our 2013 Hero of Hope.
December 8, 2013 Held a Scarf Making Event following our service and made 201 scarves for the students at Wilson Elementary.
December 2013 Held a Warmth for Winter drive to collect hats, gloves, scarves, socks and coats for the children at Wilson Elementary School. We collected 11 coats, 21 hats, 20 pairs of gloves and 22 pairs of socks.
February 2014 Raised $742 for Other Options during our Chocolate Deca-Dance fundraiser
May 16 & 17, 2014 Held our first annual Garage Sale Fundraiser to help rebuild the church savings.
June 2-8, 2014 Partnered with Cimarron Alliance Equality Center to bring the Shower of Stoles to Oklahoma City.
September 2014 Began book study “The Power of Intention”
November 2014 Honored Rev. Scott J. Hamilton as our Hero of Hope. Partnered with the Cimarron Alliance Equality Center to have part of The Transcending Gender Project on display at the Equality Center during the week of 11/17-11/21, after the morning services at Mayflower Congregational UCC on 11/23, and after our evening service on 11/23.