This month’s Tidings is devoted to telling stories of love... a subject clearly addressed in I Corinthians 13. While the object of love may vary in each story, the truth remains that love is the greatest of all gifts.
1—2
Coming Soon
2—3
Notes from the Journey
4 — 21
Love Stories
22 — 23
50+ Anniversaries
24 — 30
Calendar of Events
30 — 31
New Members
32 — 33
Family Room
Tidings Staff Sandy Wagner Jan Weinheimer Juli Armour Lisa Tresch Lina Holmes Chris Lo Nikki Boyd
Asbury Tidings is a monthly publication designed to tell stories of lives being transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. You may read back issues by visiting www .asburytulsa.org
Being that it’s February and Valentine’s Day is on the 14th, the concept of “Love” is upon us. The problem is that the word has so many different meanings and expressions. That’s why so many have liked C.S. Lewis’s book called, The Four Loves.” 1.) AFFECTION (Greek word, “storge”) is the word we use within familiar relationships, especially within the family. Parental, sibling, and familial love are wonderful parts of being a human. 2.) FRIENDSHIP (Greek word, “philios”) is the word that gives us “Philadelphia” (the city of “brotherly love.”) Friends are people who share common interests. I like the Proverb (18:24) which says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” And Ecclesiastes 4:10 has a good perspective, too: “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” 3.) EROS (that IS the Greek word) describes sexual love. Without eros, the human race would no longer exist. But it is more than just sex; it is based on relationship. 4.) CHARITY (Greek word, “agape”) is the word Paul uses in I Corinthians 13. It is the love of God. It is the type of love shown by the father to his prodigal son and to his angry, judgmental son (Luke 15). To be a Christian means that we will base our lives upon “Agape.” In reading the book, The Gospel According to the Beatles, Steve Turner writes of how many people live: “Believing that we came from nowhere, are headed nowhere, and that our lives and actions have no ultimate meaning can be a recipe for despair .” You may recall one such individual the Beatles sang about in their song, “Nowhere Man,” which may have been an autobiographical statement about them. Our families may not live nearby, or may be unable to be the people we need them to be. We may lose friends for various reasons. We do not have to experience “Eros” to know love. The one and only constant source of love I can point to is in a relationship with Jesus Christ. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Dr. Tom Harrison, Sr. Pastor
Wednesday, February 13 6:00-6:30 pm Mason Chapel
Asbury will hold a food drive to benefit Restore Hope Ministries on Sunday, February 3 from 7:30 am – 3 pm. Everyone is encouraged to donate food and housekeeping products. The most needed items are canned vegetables, canned soup, peanut butter, canned meat, canned fish, canned fruit, pasta products, soap for laundry, dishes and body, paper products for bathroom, kitchen and face, disinfectant products for bathroom, general cleansers, and cleaning tools like sponges, brushes, etc. Volunteers are needed to work in 30 minute shifts to help load the trailer and also help unload the trailer that afternoon at Restore Hope. Restore Hope Ministries, a United Methodist outreach, offers a comprehensive package of services to reach its goals. Programs are designed to achieve our dual purpose of equipping families to help themselves restore their economic and spiritual vitality and to mobilize congregations to serve families in economic need. Contact Beth McCalman at 392-1116 or Missy Sistrunk at 392-1163.
Boy Scout Spaghetti Lunch Sunday, February 17 11:30 am - 2:00 pm Community Life Center
Are there people in your life who need the salvation of Jesus? Then make it a point to attend the Service for the Unsaved, a Lenten focus to reach the unsaved through prayer. Bring pictures and/or names for anointing and prayer. “I thank God, whomn I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.” 2 Timothy 1:3-4.
The Connection Corner will be here soon! The Connection Corner will be another way we can serve and support you. Getting connected to the right community, finding a place to serve, or getting the support you need is not always easy in a church the size of Asbury. But it gets smaller as you connect and meet people. We’re
Ash Wednesday Service February 6, 2007 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary
pulling together the resources and are looking for the right volunteers to serve in this capacity. You matter to us, and getting you “plugged in” is a high priority. If you would like to volunteer at Connection Corner and
No Family Dinner or Children’s Choir. Children’s programming and childcare available.
help people get plugged in, contact Joan Kahl at jkahl@asburytulsa.org or call 392-1176.
Asbury Columbarium and Prayer Garden Since one of the most difficult and stressful decisions we make in our lifetime is choosing funeral and cemetery arrangements after a death, pre-planning has become a thoughtful and meaningful gift for those left behind. Asbury United Methodist Church is honored to offer y ou an option to consider, as we are in the process of designing a Columbarium which will provide a permanent resting place for our loved one’s mortal remains. What is a columbarium? The word “columbarium” comes from the Latin word “columbary” which is a structure for the nesting of doves – the dove being the symbol of God’s spirit and peace. The term relates to a tradition used for centuries, both here and abroad, where a burial vault is provided for the containment of urns holding cremated human remains. Is cremation biblically sound? Cremation is essentially a hastening of the natural process that occurs following death and is widely recognized as a theologically valid process for the deceased. Other large United Methodist congregations have added a columbarium in the past few years.This ancient practice has particular relevance for us today since land surrounding churches is less readily available. What are the benefits? Families who choose cremation rather than conventional burial will find Asbury a wonderful option. • Beautiful and Peaceful – There will be a gathering space for services, surrounded b y landscaped shrubbery, trees and flowers. Benches will be provided throughout the area for prayer and quiet time. • Prayer Garden – In addition to the Columbarium, there will also be an associated prayer garden. This special area will be treated with reverence and respect. • Convenience – The location will allow the funeral/inurnment services to be held in the Columbarium area followed by a
memorial service in the Chapel or church Sanctuary. • Cost – Cremation and inurnment costs are commonly a quarter of the cost of a traditional burial. When will the columbarium and garden be built? The Columbarium concept is being presented now. Construction will begin when enough niches have been sold to pay for the project. How will the project be funded? The Columbarium will be totally funded through sales of niches in the Columbarium. (The general budget will not subsidize the construction costs.) It is estimated that between 125 to 140 niches will need to be purchased in order to fund construction which will begin when sufficient funds are raised. While all members of the Asbury family will benefit from the use of the prayer garden, the Columbarium itself will be paid for by members and their families who plan on using it. After the initial construction costs are covered, further sales revenues will be used to increase the number of niches as needed. What is the cost of a niche? Each niche (which accommodates the remains of two people) will cost $3,500 of which $2,000 is a tax-deductible donation to the church. The cost does not include cremation, which will be arranged by each family with the funeral home of their choice. The niches are faced with commemorative granite panels which can be engraved with family names as well as birth and death dates. How will the garden be maintained? A portion of future sales revenues will be used for ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the garden. If you desire more information, please E-mail columbarium@asburytulsa.org or call the church office and ask for our Columbarium Administrator, 492.1771.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. – The Apostle John
Notes for the Journey Proof of Love
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n a small cedar box I have a collection of love letters. I use the term loosely. Actually, they are just letters written by the boy that I loved at that time, and so I labeled them love letters. There isn’t anything overtly sappy in the writing, no X’s or O’s or little hearts drawn anywhere, and no poems. My favorite letter is one that tells me that I am his best friend. That was enough for me and more than any of the other letters this one is folded in many places and wrinkled, giving evidence that it was treasured, and read over and over. Still, when I look back at the letters from this boy I realize how little we knew about love. Not long after the “best friend” letter, he proposed to me and I said yes. We had a wedding ceremony and made vows and became husband and wife. Still, we knew very little about love. I felt something deep and that seemed to be enough. I believed that the “feeling” was the extent of the love experience. Then things got tough, and I realized that the feeling wasn’t enough. My new husband and I realized how very different we are. We argued and fought, and our expectations of one another were often unmet. Love, it seemed, required something more than just deep warmth. It required teeth-clenching-heels-dug-in-theground hard WORK. I’d like to say that no one warned me about this before I put on the white dress and veil and walked down the aisle, but they probably did and I was just too lovestruck to listen. In my journey of following Jesus, I have discovered that I was also a little lovestruck in the beginning. I read all the beautiful passages about love in scripture, talked about love, told 3
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By Lisa Tresch people I loved them and beamed when they told me they loved me. I even taught Sunday school and educated children, college students and young adults on the theology of love. I thought I was quite adept at sharing the love. Now, I am realizing how little I knew (and how little I still know) about love. In his book, The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard talks about those who love love , but in practice are unable to love real people. I must raise my hand as one of the guilty. It is much easier for me to pontificate about love than to clench my teeth and get down to the gritty labor of putting feet to this love. It is much more than a feeling, and sometimes the feeling doesn’t come until I step out and perform acts of love: a kind word, a meal shared, my precious time spared for another, offenses dropped and peace offerings given. I still have much to learn about love, but this I know: God performed the ultimate act of love when He came to dwell among us, then gave Himself up to die at the hands of those He created in order to restore relationship with all mankind. There is no greater
kind of love, and so if I hope to live a life that reflects that kind of love, I must stand in the flow of it - walking, talking and soaking the life of Christ into my own life. And I must be willing to admit that love is not something that is mastered once and for all. We grow in it each day as we grow in Christ. I am content to think of myself as a student of love - still mining its depths and learning how to give it even before I feel it, and receive it when I don’t feel worthy. I am determined to not just talk about love, but to put action with my words so that Christ’s love can flow through me. Daily. Hourly. And with every breath.
Preparing the Soil for Transformation
Photos by Christy Capps
Part of the team to Estonia: Earl Stutzman, Joe Spence, Dick Read and Glen Grusendorf. ASBURY TIDINGS
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e really wanted to be a professional baseball player and entertained that dream for a time, but reality caught up with him and he saw that he didn’t have what it took to pursue the sport as a career. He did have enough skill to play collegiate ball and in retrospect that proved a wonderful provision by God. Joe Spence received his secondary education at Tulsa Edison where he played baseball—shortstop—and this led to his scholarship offer from Oral Roberts University. He believes there is a time for everything in God’s economy and that ORU and baseball were the avenues God used to help him grow toward a vital Christian commitment. While there, Oral Roberts planted a seed in Joe’s heart which would come to fruition later at Asbury. Joe was in an accountability group with Dick McKee (then Asbury’s Executive Pastor) and he felt that Dick had a way of delivering the Gospel message that was different and compelling. “One day in the old Sanctuary I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of my life. While I didn’t have a dramatic conversion, I knew I was a different person,” said Joe. Joe and his wife Beverly attended Edison, but didn’t get to know one another until the latter part of their senior years. They dated some and went to the prom together, but when Beverly also came to ORU they continued their relationship and married between their junior and senior
years. He admits that “I really didn’t deserve Beverly. She’s wonderful.” From ORU, Joe received his bachelor’s degree in 1976 and earned his Master of Business Administration in 1980. After graduation, he began his career in business, specifically manufacturing. From 1986-2006, he was with T.D. Williamson, Inc., serving the last 10 years as Operations Manager. In this position he was responsible for engineering design, manufacturing, and product quality. He also served as facilities manager for the company. He retired from T.D. Williamson, Inc. in 2006, at the young age of 52. Now Joe had the freedom to pursue other dreams and his desire to be in ministry. He was open to God’s leading, but still felt that perhaps his love of baseball would somehow be used in this new phase of his life. When Joe approached Dwight Yoder about the vacancy left by Julie Reynolds, and understood that it was being restructured, he asked Dwight if he thought this was a possibility for him. “I had prayed, ‘Lord, lead me, open the doors. If you open the door, I’ll follow.’ He knew my heart and my desires. Soon the job became more interesting. I would be working with people and helping them in ministry,” Joe explained. It turns out that serving Asbury as Director of Operations was God’s call. In this position he will oversee the various
support services within the church other than finances. For over 26 years Joe and his wife, Beverly, have been active and faithful members of Asbury. They have been involved in many areas of ministry including global missions and various accountability, administrative and study groups. They have two grown children, Bryan and Amanda, and three granddaughters. He believes that each of our jobs, whether in sports or the operations of the church, should contribute somehow to transformed lives, directly or indirectly. “My job will be pretty ‘behind the scenes,’ but it will pave the way for God’s work to be done,” he said. “I want to clear the way for ministry so others can shine. I want to be a vital part of the growth of the church. Tom has great wisdom and vision for Asbury and I want to be able to do something to help touch the hearts of others. We need to use our time and resources effectively so that they bring more value to the kingdom of God.” So, while Joe won’t be actively involved in baseball—one of his great loves—he will fill a vital field position seeing that the church runs smoothly and provides opportunities for Asbury to fulfill its mission to “Glorify God and Make Disciples.” -Sandy Wagner .
Joe with Vicktorya in Parnu. 5
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The Influence of a Godly Mentor
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challenge you once again to trust God with all your heart, spirit and mind; accept your weaknesses . . . seek only His ‘will done’. Find your value in the enormity of the price He paid for you. Let Him express His life through you.” So goes a letter written to me by my mom back in 1994. Through the years, I’ve collected a stack of letters from my mother. Each written during the different seasons of my life – high school, college, the single years, the wedding, babies, and now marriage and parenting. Every letter affirms her and Dad’s love for me and offers some kind challenge to go deeper in my walk with God. I count it an incredible blessing to have such a godly mentor as my own mom. What’s more, how great is it to call my mom my best friend! Through the years we’ve spent countless hours together shopping, laughing, crying, praying, traveling and sharing life. Known as “Granny” to most, my mother, Carol Jackson, inspires me daily to live a life surrendered to Jesus. She sings, helps lead a women’s jail ministry, and has taught teenagers since I was in high school myself. She still goes to youth camp as a sponsor. I’m inspired that she’s still active in ministry and that her heart for God hasn’t taken a vacation since she reached retirement age. But she’ll be the first to tell you that she’s not lived the perfect spiritual life. Her intimacy with Christ has come out of a lot of years of personal struggle. I think that’s one of the sweetest things about her - my mom is genuine in her humanity, wants to learn from her mistakes and daily recognizes her need for God.
Now as a mom, I hope to learn by her example. I now understand and appreciate the sacrifices she and Dad have made for me. I was too selfish when I was younger to really grasp all that God has given me through them. And though there are countless things I love about my mom, a few stand out as reasons why I’m so grateful for the legacy she is leaving me: Mom loves God’s Word. I know she spends every morning alone with the Lord. She has a passion to not just know the Bible but to live it. She is always ready to give me counsel based on what God’s Word says, not her opinion. There are stacks of notebooks filled with her personal Bible studies that will be left to me that I count as treasures. Mom is a woman of prayer. Whether it’s to celebrate or intercede, my mom takes my family and me before the Lord on a daily basis. I’m thankful that she doesn’t pray for my life to be easy, but that through every situation I would realize God’s faithfulness and become intimate with Him. Mom has compassion for people. My mother will share her love for Jesus with a lamppost! She has never met a
Nikki Boy d and her mom, Caro l Jackson .
stranger and seems to always be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. I’m guilty of rolling my eyes when she’s started a conversation with someone at a time I thought as inconvenient. I know there are literally hundreds of lives that have been impacted by her love for them and her love for Jesus. My friend has a pillow that says, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all.” That always makes me laugh. The very things about my mom that used to drive me crazy, I’m now beginning to see in myself. But you know, when I look at my mom’s incredible legacy, being like her is a pretty great thing. I pray that one day my boys will say the same things about me – that I loved them and loved God completely; that I had a passion for God’s Word and for people. And, that through my life I pointed them to Jesus. -Nikki Boyd Photo by Lina Holmes ASBURY TIDINGS
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An Affair of the Heart
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have a public confession to make. God has convicted me of a grievous sin that I must expose to the light: I have been involved in an adulterous relationship. I never thought this would happen to me, yet it did. It all started when I met someone back in high school. We were good friends from the start; he even came to my wedding. We kept in touch for 15 years but eventually drifted apart. In 2006 my family joined Asbury, and one day I ran into him at church. I was happy to see my old friend and it seemed every time I went to church he was there. Our relationship grew, and I began thinking about him constantly. I started seeking him out––very casually at first and then more purposefully. I realized he was seeking me out too. There were too many “coincidences.” Our time at church was too short so we started getting together throughout the week––just to talk. We really connected on an emotional level, and I wanted to be with him all the time. Then it occurred to me that I was falling in love with him. I was shocked at what was happening and thought, How is it possible that I have known him all these years, and yet I never really knew him? He is in love with me too. He has promised to never leave me; he remarks often that we have a future together and nothing will separate us. One morning I awoke with a dry throat. I was so thirsty I could barely swallow. I thought of him; I felt like I was dying of thirst, but I wanted him more than a drink of water. Finally, I knew he was my first love! Like a deer pants after water, my soul was panting after the Lord (Psalm 42:1). I thirsted for him! He told me he had always felt that way about me . . . and I thought of all the years I had wasted. That’s when I realized I had been cheating on Jesus since that day in high school when we first met. I usually acted like a good Christian girl should, but inwardly I was flighty and impetuous––always distracted from the Lord. People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). And I confess that my heart was full of infidelity! On any given day I spent more time primping than worshipping God, slack jawed watching TV than reading my Bible, acquiring and fretting over material possessions than giving and serving, and more time whining than praying. Most days I was more concerned about what to wear or what to eat than with God and His Kingdom. My heart and my life were so typical. It was not until I earnestly began to seek the Lord through daily prayer, Bible reading, worship, and journaling that my heart finally awakened to the deep, passionate, and abiding love of Christ. Jesus has always been my spiritual lover, but now at long last I am his. Joyfully I confess that “I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me” (Song of Solomon 7:10). -Stephanie Hurd
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Love for America and Its People
stablishing legal citizen ship in the United States isn’t easy. In fact, it’s a demanding process meant to ensure everyone has a basic understanding of the country’s democratic principles, how our government works, what our rights as individuals are—and how to live in freedom alongside other people from other cultures, beliefs, and customs. It requires preparation and effort, but according to Santiago Ruiz, it was a dream worth pursuing. His 12-year dream came to fruition in the gymnasium of Monte Casino on November 14, 2007 as he (and 52 others representing ten different countries) stood with his wife and friends and swore his allegiance to the United States of America, the country he had come to love, the land of freedom and opportunity. This 30-year-old native of Quito, Ecuador, came to Oklahoma to be educated after his older brother had
received his education at Oklahoma State University and then returned to Ecuador. Santiago was scared when he came speaking no English, but he soon adapted and grew to love this country. “It is a blessing to be able to get an education in America,” he said. Not only did he earn his bachelor’s degree from OSU in 1999, but continued his education receiving his MBA in 2001. While pursuing his master’s degree he interned with a Tulsa company, Samson Investments. Pleased with his work, they sponsored him to get his work visa. Now, he holds a full-time position as an accountant with the company. OSU provided far more than an education; it was in Stillwater that he met his future wife, Melissa Thornton. An instructor in Latin dance, Santiago met her when she came for the free lessons given on Saturday evenings at the Student Union. Melissa had been to many countries and had participated
in mission trips. Her exposure to other cultures made her “very internationallyminded,” according to Santiago. When he and Melissa married on June 21, 2003, he got his green card. He wanted to become a citizen for many reasons. Certainly, part of his motivation was economic. “There are very few opportunities in Ecuador. You can be educated and work very hard, but there may not be work for you. In Ecuador there are doctors driving taxis to earn a living,” he explained. And, of course, he has a wonderful American wife. But an even greater reason for loving America is the “integrity of the people. In Ecuador there is lots of corruption. They have laws and a constitution, but the people for the most part, they don’t respect the laws or the government. They speed and drive without a license and if they get caught all they have to do is pay the law off. They have a constitution, but if they don’t want to enforce it
Santiago, Mrs. Thornton and Melissa. Mary Ann Smith with Santiago.
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they just ignore it. “Right now the leadership [of Ecuador] is very anti-U.S., antidemocracy and there are lots of restrictions. I feel by earning a living here and voting, I carry more influence through being an American citizen than if I lived there and voted,” he said. Besides earning his education, meeting his lovely bride, he also came to a defining moment in his spiritual life during his time in Stillwater. When arriving in Oklahoma, Santiago developed an interest in learning about other Christian traditions. His interest was partly due to the influence of a remarkable couple— Sylvia and Aaron Duncan—who became like foster parents when he came to Stillwater. They helped him with his English, his homework and would teach him and others about the Bible and God. In Ecuador he assumed all the world was Catholic. He began visiting
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other churches and attended one church for a period. Later, he looked for a church that wasn’t quite so extreme. His friend Melissa was Methodist, so he began visiting with her and found he liked the Methodist church. During his final year of college his family in Ecuador faced some financial difficulties and often he didn’t have money for food or other necessities. During that difficult time God became very real to him and he was amazed at how people reached out to him and provided for him. He knew it was God looking out for him. “I realized He was able to help me in all my circumstances.” After Santiago and Melissa made their home in Tulsa, some former OSU friends invited them to Asbury. He said Dick Read was also influential in their decision to become members of Asbury. Dick also encouraged them to help form a new community—Covenant Community. According to Santiago that community is now 60 members strong and growing. “Asbury is a big church with a small church spirit,” he added. Melissa, Dick Read, Mary Ann Smith and many members of the Covenant Community, stood with Santiago during his naturalization ceremony as his dream of becoming a citizen of America came to fruition. He proudly swore before the three judges-United States Chief District Judge Claire V. Eagan, United States Judge Gregory K. Frizzell and United States Magistrate Judge Frank H. McCarthy--to be a loyal to the country he has come to love. -Sandy Wagner
Young Love, God’s Way
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hat Jason loves most about his wife is how she compliments and strengthens him. What Emily loves most about her husband is––well, she can’t pick just one thing, but she did mention how he gives her looks that make her spine tingle. Emily and Jason Yang were high school sweethearts who both grew up at Asbury. They were involved in student ministries but really didn’t “notice each other” until they went on a mission trip to Houston, Texas. Jason knew Emily was special when he saw how she interacted with the children in Houston. “There was something extremely attractive about her genuine heart and beautiful smile,” said Jason. Emily remembers how Jason was so funny and easy to talk to. “It was amazing to see this cute guy loving on people and working to further God’s kingdom,” she said. ASBURY TIDINGS 10
Emily and Jason began a longdistance friendship when Emily’s family relocated later that summer. “We began to truly get to know each other through hundreds of letters (handwritten mostly) and countless hours over the phone. I recall having to pay my parents hundreds of dollars for exceeding my allotted cell phone minutes. It was all worth it of course,” enthused Jason. By the time Emily moved back to Tulsa, the two were best friends. From that beginning they
formed a letter-writing habit that never stopped. “We have hundreds of pages of letters, notes, and emails to each other––most of which are gathered into two huge binders,” said Emily. One year after they started dating, Jason went off to college. Emily and Jason spent five out of six years dating long distance. They both acknowledge it was difficult but credit God for making good use of the time by teaching them how to put Him first in all areas of their lives, both separately and
Emily, Jason and friend Matt Ball at Dayspring 1998.
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together. Coming from strong Christian homes with excellent marriage role models provided a good foundation. They also had their individual relationships with Christ. Emily accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior one night during a fall retreat at Robbers Cave, while Jason grew up always knowing Jesus and began really trusting Christ with his life in college. Jason recalls the time Emily left him a panicked voicemail while she was out of the country on a mission trip. He couldn’t understand her message because she was crying. He tried desperately to reach her and had no idea of what was happening. “I began to realize how important she really was to me and how much I truly loved her,” he said. After several minutes passed (that felt much longer) he learned she was okay, and that’s when he realized they were more than high school sweethearts. “Emily was the first person I had given my heart to. She was the person I wanted to have with me throughout my life,” he remarked. Emily came to the same realization. “I knew that God’s hand was in our relationship. Jason was my first real date, first real boyfriend, and first kiss. He is the only guy I’ve kissed,” she said. Jason and Emily have been married for three years now and are expecting their first child, Benjamin, in March. They are forever grateful to God for giving them so much––especially each other! -Stephanie Hurd
Love Wears Many Faces
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eshome Tafa is my Compassion child. He is a shy young man, which is evident in the picture that was posted on the website for Compassion International. It was almost a year ago that I clicked through the individual photos of children who were waiting for sponsors and he caught my eye. There was nothing remarkable about him, except that he was born on March 19, 1990 – seven weeks before my own son was born. In his Compassion photo, his face is shadowed and his smiled is tentative. The information listed about him was just the basics and his Child Profile reads: Teshome lives with his mother. He is responsible for carrying water and making beds. His mother maintains the home. There are two children in the family. Soccer and telling stories are Teshome’s favorite activities. In middle school his performance is below average. . . Teshome lives in the farming community of Dukem [Ethiopia], home to approximately 21,000 residents. I chose Teshome, clicked the button to sponsor him, and welcomed our newest and third Compassion child to our family. I was familiar with the basic routine. We would spend the first six months exchanging letters that would cross in the mail, which would leave us without the benefit of much dialogue. Then, gradually, we would get our correspondence in synch and begin to answer the questions that the other was asking. Over time, we would get to know each other, but in one significant way my correspondence with Teshome differed from the letters exchanged with our other Compassion children. He immediately began inviting me to visit him. In May 2007, Teshome’s letter contained the following question: “When do you come here? I hope you will come.” The abruptness of his request made it sound as though Tulsa, Oklahoma and Dukem, Ethiopia were separated by a few drivable miles. Yet, somehow his invitation seemed irresistible.
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With much prayer, and quite a few amazing “coincidences,” I was able to put together a trip to Ethiopia in November of 2007. It seemed unreal that after many months of letters, prayers and trying to imagine what his life must be like, that I was about to meet my Compassion child. Pictures and letters are wonderful, but seeing him in person for the first time made me realize what an impact we were both having on the other’s life. On that amazing day, I got to put my arm around Teshome, present him with a new soccer ball, a new pair of crocs, a watch and an OU t-shirt. I was able to see where he went to school. I was given the privilege of sharing a coffee ceremony in his humble house with his mother and younger brother and sister. But the most incredible moment came at the end of our visit. He informed me that with the money we had sent him through Compassion, he had purchased a horse and carriage, which he used to start an after school taxi service to support his family. He asked me if I wanted to see the horse, and of course I agreed. Then, he told me that he had not named his horse yet. He wanted to give me that honor and I was completely humbled. I named the horse Colin. Teshome’s entrepreneurial spirit, and his determination to give his family hope and himself an opportunity was an awesome thing to witness. Our relationship had begun with a reference number. Now we were friends standing on a dusty street in Dukem, Ethiopia with his horse. He smiled, and asked me if I would like to take Colin for a drive. As I rode with Teshome in his horse-drawn taxi down the dirt streets waiving at all of his friends, he asked me through our translator if I was happy. I replied, “Of course.” I asked if he was happy and he smiled again, “Yes,” he said nodding, “today I am very happy.” -Kyle Tresch
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Love Within the Family
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here’s a saying that you can choose your friends, but you’re stuck with your family. For the Weidman family, being stuck with each other is a blessing. Kori, Missy, Nicole and John David Weidman grew up as best friends. Although they each have very different personalities and preferences, they have one thing in common: love for each other. First born of the four children is Kori (22). She recently graduated from OSU with a degree in education psychology and is currently working with the Asbury youth. “Kori is the most ‘people person’ I know,” says brother John. “She’s on fire for God.” Melissa (20), as the family calls
her but “Missy” to everyone else, is sister #2. She was Kori’s roommate at OSU, and is pursuing an economics major. Her sisters describe her as hilarious, witty, driven, persuasive and forgiving. Her brother adds, “She also very stubborn, like our dad. But I guess that’s good, since she wants to be a lawyer like dad.” Nicole (19) is next. She also attends OSU with her sisters and studies engineering. She is the sweetheart of the family, very smart, very loyal, and lights up every room she enters with her uplif ting glow. She is even learning to become a pilot, flying through the skies of Tulsa three times a week. She hopes to use this skill in future missionary work.
The youngest is John David, J.D. to his buddies. He’s a Metro Christian ninth grader who seems to be good at everything, especially soccer and
“ . . . get along and love each other, or get along and love each other.”
ASBURY TIDINGS
14
FOR YOU ARE ALL CHILDREN OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. GALATIANS 3:2
football. His sisters say he is an incredible little man, who follows every rule. “He takes care of us as if he’s the oldest,” says Kori. “He’s a great listener, and we all think he is very special.” Growing up Weidman meant spending a lot of time together at the family cabin near Locust Grove. “There’s no TV up there,” says Missy. “We were forced to play with each other.” Going on hikes, card tournaments, playing games, laughing and just “hanging out” were favorite activities – and they still are! Asbury was also a big part of growing up in the Weidman clan. All four children were baptized in the church. John has fond memories of
15 ASBURY TIDINGS
Asbury pre-school and climbing the rock wall in the old church basement. “Mom and Dad are very active members,” says Missy. “We always had small groups at our house. Now, we’re all active with the youth group.” This spring, the girls will follow in their parents’ footsteps as mission leaders, as they venture to Reynosa, Mexico to spread God’s word. John is also going as a member of the youth team. “It’s been our dream to go on a mission trip as a family,” exclaims Nicole. The Weidman siblings say their loving relationship is due to their parents and the choices they were given . . . get along and love each other, or get along and love each other. “They are incredible,” continues
The Weidman Family: John and Mary Weidman with children, Kori, Melissa, Nicole and John..
Kori. “As kids, we were never allowed to quit anything we started, which was a great lesson to learn. My siblings and I never really fought with each other. I own that to my prayer-warrior of a mother, who asked the Lord that when she had children, they would be best friends. We are.” -Sylvia LaRose
S
he came to us in a hotel conference room – a strange place for a baby to be delivered. The room was too warm and we were sweating. Kyle paced. The grandparents waited by the phone. It had been a long 18 months filled with questions and flickers of doubt and a few fearful thoughts, but mostly filled with anticipation and the realization that life was about to change forever in the most wonderful way. And then, the moment of her arrival was heralded by what sounded like a squadron of footsteps clicking along the polished floors of the Majestic Hotel. I sat straight up and waited for her to appear. She was thinner that I had imagined. Her referral photo, taken when she was five months old, showed a plump baby with fat cheeks. But Jin Heng Ling, at 11 months and 29 days, looked frail and those plump cheeks now looked hollow. She was tucked into the arms of a teary-eyed woman and when our names were called, we walked up to the woman and she handed us our baby. This was delivery. From the hands of an orphanage worker to our waiting arms, this quiet and frightened Chinese baby became our daughter. Or had she always been our daughter? I asked this question multiple times a day while we were in China. We named her Alison Kate Ling and our first week with her was spent carrying her in a contraption that strapped to the front of one of us. She slept mostly, and I remember looking at her peaceful face and repeating to myself, “This is my daughter.” Chinese people stared at us, because quite obviously we looked nothing like the little girl we were wearing. The baby and the family whose arms she was placed in had come from two very different places. Birth is a miracle. I’ve known this since a day almost 18 years ago when as a young 24-year old, a surprise pregnancy culminated in the arrival of a tenpound baby boy. But that evening in the Majestic Hotel conference room was a miracle also. Jin Heng Ling came to us in a very different way, but it was just as mysterious and unexplainable. How did
this little girl from Guiping City on the southern tip of the People’s Republic of China find the waiting arms of a family who lived across the ocean? And how did this child fit so completely and perfectly into this family so that sometimes it seems as though we can attribute her quirks and talents to a genetic history that doesn’t belong to her? I am still awed by the miracle of it all. Sometimes, in the middle of the Chapel service on Sunday mornings she will climb up on the pew and her little hands will begin to weave a crooked braid in my hair. As I am singing of the miracle of God’s love for us – how He comes to broken people and makes them His sons and daughters and rightful heirs of His kingdom, I am once again enraptured by the complete mystery of it all. How does one girl, born to a woman we have never met, separated from us by an ocean, thousands of miles and millenniums of culture, become a daughter who is just as much ours as the girl I gave birth to 16 years ago? While some might say that we rescued her, I don’t see it this way. We simply brought her home. A Chinese proverb says that there is an invisible red thread that connects those who are destined to meet. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. Through all the tangled threads of time – the millions of moments that led to that one evening in the hotel conference room – God was creating a family. We look a little different than many families, but I believe that God delights in variety. And He delights in creating stories that reflect His own love for all the sons and daughters He takes in. -Lisa Tresch
ASBURY TIDINGS 16
Into Their Waiting Arms Alison as a baby and now with siblings Colin and Erin Tresch. If you would like more information or have questions about international adoption, please feel free to email lisatresch@cox.net ASBURYTIDINGS TIDINGS 17 ASBURY
In Love with the Creator
O
n the day after New Year ’s Day a year ago, the afternoon forecast was for 50 degrees. Asbury preschool would not begin for several days, so I was home alone. The bright sun beckoned me to join her outside. My black jacket and lined cap felt good in the cool, crisp air. Forty-three years ago, Nelda and I asked architect Wesley Crone to draw plans for the house we planned to build. The back of the fireplace is a part of one wall of the utility room. I built a lattice in the shape of two diamonds with three inch long and one inch in diameter pegs on the corners of the diamonds to be mounted on the utility room brick wall. The lower pegs held the children’s jackets, and the higher ones were for Nelda and me. Twenty-five years ago, I bought a jacket for working in the yard and garage. I chose black to hide dirt from when I was working under the hood of the car or turning over the soil for next year’s garden. Today, any time I step out the door to the garage in cold weather, I stop by the utility room to slip on my black jacket and a cap. On this day early in January, I went to the west side of my house. Bricks lined up in several rows make a terrace for vinca minor covering the gently sloping ground on the side of the house. The bricks, lying on their side, are buried half way in the ground. A half dozen bricks were out of place. Sitting on my garden stool with my trowel, I dug a hole for an errant brick. As I dug in the moist soil, I caught the aroma of the earth itself, and I was reminded of the wonders of God’s creation. My black jacket absorbed the rays of the sun making me feel toasty warm. I love my grandfather Gideon, who died before I was born, for moving his family in wagons from Missouri to warmer Oklahoma when my dad was a boy. I’m in love with God for his design of fusion on the sun, which warms me with the same energy that makes all of life possible on earth. -John Westervelt
ASBURY TIDINGS 18
urtzweil hyllis K od 54 P d n a Richard vows before G those ir said the They rejoice in go. years a gether. to years
“. . . and the two shall become one flesh . . .”
R
ichard and Phyllis Kurtzweil, exhibit Christ’s stated goal for marriage (see Mark 10:8) , in a very sweet and tender way. After 54 years of marriage, Phyllis laughs, “We just feel together.” Richard chimes in, “We fit well together.” Like pieces of a puzzle. Neither one is the dominate partner; each has a strong presence in the life of the other. God’s design is so good. When asked what was behind this all, they are quick to point out that they started out as good friends. They still are. That is the backdrop to their very close relationship. Both natives of the upper Midwest, they were both living in San Francisco when they met. They both had joined a choral group, the Symphonaires, that sang locally. Phyllis remembers the day of a group picnic when all the girls were talking about a cute redhead in the men’s section name Richard. He recalls Phyllis as the soprano that sang as beautifully as she appeared. Somehow, Richard was the one that took Phyllis home that day. Their friendship grew. They were both in their late 20s and they knew the type of person God 19 ASBURY TIDINGS
would have them marry. It seemed they were made for each other. They met in the summer and were married in January of the next year. The events of life challenge all of us and expose our strengths and weaknesses. Because God and their church were important to them, the Kurtzweils may have had an advantage over some. Their faith was challenged after the birth of their first child, a son they named Philip. He died just 11 days after birth. Richard recalls sitting in the car in tears, wondering “Why?” It was Phyllis who said, “We can get through this.” Richard looks back at that time and remembers how that experience drew him and Phyllis even closer. “God supports you with ‘oneness’” in times like those,” Richard recalls. Two other healthy children were born to the family in later years. Phyllis and Richard treated their young family as special blessings from God. Phyllis and Richard and their children were very active in their local church. Richard eventually became a Stephen Minister there. His experience with tragedy allowed him to help others work through their own pain and loss.
He encouraged others to find closeness to God and even joy in the midst of sorrow. Richard talks about working through the hurt, not asking “Why?” but asking God “How?” After retirement the Kurtzweils made their way to Tulsa and to Asbury. One special blessing to them has been their small group of over five years. It is a second family to them. Richard joined the Asbury Stephen Ministry team as well as a men’s accountability group. Richard says maintaining an “outflow of concern and activity” has helped him stay spiritually connected to others. Richard and Phyllis are now in their 80s. They have learned to serve God by serving others, and don’t dwell on their physical limitations. Both are facing real health challenges, but they continue to look for the joy in their life together and the opportunities to serve others, as long as God allows. In the past they have drawn closer to God and one another through difficult times. The days and years ahead will be no different for them. They have become one flesh, one spirit, with one life for Christ. -Rod Giles
I
Love in Action
love my church. I love that we have such abundant resources of time, talent, creativity, energy and finances. I love that we use those resources to bless our nation and the world through missions. I love that we approached the Red Cross to serve as a shelter during the largest power outage in Oklahoma’s history and opened our beautiful doors to bless the community. I love that when I listened to the radio on Monday evening after the ice storm I heard Asbury mentioned six times in ten minutes. I love that our staff and the congregation rose to the challenge of meeting a citywide need. I love that we love––and that we love by serving. I have always been long on faith– –it’s one of my spiritual gifts. Historically my faith has been strictly personal, merely a facet of my relationship with God. In Scripture, however, we learn that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). In essence, my faith is useless unless it’s backed by action. I thank God constantly for
bringing me to Asbury because this is where I have learned how to serve. My faith has become alive through acts of service; it has grown hands and feet. My faith is no longer dead; rather it’s animated! Of course the shelter was a wonderful opportunity to put my faith to work. I helped in the area where adults with special needs were housed. I don’t recall ever having an interaction with a disabled adult before, and I didn’t know what to expect. I became acquainted with several of the residents and quickly learned they love to talk about their jobs and families. They love to laugh and tell jokes. They love music and movies. These new friends also love hugs and eye contact. One young man flexed his biceps and asked me to feel his muscles over and over. When I asked how he got so strong, he told me he works out with 1,000-pound dumbbells. Another young man repeatedly beat me at thumb war. Every time he would ask, “Do you wish you were as quick as me?” This same gentleman told me about the time he
briefly died and went to heaven––then he asked if he could pray for me. He asked God to save my soul for all eternity. That’s love. Volunteering at the shelter was an opportunity to work out my faith with 1,000-pound dumbbells, and God used it to strengthen me spiritually. (You should feel my muscles!) Also, the power outage demonstrated that light always has a source, whether it’s the sun, a flame, a lightbulb, or a flashlight. Darkness is the absence of light. When I remember stumbling around in my cold, dark house and driving around in our cold, dark city, then I also remember God’s promise of our future home, where: “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23). I love my church because it is a source of light on earth. Through acts of service we physically manifest the light of Christ to a world that gropes in darkness. And in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5.) -Stephanie Hurd
ASBURY TIDINGS 20 ASBURY TIDINGS
Giving Her LoveAway
I
called mine “Momo”, my husband called his “Nana”, my children called their grandmother “Mom-Mom.” Many more names are just waiting in the winds for a small mouth to open and name a special grandmother, an assigned name that will live in his/her heart forever. Silas Asher Ferrell turned two years old on December 6 in his home overseas. He lives in Laos where his mom and dad work with a Christian organization, Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA), an organization that is involved with “income generating businesses for Lao villagers.” Mom markets silk products made by Lao women and dad installs water filtration
21 ASBURY TIDINGS
units in the villages. Sandy Schwinn misses her grandson, Silas, but respects her daughter and son-in-law’s choice to serve the Lao people. This past summer she was able to visit the Mulberries Silk Farm where her daughter, Lori, worked. She got to witness the entire silk process including the planting of mulberry cuttings, hatching silk worm eggs and feeding caterpillars, cooking the cocoons, dyeing the silk, spinning the thread, and weaving the beautiful scarves. During her visit, she enjoyed a two-day car tour of the countryside where she saw women weaving in thatched huts on stilts, grandmothers taking care of children while the parents were working in the rice fields, and pigs and chickens running in the road. As they stopped for lunch at a small roadside “café”, she toured the kitchen. The food was cooked on an open fire where the owner proudly
showed her the water filter that had been installed by CAMA. Of course, the entire time Silas was right beside his Nana. Sandy has been a member at Asbury for 26 years. She has served in many capacities including being a part of small group ministry, teaching Sunday school, Bible Explorer leadership, U.S. and global mission trips, and as a volunteer in the Asbury Nursery. Sandy read in the bulletin of the need for nursery volunteers. She really wanted grandbabies, but didn’t expect to have any for a very long time. Sandy quickly learned she enjoyed rocking, cuddling, and playing with the young children of Asbury as well as recognizing the babies’ parents she once taught in Sunday school 20 years ago. As our visit came to an end, Sandy shared, “I have definitely received more than I have given. Love isn’t love until you give it away….and it always has a way of coming back and finding you!” Sandy returns to Laos in January. She plans to see Silas every six months so he will know his “Nana”. After observing Sandy with the children of Asbury, I am certain Silas will grow to know and love Nana as a very special grandmother. -Vicki Ihrig
50 YEARS Russ & Norma Jones Wally & Sue Maurer Dale & Pat Davidson Bill & Martha Harrisberger John & Beverly Story Rick & Vi Bowers Chuck & Phyllis Bailey Dan & Margaret Slagle Cal & Doris Brusewitz Brown & Rebecca Joyner Carl & Joanne Weatherford Joe & Beth Limes, Jr. Bill & Monette Miller Bill & Rosalie Veatch Don & Pat Chandler Glenn & Syd Chowins 51 YEARS Arlyn & Shirley Daering Paul & Linda Hancock Ed & Jan Hines Tom & Lou Costello John & Jo Keil Russ & Florrie Washburn Norm & Fay Dickason Ben & Marty Groenewold John & Barbara Cluts James & DeWanda Humphries Milton & Patricia VanDerwiele David & Patty Thomas Jim & Maxine Dempster Carl & Novella Willis Frank & Darlene Peterson Reynard & Betty Spence Marold & Patty Lohrenz Leonard & Mary Stubbs Ronald & Phyllis Allison Stanley & Shirley Dean Jim & Nancy Harrison Kerry & Sue Freeman Rollo & Elizabeth Brasuell Wayne & Sammie Kendall Don & Barbara Thornton Paul & Sherry Vanscoyoc Clifton & Lamyrle Cox Larry & Mary Metz Darryl & Doris McRight Don & Wanda Chambers George & Helen Schneider Don & Marilyn Mullican Larry & Jeri Myerley
1/25/1958 1/18/1958 12/22/1957 11/23/1957 11/16/1957 8/18/1957 8/3/1957 7/20/1957 6/25/1957 6/23/1957 6/15/1957 5/30/1957 5/11/1957 4/20/1957 3/22/1957 3/9/1957 1/26/1957 1/19/1957 1/19/1957 12/29/1956 12/8/1956 11/30/1956 11/24/1956 10/27/1956 9/30/1956 9/29/1956 9/1/1956 8/31/1956 8/17/1956 8/16/1956 7/25/1956 7/8/1956 6/17/1956 6/10/1956 6/8/1956 6/3/1956 6/2/1956 6/1/1956 5/26/1956 5/25/1956 5/21/1956 5/18/1956 5/18/1956 5/12/1956 4/25/1956 4/22/1956 4/7/1956 3/31/1956 2/26/1956
52 YEARS Edwin & Rita Lenfestey Gary & Jackie Parker Joe & Pat Henderson Dean & Carol Carlile Bill & Glenda Horry George & Maxine Clinton Bob & Beverlyn Summers Bill & Naomi Culver Bill & Dorothy Kisselburg Harold & Eleanor Shirk Mel & Mary Pearson John & Shirley Ann Smith Jack & Phyllis Givens Bob & Helen Frymire Don & Ruth Bauer 53 YEARS Vernon & Lennis Kolb Jim & Norma Morrison Fred & Nancy Gardner Paul & Shirley Hockett Charlie & Elaine Hack Charlie & Jeane Abbey Ron & Sue Shook Howard & Joanne Ledbetter Bill & Pixie DeWitt Ralph & Marion Daugherty Vance & Mary Sharpe, III Merle & Marylou Howell Bill & Phyllis Taylor Ben & Joy Weddington Roger & Joyce Clark Darrell & Murlene Hiatt Irv & Colleen Rinehart Vernon & Maralee Jones Jerry & Johnna Himes 54 YEARS Richard & Phyllis Kurtzweil Ken & Carmen Finch Floyd & Vida Bruntzel Cleo & Frankie Warren Van & Nola Dickson Ross & Ina Vrooman Robert & Mary Lynn Milam Dwayne & Awilda Godsey Ron & Pat Thomson Dick & Nevin Loerke Fred & Sammie Justus Frank & Betty Schemm Walt & Marion Neary Jim & Charlene Yeager
2/19/1956 2/4/1956 11/26/1955 11/6/1955 10/15/1955 10/4/1955 8/14/1955 8/12/1955 6/24/1955 6/4/1955 6/1/1955 5/31/1955 5/22/1955 5/21/1955 2/27/1955 2/19/1955 2/12/1955 1/15/1955 1/14/1955 12/19/1954 11/25/1954 11/25/1954 11/17/1954 10/31/1954 9/24/1954 9/4/1954 9/4/1954 8/22/1954 6/17/1954 5/8/1954 4/10/1954 4/3/1954 4/3/1954 2/27/1954 1/9/1954 12/27/1953 12/13/1953 11/26/1953 11/21/1953 9/26/1953 9/6/1953 9/5/1953 8/18/1953 8/9/1953 6/20/1953 6/18/1953 6/10/1953 6/7/1953 ASBURY TIDINGS
22
Glenn & Norma Hogg Vic & Roberta Hairston John & Beverly Baker Bill & Shirley Curry Don & Betty Kent Gordon & Lois Vetal Gary & Celeste Zarley Robert & Ruscel Holtzapple 55 YEARS Bob & Gladys Murphy Paul & Deloris Messick Dean & Regina Daniel Bill & M.A. Kohl Lee & Oneta Roles A.J. & Corrine Cobble Dean & Marilynn Smith Monroe & Janiece Reece Dick & Gwen Mohler Bill & June Carr Fred & Joanne Setser Wayne & Betty Crockett 56 YEARS Bill & Donna Ritchie John & Edna Middleton Don & Terry Davis Les & Evelyn Nienhuis Jack & Pat Compton Bill & Mary Kirwin Bob & Wanda Stotts John & Anna Taylor Jim & Bettye Craig Richard & Darlene Baker Scott & Debbie Miller Bob & Donna Keener Roland & Ouida Griffith 57 YEARS Ray & Betty Gordy Jim & Betty Jane Bailey Jerry & Imogene Headley A.B. & Gwen Steen Dale & Patricia Gregston David & Janet Wehrenberg Richard & Geri Dixon Keith & Betty Boyd Lewis & Loraine Edmonson Clyde & Mary Johnson Alden & Sarah Miller Ray & Ada Miller 58 YEARS John & Helen Schwenker Ernest & Mollie Achterberg Wallace & Barbara Westervelt Jim & LaRue Coover Otis & Nell Osborn Gene & Betty Hobson Warren & Roberta Roberts Joe & Mary Pottorf Tom & Lillie Hardcastle Allan & Marian Tonding 23
ASBURY TIDINGS
6/6/1953 6/1/1953 5/31/1953 5/30/1953 5/30/1953 5/2/1953 3/28/1953 3/10/1953 1/24/1953 12/20/1952 11/8/1952 10/25/1952 9/19/1952 9/14/1952 8/17/1952 8/2/1952 8/1/1952 6/30/1952 6/28/1952 5/31/1952 2/9/1952 11/22/1951 11/3/1951 11/3/1951 9/29/1951 9/22/1951 8/31/1951 6/23/1951 6/21/1951 6/10/1951 5/18/1951 5/4/1951 3/15/1951 2/17/1951 2/3/1951 2/2/1951 12/23/1950 12/9/1950 11/25/1950 11/22/1950 10/7/1950 6/16/1950 6/11/1950 6/4/1950 6/4/1950 2/10/1950 12/30/1949 12/18/1949 12/10/1949 11/12/1949 8/21/1949 8/21/1949 7/31/1949 7/2/1949 6/26/1949
59 YEARS Tom & Evelyn Porter Jack & Rosemary Wiles Frank & Bonnie Nuding Dick & Joan Link Don & Ellie Todd Bill & Janene Jones John & Merle Schwendimann Tom & Elizabeth Diehl Howard & Vera McCloud Delbert & Nell Pool 60 YEARS Phil & Jean Essley, Jr James & Fran Allen Bill & Frances Rowland Murrel & Helen Cowherd Rudy & Alice Jane Gorishek Chuck & Maddy Crowell Jack & Doris Bruin John & Mary Keefe Paul & Donna Wicker 61 YEARS Edison & Audrey Jeffus Paul & Marion Kerschner Laneer & Jean Ham Steve & Jo Moore Charles & Mary Johns Barney & Kay Welch Lester & Betty Kelsey, Jr. Glen & Catherine Kennedy 62 YEARS Ted & Virginia W ellendorf John & Joanna Neely Bob & Marguerite Keasler Sid & Maxine Lee Charles & Jean Hall 63 YEARS Bill & Shirley Parkinson Herbert & Betty Maresh 64 YEARS Gene & Joy Bortmes Al & Ruth Meyer Neil & Dolores Willits Charles & Shirley Nelson Bill & Betty Manley Vic & Betty Goodknight Abe & Evelyn Brentlinger 65 YEARS Gene & Irene Bond 66 YEARS Herman & Nellie Kloehr Dale & Lois Nowlin 68 YEARS Frank & Bernice Sober Frank & Billie Marshall
2/18/1949 2/5/1949 12/19/1948 10/31/1948 10/2/1948 10/1/1948 9/10/1948 8/21/1948 6/15/1948 5/20/1948 12/28/1947 12/20/1947 10/10/1947 8/14/1947 6/29/1947 6/21/1947 6/7/1947 5/4/1947 4/6/1947 2/2/1947 12/28/1946 9/28/1946 9/13/1946 8/8/1946 7/3/1946 5/3/1946 3/3/1946 1/10/1946 1/6/1946 8/18/1945 6/23/1945 4/11/1945 2/25/1945 6/29/1944 2/5/1944 1/28/1944 1/6/1944 11/20/1943 9/10/1943 6/26/1943 5/10/1943 8/15/1942 1/17/1942 12/21/1941 1/6/1940 8/20/1939
*Couples Married 50+ Years as of February 10, 2008
asbury opportunities general information Breakfast Served from 7: 15-9:00 am. in the CLC. Come enjoy fellowship with Asburians
sessions). Six months to one year lead time suggested. The Gazebo is Open CDs of Tom’s message of the day are available immediately following the worship service - $3. Recycling
American Red Cross Blood Drive Wednesday, February 20, 5:00-7:30 pm in the Main Entry. Call 1-800-GIVELIFE to schedule your appointment. Prayer Card Sending Team Usually meets 1st & 3rd Mondays at 10:30 am in Room 1621 to send cards with
along with fresh donuts, bagels, biscuits
Recycle unwanted paper products. Three
God’s encouraging words and our prayers
& gravy, sausage, eggs, fruit, and cereal.
bins are available, located in the south
to those who are ill or going through hard
$2 for adults & $1 for children 12 &
and east parking lots.
times. Cards and care packages are also
Asbury Family News is available at the
under .
Welcome Centers. It includes hospital
Contact Gwen Mohler at
Mason Chapel
lists, births, deaths, marriages, baptisms
GRMOHLER@aol.com for more
(Traditional Communion)
and military listings.
information, or call 392-1146.
Sunday Morning Worship 8:00 am 9:15 am 9:15 am
Sanctuary
11:00 am
Doors of Asbury posters are at the
Asperger Support Group
(Contemporary)
Welcome Centers...FREE! Suitable for
First Thursday from 7:00-9:00 pm in Rm
Open House Worship (CLC)
framing.
1506. For mothers of children with
(Acoustic Worship, Casual Setting) 11:00 am
sent to Asbury-related military personnel.
New Additions to the Library
Asperger Syndrome. Childcare available.
Sanctuary
The Asbury Library is a wonderful
(Traditional with sign interpreter)
resource. Thank you to all who continue
Third Thursday, from 1:30-3:00 pm in Rm
Mason Chapel
to contribute books to our Library.
1621. Christian hope, support and
(Modern)
access
Thursday Night Worship 6:45 - 8:00 pm Simply Worship (CLC) (Casual, Praise and Worship) Sundays for Children and Students
Hands of Love Sign Choir Sundays, 6:00-7:00 pm, Rm. 2821 Friends in Christ Discipleship Community
Alzheimer’s Support Group
education for friends and family of those with Alzheimer’s or other dementia. Cancer Support Group Second Sunday of each month, 4:00-6:00 pm, Parlor - For those living with cancer
6 Weeks - 4 Years 8:00, 9:15, and 11:00 am
Sundays, 11:00 am, Rm. 1507
and their family and friends.
K-6th Grades
bible study
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Rm 2319 - For
9:15 or 11:00 am
7th, 8th & 9th Grades 9:15 & 11:00 am 10th, 11th & 12th Grades 9:15 am only
RoadMap
Divorce Recovery those suffering from the early, highly
All courses being offered in the Winter/
emotional stages of divorce and
8:00, 9:15, & 11:00 am and Wednesdays,
Spring 2008 RoadMap session are now
separation trauma. Childcare available.
6:30 pm
listed on the Asbury website at
Adult Discipleship Communities
Divorce Rebuilding
www.asburytulsa.org. Brochures with
Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Rm 2319 - For
Wednesdays, 5:00-6:00 pm in the CLC.
complete course descriptions are at all
those ready to rebuild their lives after
Cost: $5-adults, $3-children ages 2-12,
the Welcome desks and in the community
separation or divorce. Childcare available.
$20 maximum per family.
classrooms.
Family Night Dinners
Surgery or Hospitalization Scheduled? Be sure to let Asbury know ahead of time
care and support
Eating Disorder Recovery For individuals seeking support in the recovery process. Wednesdays at 12:00
by calling Ruth at 392-1146 so your
GriefShare
pm in Room 1621. Bring a sack lunch.
pastors can be in prayer for you. When you
Thursdays, January 10 - April 3 (13
Contact Marcy McMurry at
enter the hospital, please designate Asbury as
sessions) from 1:00-2:30 pm in Rm 2500.
your church. The after-hours pastoral
This special weekly video series and
emergency line can be reached by calling
support group is for people who are
Need a second set of eyes to review your
492-1771, selecting option 2, and leaving a
grieving the death of someone close to
resume? Free male and female one-on-
message for the pastor on call.
them. It’s a safe place to be around
one support available thorugh Asbury’s
people who understand what you are
Employment Transitions at
If you are planning to use an Asbury pastor
feeling. At GriefShare, you’ll learn
employ.transitions@yahoo.com
to officiate and/or use Asbury’s facilities, be
valuable information about recovering
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
sure to book ASAP to allow ample time for
from your grief and renewing your hope
First and third Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm, Rm
Couple-to- Couple (required pre-marital
for the future.
1506.
Engaged Couples
marcymcmurry@sbcglobal.net. Employment Transitions
ASBURY TIDINGS
24
Mental Health: Support for Families
Jesus. Now families can share in the
the attention of a circle of preschoolers during
(formerly Family-to-Family)
Alpha experience together. The courses
Bible story time? Then join us for this interac-
For family members or caregivers of
will run concurrently every Tuesday night
tive, casual, fun class. This is for anyone who
people affected by a mental illness. 4th
from 6:30-8:45 pm through March 25. (No
has an opportunity to teach children about
Thursdays from 1:30 - 3:00 pm in the
class March 18).
God’s love - whether in their home or on
Parlor. Call Ruth at 392-1146. Military Connection
Midweek Madness
Sunday morning. Usually the first two
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:00 pm beginning
Wednesdays of the month, Children’s Ministry
To demonstrate the love of Christ,
again January 9 in the Children’s Ministry
Office Lobby. No cost. No obligation. You’ll be
periodic care packages and monthly
Area for kindergartners - 4th graders. On
glad you came! Sponsored by Asbury Children’s
encouragement cards with God’s Word are
Wednesday nights, Faith Zone will be the
Ministry.
sent to Asbury-related milit ary personnel.
place to be as children learn to apply
The Prayer Ministry also covers them in
biblical truths to their lives. Our goal each
A mission opportunity for our 5th & 6th
prayer. Please send contact information
week will be to reinforce the lesson that
grade students. Usually the second
(complete name and address) to Gwen
was presented on Sunday with hands-on
Sunday of the month from 12:30 - 3:00
Mohler at grmohler@aol.com or call 392-
activities that they can apply to their lives.
pm. Cost is $5 for CiCi’s Pizza. We’ll eat
1146.
We will create an environment that will
then visit Murdock Villa where we will play
be both educational and entertaining.
Bingo and do crafts with special needs
First Tuesday of each month, 7:00-8:30
Kids will have the opportunity to build
adults. It is an amazing time to witness in
pm. For family and friends of people who
relationships and go deeper into hiding
our local community. Limited to 10 kids
are incarcerated. Meets offsite. Call Ruth
God’s Word in their hearts. Can’t wait to
each month. For further information
at 392-1146 for location or send an email
see you there! Pick up your registration
contact Jami at 392-1166.
to tulsahome@cox.net.
form and sign up early so that we may be
Prison Fellowship Support
Asbury Bear Bags
Murdock Villa
Children’s Choirs
wise stewards and plan accordingly.
Wednesdays, 6:00-6:50 pm, Various
Asbury Bear Bags with coloring books
Contact Kim Renkema at 392-1159 for
Rooms
have comforted young children for many
more information.
years, but now you may give a Bear Bag
5.6 Bible Study
discipleship Discipleship Communities
with a scripture-based journal included
Wednesday nights from 7:00-8:00 pm. On
instead! Great for teens and adults.
Wednesday nights our 5th and 6th graders
If you have not yet found an Adult
Anyone may deliver an Asbury Bear to
will get to experience Bible study. They
Discipleship Community (similar to
someone who is grieving. For more
will meet together each week to work on a
Sunday school) check out the insert in this
information, contact Beth at 392-1116.
study called “Journey - The Claim to Life.”
month’s Tidings. There’s a place for you!
This study will cover topics like worship,
children
Alpha
prayer, forgiving, serving, courage and
Tuesdays, 6:30-8:45 pm through March
Registration forms for all children’s
many others. This is a good introductory
25. Alpha is a place where you can ask
activities are available in the preschool
study for our 5th and 6th graders. You
any question and get solid answers. For
and elementary lobbies.
may pick up a registration form in the
more information, contact Diane at 392-
Core Childcare Hours
Elementary or Preschool area; your early
1122.
Parents who are involved in RoadMap
registration helps us have the correct
marriage & family
classes during these core hours will have
number of study books. Our 6th graders
childcare provided for children 6 weeks -
will promote to youth for Wednesday
12 years of age with no reservations
nights beginning March 26th and our 5th
Second Tuesdays, February 12 through
needed:
8 Dates/Double Dates: Dinner on the Town
graders will begin a new study. If you
September 9 from 6:15 - 7:00 pm, Rm
Sun
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
have any additional questions, contact
1502. Celebrate your marriage with
Mon & Tue
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Jami Moss at 392-1166 or Kim Renkema
conversation over dinner alone, or with a
at 392-1159.
couple who has a marriage that has lasted
Tue, Wed, & Thur
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
(Childcare will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s.)
Teaching Minds...Training Hearts
through the years. Monthly menu: gather
Ever wish you knew how to talk to your
to hear a variety of conversation topics led
children about God in a more natural and
by various speakers (30 minutes) then have
Tuesdays, 6:30-8:45 pm in Rm 2901.
comfortable way? Ever want to learn
dinner out. NEW TOPICS! Register at
Alpha Sprouts is a place where kids can
some fun and creative ways to enhance a
392-1191 and indicated “Date” or “Double
come to have fun while learning about
Bible story? Ever want to be able to hold
Date.”
Alpha Sprouts
25
ASBURY TIDINGS
Dynamic Marriage
world to pursue noble manhood as a lifelong
tires, belts, fluids, filters and batteries. They
Tuesdays, February 5 - April 8 (no class on
priority. Facilitators are Rev. Dub Ambrose, Greg
also vacuum and wash the vehicles. and the
March 18) from 6:30 - 9:00 pm in Rm 1507.
Ruley and Glen Fisher. Call 392-1191 to register.
update owners on what’s running smoothly
Give us eight weeks...we’ll give you a
Men’s Prayer Breakfast
and what needs professional attention. This
dynamic marriage! This is an interactive
Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30 am in the CLC.
free service gives our men the opportunity to
class that will help you replace old habits
Attention men of Asbury. Make plans to
put their faith into action through loving and
with new ones in a unique, safe
join us for a great time of meaningful
serving those in need. No reservations
environment. Go from good to great,
worship, life-changing prayer and an
required; just get your vehicle in line by 11:30
mediocre to magnificent, or hurt to healed.
awesome big breakfast, all for just $3 per
am.
Cost: $130 per couple. (Scholarships are
person. First-time guests are free.
available). To register, contact Jackie Carter
February 6
Dub Ambrose
missions/outreach Food Drive for Restore Hope
at rcarjac@valornet.com prior to the first
February 13 Pec Clark
class, or call 392-1146. Limited to first 12
Febraury 20
Don Herrold
Asbury will hold a food drive to benefit
paid couples.
February 27
Todd Johnson
Restore Hope Ministries, Sunday
Attention Engaged Couples
Home Improvement Ministry
February 3 from 7:30 am - 3:00 pm.
If you are planning to use an Asbury
Saturday, February 16. The Men’s Ministry
Everyone is encouraged to donate food
pastor to officiate and/or use Asbury’s
offers home improvement for widows,
and housekeeping products. (See page 1
facilities, be sure to book ASAP to allow
widowers and single moms within the
for details). Contact Beth at 392-1116 or
ample time for Couple-to-Couple
Asbury family. Volunteers make
Missy at 392-1163 if you can volunteer to
(required premarital sessions). Six months
themselves available every other month to
held load or unload the trailer.
to one year lead time is suggested.
help folks out with minor home repairs
Friends of Juan Wesley Seminary
and/or home improvement proejcts. Just
Friends of Juan Wesley Seminary will be
Email your April or May Milestone
pick up a request form at the South
meeting at Asbury February 1-2. This is
Milestone Wedding Anniversaries A n niversary (5,10,15,20, etc.) to Carolyn
Welcome Desk, or call your request to
an initial meeting to inform and establish
Schutte at brucetschutte@valornet.com or
Pam Wallace at 392-1199, ext. 253 at
an advocacy group for this Methodist
call 392-1146.
least ten days before the scheduled work
seminary located in Monterrey, Mexico. If
day. A Home Improvement volunteer will
interested, please contact Mary Ann
contact you, and make arrangements to
Smith at 392-1117.
membership Asbury Exploration Come to a lunch/class to learn more about
get the job(s) done. Boy Scout Spaghetti Luncheon Benefit
Eyeglass Donations Are you wondering what to do with
becoming a member of Asbury. Sunday,
Sunday, February 17 from 11:00 - 2:00 pm
those old eyeglasses? Donate them to
February 3 from 12:15-2:00 pm in CLC.
in the CLC. Cost is $5 per person or $20
missions! You may drop your glasses of f
Lunch provided and childcare is available
maximum per family. Asbury Boy Scouts
in the Global Outreach office.
for children six weeks through 6th grade.
Troop 10, sponsored by the Men’s Ministry,
Call 392-1191 to register.
would like to invite you to its Third Annual
Save Campbell’s soup labels for missions.
Spaghetti Luncheon Social. Come
Please note that a different part of the
celebrate Scout Sunday and enjoy a
label is now required. Please cut the UPC
Men’s Fraternity: The Quest for
generous serving of spaghetti, bread and
symbol and the Labels for Education
Authentic Manhood
salad with your family and friends. Tickets
symbol together. Turn these in for
Wednesdays, through April 30 from 6:00 -
may be purchased Sunday, February 3 and
missions! Questions: Contact Missy
8:00 pm in the Mason Chapel and CLC.
Sunday, February 10 from 8:00 am - 12:30
Sistrunk at 392-1163.
Cost: $10. Fulfilling men’s need for a
pm or the day of the event at the door.
compelling vision of Biblical masculinity, this
However, pre-purchasing is appreciated to
A monthly newsletter is available with
teaches men how to live lives of authentic
help with planning. All proceeds will
recent news of mission happenings. If you
manhood as modeled by Jesus Christ and
benefit the Boy Scouting programs of
would like to receive the newsletter,
directed by the Word of God. More than just
Asbury.
please contact Missy Sistrunk at 392-1163 or
men
a rally or Bible study, it is designed to help
Car Care Saturdays
Campbell’s Soup Label Changes
Mission Matters
Msistrunk@asburytulsa.org. Preference is for
men come together, strengthening each
March 15, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. This every-
the email version, but hard copies can be
other through weekly session of biblical
other-month workday is provided for Asbury’s
mailed if needed.
teaching and small group interaction. These time-
widows and single moms. While the ladies wait
tested resources have equipped men all over the
in the comfort of the cafe, volunteers check ASBURY TIDINGS
26
Global Outreach Prayer Ministry
November 5-9
Altar Prayer
News and prayer requests from our
Monterrey, Mexico
If you would like someone to pray with you
missionaries and ministries are sent each
Medical, $900
during Holy Communion or immediately
week to our prayer ministry list. If you would like to join and become a prayer intercessor for those serving around the world, contact Missy at 392-1163.
missions/vim Volunteers-In-Mission Opportunities March 29 – April 7
November 12-16
the altar rail. A pastor or member of the Altar
Men’s Construction, $600
Prayer Team will be glad to pray with you for
VIM Leader Training February 23, Oklahoma City September 13, Enid October 25, Ada
your needs – physical, emotional or spiritual at the altar or in the Prayer Room. Prayer Room Reservations The leadership of Asbury’s prayer ministry
All costs are approximate. For more
would like to remind you that the main
Azerbaijan
informa-tion about these exciting mission
facility Prayer Room is open not only to
Construction & Teaching,$2400
opportunities, contact Marilene at 392-
individuals desiring to pray in a quiet,
1164 or mlong@asburytulsa.org
meditative atmosphere, but also to prayer
March 29 – April 5 Monterrey, Mexico, Construction & MBS, $950 April 23–27 Rio Bravo, Mexico Men’s Construction, $550 Spring Cookson Hills, Oklahoma Light Construction, $50 Late April/Early May Tanzania, East Africa Work Team, $2500 June 11-23 Quito, Ecuador Construction & MBS, $1800 June 12-23 Estonia Lighthouse MBS & Construction, $2500 June 18-30 Tanzania, East Africa Medical, $2700 June 19-30 Estonia Camp Gideon, Programs & Const., $2500 August 1-10
music Chancel Choir Wednesdays, 7:00 pm, Choir Room New Covenant Orchestra Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30 pm, Rm 1510 Asbury Singing Ambassadors Tuesdays, 1:00 pm, Choir Room Celebration Ringers Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 pm, Rm 2506 Asbury Ringers Wednesdays, 6:00-6:50 pm, Rm 2506 Perpetual Light Thursdays, 10:00 am-noon, Rm 2506 Asbury Power & Light
groups within communities and ministries. Just give Debbie in the Adult Ministries office a call at 392-1177 to reserve the Prayer Room for your group on a weekly or monthly basis. Prayer Room Days & Times Our prayer rooms are accessible to you at these times: Mason Chapel (during construction) Sundays from 7:00 am - 12:30 pm through the interior door. Main Facility Monday - Friday 7:00 am - 9:00 pm Saturday
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday
12:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Sundays, 8:15-9:15 am, Rm 1510 Saints of Swing Dixieland Band Thursdays, 2:00-3:00 pm, Rm 1510 Children’s Choirs Wednesdays, 6:00-6:50 pm, Various Rooms
prayer Service for the Unsaved
Estonia, Parnu
Wednesday, February 13 from 6:00-6:30
MBS & Light Construction, $2500
pm in Mason Chapel. Are there people in
Sept/October
your life who need the salvation of Jesus?
Azerbaijan
Then make it a point to attend the
Construction & Teaching, $2400
Service for the Unsaved, a Lenten focus
recovery Celebrate Recovery Come join this supportive group of people each Monday night at 6:00 pm. Dinner at 6:00 pm; Wor ship from 7:00-8:00 pm; Small Groups from 8:00-9:00 pm; Dessert from 9:00-9:30 pm. Hiding any hurts, habits or hangups? God never intended for you to live in bondage.
senior adults Asbury Singing Ambassadors Choir
to reach the unsaved through prayer.
Tuesdays from 1:00-2:30 pm in the Choir Room
Monterrey, Mexico
Bring pictures and/or names for anointing
upstairs through June 24. Come enjoy fun and
MBS & Construction, $950
and prayer. “I thank God, whomn I serve,
fellowship with other senior adults (60+). This
as my forefathers did, with a clear
awesome choir is made up of over 160 senior
Cookson Hills, Oklahoma
conscience, as night and day I constantly
adults who sing on occasion during Sunday
Light Construction, $50
remember you in my prayers. Recalling your
morning worship services and on special
tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled
occasions and holidays, as well as out in our
October 11-18
Fall
with joy.” 2 Timothy 1:3-4. 27
following a worship service, please come to
Rio Bravo, Mexico
ASBURY TIDINGS
community. No experience necessary...just show
stretching, coupled with lots of fun and
up and sing!
fellowship. No high impact workout here. We
Hey, did you know that we have great small
take it nice and easy. Come give it a try.
groups for 7th - 12th grade students? A small
‘Tweenagers Program and Luncheon Everyone aged 55 and up is welcome to join
Senior Walk in the Gym with Him Class
7th - 12th Grade Small Groups
group is a group of 10 students and two
us for our monthly Tweenagers meeting &
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from
leaders who have fun while exploring the
luncheon, taking place on Thursday, February
8:30-9:00 am in the gym. All senior adults
Word of God and learning what it means to live
28 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the CLC.
are invited to join us for power walking,
a Christian lifestyle. Small groups meet on
Our program will be presented by Dr. Bill
coupled with lots of fun and fellowship.
Sunday nights. If you are not plugged into one,
Mason, Asbury’s Pastor Emeritus. He will be
Come give it a try.
you need to be. Call or come by on Sunday
speaking on the Early Days of Asbury and providing the special music as well. You don’t want to miss this program. Come and invite
singles Singles Ministry Potluck Luncheon
and get plugged in. 7th-9th Grades meet every Sunday night through April 27. Contact Marsha at
your friends to join you. Call Doni at 492-1771
Sunday,February 24 from 12:00 - 2:00 pm
to make your reservations BY NOON, Monday,
in the Parlor. Come, bring your children
February 25. If, during that week, you find you
and enjoy a delicious lunch, courtesy of
night s. Time and places vary. Contact
need to cancel, please let Doni know as we
your fellow singles. Just bring a “family-
Todd at 392-1154 or Amy at 392-1156 to
need to give an accurate count to the cooks.
sized” food item, homemade or pur-
get plugged in. (10th-12th Grade Small
Should you choose, you can make a donation
chased. Great food, great fellowship, new
Groups will not meet February 24, March
for the meal when you check in that morning.
friends. It just doesn’t get much better
9, March 16 or March 23.)
Come join us for fun and fellowship!
than that.
AARP Safe Driving Course
Singles Meet and Greet
392-1157 or mbaker@asburytulsa.org. 10th- 12th Grades meets Sunday
7th - 12th Life Hurts, God Heals Wednesdays through April 30, 6:00-8:00 pm in
Fridays, February 22, March 28, April 25
Sundays from 8:40-9:10 am or 10:20-
Rm 1502 from 6:00-8:00 pm. Face it, life hurts,
or May 23 from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm in
10:50 am in the CLC. All singles are
but the truth will set us free! This spring, we
Room 2820. Cost: $10. Class size is
invited.
will be doing another semester of the 13-week
limited to 35. First come- first served. The
Divorce Recovery
small group experience called Life Hurts, God
AARP Driver Safety Program is the
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Rm 2319 - For
Heals, created specifically for teenagers who
nation’s first and largest refresher course
those suffering from the early, highly
have experienced some type of pain in their
for drivers age 50 and older that has
emotional stages of divorce and
lives - divorce, bad breakups, friends,
helped millions of drivers remain safe on
separation trauma.
sexuality issues, disappointment,
today’s roads. It is designed to help you:
Childcare available.
rejection, abuse, alcohol, etc. Groups start
1. Tune up your driving skills and update
Divorce Rebuilding
January 9 and end April 30 and will meet
your knowledge of the rules of the road.
Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Rm 2319 - For
Wednesday nights (except March 19).
2. Learn about normal age-related
those ready to rebuild their lives after
Come any time or come by the Student
physical changes, and how to adjust your
separation or divorce. Childcare
Ministry area if you have questions. We
driving to allow for these changes.
available.
will start with pizza, so come hungry!
3. Reduce your traffic violations, crashes and chances for injuries. 4. Drive more safely.
students Student-Led Prayer Service
Parents, if this is something that grabs at your heart to help lead, we need you. Please call Marsha at 392-1157.
5. Get an insurance discount. Auto
Join us every month on the second
insurance companies in most states
Tuesday in the Student Ministry Area from
February 17 - Houston: $100; Red Bird:
provide a multi-year discount to AARP
7:00-8:00ish pm for a time to be still, pray and
$100; Mexico: $225; and Guatemala: $250.
gradulates.
seek God. Everyone is welcome.
To sign up, call Asbury’s Registration
7th - 12th Metro Worship
Spring Break Missions Money Deadlines
ALL CHECKS MADE TO ASBURY. Mandatory Spring Break Meetings/Training
Hotline at 392-1191. At least 12 p artici-
Wednesday, February 6. Come join student s
Guatemala Parents’ Meeting - February 23 at
pants are required for the class to take place,
from all over the city in a night to just worship
2:00 pm. Medical paperwork is due at this
so tell your friends and neighbors and sign up
Jesus. We meet the first Wednesday night of
meeting.
today.
every month from 7:00-8:30ish. If you need a
Mexico Parents’ Meeting - February 24 at
Senior Sit and Fit Stretching Class
ride, meet at the church by 6:30 pm; we will
3:00 pm. Medical paperwork is due at this
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from
be back by 9:00 pm. Or you can just meet us
meeting.
9:00-9:30 am in the Gym. All senior
over at Believers Church, 47th and Memorial.
Guatemala Training for Students and Leaders
adults are invited to join us for a time of
Questions? Call Todd at 392-1154.
- February 23 from 2:00 - 8:00 pm and ASBURY TIDINGS 28
February 24 from 12:30 - 4:00 pm. Student
8th - 12th Spring Confirmation
Ministry Area. Bring $3 each day for meals.
Wanna know if Jesus is real and what it
Mexico Training for Students and Leaders -
means to follow Him? For all 8th-12th
February 23 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm and
Grade students who have not ever
February 24 from 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm.
completed confirmation or joined the
Bring $3 each day for meals.
church. Students will be confirmed during
7th Grade Confirmation Parent Meeting
a special service for all 2007-2008
pizza. Ninth graders will begin attending Breakaway March 26! UMW Scholarship Program (see information listed below under “Women.”
women UMW Scholarship Program
Attention 7th Grade Parents. If your
confirmands on May 4th at 6:00 pm. Since
Applications for the United Methodist Women’s
student is going through 7th Grade
there are only four meetings, students MUST
Scholarship will be available beginning
Confirmation, you must attend the mandatory
attend all four, the rehearsal and the ceremony
Thursday, February 7 in the main office. This
parent meeting, February 17 from 5:30 -7:00
in order to be confirmed. February 26 is Spring
$1,200 scholarship is to be given to an Asbury
pm in the Chapel. Don’t forget your church tour
Confirmation Kickoff from 4:00-5:30 pm.
senior high school young woman. To be
homework is due.
Parents included. Mandatory meetings: March
eligible, the applicant must have a relative who
11, April 1, April 15 from 4:00-5:00 pm.
is currently a member of Asbury’s UMW or a
Wednesday, February 27 from 6:30-8:30
Mandatory Confirmation Service rehearsal is
member of the Priscilla Circle. She must be an
pm. Have a hard time talking to your
April 27 from 5:00-6:00 pm and Confirmation
entering freshman at an accredited university
friends about Jesus? Come and spend
Service, May 4 at 6:00 pm. Register in the
for the 2008-2009 school year. The deadline
time at local schools and teen hangouts
Student Area by February 24.
for the completed applications is noon, Friday,
7th, 8th & 9th Prayer Tour
as we use prayer as a way to impact Tulsa
7th, 8th, & 9th Grade Breakaway
April 11. The church office business hours are
teens lives! Meet at Asbury at 6:30 pm
Sunday mornings, 9:15-10:30 am in the
Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
ready to load up the vans and go pray.
Breakaway Area. This isn’t your normal
and Fridays, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. For more
We’ll arrive back around 8:30 pm.
Sunday school. Come join us for worship,
inforation, contact Dyanne Sidner, Scholarship
fun and games, interactive talk/lesson,
Committee Chairperson.
7th, 8th, & 9th Grade Video Scavenger Hunt
and sometimes free candy and gift cards.
February 1 from 6:00-9:30 pm we are
7th, 8th & 9th Grade Bible Study
UMW January Luncheon Thursday, February 7, 11:30 am - 1:00
breaking into teams for a digital photo
Wednesdays through April 30 from 6:30-
pm. Attention ladies! The program
scavenger hunt around Tulsa. Show up at
8:00 pm. in the Student Ministries Area.
planned for February’s UMW Luncheon
6:00 pm dressed for the weather and get
Want to learn more about the heart of
will be a presentation on Personal Safety
ready to have some fun. Cost is $2 for ice
God? Then don’t miss Wednesday Night
by Sergeant Stephanie Jackson fromthe
cream plus bring men’s or women’s socks to
Bible Study!
Tulsa Police Department’s Education
donate to a local homeless shelter.
Called to Ministry - 10th, 11th, 12th
Division. A delicious luncheon by Virginia
7th, 8th, & 9th Superbowl Grade Small
Is God speaking to you, leading you...okay,
will be prepared for just $6 per person. Bring a
Group Parties
maybe CALLING you into a future vocational
friend and be a part of the blessing. Home Improvement Work Days
Sunday, February 3. This year Small
ministry? You may not know what that looks
Groups will have their own Super Bowl parties
like; you just know that God is stirring
Saturday, February 16. The Men’s Ministry
OFFSITE. So talk with your group and find a fun
something in you. Join us every month on the
offers home improvement for widows,
place to watch the game and hang out.
SECOND SUNDAY from 12:30-2:00 pm in the
widowers and single moms within the Asbury
Houston and Red Bird Training and
Student Ministry Area for lunch and to talk
family. Volunteers make themselves available
Parent Meeting
about what this means for you. This is for
every other month to help folks out with minor
If you are going to Houston or Redbird,
10th, 11th and 12th graders. RSVP to Amy at
home repairs and/or home improvement
you must attend this training and your
392-1115 the Thursday before.oi an tme.
proejcts. Just pick up a request form at the
parent/s must attend their meeting:
10th, 11th & 12th Breakaway
South Welcome Desk, or call your request to
Join us every Wednesday (except March
Pam Wallace at 392-1199, ext. 253 at least ten
from 2:00-6:30 pm and MANDATORY Parent
19) from 6:30-8:30ish pm in the Student
days before the scheduled work day. A Home
Meeting from 5:30-6:30 pm in Rm 1504.
Ministry Cafe for a time of connection and
Improvement volunteer will contact you, and
worship. Our desire is to explore who God
make arrangements to get the job(s) done.
Houston: February 24, Team Training
Red Bird: February 24, Team Training from 12:30-6:30 pm (bring $3 for lunch) and
really is and how our lives matter to Him. We
MANDATORY Parent Meeting from 5:30-6:30
get started around 6:30 and wrap up around
March 15, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. This every-
pm in Rm 1502. Don’t miss it.
8:30ish. Plan on hanging out afterwards for
other-month workday is provided for Asbury’s
29
ASBURY TIDINGS
Car Care Saturdays
widows and single moms. While the ladies wait in the comfort of the cafe, volunteers check tires, belts, fluids, filters and batteries. They also vacuum and wash the vehicles. and the update owners on what’s running smoothly and what needs professional
welcome to asbury... If you are interested in learning more about
attention. This free service gives our men the
who we are, plan to attend one of the Exploration
opportunity to put their faith into action through
classes designed to tell you more about Asbury and
loving and serving those in need. No
what we believe. We will spend our time looking at
reservations required; just get your vehicle in
Asbury’s “Mission – Vision- Objectives.” Most of the
line by 11:30 am.
time will be spent in talking about our eight
Women of the Word Wednesdays from 10:00-11:00 am in Rm 2319. Rev. Darlene Johnson, teacher. Phone Buddies Ladies, would like a “cheer me up” with your
objectives. Another part of the membership process is to spend time in a pastoral visit. We want you to know at least one of our pastors so that when life’s
morning coffee? We have dedicated, caring
difficulties arise, you will have a pastor who can
women who would love to meet that need in
help you through it.
your life by being your very own “phone buddy.” Call Shirley Martin and she’ll connect you with a loving volunteer. Crafty Ladies Fellowship Mondays, 9:30 am - 2:00 pm, Rm 2820. If you
Perfection is not required of Asbury members, but we do want to grow and get better. As John Wesley, the founder of Methodism said, “If your heart is as my heart, lend me your hand.”
enjoy doing crafts and fellowshipping at the same time, this activity is for you! We gather to work on our own individual arts and crafts, stop for a delicious potluck lunch, and continue on through until 2:00 pm. We would love to have you join us! For more information, contact Beverly Clarke and stop by some Monday to check us out!
worship Sunday Mornings 8:00 am
Mason Chapel (Traditional Communion)
9:15 am
Sanctuary (Contemporary)
9:15 am
Open House Worship (CLC)
Choose from one of the upcoming Sunday membership classes: February 3, 2008 March 2, 2008 April 6, 2008 May 4, 2008 June 1, 2008 August 3, 2008 September 7, 2008 October 5, 2008 November 2, 2008 December 7, 2008
(Acoustic Worship, Casual Setting)
Classes are from 12:15 – 2:00 pm 11:00 am
Sanctuary (Traditional with sign interpreter)
11:00 am
Call 392-1191 to make your reservation.
Mason Chapel (Modern)
Thursday Nights 6:45 - 8:00 pm
Simply Worship (CLC)
Childcare is available and lunch is included.
(Casual, Praise and Worship)
ASBURY TIDINGS
30
Becky Jackson
Linda Gorton
Annette Lane
Jennifer Holmes
Jeff Maness
Betty Geibel
Doug and Karen Franks
Janna Garretson and Patrick Schiflli
Gene and Mary Ellen Whiteford
Debbie Necessary 31
ASBURY TIDINGS
Scott and Debbie DeGeer and Erin
we rejoice... with those who have experienced the joy of welcoming a new baby:
in appreciation...
Dear Asbury Deaf Ministry, I want to thank all involved in remembering me during the ice storm and the food you gave and the bag of food left for me! Thanks for all your love and caring. I pray 2008 will be blessed for you all! Love, Betty Fulk A quick note to thank all of you the Pastors, Parishioners, and Rick Christian, in particular: You all stepped up to the line, opened your doors wide to a community. You all helped us for several days and I appreciate it so much, particularly since I was able to go to work (Sam’s) by walking because I couldn’t get my car out of the neighborhood because of all the downed trees. The trees for the most part have been cleaned up & placed curbside but it still looks like a war zone. Thanks so much. Maggie Beall
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Asbury, A big thank you for opening your beautiful facility to the City during the ice storm & power outages recently. You all did a marvelous job, and we so appreciate all you did to make us comfortable, warm, and fed. It was quite a challenge, but you met it with kindness, ingenuity, and even a sense of humor. May the Lord pour out His Spirit upon the church in a greater way than ever before!! Love, Ed & Nancy Harkins
Dear Asbury Friends, I would like to express my appreciation for all of the prayers, cards of encouragement, kindnesses and support that have been shown in so many ways to me and to our family upon the death of my son, Rick. Rick’s passing was sudden and unexpected, and the love and care you surrounded us with has meant so very much. You have truly been God’s hand ministering to us. In His Love, Nellie Ardle
in celebration of marriage 50 Years Rex & Dovie Edgar January 12, 1958
Report your Milestone Anniversary (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.) to Carolyn Schutte at brucetschutte@valornet.com or call 392-1146.
Shania Barry Samuel daughter of Barry and Uzma Samuel sister of Shahary November 19, 2007 Holt Cory Haddock son of Cory and Megan Haddock grandson of Glenn and HollyTucker December 10, 2007 Cash Brian Widner son of Steve and Kimberly Widner brother of Jack and Carly December 11, 2007 Ella Grace Barnard daughter of Nathan and Robin Barnard sister of Skylar, Eathan and Aidan December 14, 2007 Kaitlyn Leigh Keifer daughter of Doug and Brittain Keifer sister of Noah December 30, 2007 Isaac Colby Davis son of Colby and Ashlea Davis brother of Conner and Emilea January 8, 2008
we remember... and celebrate the lives of:
Betty Alvord wife of Gene November 25, 2007
Jim Blazer husband of Doode December 19, 2007
June McCord Mitchell sister of Janet Charvat December 16, 2007
Alice Davis December 22, 2007
Robert Cope December 16, 2007 Sam Phillips husband of Gloria December 18, 2007 Rick Ardle son of Nellie Ardle December 18, 2007 Rodney Huey husband of Linda father of Ryan December 18, 2007
Judith Monroe December 30, 2007 Dorothy Self January 5, 2008 Terry Wright January 8, 2008 Faye Dickason January 10, 2008 Duane Lee husband of Grace father of Bob Lee January 11, 2008 32 ASBURY TIDINGS
Construction Update We are so happy to report that not only is the Mission Possible expansion project on schedule but it is also in budget. Flintco and Tri Arch are tremendous partners in this exciting endeavor and continue to provide excellent assistance throughout the project. You can see that the Chapel Walkway is taking shape and really makes the campus appear to be complete. The walkway was needed for protection from the elements but it also brings everything together. The steeple on Mason Chapel will be the crowning touch. We hope to begin that installation in mid-to-late February but that is highly dependent on the weather. The South portico looks beautiful and we have already gotten to use it! We have received rave reviews on this one as well. The Children’s expansion is going great and work on interior finishes has started. Things start moving along quickly when we move to the interior. The rink is also shaping up nicely and the interior finishes are going well. Construction Corner in the main foyer has examples of these interior finishes for you to see. Thanks to everyone who has participated in this exciting project. There is yet more to come!
Upper left: South Portico Lower left: Walkway to Mason Chapel Tom to Bottom: The Ice Rink and Children’s Ministry Expansion