SUMMER 2017
4 Tanzania Mission 12 Guatemala Mission 15 All the Places to Go 16 Chapel Choir Tour 18 Latest News
You’ll find stories of transformation, exciting updates, upcoming events and more...
Do you know a story that needs to be told? Have photos you’d like to share? Curious about something in our church and faith community? Let us know! We want to create the magazine YOU want to read! Please send any stories, pictures and/or event information to:
Sandy Huse Director of Communications t. 405.321.3484 e. shuse@mcfarlinumc.org w. www.mcfarlinumc.org 22
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR LINDA Dear Church, If there is one thing I learned right away when I came to McFarlin, it is that this church has a heart for people in need. I see it over and over again, and it is a beautiful thing! A call goes out, and God’s people respond. You respond with heaps of blankets and coats during the snowy months. You respond with communion rail offerings that keep electricity on and water running. Many of you respond by volunteering to mentor elementary school students, to visit prisoners or to stock Food Pantry shelves. In so many ways, you respond to God’s call with love and faithfulness. In this issue of ALIVE, we’re taking a look at some of the ways McFarlin has responded this summer through life-changing missions both near and far. I think you’ll be inspired by the work of our church family – from our young students who are just learning to hear God’s call and our adults who push the “pause button” on their usual responsibilities to go serve others, to our senior adults who faithfully invest their experience and energy to go where they are needed. And behind all this hands-on work are the faithful pray-ers and givers who support our missions in absolutely crucial ways.
There is no doubt in my mind that God is working in and through the people of McFarlin to help answer the needs in our world. Many struggle each day, and it is a privilege and a joy to respond to their suffering. In the stories that follow, you’ll see so many ways that your faithfulness has brought the love of Jesus to others – tangible ways that our church is changing lives. And what is really exciting is that God is continuing to show us new ways we can bless our brothers and sisters throughout the world. So, grab a glass of iced tea or lemonade, and enjoy this summer issue of ALIVE – you’ll feel as if you’ve been a part of some of these very special missions, as, indeed, you have! Blessings,
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TANZANIA MISSION TRIP COME AND SEE by Michael Andres, Executive Minister
The earth is old and there are places within it which seem older still. Places where the songs of their people ring hallowed and the dirt clings to your ankles to hold you in time. Places where the greens are deeper and reds are richer and trees tower beyond man, perfectly for beast. Beneath one of them is water, costly and fragrant, living and free. It’s always hard leaving home. It’s harder now that I have a son. The morning of June 9 was cloudy and cool, and as I pulled into the church parking lot, I could see that despite the early hour, our team was in high spirits. Drs. Bill Blum and Robbie Holbrook, Pastor Linda and photographer Kristen Howard, all stood around a pile of suitcases and backpacks, cups of coffee in hand, ready yet uncertain about what we would encounter in Tanzania. Our journey took time – a three-hour van ride, a 16-hour flight, a 22-hour layover, a six-hour flight, a 15-hour layover, and then a four-hour bus ride. By the time we arrived in Morogoro it was June 12. We pulled up to Morogoro Church in the school bus McFarlin helped purchase in 2015. Children were singing and dancing in anticipation of our arrival, homemade bouquets of garden flowers and leaves in hand for each of us. They danced us into the Sanctuary where other members of the church had gathered. We prayed and sang with one another and after, we were swept up in dancing back out to the dirt road and on to Pastor Umba & Ngoy Kalangwa’s home. It was a beautiful illustration of Biblical truth: mission begins with worship. I awoke very early the following morning well before my alarm, and a rooster crowed over the metered brush of the house manager’s broom outside my window. The moon was still high in the western sky and I looked in the mirror, unable to come to terms with the fact that we were there. I remembered the first devotional that we read as a team sitting in the lobby of the Copthorne Hotel during our layover in Dubai. It came from John’s Gospel: “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” I splashed cold water on my face, put on a fresh shirt and my sandals and went outside. Our team gathered on a covered patio, shared a few hard boiled eggs, bread with jam and strong coffee. We talked about a number of things we hoped to accomplish and learn over the next few days, unaware of what God would place on our hearts and reveal. Venas, the bus driver for Wesley primary School, took us, along with our translators Frank and Juny, to the school. Head teacher Anna Mapunda and a host of other faculty and staff greeted us warmly. The school began as a pre-k program in 2000 and grew into a Primary school in 2004. Ms. Anna gave thanks for all of the support that they had received and proudly told us that each of their graduates that year had been accepted into government-sponsored, secondary boarding school, the most prestigious form of high school education in the country. CONTINUED
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We followed Ms. Anna into a classroom full of third grade boys and girls wearing green and yellow uniforms, the fabric worn and stitching loose from years of being passed down from brother to brother and sister to sister. The class was in the middle of a math lesson - long division. Professor Titus asked them a question, and after a few moments’ pause, one of the children answered. The professor responded, “Yes, but why?” A few more moments passed and another child tentatively replied. “Very good,” Professor Titus said, “now open your workbooks to page 76.” He wore a gold vest beneath a corduroy jacket with chalk dust for elbow patches. A sign above the chalkboard read: “Speak English.” Stepping outside, we were met by Pastor Umba and Pastor Eunice, the pastor of Morogoro UMC. They had just returned from annual conference in Kigoma where Eunice was ordained. She is the first woman to be ordained in the United Methodist Church in Tanzania. One of the groundskeepers, Stanley, was clearing trimmed branches from the central yard and hauling them to the eastern fence line which adjoins the Muslim University of Morogoro. I jumped in to help. As we hauled a few more loads he shared with me that many of the students who attend the Wesley school come from Muslim families. He said, “Muslims and Christians interact well, peacefully here. They come together for education.” Later that evening over dinner I asked Ngoy about this. “People here, even Muslims, wish for schooling. The Muslims who come to our school get taught religion, and here,” she continued, “the religion is Jesus! After all, we are a missionary school.” Early the next morning Pastor Umba met us, saying that it was going to be a long day. We were going to visit the village of Mangai and the Maasai tribe at Mitupili. We loaded up, along with Pastor Eunice, Frank, Juny and Venas and then picked up Mama Idi, a local pastor to the Maasai, whom Pastor Umba mentored and trained. 66
There was construction on the edge of town and as the van crawled past rows of brick houses with corrugated tin roofs, my eyes and throat stung from the smell of dust, burning charcoal and diesel exhaust. American basketball jerseys and t-shirts for sale swayed on hangers beneath the low branches of Msasa trees. We came to a stop near a bridge and two boys were standing on the side of the road. Ishmael and Ibrahim. “Mambo!” they shouted. What’s up? They approached the van smiling and jokingly told us that when we are in Tanzania we need to speak Swahili, not English. Frank leaned his head out of the window. “Aren’t you boys supposed to be in school?” They smiled and looked down at their feet. “Yes.” “Well, then, why are you here and not there?” “Because we have to protect our cornfield from the monkeys.” Traffic began to move again and they shuffled back to the side of the road. We waved goodbye and they struck a cool-kid pose before waving. When we left town two days later, they were still there. We drove southwest along the Uluguru Mountains, passing rice paddies and corn fields, vendors with buckets full of ripe tomatoes and cucumbers. The farther away from Morogoro we drove, the more frequently we saw young Maasai men tending their herds of cattle which grazed along the side of the road. After an hour and a half on the highway, we slowed and pulled onto a dirt road and into the bush. Sitting in the backseat was a bad idea. We eventually stopped in front of a brick and thatch house and a school built by the United States Agency for International Development. Pastor Umba introduced us to Jared, the head teacher, who stood in pinstripe pants and an oxford blue shirt alongside other men from the village. Jared told us he would take us down to the first water well installed with help from Oklahoma mission partners. We walked downhill along a narrow path for a half mile, toward voices and songs of women and children. Ahead was a tree and in the clearing beneath the tree were brightly colored, six gallon buckets and people waiting to fill them. CONTINUED
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“Over a thousand people a day come to this well,” Pastor Umba explained to us, “some traveling up to 10 kilometers [seven miles].” He told us the story of the village and of the need for clean water in Mangai, my pen hardly able to keep up with everything that he said. Children and their mothers pumped their water, placed their buckets on their heads and made their way up the path to walk back home. I turned the page and raised my head. I asked Kristen, “Did I just hear him say that the greatest threat to them getting water was elephants, lions, and - - ” She stopped me before I could finish and looked at me. Her eyes stoic, masking the disbelief and anger of the truth I was just now beginning to grasp. “Rapists,” she said. Thirty yards away a blue tarp hung in neighboring tree, a lookout post. The ride from Mangai to Mitupili was quiet and I felt thankful that my sunglasses covered my eyes. I wasn’t sure which direction we were headed. At one point Juny handed me a bottle of water. “How hold is Max?” he asked. “He’s 14 months old.” “And he is your first born?” “Yes,” I said. “You must remember to get him a gift.” The van struggled to climb a number of hills, and eventually we reached the top of one which overlooked an expanse of grassland. There was a cinderblock building, and just past it land had been cleared and the early mold of a foundation had been formed. We got out of the van, and a small group of Maasai women greeted us. Some of them had children on their hips, others had cloudy eyes and grey hair. Mama Idi introduced us to other members of the tribe, wrapped in their red shukas, men with knives, cell phones and rungus – wooden clubs with one end sharpened to a point and on the other, a ball – tucked into their belts. She explained that they were in the process of building a school for the children of the village, 88
but that it is a slow process because of logistical challenges. She led us down a path to the second water well the Oklahoma Methodist Church helped provide, and Pastor Umba told the story of this “Miracle Well.� When the Maasai, like their neighbors in Mangai, had to journey far to get water from rivers and streams, they lost women and children to crocodile and lion attacks. Funds were raised by Methodist partners, engineers studied the water table in Mitupili, and they, along with a mission team from Oklahoma, began drilling in the summer of 2015. Sixty meters down, no water. Eighty meters down, no water. One hundred meters, 120 meters down and nothing but dust. The engineers reported that were was simply no water in the ground. That evening, Pastor Eunice had a dream. In the dream she was standing at the site of the well when two Maasai approached her and told her to leave, that there was no water in the ground. She stood firm, insisting that this is where the well needed to be dug and that the work would succeed because God was with her. The next morning, she told Pastor Umba and the other pastors in the area about her dream, and they decided to return to the well site. When they arrived, the engineers insisted that there was no water in the ground and that there was no point in continuing. She told them that water would be there, and instructed the people to pray. The Maasai prayed, the pastors prayed, the team prayed. At daybreak, Mama Idi made her way back to the well, and as soon as she stepped into the clearing where the rig had been drilling, she heard a sound from deep within the earth. She called Pastor Umba, who called the engineers and together with the team, they met at the well. When the engineers ran tests, they discovered that the well was full of water from 30 all the way to 120 meters deep. This good news quickly spread throughout the community – men and women, children and elders gathered at the well and began to worship. A miracle well. CONTINUED
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After the story, we went back up the hill where the children filled the church, four or five of them eagerly crammed together on benches behind makeshift desks. The church doubled as their school. At the front of the church sat the tribal elder, blind in one eye and wearing a blue jacket from the Metropolitan Transit Authority over his shuka. In the back of the room, Pastor Linda assembled a large group of women and asked them what we might do to make their lives easier. “Beads!” they said. “We need beads so that we can make jewelry and support our families.” Soon the meeting turned into song, the women and children singing praises, placing their necklaces around Linda‘s and Kristen’s necks. Outside two of the Maasai warriors placed necklaces around Bill’s and Robbie’s necks and gave them each their own rungu. I walked around the side of the building into the sun and basked in the sound of worship. “When I first came to Mitupili, to the Maasai, there was no church,” Mama Idi said as we made our way back to Morogoro later that afternoon. “I met people, I evangelized, and we gathered under a tree to worship. Once we built the church, we built a church.” That night Umba and Ngoy hosted a farewell feast for us in their home and invited members of the church to join us. Fried chicken, rice, stewed tomatoes and greens, plantains, watermelon and cucumber, sweet cakes and bottles of Fanta - we ate until we were full. We reflected on our time together, played games and laughed. They presented each of us with a garment made specifically for us. Juny helped me put on mine, a freshly pressed black shirt with sun bursts of red and white. I buttoned it up and we hugged.
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That night, we loaded up in the van one last time to head back to the lodge. This time we were joined by members of the church’s youth choir, the cooks who had helped prepare our meals all week, and of course, interpreters Frank and Juny. We said our farewells just inside the gate of the lodge and went inside. The five of us just stood together in the hallway outside our rooms not quite prepared for the experience to end nor for the next steps we would need to take once we were home. The trip passed by so quickly, and yet it felt as if we’d been gone for weeks. The psalmist writes: “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name. ’ Come and see what God has done.” At the beginning of our trip, I wrote in my notebook: “I have felt anxious about our presence here and have doubted if it was worth the expense and time. The next few days will unfold in either affirmation of that feeling or dismissal of it altogether.” I am at peace now. It is clear that the Kingdom of God is growing in Tanzania because of the faithful ministry of our friends Pastor Umba and Ngoy Kalangwa, Pastor Eunice and Enoch, Mama Idi and Ms. Anna. There is so much more work to be done, and McFarlin has so much more to give. I know that with each gift and each future trip, God will heap blessing upon blessing on His people in Tanzania and in Norman too. The earth is old and there are places within it which seem older still. Places where the songs of their people ring hallowed and the dirt clings to your ankles to hold you in time. Places where the greens are deeper and reds are richer and trees tower beyond man, perfectly for beast. Beneath one of them is water, costly and fragrant, living and free.
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MISSIONS & OUTREACH GUATEMALA CALLS MISSIONARIES TO FAITHFULNESS AMID STRUGGLE by Scott Meier, Director of Student Ministries Just on the outskirts of Guatemala City among steep mountainsides overrun with unbelievably lush foliage sits the village of Sumpango. In this place, as in much of Guatemala, families live without running water or electricity under pieces of corrugated tin, cardboard or other scavenged materials. It could be a place of despair, but it isn’t. It could be a place of forgotten people, but it isn’t. Thanks to God’s people serving in schools, churches, an orphanage and family support organizations, Sumpango is a place where poverty and praise, hardship and hope exist side by side. Ask any of the14 McFarlin missionaries who spent part of early June ministering in Sumpango, and you’ll hear about the resilience of the people, the energy of their worship and the tireless love shared by those serving and living there. Designed as an advanced mission experience for McFarlin’s high school juniors and seniors, the Guatemala mission also included several college students and adults. Members divided up to serve in a church focused on outreach to children, as well as in a school and an orphanage that is home to 43 children who have HIV/AIDS and who cannot be cared for by their families. Take a look at reflections from some of the team members, and prayerfully consider whether God might be calling you to mission work as part of a future Guatemala team.
So Many Needs & So Much Hope “I have memories of that orphanage that will be with me for the rest of my life,” said Gary Frost. “What a beautiful place – an oasis amidst meagerness and underdevelopment. The dedication and work of the 13 nuns who care for the children is inspiring.” Cristian Medina said, “Our part of the team was able to visit the homes of some of the locals, listen to their stories and encourage them. I was so moved and overcome with emotion sitting with these families that live in extreme poverty and praying with them.” For Gabie Mayfield, spending time with the children in Sumpango was a powerful experience. “Those kids have been raised in one of the poorest cities in Guatemala,” she explained. “Yet, being with them, you wouldn’t know it. They were so joyful and excited to be at the church! We came together to worship and dance for God.” Among the ongoing ministries of the orphanage, school and church, visiting missionaries have opportunities to work with children’s ministry and do light construction projects at the facilities. McFarlin missionaries spent a week assisting where they were needed, and it was clear there is so much more that can be done to help!
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“Education is empowerment,” said Katie Maloan. “The orphanage’s school is open to students from surrounding Sumpango for only $1.50 a month! That’s such a small amount for these kids to be given the best opportunity for a brighter future,” she added. “These people don’t let anything diminish their hope for a better life, even if only for their great-great grandchildren.”
A Living & Growing Faith Of course, serving in missions is a way not only to share one’s faith, but also to refine and grow it. Gary Frost felt his heart change, almost in a moment. “When we arrived and got our work assignments, I learned I was assigned to the orphanage. My head was telling my heart that this was not the assignment I wanted. I had never worked in an orphanage!” he said. “But later, as I got off our bus, the steel gate to the orphanage rolled aside, and so did the hardness of my heart. I had an immediate change of attitude, and knew I was in the right place.” “Their church services were different from ours, lively and filled with lots of clapping and singing in Spanish,” said Taylor McElderry. “But at the end of the day, we all worship the same God. What a testament to the sovereignty of the Lord!” “One thing that impacted me in Guatemala was just witnessing the faith of the people we encountered,” said Daphne West. “The poverty of the people and their situations are so tough, but they remain so strong in faith and resilience, which shows me that regardless of the situation, there is not time to be unfaithful or weak in my faith.” Along those lines, Katie Maloan reflected on the faith missionaries must cultivate. “God is using organizations like the ones we connected with to effect long-term change in Guatemala,” she said. “We must have faith in the truth that our one week of ministry is a small part of a much grander picture – one of redemption and empowerment.” I am confident there is more McFarlin can do to share Christ’s love in Sumpango. I feel certain that we will be back,” he said. There are children and families there who have been rejected or forgotten by the people in their lives. McFarlin as a church is so well equipped to help minister to those needs, and that’s really what we’re all about, isn’t it, Changing Lives That Change the World!
Front row: (L-R) Jenna Luttio, Nelson, Makila Laird, Taylor McElderry, Daphne West, Katie Maloan, Reid Powell Back row: (L-R) Gary Frost, Bob Staples, Andie Koetter, Andrew Schulz, Janette Schulz, Nathan Friels, Parker Yeary 14 14
Join us starting Sunday, August 20 for All the Places to Go ‌ How Will You Know?
Life can be really confusing, even overwhelming. So many choices! If only we had a roadmap to guide us where God wants us to go. Join us for a six-week sermon series about faithfully finding our way through all the twists and turns and choices in our lives. 15
CHAPEL CHOIR TOUR SINGERS & RINGERS MINISTER IN THE SOUTHWEST by Libby Waldenville, Director of Children’s Music & Handbells
range of spirituals, anthems and hymns, the performers watched as what began as a concert inevitably turned into community worship. “Some retirement community residents would conduct from their wheelchairs,” said Director of Music Ministry Antonio Hunt. “Others would smile and nod their heads to the steady beat of the songs or let tears of joy flow. It became an intense style of worship, and even though we were travel weary, it really energized us and reminded us of the purpose of our mission!” Even before the music started, when the choirs were setting up equipment, they could sense the interest and anticipation in their hosts. As we unpacked and set up tables and bells and music folders, we could see the people perking up. It was such a blessing to be able to offer them our music, and then afterward, we gave each of them a handknitted prayer square to remind them that God’s love is always with them.
It’s a small thing, the bobbing of a silvery head or a tear sliding among wrinkles, finding its way to the collar of a cotton shirt or colorful housecoat. These are small events, but for McFarlin’s choirs and musicians, these are powerful signs that their music is reaching listeners and ministering to their spirits. Just back from their annual summer choir tour, McFarlin’s singers and ringers, as the hand bell players are sometimes called, are full of such stories. They can tell of moments when the Holy Spirit reached out through music to inspire, comfort, encourage and engage residents of retirement communities and churches where the choirs performed. Dozens of McFarlin music missionaries traveled more than a thousand miles by bus throughout the Southwest in June, performing in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Oklahoma. Sharing a wide 16 16
In a fun twist for the group, two former McFarlin associate pastors hosted the music team at different points during the Southwest tour. Pastor Scott Sharp of Central United Methodist Church in Albuquerque led worship on Pentecost Sunday, and Pastor Dick Smith guided the group on a tour in Santa Fe and led worship with the group at a local senior care residence. Visiting with residents after each performance offered a chance to hear their personal stories and sometimes their faith stories. In Amarillo one of the elderly ladies was telling me how depressed she had been since her husband died. She said she had been praying for God to lift her up. She was in tears as she kept thanking us for our music. Tears and thanks, small things indeed. But they are evidence of great works by a gracious and loving God, and they’re testament to what he will do through faithful and loving servants.
Front row: (L-R) Reese Phillips, Taylor Birney, Alexis Gray, Alyssa Howery, Jenna Howery, Kaela Williams Back row: (L-R) Bennet Turkington, Owen Meyers, Rebekah Stafford, Michael Stafford, Morgan Paskowski, Madison Hatter, Ellie Thurston, Antonio Hunt, Libby Waldenville, Sam Birney, Katie Pitts, Maddie Fitter
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LATEST NEWS McFarlin Welcomes New Staff Members This year God has blessed McFarlin with numerous new staff members, as we said goodbye to several who are retiring or pursuing their calling in other settings.
Joining us are: Associate Pastor Wendi Neal, who oversees our Care Ministries, Children's and Youth Ministries, Community Outreach, Evangelism and Missions Ministries
Associate Pastor Devon Krause, who is responsible for Lifeline worship and College Ministry
Also new are: Director of Childrens' Day Out Michelle Dykes, who comes to us after teaching in the Tulsa and Norman Public Schools for 10 years. Director of Food Services Amy Radford, a talented food service professional who has spent years helping guide Food & Shelter, Inc. in feeding Norman's hungry. Director of Senior Adult Ministries Carrie Gardner, a registered nurse with experience in Hospice care. Associate Director of Children & Family Ministries Sandy Minty, who is a McFarlin member and former Director of Christian Education at another church. Assistant to Children's and Youth Ministries Shouna Massey, who has been a dedicated volunteer and leader with our Family Ministries team. 18 18
Mobile Pantry Expands Service & Storage This past school year, McFarlin's Mobile Food Pantry distributed an average of 37 bags of groceries each month in neighborhoods around Adams, Jackson and Madison Elementary Schools – that's more than 330 bags of food for hungry families. As summer approached, volunteers began to ask, “How can we help these families eat when school is out?” The answer: load the pantry truck, park it on our campus and invite them to visit McFarlin for groceries every other Saturday morning. That's exactly what our volunteers did, and in June alone, they served 25 families. Gathering and storing all this food is a constant challenge and, thanks to McFarlin's United Methodist Men (UMM), it just became easier. UMM volunteers renovated and enlarged an existing storage shed north of our Sanctuary, equipping it with extra-strong shelving and space to hold more food and, eventually, refrigerators to keep fresh items. To get involved with the Mobile Food Pantry or the United Methodist Men, just visit our website.
Backbone Takes Front Stage Caring for and upgrading McFarlin facilities to minister to more people is a priority that our members identified in the Vision 2020 process. Since then, our Trustees have been hard at work on the “Backbone Project,” a series of updates to essential utility and service lines to prepare for future needs and to make installing future upgrades more efficient. Norman firm Miller-Tippens has been selected as contractor for the Backbone Project, and in coming weeks you can expect to see a construction trailer and supplies in the west parking lot, with work set to start in early August. Workers will unearth, evaluate and replace century-old water lines running behind the Sanctuary and in the north alley during this phase, which is expected to take about 120 days. Check our website for video updates as the project progresses.
www.mcfarlinumc.org 19
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