Should You Invite People to Church? Perhaps we should stop encouraging people to just invite friends and neighbors to church.  When delivered without intentionality, these generic invitations become just as flat and shallow as the following exchange with the checker at the grocery store: “How are you and how was your weekend?” “I’m fine and it was great. How was yours?” “Mine was great as well. Thanks.” How many times have you had exactly this exchange or something similar to it?  This is the epitome of platitude – words with no substance. Generic invitations to church can end up being just as emptily received and responded to. Imagine instead, that you were tuned in to the upcoming sermon topics. And, similarly, you were tuned into the relationships you have with the non-Christians in your life. Tuned in to the extent that you could actually recognize specific sermon topics that would......

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Rolling a Large Stone Up a Steep Hill The work of reaching out to our world is hard.  Let’s be honest, although every biblical Christian in the world declares that sharing the message of God’s love is a priority, most of us have a hard time keeping this on the front burner.  Keeping our focus off ourselves and on those outside of God’s family is like rolling a large stone up a steep hill. This might sound a little fatalistic, but it is true. Few things we do as Jesus’ followers are harder than keeping our hearts revved up for evangelism. It has been said that vision leaks.  When it comes to evangelism, it would seem there is a bigger hole than in most areas.  We can be fired up and committed to share God’s message of love with others, and a month later, our evangelist prayers and efforts......

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Dear NEO Family, You probably could use some good news, couldn’t you! I invite you to read this team update for some exciting news about what God is doing in NEO! The Mustard Seed is at it again!  At our Advance last June, I told you about the curriculum, Raising Highly Capable Kids, which I felt could be a tool for us to impact our communities and build relationships outside the church. Raising Highly Capable Kids is a 13-week curriculum that is based on the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. Search Institute has undertaken decades of research with more than 5 million children and found there are 40 building blocks every child needs to grow and mature. And the more of these Assets a child has in her life, the more likely she is to engage in healthy behaviors while veering away from those that are unhealthy. No one......

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Dear NEO Family, I have told a few friends in recent days that my life feels a little out of sync right now. The last two months have included the death of my dad and all the upheaval that such an event brings, a long vacation to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary, and the holiday season. I have been looking forward to a new year and a time to get back into a “flow”. In the midst of this uneasiness, twice in the last 24 hours I have been challenged to make room in my heart for God to write his story. I think it is a message God has for me as I begin 2019. And maybe it is a message for you as well. Jeffrey Johnson, my friend and the District Superintendent in South Texas, wrote beautifully on this topic to his pastors. I share his words......

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May your Christmas be blessed with peace, joy, hope and love!   From your NEO District Office Staff,   Dr. Dave and Gloria McKellips, Marla Shepherd and Sharon Gunter Electronic Version Hard Copy NEO November Reports I WANT TO CELEBRATE…11/2018 Steve Brown, Cleveland. . . We had great revival services with the Wrights filled with the presence of Holy Spirit. Cary Tipton, Mannford Grace Family Worship Center. . . Nearly 300 attended our Trunk or Treat Wednesday night activity! We felt blessed as we took our first communion together as a church family this month. Yalmi & Norma Izaguirre, Tulsa Regency Iglesia. . . God is blessing us with the commitment to pray in our congregation, and each Saturday we pray together. Austin Troyer, Tahlequah. . . Our young adult small group is really doing well. We meet at the local coffee shop. We do not have many there, but we......

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How Can You Tell If A Church Is On Offense Or Defense? By Karl Vaters   There are two types of churches. Those on offense and those on defense. In recent years, I’ve been in hundreds of rooms with thousands of pastors from both types of churches.   Churches on offense are not different from churches on defense in any external way. They and their pastors struggle with the same challenges of facility, finances and attendance. They’re in rural communities, suburbs and inner cities. They come from all denominational (and nondenominational) traditions. But a room full of pastors on offense is a joyous, hopeful place, while a room full of pastors on defense feels sad and hopeless. The difference is so stark you can almost literally smell it in the air. So what makes the difference?   The Difference Between Defense And Offense   Churches on defense talk about the......

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Dear NEO Family, Words cannot express how much your expressions of love and prayer have meant to me and our family as we deal with the loss of my Dad. Your stories and words of concern have led to many tears of joy and gratitude. My thanksgiving is not only for the wonderful father I have had and his impact on so many, but also for the privilege of sharing this journey with all of you. THANK YOU just hardly seems adequate. We love you and consider it a joy to be on this journey together. We will celebrate Dad’s home going this SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, at 10:30 AM; Tulsa Central Church of the Nazarene. Much of who I am – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – is because of the influence of my dad. He taught me to live a life marked by faith in Jesus Christ,......

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We will celebrate the home going of Rev. Harold Monroe McKellips (aka “Pastor Dad”) this SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, at 10:30 AM; Tulsa Central Church of the Nazarene. In lieu of flowers, any who would like to give a gift in memory of Rev. Harold M. McKellips are encouraged to give to either the NEO District Pastors’ Fund or to Collective Humanity. The pastors’ fund is one that he gave to while he was living. It provides help with counseling for pastors and their families and assistance in times of need. Collective Humanity is a nonprofit organization founded to empower marginalized communities around the world to rise above poverty through dignified economic opportunities....

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Living with Evangelistic Passion Northeast Oklahoma was blessed to have Paul and Ann Stubbs move to Northeast Oklahoma after they ended their active years of ministry to the global church and its missionaries. They have served several churches as interim pastor and spouse in retirement and were deeply loved wherever they labored. I don’t know if I have ever known someone to continue to serve so tirelessly and fervently in retirement as Paul Stubbs.  In the 84th year of his life,  in his “Annual Report of Retired Minister”, he reported an incredible level of activity: Times Preached Nursing Homes – 156 John 3:16 Mission – 12 Fill-in at Churches – 9 Visits to Shut-ins – 206 Prayed with People to Accept Jesus – 346 I would say Paul helped a lot of people have a “fantabulous” day! Who would think that Paul himself was battling lung disease while he......

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“How about those Chiefs?” This was the greeting on my voicemail on Tuesday morning. The KC Chiefs had defeated the Denver Broncos the night before and my Dad was calling from his rehab center to rejoice in the win. Many of us will be greeting one another with “Boomer…Sooner” as we get ready for a Cotton Bowl win against Texas (I sure hope I don’t have to eat these words!). The truth is, when we are zealous about something, when we really love it, we talk about it. We invite others to experience it. We want to share the joy. Why is it that we can be more enthusiastic about a football team, a new restaurant or a new TV show that we are about Jesus? Almost a year ago, Kevin and Sherry Harney came to our District to help us learn to share our passion for God naturally.......

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