Do Your Friendships Reflect God’s Heart? by Kevin G. Harney We should follow Jesus’ example by cultivating friendships with nonbelievers. Christian community and being part of a local church are essential for a healthy life of faith. God delights when we are active in the body of Christ, his family. But too many Christians get so invested in relationships with their believing friends that they forget to develop and nurture friendships with those who have not come to experience and embrace the grace of Jesus. It is easy to circle the spiritual wagons and take a defensive attitude toward the world. Some Christians see nonbelievers as the enemy. When this attitude prevails, we tend to break off our relationships with people who are not Christians. If we do interact with nonbelievers, we tend to keep these relationships shallow and safe. This way of thinking is diametrically opposed to the......

Read More

NEO Nazarene Missions Convention July 30 8-9am – Café Central open Snacks, donuts, coffee and other drinks will be available to purchase. 8-9am – NMI & Assembly Registration 9am – Worship Marci Marquis leading worship Rev. Samantha Chambo speaking 10am – Business Reports Election of Officers Emphasis on Prayer Awards Flags of the Nations 11:15am – Closing Session Rev. Samantha and Dr. Fili Chambo sharing Noon – Chick-fil-A Lunch Remember to bring Crisis Care Kits Chick-fil-A Catered Lunch – Friday Noon $8 in advance – Reserve Meals by July 18! RESERVE MEALS HERE Churches: Turn in your Meal Order Form this week! NEO District Assembly July 30 1-2pm – Registration 2pm – Opening Business Session Introduction of New Pastors Report of District Superintendent, Dave McKellips Elections Reports by Pastors and District Boards 6:30pm – Team Celebration and Worship Worship led by Steve Davis and Central Worship Team Message by......

Read More

NEO Nazarene Missions Convention July 30 8-9am – Café Central open Snacks, donuts, coffee and other drinks will be available to purchase. 8-9am – NMI & Assembly Registration 9am – Worship, with Rev. Samantha Chambo speaking and Marci Marquis leading worship 10am – Reports/Election of Officers/Emphasis on Prayer/ Awards/ Flags of the Nations 11:15am – Closing session with Rev. Samantha and Dr. Fili Chambo sharing Noon – Chick-fil-A Lunch Remember to bring Crisis Care Kits Chick-fil-A Catered Lunch – Friday Noon $8 in advance – Reserve Meals by July 18! RESERVE MEALS HERE   NEO District Assembly July 30 1-2pm – Registration 2pm – Opening Business Session 6:30pm – Team Celebration and Worship July 31 8-9am – Café Central open Snacks, donuts, coffee and other drinks will be available to purchase. 9am – Continuation of Business 2pm – Ordination Service Recognition of 5 retiring ministers, along with 6 first-year......

Read More

I have received a few awards over the years, but it is hard to compare any with the joy of receiving the Ryan Amey face cutout at Youth Camp last week! It is something I will not easily forget (how could you forget a face like Ryan’s?!). On a serious note, NEO Youth Camp 2021 was fantastic with around 220 campers! Special thanks to Nick Williams and all of the staff for their outstanding leadership. My favorite moments were watching sponsors hug, cry and pray with students; I also loved watching students worship with such enthusiasm and joy. Sponsors who take a week of vacation to invest in students are my heroes! I hope you honor them in your local church and hear the stories of how God worked in the lives of all campers! July 23-26 It’s time to register for NEO Kids Camp 2021! Click HERE for......

Read More

Dear NEO Family, School is winding down and we are making progress in dealing with Covid-19. And NEO District is ready for outstanding summer camps!! Pastoral Family Graduates Three of our pastoral families had students who graduated from Southern Nazarene University last Saturday: Top left, Ana Victoria Ruiz Bautista with Dr. McKellips; Right, Graphic arts display of Olivia Lindsly; Bottom left, proud parents of Troy Vernier. Ana Victoria Ruiz Bautista, BS in Biology and Chemistry  Olivia Lindsly, BA in Graphic Design Troy Vernier, BA in Mass Communications/Missions Ana Victoria was also honored as recipient of the President’s Award for top female graduate. Jacob Thornton is graduating from Jenks HS and will be attending SNU in the Fall as a history major. We are proud of all our graduates!! Pastoral Events Installation of Pastors Danial & Carly Karnes in Skiatook on May 2nd. Baby Dedication of Micah Jack Troyer on......

Read More

NEO Southern Nazarene University Sunday – April 18 Celebrate at your local church: We would ask every church to use one of the inspiring SNU videos (under the “SNU Sunday” dropdown menu at https://snu.edu/church-relations/) in your morning service and include the University, President Newman, administrators, faculty, staff and students in your prayer. It would be a good time to thank your church for their faithful giving to support the mission of SNU. Celebrate with your District family: Sunday evening, April 18 at 5pm, we will have a District-wide service at Tulsa Central with University Singers, the SNU worship group Truth, and Rev. Dr. Lena Crouso speaking. Dr. Crouso serves as the Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Intercultural Learning and Engagement, and she is also an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. Dr. Crouso is the daughter of Asian-Indian immigrants and has an amazing testimony of her journey from Hinduism to Christ. Welcome......

Read More

Dear NEO family, We are in the season of Lent and a few days from Holy Week. I pray that it will be a time of renewed faith and hope in your life and in the life of the NEO churches. One of my favorite hymns, “And Can It Be”, tells the story of Good Friday and Easter: Read More   Praying for New Start Churches Will you join us in praying for God to guide us as we seek to start new churches in Cushing, Grove and Glenpool in the coming church year? We need God to provide the pastors, leadership team, finances and timing. 2021 Calendar Changes District Assembly & NMI Convention – July 30-31 at Tulsa Central Church! NYI Extravaganza at SNU – May 27-29 Youth Camp – June 1-5 Kids Camp – July 23-26 Please put this on your church and personal calendars. NEO Southern......

Read More

Dear NEO Family, I have been so proud of our TEAM again this month. Let me tell just a few of the reasons: Pastors and leaders are crying out to God and are reporting a sweet sense of God’s presence in our worship times. The NEO Team came together and conducted a major makeover of the Skiatook Parsonage the last couple of months. Led by Jerry Wilburg, hundreds and hundreds of volunteer hours were given. Pastors Danial and Carly Karnes moved into the parsonage on Feb. 27, although we still have a few projects left to complete. Your Board of Ministry (24 elders) interviewed 27 Ministers in Training this week. This was the first (and maybe the only) time we conducted our interviews by Zoom. Thanks to Jim Thornton, our District Secretary, and Marla Shepherd, our Office Administrative Assistant, the day went very smoothly. It was inspiring to hear the......

Read More

Dear NEO District family, What a year we have had! Almost a year ago we began to hear about this new virus in China. We had no idea how much our world would be impacted. Add to that racial unrest, political turmoil, hurricanes, forest fires and now the ice and cold. It has been quite a ride! But the church has been resilient. We have adapted. We have learned new skills. We have leaned into the Word of God and the Spirit of God to find direction, hope and peace. We have found new ways to care for one another and to reach out in compassion to our communities. I know it has been incredibly discouraging at times, but you have persevered. I am so grateful for the faithful pastors and laity of the NEO District! Reasons to Celebrate Church/Pastor Reviews. Three of our churches had extremely positive church/pastor......

Read More

2021 Calendar Changes District Assembly & NMI Convention – July 30-31 at Tulsa Central Church! NYI Extravaganza at SNU – May 28-29 Youth Camp – June 1-5 Kids Camp – July 23-26 Please put this on your church and personal calendars. Think Little to Make a Big Impact by Lisa Lewis, Valley Church In the summer of 1940, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers found themselves trapped on Dunkirk, a beach in Northern France. They were cut off by the German military and it seemed inevitable that they’d all be killed or captured. Military destroyers were too big to get to the beach for a troop evacuation. And without these troops, Britain was left unbelievably vulnerable to Nazi invasion. Some feared this might cost them the War. But a creative, almost unthinkable plan was hatched – Read More.     NYI Leadership Training March 1-2 NEO will be joining together......

Read More