Children’s Camp Sets New Record The first day of a three day “Day Camp” the temperature barely made it to 80 degrees. That was a record low for the high temperature on July 28.
It was a “cool” day and the rain did not put that much of a damper on the activities. There were still outdoor games, archery, fishing, crafts, gaga ball, missions, Bible study and the Snack Shak. Because of COVID-19, none of the children spent the night and we had three different groups of kids on each of the three days. Pastor Jr. Pratt of the Cushing Indian Church along with his family, were a hit! They presented a Native American Dance each evening, followed by Jr. speaking to the children.
Camp Lela continues to go strong even in the midst of a pandemic. Thanks to our pastors/camp directors, Christi Lame and her cooking crew and Camp Caretaker, Richard Brewster. Of course, there were a host of sponsors, Bible Study Leaders and others who help to make Camp Lela a memorable experience for our children.
· The church has not stood up for the Black race as it should and until racism is dealt with, we cannot move forward.
· How do we address Black Lives Matter in a Christian connotation instead of politically? What the black people are saying is that Black Lives Matter ALSO, not more than white lives. Because of the injustice and the brutality that they have had to endure, Black Lives Matter is important for them to hear.
· It is ok to remind Christians that Jesus dies for all and he called out Jews in the way that they treated the Samaritans.
· We are too lazy to educate ourselves and want others to do the research for us. If we would take the time to research what the truth is behind the hot issues, we would find out the background history and we would understand the problems and see them from a different perspective.
· It is necessary for white people to recognize that there is white privilege and that we haven’t experienced the issues that black people have experienced.
· Too many people in the church are party affiliated and are not willing to think outside the party beliefs and guidelines.
· Unless you are willing to set down and hear a black man’s heart, you will never understand why they think and feel the way they do.
· White privilege doesn’t mean that as a white person you didn’t have it difficult growing up or even now, it means that it wasn’t your skin color that made it difficult.
· Racism and injustice are alive and well. We must learn to move on and break down barriers and try to live our lives that model change.
· We must acknowledge that there is a problem so we can begin to fix it. Too many people won’t acknowledge that there is a problem. When you acknowledge the problem, you become part of the solution. We need to make sure we aren’t part of the issue. As a pastor, if racism is not an issue for you, it shouldn’t be an issue for your congregation.
· If the black people are truly our brothers, when they hurt, we should hurt. You cannot hear their cries without acknowledging their pain.
· We must continually work together and it’s not just for this moment. Are you going to continue to reach out? This is an ongoing process, model what you say all the time not just some of the time.
· There is going to be continual inequality. We need to acknowledge it and call it out. Don’t allow this movement to fizzle out. Continue to build relationships and encourage your congregation to build relationships.
· Those with the loudest voices and the biggest profiles have remained silent during times that their voices should have been heard. The church cannot remain silent any longer.
· We need to realize we have more in common than we do differences. We should not be passive to the problem.
· We need to teach and disciple our youth on how to treat others that may be different from themselves.
· Skin color doesn’t matter, it only matters how you treat people.
· All people want to be treated equal with no differences!
· Black people do what they feel is necessary to survive. They have always received the crumbs in life. The heart of the issue is our society was not set up for the black race. Society was started with slavery and being treated with hostility, this way of thinking as never changed with many people.
1. How has the crisis affected giving in the short term and long term? In our Dallas Association, the long-term effect is not known at this time. Short term is showing the following: 25% of churches giving has decreased, 20% churches have decreased by more than 30%, 37% giving has remained the same, 17% have noticed an increase in giving. 2. Assuming that the giving to the church has decreased, how can we lead the church to accomplish more with less income? Do not decrease your ministry expense. Ministry needs to continue, especially during this time. Pray and listen to what God is saying. 3. Should we completely revise our current budget or simply adjust our spending targets? If giving has decreased by 20% or more a new budget revision may be necessary. If the decrease is less than 20%, adjust your spending in other areas. 4. How can I involve the staff team and church leaders in developing a financial plan that is cost-effective and lean? Ask staff to help. The more willing you are to make changes the more likely the staff will be open to changes. Keep the staff involved. This is a team effort. 5. How can we right size our budget so that it will communicate that there is a probability of success because of strong support from the congregation and there is a continuing need to give? Most of the time when someone sees a church is 20% or more behind on their budget, they assume that when they give it’s not going to help. If a church is 15% or less behind on their budget, then it encourages a giver to continue to give or even give more to help. The church’s needs should be communicated. People need to see the pastor working on solutions. 6. What amount of undesignated reserves should the church set aside to help in a future crisis? 1-3 months is generally suggested. 7. What items in our budget could we do in a more cost-effective way? Shop around on insurance, supplies and other goods. 8. What items in our budget should we stop doing? Reevaluate the ministries that aren’t making an impact like they used to. 9. Are there other resources available to leverage the church budget for a greater impact? 10. What changes can we make to become more outwardly focused as a church? How much of the church budget is inwardly focused? How much is outward focused? Where are the churches priorities? 11. Are there any changes that are necessary to be made to staff compensation? • Are there changes that could be made to staff insurance and benefits to manage these costs? Instead of getting rid of insurance, ask the employees to share the cost. If benefits are going to be cut, do not cut long term disability. Benefits should be cut before cutting salaries. • Should we establish a Compensation Policy? A compensation policy might be added for long term staff members, then change it back to a regular policy when things return to normal. Also, do not give cost of living raises during this time. 12. Are there changes that should be made to the staff structure to accomplish more with the same or less personnel dollars? A church needs to ask what is the best structure for them? Evaluate what is necessary, can you do more ministry with fewer employees? Can any services be outsourced? 13. How well does the structure of our budget communicate the mission and priorities of the church? A church’s budget should be presented in a way that shows what the church’s priorities are. Are you more ministry focused?? 14. How can we create a greater transparency concerning the financial status of the church ministry? Communication is the key to keeping everyone informed on the financial status of the church.
Having various groups donate items, along with using some emergency funds to purchase other items, almost 80 care packages have been assembled.
Scott Morie and his wife, Sharon have delivered about 50, but still have another 30 to go. If you did not receive a care package, but would like one or if you know someone who does, please call or text Scott at 918-695-6644.
We hear a lot about front line heroes in the midst of this pandemic, however, in the CBA our front line heroes are our pastors and staff members. These men and women have been working harder now more than ever before and dealing with difficult decisions and stress. Let’s re-commit to pray for our church leaders and support them even more in this crisis.
The CBA Administration team has suggested a “Pastor’s Relief” fund be set up for the possibility of a pastor’s family facing an emergency because of the Coronavirus crisis. If this challenge in our nation continues, some churches may be facing pos-sible hardships in the near future that may affect their pastor. If an individual and/or church desires to contribute, send a check to the CBA office and clearly mark it “PASTOR’S RELIEF FUND”. The Executive Team will be responsible for distributing funds following an inquiry into any situation that arises.
Dr. Edward Fan, an OSU Engineering Professor and long time leader of the Stillwater Chinese Baptist Church, worked with several Chinese groups, including, some former OSU scholars now living in China to purchase 10,000 disposable face masks for the Stillwater Medical Center. They raised over $4,000 and purchased the masks from China. A longer story can be found in the Stillwater Newspress.
