On Friday, October 14, the Committee on Ministry gathered as a whole ahead of our KO Conference Annual Meeting to hold interviews for two Members in Discernment (MIDs).

Our newest KO Member in Discernment had a very good reason to be excused from this year's Annual Meeting: they were attending a first-time-ever in-person gathering of their seminary cohort after beginning the program in the midst of the Covid pandemic!

We have two opportunities for Zoom conversations about our Annual Meeting experience, and we hope everyone will be able to attend one of these sessions.

Pam Schonauer Ordination at Church of the Open Arms in Oklahoma City - Sat. Nov. 5th at 4pm

Discover new ways to communicate, solve problems and lead more effectively within your organization, community, and family. Sharpen interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and confidence.

Beginning in October, we welcomed a new Designated Term Associate Conference Minister, the Rev. Rachael Pryor. Rachael is a familiar face for many in KO, and this new role will overlap in some ways with her previous volunteer support for the Committee on Ministry.

Russell comes to the Conference bringing extensive experience with marketing and communications both in the non-profit and commercial sectors. His background includes many years in ministry, including pastoral work for churches in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

Grandparents for Gun Safety is a Kansas City-based non-profit organization with a mission to make the communities we share safe for all.

Thank you to the ministers, lay delegates, visitors, and exhibitors who helped make the 61st Annual Meeting of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference a time of hope and healing.

After 5,500 miles, two planes, and not nearly enough sleep, I arrived in Karlsruhe, Germany on a Saturday afternoon to begin my time at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches.

As we approach Annual Meeting, we look forward to an opportunity to recognize all of our Members in Discernment in person.

According to the calendar, Summer is coming to an end, but even as the weather in Kansas and Oklahoma might reflect that change, we know the fall season will soon be upon us because Annual Meeting is almost here!

The United Church of Christ is pleased to award First Congregational Church, UCC in McPherson, KS with a $250 matching grant for your fundraising efforts and commitment to assemble the following kits, to be distributed by Church World Service (CWS)

Following the Clergy Retreat, we moved to Fellowship Congregational Church for my Installation service, which began at 4:00pm.

Connections, connections, connections. This theme is continually showing up throughout the conference as I meet with pastors and congregations. This is also the theme at the forefront of our conference leaders’ attention as they get to know me, and I strive to get to know them personally.

By now you are aware of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

When I served in the Conference setting I would often meet with leaders after the worship service. When we would gather sooner or later I would ask them, “what is your ‘why’”? Why does your church exist in the first place? Why has God formed this church?

There is so much pain and anguish happening in our world. Often it is difficult to know where to put our attention and our energy. If we do focus on an individual cause, we might wonder: will we ever be able to make a difference?