When Rev. David Emery accepted the call at the end of January, to move to Tulsa and take the role of Lead Pastor at Harvard Avenue Christian Church, who could have known that by the time he arrived – March 30 – everything about us would look entirely different?!
While it hasn’t been the start he imagined, the start David has made in his ministry with us has been marked especially by excitement for church life, through online worship, leadership meetings, and hundreds of phone calls and doorstep visits as we live into this critical season together.
If YOU haven’t had the chance yet to meet David face-to-face, here are two ways you can finally meet and welcome David and Teresa Emery to Tulsa, and to Harvard Avenue.
DRIVE-THRU MEET & GREET
Stay in your car, wear your mask, and drive through the west entry circle drive. David & Teresa are eager to meet you, say hello, and have a brief prayer together.
DAVID IN THE DRIVEWAY
Like Elf on the Shelf, but not as Christmas-y! Sign up for one of 8 spaces in this brief time for conversation, questions, and prayer with our new Lead Pastor. Please wear your mask and bring your own lawnchair. You’ll gather under the covered drive at the west entry.
After many discussions with our elders, church leaders, staff, and many of you … we are not ready to begin worship in our sanctuary on August 2.
I cannot give you a date at this time when we will resume worship in our building.
Be assured, this is as big a disappointment to me as it is to you, but I can promise you that we are busy preparing for a safe and successful launch … such as preparing our materials and plans, our building, our volunteers, and our staff for when we gather in-person again.
There is never going to be a moment when someone says everything is all clear. There will be no perfect moment. We are preparing for the best moment for our church family. And, that moment will be when have everything in place for a safe and successful beginning, when we’ve implemented everything we can to keep our church family safe as we can when we are together, and when we have a consensus of our staff and church leaders that it is the right time to begin.
Meanwhile, we have never stopped being the church. We have not been just holding our breath until this pandemic passes over. We have found new ways to stay connected to one another. We have learned how to produce meaningful online worship experiences. We have offered children’s and youth ministry in new ways.
We have provided new classes such as our online study of the book “White Fragility,” which even has international participants. Sunday school groups and small groups are having Zoom meetings. More than 100 people have participated in our Harvard in the Backyard series.
We have helped serve thousands of meals with Tulsa Kitchens Unite. You gave $10,500 to support the work of Vernon AME Church (a historic congregation here in Tulsa that survived the Race Massacre and continues its legacy of service).
And you have continued to faithfully support the work of Harvard Avenue Christian Church through your giving even though we have not passed an offering plate since March, and that is remarkable.
This has been a seismic event in our world that has shaken everyone, that has required everyone to shift and to examine everything. We are using this time to focus our efforts on some growth steps that will be with us when this pandemic is over.
This includes doubling the size of our sanctuary without having to move any dirt or brick by creating an online strategy to reach our community …with the hiring of a video production coordinator, overhaul of our sanctuary lights and cameras, and a new website.
We are moving our digital presence farther than we ever have before to augment that work that we do in-person every day.
Thank you for being such a faithful and loving church. We will continue to update you on our progress. When the time is right to return to in-person worship, we will be ready.
With much love,
David
P.S. – Join us for a Drive-Thru Meet and Greet with the Emerys Wednesdays July 29 and August 5, 5:30-7:30pm. Stay in your car, wear your mask, and drive through the west entry circle drive. David and Teresa will meet you to say hello!
OR Sign up to be part of groups of 8 gathering with David In The Driveway, Sundays August 9 & 16, 6:30-7:15pm or 7:15-8:00pm.
Poet, author, and activist Maya Angleou is often quoted as saying “When you know better, you do better.” The longer and maybe-closer-to-accurate version of that is I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.
If we are to be an anti-racist/pro-reconciling church, that’s how it happens: Each of us takes responsibility for who we are created and called – and have the opportunity – to be.
Recent events (which really are just louder, more frequent, and caught-on-video reminders of historical injustices) have led many of us to say: I didn’t know that. It hadn’t occurred to me. I never noticed. But now we know … it’s starting to occur to us … now we notice. We see. We see that we have work to do as a nation, and that the work starts not just with us, but WITHIN. Welcome to
DOING BETTER
Reading. Listening. Praying. Confessing. Working on ourselves, in our homes, our offices, and our families, to build – from the inside out – God’s beloved community.
DOING BETTER will start as a book study – an entry point for learning new vocabulary, hearing new-to-us voices, and thinking about our own role in the work of justice.
TO BEGIN:
Wednesdays, July 22 – August 12 ~ 7:00 – 8:30pm
via Zoom (secure link provided) ~ co-led by Anita Wertz & Courtney Richards RSVP to Anita
Choose/Purchase*/Start reading one of these three entry-point books:
July 22 will be our introduction week, and the following 3 sessions will each have a theme/focus word. Our collective readings of these works will inform our discussion on each week’s theme.
In weeks and months (and more) to come, we envision ‘next level’ book studies; tv/film/interview discussions; invited speakers; collaborative gatherings; connecting with childrens’, youth, and adult ministries; and community impact we’ve yet to imagine.
Join us … in knowing better, and DOING BETTER … toward the justice and thriving of our entire community.
(*Links for purchase are via bookshop.org. Bookshop believes local bookstores are essential to a healthy culture. Bookshop.org allows you to purchase online, support local bookstores, and have a greater share of profit go to publishers and authors in the process. Win/Win!)
Harvard in the Backyard is a chance for you to invite someone to church without coming to the building. It’s a chance to say ‘This is something that matters to me. I think you might like it too.’ This is your opportunity to grow the church and expand our reach without needing to add a brick or break a sweat. Invite someone to church – by inviting them to your backyard!
The story begins in Philippi where Paul introduces three individuals that were all enslaved by the kind of things that we often choose over the gospel: Lydia, the business executive; the slave girl; and the hard-working jailer. Their lives portray dysfunction and emptiness, but are totally transformed by the Gospel. True joy and Christ’s love begin to live within them, giving them a life of purpose.
‘Philippians is a meantime epistle,’ David Emery said. ‘It’s Paul saying there is joy to be found, always, where we are.’
Joy, No Matter What : a study of Philippians
6-session video & study guide
If you plan to host a group LET US KNOW. Tell us who’s joining you! (And send us a picture of your group together!)
And if you plan to study on your own, let us know that too!
We are often asked ‘Who are you?’ – what is your church all about? In the current national crisis (which is actually centuries-old), our Lead Pastor Rev. David Emery suggests we remember some of our denomination’s statements of identity and priority:
(from disciples.org): “At the 2001 General Assembly, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) adopted the 2020 Vision, which contained four priorities that guided the Church through the first two decades of the 21st century and continue to be priorities beyond 2020.”
The FIRST priority of the four :
BECOMING A PRO-RECONCILING/ANTI-RACIST CHURCH
“The Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism Initiative was founded upon the need to make visible God’s beloved community. It invites the church to listen to the once silenced voices of its racial/ethnic communities, learn from their wisdom and gain insight from their leadership. It calls the church to discernment and prayer, study of the scriptures and reflection, dialogue and table fellowship. The true goal is to transform, strengthen and deepen the church’s spirituality, resulting in a community that understands its mission to be about bringing justice and salvation to the world.”
Three of our national church leaders have spoken into the moment (click the bold/underline links):
Rev. Terri Hord Owens, our General Minister and President, speaks to the church she prays to see : “I want a church…”
Rev. April Johnson, the Disciples’ Minister of Reconciliation, offered a reflection on the fires of Pentecost
Rev. Dr. Timothy James, Associate General Minister and Administrative Secretary of the National Convocation, says ‘What the world needs today’ is a love that doesn’t hold back
Our Tuesday e-news (email Communications Director Christy Southard if you do not yet receive these) will include a list of resources, reflections, studies, and events for those interested in beginning or continuing anti-racism work in themselves and their community.
Held every 6 – 8 weeks, the Be Here! event is a great evening of casual conversation, questions and answers, time with pastors, and meeting others who are also sort-of-new to the Harvard Ave community. If you’ve wondered about connecting to Harvard Avenue, what it means to be a member, why that kind of thing even matters, then BE HERE events are for you.
Ordinarily,
our Harvard Avenue families created a ministry to host casual gatherings in their homes, providing a relaxed atmosphere and great time together. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore connections in church life; learn about our programs, practices, and ministries; and consider what it might means to become a member of Harvard Avenue Christian Church.
But IN THE MEANTIME,
even though we can’t gather in someone’s living room like we usually would, we can each ‘gather’ in our own! Our first Be (Virtually) Here! event will be Tuesday June 2 @ 6pm. If you’re new-ish to Harvard Ave and ready to find our more, this is for you!
To RSVP (you’ll receive the link for an online meeting room) – or with other questions about the people and ministries at Harvard Avenue Christian Church – contact Connections Pastor Courtney Richards.
Receive a short daily prayer, a brief spiritual discipline, a simple quote or thought, to focus your intentions, actions, and words for the day. Prayers arrive via text message at 10:00am CST (8:00am on Sunday).
Text the keyword HarvardAve to 88202 to join. (Standard message rates apply.) (If you have previously joined our daily text prayers, you are still included in the list. You can reply STOP at any time to discontinue.)
You are also welcome to email your cell phone # to Connections Pastor Courtney Richards, to be added into the list.
We look forward to praying together, wherever we are.
Over the 16 years I lived in Indianapolis, I was immensely blessed to work with, hang out with, and support a ton of local (and ridiculously talented) musicians. My friend Kevin Anker – who can pull more funk/blues/soul/rock goodness out of a piano than anyone I know – has been sharing a song every few days during this stay-at-home season. The selections show his style, love for and taste in music, and a great sense of humor (just look at the list of titles).
Ashley, Isaac, and Kelly have all shared some wonderful song choices (see those below this entry) to calm and soothe your spirits.
THIS list, borrowed from Kevin’s daily posts, and gathered into a PLAYLIST for one-click listening, is a little less sacred, but might feed your spirit and soul just as well. Enjoy!
– Courtney Richards
One of my all time favorite hymns is, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.” The language is a bit old fashioned, but that adds to the to its effectiveness, for me. In times when my soul is weary, or in times of pain and anxiety, this hymn is a real comfort to me. One of the verses says,
“I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.”
This is a gorgeous arrangement performed by The Westminster Chorus. Let it wash over your soul!
– Kelly Ford
Westminster, singing a David Phelps arrangement of the George Matheson Hymn, “Oh Love, That Will Not Let Me Go” in the Petrikirche, a Protestant church (start of construction 1322) in Dortmund, Germany. The church is famous for the huge carved altar (known as “Golden Miracle of Dortmund”), from 1521. It consists of 633 gilt carved oak figures depicting 30 scenes about Easter.
O LOVE THAT WILT NOT LET ME GO (George Matheson; arr. David Phelps)
O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust lifes glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be.
April 2 Isaac Herbert, leader of the The Rising worship band, is living the Tulsa #SafeAtHome life with Sarah Grace (who is an elementary school music teacher), and their daughter Autumn (who is almost 3!). Here are some of his favorite soul-soothers (and he likes listening in this order!):
March 26
Children’s Music Director Ashley Pease is a member of our Chancel Choir and Avenue a capella ensemble. Obviously, music is a big part of her spiritual life.
Here are some her favorites on repeat right now, settling her soul in this season :
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our congregation takes seriously the risks involved with ANY travel or close interaction with others during the COVID-19 outbreak. We ask you first read this entire info sheet and then use utmost discretion in deciding if this volunteering is responsible.
While this service opportunity makes use of the best protocols for health and safety during this season, there is inherent risk. Please consider your own risk factors as well as those within close proximity of you, before volunteering.
Hunger Free Oklahoma is pairing locally-owned restaurants with Tulsa Public Schools sites to provide free meals to struggling families in this time of unprecedented crisis. The program goals are to keep local kitchens open, keep workers paid, and keep local families fed. Tulsa Kitchens Unite is mutually beneficial as it provides relief to the service industry by paying kitchens to produce low-cost dinners which will be pre-chilled and distributed at Tulsa Public Schools and other community sites at no cost to the recipients. Tulsans who are struggling during this unprecedented economic downturn will have an additional resource to help feed their whole family. With the goal of producing 30,000 meals per week, it’s an ideal donor/public/non-profit/private collaboration.
Harvard Avenue Christian Church will assemble teams (5 volunteers + Team Lead) to work at one of the many locations where food is being distributed.
The role of volunteers is to:
receive the frozen meals at the site
package frozen meals together in grocery bags
distribute meals to families
At the beginning of the week for which you have signed up to volunteer, you will receive an email with the Tulsa Public School location where you will be volunteering as well as other reminders.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must adhere to ALL protocols to ensure health and safety at the volunteer site. These include:
use of a personal face mask at all times
use of gloves at all times (provided)
maintaining 6 feet of distance between all others during service
frequent sanitation of all surfaces being used to package and distribute food (sanitation items provided)
REQUIREMENTS :
Must be 16 or older
Each individual/family must provide their own transportation to and from the volunteering site.
Each volunteer must bring her/his own face mask to site and wear it at all times.
Volunteers must sign an agreement through Hunger Free Oklahoma at volunteer site on the first day of their volunteering.
We asked our Yoga instructor, Harvard Ave member Susan Hollingsworth, and our Fitness for Life trainer, Harvard Ave member Becky Young, to offer some suggestions of how we can stay healthy, strong, balanced while spending so much time at home. We’ll share their practices and suggestions with you in our e-news each week, and post them here on our website.
On our usual calendar, Becky teaches at the church two days a week, as well as in other studios. She has set up a video link to bring her classes into homes during this stay-at-home season.
My class meets daily at 8:00am.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday class is active (cardio, weights, resistance bands)
Tuesday-Thursday is power yoga
Anyone may tune in everyday or just to get ideas of things to do on their own. All participants can use this link:
Click here, and then follow directions to connect to Zoom. (You do not download the Zoom app first.)
With questions or for more information, contact Becky Young.
I found this list from Lori Deschene (tinybuddha.com) and it’s been so meaningful to me. I have it by my desk, and read it each day, to center my spirit, focus my ministry, and steady my family as we go. – Darlene Martinez
April 16.
Many of you have met Brad Lyons, president and publisher at Chalice Press, the Disciples publishing house.
As a general ministry unit of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Chalice is devoted to providing meaning and inspiration straight from authors and into the hands of individuals and congregations nationwide. Amid the fears and anxiety of this global pandemic, Chalice’s heart is for the hearts of the faithful.
Need a little inspiration? Hope?
Faith-builders for kids and families to do at home (not just now but anytime)?
Need a new devotional or biblical insight? Want to relax with coloring pages?
Taking advantage of the time to do some reflective thinking and justice seeking?
Our friends at Chalice Press have you cover-to-covered!
Find a new read, or enjoy one you missed before, all while supporting a ministry tied to your own church, denomination, and its ministry and mission worldwide.
April 9.
We asked HACC Book Group coordinator Charlie Bennettto share his thoughts on good reads to occupy us in this stay-at-home season. He offers fiction and nonfiction suggestions, and the current list of 2020 Book Group reads.
What people like to read is a very personal thing—I’ve learned never to say, “you will love this” or “you should read this” or “you MUST read this”. No guarantees, but these are books, on a variety of subjects, that this one reader, who happens to turn a lot of pages, found to be enjoyable and memorable—let these be a starting point—so, good luck!— I am always glad to tell about books that I enjoyed…
Charlie
All of Charlie’s suggestions are readily available, and we’ve linked to the publishers’ sites below, for summaries, reviews, and ordering information. (Ordering from the publisher supports the writer and their work most directly!)
FICTION :
The River (Peter Heller) – two friends’ canoe trip is threatened by raging wildfire
Darktown (Thomas Mullen) – historical mystery about the 1945 integration of the Atlanta Police Department
The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion) – for laughter, a warm, deep and hilarious romantic comedy
Peace Like a River (Leif Enger) – deeply moving, “a perfect book for anxious times,” family, kindness of strangers, love and faith
Last Bus to Wisdom (Ivan Doig) – 11 year old boy (a liar or ‘overflowing with invention’?) on cross-country bus trip in 1951—funny
NON-FICTION :
Killers of the Flower Moon (David Gann) – true story of exploitation and murder of Oklahoma Osage Indians
The Wright Brothers (David McCullough) – premiere biographer’s accessible account of aviation pioneers
We asked our Yoga instructor, Harvard Ave member Susan Hollingsworth, and our Fitness for Life trainer, Harvard Ave member Becky Young, to offer some suggestions of how we can stay healthy, strong, balanced while spending so much time at home. We’ll share their practices and suggestions with you in our e-news each week, and post them here on our website.
Outreach Ministry Team Lead Diana Booren, along with Community Pastor Kevin Howe, have created this quarterly update (click image below) to keep us posted on the ministries we are part of – and how to do more!
Fully committed to our ‘Become.’ core value, discover community engagement at Harvard Avenue as part of the ‘big picture’ of who we are.
Summer ’19: Support Grimes Elementary // A Letter from Francis // Coming Events : Family Promise, Bridges Out of Poverty, JustHope’s Wine to Water
‘What is the world like on the other side of the glass?’ Alice wondered. Author Lewis Carroll knew that after Wonderland, there was still more story to tell: there was something beyond the glass.
More than just colorful decoration, the colorful faceted glass windows in our Sanctuary (Wells Memorial Windows) and Music Suite (Gilpin Memorial Windows) tell the story of our life together: scripture, history, music, nativity, baptism, communion, resurrection, mission.
What do they say to others about who we are as a church, as people, as God’s beloved?
There’s more to learn on our side, and they call us to remember that there is still a world to explore on the other. Together we go, through the looking glass: Through the Looking Glass – our memorial windows
Did you know Harvard Avenue Christian Church is on social media? Get the latest information about and inspiration from your church family when you follow us!
Your Week at Harvard Ave, our Wednesday email, is a weekly connection to the events, news, ministries and more. (And it comes in a mobile-friendly format!)
Highlight links within items will lead you to more details on the Your Week page.
Email Communications Director Christy Southard to be added to the weekly email list.
Poet, author, and activist Maya Angleou is often quoted as saying “When you know better, you do better.” The longer and maybe-closer-to-accurate version of that is I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better. 
Receive a short daily prayer, a brief spiritual discipline, a simple quote or thought, to focus your intentions, actions, and words for the day. Prayers arrive via text message at 10:00am CST (8:00am on Sunday).
Tulsa Kitchens Unite
