Circuit Writer

This is my column for the Tahlequah Christian for the week of March 7-13.

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As I prepared to write a column for this week, I sat at my table surrounded by paperwork: a copy of my notes for the ordination council, an unfinished application for graduation, a calendar with dates for my friends’ already scheduled ordination services, and a reminder about the upcoming Regional Assembly in April. It suddenly struck me that perhaps this week I should take a break from the theological and focus on the practical, because I have a lot of news and information to share.

Ordination and Graduation: I’m proud to announce that on Monday of this week I met with the Commission on Clergy for the Christian Church in Oklahoma and was officially approved for ordination. While I don’t yet have all the details out as to when that will be, I’m planning to celebrate ordination with my community at First Christian Church during a service sometime after May of this year. However, ordination is always contingent on graduation, and I’m reminded that I have to finish my work before I can play. For those of you who have asked, Phillips Theological Seminary will hold its graduation services on Saturday, May 15. The service begins at 11:00 a.m. at First Christian Church in downtown Tulsa.

Professional Development: This coming weekend I will be taking a couple of days off for professional development in order to attend the annual meeting of the Southwest Conference on Religious Studies. This will include gatherings of the regional affiliates of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature amongst others, and I will be listening to the presentation of academic papers and rummaging through mountains of books that I can’t afford to buy nor spare the time to read. In my absence, David Van Donkelaar will be filling our pulpit and leading our worship service. He is a local minister affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA, and will be adding a biblical perspective to the idea of atonement through the lens of the Psalms.

Regional Assembly: I know that you’ve already seen the information about this on the front page of the newsletter, but I want to lift it up again. It’s a great opportunity for faith, fun, and fellowship that will include fantastic speakers, informative workshops, and inspiring worship. If anyone is interested in attending, I would love to hear from you to talk about making arrangements for you to join me in Enid for what looks to be a fantastic assembly.

Walking the journey of Lent,

Clint