rckids (1st-5th graders) staff

This is Stoney and Melissa Hurst with their 3 children, Clayton, Clint and Cassidy. Stoney is a police officer in the Tulsa area and Melissa is the Rejoice Church Kids Coordinator for both campuses. Stoney and Melissa have been married for 10 years and they both grew up in the Owasso area. Rejoice Church has been their church for a majority of their lives, and Melissa has now been on staff at Rejoice for almost 5 years. Stoney and Melissa both speak on a regular basis to our kids ministries (1st-5th graders) on both campuses. Melissa also helps our Pastor of kids ministries, Ryan Golightly, in long term planning, small group leadership training, curriculum development and discipleship. When asked about the what most excites them about Rejoice, Melissa comments: "Rejoice Church is a multi-generation/family place, it has been fun to see leaders developed within the church and also be a place that my grandparents, parents, and my kids love to be a part of!" Next time you see Stoney or Melissa say hi and introduce youself!

pray for fran wood and her mission trip to pakistan

Rejoice Church has always been a church that sends and go to the whole world to tell them about the love of Christ. This past Sunday we had the opportunity to collectively pray for Fran as she leaves this week to Pakistan. Fran will be working with "global x" as they lead out the first ever women's conference in the history of Pakistan. Fran will be teaching on the subject of forgiveness. Also pray for her husband Kevin and her daughters Jordan and Jessica while Fran is gone. Kevin and Fran have been married for 23 years. Kevin works in operations at Sinclair in Tulsa and Fran oversees the financials at Rejoice Church. The thing that most excites them about Rejoice Church and the launch of the south campus is "that so many people love to serve and give to others!"

Have you ever been on a mission trip overseas? Take some time out this week to pray for Fran as she travels! -casey cariker

pray for our exiting president and our new president

Take some time out of your day to stop and pray for our new president and his family. Also, remember to pray for our former president and his family as they transition to a new season of life. The book of Romans reminds us to pray for our leaders and those in authority! -Casey Cariker

south campus leadership and staff

Have you met Kody and Kristi Engle? They have been married for 5 years and have been attending Rejoice for 4 years. Kody is a high school teacher and volleyball coach at Jenks High School. Kristi serves on staff with the Early Childhood Ministry (birth-kindergarten) at Rejoice Church. She helps develop the Sunday School Curriculum and is also a stay at home mom to their 2 year old daughter, Alyssa. Kristi grew up in Owasso, OK and Kody lived a major portion of his life in Oberlin, Kansas. They currently live in Glenpool, America. Kristi loves to be involved in photography and Kody loves to fish in his spare time. Kristi favors the David Crowder Band and Third Day and Kody can be caught with the Dave Matthews Band on his ipod. When asked about what most excites them most about rejoice, Kristi said "from the first time we vistied Rejoice we felt at home...the relationships we have built here and the friends we have made make Rejoice a very special place!" You'll catch Kristi in the ECM areas at the south campus and Kody greeting new people each Sunday. Make sure to say hi next time you see them!

-casey cariker

insider look at some of the rejoice south campus staff

Over the next few weeks, we will be taking some time to introduce you to some of our rejoice church staff. We will highlight the majority of rejoice church staff that either attend the south campus or have a majority of their responsibilities at the south campus. This will allow all of us to know them by name, face, and some of the inside scoop on their lives! So here we go:

This is Trampas and Tracy Thompson with their daughter Maddie, and their dog Mike! Trampas is a Lead Systems analyst at Hillcrest hospital. Tracy lived in Staunton, IL growing up and Trampas spent a long time living in Bartlesville, OK. Tracy is the ECM point person for the birth-kindergarten ages, at our south campus, along with several other great leaders. Trampas and Tracy have been married for over 6 years and have attended Rejoice for 2 years. Tracy's favorite athlete is Scottie Pippen and Trampas favors the Denver Broncos! When asked about their favorite thing about Rejoice Church, Tracy says: "After our first visit to Rejoice we knew it was our church because how easy it is to build relationships here!" Next time you visit Rejoice Church South Campus make sure to say hello to Trampas and Tracy...you'll probably find them teaching the good news of Christ to tons of children!

Christmas story found in football

Christmas and football! Over the next 25 days there will be about 30 div. 1 football bowl games played on TV. There will be tons of money, accolades, fame, awards, and publicity given to tons of players, coaches, teams, and fans. After the bowl games there will be coaches that will lose their jobs, fans that will switch teams, assistants who will get promoted, and head coaches that will get multi-million dollar contract extensions. But maybe a value of Christmas can still be found in a small football story that Rick Reilly writes about today: go to this link to read the article... http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373 Another reminder of Christ-followers trying to serve others in small ways. In what other ways have you seen Christmas bring the "best" of those who love Christ? Merry Christmas- Casey C.

"Here's the message I want you to send: You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth." -- Grapevine coach Kris Hogan

u can rejoice winner #1

A few weeks ago we announced a new holiday grocery giveaway called "UCANREJOICE". This has been a fun way for Rejoice Church, McDonald's, Mygenerationdesign, Reasor's in Owasso, and Sav-On printing to remind hundreds of people that they can still "have joy during the holiday season." Tons of people have been taking a few minutes to submit an entry at www.ucanrejoice.com and celebrate a friend, tell us about a needy family, give encouraging words about a neighbor, or just nominate a special person. Last Friday, we called Debbie Campbell from Owasso to let her know that the family she had nominated had won $200 and that Debbie had won $100 worth of grocery money to Reasor's in Owasso. On Saturday, Rejoice Church's own Monica Champ got to meet the winning family and "rejoice" with them during their time of need. See the picture above-Monica Champ is on the far left and standing next to her is Ramona Combs and Joe Combs (behind her) and their children on the right. Have you nominated anyone yet? Go to www.ucanrejoice.com and then receive a free McDonald's McCafe drink coupon in the mail! -Casey Cariker

rejoice south grand opening this sunday

Did you get a chance to be at the launch? If not, join us this Sunday morning at 10:30 am for our grand opening at the new Rejoice Church South Campus. Join hundreds of people as we gather to hear about "Our part in God's Story!"

-casey