Dr. Pamela Stone - Tulsa World

Dr. Pamela Stone - Tulsa World
Putting the Church Mission in Action | Feature Stories - The Missourian
The Word Walk: We Grieve With Hope | Selma Enterprise - Hanford Sentinel
First Congregational Church Kicks-off the Fall Season - TAPinto.net

Posted: 04 Sep 2019 10:00 PM PDT

Dr. Pamela Stone Pamela Jean (Dillard) Stone, 67, of Tulsa, passed away on August 31, 2019 in Tulsa.

Pamela taught that life is about relationships. The very essence of who she was in her relationships is captured in the following comments of those who knew her, loved her and were deeply touched by her. "I admire you for your grace and beauty how you look, how you live your life and how you serve others." "Your love was generational." "I loved you the minute I met you you always said spirit recognizes spirit my spirit was soothed." "Thank you for listening, thank you for holding my hand when it was really tough. Thank you for sharing your faith. Thank you for your teaching. Thank you for being the wisest woman. Thank you for loving me. You changed my life and my family's life." "You've helped me more than anyone has in my entire life. Thank you for helping me understand the word 'embrace'." "I'm a better wife, friend, daughter, and sister because of you." "Thank you for bringing me to God." "Who knew that a gorgeous, well-dressed therapist would be introducing the ultimate savior to me." "Because of you I feel known and understood even when I do not understand myself I am clear that my valid purpose in life is to love others more I know that I can be a good friend to others." "You have changed my life by loving me well and listening to me well."

These words affirm Pamela's legacy of impact. She changed the world one person at a time, and the world will never be the same again.

Pamela was born on August 8, 1952 to Margaret and Norman Dillard in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She graduated from Memorial High School in 1970. She then attended SMU where she received her undergraduate degree. Upon graduation, she moved to Florida to teach deaf education. Later, Pamela returned to Tulsa to attend TU where she received her Master's degree in Counseling and her doctorate in Counseling Psychology.

Dr. Stone had a private practice as a counselor for 35 years in Tulsa. She was also a noted speaker. Her love of the Lord permeated both her life and her practice. She brought many to the Lord and taught all to prayerfully seek the Lord's will for their life. Pamela believed psychology needed to take a bended knee to scripture. She understood that Jesus heals, and counselors connect the dots.

Pamela married Buddy Stone in 2008. Their home offered comfort to many. Her smile and laughter brought great joy. Her dinner parties and family gatherings brought great fellowship.

Survivors include her husband, Dana (Buddy) Stone of Tulsa; son, Andrew Grannis and his daughter, Grace of Tulsa and son Adam Grannis of Tulsa; her sisters, Debra Krans and husband, Kurt of Tulsa, Jan Dillard of Glenpool, Ann Dillard of Dallas, TX; niece, Cory Ann McCue and husband, Eric of Leadville, CO. Her presence will be missed by her aunts, uncles, cousins and numerous friends. Also, Buddy's daughter, Michelle Hight and husband, Jay of Tulsa; their children, Cason, Charli and Landri; and daughter, Blair Peters and husband, Adam of Tulsa. Pamela is also survived by her mentor and beloved friend, the Rt. Rev. William J. Cox of Tulsa. Bishop Cox and Pamela worked closely for years to help others in their spiritual journeys.

Pamela was preceded in death by her parents, Margaret Ann (Strother) Dillard and E.N. (Norm) Dillard, Jr.

Visitation will be Thursday, September 5th, from 5-8 pm at the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit, 12121 E. 41st Street, Tulsa, OK. The funeral service will be held at 10 am on Friday, September 6th, at the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit with the Venerable Fr. Carl J. Eyberg officiating.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit in Pamela's name.

Putting the Church Mission in Action | Feature Stories - The Missourian

Posted: 04 Sep 2019 07:36 AM PDT

The words hanging over the doorway leading in and out of St. Peter's United Church of Christ at the corner of Fifth and Market streets in Downtown Washington say it all: "Enter to Worship," "Depart to Serve."

"That really does characterize who we are," said the Rev. Gary Schulte, who has served as pastor at St. Peter's UCC for the last two years. "And people live that here. I see it."

The mission was in action following the worship service Sunday, Aug. 25, as about 60 members gathered to fill 75 emergency cleanup buckets for Church World Services to distribute in the wake of natural disasters, including floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. The church devoted 100 days to collecting items needed to fill the buckets.

The project perfectly reflects the mindset of members at St. Peter's, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year — the best way to mark their major milestone is by doing something tangible and meaningful for others.

The church is known across the community for things like hosting the free weekly Harvest Table community meal and the annual Festival of Trees at Christmas to collect food and donations to stock the local pantries. St. Peter's, in fact, operates its own food pantry to serve the community.

"We open our church to a lot of different things," said Patty Wood, chair of the anniversary committee and a past president of the congregation. "The Civic Chorus rehearses here, we have AA groups that meet here. We have Great Decisions book group that meets here, literacy groups (tutor and students) who meet here."

"All of those things are emblematic of the church being a really integral part of the community," said Jon Bauer, who also serves on the anniversary committee and is a past president of the congregation.

The church's location in the heart of Downtown Washington is key to all of that.

"St. Peter's really made a decision to stay downtown and to serve the population here," said the Rev. Schulte. "It's not always easy. If we had newer and modern buildings that weren't just sort of put together at various periods, maintenance and all of that would be smoother, but we have made a conscious decision to stay."

Began in Log Cabin

St. Peter's UCC was founded in 1844 as the German Protestant Church in Washington. It was the second church to be established in Washington, second only to St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church.

Its first church was a log cabin built at the corner of Third and Lafayette streets in Downtown Washington, where a storage unit business stands today. That was the edge of town, at the time.

A second, larger brick church was built just west of the first structure, and the current church was completed just after the Civil War in 1868.

"The first person to serve this church was the minister of Femme Osage (the Rev. Hermann Garlichs)," said the Rev. Dr. Bill Schwab, pastor emeritus, who served as pastor at St. Peter's UCC from 1982 to 2006. "He would come across the river when he could make it. My understanding is they would ring the bell to let people know if the minister was going to be here to hold service."

Accessible to All

Additions and improvements to the building at St. Peter's for decades have been driven by the will of the congregation to make the facilities more handicap accessible, said the Rev. Schwab.

Currently, members are looking into what it will cost to make more of the church's restrooms and the back entrance more handicap accessible.

The front entrance and restrooms in other parts of the building already are fully accessible, Schwab noted, but the doors at the back lot could benefit from having an electronic device installed so people in wheelchairs could open the doors, and restrooms near where the Harvest Table meal is served could be more accessible.

Its not just by chance that the members at St. Peter's UCC are interested in making the facility as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. One of its native sons was the late Rev. Harold Wilke, who was born without arms, grew up in the St. Peter's congregation and went on to champion the need for the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Wilke was actually on stage with then-President George H.W. Bush when he signed the ADA into law in 1990.

"The Americans With Disabilities Act has really changed how we approach architecture and buildings and accessibility in our country, brought it to the forefront," said Bauer. "That has meaningful roots here and in a personal way, with Harold Wilke, being born and raised in this area, being confirmed here and having a life that has literally affected millions of people."

Emphasis Placed on Education

From its earliest years, St. Peter's members valued education, and without a public school available to the community, established its own school that was open to all children, not just to members. It remained open until 1918.

Perhaps even more notable is that St. Peter's built a private high school in 1887 that was open to both boys and girls. It was unusual to have a co-ed high school at that time, Schwab pointed out.

Students from outside of Washington enrolled at the school, and local residents opened up their homes to offer room and board, said Schwab.

The school was sold to Washington Public School System in 1900 and still stands today on Locust Street, where it is used as the Washington School District administration building.

And although St. Peter's hasn't operated a formal school for more than 100 years, education continues to be an important part of its weekly message. The church holds Bible study, weekly Coffee With the Pastor, Vacation Bible School and more.

Cemetery Welcomed People of All Races, Traditions

In 1875, St. Peter's purchased land on the east end of what is now Fifth Street to establish a cemetery. The first 3 acres were purchased from the Hausmann family for $150 an acre.

St. Peter's didn't limit who could be buried in its cemetery, said Schwab. It was one of the first in the community to allow African-Americans to be buried there and open to receive people of other races and traditions.

Outreach Through Music

The music at St. Peter's is another thing the church is known for, said Schwab, noting the church has always maintained a very good pipe organ.

Bauer, who joined the church in 1987, noted it was the performance of the handbell choir at a Christmas Eve service that initially drew him in.

"Music is still an important part of outreach for our church today," Bauer remarked.

St. Peter's has not shied away from bringing different styles of music into the church. In recent years, the Saturday evening services have even included jazz music.

'Regional Church'

St. Peter's holds two services each weekend — one on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. that tends to be more informal, and another on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

The church officially has 650 members, although not all are active or even living in the immediate area anymore. Many members who have moved away like to maintain their membership, said Wood, coming here for services on holidays and special events.

Active members include many people from Washington and beyond, including communities like Union, New Haven, Marthasville, even Wright City and St. Louis.

"It's kind of a regional church," said Schwab.

Pastor Schulte noted that St. Peter's service is "an open table," meaning that its Communion service is open to everyone, not just St. Peter's members or even UCC members. That is a reflection of the people who are members.

"I think the openness of the table really does translate into the openness of hearts and how people view things," he said.

175th Anniversary Events

St. Peter's has been celebrating its 175th anniversary all year with events featuring fellowship and food, including a New Orleans-style shrimp boil to an ice cream social. There also was a concert featuring the music of Jennifer Judd, Ann Hirschl and Aiden Ip

"It's really been a vibrant anniversary," Pastor Schulte remarked.

The celebration kicked off in January with Rev. Dr. Ginny Brown-Daniel, conference minister for the Missouri Mid-South Conference, of which St. Peter's is a part, leading the worship service.

In February, Dr. David Greenhaw, president of Eden Theological Seminary, came to preach at St. Peter's. And the Rev. Jeffrey Schwab, son of the congregation, led a worship service in May.

Later this month, the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, will be at St. Peter's. He will give a lecture Saturday, Sept. 14, at 5 p.m. which will be followed by a catered meal.

The lecture and meal are open to the public. The cost of the meal is $15 per person. To register, call the office at 636-239-6176.

Dr. Dorhauer also will lead the worship service Sunday, Sept. 15.

And the celebration will culminate Sunday, Oct. 13, with a worship service led by the Rev. Bill Schwab.

Hear the Message, Practice the Message

As excited as members of St. Peter's are about celebrating the church's past 175 years, they do so with an eye to the future and an understanding that their work continues. This is an opportunity to do more.

"Since its start, St. Peter's church members have lived their discipleship both humbly and boldly before the community of Washington and beyond," the church's website reads. "Giving God our best through worship, Christian education, outreach and a strong commitment to walk in Christ's ministry, vision and way has guided our congregation throughout its history.

"2019 will mark our 175th anniversary in the town of Washington, but more importantly, it will mark 175 years of faith-filled work and witness."

Church members use words like "warm and welcoming," "inclusive" and "progressive" to describe St. Peter's.

"It's also very open to each individual's path," said Bauer.

The Rev. Bill Schwab believes St. Peter's strikes a nice balance between preaching about personal salvation and saving society.

"We try to have a good combination of both things, being very supportive of individuals and their faith journey, and also calling for our society to be supportive of people," he said.

Pastor Schulte agreed. There is a responsibility to hear the message shared during the worship service and then practice that message and put it in action when you leave, he said.

Again, "Enter to Worship. Depart to Serve."

The Word Walk: We Grieve With Hope | Selma Enterprise - Hanford Sentinel

Posted: 04 Sep 2019 05:00 AM PDT

Sooner or later we will all have to face the death of a loved one.

Christians meet this reality more than most because we belong to a bigger

family: the church. In the body of Christ, God blesses us with many brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers — all dear loved ones whose spiritual bond with us will never be severed (Mark 3:31–35).

We must all confront death. That day will come, but along the way, we will also witness beloved friends and family pass from this life into the next.

Death is a real enemy — a frightening enemy. The Bible tells us that "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26).

I, personally, have watched people die in front of me. I have lost friends and family, young and old. Death is always ugly. Death always brings sorrow. And there is nothing wrong with grief in the face of death. Jesus himself wept over the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35).

Did you know that God has so designed us that death is unnatural to us? We were meant to live.

But when we lose a loved one who is a believer, we need to remember an important truth that will help us deal with the loss. Grief will inevitably strike us, but by God's grace, sorrow does not have to overcome us. This truth gets to the heart of the Christian faith and offers us insight into the person of Christ, the God-man.

In John 17:24, we read words that are very personal from our Lord.

Carefully consider the language:

"Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world."

As a man, Jesus has certain desires. He had desires on earth, and he still has desires in heaven. Here, Jesus has a desire that he makes known to the Father. He speaks, as he often has before that, of those whom the Father has given him (see John 6:37, 39; 10:29; 17:6, 9). Those whom the Father has given to Christ are the very sheep for whom the Good Shepherd laid down his life (John 10:11). Jesus prays to the Father for his beloved sheep in the High Priestly Prayer of John 17, and he continues to intercede for them to this very day (Romans 8:34). And what does Jesus'

He desires that his people be with him. Jesus is completely happy and satisfied as he reigns from heaven, but according to his prayer in John 17, he still has a certain unfulfilled desire: that his people join him in the home he has already prepared for them (John 14:2–4).

When a brother or sister in the Lord dies, we should remember first and foremost that the Father has answered Jesus's prayer. God is sovereign over our loved ones' deaths, and he has purposes we may never understand (Deuteronomy 32:39; James 4:15), but we can cling to the truth that Jesus has prayed for his Father to bring his people home. When a Christian dies, the Father is granting to his Son a request that he first prayed nearly two thousand years ago on the night before he gave up his life for his people.

We can at least say this much: When a loved one passes, Jesus gains a lot more than we have lost. Yes, we have lost. We will never again share sweet fellowship with that brother or sister in this life. The loss is great, even beyond words. But the loss is never beyond Jesus's words: "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory."

Jesus knows he has a glory that is far beyond anything this world can offer. He knows that a true sight of him is worth more than millions of worlds. He knows that the sight of his glory will leave no one unsatisfied. Jesus is eager for his precious saints to enter true, eternal happiness with him.

We certainly taste many joys in this life, but nothing can compare to the pure delight of unhindered fellowship with Jesus. We are destined for unspeakable joy in his presence.

When you lose a loved one in the Lord, to the Lord, you have indeed lost — at least for now. But that brother or sister has gained, and so has Jesus (Philippians 1:20–23). We may shed enough tears to fill buckets, but those streams of tears running down our cheeks will glisten with joy when we realize that our loved one's death is nothing less than an answer to Jesus's prayer.

The death of a dear loved one in the Lord may present one of the greatest tests of our faith. But can we trust that our loved one is better off with the Beloved? Will we believe that the Son of God is reaping the fruit of his work for sinners? If we do, then our grief is godly grief, and Jesus will turn our sorrow into great joy (John 16:20).

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15), and it can be for us, too, when we cling to the hope that death will never win (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). Jesus grieved himself so that we will never have to endure hopeless grief in the face of death.

In the end, death is just an answer to Jesus's prayer.

First Congregational Church Kicks-off the Fall Season - TAPinto.net

Posted: 04 Sep 2019 03:46 PM PDT

First Congregational Church of Westfield is a spiritual community with a long and rich history of encouraging freedom of thought and a strong commitment to supporting and serving those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. In all aspects of its life and mission, FCC welcomes and affirms people of every race, age, gender, marital circumstance, sexual orientation and expression, physical or psychological ability, economic condition, ethnic origin, and theological tradition.

FCC is a congregation of open-minded and big-hearted who have discovered the freedom and joy a Christian spiritual life offers—parents, singles, teens, children, and seniors who strive daily to live out that life in their varied walks of life. As a member of the United Church of Christ, the community at FCC comes from an unusually broad mix of denominational backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Quaker, and even no faith background at all.

The leaders and members of FCC of Westfield invite all to kick off the fall season on Sunday, September 8 in its meeting house at 125 Elmer Street. A full schedule is planned with the morning's Message by Senior Minister Rev. Dr. Mark Boyea, and the Adult Chancel Choir back to lead the community in glorious sound. Christian Education leaders will also be commissioned, and personalized Bibles will be given to third grade students.

Following the morning's Worship celebration, the community is invited to gather in Patton Auditorium for the annual Kick-Off Brunch, where a hearty buffet will be available for all to enjoy.

If you are new to the area or are seeking a new spiritual community, please join us! Here are just a few things current members have said about why they joined and continue to be a part of FCC:

"We immediately felt a difference visiting this church and being welcomed by all of the members. It is friendly, spiritual, theatrical, caring, fun and inspirational ... a wonderful place for our family." – C. FANWOOD, NJ

"I was taken with the New England-like architecture. We were looking for a Sunday school program for our kids, so we decided to visit. We joined and discovered fine sermons, a good Sunday school and an active youth fellowship program. But the most unexpected thing was how much a part of the congregation that I felt. We feel like we have a church family." – P.F. SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ

"I grew up Catholic while my husband grew up in the UCC. We wanted to find a church that was intellectually stimulating, spiritually fulfilling, filled with music, welcoming to children, and friendly, yet not overwhelming. We joined FCC the Sunday before our son's birth. FCC is a wonderful and welcoming community. We grow together in faith and fellowship, through hard times and good times." – A.M. SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ

"True spirit of Jesus." – B.H., FANWOOD, NJ

"If you are looking for a church where actions speak louder than words, THIS IS IT. They seek justice and love for all people by preaching love in the face of hate and doubt, display generosity through the giving of time and talent to many causes, and demonstrate fellowship through friendship, social activities, and worship. The ministers are involved, devoted, and generous with their time. The Youth Group engages and challenges the youth through thoughtful discussion, games, trips, parties, and lots of volunteer opportunities. Join us for worship on any given Sunday and see for yourself!" – A.E. WESTFIELD, NJ

First Congregational Church, a member of the United Church of Christ, is located at 125 Elmer Street in Westfield. The Sanctuary is accessible via a wheelchair ramp and features a hearing loop for the hearing impaired. Professional child care is available, and children from pre-school through Grade 9 are welcome to attend Church School. For further information, please call the Church Office at 908-233-2494 or visit www.fccofwestfield.org.

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Dr. Pamela Stone - Tulsa World

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