The theme for Enid monthly articles for this year was “The OBA Commitment.” And throughout the past year, we’ve had several articles to try and convey people’s expressions of commitment to the OBA mission. As the new Communications Director, who stepped into the year halfway through, I can say that this year’s Class of 2023 embodies our theme well.
Now we want to take a moment to recognize this senior class’s achievements. We will have five Valedictorians, two Salutatorians, eight students graduating with honors and a National Merit Scholar. That’s over half the class. One student passed all nine of their AP exams. We have three students attending college as athletes after successfully leading their teams this year. This year’s seniors have one of the highest collective ACT scores in OBA history and already acquired hundreds of hours of college credits. We had three students win the Oklahoma Arts Excellence Award and one write and direct their own play. They’ve excelled as members of Gaslight teens, church youth group leaders, travel sports team members, and one already sworn into the Air National Guard.
While these students are standouts in terms of academic excellence, they shine in other ways. When I asked some of OBA’s faculty how they would describe this year’s senior class, they said things like: relational, loyal, and unified. These are all traits that they can take with them into their future endeavors. The one trait that stood out among the rest was that they are “zealous in their choice to serve.” These seniors have learned ‘to do hard better’ because of overcoming challenges like emergency online learning as freshmen and an irregular learning environment of social distancing and quarantines as sophomores. They will continue to serve others upon the completion of their time at OBA.
We’ve highlighted a few individual class members here and there over the past year, but this entire class deserves to be celebrated. They are not only smart, high achieving, and excellent in academics, but they are also kind and wonderful leaders. We look forward to seeing the Class of 2023 grow into great contributors and become ambassadors for OBA and our kingdom mission. Congratulations, Class of 2023! We are so proud of you.
Low in fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates, high in potassium, protein, vitamin A (seven times more beta carotene than carrots!), vitamin C, and Omega-3 fatty acids, and containing eight essential amino acids and antioxidant flavonoids and polysaccharides used in therapy for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and type 2 diabetes, this superfood has it all. Additionally, lab tests show that a compound of this plant helps kill liver cancer cells and plant seed extracts are active against brain and lung cancer cells. Best of all, this plant tastes yummy with a slightly citrusy, salty, with a peppery kick and a juicy crunchy texture. You can eat the leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds, either raw or cooked.
Common Purslane has been consumed for thousands of years in the Mediterranean, Mid East, Asia, and by the indigenous North Americans both fresh, cooked, and juiced or decocted as medicines. In spite of all the beneficial health uses and time-worn testing, common purslane has been called “a noxious weed” by the USDA.
Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) also known as hogweed, pigweed and pusley, is an annual succulent that looks like a tiny jade plant with alternating leaf clusters at stem joints. Each fleshy, flat green leaf is oval to spoon-shaped and broadest near the rounded tip. The half-inch wide small yellow flowers that bloom midsummer through early fall, have five notched petals. The flowers blossom at the stem joints, with just a single bloom opening at a time.
Purslane is propagated from seed, stem cuttings, divisions of root systems, and transplanting them. One plant can produce over 50,000 seeds. Seeds remain viable in the soil for several decades. Decades!! Purslane seeds can be sown outside after the last frost by sprinkling them onto moist soil and pressing them in lightly. As a cutting, each piece of stem can create a new plant. To propagate a stem cutting, cut a six-inch long stem and remove the leaves from the bottom half. Plant the stem in soil with half the stem underground in an area with bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist.
Purslane loves full sun and our Oklahoma heat. A good place to plant them is next to walls or fences which reflect heat. Plus, they are not picky about soil. As a weed, these plants can be found easily growing in sidewalk cracks and on the side of the road. But if you are growing purslane for food, these will grow larger, juicier plants in loamy, porous soil without much water.
Harvest mature leaves about 50 days after you plant the seeds. Cut a single stem at a time or most of the plant. Leave about 2 inches above the soil and it will regrow. Oddly enough, the time of day that you harvest makes a difference in the flavor. Plants harvested in the morning taste tart and the evening cuttings have a sweeter flavor. Stems can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week in a plastic bag.
Purslane can be dried and used as a dried herb or like cornstarch thickener. Some cooks serve purslane steamed like spinach. A refreshing way to enjoy purslane is in a salad.
Welcome to Summer, Okie friends! Hope y’all we able to bag a big ole’ Tom turkey this Spring. Don’t fish? Whatever shall you do between Turkey season and Dove season? While I like to fish and predator hunt, if those things aren’t for you but you are itchin’ to get outside try shed hunting!
If you aren’t familiar, shed hunting is exactly what it describes: “hunting” for sheds of antlers of deer. Typically, Whitetail bucks shed their antlers between December and April, making spring or early summer the perfect opportunity to get back into the woods.
Why do deer shed their antlers you ask? Hormonal changes, including a significant drop in testosterone levels which causes the antlers to weaken and eventually fall off.
Where/how to search? If you are like me, I like searching every square inch of my property or hunting lease. Not only do I love the search itself, it beats the heck out of a treadmill. My daughter is 8 years old and also loves wearing her cowboy boots crashing up and down the creek. She’ll find little “sea shells” and pretty crystallized rocks and whatnot to put in her fanny pack. She LOVES when she finds the deer sheds before I do (don’t tell her I pretend to not see them). Occasionally we’ll take a picnic and some water and sit on a falling log under a shade tree and just enjoy nature. While confined to our house I’d be lying if I said my kids didn’t enjoy their iphones, I’m blessed in the fact they all love sports and the outdoors (well, the last is a stretch for my 14 y/o, but still).
One caveat: Unless you are going in March or early April, I’d suggest loading up on the bug spray. In 8 years I don’t think I’ve seen my daughter as upset as she was when we found an embedded tick on her. Snakes and other creepy crawlers are starting to move around, so I prefer a knee high pair of Muck boots as well.
Get outside. God has given us a beautiful Earth for us to explore and appreciate nature and the like. Who knows, you might work off some of those Lenox or Lottaburgers without even thinking about it. See ya next month!
On Saturday April 29th, more than 200 Enid High Student Athletes and dozens of coaches fanned out across the community to help local non-profits, community groups and individuals in the first “Students Serving Others Day.” The idea of a specific day to help the community came from Enid High Athletic Director Billy Tipps. “We did a similar day at a previous school I was at, so I’ve been wanting to do something similar here for the last three years, but had not had the time to get it organized. But this year, with the help of Assistant Athletic Director Lyndsay Watts, we were finally able to get it done, and it was awesome!” said Tipps.
Each team could choose its own project and did not have any specific requirement, other than it had to be service-oriented and helping someone else. Some teams came up with their own projects with ideas from the players or coaches, and for some, the projects were suggested by the athletic department. “The baseball team found their own project, which was helping an individual move from one house to another, that had no other way, which I thought was cool,” said Tipps, “and other groups did all kinds of different things, from helping out at the ESPCA, to a food drive for Loaves & Fishes, to volunteering at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center.”
Vickie Grantz, the Executive Director of the ESPCA, was delighted to have the athletes volunteer. “This is the first time we have had a group of minors volunteer like this, and it was a great experience for us and the animals. They were very professional, worked hard and wore the animals out. The Cross Country and Pom teams helped us get our food pantry organized, pulled weeds in our yard and socialized the dogs and the cats. We’d love to have any of the kids back, and anyone else that would like to volunteer,” said Grantz.
Assistant A.D. Watts said “This was just an amazing way for us to show our appreciation for the community for giving is this beautiful gym and the other facilities and support they have blessed us with. We just wanted to serve them in some way.”
The day went so well, Watts and Tipps believe the event will continue to grow and want to try and do a similar event in the fall and the spring next year. “I just can’t say enough how much we appreciate the coaches and the students giving their extra time to this. We know that they are inundated with things on their plate, so for them to come out on a Saturday morning, with great attitudes and seeing how much they got from giving back was really, really cool,” said Tipps.
Hey y’all, and welcome to the June Teen Scene article in Enid Monthly. Congrats on making it halfway through 2023!! June 8th is National Best Friend Day so this month I’m going to tell you all about my best friends and what I look for in friends. Let’s go!!
My first best friend was Mallie. We’ve known each other since pre-k but became really close in the 5th grade. She is one of the funniest girls I know and never fails to put a smile on my face. Even though she can be a little slow at times I love her so much and couldn’t ask for anyone better. During cross country season Mallie started being friends with a girl named Maritza, they instantly clicked. Since I was always with Mallie I started to get to know Maritza and we also became close and now our Trio is unbreakable. One of my favorite memories with them is when we had our first sleepover together, we stayed up till 6 in the morning just talking.
This year I took Speech and Debate and I didn’t really have any friends or know anyone in that class. I started talking to this girl named Aspen and we instantly became friends. We started hanging out more at tournaments and talking all the time during class. She had a love for running so she asked me about the track team and I gave her a little push to join and after she did we became besties. At every track meet it would always be me and her together unless one of us was running. She even got me to teach her how to play tennis!! One of my favorite memories with Aspen is whenever we took funny pictures in the 5th hour using the panoramic setting on our camera and made each other look so dumb.
The main quality I look for when choosing friends is being hilarious. If you are not funny then I don’t know how we could be friends!! Me and my friends are always laughing at some point which can really bring you up if you’re feeling down on yourself. I think a lot more teens need to find better friends for themselves because you ARE your friends. If they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing then it’s going to put a bad look on YOU. This occurs a lot in high school friend groups and I wish some people would try to better themselves by finding new friends.
Being a good friend to others is also very important because you never know what they could be going through. Even if it’s simple it’s always important to let someone know you are there for them when they think no one else is. If you see someone having a bad day don’t be rude, just mind your own business or ask them what’s wrong. When I notice one of my best friends is down on themselves I always try to make them laugh and cheer them up so maybe you should try it too!! Thank you for reading this month’s article, I hope you enjoyed it!! I would love to hear about your best friends so email me at tweensceneenid@gmail.com also if you have any comment, questions or ideas for upcoming articles let me know there too! I hope you all have a wonderful June and a Happy Father’s Day. Bye for now!!
John Michael was born in Ada to a preacher at the Christian church. In 3rd grade he moved to Cherokee, then to Pond Creek in 11th grade. For college, John attended Phillips University and East Central before graduating with his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State. Desiring to be a lawyer, he attended the Oklahoma University School of Law, graduating with a juris doctorate in 1971. John was in private practice in Medford before running for Associate District Judge in Grant County. In 1985 he was appointed District Judge in Garfield County where he remained until his retirement in 2005. He was so well respected that he faced only one contested election in over 30 years on the bench.
1n 1999 he helped start the Garfield County Specialty/Drug Court which has seen hundreds of successful graduates get their lives back on track and become excellent contributors to society. He continues to volunteer his time as the Drug Court Judge in retirement and takes great pleasure in its success.
Judy Helberg, former Specialty/Drug Court Coordinator said “I could write forever on what Judge Michael has done for Specialty Drug Court. He always has the hard job of keeping clients in line, and it’s not always easy. He listens, is patient, and tries to understand all sides to a situation. Clients finishing the program often say he was always fair and respected him to the fullest. Judge Michael has always looked at Specialty Court as something God has called him to do, and helping people change their lives by getting employment, education and in some cases reuniting families that have been affected by addiction is all the satisfaction he needs for the job.”
The current Specialty Court Coordinator, Kara Savage, said “Judge Michael has had an immense impact this community over the last 20 years, one graduate at a time. He is passionate about the success of each participant and remains persistent so that each one of them end up a productive citizen of society.”
Judge Michael lives with his wife Cheri, with whom he has one adult son, Johnie. He also has two other sons, Seth and Drew from a previous marriage and 4 grandchildren.
For Judge Michael’s honorable service to the community, he is a true “Local Legend.”
Local Legends is Proudly Presented by Humphrey and Guarantee Abstract Company!
Congratulations to everyone nominated, finalists and winners that were announced at the SOLD OUT Best of Enid Awards Show on June 1. We couldn’t have done it without the more than 30,000 votes, great Gold, Silver, Table and Raffle sponsors, and Award Show attendees! Without further ado – the finalists and winners are below! Winners for each category are in BOLD! Congratulations!
Best Accountant William Hann- Hann Plummer Kelly Mendel – CSCO Dee Plummer – Hann Plummer
Best Apartments Esplanade at Stonebridge Village Hunters Hills Apartments Tuscana Apartments
Best Attorney Ben Ezzell Dalen McVay Russell Singleton
Best Auto Repair/Service Four J’s Tire Service Grand Garage Automotive & Towing Speed Tech Automotive
Best Bank/Credit Union Bank of Kremlin Stride Bank Tinker Federal Credit Union
Best Bakery Donna Jean’s Bakery Jumbo Bakery Katy’s Pantry
Best Bar Callahan’s Pub & Grille Liquor in the Axe Settler’s Brewing Co.
Best BBQ Blaze’s BBQ Swadley’s Bar-B-Q Turkey Creek Smokin’ BBQ & Cajun
Best Boutique Bee Jeweled Boutique The Boho Teepee Okie Babe Boutique
Best Breakfast Boomerang Diner Café Volare Wee Too
Best Burger Flamingo Lounge Lenox Drive-In Lotta Burger
Best Cannabis Dispensary Mother’s Joy Dispensary Natural Remedies Heatseekers Dispensary
Best Coffee Shop Coffee Inclination Davinci’s Coffeehouse and Gelateria Five 80 Coffeehouse
Best Car Dealership Northcutt Chevrolet-Buick Northcutt Toyota Stuart Nissan of Enid
Best Childcare Provider Kiddie Cove Home Daycare Kinder Connection Summerhill Children’s House
Best Children’s Party Enid Axe Leonardo’s Children’s Museum and Adventure Quest Nicole’s Gymnastic Academy
Best Chiropractor Dr. John Conaway Dr. Erin Jenkins Dr. Arnold Kenyon
Best Dental Care Dr. Daulton Roberts – TLC Dental Dr. John Thomas – Enid Family Dental Dr. Jarrod Lack – TLC Dental
Best Electrician Byrum Electric Co. Brody Ronistal Electric Dense Mechanical/Comfort Solutions
Best Entertainment Enid Axe Oakwood Bowl Stride Bank Center
Best Eye Doctor Dr. Justin Funk – Premier Eyecare of Enid Dr. Brian Shewey – Enid Eye, Inc. Dr. Heath Stotts – Vision Source
Best Family Medicine Dr. Emily Cooper Dr. Renah Gibson Andrew Ward, APRN
Best Financial Planner Will Gungoll – Edward Jones Keith Holsten – K/H Financial Jenna Rosine – Edward Jones
Best Fitness/Gym Denny Price Family YMCA Planet Fitness Rosebud’s Aerial Yoga Studio
Best Florist Enid Floral & Gifts Huffman Floral Uptown Florist
Best Funeral Home Anderson-Burris Funeral Home Brown Cummings Funeral Home Ladusau Evans Funeral Home & Crematory
Best Hair Salon Bloom Hair Studio Bluejay’s Barbershop & Beauty Twisted Scissors Hair Studio
Best Heating & Air Dennis Plumbing, Heat & Air Dense Mechanical/Comfort Solutions Slater Mechanical
Best Home Maintenance/Remodeling Matthew Compton Remodeling Le Roux Contracting Stephens Construction
Best Insurance Agency Jeff Eaton State Farm Enid Insurance Agency Mike Stuber – Farmers
Best Jewelry Store Ediger’s Diamonds Jackson Diamond Jewelers Zales
Best Lawn Care Blake’s Lawn Care Enid Lawn Co. Galopa Services
Best Liquor Store Proof Wine & Spirits Rock Island Liquor and Wine The Wine Press
Best Local Restaurant Callahan’s Pub & Grille Napoli’s Italian Restaurant Tokyo Japanese Hibachi Grill & Sushi Bar
Best Massage Dia Metcalf Amanda Peters Tonya’s Massage & Wellness Spa
Best Beauty Care/Spa Blossom Beauty Bar The Med Spa at Enid Live Well Salon De’fy
Best Mexican Restaurant El Patio Mama Tita’s Sandy’s Tacos
Best Orthodontist Orthodontic Solutions Rose Rock Orthodontics Schuessler Orthodontics
Best Pet Grooming Groom Closet Pet Center Lollie’s Grooming Unleashed – Pet Grooming Salon
Best Pharmacy Family Pharmacy Rick’s Pharmacy Scheffe Prescription Shop
Best Photographer Jesse Heddleson Photography Jennifer Johnson – Mug Shots Photography Wess & Jolene Grey Portraits
Best Pizza A Fuego Pizza Godfather’s Pizza Hideaway Pizza
Best Plumbing Dennis Plumbing Dense Mechanical/Comfort Solutions J.A. Benge Co.
Best Realtor Lori Dick – Nicholas Residential Real Estate Casi Nichols – E-Towne Realty Torrie Vann – Coldwell Banker Realty III
Best Roofing Eagle Heritage Roofing Fine Roofing & Remodeling Vargas Roofing
Best Senior Living Burgandy Place Golden Oaks Village Greenbrier Village
Best Tattoo Parlor Apothika Tattoo Blood Brothers Tattoo Omocke Ink
Best Thrift Store Hope Outreach Thrift Store Park Avenue Thrift Return Engagement
Best Veterinarian Dr. Kristy Krueger-Krisle Dr. Taylor Shrum – Wheatland Animal Clinic Dr. Joyce Yauk – The Cat Clinic
Best Wings Buffalo Wild Wings Callahan’s Pub & Grille Wingstop
For some, summer means vacation; for others, summer means life is just heating up between summer leagues, games and various activities and still for others summer is a time to look forward to going back to school—vacation Bible school!
Although school is usually the last thing on anyone’s mind and certainly any child’s mind of things hoped for, Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a time that youth, teens and adults of all ages look forward to for a time of games and entertainment, food and fellowship and an opportunity to learn truth and insights beyond anything out of a textbook.
While many churches in the Enid community offer vacation Bible schools and similar programs both in and out of the school season, six churches in particular invite you to an inside look at what their VBS 2023 plans hold and further invite you to come, have fun and be a part of them!
OAKWOOD CHRISTIAN CHURCH(JULY 24-27)
The Oakwood Christian Church invites area youth going into kindergarten through those who have completed fifth grade to go on a galactic adventure during their four day VBS program themed, “Christ the Lordian.”
The VBS program will be July 24 through the 27 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the church, but youth should be prepared to be transported to another place far, far away to ride ships through the galaxy, meet new and familiar characters and learn stories of God’s protection over various people in the Bible from a time long ago.
The Star Wars themed adventure will navigate through a series of lessons created by children’s minister Corey Briix using games, hands-on activities and props designed by Briix and some of the approximately 300 volunteers who come together every year to make VBS special and something to remember. This year, interactive props and games have been designed with the help of local pilots to give youth a hands-on experience while pointing them to see “Jesus is the Way” both long ago and now, for characters of the Bible and for us today.
Briix said that Oakwood Christian welcomes any youth within the age range to come and experience the adventure, hoping that they will have fun, hear about Jesus and hopefully see him through the VBS adventure and in real life through the volunteers and staff.
CROSSPOINT CHURCH (JULY 9-13)
Taking another step back in time toward castles, knights and medieval quests, Crosspoint Church invites youth ages 4 to those who have just completed fifth grade to explore deeper insights behind each part of the armor of God while discovering what they believe and why in this year’s VBS program themed, “Keepers of the Kingdom: Standing Strong in Today’s Battle for Truth.”
July 9 through 13 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm youth will be engaged by captivating dramas hosted by high school youth from the Enid community that weave a medieval story to introduce some of the truth unlocked each day. Each day focuses on a different part of the armor of God where youth will discover it isn’t mere metal or a fairytale, but provides truth they can be equipped with to take with them. In addition to the dramas, there will be themed songs, crafts and games as part of the action planned to make the adventure come to life for everyone as well as a night to collect an offering for a missions organization.
Hayley Abbott, director of children’s ministry at Crosspoint, says she personally is excited to teach over the armor of God and use the curriculum of the VBS which the church has used for years due to its Biblical accuracy and unhindered truth. Abbott said she feels it’s very important for children to feel welcome and when they come for them to have fun, but most importantly hear the truth of Jesus. She further encourages any youth both in and out of church within the age range to join Crosspoint this summer in their VBS quest through medieval times with timeless truths by signing up on the church website or contacting her with any questions at children@crosspointenid.com.
WORLD HARVEST CHURCH (JULY 17-21)
Colorful characters, action-packed adventures and exciting insights from Scripture await for those ages 4 to 11 at World Harvest Church this summer for their Lego-themed VBS adventure titled, “Build.”
Each day of July 17 through 21 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm youth will build their faith while disassembling a Lego character to find Scripture and truth hidden within each part that they can apply to their lives. This hands-on VBS includes live skits, live worship, games and more for an interactive experience youth can get into while learning to construct their faith on Scripture and truth. Taking the adventure a step further, the final day is allotted as a family night where families of the youth are welcomed to come watch a recap of the week, enjoy food and fellowship with bounce houses, a dunk tank and activities for both youth and the whole family to have fun and spend time together.
Chelsea Singleton, children’s director at World Harvest, says the program has been over a year in the making to provide youth both an epic, exciting adventure and place to learn and really think, showing the need to build their lives on the solid rock of Jesus. She encourages youth and families to mark their calendars for this constructive VBS and prepare to be engaged on a great adventure that the whole family can be a part of.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH (JULY 9-13)
From slips and slides to colorful moves and strategic plays, First Baptist Church of Enid invites youth of the Enid area who have completed pre-K through fifth grade to level up and see how Jesus guides them through all directions of life while having fun on the move through its game themed VBS program, “Twists and Turns: Following Jesus Changes the Game.”
For four days July 9 through the 13 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm youth will be welcomed for a meal before starting around the board on a rotation of music, recreation, Bible stories and activities that maneuver them on an interactive adventure centered on Psalm 25:4 to see how Jesus can guide them through their own twists and turns in life beyond the finish line of VBS. The end of VBS is not the end of the fun though. Every member of the family is in mind and invited to be taken to another level for a family day July 16 to have fun, share a meal, see and hear highlights of the VBS and see their youth participate in some of the activities from the week so no one misses out!
Dakota Unruh, worship and communications pastor, says the church is eager and in prayer to teach youth through Scripture and keep Scripture as the central part of the VBS from the fun and games to the lessons to teach youth genuine truth from it and hopefully be reflections of that as well in how they serve.
Jonathan Gilliland, lead pastor at First Baptist, says the church is excited to teach the next generation about Jesus while connecting with them and their families to get to know them, and he invites anyone to check out VBS and bring their youth within the age range for the truth, fellowship, fun and games happening at First Baptist this summer.
EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH (JULY 10-14)
For those eager to get out and move, Emmanuel Enid opens its doors and floors to those who have completed pre-K through fifth grade for its interactive, hands-on VBS, “Ready, Set, Move! Follow Jesus Wherever He Goes.”
Every morning July 10 through the 14 from 8:30 am to noon, youth are invited to bring their enthusiastic energy, smooth moves as well as real thinking caps to engage in creative arts and crafts, motion-inspired songs, fast-paced games and vivid Bible stories told and displayed by characters that present the Scripture for each day and challenge youth to go further with it. Every step along the way there is a short time following to dive into the questions of why youth are doing what they’re doing to allow youth to really think and find deeper purpose founded in Scripture while also having a blast.
Lori Westfall, children’s pastor at Emmanuel, welcomes any and all youth within the age range to get ready for the action by registering on the church website, set their calendars and go to Emmanuel to have fun and grow! Westfall says the goal is to spread the Gospel and to help kids to truly know God better whether they don’t know him and are willing to come or do and can grow even more in that. Youth of all backgrounds are welcome and eagerly invited to get ready, be set and come move!
GRACE MENNONITE CHURCH (JUNE 26-30)
It’s a fun time! It’s a time to learn about Jesus! It’s a fantastic, superhero themed VBS from Grace Mennonite Church for any and all youth ages 5 to those who have completed 5th grade to embark on and find the best of both worlds.
June 26 through the 30 from 6 pm to 8:10 pm youth will be a part of episodes of action as they take on large group music sessions, two daily teaching sessions of Bible stories and missions, crafts and hands-on activities to flex their skills and knowledge of God to new limits and find that He is greater than any superhero of the comic strips or movies. Volunteers of the church and community come together to present this action-packed and fast-paced adventure that keeps the hands and feet as well as the minds of its partakers active and in motion to give a high-quality experience where youth can have fun while also learn more about an infinite God who is both incomparably powerful and perfectly loving.
Mike Sommerfeld, pastor at Grace Mennonite, says the church sees VBS as a success and something to celebrate when they see youth really realizing who Jesus is and coming to know him personally which is the goal of the VBS program. Sommerfeld encourages anyone to call with any questions they may have whether about the VBS or volunteering, and for either way to prepare to come on an adventure with Grace Mennonite Church to see and learn more of a God who is better than any superhero of our time.
With so many and many other VBS programs going on in the Enid area, the only challenge is to decide which one to sign up for and partake in! For many families the question may be posed: why choose just one? With different dates and themes, youth can go on multiple adventures this summer with committed volunteers and staff to have a blast while learning truth and insights to equip them as they step out of the VBS adventure and into their real lives.
Some churches may appreciate an RSVP or sign up which may be wise to ask as the days of their program draw closer, but for all churches the heart and goal is to have their doors open to give youth a place to come, have fun and learn, keeping the welcome sign foremost which always says the more the merrier and is an open door for people to come as they are.
Volunteers and staff within the church often work unseen long hours (and sometimes nights!) to bring the VBS together—creating décor and props, rehearsing skit lines, reviewing material and more—to give every youth who walks through the door the best experience they could have, so while they don’t ask for a thank you, they certainly deserve one or at least respectful participation with this in mind by those who do attend. However, whether regularly attending a church already, new to the area or not one for church on Sunday, families of all backgrounds and experiences are invited and eagerly welcomed to bring their youth for VBS to get plugged in to the community, give youth an experience they will not forget and one that just may impact their life.
Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore Author: Don Winslow
Looking for a Godfather-like crime thriller to take to the beach this summer? Look no further than author Don Winslow’s latest trilogy. City on Fire is the first book in the series and now available in paperback, while book two, City of Dreams, was just released in mid-April. Set in Providence, Rhode Island, in the late 1980s, City on Fire introduces the protagonist Danny Ryan, a flawed but likeable character in the middle of two warring crime families.
The Irish and Italian mobs were enjoying a time of peace, but when a new leader has to prove himself on one side and a beautiful woman gets involved on the other side, it can only lead to war. Each murder prompts a revenge shot, and soon the body count is rising rapidly. Danny knows that his side, the Irish, are outnumbered and outgunned, so he is forced to get creative. New alliances are formed and new tactics are employed. When he gets the opportunity to hijack an incoming shipment, he thinks he has finally gotten his ticket out, enough money to run away with his son and start a new life. But when the time comes, he can’t help but think that the operation went too easy – suspiciously too easy…
City on Fire is certainly not for the faint of heart – nor for those wanting political correctness – but it feels very gritty and authentic. It’s a little challenging to keep all the characters straight, but it’s never enough to throw off the plot. The book is action-packed but also tackles themes of loyalty and betrayal and family and love. Don Winslow has created a main character you can root for and a thoroughly entertaining, fast-paced read that will have you instantly reaching for the next book in the series.
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of City on Fire today!
Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore Author: Ryan T. Higgins
We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish is the third book in the Penelope Rex series by author and illustrator Ryan T. Higgins. The book was released in late March of this year and is targeted for kids aged 3-5. The first book in the series, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, is still the most hilarious of the three, but the newest book is pretty great as well.
In Penelope’s kindergarten class, everyone is taking turns having the class goldfish, Walter, home for the weekend. Penelope, who is a dinosaur, is terribly frightened. Walter, after all, has those menacing fins and those unblinking eyes – not to mention the one time he bit Penelope’s finger. When Penelope’s weekend comes, she tries to distract him, but he just keeps staring at her with those eyes. She can’t take it anymore, so before she goes to bed, she puts him on the kitchen table. But the next morning, he isn’t there! As she searches high and low for him, Penelope realizes that she actually misses Walter and that maybe he really isn’t so scary. And if she can face that fear of hers, what other ones can she overcome?
The wonderful thing about Higgins’s books is that they have great messages, yes, but the illustrations are fantastic too. For example, when Penelope approaches Walter, she’s got a pillow tied to her front, oven mitts for her hands, a colander as a helmet, and who knows what for goggles. The whole series make for perfect read-aloud books, with short, simple sentences and plenty of sound effects printed too. If you’ve enjoyed Penelope’s journey thus far, you’ll surely enjoy her latest adventure as well.
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish today!
