Thursday, September 9th
7:00 pm
Lyon Hall

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a hilarious story that makes a very bittersweet point of how in all the pageantry of the holiday, we often miss the reason for Christmas.

Auditions are open to all college students, faculty, staff, and faculty/staff/alumni children.
There are over 20 parts in the production, so if you’ve ever wanted to be in a play here’s a chance.

Please bring a current photo of yourself.
Production dates are November 11-13.

If you have questions call:

Denise Jarmola
766-5068
or email cdjarmola@sbcglobal.net

Pounds of food: 25,000
People: 1,789
Families: 375
Volunteers: 268
Salvations: 35
Healing: 35

Showing Christ’s love to others: Priceless.

Hanah Puga, freshman, and Laura Fowler, freshman, host this lady as she goes through the clothes section at the Day of Hope. (Brittany Kanady / OKWUeagle.com contributor)

Are these statistics of any consequence? For those who had any connection to the Day of Hope Saturday, August 21, they certainly are.

OKWU students teamed up with Bartlesville First Assembly to impact the community and kick off the year.

When Bartlesville First Assembly started the Day of Hope five years ago, it was a way to help families by offering free food, clothes, haircuts, diapers and medical screenings.

“This event has not only changed and helped others but has also transformed our church. I cannot imagine our church ever not offering hope through this event,” said Ike Amaro, Pastor of Worship and Outreach at Bartlesville First Assembly.

Although Day of Hope began at 10 a.m., people began lining up in the hot, August weather before 8 a.m. Directors and volunteers did their best to keep as many people as possible in the shade of the building or tents. This at times required a great deal of teamwork to keep the line order the same while wrapping it around the buildings and trees.

Once the guests reached the doors of the church, they checked in at the registration table. Here they filled out a card with their name, the number of people in their household and what areas they needed help in. From there, they were directed into the sanctuary to cool off and wait until their number was called to proceed any further.

While in the sanctuary (which was reported to be kept “icicle cold!”), participants enjoyed a puppet show. Once their number was called, the guests were assigned a host or two to take them through the different stations.

Each guest could pick out two shirts and two pants from the clothing section. They then were offered haircuts and dental and household items before heading towards the exit where they were prayed with and sent home with a paper bag overflowing with groceries.

Alica Efron, senior; Andrew Daniels, junior; Caleb Gentiles, senior; and Levi Mooney, senior, man one of the clothing tables in order to assist guests in finding the sizes they need. (Brittany Kanady / OKWUeagle.com contributor)

About 80 athletes from Oklahoma Wesleyan University sports programs including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s softball and women’s volleyball assisted in the Day of Hope.

“I am a member of First Assembly of God. I have participated in the event for the past three years.  After participating in the event three years ago, I asked the event coordinator, Ike Amaro, if our basketball team could volunteer to help in the event.  So, last year the Men’s Basketball Team and Cheerleaders served,” said Donnie Bostwick, Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach.

“The timing is perfect as it occurs right after school starts and allows us to start the year by serving others. It helps the students to realize how blessed we are and teaches them the value and joy of serving,” Bostwick said.

OKWU students served as greeters and water distributors while others helped with registration, hosting and carrying out the clothes and food bags to vehicles.

“It was incredible. I’m amazed that every year so many people come out and give their time so that the people in our community can get things that we take for granted every day,” said Sarah Godwn, senior.

“I was sick this year but never once did I think that maybe I should stay home and not help out,” Godwin said.  “Day of Hope is such an awesome event to be a part of, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of helping others and giving hope to those in need.”

The Day of Hope impacts the lives of the families in need as well as the volunteers.

Elena Richardson, junior, said, “Being part of Day of Hope really opened my eyes to the extent of need in Bartlesville. I saw people that I recognized who I never knew were in need.”

Amaro was very excited about how well the day came together.

“My favorite part of the Day of Hope is seeing all God’s people come together to help others. Several churches and many different denominations helped to make the Day of Hope a great day. Also I would like to thank the OKWU students who helped at the Day of Hope, because of their help many of people were blessed,” Amaro said.

A: Oklahoma Wesleyan University does not have fraternities or sororities.

With OKWU being such a small school, it is easy to get close with the people around you, one of the main features provided by the Greek system at other universities.

Bible studies are organized by the Resident Advisors for each floor, which helps you bond with the students on your floor. There are man nights and girls nights once a month which mesh the entire campus based on gender, and provide for fun times doing random things and hanging out with all the guys and gals – very Greek-esque!

I addition, the Social Life team, a committee in charge of planning activities, does a great job organizing events along with Student Government, Resident Advisors, and the Student Life team, who all exist, let’s face it, to make our lives fun. Okay, not really, but they do a great job with the fun activities along with all the other jobs they do.

There is rarely a shortage of weekend activities to encourage community and fun. From Eagle Week, the first week of school, which includes the famous and slightly painful – I am still sore more than a week later – slip n’ slide; to floor activities  for each of the six residents halls and their respective floors; to movie nights and murder mystery dinners, there is always something exciting and “Kodak®-moment” worthy.

Thus, even with a lack of a Greek system, the amenities provided by them at other schools are met through different channels here at OKWU.

Sincerely,

Snow Eagle

Professor Wendell Weaver stimulates prayer when he drives the Sea-Doo for tubing fun. (Hannah Hopkins / OKWUeagle.com contributor)

Business majors and minors of Oklahoma Wesleyan University as well as their guests enjoyed a relaxing Sunday afternoon on Birch Lake as the School of Business hosted its annual Back to School Lake Party on Aug. 22.

The School of Business began hosting the lake party in order to help their students, especially freshmen, get to know their professors a little better in an environment outside of the classroom.

All freshmen and transfer business majors and minors were invited to attend the lake party. A challenge was added to the invite for sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in going; in order to come, they had to bring a freshman or transfer business major or minor.

For some upperclassmen, this stipulation turned out to be quite difficult.

Ashley Colliver, senior, was about to give-up on going because she could not find anyone to go with her. After making an offhand comment about the lake party in one of her classes, Colliver finally found a transfer business major interested in going.

“I was so glad I was able to go. You see the professors in a different light and get to know your fellow classmates. On the tube, you get closer to God from all the praying you do, hoping to not fall off!” commented Colliver when asked about her favorite part of the day.

The party was a come and go event. A lunch of hot dogs, bratwursts, chips, cookies, lemonade and water was provided at no charge to the students.

Aside from the good food, attendees spent hours out on the water riding the Sea-Doo and tubing as well as swimming and playing in the water by the shore.

For Mariah Klumb, senior, the lake party provided her with an opportunity to try something new. “It was a lot of fun. I had a great time, especially tubing. I had never done that before, but I loved it. It was also fun to get to meet some of the freshmen and hang out with them. Totally worth the sunburn!” said Klumb.

“I love seeing the students get outside their comfort zones and try new and different activities. Most students have spent little time on lakes and many have never tubed before. So this provides a terrific opportunity for students to push themselves a little, learn something and have a great time in the process,” said Wendell Weaver, Assistant Professor of Marketing.

When Weaver was asked whether or not they plan to do the lake party again next year, his resounding answer was “Lord willing, we certainly will.”

Each Labor Day weekend Oklahoma Wesleyan University students load into cars and head north to South Dakota for Life Light.

“Taking the Church Outside the Walls, Bringing Light into the Darkness,” is the official motto of Life Light 2010.  It is not only the biggest free Christian Music Festival in the nation; Life Light is a year-round ministry striving to fulfill their motto.

OKWU students love the opportunity to hear their favorite bands perform without an admission charge and they also have strong memories of the adventure of a road trip.

Last year Sean Stedwell, who graduated in May, was the victim of an automobile accident.  While there was damage to their vehicle, no students were injured and the story now falls under the category of “Good Memory.”

Other students tell stories of friends deciding to go to South Dakota literally minutes before the car pulled away from campus.

Life Light was founded by Alan and Vicki Greene.  The Greene’s founded the ministry from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where it is still located today.  According to www.lifelight.org, the festival is the biggest part of the ministry, but Life Light Communications is also an outreach that includes tours, concerts, student ministries, missions, radio, and outreach events.

Life Light as always been a free event and will continue to be with support of churches across the nation and donations at the festival.

If Life Light sounds like a fun activity to you, start asking around campus for people who will be driving up and join the OKWU tradition!

For more information, check out the website at www.lightlight.org.

New students mingle with returners during the Eagle Week All Campus Picnic and Slip 'n Slide. (Maloree Hamel / OKWUeagle.com contributor)

By Megan Mueller
OKWUeagle.com

If you’ve never experienced a full cafeteria at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, had to wait a while in line for your coffee at Doc Lacy’s or are currently living with two other people in your residence hall room, you probably already graduated.

This year, OKWU experienced the largest new incoming class of students in the history of the school by welcoming 225 new faces to campus.

This is the second consecutive year of record-breaking growth.

Among the new faces is Hannah Lopez, freshmen, from Lawrence, Kan.

“I love (OKWU), it feels like family,” says Lopez. “The big student population gives me more opportunity to meet other people.”

And there are plenty of people to meet.

With around 70 percent of new students participating in athletics and the largest number of pastoral ministry majors in the history of the college, OKWU continues to expand in every area.

One of the many students involved in athletics is Laura Fowler, freshmen, from Skiatook, Okla., who plays on the girls’ soccer team.

“It’s cool to have a lot of freshmen around campus and on the soccer team,” says Fowler, “I’m glad [OKWU] is a developing school and that it has continued to grow.”

OKWU’s student population has grown largely as a result of the efficient admissions team, headed by Vice President John Means.

“[Means] does everything he can to make us productive, in an environment where we feel motivated encouraged,” says Jennifer Weaver, enrollment counselor.

If you have a best friend by the end of the semester, remember to thank your admissions staff for bringing you two together!

So what do returning students think about the growing campus?

“It’s strange going into the cafeteria and seeing all the seats full at every meal,” says Emily Redmond, junior.

Redmond is also the Resident Assistant for lower Susanna Wesley Residence Hall, occupied mostly by freshmen.

“I’m excited to get to know all the girls on my floor and to see the different things they will accomplish in their lives,” says Redmond.

Another returning student, Ryan Helland, sophomore, is experiencing the challenge every college student faces: new names.

“It’s really overwhelming to have so many new students and hard to remember people’s names!” says Helland.

Another RA, Sheresa Grate, senior, is excited about the amount of students that will be involved in school activities.

OKWU’s school activities allow opportunities for involvement and range from intramural sports, Altar, Sudan Fellowship, sports activities, Banquet and Student Government.

“I’m excited to see growth happen in the hearts and lives of students and to discover what people are passionate about,” says Grate.

Growth is here.

Looking for advice?  You have come to the right place. Need to know where to go for a meeting or what to take for a stomachache or what to do about a new found crush?

This is the place for you. Advice columns are possibly the most interesting part of a paper. Columns such as “Dear Abby,” are a place for readers to find refuge and wisdom.

But why? Perhaps, it is the mystery – the simple fact that the reader has no idea who the person behind the mask is. Is she (or even he as the case may be) anything like us? Does he or she share similar beliefs, characteristics, or outlooks on life? Is “Abby” tall or short, blonde or brunette, young or old? Is he or she even anything like the person they represent in their writing? Or are they portraying a facade to captivate the readers?

To answer all these questions, it doesn’t matter who Abby is because Dear Abby is what so many people want. It is an opiate for the masses, all things to all people. The reader has the freedom to imagine Abby as whatever he or she would like. This person is exactly what the reader needs at the time they read or write a question. And the answer somehow fits exactly what the reader needed to hear. Abby is not only a mystery, but somehow paradoxically a comfort.

This forum provides a place where one can anonymously ask a question and receive an answer. Where the questioner is free to speak their mind and be open when they might not be able to under other circumstances.

Dear Abby is a familiar voice. Her answers, no matter the question, have the same satirical humor, soft soothing effect, or even bitter angst depending on the Abby and on the audience. Thus, Abby is a person like no other who happens to be for everyone. Unfortunately, the era of Abby and the newspaper is dying, but fortunately for you – the reader – it is time to bring her back to life with a tweak here and there. Let us call it a reinvention.

The writing staff of OKWUeagle.com is officially presenting you, the student body of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with your very own “Dear Abby” column.  It is called “Ask the Eagle.”

Please submit anonymous questions to  HYPERLINK “http://okwueagle.com/ask/” and check back periodically for an answer and responses to other questions. We hope to hear from all of you and remember, we need your help to make this work so… ASK THE EAGLE!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Sheresa Grate, senior, has found Christ Community Church to be a place she's proud to call "home." (Micah Jenner / OKWUeagle.com)

The scenario is all too familiar for most. It can be frustrating, exciting and overwhelming – all at the same time.  Entering a new church, not knowing anyone or what to expect, and simply trying to take everything in can be nerve-racking and unsettling, to say the least.

Especially for new students, finding a church home can be one of the most difficult decisions to make during college years. Many students at Oklahoma Wesleyan University have journeyed down this road and found a church they feel blessed to call “home.”

“When I was first looking for a church, I was looking for a place that I felt welcomed and that it mattered if I returned,” said Sheresa Grate, senior. “I wanted to be involved in the church, not just something that I had to check off for my ‘Christian duty.’”

Although this can be a long process, once a church is found, many more opportunities to serve and lead are possible.

“I started attending Christ Community Church last January. For a small church, they offer many different opportunities. They are very involved in the community, always giving and serving,” said Grate.

Many have been able to jump in with their new church families and take leadership positions. This has allowed students to see the importance of investing in others and how that involvement can strengthen one’s relationship with the church.

“I think it is not only important to get plugged in at church but also to serve with the church – whether that is helping out with the youth, Sunday School or anything else. It gives people an opportunity to apply what they are learning at school and put it into practice,” said Stephen Luttenberg, senior, youth pastor at Caney Church of the Nazarene.

For new students, this past Sunday was the first many had a chance to visit local churches and get a feel for what they are looking for and get an idea of what to expect.

“I felt very welcomed at church this Sunday. It was a change. I miss my home church, but I really enjoyed the service here,” said Jessica Hopkins, freshman. “I am up for a new experience though.”

When “church hopping” takes place, there are different characteristics that cause a particular church to stand out above the rest.

“I am looking for a strong community that accepts you and wants to make you feel like you are a part of their family,” said Hopkins.

The transition to a different church for new students can be challenging, but it is an excellent opportunity to investigate more about personal beliefs and truly grow spiritually. Upperclassmen offer advice for students while on this search.

“Since there are a lot of churches in Bartlesville, find one in which you feel comfortable,” said Luttenberg. “It took me a long time to find a church here because I really liked my church at home. Find one that you and the church agree in theology.”

An easy trap to fall into is attending a church simply because friends attend there as well. Rather than going somewhere to learn more and grow in relationship with Christ, oftentimes people will go somewhere more for the social aspect.

“Don’t initially just go places because that is where your friends go, but figure out what is important to you and what you desire for a church family. Visit churches, and visit more than once so that you know for sure what it is like,” said Grate.

Having a church home can be an incredible blessing, not only personally but one can also see the impact that Christ can have while working through students individually.

“Being there (Caney Church of the Nazarene) has been an opportunity to pour out in these kids’ lives and help them on their spiritual journeys. It has been so rewarding to see them change and come to know Christ and get closer to the Lord,” said Luttenberg.

Ultimately, remember the real reason why having a church family is so valuable. Christ has called Christians to fellowship, serve, love and worship as a body of believers. And there presently seems to be no better way than in the context of a new church family, right here in Bartlesville.

]]> http://okwueagle.com/2010/08/25/searching-for-a-home-church/feed/ 0 http://okwueagle.com/2010/08/25/student-development-offices-move/ http://okwueagle.com/2010/08/25/student-development-offices-move/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:51:42 +0000 jveale http://okwueagle.com/?p=3853 By Tirzah Lily
OKWUeagle.com

The historic La Quinta Mansion is now the home of the Student Development offices. (google images)

At the end of the Spring 2010 semester, Student Development made the transition from their cramped quarters in the Haltom Campus Center to the historic La Quinta Mansion.

Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University said that there are several advantages to Student Development being housed in the Mansion.

“First, more space; second, a really attractive and cool space; third, closer to the [residence halls] and there more accessible to students; fourth better location for student government and other student leaders, etc.,” Piper said.  Piper’s office is also in the Mansion.

The move also allowed the Registrar’s office to move into their vacated space in the HCC, which was very needed.

One staff member enjoying the new arrangements is Peggy Mills, Student Life Administrative Assistant.

“I love my new office! I enjoy touring historic places similar to La Quinta Mansion so to get to have an office in a building like this is a privilege,” Mills said.

Ben Rotz, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, likes the move because he “thinks it will provide more overall accessibility for students regarding their Student Development needs.” These needs include academic, housing and chapel to name a few.

Rotz likes the new space but misses the HCC location as well.

For Rotz, the HCC was the central location of campus life. He said he will miss the students who used to stop by to say hi on their way back to the residence halls from class or lunch.

“However, I don’t think it will take long for students to become comfortable and familiar in our new digs. The positives far outweigh the negatives as far as I’m concerned,” Rotz said.

Kyle White, Vice President for Student Development, also misses the busyness and ease of interaction with students. He, however, is not letting this stop him from enjoying the beauty and historical richness of the La Quinta Mansion.

“I now have a balcony. I have already had several students come to just hang out on the balcony,” said White. Another advantage for White is that he gets to see a different group of students throughout the day as they go about their daily activities.

“I personally am looking forward to the new offices being in La Quinta because this will bring more students into the building, and I’ll therefore be able to see y’all more often – a good thing as far as I’m concerned!” said Piper.

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