Harvard Avenue Christian Church Celebrates 50 Years
By K.J. WEBB
Contributing Writer
NEIGHBORHOOD MAINSTAY: Harvard Avenue Christian Church will celebrate its 50th anniversary Sunday, April 5. The church stared in McClure School in 1958. Two nationally known speakers will highlight the anniversary activities.
SHARON CAMERON for GTR Newspapers
On Sunday, April 5, Harvard Avenue Christian Church, will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. The celebration is the culmination of five decades growth and outreach. Two nationally known guest speakers will highlight anniversary activities.
The Rev. Dr. Rick Lowery will give the keynote speech at 10:45 a.m. A scholar of the texts and traditions of ancient Israel, Dr. Lowery is also a practical theologian concerned with the church’s contemporary mission in the world. In recent years, he has taught Biblical Hebrew I and II, Hebrew Readings, Introduction to the Old Testament, Latter Prophets and Writings, Wisdom Literature, Overcoming Violence, and Biblical Metaphors in a Democratic World.
Among Lowry’s numerous publications are, The Reforming Kings: Cult and Society in First Temple Judah, Revelation: Hope for the World in Troubled Times, and Sabbath and Jubilee. His current projects include a book on biblical faith and human rights in the age of democracy. Lowery is past president of the Southwest Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, and is a member of the Disciples Peace Fellowship, Disciples Justice Action Network, Sabbath Economics Collaborative, and Association of Disciples for Theological Discussion. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he joined the Lexington Theological Seminary faculty in 2007.
Following Lowery’s address will be the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins. Watkins will speak at the all-church dinner at 12:30 p.m. in Peake Hall. Watkins serves as General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is responsible for representing the wholeness of the church, for reconciling differences, and for helping the church retain its clarity of mission and identity. As General President, Watkins is the chief executive officer for the denomination responsible for overseeing the work of the church’s various structures. She is also the chief representative of the church in national and world ecumenical councils and serves on the National Council of Church’s governing board, based in New York City.
Watkins’ background includes service work domestically and abroad. She is a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and serves on the WCC’s Permanent Committee for Consensus and Collaboration. Watkins was the first woman to deliver the sermon at the National Prayer Service, the day after the 2008 inauguration. This honor was reported by the Associated Press, which noted, “Rev. Sharon Watkins will be the first woman to hold such an honor. Rev. Sharon Watkins belongs to the Disciples of Christ, a left-leaning mainline Protestant denomination. Prominent members of the Disciples of Christ have included James Garfield and Lyndon Johnson. The Disciples of Christ is ‘influenced by its founding ideals of our unity in Christ with openness and diversity in practice and belief’.”
Watkins holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Phillips Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from the Yale Divinity School, and a Bachelor’s Degree in French and Economics from Butler University.
About “Harvard Avenue”
On Palm Sunday, 1959, 30 people congregated at McClure Elementary School to found Harvard Avenue Christian Church. The church began as a satellite of many other Disciples of Christ churches in the greater Tulsa area. After meeting at McClure for two months, The Tulsa Area Christian Missionary Society installed a temporary prefab building at the Harvard location. Worship was held in the prefab building until the present church was built.
Founding Minister Robert Peake, a graduate of Harvard Business School and Phillips Theological Seminary, Enid, Okla., led the church for 30 years. Under Peake’s guidance the church reached out to the young and growing neighborhood where the church was located. Today, Harvard Avenue prides itself on its history of excellent leadership in the Disciples of Christ and its consistency of giving to its outreach causes.
Transitional Minister Donald Farrior leads the active congregation in both traditional and contemporary services. The church offers five adult Sunday School classes, an exciting Children’s Ministry and a vibrant Youth Ministry. The extensive music program includes an Adult Choir, Bell Choir, children’s choirs, and a Men’s Gospel Quartet.
Sunday Mornings at HACC
8:45 a.m.—Contemporary Worship (Peake Hall)
9:30 a.m.—Sunday School for All Ages
10:30 a.m.—Coffee Fellowship
10:45 a.m.—Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
Harvard Avenue Christian Church is located at 5502 South Harvard in Tulsa. Telephone 742-5509, Web site www.harvardavecc.org.
Updated 03-23-2009
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