On February 11, 2022 our General Minister and President of the Christian Church (DOC), the Rev. Terri Hord Owens, gave a State of the Church address to our General Board of the denomination. It was an inspiring delivery, challenging and hopeful. Please take time to watch this video address. You can access a hard copy of the transcript, here. Thank you for your commitment to the wider world of Disciples with whom we worship and serve!

Dearest OPCC Friends and Family:
 
You’ve heard Rev. Laura for (at least?) the last 5 weeks remind you how we are still in the Easter season, that no matter what the calendar or what the retail stores tell you, the season of Easter, the season of celebrating new life in God’s world, continues long past Resurrection Sunday.  As Christians we know this to be true no matter what, but we especially know this to be true this week as we are pleased to announce the next step in our “COVID journey as a faith community.”
 
Beginning on Sunday, May 9th all who wish to return to in-person worship at Overland Park Christian Church are invited to do so. Your worship experience will of course be very different from what it was in February 2020, and there are many steps you must take before returning to the building, but we celebrate this movement as we continue to live in community with and for one another.
 
Johnson County continues to be in “the substantial spread zone,” according to the CDC and while many of us are vaccinated (thank you!) scientists and health experts are still concerned about community spread, particularly for those unable to be vaccinated, like children and youth. OPCC’s transition to in-person experiences does not change the danger of this virus, its increasing variants, or your own personal risk factors.
 
While the staff will focus its energy on in-person worship, the livestream video on our website and our Facebook page will absolutely continue. However, it will look quite different than the quality we have witnessed over the last 13 months. We are still waiting on our new live-streaming cameras (two!) and equipment to be installed. Many pieces of technology all around the world, including our cameras, are experiencing a supply shortage, and so we are at the mercy of that availability and schedule. We have been told several times that we can expect these cameras at the end of May. Until then we will continue with the livestreaming equipment that we used for several years up through our move to virtual worship in March 2020. We will still provide the best quality product that we are able and will continue to work with the technology to bring a life-giving worship experience to all who worship, whether virtually or in-person.
 
In addition to the grace necessary surrounding our technology schedule, significant grace and commitment to community is required for any who are returning to the building for worship or fellowship of any kind. Returning to in-person community requires a covenant of behavior that keeps all of God’s children safe, and does not leave anyone behind. When any of us begin to participate regularly in a faith community, we take on a certain covenant with one another, to respect and love one another the way Christ teaches us. We celebrate this unspoken covenant of behavior each and every time we share in communion. Returning to in-person faith experiences in the midst of a still ongoing global pandemic means we are engaging in an expanded covenant with one another. Your OPCC Returning Committee has continued to investigate best practices and has developed a covenant of behavior, along with important procedures and protocols that we ALL must follow while at OPCC.

On April 10, 2021 our General Minister and President of the Christian Church (DOC) gave a State of the Church address to our General Board of the denomination. It was an inspiring delivery, challenging and hopeful. Please take time to watch this video address. You can access a hard copy of the transcript, here. Thank you for your commitment to the wider world of Disciples with whom we worship and serve!

Once you've completed your video / photo the BEST, most efficient, way to get your video / photo to our video editor is by way of a Dropbox File Request. We've included specific instructions below that should make this easy.

1. Record your video (or take your photo) on your phone (or tablet) in horizontal mode, or just on your computer. 
   1. Choose whatever setting/background you are comfortable with being shared on the worship video (office / kitchen table / outside, etc.)
2. After you are happy with your recording it should automatically save to your phone, tablet, or computer.
3. Visit the DropBox File Request link from your web browser on the device in which you recorded your video / photo.
   1. This link was sent to OPCC members and friends by email. Please check your email or contact the church office for this information.
4. Click on "Choose Files" and choose the video or photo that you want to send and it will automatically upload it to the church Dropbox.
   1. If you do it this way then you don't even have to have Dropbox and it won't take up space on yours even if you do.
   
   

Email Submissions
If you are unable to figure out the Dropbox File Request, you can try to send your video / photo directly to our video editor by sending him an email.

The deadline to submit is Tuesday 12/22/20 by the end of the workday - though I'm sure our video editor would welcome them to be submitted ASAP!

Here is a similar video - with some obvious differences! - of what the final product will look like. You can see that it can be informal and fun, so don't worry about the background, what you are wearing, or what kind of candle you have. We are excited to see your faces and share the light with you!

Take a look at this example and learn a little from our siblings in faith as they have recently celebrated!