Trunk or Treat is just Days Away

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat, Oklahoma announced today that this year’s Trunk or Treat will be held on Wednesday, 31 October 2018.  Trunk or Treat offers games and gifts for all children, greetings of God loves you, and plenty of candy.  

This year’s plans include a hayride.  Trunk or Treat runs from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located at 205 State Highway 44, just north and east of Burns Flat’s traffic light.  Come and be blessed!

Runoff Primary Election Update

This was released by the Washita County Elections Board.

Tuesday’s Election: All the information you need Voters will go to the polls Tuesday for the August 28, Runoff PrimaryElection, Washita County Election Board Secretary Leah Jones said today. Please keep the following information and tips in mind as the election approaches. - Early voting will be available at the County Election Board office from 8 a.m. to 6p.m. Thursday, August 23rd, 2018, and Friday, August 24th, 2018, and Saturday, August 25, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. - Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Lines are possible at peak voting times. Wait times will likely be shortest at mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Anyone in line to vote at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. - Anyone who needs to look up their polling place, verify their registration information, or view a sample ballot can do so online. The Online Voter Tool can be accessed on the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website: www.elections.ok.gov. Those who vote by mail can also check the status of their ballot using the Online Voter Tool. Sample ballots are also available at the County Election Board office. - Oklahoma law requires every voter who votes in person at the precinct polling place or during early voting at the County Election Board to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot. There are three ways for voters to prove their identity under the law (only one proof of identity is required): Show a valid photo ID issued by federal, state, or tribal government; or show the free voter identification card issued to every voter by the County Election Board; or sign an affidavit and vote a provisional ballot. (If the information on the affidavit matches official voter registration records, the ballot will be counted after Election Day.) - Physically disabled voters who cannot enter the polling place, need help marking their ballots, blind or visually disabled voters and illiterate voters may be assisted by a person the voter chooses. In all cases, a person providing such assistance may not be the voter’s employer or an agent of the employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union. A person providing assistance also must swear or affirm that the voter’s ballots will be marked in accordance with the voter’s wishes. Alternatively, all blind, visually impaired, and physically disabled voters in Washita County may use the audiotactile interface (ATI), a feature offered on all Oklahoma voting devices, to vote privately and independently, either at Washita County Election Board during early voting or at their assigned polling place on election day. - Voters who have moved since the last election, but who have not transferred their voter registration to their new address, may do so on Election Day by going to vote at the polling place where their registration has been in the past. While voting, they may fill out a form instructing the County Election Board to transfer their registration to the new address before the next election. - Those who became physically incapacitated after 5 p.m. Tuesday August 21, 2018, still can request an emergency absentee ballot. Those who might qualify for an emergency absentee ballot should contact the County Election Board office at (580) 832- 3658 as soon as possible for more information. - Any violation of election law will be reported to the proper law enforcement authorities. Electioneering is not allowed within 300 feet of a ballot box. It is also unlawful to remove a ballot from the polling location, possess intoxicating liquors within half a mile of a polling place or to disclose how you voted while within the election enclosure. For additional election-related information, visit: www.elections.ok.gov.

A Belated Thank You...and more to come!

The Burns Flat Cumberland Presbyterian Church sends a belated “Thank You!” to many in our community that supported this year’s Easter Egg Hunt.  A few years ago, the church took over the community event deciding to make it a mission of the church.

What’s hunting Easter Eggs have to do with the real meaning of Easter?  That’s a good question that deserve a straightforward answer.  It’s an ambush!

Yes, the church took on this pagan-like, surely secular ritual as an ambush.  Children and their parents would be lured onto the church grounds with hopes of finding candy and prizes and then they would be ambushed with love.  We just call it Love Ambush #1.

Ministry members just love telling others that God loves them.  That often leads to a conversation about Jesus and how much God loves us. 

Make no mistake about it, the children all received enough candy to keep them in cavities for years to come.  The also received Bibles or Gospels of John or Mark, stickers and pencils that say God loves you or love one another, and other reminders that last longer than the stomach ache which follows the candy.

The church budgets a significant amount to support this event; however, the community donations make this an extraordinary event.  The Businesses and Individuals who have donated this year are:

Rudy’s Superette

L&S Equipment

R-N-R Roofing

Great Plains Bank

Washita State Bank

Crown Geochemisty

Pendleton’s Truck Stop

Gret’s Convenience Store

MODA

Ace Hardware, Cordell

S&T Lawncare

Individual donations were received from Donna Townsend, Carl & Marcee Hose, Kendra Walker, Monica Lovell, Tom & Sharman Spence, Heather Spence, Dean & Angie McConaha, and others who donated anonymously.

Next on the God’s Love in Action agenda is Chewy Tuesdays.

OK, time for one FAQ.  If the Easter Egg Hunt is Love Ambush #1, what’s #2?  That would be Trunk or Treat held in October.

Chewy Tuesdays is gearing up for its 8th season

Chewy Tuesdays kicks off its 8^th summer season in just a month.  Tuesday, 5 June 2018 marks the beginning of another season of love delivered in a paper sack.  What is Chewy Tuesdays?

It is a ministry of the Burns Flat Cumberland Presbyterian Church conducted on every Tuesday in June and July to feed children in Burns Flat.  This year the ministry will include Dill City if there are sufficient volunteers to deliver to that area.  Chewy Tuesdays is more than a food ministry.  It is a chance to tell children that God loves them.  Children do not heart that simple message enough.

Among the kid-friendly lunch, fare are hot dogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, and the longtime favorite—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  There are some simple sides to go with this meal delivered in a decorated paper bag but among them, the most valued is fresh fruit.

Fruit is something that many children simply do not get in the course of the summer.  Prices have precluded many families from purchasing grapes and bananas and even apples.  Regardless of the main course, each meal always includes fruit.

Ministry members have been contacting families that they know have children that might enjoy the Tuesday lunch but so many just don’t know about Chewy Tuesdays.   The only requirement to receive the meals is that the parents contact the church or the ministry leader, Don Foust and report any food allergies for any of the children receiving meals.  It’s just that simple.  Income level does not matter.  Every child needs to be told that God loves them, so it is important that the children are present to receive the meals. 

Ministry members also appreciate a phone call if the children will be out of town on any given Tuesday.  If you would like your children to receive these meals and this wonderful reminder of God’s love, please contact Don Foust:  (580) 660-6666.  If you would like to help support this ministry, you may contact Don or the church at (580) 562-4706.  If you can’t participate directly but would like to donate, please make your check out to CPC and put Chewy Tuesdays in the “for” line. 

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located at 205 State Highway 44 in Burns Flat, Oklahoma.  The mailing address is PO Box 8, Burns Flat, Oklahoma 73624.  The church motto is God’s Love in Action!

Filing period begins next week for several positions

The following statement was released by Leah Jones, Secretary of the Washita County Election Board.

The statewide candidate filing period begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 11, said Leah Jones, Secretary of the Washita County Election Board.

            Filing will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The deadline for filing as a candidate is 5 p.m. Friday, April 13, no exceptions.

Candidates for state offices file with the Secretary of the State Election Board in Oklahoma City. Candidates for county offices file with the Secretary of the County Election Board.

            Jones said that the following county offices will be filled this year: County Treasurer, County Assessor, County Commissioner District 1 and County Commissioner District 3.

            For more election-related information, call the County Election Board at (580) 832-3658, or visit www.elections.ok.gov.