Trunk or Treat set for 31 October 2019 at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat, Oklahoma announced today that this year’s Trunk or Treat will be held on Thursday, 31 October 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Trunk or Treat offers games and gifts for all children, greetings of God loves you, and plenty of candy. 

Trunk or Treat also goes by the name of Love Ambush #2.  The church is called out of the world, set apart from the world (made holy is the term) and sent back into the world with good news of life in Jesus Christ.  Sometimes going out involves door-to-door visits, setting up during an event, and even using social media to reach people.

The most effective way to reach people is face-to-face.  While the world is celebrating that which is gruesome, grotesque, and sometimes just gaudy; the church has set an ambush that we believe many will walk into. 

A military ambush is designed to kill the enemy.  Our ambush is designed to help people move from death to life.  While people are out and about in their getups, they are invited to come to the games and events at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

We will tell your kids that God loves them.  We will tell parents that God loves them and that among the chief of their parenting duties is bringing up a child in the way he or she should go.  That means learning about God and how much he loves us through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Yes, there will be enough candy to keep your kids in cavities for years to come.  There will also be gospels and videos and other items to remind you that God loves you long after the candy is gone.

Most of all, we want to talk with you about God’s love.  The games and candy motivate the kids and adults to come.  Our motivation is that we want to share good news with you.

In this world where every statement is debated and ridiculed and where acrimony and vitriol are the social media standard, come and know these things to be true.  Know it first hand from other disciples.

God is good.

God loves you.

Jesus is Lord.

You can turn away from and leave behind a godless world for the Kingdom of the one true God.

Once you have done that, you will be compelled to share the good news whenever and wherever you are.  On the 31^st of this month, that just happens to be at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat, America.

Once you realize that you may have started your day conformed to the world, you may desire to live in response to the overwhelming grace and favor of God by his simple command that we love one another.

Candy is temporary.  The cutest kid’s costume is soon related to a photo that’s lost among the memes and diatribes of today’s media.  The world does not love you but God and his people do.  Let’s have a conversation about what’s important.

Your day might start out with costumes and pranks but we want it to end with saving grace and a desire to serve the Lord.  Let’s talk.  It will be the most important thing you do on the 31^st.

Many Thanks to All Who Made the Egg Hunt so Successful

How do you get 7,000 plastic eggs out of a grass field?  Turn a couple hundred kids loose on them, that’s how.  That is exactly what happened on Saturday, 20 April 2019 at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat.  The church calls it Love Ambush #1.  It’s an Easter Egg Hunt with a twist.  The kids were ambushed by many people telling them that God loves them.  There were also plenty of prizes that helped send that message home.

Most of the candy and prizes were funded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, but many in the community also gave generously and turned this into a community event.  Businesses and organizations that contributed were Walmart, Washita State Bank, Great Plains Bank, Burns Flat Hardware, MODA, Grets, Rudy’s, Pendleton’s, Monterey Restaurant, and Ace Hardware (Cordell). 

Other donations of money and in-kind donations were made by the following families:  Fleming, Price, Schneberger, Murray, Walker, Lovell, Hose, Thompson, Spence, Ferkins, Foust, McConiha, and Wascom.  A thank you is also due to many volunteers who worked many hours in preparation and worked the Saturday morning event.

What’s next for the CPC and its involvement with the community?  Chewy Tuesdays.  Beginning 4 June 2019, the church will deliver kid-friendly meals to children who will be home on Tuesday.  This is for every child in Burns Flat.  The parents just need to contact the church sometime during May.  There are no requirements to participate, but a conversation with the parents is needed to make sure that all food allergies are noted.  Deliveries may also be made to those who cannot get out on their own.  In any case, each meal is delivered with love and with a message of God’s love for us.

If you were wondering why this egg hunt is titled, Love Ambush #1, it’s because in the fall, there is Love Ambush #2, also known as Trunk or Treat.  There will be more on that at the end of the summer.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located at 205 State Highway 44.  The phone number is 562-4706.

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!