Terry and Sherry Palmer

Happy Valentines Day! 

I’m sorry we haven’t kept up with this page very often. Just a quick update. We have been in OK now for nearly 3 months. Things are going great. It has been a slow start with winter hitting hard and moving right around the holidays.  Our church is doing well. We are making very slow changes and believing God to bring about growth on His timing. The core of our church is very hungry for the Word and hungry to grow, so we have done lots of one on one ministry.  We are gearing up for a huge harvest for us and the church. We have sown many seeds over the years and this church has sown seeds in this community since the 1930’s.

Thanks to all our friends who keep praying for us. Through the awesome internet, we are able to keep in contact with so many

This has been a time of rest for us. We are resting from many responsibilities that we have been used to. We don’t have to worry about finances in the church. The burden has been lifted!! We have everything we need for the time being. Even personally, the Lord has provided to where we aren’t so aggressively looking for part time jobs. The church has many resources that we have always wanted.  It has been in the past that we had big ideas and dreams and even more people to implement them, but we didn’t have the resources.  Now we have the resources and are waiting on God to bring in the people! We are having an Open House Celebration Service April 18th and would love to have any of our friends to come and join us to see what God has been doing. I believe that the next couple of months will bring about growth in our church with people who are truly called here.  In May we will have our first “Cowboy Church” event.

Thanks to all our friends who keep praying for us. Through the awesome internet, we are able to keep in contact with so many people.

Sherry

Happy New Year to everyone!  Well here we are again, one year ends and another begins.  Two thousand and nine has been a very interesting year for just about everyone.   This past year brought major changes with so many people losing jobs, companies shutting down, the economy falling apart.  Many celebrities died and a number of very difficult things happened.  It kinda makes you wonder how 2010 will go.

We’ve seen a lot of changes this past year.  If anyone had told me last January that I would resign from pastoring where I had been for 17 years, and be pastoring somewhere else, especially in OK just north of Tulsa, I would have probably laughed at the idea. Also thanks to Facebook this past year, I have reconnected with a lot of people from my past; people who had influenced me and were instrumental in helping me become what I am today.    It’s very interesting the changes just one year can bring.  This was a pivotal year for me.  I turned 50, and I still only feel 25!  The years tend to fly by now days.

For our little New Years Eve get-together I spoke a little to those with us just before midnight about the unchangeable consistency of change. We are constantly doing two things in our life; we are always leaving and entering. Life is all about seasons, how we move forward through entering and leaving seasons in our lives.  And every time we leave one season, we carry something with us into the next season.  What are you going to carry from 2009 into 2010?  What are you going to choose to leave behind?  Paul said in Phil 3, when sharing about all that he had done and accomplished, that he counted all things as lost in order to gain more of Christ.  In verse 13 & 14 he said that one thing he does (and I love how the Living Bible words this.) “I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.”

For a lot of us, 2010 would have a much better outlook if we would bring all our energies to keep this one thing in mind, forget what lies behind and reach for what is ahead.  We can’t change anything that has already happened in 2009, and we can either choose to spend most of 2010 questioning why, why not, how come, wish I had not have done this or that, why didn’t I do this or that, or we can forget what’s behind and reach forward with more knowledge and wisdom and experience to what lies ahead.  Make this your motto and aim for the New Year, “Going places I’ve never been in 2010.”   In Duet. God says that He sets before us death or life, and to choose life.  Make a choice to choose life and what’s ahead in 2010.

May this be the most exciting year of your life.

Pastor Terry

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while.  We have been busy trying to get settled in and meeting a lot of new people. We really like it here.  The boys really like the school and have already made some friends.  The country is really pretty here. Behind our house are two small lakes and it faces the east, so it’s really beautiful to see the sunrise.  We have had some new people coming to the church. It is neat to see the people so hungry for the Word and the Spirit.

I have been doing some teaching on our responsibility as a local church to advance the Kingdom of God in our community.  Jesus told the disciples to take this message of the Kingdom to Judea, Samaria & the utter most parts of the earth.  He listed Judea first because Judea was their community, then their region and then the world.  We have a commission to reach our community before we reach out to our region or the world.  In Matthew, chapter six, where Jesus is teaching the disciples how to pray, He mentions early in the teaching that we are to pray that the Kingdom of God would be evident in the earth.  He also mentioned that His will would be evident in the earth as it is in heaven. Our responsibility as the body of Christ in our local community and area, is to bring the influence of heaven and the will of God to the earth.  As Christ’s body, we are His representation in the earth.  Our main focus must be seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness.  As we seek the Kingdom and put it first place in our lives, then our lives will reflect His will and purpose which will influence and affect those around us.  This is how we will reach and change our community, then our region and then the utter most parts of the earth.

This Christmas season let’s remember that Christ came to usher in God’s Kingdom and will in the earth. So let’s be about the Father’s business this next year in bringing forth the Kingdom wherever we go, and in whatever we do.

Have a Blessed Christmas and a great New Year!

Pastor Terry

The sunrise behind our house.

We are finally here in Oklahoma.  It has been a whirlwind of activity around here.  We are finally taking about 2 days off from putting things away and to begin to get acquainted with the new church.  We had a good time in church tonight getting to know new people.  We are looking forward to exciting times ahead and believe God is going to continue a great work here.  I’m sure Terry will be blogging here again soon.  Weekly messages should begin to be uploaded starting next week.  Thanks for all those who have been praying with us over the last 3 months during our transition time.  It’s so good to be through that and to begin our new season of ministry.

Sherry

We have decided to take a church in Oologah, OK, about 25 miles north of Tulsa.  It is Zion Hill Church (website coming soon).  We are in the process of moving now.  We’re taking a load this weekend and then moving next weedend, on the 29th of Nov.

We are excited as this church has great potential and the area is a great area with excellent schools.  We will be rebuilding it from around 20 people, but that shouldn’t be too hard and it shouldn’t take long.  Tulsa is so close and we will be able to go to many seminars and meetings a lot easier than we have in the past.  We have a lot of ministry friends in Tulsa.

There are 2 new messages uploaded of the past 2 weeks when Terry spoke in both Oologah and Perryton, TX.  Listen here.

I have put some pictures up of the new church and the parsonage.  Just click on the picture below to see them.  We are also excited that Oolagah Lake is located nearby.  There seems to be lots to do, if we can find the time.  We would love for all our friends to come visit us and let us know when you are coming so we can help you find a place to stay, either with us or locally.

For those who have been praying for our son, Kyle, he is doing really well and getting excited about the move.  He has learned to play drums and guitar in the past few months.  He will be playing for the church and for the youth group.  Alex is getting excited also.  He just doesn’t want to leave his friends.

We are sad to leave our daughter, son-in-law, and our grandchildren, Morgan & Zakry.  I will miss them so much and long for them each day, but I know we will be seeing them regularly.  Of course, we will miss all our old friends too.

Exciting times are ahead.  We appreciate your prayers.

Sherry Palmer

Zion Hill Church

I have never blogged before and I don’t consider myself to have lots of words to write down, but after finishing this blog, I see that I have many words.  I certainly can express myself and use my “wisdom” in speaking to others face to face many times.  Over the last few years God has done a work in me that came so subtlety that I didn’t really realize what had happened.  When we came back to WOL nearly 11 years ago, up to that time, I never prayed out  loud or had the confidence to speak before anyone.  I tried to give church announcements, but they came out so boring and dull and I always told myself that this was the last time I would get up again in front of people.  God has a way with the silliest or most menial things in getting us to be who he wants us to be.  I began a ladies Bible Study and told myself I was only facilitating it, even until a month ago when I led my last one.  That was not the case. I do have something to say and I do have Godly wisdom.

I love to be nostalgic and I have been looking over the last 10 years and have noticed how much God has done in me.  Others have said that I have changed and gotten more confident.  Now after all this time when I look back, I have a greater confidence of who I really am in Christ. Through the Steps to Freedom teachings of Neal T. Anderson,  I have had a great revelation of who I really am in Him and now I can explain it to others more easily.  I have been taught who I am in Christ for 30 years and over the last 6 years, finally “got” it.  Now I am not afraid to stand up before people and give announcements, pray, exhort.  During the ladies meetings, I began to lead them in prayer and I noticed that as I did it more and more, the confidence built up.  I found the Holy Spirit giving me things to say and when I go through the Steps to Freedom with other ladies or join Terry in marriage counseling, I find the He gives me wise things to say and sometimes it has been a revelation to that person.

In the position we are in right now and having to believe God for every penny coming in, I find myself in so much peace, it is amazing.  We have no church or no promised income.  As a woman who takes care of our finances, in the past, I would have been totally distraught and crying all the time.  I haven’t shed a single tear since the first 2 days this particular season started.  I could shed tears about leaving all the people I love, but I decided not to do that either, except, maybe when it comes to leaving my grand babies soon.

I was thinking the other day about how it would aggravate me if my children were to say to me, “What are we going to wear or eat today?”  I feel like that is something that is none of their business, because as parents, that is what we do; we supply their needs. Sometimes they ask, “When am I going to get that skateboard?” or some other toy.  I know that that is not a need and that I can tell them that it could be delayed until God blesses us with extra money and that we can pray about it and ask God.  I was thinking that we do that to God all the time and he has promised to take care of us.  We don’t have to ask for him to feed us or clothe us. That’s what he does; He supplies our needs. We may have to wait on the extra things until his timing or He might even say no, but He does take care of His children.

Ephesians 1:7-14 is an awesome passage of scripture that I can read and keep my confidence that God has given me wisdom and understanding and that “He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure.” If you are at a crossroads in your life, read this scripture and be encouraged that he has a purpose for you.

I am looking forward to a new chapter in my life and becoming more of the woman of God that He has designed for me to be.  I will greatly miss the life I have had over the last few years and I hope to remain in contact with most everyone through Facebook.

If our ministry has blessed you in any way, please consider supporting us in prayer and in financial support while we are in this tough season of our lives.  Please let us know that you are praying. It is a great encouragement to know that people care.  I want to thank those who have told us they are praying and I am praying blessings on each one of your lives.  Also, feel free to give us your prayer requests.  If you comment below and wish for your comment to be private, please let me know in your comment and I will not approve it to be shown on this page or you can email us.

Until next time,

Pastor Sherry

One of my favorite teachers and writers is Bob Hamp from Freedom Ministries at Gateway Church in Dallas.  Check out their web site at www.gatewaypeople.com. This is a great church with some awesome ministries.  The latest blog by Bob Hamp is about communicating and understanding the necessity of faith and belief even when things don’t make sense or when we have no reference from which to believe something.

There’s a lot of talk and mixed feelings and beliefs on whether a church should be relevant.  There are those on one side of the fence who adamantly believe we should be, even at the risks of watering down doctrine or belief.  There are others on the other side of the fence who just as adamantly believe that to have any kind of relevance is totally carnal and some even consider such beliefs as heresy.

Being raised the son of a minister, 3^rd generation, and being involved in ministry for over 30 years myself, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the church.  It seems that reaching people in this 21^st century is impossible.  So how do we bridge the gap between the church and the world? Do we need the same level of entertainment in the church as the world offers?  These are all very controversial questions.  If I knew the answers I’d write a book and become very successful.  I personally believe in order to reach people today, we need to change some things. I think the level of change depends on the area and the demography of our community of who we want to influence with the truth.

I think people today are looking for truth and reality.   They’re looking for people who live what they believe.  I think people want to know and encounter the presence of God in their lives and hear truth that affects the way they think and live.  I’ve been amazed by the number of people I’ve meet over the years who are born and raised here in Mid-America who have never heard the truth about Jesus Christ, who He is, or what He did.  We must understand that just because we have Christian bookstores, Christian radio, Christian TV, etc., does not mean people have heard or understood the truth of who or what Jesus Christ has done for them and the world.  So the church should be relevant enough to understand the culture and times in which they live, and relevant enough to understand and see a need in their community and meet it.  Paul stated that he became all things to all men in order that he could reach some.1 Cor. 9:22 (I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some).

Relevancy is not about watering down the truth or trying to entertain people, but about loving and reaching people where they are and being relevant to those people who need the truth in their lives.  Also we must learn to communicate the truth in such away that regardless of the culture or understanding it makes sense and people get it.  This is what I believe about being relevant today.  As Pastor Bob Hamp stated in his blog, we need to learn to communicate the gospel in a way that people can find a point of reference and understand the truth.  I hope you get something out of this little segment.  Again check out the blog by Pastor Bob Hamp.

I recently  heard a great message by Lance Wallnau. Check out his website at http://lancelearning.com. I was listening to a message he was doing at a conference.  He stated, “that change and transition are two different things. Change happens in an instant while transition takes time”.  With the crazy weather changes this fall and with temperatures here being below normal (so much for global warming), I’m reminded that fall and spring are seasons of transition from one climate to another.  The Bible is full of analogies of seasons.  Ecc. 3 “to everything there is a time, a season for every purpose under heaven”.  Though seasons can be totally unpredictable, one day hot, the next day cold, they’re all necessary for the transition process to bring about change.  When we go through times of transition, I believe the whole process is to bring about the change.

This season in our life is a little scary, and full of uncertainty but I also know that this time of transition is necessary to bring about the change we are headed for.  If you’re in a difficult season right now, just remember it’s part of the transition process, that brings about the needed change.  Let’s all trust God together through the process.  Keep us in your prayers and we will keep you undated of our process!

God Bless,

Pastor Terry

Back in early Sept. we gave notice to WOL to move to take a another position. All was a go until we got a call that they were not able to do anything for six months. We thought maybe we could continue on at WOL, but after circumstances and prayer, we decided that we would honor our resignation and step out in faith to believe God for the next phase of ministry. WOL needed to move forward and it wasn’t good to keep stringing them along when we have felt our season was over here for a while.

We have no idea what is in store, but we are currently seeking employment and also sending Terry’s resume to seek positions in ministry. We are positive that after 30 years of ministry that we have the experience to find a position soon, but also in God’s timing. Please pray for us that we continue to seek Him first and to believe God every step of the way. Please agree with us in prayer that doors open that need to be opened and doors close that need to be closed. The original position isn’t totally out of the question, if God leads that direction.

We are doing great. We felt a great sense of relief and are excited about the future!