A Call to Preserve Our Church History: An Invitation from June Hurst

My name is June Hurst, I’m involved in one of the most exciting projects our conference has ever undertaken — and I’d love to share how it began.

Some of you may have seen me, June Hurst. serving in the Church History Booth at camp meeting this year.

During the pandemic, when our Bristow Seventh-day Adventist Church was closed, a few families continued meeting for worship and fellowship. One Sabbath afternoon, as we flipped through old scrapbooks, we discovered something remarkable: The Bristow Church would celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025.

This moment sparked a dream. We formed a committee to plan a celebration and create a commemorative booklet — a pictorial history of our church.

That simple discovery has now grown into a movement.

A Vision for Every Church in Oklahoma

Oklahoma Conference President Daniel Ortega received a copy of our booklet and shared it with Elder Nathan Shires, the executive secretary and Todd Gessele, our Assistant Communication Director. They immediately recognized the potential. Their vision is bold and beautiful: Why not invite every church in Oklahoma to research, write, and publish its church history?

What a legacy could be! This is a project that everyone can participate in — from teenagers to grandparents. Anyone with a cell phone can search the Southwestern Union Record for articles about their church. Anyone with old photos, bulletins, scrapbooks, or past history booklets can contribute. Every memory matters. Every story counts.

My friend and I are the only two living children of the Ponca City Church when it was just a small company in the 1940s. If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?

I’m asking you the same question. Will you join us in writing your church’s history for the Oklahoma Conference Archives?

A Movement Spreading Beyond Oklahoma

The idea has already traveled far beyond our state. People from Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oregon took the vision home with them. Even Jill Morikone of 3ABN loved the concept and is carrying it back to Illinois.

This is more than a project — it’s a calling.

“Christ Has No Hands but Our Hands…”

Poet Annie Johnson Flint wrote:

Christ has no hands but our hands, to do His work today; He has no feet but our feet, to lead men in His way; He has no tongue but our tongues, to tell men how He died; He has no help but our help, to bring them to His side.

Our hands — yours and mine — are the only hands capable of accomplishing this goal.

Let’s preserve the stories of faith, sacrifice, and mission that built our churches. Let’s leave a legacy for the next generation. Next camp meeting, bring your history posters and books to display! Let me know you're getting started and I'll encourage you.

With Christian love,

June Hurst

(918) 729-3327