It’s almost time to Winter Jam
The Winter Jam 2012 concert tour kicks off tonight in Charleston, W. Va.
The multi-city tour will stop in Oklahomoa City on Feb. 18 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena and in Tulsa on Feb. 25 at the BOK Center.
Winter Jam will feature the concert’s hosts, NewSong, as well as several contemporary Christian recording artists and groups like Sanctus Real (pictured); former Newsboys frontman Peter Furler, Kari Jobe, Building 429 and Group 1 Crew. A Pre-Jam Party will include performances from Dara Maclean, For King & Country and We As Human. Veggie Tales’ Bob and Larry also will make a guest 
appearance.
Aside from the musical performances, here’s the other thing that makes Winter Jam such a hit with fans: Cost for the event is $10 at the door.
You have time to put it on your calendar.
For more information about the tour, go to www.jamtour.com.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
#NewsOK
Jan. 6 Today’s Prayer
Friday, Jan. 6 
Dear Lord, we offer thanks for all you’ve given us over the years. Amen.
Televangelist Joel Osteen is focus of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” episode
Joel Osteen, whose Houston megachurch Lakewood Church has about 13,000 members, will be featured on the next episode of “Oprah’s Next Chpater” Sunday, Jan. 8 on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.
The televangelist will be the focus of a one-hour interview by Winfrey . 
Winfrey traveled to Houston to meet Osteen (pictured) and observe his service at Lakewood, an OWN news release stated.
Winfrey then joined Osteen and his wife, Victoria, for lunch at their home, marking the first time they have opened their home to outside cameras, the news release said.
“Oprah spoke to them about faith, marriage, power and ego,” the release said.
Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming episode: Oprah interviews Joel Osteen
Check your local listings to see what time the show airs in your area.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
#Newsok
Jan. 5 Today’s Prayer
Thursday, Jan. 5 
Lord, let us not forget that Your most important commandment is to love. Amen.
Oklahoma’s top religion stories for 2011
Thought I’d get this in before the New Year arrived, but it didn’t happen.
Anyway, here are my selections for the top religion stories in Oklahoma for 2011. These are in random order and I probably left something out, but here are the stories that immediately came to mind:
February 2011: The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley (pictured) is installed as the fourth archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. 
May 2011: Peace Lutheran Church, a prominent Edmond church, votes to terminate its relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America because of the church’s perceived view that the denomation had moved away from Scripture. The church’s ties with the ELCA were officially terminated June 30, the end of the church’s fiscal year. Church members then voted to become part of the North American Lutheran Church denomination. Also, church members hired a new pastor, the Rev. Keith Falk, who was installed on Sept. 11.
October 2011: The majority of members of First Presbyterian Church of Enid decide to sever ties with Presbyterian Church USA, the nation’s largest Presbyterian denomination.
November 2011: Oklahoma Catholics join other parishioners at Catholic churches across American and more than 20 other English-speaking countries in using a new revised Roman Missal. The missal is the liturgical text used during Mass.
May 2011: The “Passages” exhibit opens at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The nonsectarian exhibit, marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, was displayed through Oct. 16 at the museum.
October 2011: LifeChurch.tv leaders celebrate the 30 millionth download of the YouVersion Bible app, a free Bible app created by a development team at the Edmond-based megachurch.
October 2011: The board of directors of the Jesus House names Rick Denny, a former assistant attorney general, as the homeless shelter’s new executive director. Denny pledges to restablish the shelter’s mission of offering Christ-centered help for the homeless.
November 2011: The Baptist Messenger, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s official newspaper, goes digital.
July 2011: Cory Stanley becomes the only Archdiocese of Oklahoma City seminarian to be ordained into the priesthood. A few days before his ordination, Stanley said in an interview, that the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will have more seminarians ordained to the priesthood in the next several years.
October 2011: This is indirectly tied to religion but there is still a connection … Integris Health Edmond, a $94 million hospital and medical office building opens its doors to patients. Henderson Hills Baptist Church sold the property on which the hospital was built to Integris in 2007. The property was part of the Edmond megachurch’s 109-acre parcel of land off 15th Street and Interstate 35.
August 2011: Mercy Health Center opens the state’s first school for autistic children, the Good Shepherd Catholic School at Mercy.
November 2011: The Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City celebrates its 70th anniversary. While it is not a religious agency, the federation obviously has strong connections to the three main Jewish religious entities in Oklahoma City — Temple B’nai Israel, Emanuel Synagogue and the Chabad Jewish Center of Greater Oklahoma City.
December 2011: Several metro area churches decide to forego Christmas Day services on Sunday, Dec. 25, in order to allow staff and congregation members to spend the time at home with their families or traveling to spend time with extended family.
September 2011: The Oklahoma Conference of Churches’ 2011 Interfaith Youth Tour draws the largest crowd since the annual event was started five years prior. About 180 young people and their advisors, representing various faith communities, visited an Orthodox Christian church, a Jewish temple and an Islamic mosque as part of the tour. The event is aimed at raising awareness about different faiths. 
September 2011: Famous guest speakers are always popping up at Oklahoma churches, but one stood out: Louis Zamperini, the famed Olympian and World War II POW, spoke at an anniversary service at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid. Zamperini’s life story is chronicled in the best-selling book “Unbroken.” (In this picture, the Rev. Wade Burleson, senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, poses for a picture with Louis Zamperini at the Enid church).
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Here’s hoping the new year is just as newsworthy!
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Jan. 4 Today’s Prayer
Help us to accept and respect the difference that many people have. Amen. 
You know it’s almost New Year’s Eve when …
folks start coming up with their Top 10 lists of any and everything for the year that is about to end.
OK, I’m not going to do that.
We do have a religion year in review story that will run in Saturday’s Life section.
I said I wasn’t going to do a Top 10 list but I didn’t say I’m not going to offer my list of some of the top religion stories in Oklahoma for 2011. My list likely will include more or less than 10 stories because I don’t want to be confined to the number 10. So it’s not a Top 10 list, right?
Look for a blog posting with my list (which will be drawn from my opinion) in the days ahead. 
And check out some of those other 2011 lists. Some really are pretty interesting…
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Dec. 28 Today’s Prayer
Let us cling to You like a belt so we will be known for praise and glory. Amen. 
Dec. 27 Today’s Prayer
O Lord, Your words satisfy our souls and strengthen our bodies. Amen. 
Dec. 26 Today’s Prayer
Monday, Dec. 26
Dear Lord, help us be unwavering in our willingness to assist others. Amen.
