Pastor’s funeral to be shown on website
EDMOND– There undoubtably will be numerous people attending the Rev. Richard Alan Day’s funeral on Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Edmond.
The funeral is set for 10 a.m. 
Brad Kimbler, the church’s communication’s specialist, has said that the services will be shown via video on the church’s website Tuesday afternoon for those who are unable to attend the event.
Day (pictured), was senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Edmond for 25 years. He died Feb. 16 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident.
The church’s website is www.FBCedmond.org.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Survey: Six of every 10 Protestant pastors disapprove of Obama
This just in from the Religion News Service: Six out of every 10 Protestant pastors say they disapprove of President Obama’s job performance.
The RNS based this report on a recent LifeWay Research survey.
LifeWay researchers said of the 61 percent who disapprove of Obama’s work, 47 percent disapprove strongly.
The RNS reported that the survey’s findings were released Oct. 21. The survey found that 30 percent of pastors approve of the president’s performance (including 14 percent who strongly approve). Nine percent were undecided.
According to the RNS, when the Southern Baptist-affiliated research group surveyed Protestant pastors about their voting intentions just before the 2008 elections, 20 percent indicated they planned to vote for Obama, compared to 55 percent who planned to vote for GOP candidate John McCain.
“If voting intentions and job approval measure similar things, the president hasn’t made many friends in the pulpits of America’s churches throughout the first year-and-a-half of his presidency,” Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, told the RNS.
The new research was based on interviews with 1,000 Protestant clergy Oct. 7-14 and had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
The Religion News Service said researchers also found that 84 percent of Protestant pastors disagreed with the idea of pastors endorsing political candidates from the pulpit.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Oklahoma Baptists’ initiative now on iPhone
The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s My316 initiative is now available on an iPhone app. 
The evangelism campaign, started early this year, encourages Oklahoma’s Southern Baptists to share the gospel and their own faith testimony using a familiar and beloved passage of Scripture, John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
To get the app for iPhone, go to the app store on your phone and type in my316 and hit the search button. It will take yo to the My316 app.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Support in time of tragedy
A guest preacher from a church that experienced its own tragedy will deliver the sermon Sunday at the Maryville, Ill., church where the pastor was shot and killed.
The Rev. Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist Church of Maryville, was killed March 8 by a lone gunman who walked into the church during worship services. The Southern Baptist church is east of St. Louis.
The Associated Baptist Press reported that the Rev. Al Meredith, pastor of Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, will preach at the First Baptist Maryville’s three worship services.
About 10 years ago, Sept. 15, 1999, a gunman walked into Wedgwood Baptist and opened fire, killing seven and wounding seven before turning the gun on himself.
Associated Baptist Press reported that Meredith wasn’t at the church during the attack, but has experience in dealing with the aftermath of a deadly assault.
Meanwhile, a trust fund is being set up for contributions be made to a trust fund being set up for Winters’ two daughters.
For information on where to send donations, go to the church’s Web site: First Baptist Church of Maryville.
Read about Winter’s funeral service in a Baptist Press story: “Widow of slain Ill. pastor points to ‘celebration day.’”
(AP PHOTO: Memorial service for the Rev. Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist Church of Maryville, Ill.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Southern Baptist prayer vigil continues
Many Oklahoma Southern Baptists are in the midst of the 40/40 Prayer Vigil which began Sept. 24 and continues through Nov. 2, right before the presidential election on Nov. 4
The prayer effort is to culminate with 40 hours of around the clock intercession during the last three days of the vigil. This 40-hour finale is to begin at 4 p.m. Oct. 31 and end at 8 a.m. Nov. 2.
Participants have been encouraged to focus personal spiritual revival, then to expand their circle of prayer concerns.
More details are located on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Web site at www.sbc.net.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Shane & Shane headed to Shawnee
Popular worship duo Shane & Shane will perform at Oklahoma Baptist University’s annual “Saturday in the Park” Saturday at Woodland Park in downtown Shawnee.
The event is free and also features Oklahoma’s own, contemporary Christian recording artist Jami Smith.
“Saturday in the Park” is OBU’s “welcome back to school” celebration.
Dale Griffin, the university’s campus pastor, said students requested both Shane & Shane and Smith and the artists they wanted to headline the annual back-to-school bash.
Activities start at 1 p.m. A Battle of the Bands will begin about 1:30 p.m. Bands interested in battling it out should contact Rick Cordova at rick.cordova@okbu.edu. The winning band will be honored before the evening’s concert at 7 p.m.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Edmond mayor appreciates church
Edmond Mayor Dan O’Neil
It always nice to be appreciated.
I say that because one of the first people I ran into at Wednesday’s big school supply give-away in Edmond was the city’s Mayor Dan O’Neil.
He was walking with the Rev. Kim Swyden in the entry gathering area at Henderson Hills Baptist Church, which organized and hosted the community give-away.
There were tons of parents and their children there, but I spotted Swyden, the church’s executive pastor, right away and he introduced me to the mayor.
Before I could say anything, O’Neil said he appreciated the church for its efforts on behalf of the community.
From the chatter of excitement of the crowd around him, I gathered that he was not the only one grateful for the church’s generosity.
The Rev. Jeff Wilson, church spokesman, said he estimated at least 1,000 people had already gathered for the give-away — and this was fairly early in the evening.
The line of families snaked across the entry way and down into the gym, where students picked out backpacks and everything from tissue paper to highlighters.
After choosing the free supplies, families got free vision check-ups and a presentation by a local nutrition expert about proper nutrition.
Then there was fun to be had. I saw a dunk tank (which Swyden jokingly thought I might like to get into), moon bounce and other fun activities, plus free hot dogs.
Wilson said he estimated that about $30,000 worth of supplies were given out, thanks to church members, businesses and invidiuals in the community who generously donated.
Watch a related video by going to www.newsok.tv and look for the title “Church donates supplies.”
Incidentally, the new office for the Ministries of Jesus free health clinic is quickly taking shape there on the Henderson Hills’ grounds. The Rev. Jeff Wilson, church spokesman, said construction should be completed by November and the church is planning an open house at some point.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
