The Oklahomans will be among thousands of youths sharing their Christian faith with fellow students as part of the annual event.

Students are planning togather at more than 400 locations around the nation, including three in the Oklahoma City metro area:

– 8 p.m. at Edmond North High School, 215 W Danforth in Edmond.

–  6:30 p.m. at Carl Albert High School, 2009 S Post Road.

–  6:30 p.m. in the Capitol Hill High School auditorium, 500 SW 36.

Around the state, Fields of Faith events are planned in Davis, Ardmore, Bristow, Chickasha, Durant, Enid, Lawtown, Talihina, Thomas, Tulsa, Turpin, Velma and Wagoner.

For more information, go to www.fieldsoffaith.com.

(The picture above from www.fieldsoffaith.com was taken at a 2007 Fields of Faith event.)

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

Here’s a listing of a few of them:

Aug. 10-11 — Women of Faith: “Celebrate What Matters,” Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W Reno. The event will begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 10 and 9 a.m. Aug. 11. For more information, go to www.WomenofFaith.com.  

Aug. 10-11 — Oklahoma Youth Evangelism Conference featuring Christian recording artists Kutless, Tenth Avenue North and other artist, Mabee Center, Oral Roberts University campus, 7777 S Lewis. Admission is $17 before July 30 and $20 after July 30. For more information, call 942-3000, Ext.  or go to www.mabeecenter.com.

5:30 p.m. Aug. 25 — “Secret Keeper Girl Live!,” Mabee Center, Tulsa. For more information, go to www.mabeecenter.com.

7 p.m. Sept. 13 — “Living a Legacy” with Dave Ramsey (pictured) and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Jon Acuff, Crossings Community Church, 14600 N Portland. For more information, go to www.crossingsokc.org.

5 p.m. Sept. 15 — “VeggieTales Live: Sing Yourself Silly,” Mabee Center, ORU, 7777 S Lewis. For more information, go to www.mabeecenter.com.

8 p.m. Sept. 21 — The Afters (pictured) and Fireflight, Chesapeake Energy Stage, State Fair of Oklahoma. Free admission with admission to the fair. For more information, go to www.okstatefair.com.

Sept. 22 — Hillsong Live “Cornerstone Tour,” BOK Center, Tulsa. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 20. Cost is $26, $32 and $38. Ticket prices increase $3 on the day of the show. For more information, go to www.PremierProductions.com. 

7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 — “A Night of Hope with Joel and Victoria Osteen,” Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W Reno. Tickets are $15.  For more information, go to www.ticketmaster.com or www.chesapeakearena.com.

Oct. 6 — Mark Schultz and  Anita Renfroe, Mabee Center, Tulsa. For more information, go to www.mabeecenter.com.

Dec. 20 – “12 Gifts of Christmas” tour with Steven Curtis Chapman, Laura Story, Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg, Luci Swindoll, Lisa Welchel and others, Mabee Center, Tulsa. For more information, go to www.mabeecenter.com

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

It was given to me by Masie Bross, director of Whiz Kids, a faith-based tutoring and mentoring program sponsored by City Care. Through the program, inner-city and suburban churches join together to offering free tutoring and mentoring for children attending inner city schools in the Oklahoma City area. 

The author of “The Other Wes Moore” is Wes Moore. He will be keynote speaker at the Whiz Kids’ annual charity event Seeds of Hope set for 6 p.m. March 27 at the Cox Convention Center.

I had not heard of the book but I could not put it down last weekend until I finished it. It’s both captivating and heartbreaking and I’m not surprised that it was a New York Times bestseller.

The book tells the author’s own story and that of another young man with the same name. Both men grew up under challenging circumstances.

Wes Moore, the book’s author, grew up to become a Rhodes Scholar, White House fellow and youth advocate. The other Wes Moore is serving a life sentence for his role in an armed robbery in which a police officer was killed. 

The author shares both their stories in a way that readers can come to their own conclusion about how they took such different paths.     

Compelling stuff.

For more information about Whiz Kids and the Seeds of Hope event, call 602-2815 or go to www.whizkidsok.org. 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

The Barna Group is a Ventura, Calif.-based research company whose research often focuses on the ways faith and culture intersect.

Kinnaman is best-selling co-author of the book “unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About  Christianity” (2008). During our brief  interview Kinnaman talked about why he wrote the book and some of the lessons Christian churches can glean from it.

Somewhere along the way, I think my “parent” hat and my “reporter” hat meshed together because I began asking him questions from a parent’s viewpoint. At that point, I think our conversation became more indepth than just the typical interview and I came away with some lessons learned about what today’s youths are saying about the Church and the adults who have helped guide their way thus far.

Really interesting information.

If you haven’t already done so, get that book. 

I also got to sit in on a youth ministers’ luncheon hosted by OC’s Dudley Chancey, associate professor of youth ministry. At the luncheon, Kinnaman talked about his latest book “You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church … and Rethinking Faith.”

Kinnaman expounded some on the research findings detailed in “You Lost Me” and I think it is quite interesting material for anyone who is a parent or church leader or simply someone who loves young people and wants to see them grow in the Christian faith.

I’ll have a story this Saturday about Kinnaman, his research compiled in “unChristian” and how the Church can use this important research data.  My story will also include his thoughts on the controversy that arose over the part of the book that dealt with how young people see the Church as anti-gay.

And if you haven’t already heard, Kinnamon will be speaking tonight at 7 p.m. in the Hardeman Auditorium on the OC campus, 2501 E Memorial Road. He’ll be talking about research compiled in “You Lost Me.” 

The presentation is free and open to the public.  

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor