Oklahoma Conference of Churches’ gala will feature civil rights activist Cornel West

A statewide coalition of religion teams needed to postpone its gala final 12 months as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, however the occasion celebrating a milestone anniversary is lastly developing in November.

The Oklahoma Convention of Church buildings’ “No Hate within the Heartland fiftieth Anniversary Gala” is ready for six:30 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 4 on the Skirvin Hilton, 1 Park Ave. The Rev. Shannon Fleck, the convention’s govt director, stated there are a restricted quantity of tickets nonetheless out there for the occasion that includes civil rights activist, creator and thinker Cornel West because the visitor speaker.

Speck stated West was chosen as a result of the convention of church buildings needed a speaker with a presence and historical past of standing for social justice, particularly via a religion lens.

“He has all the time been a voice for motion and justice, particularly motivating religion communities in direction of motion,” she stated. “You understand, his well-known quote is ‘Justice is what love appears to be like like in public.’ and that is simply on the coronary heart of what we are attempting to do.”

She stated West is a becoming speaker for an event marking the convention’s fiftieth anniversary.

“It has been 50 years, and we have had this superb expertise,” Fleck stated. “Main as much as this, we have been going via our archives, and we’ve all the time been doing this work for the reason that starting. We simply actually need to deliver it again to the guts of who we’re as a corporation ― that we’re about connecting folks of all faiths to 1 one other in order that we are able to love in public, in order that we are able to deliver folks collectively within the spirit of openness and charm and acceptance.”

She stated the Nov. 4 occasion may even be a particular second as a result of it has been three years for the reason that coalition has held an annual gala. “In these three years, we really feel like we’ve made considerably extra connections to folks throughout the state all through what has been been the COVID expertise and we actually need to simply be collectively,” she stated.

In the meantime, the gala’s theme “No Hate within the Heartland” shares the identical identify as a convention of church buildings’ marketing campaign that originally began out as a one-year initiative.

Fleck, an ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister, stated the marketing campaign has resonated with so many individuals each inside and out of doors the convention of church buildings that it’ll change into part of the coalition’s common platform.

The marketing campaign was launched in fall 2020, when the convention of church buildings launched a theological assertion condemning racism and discrimination.

“Though we anticipated there being a mess of responses, what we have skilled, has been predominantly constructive,” Fleck stated of the marketing campaign. “It is communities of religion being grateful for a corporation corresponding to ours, being so upfront and ahead in regards to the methods wherein hate is taking part in in our society, and the methods wherein we, as ethical leaders, have to step up and be voices towards that.”

The convention of church buildings was shaped in 1972 to deliver Christian denominations collectively for collaboration on all kinds of applications and points essential to the Oklahoma religion neighborhood. It consists of denominational teams just like the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, Oklahoma United Methodist Convention and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma.

Different denominations represented embody: African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Cooperating Baptist Fellowship. Christian Methodist Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Mennonite Church, Presbyterian Church USA, Progressive Oklahoma Baptist State Conference, Reformed Church in America, Spiritual Society of Associates, United Church of Christ. A number of particular person church buildings and religion organizations are additionally a part of the coalition as collaborating companions.

For tickets or extra details about the gala, go to https://www.okchurches.org/.