August Message from Conference Minister Rev. Lorraine Ceniceros
General Synod, Holy Conversations, and What Comes Next
General Synod is behind us, but the memories are still fresh. Many have said it was the best Synod they’ve experienced. No one gave exact reasons why—but I’d like to believe that the hospitality of our volunteers, guided by the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC), played a meaningful role.
While I can’t thank every volunteer personally, I want to publicly recognize the incredible Kansas-Oklahoma team. Bobbie Henderson, who served as our LAC chairperson, did a phenomenal job bringing everything and everyone together. Subcommittee chairs Jackie Kropp (Hospitality), Regan Saoirse (Operations), and Michael Vollbrecht (Environment) led their teams with care and creativity. Jackie worked without a counterpart from Missouri Mid-South, but that didn’t slow her down a bit.
Mandy Cook, secretary of the K-O Executive Committee, also served as secretary for the LAC, keeping us organized with accurate and timely minutes. Krystal Poindexter, our K-O Registrar, helped manage volunteer registration. I am not exaggerating when I say: the team was phenomenal.
Thanks to a generous grant from Fellowship Congregational UCC in Tulsa, we were able to offer $30 rebates to K-O volunteers who also registered for Synod. As we reviewed final numbers, we were pleased to find enough funds remaining to issue an additional rebate to all of our volunteers. If you receive a check from the Conference, please know that it’s made possible by the generosity of Fellowship UCC.
If you haven’t already, take a moment to visit the K-O Conference website to view photos from General Synod 35:
📷 https://www.kocucc.org/general-synod-2025
We’re also deeply grateful to the churches and organizations whose contributions helped us exceed our $50,000 goal for Synod support:
· Fellowship Congregational UCC (Tulsa)
· Retirement Housing Foundation
· The Colonial Church (Prairie Village)
· Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence)
· Mayflower Congregational Church (Oklahoma City)
· Central Baptist Theological Seminary (Overland Park)
Their generosity and commitment to the wider church were on full display.
Now, as we turn toward the future, we’re preparing to launch a series of Holy Conversations, intentional, open-hearted gatherings to listen to what matters most across our Conference. Whether you are clergy or lay, from a rural church or an urban congregation, your voice matters. These conversations will help inform the Conference Board’s priorities for the year ahead.
These are not business meetings. They’re sacred spaces for discernment, rooted in trust and curiosity. All are welcome.
We’re also preparing for our 2025 Annual Meeting, which will take place via Zoom on November 8, 2025. The meeting time will be announced soon. With so many of our members having traveled for Synod, we chose a virtual format this year to reduce the time, cost, and logistical burden of an in-person gathering. That said, we understand the importance of gathering face-to-face, and we will announce the location for the 2026 Annual Meeting during our November session.
A reminder to our congregations: each local church having standing in the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference shall be entitled to two voting lay delegates. Each church having a membership of more than 200 shall be entitled to an additional lay voting delegate for each additional 200 members. Your clergy person, who is also as official delegate, does not count toward fulfilling the slot of a lay delegate. Please be diligent in naming your delegates, as they will participate in the decision-making involved in the business portion of the meeting.
Finally, I would be remiss not to name the uneasy, and for many, dangerous, political climate we are living through. In such times, may we continue to love one another. Every Single Other. And may we remain vigilant in caring for our neighbors.
With gratitude for your faith and witness,
Lorraine