Religion in the metro: From monks to prison seminaries, check out the latest
Lectures by monks, mandala viewing offered
NORMAN — Activities related to the Sacred Arts of Tibet with monks from India's Gaden Shartse Monastic University continue through Saturday.
Since 2008, the Norman Cultural Connection sponsors a variety of events over a two-weeks period, including a lecture series and the artistic creation of a mandala sand painting. They aim to nurture compassion and tolerance through cultural exchange.
A mandala sand painting was created with powdered and dyed stone, sand, dust, flowers, and charcoal and it may be viewed by the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 225 W Duffy. A closing ceremony is set for 2:30 p.m. Sept. 23. The free event is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Norman Arts Council. Funding for this program is also provided, in part, by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities.
Meanwhile, the monks will present the remaining two lectures in a series of evening lectures. The lectures will be at 7 p.m. at St. John’s, with a suggested donation of $10. "Group Healing: Che Drol Ritual for Removing Obstacles" will be discussed Sept. 21, while "The Secret of Finding Inner Peace and Happiness" will be the focus of the lecture on Sept. 22.
Additional support for events has been provided by We Are One Foundation, Stash, Velie Law Firm, and Green Feather Book Company.
For more information, contact Marial Martyn, Norman Cultural Connection executive director, at 405-201-9991 or mmartyn@normancc.org, or go to www.normanculturalconnection.org or www.normanculturalconnection.org.
Peace Day event is set
An International Day of Peace Commemoration will be 2 to 4 p.m. Sept 24, in the auditorium at the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University, 2501 N Blackwelder.
The free event will include live music, performances and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt will be among guest speakers.
The International Day of Peace, also known as Peace Day, is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace.
This year's theme is "Peace Initiatives: Individual, Community, Global."
Along with the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center in Oklahoma City, the event is co-hosted by the OCU Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Respect Diversity Foundation.
OBU receives award for prison diversity program
Oklahoma Baptist University’s Prison Divinity Program was recently recognized as the top academic institution of the year at the fourth annual National Moral Rehabilitation Conference in Memphis, Tenn.
Lexington Assessment and Reception Center Chaplain Ron Lindsey also received the Chaplain of the Year award during the event. The conference is sponsored by the Prison Seminaries Foundation.
OBU, based in Shawnee; Oklahoma Baptists and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections are partners in this historic endeavor in Oklahoma. OBU offers a bachelor of arts degree in Christian studies to inmates in an Oklahoma prison. Upon completion of their degrees, these men will be eligible to be commissioned as field ministers and deployed to other prisons across the state.
There are currently 67 students enrolled in the program. The first cohort of students begins their junior year this fall. The second cohort has completed the orientation term and begins courses for credit this fall.
Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation. This program equips inmates to minister to fellow inmates providing an avenue for moral rehabilitation and reform throughout the prison system. The degree is a fully accredited, four-year Christian liberal arts degree, which includes an internship with the prison chaplain. All courses are taught face-to-face at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center. Students are carefully selected based upon their application materials and interviews and progress through the degree program together.
The programs objectives are to facilitate change in the culture of the prison system with greater respect for authority as well as their fellow man, facilitate greater safety within each unit where field ministers are deployed and allowed to serve and to provide a pathway to reduced recidivism of those who have been impacted by the service of the graduates.
"God is doing a mighty work in the prisons across our nation,” Dr. Bruce A. Perkins, OBU director of the Prison Divinity Program in the OBU Hobbs School of Theology and Ministry, said in a news release.
“This recognition affirms the diligence of our students to their studies and their commitment to the objective of transforming prison culture. They are men dedicated to Christ and stewarding well the abilities and opportunities He has provided them. I am very proud of them and honored to accompany them on their journey. I am equally blessed to work alongside Chaplain Lindsey. His eagerness to engage this program and seek its success has been invaluable. We could not do what we do without his support and involvement. He is a worthy recipient of the honor he received."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Monk's in metro, Peace Day and honors for a prison divinity program
