good morning and welcome to Oklahoma city in the United States of America I'm standing outside the Church of St Augustine of Canterbury which seems very strange in this city but it's a lovely thing to have come here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this church and we've had wonderful Services particularly on Sunday when everyone was in a mood of Celebration it was Memorial Day weekend as well as the anniversary but today we've come here to find a quiet space to say our morning prayer so we're going to walk into the church and then a partway through our service we'll find father Joe who's the parish priest here and meet him as well join me then as we walk inside so we've come inside now this lovely Church of St Augustine of Canterbury and we've come to the spacious entry hall where when people come out from worship very often Hospitality can be given as it was on Sunday even into the very large Hall Beyond and we not only use that for for Hospitality but also for the Forum when questions could be asked uh some of you joined in with that too we come up to this amazing statement God loves everyone whether you like it or not and it's a a wonderfully colorful thing to find here in its different colors outside is a little garden with St Francis of aisi they're nursing a dove in his hand sign of peace and of God's creation so we're going to come around now into the entry part of the church and here we go into the church and we find waiting for us father Joe hello welcome thank you it's good to see you great you join me thank you very much absolutely good to see you good to see you my brother let's sit down together great and what we notice here is how different the layout of the church is from Sunday morning which many of those who are with us now will have seen and uh it causes me to think this is a very versatile space for worship hospitality and all kinds of different sacramental occasions like baptism and the Eucharist and music how does it feel with all of this because this is very much your ministry that's true um some members will will jokingly say you know the space changes every week um and my responsibility it doesn't change every week it changes for each season um which I think is so important you know um we're used to um seeing a change of color with paraments Investments um but something that I learned two places um my Seminary the Lutheran School of Theology of Chicago and also um in Philadelphia where I did my internship it was at Reformation Lutheran Church in in the mount Ary area of Philadelphia but each Sunday evening I would um attend worship at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral right and that space was reordered um by Dean Richard Giles who came from England yes I remember him and so um absolutely and so I was blessed um to to be in that space soon after it was reordered um and also that's where my wedding and ordination took place Dean Giles opened the cathedral um to me so um I I have great affection for that space and and his approach to liturgy um and your wedding and ordination happened on the same day I think happened on the same day actually on the Feast of the Transfiguration amazing um so um that way I was assured that I wouldn't forget my my wedding um anniversary because the the pastor who was the who who preached at the at the ordination um service said um there you sit um Mr alce now the married man soon to be Pastor alce the ordained man and you take on two vows this day and we know you'll never forget your ordination anniversary and we've given the assurance that because of that you won't forget your wedding anniversary so um yeah the Feast of the Transfiguration I'm sorry Cecilia is not here now with us absolutely absolutely we'll see her later on but for the moment how how does this then feel today after Sunday talk about Sunday a bit because that was an amazing service and it was an amazing service because you were here because much more um but you certainly celebrating the Feast of the Holy Trinity and the commemoration of of of St Augustine of Canterbury so and we had two baptisms so um someone um that evening asked could you have you know squeezed in one more thing father um I said well it was a quite lengthy service but it was it was Joy filled all the way through and it kept changing on the way through absolutely and So speaking of the space um the the the seating was choir style a monastic style and the alter was um towards the West which is lurgical East for us at least that particular service um and and the the ambo was towards the actual East um but we said it was you know lurgical West and so the idea of changing um the seating arrangement which begins you know again different seasons so this particular configuration with the altar um in the center of the space is sort of the default position and it will through the long Advent the seating arrangement will change again it will be choir formation um the old altar of the church will be brought back um and it will be placed towards the entrance of the church which is actual East yes and I like to remind the members that we're turning towards the east especially for the Eucharistic prayer which is the direction of the Rising Sun but it's also the direction of the Holy Land yeah okay indeed um and so it will remain that way throughout the incarnational period so from Advent Christmas and Epiphany tide um and then also during Lent and Easter and then it will revert to this particular configuration there's some tweaks during Lent yes um with the altar we bring back this new altar which is the octagonal altar it will come back um during Lent and be used during during Easter time tied but the idea is to certainly keep people aware of the fact that we're on a journey right and there's constant change and flux but what is it that remains true um and Remains the North Star God's grace and love the sacraments um and also when we change this configuration to choir style um it it causes the members to begin to engage one another yes right um You have to look at your brother or sister across the aisle and that person has been made in the image and the likeness of God I like to say your brother or sister has been made in the icon of God they're an icon of God so it forces people in a sense um hopefully in a good way um to to engage each other yeah um yeah that's great so but I I love the the mere fact that we have the flexibility of the space that's something new when I arrived here at the church all of the hes were facing the front yeah um our choir area was in the transcept the altar of course was was behind us where the choir platform is right now and My Hope was you know I would love to reconfigure this space so that it really in a sense embodies what we do here liturgically um which is you know for for some people um it's it's it's rather different um The Hope is that it's engaging yes some members say this really um causes us us to to engage with one another and with what takes place with our worship of course there is that lovely hymn by I think it's elen of Arin it said people look East the time is the time is near the dawning of the Year absolutely and we spent Advent Sunday last year in Hong Kong Cathedral okay so people look East but actually looking across the Pacific Ocean and eventually round to the United States and so it's a different direction altogether absolutely so an interesting way that our planet actually is vers child in how we worship sometimes we get stuck in a rut right absolutely um and and we need to be you know um shaken absolutely awaken and given different insights absolutely yeah should we begin morning pray most certainly most certainly in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen amen the morning prayer for Wednesday if we say we have no sin we deceive our ourselves and the truth is not in us but if we confess our sins God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness the night has passed and the day lies open before us let us pray with one heart and mind as we rejoice in the gift of this new day so may the light of your presence oh God set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever amen amen perhaps you would read the second song of Isaiah and then Psalm 46 absolutely thank you seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him when he draws near let the wicked forsake their ways and the evil ones their thoughts and let them turn to the Lord and He will have compass passion and to our God for he will richly pardon for my thoughts are not your thoughts nor your ways my ways says the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts for as rain and snow fall from the heavens and return not again but water the Earth bringing forth life and giving growth seed for sewing and bread for eating so is my word that goes forth from my mouth it will not return to me empty but it will accomplish that which I have purposed and prosper in that for which I sent it glory to the father and to the son and to the holy Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever amen reading from Psalm 46 God is our hope and strength a very present help in trouble therefore we will not fear though the Earth be moved and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea though the water Waters thereof rage and swell and though the mountain shake at the Tempest of the same there is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God the holy place of the Tabernacle of the most highest God is in the midst of her therefore she shall not be removed God shall help her and that right early be still then and know that I am God I will be exalted among the Nations and I will be exalted in the Earth the Lord of host is with us the god of Jacob is our refuge thank you last night we were together in in a garden uh long from here in Tulsa at Christ church and we were asked to bless the the growing crops and the bees and the flowers and butterflies that were there and it was a a wonderful occasion a versatile occasion with all the colors of the earth outside and then we shared supper with the people there and enjoyed that but I'm going to read the passage that was given to us by that church to read before reflecting on the glory of creation and this is from Hosea chapter 2: 18 to 23 on that day says the Lord I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that Scurry along the grounds so they will not harm you I will remove all weapons of war from the land all swords and Bows so you can live unafraid in peace and safety oh Israel I will make you my wife forever showing you righteousness and Justice unfailing love and compassion I will be faithful to you and make you mine and you will finally know me as the Lord in that day I will answer says the Lord I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds and the sky will answer the Earth with rain then the Earth will answer the Thirsty cries of the grain the grape Vines and the olive trees and they in turn will answer jezriel God plants at that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself I will show love to those who I called not loved and to those I called not my people I will say now you are my people and they will reply you are our God here ends the reading It's a Wonderful promise of Peace which all the Earth cries out for a a safe home and the people at that time our Lord's own people from which he sprang planted by the Creator and I felt when that was being read a real resonance with the sense of people's desire for that safe haven which can be signed in a place like this and could be in the garden last night but do you feel as I do that that the the Earth has never more cried out for safe spaces absolutely and a home as people wonderer when where wondering where they can find that right many people are I mean they are searching um where can I find Haven yeah um that safe place that place of belonging of a place that um you can call home yeah um you you hear many times um that people are Are Spiritual but not necessarily religious yeah and I believe the the role of the church um and certainly any place of worship is to provide that safe haven um dare I say um a glimpse of what heaven yeah is like surely yeah so many spiritual directors advise you to attempt to find that safe haven within yourself when you are by yourself maybe in a working space or during the week when you're just alone is that something that you'd found easy to do I have certainly here and say again many members um will will comment on the fact you know that they may drive by the church on their way home um and they said you know father um I noticed that your car is there at all hours of the day and even um late into the night um we know that you you are working diligently and I said yes and many times I love to come into this space um especially late at night um because you're able to to certainly experience um God's spirit God's Pres presence here um even in the quiet yeah um which is is so important be still and know that I am God right I will be exalted among the Nations um I will be exalted among the people and so this space um becomes um truly Sanctuary yeah yeah those little phrases which appear in the Psalms yes are of infinite help absolutely to be remembered and one of the the best ones is be still and know that I am God which can happen anywhere absolutely and to turn yourself into that is like really plucking a flower in the garden and putting it in your coat and then thinking you know this reminds me of a wonderful space but you needn't be in that space it it can be recalled maybe from your morning prayers or maybe just as an what we call an arrow prayer because you're in a difficult position and you shoot up a sentence which reminds of how God plants in your soul these these wonderful thoughts which can make a just a reminder of safe spaces in the middle of so much turmoil in the world chaos yeah one thinks of those who are in places helping people and the the war places of the world in in in Ukraine and Russia in the in the Holy Land all of that going on but in other places too that the the the political division can cause that kind of stress with folk and so One retires into a a safe contemplative space to go out and we ourselves to be watering the world with those those those thoughts which are the fruits of the spirit and not fruits of hatred and war that and the Lord says in that passage I will remove the weapons of war and I think it's interesting that you mentioned watering the Earth right um I'm thinking of if you can pull from that great Wellspring um and I believe you mentioned in fact had a had a a forum and a talk about um how how um essential the Psalms can be you know certainly um they were were the songs of the ancient people and Jesus knew the Psalms but I think you mentioned maybe when you were at um St Philip's cathedral in Atlanta and gave a form on the Psalms um being able to draw from that Reservoir how many times Jesus quotes the Psalms indeed and it shows his love of the the creation and how things can be sacramental not just bread and wine and water but beautiful things we say outside and the rainbow is the sign of God's covenant all those things that we can use to help us remember so as we sit here um we tend to remember things which have happened on particular dates and this is the 29th of May and we remember that uh in the Medieval World Constantinople as it then was called was the capital of a Christian Empire which had lasted 1100 years yes and on this day in 1453 it fell to the forces of of Islam in the Ottoman Empire and was taken over that must have been the most amazing and cataclysmic tragedy for the people of the West and many scholars and people fled from Constantinople over to Venice or places like that bringing their books with them but at the same time from that moment onwards uh Constantinople um became uh a a Turkish part of the world and and became eventually Istanbul as we as we know it now uh but haa Sophia still stands there the great Cathedral not used for its original purpose but these are signs of what was and also one remembers that hymn In The Day thou gavest Lord has ended the verse that so Lord thy Throne shall never like Earth's proud Empires pass away that and Earth's proud Empires do pass away they 1100 years yeah indeed the other thing that happened today is a very English thing but it was important for Canterbury the restoration of King Charles II after his father had been executed 11 years before and from the moment the King's ex execution took place our Anglican Episcopal liturgy was made a criminal offense so that those who had been used to being regularly in the parish churches suddenly were in Exile and unable to use their own liturgy these happen in these things happen in history on this day which is used to be called oap day in in England the king returned on his 30th birthday the son of Charles I first and came first to Canterbury and he and his wife made their prayers before the altar in Canterbury Cathedral he praying with Thanksgiving for the restoration but also uh remembering his father his mother was still alive and was with them at that time so it was very different but um to canterbury's Delight he had his first privy Council there in Canterbury and from then on Road To London with people cheering all along the way so this is an important step Stone in in English History um but also in the freedom of the English once again to use the book of common prayer which was re reestablished at that time I think that's you know so so powerful um and should make us you know treasure the the book of common prayer that much more right yeah indeed yes while at the same time being totally inclusive of of those who like to Worship in a more informal way yes uh and I think we feed one another um tonight we're going to go to a forum of an inter inter um denominational I think even inter Faith Forum correct when when human beings can can share the insights of that spiritual Dimension within them and we look forward to that we gained so much more and we were richer yeah because of it um we're sitting here in this church on the outskirts of Oklahoma City say a little bit about this amazing aming City here it is an amazing city um in fact the mayor of Oklahoma City is has been a long time member of this congregation married David hton he's wonderful he's also um the dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law um and so um we we are still considered Oklahoma City yeah um Northwest part of Oklahoma City which is an area which is growing um and and the the mayor has mentioned um you know many people have the the the misconception um that that we don't have have paved roads in Oklahoma um but actually um we are believe the 22nd largest um city in in America um and so when you come here um people who you know come from different states um they are surprised at really how Progressive um this wonderful city is and how it's growing and booming and the economy and there's you know there's there's certainly plans to continue the growth and so we're blessed to be in in what you you might call um the the middle of America the Heartland um and and you certainly get a sense of of of of a place which has growth but also um um this genuine sense of of hospitality so it's an interesting blend being in the middle of America we've certainly felt that being here with you and in the city and and here and the city is made up by various different strands culturally it is it's rather diverse I mean Oklahoma means red man land right um so you certainly um see those who who have that native culture but also a city which is welcoming to those who are of Asian um influence and and you know Native Americans um those who are Hispanic in African Americans as well as well as those who have European Heritage and so it's an interesting Melting Pot here okay um so we're able to certainly respect and celebrate each other's diversity it's what really makes Oklahoma a unique place and it's very much evident in your own congregation we're blessed we're blessed so 14 years ago when I arrived here um I was interviewed by um the religion editor for the Oklahoman Carla Hinton and she said you know what are your hopes your dreams um for St Augustine and I said I hope and I pray that this congregation will become one of the most radically inclusive congregations and then she asked me well how will that you know manifest itself what will that look like so it will be a congregation which is racially and ethnically diverse um social economically diverse politically and even theologically diverse and so we've moved closer and closer and closer to that dream um we were blessed years ago to have the presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church we respect and love very much absolutely you know Michael Curry come to this church and in fact there's a plaque that commemorates his visit um and he mentions and he's he's he's captured on video of saying that the worship here and what he experienced here at St Augustine has been some of the most enjoyable and he has this wonderful saying um before you know preaching um in the name of our lifegiving loving and liberating Lord and he mentioned that the worship here at St Augustine is lifegiving it's loving and it has been liberating we've certainly found that yes it's been just tremendous being here with you so we've been blessed and you know having that diversity here um not only ethnically as I mentioned but also um in what we do um liturgically and with our music yeah indeed I I I I coined this this wonderful phrase that I want the music at St Augustine to represent everything from Bach to BB yeah um from VOR um to the Wiens from hiding to Hill song um because many times it's through music that universal language right without doubt that you can certainly um capture and EXP experience um that you you you you recognize the ethos of a place and music can transport us into what I call the holy otherness of God and this is also a fruitful land round about yesterday we went up to Tulsa oh yeah and your friend Pat actually yeah she she she took us out to her vision as was which is now born fruit to that magificent Bon Botanic Gardens there and we looked around at a flowering and fruitful place and and everything there is explained beautifully as you go around both to the children and adults so that they can Embrace God's creation most certainly and if you haven't had an opportunity to go to you know um to the Tulsa Botanical Gardens I would encourage you and they're continuing to expand so it's a dream that that she's had for decades that's actually come to fruition yes it was it was a delightful morning and we escaped the rain yes which came afterwards talking about you know that wonderful Passage from I from Hosea talking about the rain you know um yeah that that's something that you never know um in Oklahoma I think it was Will Rogers who said if you don't like the weather just hang around and it changes it changes just like that abely and many people are surprised about that we assume that you know it's just always a dry hot and air at Air at place and and that's not it doesn't feel like that at all no I mean we really experience all four seasons and sometimes you can experience all four seasons in one day sure so should we then go down into the City and find a botanic spot here ab and and um we can begin continue to chat then we can come back here and and and finish up our worship fabulous sounds like a great idea thank you thank you so we've left the church now to come down here into the center of Oklahoma City and we have come to the Myriad Gardens which is a a great 15 acre Green Space place in the middle of the city which people can enjoy at all times and we wanted you to see This Magnificent What's called the Crystal Bridge where tropical and subtropical plants are grown I'm sorry about the noise of the fans but we we did want you to come inside to see that this is here we won't stay long in here because the Acoustics will be bad for you but nevertheless the views of this place are really wonderful there is the most astonishing waterfall falling down steps and then pools with lovely water lies growing but you come from place to place and sitting up here I see desert plants uh and uh also um lovely flowering plants which are being protected from things like mildew from the fans blowing good air through here Fletcher was saying earlier that it's built over the lake and uh in the really hot weather they can open the doors to bring cooler from the lake which then chases the warm air out of the vents above it's all very scientific but it allows everyone to walk around and see plants they would never see flowering otherwise all put here together and as you walk through and downstairs the noise of the fans is even greater so we won't take you down there but we can show you down there uh and along those walks down below there are wonderful Groves to look into and you feel it anytime you can look at a a particular plant and and see and smell wonderful scents so this place is the Hub of all the grounds around and certainly when families come here and school children come in parties it's a very educative space for people to learn about the green earth and constantly as we have been doing over the last few days about the care of the planet on these occasions oh [Music] all [Music] oh oh [Music] we [Music] oh [Music] we're going to go outside now where the garden continues but not in this tropical context and there we once again at during our broadcast we'll meet father [Music] Joe Father Joseph we're down here in this beautiful Green Space right in the heart of the the center of of Oklahoma City yes um how important for this city are spaces like this this this great um Garden the Myriad Gardens and with its huge uh um greenhous like uh Bridge which goes across here I think it it serves just that purpose it's a it's an opportunity and and it becomes a space that Bridges the Gap um between um peoples of various you know ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds here in the city it truly becomes a a gathering place for people of all generations I mean it's absolutely um essential that you have green space in any metropolitan area right because this becomes a place where people can shall I say exhale right um You can let your mind wander um it's a place of refreshment and so green spaces are are critical um to to any community because look around you you see life right and so often um we talk about we live in an asphalt jungle right um so it's necessary for us to in a sense return to our our primitive Roots right um we talk about Humanity um being born in the garden and and in a sense we all um one day will return to the to the humus to the soil um it's lifegiving um and so yes it's it's it's absolutely critical and we're blessed um here in Oklahoma City to have such a wonderful space that that's open to everyone and as you say um the scriptures begin with the days of creation absolutely that wonderful poetry at the beginning of the book of Genesis but then it goes on to the garden and the Water of Life and the tree of life and the last book of the last chapter of of the Revelation is is just in the same place it's like a journey all the way through absolutely I remember um when I had an opportunity to to serve at a parish in Philadelphia um their baptismal font and pool um talks about the River of Life and that that that river that that's crystal clear and so yes there's this this wonderful return as you mentioned um to to shall we say what Paradise Lost yes indeed absolutely and Milton's second poem of course was Paradise regain correct and this is this is very much like a rising from from that which was dead to Green CHS and green life and then the flowering and finally the fruits and the leaves of the trees in Revelation for the healing of the Nations exactly which we've never wanted more than today it is absolutely essential we need that we truly need healing um now we are um in in a world that is is racked with pain um and and divisiveness and so there is um no no greater time than this um for for healing and Reconciliation which you're doing an absolutely Splendid job well and you yourself as as we know from the church of St Augustine and the celebrations we had on Sunday we've shared with you in both Oklahoma City and in Tulsa tragic times for both cities and we'll be dealing with those in different morning prayers but at the same time we have walked feter and I at at night time down through to what is called the the scissors is it yes the scissor Bridge right and with the lights there leading us along the way and seeing how families come together their little children playing there um in the darkness quite safely yes and it it just gives the the right sense of a city which has become even more careful of itself since the great tragedy of 1995 correct correct so I'm glad you've had that opportunity um to see the city um at her best um and and and Lively um all times of the day um in the morning as well as in the evening and so there has been this um Resurgence um this this revival um this this Renaissance here in Oklahoma City um and so um being one of the larger cities um in our nation um it has become a beacon of what can be done how you can help to be a part of that healing process not only for folks who are in Oklahoma City in Oklahoma um in our nation but indeed around the world and that tragedy turned into a time when people came together correct in a way that was completely different and and that feeling has remained it has in fact we talk about the Oklahoma standard right um people are willing um to drop whatever they're doing and offer their resources to help their neighbor who's in need and so yeah we continue to lift that up and talk about the Oklahoma standard and so it's it's something that that really makes us unique um and and something that we're quite proud of um we've um experienced it also across the weekend Memorial Day and that was a a public holiday for everyone on Monday but through the weekend there were those feelings of prayer for this city prayer for our whole world Thanksgiving for the gifts of creation and celebration of The Wider family uh both of the church and of this whole city and faiths of every kind right so we value that good that's at the center and hub of everything that we do um and and it makes a unique people um not to be boastful um but but to certainly be cognizant of the fact of of what we're called to do and who we're called to be I think that when you visit any Community you receive the gifts of that Community naturally and they give them the people there without even knowing it because it's now just as As Natural as breathing that this city has pulled together in that way and it really feels just like that so thank you for the hospitality I hope you and cletcher have exper experience of the hospitality of what we might call the the Heartland um of America well we feel very special because we've now received from the mayor the freedom of the city we have we have the golden key absolutely but it's a city that we are proud to be part of in this way so welcome you and certainly look forward to when you will come back with great anticipation thank you well we're going back to the church now to finish off our prayers for the morning and uh so we'll we'll walk away from this lovely space but it's been so good to be here with you this morning thank you the the honor and the privilege has has been has been mine it's been ours um as as a church and as a community thank you you and fetcher are icons thank you very much indeed so we bless you thank you thank you in h [Music] I [Music] so we had a chance to go down into the City and um were sitting in the Green Space um but we've seen many other things while we've been here particularly stressing the diversity of people who live here and aspects of History which are anything but comfortable at the time so if we think first about um good things going to the cowboy museum was was a a wonderful experience because that yes hugely and we learned so many things about the strands of different cultures that came into that cowboy culture which um Hollywood has has actually made into a different kind of culture but in the in the cowboy museum you really do learn about the the cattle and those who looked after them and the diverse strands from from Spain and Mexico and and even um the others who have been drawn into this from African people who were living here who did all this together in in driving the herds in different directions through Monumental Journeys and at the same time we had the first American Nation Museum which itself taught us many things about what the first American nation suffered and the very best thing about your museums is how real and graphic they make the lessons that they're teaching and we're really very impressed with them the cowboy and Western Heritage Museum corrects a picture which is all in our minds it's been skewed by Hollywood's tradition of western films and television series which we even saw as children of the Lone Ranger it shows how hard the life of a cowboy was in driving herds of cattle hundreds of miles through hard terrain and also surprisingly it makes it clear that Cowboys did not carry guns we always think of them shooting at one another or shooting particularly at the Indians as they called them usually they had a good relationship with the local indigenous tribes to whom there were no threat at all any rifles that were needed the museum Tau us were carried separately from them in a designated wagon and the indigenous tribes in their own culture had had for thousands of years an almost spiritual connection with the land where they live that's a really beautiful sort to us don't you think it was the European settlers who wanted that land who posed the threat to the culture of the indigenous peoples and the life they' lived for centuries the Trail of Tears already in the cowboy and Western Heritage Museum we see in the sculpture the end of the trail the sadness of being torn from their beloved land and resettled in the Indian Territory which would be hundreds of miles away Indian Territory now Oklahoma which which it had no connection before and here there were Promised Land which was later forcibly taken away from them as part of the educative process a fine art competition is held each year and the best works of art are exhibited so that the public and young people are involved by their own creative work in the unfolding of this story [Music] [Music] on [Music] [Music] h [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] this story story is well Illustrated in the first Americans Museum here we're taken round by Natalie a member of the O tribe as also is Mayor HT of course of Oklahoma City your own mayor Natalie helped us understand not only the tragedy of being forcibly resettled but also the breaking of age-old family traditions and the exhibits bring this into a very sharp Focus it's quite shocking we felt really sad at seeing those artifacts of the of family life as it was and then we were told it's estimated that in the first 100 Years of European settlement over 90% of the indigenous population perished and that too is a devastating statistic yes this went on is into the 1920s where the oage murders took place simply because the tribe still held on and rightfully so to the land which had mineral rights and oil and that Wicked story is well Illustrated in the film killers of the flower Moon which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the hero of that film but um if you would like to to talk also about the the the memorial for the atrocity in 1995 and then the Tulsa Massacre Memorial which we visited yesterday I think it's one of the you know it's certainly a site and a place that that um is gripping when you come to Oklahoma certainly Oklahoma City um to see um that that awful Act of of [Music] terrorism window blew out in around [Applause] [Music] [Music] h [Music] homegrown terrorism right here um in the the middle of America um and and to find out how so many innocent lives were lost 168 Souls um lost just like a good proportion of them children children that's right [Music] [Music] see [Music] [Applause] [Music] spe [Music] all [Music] [Music] and it's it's it's it's if you don't um come from that place um with with with a with with wet eyes then maybe you aren't able to feel yeah yeah um and certainly it causes you um to be vigilant um and making a difference in our world um to be a peacemaker um it is it is what it has done as it has helped to to to grow and to create um what we call the Oklahoma standard which I think I may have mentioned earlier yeah um this this understanding that we need to come and help one another um when we are are in a desperate um crisis and in need and that event actually pulled the city together it did and that's very evident now when you when you see people coming and the president saying you can you can actually feel the way that the city has responded in support of one another which pulled those strands together yes what about Tulsa that's T so many people um may know and they may not know this is Greenwood Rising this is the Greenwood Rising we had an opportunity to go to that museum which is a a fairly new Museum um and it's to to certainly tell the story of the 19 21 um race Massacre one of the worst in our nation on the corner of Greenwood and Archer is Greenwood Rising a new center housing the story of this historic district from Black Wall Street to the 1921 race Massacre and a rebuilding of a community it's an immersive experience by Design and we intentionally designed it so that when people leave you cannot leave the same way you came it was amazing Kimberly Lewis felt a range of emotions she was impressed and moved I just was really overwhelmed by all of the uh pictures and videos here and I really enjoyed it visitors start with a film produced locally featuring Greenwood business owners and Community leaders during it my Angelou reads her 1978 poem Still I Rise but still like dust it sets you up visually for what you're about to see the tour continues after crossing railroad track tracks taking you back to the district's early days figures from the past appear in the mirrors of TC's Barber Shop telling stories of life back then they could have spent their money somewhere else could have but they didn't and then the history of how this area this Oklahoma territory became a paradise for black citizens beyond the reflections large sections of walls are waiting designed to look destroyed as if it were 1921 and you're standing in Greenwood old recordings from actual survivors of the race Massacre tell their stories saying I was 9 years old I was 7 years old I was 17 years old and what they remembered people begging for their homes and businesses not to be burned the way that they presented it you could it was like you were right there you can feel their Terror and their sadness it's hard to explain how you feel you you get a rush of different emotions when you see something like that and uh to know that it was actual victims and survivors so like I say it's a different feeling Philip Ruff and Aaron shekels are visiting from Louisville Kentucky like many they learned about Greenwood later in life it's really important you have to know your history you know if you want to improve uh you have to know your history so once I was in TSA I was like you know I'm going to go visit that that site and that's why we're here today after the destruction you'll see a rebirth of Greenwood showcased in this room you see how these people with that spirit that Black Wall Street Spirit rebuilt their community and made it actually bigger and economically better as you move through the center you'll notice the use of a lot of digital video audio and photographs these here show before and after of what Greenwood look like then and now pictures taken from 1971 19 uh 21 1919 1939 and then it transforms right before your eyes and shows you exactly where that exact same picture is and what's here today today is where the tour ends this discussion space is used for talks about what was learned and where the community goes from here visitors are welcome to leave a commitment once you learn history what are you going to do with it and so we challenge people hey now that you know this what are you going to do I think when you come here you will get a a perspective of everything from the beginning to the end and how we're trying to continue to improve our race relations in the community at Greenwood rising in downtown Tulsa I'm Jason grubs for discover Oklahoma um Greenwood was an area that was prospering in fact it was called the Black Wall Street um and it was an area which were doctors and and nurses and lawyers and and Educators and and those who were about the entrepreneural um um insight and and building up a community um which had a great um effect and and certainly was able to to create um and and birth um many great Americans we think of um John hope Franklin whose father was a lawyer um um during that time and so um all of that again was lost um beginning on the 31st of May yeah yes so tomorrow so tomorrow no day after day after tomorrow um and so um an absolutely devastating event which um further separated um the community um a community was destroyed and has struggled yeah um to to um shall we say rebuild herself but when I see a museum like Greenwood Rising um that that gives all of us hope because I was raised in Tulsa born in Chicago but moved to Tulsa when I was 7 years old and so um to go back to Tulsa whenever I have an opportunity and see how the community um is beginning to thrive there's there's a um a Revival a Renaissance of sorts um it's quite quite moving and it makes me proud it gives me hope I asked you yesterday cuz you went to school in the rebuilt school I did which had been destroyed completely in this event uh and I said so what was said about that and you said nothing many times nothing I was I was fortunate you know in in in the high school to to have a class in which we talked about africanamerican history and certainly Tulsa history so I I was I was blessed to hear the story but there are so many people who grew up in Tulsa yeah never having heard about the the 1921 race Massacre um because it was a story and and understandably so um that's that's been swept under story it is outside the building on the wall is uh sentence by James Baldwin and uh it says not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced and that that museum helped us to face what had happened because it draws you into it it's beautifully done but you come out um really silent with what knowing not really knowing what to feel after that about I'm Hope to come it's th she that's AG watch it hey let me get you next how long you serve over there so proud of you young man what you did still blood for this country still respect you sir we know tell you what this C going to be on the house on the house it's the least we can do go and get your lunch when you come back clean up all this hair on the floor all right your house you know I won't say no good so now you save up all those tips your exactly but if you go a few blocks um towards the north yeah um you're able to encounter um Vernon Church um which was a church that survived um the burning of of of the Greenwood area and now there is a prayer walled and so that's a sign of reconciliation and and and and from um the theous um events um that we can can experience and perpetrate on one another um from those Good Friday events um there's always the hope of resurrection and New Life Easter Day hence the name Greenwood Rising absolutely it's like the Phoenix rising from the From the Ashes you may write me down in history with your bitter Twisted lies you may trod me in the very dirt but still like dust I'll rise does my sassin upset you why are you beset with Gloom just cuz I walk as if I have oil wells pumping in my living room just like moons and like sun with the certainty of Tides just like hope springing High Still I Rise did you want to see me broken bowed head and lowered eyes shoulders falling down like teardrops weakened by my Soulful cries does my assassin upset you don't take it so hard just cuz I laugh as if I have gold mindes digging in my own back backyard you can shoot me with your words you can cut me with your lies you can kill me with your hatefulness but just like life all rise does my sexiness offend you [Music] oh does it come as a surprise that I dance as if I have diamonds at the meeting of my thighs out of the Huts of History shame I Rise Up from a past rooted in pain I Rise a black ocean leaping and wide Welling and swelling and bearing in the tide leaving behind Nights of terror and fear I Rise into a Daybreak miraculously clear I Rise bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave I I am the hope and the dream of the slave and so wow there I [Applause] go in the future um but uh at the moment we want to complete our morning prayer now and then just have one final reflection wonderful so we use a prayer which we used in the garden of the church last night oh heavenly father who has filled the world with beauty open our eyes to Behold thy gracious hand in all thy works that rejoicing in thy whole creation we may learn to serve thee with gladness for the sake of him through whom all things were made thy son Jesus Christ Our Lord amen amen so we say as our Lord taught us Our Father Who Art in Heaven be thy name th kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but Deliver Us from Evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever amen you give the blessing remember that life is short and we don't always have an opportunity to bless the lives of those around us so be slow to hate quick to love always willing and ready to forgive and as you do so the blessing of God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit be upon you remain with you and those whom you love now and forever more amen amen we've been surrounded by lovely flowers which bloom in in in the countryside here as well uh and so many different colors colors of the rainbow which speaks of God's promise to Creation but above us left over from Pentecost are these lovely origami birds in the air here tell us the story of how these were made so um there were a set of them which were made um originally for a congregation which I served in Tulsa Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Tulsa and so those origami birds are are like 17 years old and you can see if you look at them closely um the color um isn't quite as vibrant as as it as they were um 17 years ago and so I I put a call out last year um on Pentecost I said we need to to have some new origami um birds made and one of our young parishioners um Mason narvas said you know I think can make some of those um origami um Birds I'm like are you kidding me um I said you know it will take hours upon hours upon hours and his parents um you know um said I I think he's up to the challenge um and I said okay you have a year um to make um a set of of origami birds and so I didn't hear anything until a week before Pentecost and lo and behold after the service there was a box with these new origami birds and I said oh my goodness um this is absolutely you know um spectacular and then I came up with an idea again quiet moment here at the church late one night I said if there's a way in which we can incorporate the new origami um Pentecost Firebirds with the old yeah and and I began to to place them on the floor in the Parish Hall and I saw this wonderful gradation of color yeah and then I said okay this is beautiful now the question is how are you going to take this wonderful um artistic display which is on the floor on the ground and translate that above our heads and so we had to install as you can see um lots of of of fishing line um and and so we we spent hours um you know weaving um threads the fishing fishing line through the new origami um um birds and then hanging them on the fishing line so that you basically if you look at it certainly from the back of the church it seems as though the birds are migrating and so it's it's quite stunning um and it also reminds me of of a wonderful um Hammerstein song you were saying that yeah we started the service on Sunday with uh um uh what a beautiful morning what a beautiful day but this is from where the wind comes sweeping down the plain the words I do let's have that you needn't sing it can even like let's pull that up Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plane and the waving weed it sure smells sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain Oklahoma every T night my honey lamb and I sit along and talk and watch the hawk making lazy circles in the sky we know be we belong to the land and the land we belong to is Grand and when we say y yay we're only saying you're doing fine Oklahoma Oklahoma o k l a h o m a Oklahoma yeah that's great thank you thanks for everything father it's been wonderful doing this with you together today blessing for all of us thank you absolutely bless you thank you thank [Music] you right let's see what the producer says take two you can't hear us come around don't take mics off until we're sure [Music] and these lovely Birds that's an American robin okay [Music]