View Full Version : Lots of Church folk coming to town



kevinpate
07-17-2010, 05:23 AM
http://www.newsok.com/two-faith-groups-prepare-for-national-meetings-in-oklahoma-city/article/3476787?custom_click=pod_headline_life

Bostonfan
07-17-2010, 06:24 AM
That's good news for the local economy. The nudie bars will be packed.

Easy180
07-17-2010, 07:26 AM
Bad weekend to be wearing ankle length denim dresses in bricktown

PennyQuilts
07-17-2010, 08:53 AM
I'm delighted they are coming - more money for OKC. I hope they are too busy to be doing much outreach. <vbg>

Mesta Parker
07-17-2010, 09:04 AM
Nothing like a few snide comments to welcome people to town.

Bunty
07-17-2010, 09:53 AM
Well, they and their leaders only have themselves to blame with the snide remarks, so hopefully the under-covers cops won't be patrolling the Habana Inn this weekend. Oklahoma doesn't need another embarrassing case in the news.

metro
07-17-2010, 09:58 AM
That's good news for the local economy. The nudie bars will be packed.

You Stay Classy.

PennyQuilts
07-17-2010, 11:53 AM
Nothing like a few snide comments to welcome people to town.

I was completely sincere. I don't mean it to be snarky. I didn't suggest they were going to do anything like go to bars and the like. I just don't like the outreach at my door. They are always nice but it is a distraction and on par with telemarketers when they interrupt me when I am in my own home when I am not dressed for company. I love the Christians but am not a fan of showing up at people's doors uninvited. But I wish them well and hope they have a good time.

mburlison
07-17-2010, 12:30 PM
If the only problem I have is an unannounced visit by someone trying to reach out to others (granted, sometimes it 'is' inconvenient), then I'm doing okay.

PennyQuilts
07-17-2010, 12:36 PM
If the only problem I have is an unannounced visit by someone trying to reach out to others (granted, sometimes it 'is' inconvenient), then I'm doing okay.

Who could disagree with that?

NickFiggins
07-17-2010, 01:51 PM
While any visitors are good for the economy, religious groups typically do not have a major impact on the economy. Nothing against the groups meeting its just they are less likely to eat out at restaurants and stay in more economical accommodations and usually skip shopping. Still its better than an empty convention center.

Mesta Parker
07-17-2010, 02:52 PM
PennyQuilts,

Wasn't referring to your remark. Totally agree, nobody likes the intrusion of an unsolicited visitor at the door.

kevinpate
07-17-2010, 04:37 PM
I dunno Nick. The FWB's are expecting 6-8 thousand folk, of which about 15-20% will be in-staters.
They'll be around tomorrow through wed.

I dinna grow up FWB, and maybe the FWB folks I've known over the years are simply the exception, but they've never
been light in their pocketbooks, nor unwilling to spread about the funds which their efforts blessed to them.

But even if they do seek out the lower price range, that's good news for the owners of room blocks that
are not called upon as often as the Downtown or Meridian facilities.

ljbab728
07-17-2010, 10:49 PM
While any visitors are good for the economy, religious groups typically do not have a major impact on the economy. Nothing against the groups meeting its just they are less likely to eat out at restaurants and stay in more economical accommodations and usually skip shopping. Still its better than an empty convention center.

Where would they eat then? Do they bring food with them for picnics?

Spartan
07-17-2010, 11:04 PM
I didn't think the snide comments were too inappropriate. After all, it is the Internet..

PennyQuilts
07-18-2010, 09:33 AM
Where would they eat then? Do they bring food with them for picnics?

Manna. Okay, I am just cracking wise. No offense.

JayhawkTransplant
07-18-2010, 09:42 AM
I saw many FWB buses and vans outside the Sheraton and the Renaissance. I ate at Nonna's, and on my walk back to my car on Broadway, I saw probably hundreds of brightly-colored FWB t-shirts. I think they are certainly having a good impact on our local economy :)

I was offered a few brochures. I declined.

mburlison
07-18-2010, 10:20 AM
Exactly Jayhawk, at our Church conferences, the hotels used are definitely not the dew-drop Inns and the activities planned are themselves a positive impact on the economy, not to mention the restaurants and souvenir buying going on. Not all attending will have such a great impact, but most will do their share and more. Welcome to all our visitors.

soonerguru
07-18-2010, 10:21 AM
A lot of posters on this thread are apparently overlooking the fact that the Disciples of Christ is probably the most liberal of all mainline church denominations. They're not party animals, but they don't dress like the women in Big Love either. I don't know much about Free Will Baptist but I'm guessing what they're selling doesn't involve a lot of "free will." LOL.

mburlison
07-18-2010, 10:29 AM
If I recall correctly, (I'm not Baptist), but I believe that "Free Will" simply means they are less prone to believe in any sort of pre-destined path for each of us as opposed to a path dictated by the choices we make which has it's own consequences, etc...

EBAH
07-18-2010, 11:12 AM
I'm not a huge fan of church groups, or their theology, politics, morality, etc. However, at least one of the groups mentioned in this article, the Deciples of Christ, has a reputation for being quite liberal/progressive. I wouldn't be surprised at all if DOC conference goers would patronize many of the establishments in Bricktown, and do a fair amount of shopping. I cant speak for Freewill Baptists, Im not familiar with them. But we should avoid painting all christian denominations with the same brush. There is a real diversity within the christian community, and a lot of very good people.

jbrown84
07-18-2010, 04:37 PM
Nothing against the groups meeting its just they are less likely to eat out at restaurants and stay in more economical accommodations

Official hotels are the Sheraton, Renaissance, Colcord, and Skirvin.

Architect2010
07-19-2010, 01:53 AM
I work at the IHOP down there and they grilled us tonight. They packed IHOP to the brink for a good 2-3 hours. And they were some of the most polite people I had ever served. All the ones I talked to were in the Hampton and Residence Inns. That's in addition to the Renaissance, Sheraton, Colcord, and Skirvin.

metro
07-19-2010, 09:57 AM
Yeah. Saying church people don't spend money is ignorant. My sister is at a church conference as we speak in Daytona Beach, but they left a week early to spend it at Disney World and surrounding areas, shopping, etc. Her denomination held their annual US conference in OKC a few years back and left because of the lack of shopping and entertainment/fun things to do for the kids.

BBatesokc
07-19-2010, 10:57 AM
While any visitors are good for the economy, religious groups typically do not have a major impact on the economy. Nothing against the groups meeting its just they are less likely to eat out at restaurants and stay in more economical accommodations and usually skip shopping. Still its better than an empty convention center.

I don't agree with that comment at all and I'm fairly anti-organized religion. You act like 'religious groups' are not made up of average citizens and families - like they are some foreign entity that invades cities just to have rallies. They need hotels, they need to eat and like everyone else they shop.

Debzkidz
07-19-2010, 11:10 AM
The DOC are very average people. They are quite liberal and progressive in their thinking, and many of them, myself included, drink, and have even done so at church sponsored events. And not once, has any DOC organization I have been a part of, ever gone knocking on doors. The DOC believe that it is between you and God and they do not tell you what you are supposed to believe or do.

Spartan
07-20-2010, 09:24 PM
Apparently there was a church convention going on in the Cox Center at the same time as tonight's Lady GaGa concert. I REALLY wish I could have been there for the protests and counter-protests. Would have been extremely entertaining..

jbrown84
07-20-2010, 10:30 PM
The only protesting was by Westboro Baptist Church, although I'm not sure if they showed, because I was down there all day and never saw them.


This is from the program for the Free Will Baptist convention. Glad to see MAPS 3 has already transformed our skyline!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/program.jpg

ljbab728
07-20-2010, 11:02 PM
The only protesting was by Westboro Baptist Church, although I'm not sure if they showed, because I was down there all day and never saw them.


This is from the program for the Free Will Baptist convention. Glad to see MAPS 3 has already transformed our skyline!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/program.jpg

That's amazing. We now have a twin skyline to Columbus, Ohio.

http://www.skylinepictures.com/Columbus_Ohio_col19_full.htm

Spartan
07-20-2010, 11:12 PM
Ha..that's great. As for the protesters, they were all over the news. Both sides, and some mainstream-ish Baptists had their own protest separate from Westboro, apparently.

ljbab728
07-20-2010, 11:20 PM
Ha..that's great. As for the protesters, they were all over the news. Both sides, and some mainstream-ish Baptists had their own protest separate from Westboro, apparently.

OKC is going to be the new Berkeley. Full of protesters. Who knew?

jbrown84
07-21-2010, 12:31 AM
Ha..that's great. As for the protesters, they were all over the news. Both sides, and some mainstream-ish Baptists had their own protest separate from Westboro, apparently.

I didn't see anything about protesters on News 9 or newsok.

Architect2010
07-21-2010, 02:04 AM
Actually most of those church people, well the teenagers anyways, like Lady Gaga. I'm not sure about the parents, but they seemed okay enough with letting their children go as I encountered quite a few who attended that as well. As was said, they are pretty liberal.

As mentioned, it was mainly Westboro protesting. But that's nothing new, so.

jbrown84
07-22-2010, 01:09 PM
The people here with the Baptist convention that I talked to--if they brought Gaga up, they did so in jest and not in hate or fear or disapproval.

I think the people protesting against Westboro were just random people who oppose them, rather than any particular organization.