Ark of Faith Foundation Inc.

A refuge from life's storms in Muskogee Oklahoma

A refuge: Helping people help themselves
 by learning, sharing, giving.

CALL (918) 682-8411 401 E. Broadway Muskogee OK

Donations needed for Teen Christmas Shoppe

Want to make a teenager or a tween happy this Christmas? The Ark is now gathering donations for its annual Teen Christmas Shoppe!

December 13-14-15, 2022, 10am-3pm at our interim location, 429 East Broadway.

Teens are often overlooked when it comes to gifts. Please help us make sure our local teens don’t go without this year. See our list below for ideas.

How to Donate:

Drop off gifts at The Ark during our regular open hours, Tuesday-Thursday, 10 AM – 3:30 PM

Not sure what to donate? See our list of suggestions, below.

No time to shop? Make a donation online!

The Ark now accepts donations via Paypal. Click the button below to make a secure online donation, in whatever amount you wish. You may donate via PayPal or your own credit card.




>Questions? Call us at 918-682-8411 for more information or CONTACT US via our form.

Some Ideas for Donation:

ACCESSORIES

Barrette Sets

Beanies or Berets

Clutch bags

Money clips

Name Necklaces

Nylon or mini backpacks

Round sunglasses

Scarves, Gloves, Mittens

Socks or slippers (Patterned, Phrases, Nike Elite basketball socks or Kwala Slides)

Velvet Hair Scrunchies

Woven purse/coin purse/makeup bag

 

ELECTRONICS

Alarm Clock

Bubble wrap phone cases

Cable Bites

Chargers/Charging hubs (With Character faces)

Ear buds

Headphones (Wireless)

Phone and Keys tracker Tiles (Tile Pro, Tile Style…)

PhoneSoap Phone sanitizer

PopSocket phone stands

PowerCore External Battery Power Bank

Roku HD streaming media player

Stick on phone pockets

 

ENTERTAINMENT

GAMES

Standards (Monopoly, Pictionary, Scrabble, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit)

Black Light Putty

Game of Phones Scavenger Hunt game

Geode puzzle

Kan Jam Game Set

Not Parent Approved game (PG13)

Things They Don’t Teach You in School Game

MUSIC

Guitar picks or Guitar pick punches or pick cases

Music Stands

Instrument straps

Instrument cleaning kits

Guitar strings

Woodwind reeds

Drumstick bags

READING and MOVIES

“100 books Bucket List” scratch off poster

“100 movies Bucket List” scratch off poster

“Influencer” by Brittany Hennessy ($2.99)

Magazine subscriptions (Seventeen, Girl’s Life, Boy’s Life, Teen People, Music or Video Game and Auto Magazines like “GamePro” e-magazine, “ESPN The Magazine”, “Listen”…)

Manual to Manhood (Jonathan Catherman)

Seventeen’s Ultimate Guide to College or “The Freshman Survival Guide”

Welcome to Womanhood: A Pre-Teen Survival Guide (Dr. Ciara L. Bostick)

WRITING, DRAWING and CREATING

Diaries/Journals

642 Things to Draw Journal

DIY kits (Mugs, lip gloss, letter boards, Chia pets…)

GIFT CARDS

Amazon

Best Buy

Movies

Office Depot

Staples

ROOM DECOR

Change trays

Comforters, Bed sets

Jewelry boxes

LED Lightboxes / felt letterboxes

Posters

Sheets

Throw pillows (knots, squares, bean bags, poufs, emojis)

Wall art

SPORTS / OUTDOORS

5-in-1 tool pen

Balls for tennis, football, baseball, basketball

Bike helmets, knee pads, tool kits

Bike Lights

Fishing gear

Gloves

Gym bags

Skateboards or gear

Water bottles

TOILETRIES / MAKEUP

Aftershave

Cologne (Shawn Mendes, Nautica, Joop, Hippie Chic…)

Dry Shampoos

Lotions

Makeup kits (James Charles, Urban Decay, Ulta, KylieCosmetics, Sephora)

Manicure / pedicure kits

Masks (Sheet mask packets, creams, muds)

Nail Polish kits

Shampoos and Conditioners

Shaving sets

Shower totes/carry trays

Skin care sets guys or girls

Soaps

 

 

Teen Suicide Prevention

The Ark has begun a series of community conversations on the epidemic of teen suicide.

In his book, Crisis Counseling*, on Christian handling of crisis and trauma, Dr. H. Norman Wright clears up myths about suicide. At our recent community forum, Real Stories: Teen and Pre-teen Trauma in our Community, Rev., Dr. Stephen Wiley rapped and presented how suicide affects teens in our town. Paraphrased facts from their information includes the following:

Myths About Suicide

Myth #1 Suicide and attempted suicide are in the same class of behavior.

This of course, is not true.  Those who commit suicide want to die. Except for some persons who kill themselves accidentally, those who attempt suicide usually want to live and are crying out for help.

Myth #2 Suicide affects only a specific class of people.

On the contrary, suicide affects all types of people from all walks of life.  There are, however, some important distinctions.

  1. Suicide is more common among white males than black males.  
  2. Overall, more males commit suicide than females.  For example:
  • Girls age 15 are responsible for one suicide for 64 attempts.  
  • Boys that age have one suicide for 6 attempts.  In other words, at age 15, boys are ten times more likely to commit suicide than girls.  (Wright. p.100*)

Myth #3 People who talk about suicide do not usually commit suicide.

This is false.  Eighty percent of people who have committed suicide have told someone of their intentions prior to the act.  Therefore, any threat or warning of suicide must be taken seriously.

Myth #4 Once a person is suicidal, he or she will always be suicidal.

No. After treatment, many persons are no longer a threat to themselves.

Suicide Myth #5 The tendency to commit suicide is inherited.

The potential to commit suicide is not transmitted genetically.  However, one’s family environment and examples may be influencing factors as learned behaviors.

Suicide Myth #6 Christians do not commit suicide.

This is not true. No one is immune.

*Crisis Counseling, Copyright 1993, by H. Norman Wright (ISBN 0-8307-1611-4)

  1. Norman Wright (D. Min., DD., D. Lit., MRE, MA) is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist Research Professor of Christian Education at Biola University. Also, at Biola he has taught and was former director of the Graduate Department of Marriage, Family and Child Counseling and Associate Professor of Psychology.  He served as Talbot School of Theology’s Associate Professor of Christian Education and Director of the Graduate Department of Christian Education and was in private practice for over thirty years. He has continued to write several books on Christian counseling in crisis and trauma since Crisis Counseling was first published.

Rev. Dr. Stephen Wiley is a Muskogee native, family man, jazz drummer and founder/pastor of Praise Center Family Church in Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma. He teaches full time as Assistant Vice President, Director of Christian Ministries, Assistant Professor of Religion, at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He is credited as the founder of the Holy Hip Hop Scene and his music has been recorded with and by major rap performers.  His discography includes Bible Break (Brentwood Music, 1985), Rappin for Jesus (Brentwood Music, 1986), Rap it Up (Brentwood Music, 1987), Get Real(Brentwood Music, 1989), Rhythm and Poetry (StarSong Records, 1990), and

Rhapsody (StarSong Records, 1991)

Prayer for Times of Hopelessness*

Father, as Your children, we come boldly before Your throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in this time of need.

Father, I know that Your ears are open to our prayers.   I ask You to listen to our prayers, O God, and hide not Yourself from our supplication!

We are calling upon You, our God, to rescue us, rescue our city, our families, our youth from this spirit of suicide and hopelessness.  Redeem our lives in peace and comfort in You.

Whenever suicide and hopelessness would wait to swallow us up and trample us    – we are not afraid. We have confidence and put our trust and reliance in You. By Your help, God, we will praise Your Word; on You we lean, rely, and confidently put our trust; we will not fear.

You know our every sleepless night and thought of suicide and depression.  But each tear, each heartache is answered with Your promise. We thank You now with all our heart.  Pull our souls from the brink of death and the cliff of suicide. Put us in a place of comfort and leisure with You, Dear God.

Father, we wait, hope, and EXPECT Your peace in the land of the living.

So now, Father, we cast all our cares and worries upon You, for You always think about us and are watching everything that concerns us.  We are vigilant, watching out for attacks from Satan, our great enemy. By Your grace we stand firm, trusting You, knowing You are full of kindness and grace through Christ, who gives us Your eternal glory.

*Be sure and bookmark and SHARE this page for times of need.
>Questions? Call us at 918-682-8411 for more information or CONTACT US via our form.

Donations needed for Teen Christmas Shoppe

Want to make a teenager or a tween happy this Christmas? The Ark is now gathering donations for its annual Teen Christmas Shoppe, Dec. 17, 18 and 19, 10 AM – 3 PM.

Teens are often overlooked when it comes to gifts. Please help us make sure our local teens don’t go without this year. See our list below for ideas.

How to Donate:

Drop off gifts at The Ark during our regular open hours, Tuesday-Thursday, 10 AM – 3:30 PM

Not sure what to donate? See our list of suggestions, below.

No time to shop? Make a donation online!

The Ark now accepts donations via Paypal. Click the button below to make a secure online donation, in whatever amount you wish. You may donate via PayPal or your own credit card.




>Questions? Call us at 918-682-8411 for more information or CONTACT US via our form.

Some Ideas for Donation:

ACCESSORIES

Barrette Sets

Beanies or Berets

Clutch bags

Money clips

Name Necklaces

Nylon or mini backpacks

Round sunglasses

Scarves, Gloves, Mittens

Socks or slippers (Patterned, Phrases, Nike Elite basketball socks or Kwala Slides)

Velvet Hair Scrunchies

Woven purse/coin purse/makeup bag

 

ELECTRONICS

Alarm Clock

Bubble wrap phone cases

Cable Bites

Chargers/Charging hubs (With Character faces)

Ear buds

Headphones (Wireless)

Phone and Keys tracker Tiles (Tile Pro, Tile Style…)

PhoneSoap Phone sanitizer

PopSocket phone stands

PowerCore External Battery Power Bank

Roku HD streaming media player

Stick on phone pockets

 

ENTERTAINMENT

GAMES

Standards (Monopoly, Pictionary, Scrabble, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit)

Black Light Putty

Game of Phones Scavenger Hunt game

Geode puzzle

Kan Jam Game Set

Not Parent Approved game (PG13)

Things They Don’t Teach You in School Game

MUSIC

Guitar picks or Guitar pick punches or pick cases

Music Stands

Instrument straps

Instrument cleaning kits

Guitar strings

Woodwind reeds

Drumstick bags

READING and MOVIES

“100 books Bucket List” scratch off poster

“100 movies Bucket List” scratch off poster

“Influencer” by Brittany Hennessy ($2.99)

Magazine subscriptions (Seventeen, Girl’s Life, Boy’s Life, Teen People, Music or Video Game and Auto Magazines like “GamePro” e-magazine, “ESPN The Magazine”, “Listen”…)

Manual to Manhood (Jonathan Catherman)

Seventeen’s Ultimate Guide to College or “The Freshman Survival Guide”

Welcome to Womanhood: A Pre-Teen Survival Guide (Dr. Ciara L. Bostick)

WRITING, DRAWING and CREATING

Diaries/Journals

642 Things to Draw Journal

DIY kits (Mugs, lip gloss, letter boards, Chia pets…)

GIFT CARDS

Amazon

Best Buy

Movies

Office Depot

Staples

ROOM DECOR

Change trays

Comforters, Bed sets

Jewelry boxes

LED Lightboxes / felt letterboxes

Posters

Sheets

Throw pillows (knots, squares, bean bags, poufs, emojis)

Wall art

SPORTS / OUTDOORS

5-in-1 tool pen

Balls for tennis, football, baseball, basketball

Bike helmets, knee pads, tool kits

Bike Lights

Fishing gear

Gloves

Gym bags

Skateboards or gear

Water bottles

TOILETRIES / MAKEUP

Aftershave

Cologne (Shawn Mendes, Nautica, Joop, Hippie Chic…)

Dry Shampoos

Lotions

Makeup kits (James Charles, Urban Decay, Ulta, KylieCosmetics, Sephora)

Manicure / pedicure kits

Masks (Sheet mask packets, creams, muds)

Nail Polish kits

Shampoos and Conditioners

Shaving sets

Shower totes/carry trays

Skin care sets guys or girls

Soaps

 

 

Youth Programs

Gift of Giving
Holidays. We offer special programs for youth, including opportunities to volunteer. Our Gift of Giving program provides new and gently used toys and sporting equipment to children and teens. The Ark’s program includes older kids, so every child experiences giving and receiving unconditional love. This is available not just for Christmas, but for any other day of celebrations when qualified parents cannot afford presents. Call 918-682-8411 to donate or request help.

other? what about parenting progams dv abuse etc?

Thank You for Your Generous Donations

Thanks to you who answered God’s call for Ark needs in December: Our Christmas Eve dinner was … [Read More...]

Ark Restoration Progress Report

A message from Ark Founder Sally Weiesnbach:

We continue working on the restoration of the buildings that house the Ark of Faith. There have been setbacks as we complete one project, only to have Spring storms do more and different damage. Insurance from the March 7 fire is paid only in small increments.  See our latest progress and needs.

[Read More…]

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