Welcome to our Church Family!

KIDS' CHURCH   Sunday 11:30 am
WORSHIP SERVICE   Sunday 11:30 am
LADIES BIBLE STUDY   Wednesday 5:30 pm
MEN'S BIBLE STUDY   Wednesday 11 am
PRAYER   Every Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 11 am - 3 pm

Here are some more pictures of our church family - we are never happy with "just a church service" that doesn't include hugs, fellowship, and food (or at least coffee :-) Jesus has given us His bond of Love that goes beyond skin color, age and level of maturity in our Christian walk. We are one in Him, the redeemed Body of Christ celebrating her Lord and Savior!

Agape Sundays     on Fall Sunshine Days :) 2018

We continue to meet in each other's houses (or yards, on these beautiful and sunny fall Sundays!) once a month, "breaking bread" together and having church like in the days when the church family was born. Our Agape Sundays have been a great opportunity to really get to know everyone and become family. We study the Word, pray and worship together, and enjoy each other's great food. Church like this was God's invention, a true blessing to His children!

Sunday School started again!       September 9, 2018

Now that summer break is over, we have started Sunday School again. Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 am (right before the church service) for a great time of studying the Word of God together. We have made it through the first two chapters of 2nd Peter, with lots of good stuff left! Also included - along with the spiritual nourishment - are coffee and donuts and garden goodies (while summer supplies last. :-).

Church Picnic at Chautauqua Park      August 2018

Tent Meetings       July 12-14, 2018

Father's Day at the Sager Ranch     June 30, 2018

The guys shot stuff and ate stuff, but not the same stuff. They obviously had a blast.

Surprise Visit

June 22, 2018

Tim and Elaine Harris stopped by on their way to the Black Hills, where the couple was planning to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. As the original founders and builders of the Oglala  RecCenter in the mid 90s, Tim & Elaine left a rich legacy in our area. Most of the kids and teens that were in the gym during their short visit might not remember them, but their commitment to this ministry and their love for the Lakota people live on. We are blessed to call them our spiritual parents and grandparents. Please pray for their health, and for many more fruitful years to come.

Tim & Elaine Harris on the way to their 50th Honeymoon :-)

New Gym Roof   June 4-7, 2018

Thanks to our friends from the John Lovelace Missions team, the Rec gym building now has a brand new steel roof. While the team labored hard and blessed us with their manpower and skills, we also want to say thank you to them and all others who donated financially towards this project. We could not have done it without friends like you! Thank you for literally putting a roof upon our heads, hopefully storm, snow and hail proof and lasting for many more years of Rec ministry to come.

Agape Sunday        May 20, 2018

Enjoying this beautiful Sun-Day :-) we had a BBQ behind the RecCenter after the regular church service was over. The prairie is all lush and green now, and there couldn't have been a nicer day to be outside together. Thank you, Jesus!

Agape Sunday       April 8, 2018

One Sunday a month, we practice an Acts 2 kind of service and have church all day. Today for our third Agape Sunday, our church family met at Leroy's trailer and enjoyed VERY close fellowship (thanks to his big heart yet rather small living room :)

Resurrection Sunday       April 1, 2018

After some fresh snow last night, the sun came out later and gave us a bright Sunday afternoon. We spent the day in fellowship with our church family, and - dressed warm enough - the Easter egg hunt was enjoyable, too.

Good Friday Service       March 30, 2018

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service      Dec 24, 2017

Baptism Service
December 17, 2017

As a result of the Christmas Celebration last Sunday, one young man, Jeremiah, decided to give his life to Jesus. He had just recently lost his mother and deeply felt the need for comfort and strength, yet his decision to turn to Jesus also came from his search for truth and forgiveness. We were blessed to hear his powerful testimony in front of our church and some of his family, and to witness his baptism. Please keep him and his young family in your prayers, and also pray for the many others in Oglala and on Pine Ridge who heard the Gospel yet have not responded to God's voice.

Christmas Celebration       December 10, 2017

It sure does not feel like Christmas when you have sunshine and high 50's... But advent is here, and it was time again for our annual Christmas Celebration at the RecCenter.
Thanks to our faithful helpers from Oglala and Denver, dinner was cooked and baked to perfection, every chair set up in the gym and church, and all the gift boxes stuffed and ready to go out. We had about 300+ in attendance.
Many thanks to all our supporters who prayed for and donated towards this event! Even while we serve food and give gifts, our focus is and has always been on sharing Christ at Christmas. This year, the service part got tweaked around a little bit, and we had specific outreaches geared towards the different age groups. We were blessed to witness some hearts touched today, and we continue to pray that many of our guests walked home with a message of Hope on their minds: Christ is our Morning Star (Revelations 22:16), the Light in the darkness, and the Hope for the hopeless. MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

Church Family Picnic       August 13, 2017

Family Boating Fun        July 18, 2017

A few braves from our Oglala church family were the first ones this week to enjoy a refreshing and fun day boating at Angostura. The friendly team from NoLimitsMinistry encouraged everyone to "step out on the water" and hang on to a giant inner tube - which would then get pulled FAST by their cool boat! At the end of the day, with everyone safely back on the shore, NoLimits leader Hans shared his faith in Christ who is our Savior and perfect "life vest" in all of life's storms. What a great day!!

"Daughters Day" at Center Lake          May 13, 2017

The weather could not have been any better, and all of us "Daughters of the King" enjoyed this beautiful day at Center Lake in the Black Hills. Our trip included devotions, barbecue / picnic, crafts, and of course plenty of time to enjoy each other's company and to soak in the peacefulness of the Paha Sapa.

24hr Worship Burn     April 21-22, 2017

Good Friday Passover Service     April 14, 2017

"Do this in remembrance of me," Jesus said when He passed out wine and bread during His last meal with His disciples. And just like then, we came together today as friends of Jesus, with Him right there with us, remembering and celebrating who He is and what He has done for us - Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service     2016

Expecting a blizzard on Christmas Day, we had our little birthday party for Jesus the night before. It was a great time of fellowship, songs and cookies by candlelight and in the Presence of the King.

Christmas Celebration       December 11, 2016

Thank you to everyone who helped & prayed for this day! Once again, we had a good crowd for church and dinner.
​Led by Terry & Kathy, the Kids' Church children did an awesome job with the musical, and Heidi's home-made meal was plentiful and delicious. While it is always hard to assess the spiritual impact of an event such as this one, we believe that the Christmas message toghether with our hugs and gifts will touch hearts and help people see the Love of Christ.

Santa's Workshop     December 10, 2016

With our big Christmas Celebration coming up, the Rec was bustling with secret activity! Kids' Church looked a lot like Santa's workshop, and Terry & Kathy spent many long days stuffing bags and filling boxes. Our Church Family also pitched in and helped write 260 personal notes to go along with the gift bags, plus we decorated the gym and sanctuary together. Mouth-watering smells drifedt out from the kitchen where Chef Heidi was preparing the festive dinner; our friends in Denver had a turkey cook-off and sent up the finished birds. In the midst of all our preparations, we did not forget that JESUS is the reason for the season, and we want to do everything to bring Glory to His name!

Women's Meeting November 12, 2016

​"Guard your heart with all diligence" (Proverbs 4:23) was the speaker's motto for this women's meeting in Spearfish. Ela took a handful of ladies from our youth / church family up there, and they
had a great day together. On the way back they did a short detour for a photo stop at beautiful Bridal Veil Falls in Spearfish Canyon.

Unity Service in Pine Ridge    October 2, 2016

This was the third Unity Service this year. Once again, different local churches from all over Pine Ridge Reservation came together as One Body of Christ to worship, fellowship, pray, and seek God. With a Pakistani worship team and speaker from Papua New Guinea, our world-wide family ties are truly an expression of God's Love for all mankind.

Baptism Service at Angostura    August 21, 2016

While we have been doing one of these lakeside services every summer, we did not always have the opportunity to baptize a new member into the family of believers - what a blessing to do so this year! Thank you, Jesus, for touching Lewis' heart and drawing him to you. Also as you read this, please take a moment to pray for housing for Lewis and his family.

Daughters Day     April 30, 2016

Not every woman is a mother, but each of us is a daughter - with this thought in mind, we celebrated our first "Daughters Day" (instead of Mothers Day next Sunday). Make-your-own pizza and get-to-know-each-other games started the night, and  it was truly amazing to see how God's spirit began moving in the room. In devotions we shared about Ephesians 1 and how our Heavenly Father offers to adopt us as children into His royal family, giving us a brand-new identity as a princess, and we chose not to believe the enemy's lies about who we are. By the end of the day (much later than we had planned! :-) all of us God's beloved daughters went home with a big smile on our faces, and a picture to prove it! :-)

Unity Service in Kyle     April 24, 2016

This was the second reservation-wide Unity Service. With the spiritual focus on reconciliation, brothers and sisters in Christ from all the different churches and ministries were challenged to pray and to lay down strongholds so that we would be free to reconcile with God and one another. We believe that this service made a distinctive difference in the spiritual atmosphere on the reservation and within our extended church family!

Baptism Service     April 17, 2016

Resurrection Sunday Celebration      March 27, 2016

Good Friday / Passover

March 25, 2016

As in the past three years, we came together to commemorate the history of the Hebrew people and their (as well as our!) Messiah, Jesus Christ. Our Passover celebration began with a symbolic footwashing, during which we learned that Jesus might have tickled the disciples' feet. :) When we acted out the history of the very first Passover; Moses and Pharaoh almost got in a real argument! Finally we shared a not-so-traditional Passover meal and fellowship, unfortunately cut a little short by a sudden change in the weather.

"Many Members, One Body"  January 31, 2016

This was a historical day! For what we believe to be the first time ever, at least six different local churches met AS ONE to have a joint service together. From Kyle to Oglala, about 170 believers from different cultural backgrounds as well as denominations came together at the SueAnne Big Crow Center in Pine Ridge to celebrate Jesus. In worship, testimonies, and the sharing of the Word, Jesus was lifted up. We also enjoyed a good fellowship meal afterwards.
​This unity service is a wonderful fruit of faithful prayer gatherings, where local believers meet to worship and to intercede for the needs of their communities. These meetings have been going on for about 2 years now, and we are excited to watch our Creator God fresh at work!

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Christmas Celebration     December 13, 2015

So much love (and sweat) was poured into this day, the Oglala Winter Wonderland this morning simply melted away! :-) Thank you to everyone far and near who helped prepare and run this great outreach. We give glory to God for yet another record attendance of about 230 people for the church service and at least 100 more for the big Christmas celebration afterwards. Thank God that while we ran out of chairs, we still had plenty of food, gifts, and hugs.   MERRY CHRISTMAS!

OUTSIDE the Rec Center ... and INSIDE

Church Service at Angostura      August 9, 2015

Father's Day Celebration         May 21, 2015

Mother's Day       May 10, 2015

This must be a first for Mother's Day! We had about 10 inches of heavy snow over night and canceled church.

Warrior Circle Graduation     April 4

In a beautiful service that echoed the words of Paul from  2 Timothy 4:1-5, the five Warrior Circle graduates were honored and encouraged to take their call to serve Jesus out into the world. We witnessed healing prayers, testimonies of lives touched by God, and a powerful time of praise and worship. Warrior Circle is a discipleship/teaching program aimed to equip Native American men for ministry.

Good Friday      April 3, 2015

For centuries, lamb meat, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs have served Israel as a reminder of God's miraculous deliverance from their bondage in Egypt. Today, they still help us remember His Faithfulness and Saving Grace. So even though the food on our plates might not have been 100% authentic, our Good Friday Service resembled the ancient Passover Feast, and we took time to thank Jesus for His Sacrifice.

Prayer Meeting     January 25, 2015

Once again, we came together as ONE body of Christ to stand in the gap for our communities and the whole reservation on behalf of those still bound in darkness and despair. The need is great, but God's might is greater, and the prayers of the righteous avail much. GOD IS ANSWERING!!! It was a powerful, spirit-filled time of worship and intercession; even Mr Potato Head was praising with us, while Mrs Potato Head got slain in the Spirit. :-) We will not give up knocking on God's door until every prayer is answered according to His riches and glory and perfect will. God has ALWAYS come through for his children.

Christmas Celebration     December 14, 2014

THANK YOU to everyone far and near who participated in this great outreach through their prayers, fasting, and giving. We had a record attendance this year! Let these numbers glorify God who helped us all made this day happen (and survive it! :-) The church was full with 210 chairs set up for the service and many more guests standing in the hallway. Dinner was served to about 350+ people, and 320 gift bags were handed out to babies, children, teens, adults, and the elderly. This week, our children's pastors Terry & Kathy also delivered Head Start gifts and handed out an additional 118 Angel Tree gift bags.
But numbers are just one way of looking at this day. PLEASE (continue to) pray with us that there would also be spiritual growth, and that the hearts that were touched would really be receptive and open up to Jesus' passionate knocking!

Worship Burn     November 14-15, 2014

24 uninterrupted hours of worship, praise, and prayer - this outside picture does nothing to describe the atmosphere inside the RecCenter over these last two days. Various prophetic words were spoken during the burn, and many of them refer to the seeds that God has already planted in this land. While frost and snow still prevail outside, we do believe that a spiritual spring will come and set this Lakota nation ABLAZE for the Kingdom of God to bring in a rich Harvest of Souls!
Thank you, Ken Verheecke and team and worshipers from across the states, for serving us here so faithfully. Be blessed!

Church Service in Pine Ridge       September 14, 2014

We dared to do it again. As ONE church, the Body of Christ, we met together with our brothers and sisters at the Restoration Church for a Sunday morning worship service. This time, we all came together at their church building in Slim Buttes near Pine Ridge, SD. We had a great time worshiping our Jesus in song, word, fellowship, and - of course - good food. Pastor Wade even had the opportunity to baptize one young man while we all gathered around in celebration.

Church Service at Angostura      August 10, 2014

Even though nobody got baptized this time, we held our annual service at the lake (Angostura). The day was so nice, we were still there by sunset and enjoyed each other's company as well as a bbq, swimming, and playing bocce ball.

Father's Day Celebration      June 15, 2014

Worship, prayer, and teaching made the start, followed by a manly BBQ dinner and horseshoe games - a great day not just for all the fathers! Thank you, Watertown team, for helping us host our Oglala church family and friends.

High School Graduation 
Callie Gehman      May 10, 2014

Our small Church family in Oglala does not often get to celebrate a graduation, so of course we took the chance to join in the party! :-) Callie and her family have been some of the very first to attend the RecCenter church after they had moved to Pine Ridge Reservation when Callie was only six weeks old. We have watched her grow up and become a sweet and beautiful young lady who loves life and faithfully follows Jesus. It is a joy to see her step into His calling and desire to do His will. Congratulations, Callie! We love you and will miss you when you´re off to college!

Good Friday Passover Dinner      April 18, 2014

Like a Jewish family, our church family and friends gathered together for a meal and fellowship in remembrance of the Passover Feast. We shared the story of God`s redemption of Israel, and of how Jesus fulfilled the old prophecies when he became our Passover lamb. What a celebration of His Love and Faithfulness!

3 churches, 1 Body of Christ       April 13, 2014

We had a very special worship service this Sunday, when three different churches from our area met as one body to worship our Lord God and Savior, Jesus. About 60 brothers and sisters in Christ from Pine Ridge Gospel Fellowship, Restoration Church and the RecCenter church family all came together for a time of praise, prayer and sharing. We even had the privilege to witness the first baptism in the baptistry that was installed last summer.
This service is just part of the fruit of the ongoing reservation-wide fast and prayer meetings that started earlier this year. They are God`s powerful tool in bringing together the body of Christ in our area. It is such a joy to see how seeking Christ together breaks down walls between different denominations and individuals - His ministry of healing and restoration has begun! We are praying for a complete and holy transformation of this land!

Left to right: Harry Sager, Heidi Martin, Wendell & Kim Gehman, Terry & Kathy Michels, Leon & Mary with Sylvan Schwartz, Eric Sutton

Annual Church Business Meeting February 16, 2014

What might sound like a boring title, actually stands for something really cool: One Sunday every February we come together after church to look back over the last  year and reflect on what God has done in Oglala. It is amazing how much we forget, so it's good to remind ourselves how Faithful, Great & Awesome God is!!! This meeting also gives us a chance to be transparent about our finances and give God the Glory for supplying all our needs. Finally we used the chance to take a new Rec ministry team picture (sadly missing Eric's wife Ela as well as Harry's wife Robin) - and yes, here we are just outside the Rec, since it sure felt like spring had already come!

Christmas Celebration       December 8, 2013

When you look at these pictures you can see clearly what a wonderful day it was! We had about 350 people attending this birthday party for Jesus. All the little angels from Kids'  Church did an awesome job with their musical, the dinner was delicious and plentiful, and there were great gifts for everyone. However it is our continuous prayer that our guests would walk home not just with a full belly and gift bag but more importantly with a heart full of God's Love, Hope, Joy, and Glory.
Thank you so much to everyone who came and helped: our friends from Denver, Ohio, Allendale, and Oglala. Also a big thank you to all those of you near and far who contributed to this day through their gifts, finances, and in prayer!!!

Wedding Eric & Ela Sutton      October 11, 2013

Are words able to describe this day? Let the pictures speak of their love ...
Thank you, Kim, for doing such an amazing job capturing all the important moments.

Baptism Service at Angostura    August 10, 2013

After months of studying the Sermon on the Mount together, our Church Family has grown in faith and learned much about what it means to be a disciple. Now the next step - ordained by Jesus Himself in Matthew 28:19 - is to baptize! Two men from Oglala chose to commit themselves to do just that, and we all had a blessed day out by the lake together.

Father`s Day    June 16, 2013

What a privilege to call God our Father! Together with our Church Family from Oglala and friends from Watertown, we spent the morning worshiping God and studying His Word. A special prayer was offered for those men who felt the desire to draw closer to their Heavenly Father and seek His help for being fathers themselves.
For food & fellowship after church, the mission team had prepared a "real men`s meal": BBQ burgers, hot dogs, chips and baked beans. :-)

Mother`s Day        May 12, 2013

Studying the life of Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist), we celebrated not just moms but also all the other people God put into our lives to bless us. Their loving acts and kind words are seeds that can grow beautiful fruit in our own lives. The guys had prepared a delicious meal, so after church we took time to fellowship and enjoy.

Easter Celebration Service     March 31, 2013

A special day to fellowship and celebrate the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ!

Baptism Service
August 12, 2012

Following Jesus` command in Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit" we met at Angostura Resevoir to have a Baptism Service. Thirteen brothers and sisters from our Church Family were baptized today - what a great spiritual harvest of all the labor and "disciple making" in Oglala over the last years! It is only by God`s Grace that we get to be a vital part of His precious ministry among the Lakota nation.

Worship Burn
24 hrs / March 30-31, 2012

From Friday 6 pm to late Saturday night , the Ken Verheecke Band and other gifted musicians led us on into an atmosphere of worship and praise. It was so awesome to enjoy the presence of God! Worshiping with the sanctuary doors wide open, we believe our praises made a difference in the Oglala community too.

Sanctuary Dedication November 6, 2011

Building of the "old" Rec ~ Fall 1998

From the fall of 1998 to the fall of 2011, God has done an amazing, miraculous work in and through the Re*Creation & Worship Center in Oglala. On Sunday Nov 6th, we celebrated His faithfulness. We would not be where we are today without Him!
We had an awesome time celebrating and fellowshiping together with our church family as well as many old friends and guests who have been part of this ministry over the years. Kids' Church led us in worship, and most of us had a tear in their eyes when Tim Harris shared a little bit of his testimony, about how it all began...
As Thanksgiving drew near, we set this Sunday apart to just praise our wonderful Heavenly Father for His continuous blessing and support of this ministry, His unfailing Love to us and the Lakota Oyate, and His Light that came into the world so that we too can be "A Light in the darkness". Thank you, Jesus!

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