New church invites all races to Belong

Oct. 31—Pastor Kendall Dean doesn't give many sermons at Belong Church.

"It's rare that I'm actually preaching, but often that we're studying in God's word and rediscovering what it says," Dean said.

The church seeks to share the word to all races and ethnicities, he said.

"Our primary mission is to reconcile people to God and to one another," Dean said. "Our vision is to unite the city, have real conversations about race and reconciliation."

About 40 people gather at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center to sing praise and worship music, share communion and study the Bible.

"We are Hispanic, Black, white and trying to be a multicultural space where different ethnicities here in Muskogee can find a voice that's not white centered," Dean said, adding that members of three Native tribes attend the church.

"We find, on Sundays, most ethnicities worship with people who look like them," he said. "We realized Muskogee is diverse and beautifully diverse. We're a place where where all people can come find a voice and hear a voice."

Maria Oganla said she and her family are "recurrent visitors" at Belong.

"We are very, very good friends with Kendall," Oganla said. "He's had a very big impact on our lives."

Brittnay Curley said she's grown a great connection with Dean and the church.

"They're like family," she said.

Belong Church began about two and a half years ago. Dean said members met in his house.

The Sunday services combine worship with discussion.

"We worship as far as songs, then we circle up and read texts together," he said. "At least while they're there, they have equity at the table."

Dean played guitar during the praise and worship music time Sunday. Candis McLoud sang and Tobi Oganla beat a cajon. Dean then took children to a classroom for a lesson on forgiveness.

Basketball coach Christian Smith led adult members in a study of the Exodus story of how God delivered Moses while parting the Red Sea. Members talked about ways God delivers people.

"It's not not an academic study," Dean said. "We read a text and we discover this is what it meant to those people then, and these are the practical things we take away now, so we can live a kingdom life."

Dean said men, women and children are involved in different aspects of worship, including communion, teaching, singing and preaching and prayer.

"We're very focused on making sure our youth are part of worship," he said. "They're not just there to sit, to have the same value."

Dean has been in the ministry for 15 years and worked with high school students as part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.