Jenni Carlson, Sports columnist
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon: Service with a smile
Marathon Once a foe, church now embraces race
By Jenni Carlson
Comments 
0
Published: April 19, 2009
Next Sunday, just like every Sabbath, First Church will have a service.
Thing is, it won’t have a sermon from the pulpit or an anthem from the choir. It won’t be a worship gathering at all.
During the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, a play area like this one from last year will be available this year in front of First Church in downtown Oklahoma City. Photo by Adriann Alfonzo
Multimedia
More Info
Second Wind
Since 2003, First Church has provided a unique ministry on the weekend of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. Here’s a look at what the downtown congregation does as part of Second Wind:
→The Blessing of the Shoes: At 7 p.m. Saturday, the church will offer blessings and prayers for runners.
→Survivor Tree service: The church will hold a 20-minute service at 5:20 a.m. Sunday under the Survivor Tree before the start of the marathon.
→Free pancakes: Beverages will be served starting at 5 a.m. followed by pancakes at 5:30 a.m.
→Race broadcast: Television coverage of the marathon will be shown inside the church.
→Kids’ Marathon: The church oversees the 1.2-mile event.
→Play area: An outdoor area featuring giant inflatable toys will be on the east side of the church.
→Lost and found: Misplaced children will be brought to the church until the lost and found moves to the finish line around 11 a.m.
→Course marshals: The church oversees the course marshals who help runners along the last quarter of marathon route.
→Massage tents: For the first time this year, the church will be the place where runners can get a massage.
Instead, the downtown church’s service will be to those at the
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. It will make free pancakes for runners and spectators alike. It will provide a place for folks to use the bathroom, warm up, cool down, even watch the race.
That’s not even the half of this ministry.
First Church calls it Second Wind.
"It’s more than preaching and teaching,” executive pastor
Kirk Norman said of the church’s role. "It’s hands-on where the rubber meets the road.”
And First Church is where the road begins for the marathoners.
The church sits across the street to the east of the
Oklahoma City National Memorial. With the marathon’s starting line on Robinson Avenue, thousands of runners take their first steps near First Church’s front steps.
That has given the church a unique opportunity.
But the congregation didn’t always see it that way.
Like most marathons, the Memorial Marathon is run on a Sunday. That’s the day traffic is lightest and street closures are easiest. But having the marathon on a Sunday meant something different for First Church — streets around the building would be closed and parking lots would be blocked.
When Oklahoma City’s marathon began in 2001, First Church saw only one option.
No service on Sunday.
"The doors were locked,” said
Laura Alfonzo, the church’s director of communication.
Some members were none too happy. Their church, after all, was one of the hardest hit by the bombing. Their sanctuary was nearly destroyed, windows shattered and walls shifted. It cost millions of dollars and caused lots of heartbreak.
The congregation was displaced for three years.
"We could’ve moved out of downtown,” Alfonzo said, "but we decided to stay here.
"We really have a kindred spirit with the memorial.”
So for the Memorial Marathon to cause First Church such problems, many in the congregation didn’t understand.
"I think it is absolutely wrong to hold the Memorial Marathon on Sunday,” said a letter to the editor in
The Oklahoman in May 2001. "I propose that the timing be reconsidered and changed.”
But the marathon remained on Sunday, and for two years, First Church remained closed on marathon day. It moved the worship service to Saturday but thought that was the only thing that could be done.
Then before the third marathon,
Stan Cosby hit on an idea. He was then the new senior pastor at First Church, and he proposed a pancake feed, a service to those at the marathon.
"We decided to open our doors and see what would happen,” Norman said.
That first year, First Church served 900 plates of pancakes. That’s a bunch of pancakes, but with thousands of runners and thousands more spectators, the response was relatively small.
Volunteers were practically begging people to come inside.
But they weren’t deterred. Instead of backing down, they stepped up. They partnered with the marathon committee, which provided pancake mix from
Shawnee Mills. They increased promotion.
That second year, they served 2,500 plates of pancakes.
Last year, with cold and rainy conditions, they served at least 3,000 or 4,000 plates. They lost track somewhere around the time they ran out of pancake mix and attempted to make more from scratch.
"No one was hurt ... physically,” Norman said, laughing.
The number of pancakes served isn’t the only thing that’s increased. First Church’s level of involvement has skyrocketed, too. Now, it oversees the children’s marathon, manages the marshals on the last fourth of the course and offers a children’s play area with huge inflatable games.
The church also offers a pair of services that are meaningful and powerful on marathon weekend.
Saturday evening, First Church does the Blessing of the Shoes. Runners can come and receive a blessing, be prayed for and even be anointed with oil before the race.
Then early Sunday morning, the church holds a service on the grounds of the national memorial under the Survivor Tree.
About two-thirds of the church’s active members are involved in the marathon ministry.
"It grows on you,” said
Diana Mooney, who started volunteering four years ago. "You hand someone a plate of pancakes and sausage at 5 o’clock in the morning — they really, really like you.”
She laughed.
"They’re so appreciative. They’re building
us up.”
First Church sees the smiles, the thank yous and the growth of this ministry as evidence that this is its calling. This is what it’s supposed to be doing on marathon weekend.
"When the world comes to your door and they find it dark and closed, that’s really the wrong impression, especially for the church,” Norman said. "We couldn’t idly sit by and act like it wasn’t happening. We had to be involved.”
The church that once grumbled about the marathon is now First Church of The Marathon.
Today, they will have a service.
Next Sunday, they will be of service.
Alfonzo said, "That’s really being the church.”
Leave a Comment
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).