Back in 1999, a group of people, most of whom we’ve never met, gave enough money to purchase 35 acres of land in Edmond, OK at the corner of Covell and Penn. At that time, Brandi and I were in middle school in Winnsboro, SC, and had not even met yet. Over the next few years, more people joined the Acts 2 community of faith, and in July 2006, Acts 2 was able to build the Chapel. By this time, Brandi and I had been dating for four years and were attending Clemson and Winthrop. (I doubt that many people in Oklahoma had heard too much about little ol’ Clemson back then.)
In December of 2012, I got a promotion offer contingent on relocating, and in July 2013, without knowing a soul, we packed up our stuff and moved 1,043 miles away from home to Oklahoma. While driving home from work one day during my first week in town, I saw a sign on the side of the road that said Acts 2 UMC – 1 mile, and it pointed to the west. We decided to attend church at Acts 2 that Sunday. And it was here that we met friends that would become family over the next six years.
We grew stronger in our relationship with God and with one another. I could easily write a very long book about our time in Oklahoma, but I don’t want this to turn into too much of an autobiography. Simply put, Acts 2 UMC and One Church were our HOME from July 2013 – June 2019. Had those faithful servants not sacrificially given back in the 1990’s, our family’s faith walk would look significantly different than it does today.
When we began the 4 The Kids Campaign, we were ecstatic to be able to make a pledge toward this new facility that we believed our girls would grow up in; however, we were called back to South Carolina before the plans were finalized or any earth was turned. I’ll have to admit that I teared up a bit when writing the check to fulfill our pledge six months after we moved way, as my heart was overwhelmed with happiness knowing that this new building will become home to someone else who needs it when they get to town a few years from now.
Love in Christ,
Michael, Brandi, Kate, and Rebecca Dukes
