ENID —
Denny Price Family YMCA is popular among many of the those within the Enid community but not because it’s a great place to exercise.
Executive Director Ken Rapp said Enid’s Y also is a place for spiritual as well as physical improvement.
“Of course, one thing that many people forget is that the word Christian is in our name,” he said. “The Y has a strong Christian heritage and was originally founded to promote a Christian way of life.”
He said the original Young Men’s Christian Association was first established in 1844 as a strong evangelical group with the purposes of prayer and Bible study.
“It grew larger, and fitness and social programs became a big part of what they do,” Rapp said.
It was a few years ago Enid’s Y began re-emphasizing the Christian part of its heritage.
“A few years back there was a kind of resurgence of going back to our roots,” Rapp said. “This particular Y, I believe, for many years has been very up-front and intentional about our Christian heritage and Christian influence.”
He said the Christian emphasis began in earnest following the death of the Y’s namesake, Denny Price.
“The Price family created an endowment to benefit the YMCA, and a part of that was to earmark some money toward the purpose of Christian emphasis,” Rapp said.
In 2000, Christian Emphasis Committee was formed to help promote one of the YMCA’s founding principles.
“The Christian emphasis should be the backbone of the Y, considering it’s the Young Men’s Christian Association,” said Maurice Allen, YMCA board member and member of Christian Emphasis Committee. “That should be the first and foremost thing the Y focuses on. I think the Y needs to relay to the people the Christian emphasis and then the health and fitness.”
“That committee has been very active (and) has promoted a lot of programs and activities that really point to Christian heritage,” Rapp said. “We have a small chapel, we have scripture verses that are posted and we have about four or five events sponsored by that committee that are family oriented and have a Christian element to part of that activity.”
Each year the committee supports events at Denny Price Family YMCA to promote Christian heritage. The events include a father and daughter breakfast, a father and son Bedlam dodge ball event, a family day in the Park, teen nights the first Saturday of every month and the annual Day of Prayer.
Progress 2012
Related Photos
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The Denny Price Family YMCA chapel is available daily to the Y’s members. (Staff Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)
Discussion
Christian is in its name
Enid YMCA re-emphasizing spiritual heritage
- Progress 2012
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2012 ON THE HORIZON
The News & Eagle puts out an annual progress edition. This year's 2012 On the Horizon focuses on developments now and in the future. The stories in text format are available by scrolling down this page.
Links to pdf format: Economic Development I Health and Wellness I Education I Northwest Oklahoma I Family I Faith I Agriculture and Energy I Community Service
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Community Service
Enid News & Eagle's 2012 On the Horizon edition concludes with the role of community service.
Click HERE for text version of the stories.
Click HERE for pdf version of the edition.
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Chisholm seeks consistency
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A positive interaction
Karen Vanover and A.Z. Callicoat are past volunteers of the year at their respective hospitals, Vanover at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center and Callicoat at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.
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Foster Grandparents: The solver of all problems
“It’s something to get up for in the morning." — Foster Grandparent Ella Loggins
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Hear this
Hedges is committed to improving communications skills for those in need in northwest Oklahoma.
Executive Director Carmen Ball said Hedges is the only full-service speech and hearing center in northwest Oklahoma. -
Doing their part for the community
Stephanie Ezzell is active in the community in a number of capacities, including the popular Farmers Market, on the southeast corner of Grand and Garriott.
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Sorting out the service
The curbside recycling business began after Chris Feeney of Oklahoma Employment Securities’ Material Recovery, a recycling venture, repeatedly was asked why the option wasn’t available.
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Learning the language
Volunteers at Emmanuel Baptist Church stepped up to fill that gap with free ESL instruction last January, and now they have hopes of expanding the program to better serve the community.
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Tutoring joy
Each Wednesday after school, church members pick up students — there are 23 in this year’s group — and take them to the church building for a snack, some fun and plenty of homework help.
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