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This is a page to test an article I'd like to post about Victory Life Church and Duane Sheriff Ministries. Here is the article.

Victory Life Church''

Victory Life Church is located at the corner of Larkspur Lane and University Blvd in Durant. But the ministry of this growing church reaches far beyond the four walls of the building. As of this writing, Victory Life Church is one church with eight locations, with an average weekly attendance of (blank) in all locations. Its ministry has far-reaching and eternal effects throughout both the United States, as well as countries as far away as Africa, Nigeria, England and Spain.

The leadership of Victory Life Church had a vision, many years ago, of a ministry that was a hub, with many individual spokes reaching out to the outlining community around it. The pastor, Duane Sheriff, has led the church since February of 1987, being surrounded with an eldership that is both unique and distinctive in their integrity and commitment to God and to one another. The core leadership has been together from the beginning, and as the church has grown, so their vision for what God can do in rural America has grown.

Currently, Victory Life Church in Durant has approximately 2500 people attending three Sunday morning services – at 8:00 a.m. (express service, with just the sermon), and also services at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. (with praise and worship, nursery and children’s church during these services). They also have a midweek service on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Their youth group has services in the youth sanctuary on Thursday evenings at 7:00, as well.

Zoe Life Outreach – Free Teaching CD Ministry One of the main outreach ministries of Victory Life Church is the free CD ministry. To date, over ten million messages have been freely given away. Early in his ministry, the Lord spoke to Bro. Duane to give away his messages. The verse in Matt. 10:8 that says, “… freely ye have received, freely give” was the direction given by the Lord, and it has continued to be the direction this ministry has taken.

When the messages were first given away, they were duplicated onto cassette tapes, four at a time, with the labels being hand-typed on a manual typewriter, and taken to a local post office. As the years have gone by, and technology has developed, the messages are now mostly duplicated onto CD format, with laser printers printing the labels directly onto the CDs. And now the post office comes to the church to pick up the mail.

Over 130,000 CDs, cassette tapes and DVDs are mailed out monthly – not only to Oklahoma and the surrounding states, but literally all over the world. The vision of the CD ministry is to reach the world, one cassette, one CD, one message at a time.

In keeping with that vision, the website at dsheriff.org was created. On this website is a full listing of all messages available from our catalog. There is also a podcast, as well as downloadable messages in MP3 format – all offered free of charge. The services in Durant are broadcast live online on Sundays at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m., and Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.– just go to the website and click on “Watch Live.”

Television Ministry The television ministry was started in 1987 with one borrowed camera and a vision to reach out to Durant, as well as the whole area, with God’s Word. Now, through charitable donations, as well as diligent and skilled media personnel, the Victory Life Network is available 24/7 on Cable Channel 12 in Durant, as well as other surrounding areas who receive Communicomm Cable service. Sunday morning services and Thursday evening services are also broadcast live on this channel, as well as other special events throughout the year, such as our annual Jubilee services.

Hands of Hope/Victory Life Food/Clothing Bank There is a Scripture that talks about ministering “unto the least of these” and it equates that with ministering to Jesus Himself. That is the heart behind Victory Life Food Bank. The Food Bank opened in August of 1988, with just two rooms in a doublewide trailer. That first year, they fed 490 families and 1,810 individuals. This August, they will celebrate twenty years of ministering to Durant and Bryan County. In 2007, they fed over 20,000 families and over 60,000 individuals. All of those individuals received, not only staple items, but also prayer. Volunteers pray with all those who receive from the Food Bank, and often, there are reports back of answers to those very prayers prayed.

The Food Bank has grown into Hands of Hope, which includes the Food Bank, as well as the Clothing Bank. They offer five basic computer classes to the community two evenings a weeks and three days a week. They also offer Spanish classes, English as a second language (ESL) classes, literacy classes, all free of charge, as well as many other services to the public.

The goal and mission of Hands of Hope Outreach is to help people help themselves, giving hope to the hopeless and extending a hand, which is God’s hand helping people through the 48 volunteers who give of their time and talents weekly.

Victory Life Academy Victory Life Academy was founded in 1987, and held its first classes in a small metal building annex behind the church parsonage. There were nine students and two teachers in grades ranging from preschool to first grade. Their goal and desire was, and still is, to provide an affordable Christian education in an environment conducive to learning and achieving academic excellence. This year, enrollment has grown to over 270 students in classes ranging from K-5 through 12th grade. Each year since 1993, VLA has had a high school graduating class. Many graduates have gone on to graduate from various colleges and universities around the country.

Every subject, whether scientific, historical, mathematical, literary or artistic, is taught with the consciousness that Jesus Christ is to be central in all living and learning. Victory Life Academy's program of education is geared to meet not only the intellectual needs of the students, but also their spiritual, physical, and social needs (Luke 2:52)

Victory Life Academy maintains yearly membership in Oral Roberts University Education Foundation (ORUEF). Faculty and staff attend the yearly conference for professional development. VLA is also fully accredited by the International Christian Accrediting Association, under the Oklahoma Private Schools Accreditation Commission. For more information, visit their website.

Victory Life Child Development Center The Victory Life Child Development Center started as a part of Victory Life Academy. The Development Center started with children ranging in age from 2-5 years old. In 1990, it began to grow and soon outgrew the classroom it was meeting in, and there was a definite need for more space to house all the children. Currently, the Child Development Center serve children birth through 12 years of age, and are licensed to care for 215 children. They provide jobs for 40 people, and are have a state ranking of two star. The goal of the Child Development Center is to provide a superior Christian environment for children to thrive and grow, while providing a service of quality daycare for Durant and the surrounding areas.

Jubilee Victory Life Church holds their annual Jubilee the last full week of July every year. The original purpose of Jubilee was for us, as a church, to pause, set down the ministry for a whole week, and come together to do three things: first, to thank Him for all He has done in our midst in the past year; secondly, to take every area of ministry before the Lord and seek Him about the dreams, goals and direction for that particular ministry; and thirdly, to seek guidance and wisdom from the Lord for the coming year. This has evolved into a celebration that is attended by people from all over the United States, and not just the surrounding areas. Jubilee goes from Sunday night through Friday night, and we have two evening services every night. We have five different speakers for the week, with Bro. Duane Sheriff speaking on Friday night.

29:11 Children’s Ministry There are three different branches of the Children’s Ministry in Durant – the Nursery (six weeks to 24 months), the Tiny Tots (2 years to Kindergarten) and 29:11 Children’s Ministry (1st through 6th grades). The vision for ministering to all these children is to make a difference in the life of these children who attend by sowing the Word of God into their hearts in a safe, loving and fun environment.

The goal of the Children’s Ministry is not only to meet the child's physical and emotional needs but also to minister to their spirit. This is done by instilling in them the concept of Who Jesus is and by making them aware of who they are in Jesus, while preparing them for the battles they will face, even at their young age. The workers strive to instill in the children how mighty and powerful our God is and that He loves them more than they can ever imagine. They have a purpose, and were born with a destiny. They are overcomers, and in Him, by Him and through Him, they can do all things through Christ.

Revolution Youth Ministry The Revolution Youth Ministry meets weekly in all locations; their weekly service in Durant is on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the youth sanctuary. They average around 90-100 young people every week. If you happen to drive down Larkspur Lane on a Thursday evening, you most likely will hear, or rather, “feel” the music coming from the youth sanctuary. This ministry is an active one, sponsoring several special conferences throughout the year for teens. Some are focused on girls (Her Virtue), others on guys (Men of Valor). Still others are focused on teaching and encouraging teens to share their passion of serving Jesus throughout Durant and all of Bryan County.

There are also camps in the summer at Camp Victory, located on Lake Texoma. These camps last a week, and are packed full with activities during the day and powerful praise and worship and sermon that speak to today’s teens about the Bible and how it relates to them as they live their lives in today’s society.

Praise and Worship Ministry The praise and worship ministry of Victory Life Church is dedicated to passionate, relevant and effective worship of the Lord through songs, hymns and spiritual songs. The heartbeat of victorylifeworship revolves around relationships with God and with others. Everyone on the team is encouraged to build strong relationships within the team and in doing so, they find their place of significance. As team members are able to see God more clearly, they grow to love Him and others more deeply.

The goal of worship is to draw people into God’s Presence, because once they have come into His presence, they are changed, never to be the same again. The hearts of the congregants are open and prepared to receive the word from the Lord brought by the speaker in each service.

The worship team has grown and evolved over the years to the team that is serving now. Worship is a high priority at Victory Life Church. The worship team consists of a choir, as well as “front line” leaders and singers. The team is dedicated to worshiping and honoring the Father with their talents, and leading His people into His Presence through worship.

Warriors of the Word Motorcycle Ministry ''Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (Joel 2:5) ''

Warriors of the Word are dedicated, loyal, mighty men of valor, focused on spreading the Gospel to a lost and dying world. Through a common love for Jesus and motorcycles, these powerful men and women of God move mightily in an outreach that touches thousands of people in this individually-specific part of our culture. These Warriors are very active in the community with a Care Group that meets weekly; and various trips and special events are held throughout the year. All of their trips and events have a clear vision for reaching the lost within their sphere of influence.

Truckers’ Ministry The truckers’ ministry has come to be a tremendous blessing to the free CD/tape ministry over the years. There are many truckers who distribute the teaching CDs and tapes on their weekly routes, leaving boxes in truck stops, as well as trucker chapels. It is one way that God’s Word has been sown throughout the whole country. These truckers are dedicated to sharing the messages in the teachings as they travel all over the country.

Care Groups Currently, Victory Life Church has over 25 care groups that meet in homes all around the Durant area. Most meet weekly, others meet bi-weekly or monthly. Some have sit-down meals as families, some have refreshments; all share in the Word and walk out what is learned at church. They pray together, encourage each other and fellowship together over God’s Word. Care Groups are small enough for everyone to have opportunity to share their thoughts on the weekly sermon, as well as their prayer needs. Everyone can be encouraged, prayed for and “loved on.” Care Groups are for loving, sharing and caring.

Prison Ministry At Victory Life Church, there are prison ministries to both men and women.

Men’s Prison Ministry: It is the mission of the Men’s Prison Ministry to help establish mature Christian men, teach sound doctrine, and help men to live beyond their mistakes. One of their goals is that a majority of "prison ministry" should take place outside of the prison, ministering to the inmates as well as their immediate, and sometimes extended, families. Their vision is to work beyond the four walls of the prison, and to establish a re-integration program that will give former inmates a strong foothold toward becoming a success story.

The Men’s Prison Ministry currently has an outreach to Mack Alford Correctional Facility in Stringtown, Oklahoma. They are scheduled to provide services three times a month: once in the medium security unit and twice in the maximum-security unit.  Women's Prison Ministry Oklahoma is rated number one in the nation per capita for incarcerated women and fourth in the nation for incarcerated men. If you live in Oklahoma, it is possible that you have been to prison, know someone who has been to prison, or are related to someone who has been to prison. If none of those apply to you, your tax dollars help contribute to approximately $500,000 annually to house people who are incarcerated by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Hebrews 13:3 says, "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them." Victory Life began ministering at the Mabel Basset Correctional Center in McLeod, OK in 1998. Since that time, the state has purchased the facility and combined three women’s prisons into one. There are 900 to 1,200 women incarcerated at the Mabel Basset Correctional Center at any given time. They also facilitate a chapel service that is held on the first Saturday of each month from 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Victory Life Camp Camp Victory is situated on the banks of Lake Texoma near Cartwright, OK. There are brand new cabins, a lodge with cafeteria, as well as an amphitheater that overlooks the lake and makes a great atmosphere for you to receive the Word on a cool summer morning. At Camp Victory, the goal is to give young people an opportunity to be a part of something that will not only be exciting, but it could literally change their lives!

The camp has a great beach area for swimming and volleyball. There are also opportunities for boating, tubing, and jet skiing. There are basketball courts and a brand new softball field, as well as an incredible ropes course, complete with a rock wall and a zip line.

Camps are held throughout the summer for children, as well as youth. The camp is also available for ministers’ conferences, marriage seminars, and other retreats.

Brotherhood Men’s Ministry The Brotherhood Ministry at Victory Life Church is a community-based ministry, using the talents and skills of willing men, to assist the elderly, the physically impaired and the widows, who are “widows indeed.” In the last year, they have built over thirty wheelchair ramps and worked on over 30 other homes in the community, doing needed repairs, when the occupants of those homes were often unable to make the repairs themselves. The Brotherhood works closely with community agencies in Durant to help those in need.