Special events honor military veterans
Nowata UMC recently hosted a dinner in honor of the military veterans in the community. From left are some of the honorees: Wayne Fry, Everett Sears, Ed McArtor, and Chuck Price. Pastor is Jim Perkin.
Veterans honored recently at Owasso UMC are: standing, Jim Zink, Bob Hamm, Mike Michel, Mike Robinson, Jay Hendricks, Jerry Carper, Bert Abla, Dale Stockton, Dave Stein, and Charlie Kee; and seated, Vardon Goble, Dale Rice, Elgin Harris, Glen Phillips, and Taud Boatman.
Military veterans and their spouses were fed first at the cookout on Sept. 16 hosted by Wyandotte/Sycamore Chapel churches, in Bartlesville District.
They were honored guests at the picnic, one of several similar events across the district.
The idea to acknowledge veterans was introduced by District Superintendent Maurice Major. News coverage of troops returning from Iraq moved him to action.
"They come back to no jobs, divorces, families disintegrated. Some are wounded, missing limbs. They still need to be cared for. That’s where the Church needs to be," Rev. Major said.
"I wondered what I could do as a superintendent to support them."
He asked each group of United Methodist Men to honor the veterans in their community at some point during the year. Nationally, Veterans Day is Nov. 11, but Major did not specify any one date for the project.
In turn, he vowed to attend those special events if he could. At these events, he presents each veteran with a memento and shakes hands.
District UMM President Warren Neff also represents the organization at the events. He is a member of Bartlesville-East Cross UMC.
Some veterans have been given copies of "Strength for Service," a devotional book for soldiers. Its distribution is a UMM project. Cokesbury has copies available.
About 200 people participated in the outdoor celebration beside Sycamore Creek. The honorees included two World War II veterans. Virgil Crowder, also a veteran, was head chef.
Led by UMM members, Copan, Owasso, and Nowata are among other churches that have hosted events. Major said he hopes the recognition services will become a recurring tradition.
—Holly McCray
