Talley relishes his role of elf for Project Noel

Photos by Amelia Ballew Top, Chris Talley manages the Project Noel warehouse. Above, Paige VanMeter and Adam Brinson from Fairview-First UMC shop the warehouse as Cecelia Brooks, Langston campus minister, helps them on Dec....

2 urban congregations complete VIM mission in Bolivian village

Mary Gann of St. Stephen’s UMC, Norman, works in the trenches in Bolivia. By Amy Venable Pastor, St. Stephen’s UMC, Norman It was a place I had never visited....

Lawton District promises to build Bolivian church

ANADARKO WELCOMES BOLIVIANS—On behalf of Methodists in Cobija, a Bolivian delegation performs Oct. 29 at St. Paul’s UMC, Anadarko. They also visited...

Potato partnership boosts Restore Hope project this Thanksgiving

          For over 20 years, Restore Hope Ministries in Tulsa has provided Thanksgiving baskets for families in need during the holiday season. These baskets normally include a turkey and a variety of canned goods to provide a special Thanksgiving meal and more. Thousands of families in need have received these baskets. This year, the United Methodist-affiliated agency partnered...

School supplies delight families

2011 school supply drive: Total families helped: 934 Total children served: 2,395 By Jeff Jaynes, Director, Restore Hope Mary, our front-desk supervisor, has helped for years with the school supplies program at Restore Hope Ministries in Tulsa. On the first day of the distribution this year, "we were packed," she said. That day a line...

Lawton District partnering with Bolivians

A new partnership will be celebrated by the people of the Lawton District on Oct. 30, during a district-wide banquet at 5:30 p.m. at Duncan-First UMC. The District Council has accepted an invitation to partner with Methodists of Cobija, Bolivia, to build a facility for the "mother church" in that remote city. Even without a building of its own, this "mother church" in the Amazon jungle has planted several new churches...

A force for good--Youth Force makes first Frederick stop

A home in Frederick gets some TLC from a God Squad. Youth Force converged on heat-baked Frederick in June. And in the battle of 100-degree weather versus a mob of United Methodist teens overflowing with goodwill, it should come as no surprise that the...

SCENES FROM SCHOOL OF MISSION

Victor McCullough, above, places a lion-and-lamb figurine upon the altar in the OCU Chapel during the School of Christian Mission in mid-July. He led a study about forgiveness/reconciliation. Other studies were Haiti and "Joy to the World." At left, Cindy Hull plays a Haitian drum and Donna Roberts serves beyens, Haitian banana fritters. About 250 people, including children, attended the...

UMCOR expert visits with Piedmont tornado survivors

Fairland UMC, where worship averages 56 people, contributed 26 cleaning buckets, eight kits, and $600 to the VIM Annual Conference collection for UMCOR. "With so many floods and storms, we need to support the efforts of UMCOR," said member Jess Robinson. Richard Norman of the VIM office reports work is...

Bolivian church leader visits state

Photo by Holly McCray Eugenio Poma, a former bishop in Bolivia, left, presents a sculpture of the Last Supper to Oklahoma’s bishop, Robert Hayes Jr. The art is created from clay in Bolivia. ...

Jaynes named director of Restore Hope

The new director of Restore Hope Ministries in Tulsa is Jeffry Jaynes. Rev. Jaynes’ appointment to Extension Ministry follows his five-year pastorate at Southern Hills UMC, Tulsa. His new role is based in "a passion of my heart that was true before I even went into ministry," he said. As a teen, Jaynes became aware of "a world of need" while working in a homeless shelter. "Since that time, in...

Oklahoma hosts U.S.-Eurasian gathering

Intricate paper artistry by Tatyana Molodyk is one source of support for Saratov UMC in Russia. For a greeting-card product line, the pastor cuts up magazine pages to form scenes, such as this Nativity. Three tiny pieces shape an eye, for example. ...

St. Luke's will host Russia consultation

Pastor Daniel Starikov, with his family, brings new energy to the church in Lytkarina, Russia. The Russia Initiative seeks salary support for him. Oklahoma mission leaders are happily preparing to welcome an international audience that only gathers...

Kristen Brown will serve in Jerusalem

Kristen Brown reflects at a Jerusalem well in 2008. Presentations in Oklahoma Missionary Kristen Brown of Tahlequah is speaking to groups about her new ministry, prior to departing for service in the Holy Land. Below...

Your church supports a missionary. Now what?

Oklahoma Conference’s Mission and Service Ministry Team wants to help churches keep enthusiasm for missionary support strong all year, by sharing a year’s worth of ideas about how to inform your congregation about these special Christian servants.  January is a natural time to kick off an awareness campaign. Here are ideas from the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) ...

Is your church a mission All-Star?

The first year of the All-Star Church mission awards program is nearing its conclusion. Now is the time to review and complete your church’s efforts to qualify for this honor. Missional criteria must be met during the calendar year 2010. Award applications must be postmarked by Jan. 31. The Oklahoma Conference’s Mission and Service Ministry Team has designed this series of recognitions/awards to recognize...

Wang commissioned as new missionary

Financial gifts for Wang can be designated to Advance No. 3021191. To invite Wang to speak at your church, contact Karen Distefano, Conference Mission Secretary, 918-336-0351, kirie@aol.com.   New United Methodist missionary Fuxia Wang of Norman was commissioned Oct. 12, in Stanford, Conn., in a General Board of...

MINISTRY IN CAMBODIA

Missionaries Marilyn and Joseph Chan embodied the United Methodist connection between Oklahoma and Cambodia when they spoke in the state in August. Imprisoned during the violent Khmer Rouge regime in his country, Joseph Chan escaped to Thailand. He described raising his hand in a refugee camp to receive his first-ever Bible as he sat among other prisoners. He treasures Matthew 6:33. The couple reported the first nationwide meeting of UM...

Mission possible

Two new awards hang at the Church’s headquarters in Oklahoma City. That’s a suitable central location for mission honors that deserve wall space in the home of every Oklahoma United Methodist. You certainly have made space for mission in your hearts. Those plaques prove the point. They say thank-you from the Advance, the denomination’s ministry of second-mile, designated giving to mission projects and missionaries...

Bishop offers worldview

GLOBAL RITUAL—In Liberia, clergy wait to be ordained during the 2010 Annual Conference in their nation. They provide their own red stoles for the ceremony. A mission team of eight Oklahomans, including Bishop Hayes, served in Liberia earlier this year, and one-half of the 2009 Oklahoma...