News Archive

By Rev. Dr. Joseph Harris Occasionally you pick up a book—particularly a devotional book—and the contents not only speak to you, they often shout at you. Eugene Peterson’s “A Long Obedience in the ...

Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business will honor four business and community leaders during the 33rd annual Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor luncheon Oct. 31 at the Cox ...

Legislation could be voted on during 2020 General Conference Chicago, IL—The Connectional Table approved sending legislation to General Conference 2020 that will create a new structure for churches ...

Oklahoma Conference pastors are invited to attend Finance for Pastors on Sept. 9 at the Oklahoma Conference Ministry Center in Oklahoma City. The event will be held in the Woodworth Room from 9 a.m. ...

Lay and clergy members of the Oklahoma Conference were present during a rally held outside US Senator James Lankford’s office on July 3. The rally was organized by Women in Action for All, ...

Circle of Care makes it their mission to provide Christian help, healing and hope to children and families in crisis to ensure a safe, healthy and spiritual future. Three programs help them ...

New People New Places is preparing for its sixth year of awarding grants to ministries that “reach new, younger, and more diverse people to become world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ.” ...

By Courtney Blacksten Youth 2019 was the national gathering of United Methodist Youth put on by Discipleship Ministries. The quadrennial event was held in Kansas City, Missouri from July 10-13. Youth ...

Rev. William Buttram passed away on July 3. Buttram served as a pastor in Oklahoma for more than 20 years in total, leading churches such as Westville, Gore, Muskogee-Trinity, Tulsa-Aldersgate, ...

St. Yootz Day | Aug. 10 Admission $25 per person; season pass holders and children ages 2 and younger admitted free Pick up or buy tickets at table by front gate between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Parking...

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At every Oklahoma Annual Conference, newly ordained clergy receive red stoles during the ordination ceremony. This year, those stoles were made by a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM). ...

If anything at Oklahoma’s Annual Conference could symbolize the state’s United Methodist Women, it would be the cookies. Long before the second day of annual conference was scheduled to start, tables ...

Charis Character Camp drew new families in to Charis Alive. Camp was held at OKC-Church of the Servant on June 3-7. With a team of 20 members, this splash event drew more visibility in the Asian ...

Nine leaders completed the 2019 Local Pastors Licensing School, held June 14-21 on the campus of Oklahoma City University. Front row, from left: Shalon Reynolds, Jim Markley, Jess Barr, Kira Calhoun,...

Grants up to $10,000 will be available this fall from Discipleship Ministries to strengthen the leadership training, small groups, worship, stewardship and spiritual formation in ethnic local United ...

Mary Myers, the Information Technology Director for the Oklahoma Conference, was recognized for her work with an Express Employment Professionals Most Valuable Performer Award. Myers was nominated by ...

Neighborhood Services Organziation, better known as NSO, serves some of the most vulnerable populations in the Oklahoma City community. “At NSO, we provide housing and health care services to the ...

Skyline Urban Ministry Gala An Evening with Ron Hall | Aug. 9 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum VIP Meet and Greet at 5:30 p.m. Gala at 7:00 p.m. Tickets: $125. Table sponsorships ...

By Meagan Ewton With minimal discussion and a show of hands, the Oklahoma Annual Conference voted to pass two major changes to clergy and staff benefits: recalculating a retiree subsidy according to ...

The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference is one of three missionary conferences in the United States and has been established for 175 years. According to the General Commission on Archives and ...

A casual conversation with Rev. Dr. Amy Valdez Barker By Meagan Ewton Rev. Dr. Amy Valdez Barker is the executive director for the Global Mission Connections Unit at Global Ministries. She sat down ...

The first edition of “Who Is My Neighbor?: Native American Methodism in Oklahoma – a Study Guide” is now available from the OKUMC Commission on Archives and History. Free to download at ...

Oklahoma City University will expand its satellite nursing program at Duncan Regional Hospital to include the Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, starting with the fall semester in August. ...

NEWLY ORDAINED ELDERS — Front row, from left: C. Craig Clark, Jay A. Henderson, Susan E. Rice, Kristen A. Melton, Kaela E. P. Burdge. Back row, from left: Board of Ordained Ministry Vice ...

David Jones, who retired in September 2018 after 20 years of service, died on June 1. David served as a licensed local pastor at Tipton, Manitou, Lawton-New Light and Hulen. Service was held on June 6...

Worship Design Studio Worship Planning Retreat | Aug. 18-21 OKC-St. Luke’s, 222 NW 15th St., Oklahoma City Single Ticket: $350 | Team of 2-4: $550 Team of 5-8: $750 Register online at wds.events/plann...

By David Wilson The Giving of Ourselves” was the theme for the 175th session of The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, held June 6-8 at the Northeast Region Center at Preston, Oklahoma. The ...

A conversation with Dr. Earl and Bernice Mitchell Oklahoma history is alive in a serene single-story home in Stillwater. It has all the hallmarks of a well-loved home, including paintings by a ...

"This isn’t northwest Oklahoma; this is the Panhandle.” David Player was appointed the pastor at Victory Guymon after serving in southwest Oklahoma for more than a decade. When he remarked to a member...

On February 21, 2015, the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church announced the first recipients of a new kind of grant: New People New Places. A total of 24 projects received $629,665 in ...

By Meagan Ewton As severe weather continues to disrupt the Midwest, residents of Oklahoma are facing near-historic levels of flooding and preparing for the aftermath. As of May 23, the Oklahoma ...

The Oklahoma Annual Conference is thankful for the service of this year’s retiring clergy, deacons, missionaries and ministry leaders. The Service of Recognition of Retirees will take place on ...

Book by Rev. Brian Matthews Reviewed by Dr. Roberto Escamilla Books of sermons abound; some of them are undoubtedly helpful. However, this collection is indeed different. “More Than Miracles” has some...

The Board of Pension and Health Benefits has outlined its recommendations to the Oklahoma Annual Conference in a video statement on the Conference website. In addition to the video, the BPHB has also ...

A new event will help church leaders to better connect with aging members, including those who have Alzheimer’s or dementia. “Connect, Create, Contribute: the Church’s Ministry with the Aging and ...

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In response to the growing needs of children and families in crisis across Oklahoma, and in the fulfillment of the mission of providing Christian help, healing and hope, the Board of Directors of The ...

New People New Places challenges churches to see and reach more of the people in their neighborhoods and communities, and help them grow into disciples of Jesus Christ. The goal is to introduce a new ...

What began as a singular response to an act of intolerance has grown into an annual celebration of diversity and inclusion on the campus of Oklahoma City University. In 2008, the students of OCU ...

By Tabitha Beckman At the end of March, a Delegation from the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church traveled to South America to covenant with the United Methodist conferences in Bolivia ...

Rev. Dr. William Robert (Billy Bob) Chace, a retired elder, passed away on April 7 at his home in Stillwater at the age of 83. He served several churches in Oklahoma from 1960 to 1999. A service was ...

Native American Ministries Sunday | May 5 Leaders kit available online at www.umcgiving.org/resource-articles/native-american-ministries-sunday-pastor-and-leaders-kit Passing the Baton | May 18 For ...

Dear Worship Leader, Native American Ministries Sunday celebrates and supports the 157 Native American United Methodist churches that are part of the denomination. On May 5, our special offering helps...

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has changed the Saint Paul School of Theology’s academic status from “Accredited – Probation” to “Accredited.” The seminary was placed on probation in February ...

In February, the Contact reported that Oklahoma Conference apportionment data would be published beginning in April 2019. Because the first quarter ends after the April issue’s publication date, the ...

The Judicial Council will review both the Traditional Plan and the disaffiliation petition passed during the 2019 General Conference (GC2019) when they hold their next regular meeting April 23-26 in ...

Volunteers at Owasso-First hosted a Vacation Bible School Training Day on March 2. Participants learned to make stage decorations (pictured), create “moon rocks,” and use the rocks for science. ...

The Oklahoma Conference has been working on formalizing covenant partnerships in ministry and mission with FIVE conferences within our Methodist family: Bolivia, Eastern Mexico, Chile, Colombia and...