Church historians will gather in OKC
In late July, time-travellers of a sort will gather in Oklahoma City to explore Methodism’s past and its impact on today’s Church. The influence of Native American and Latino cultures on our faith in Oklahoma will be spotlighted on July 21-24 in The Seventh Historical Convocation of The United Methodist Church. Open to all people interested in the history of Methodism, the convocation will especially draw members of annual conferences’ history commissions, church historians, and archivists from throughout the denomination. Most programming will be at Oklahoma City University. The event opens Thursday afternoon and concludes with worship Sunday morning at OKC-St. Luke’s. Bishop Robert Hayes Jr. will preach Sunday. Theme is "United Methodism in the Land of Many Cultures: Native American and Latino History." Tours will include the Oklahoma History Center. Two churches, Hillcrest-Fuente de Vida and Salt Creek, will host evening meals and programs. Among featured speakers and topics: "The Indian Roots of Oklahoma’s Methodism," by Tash Smith of St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee; and "An Alternative Concept of Evangelism: Latina Protestants’ Participation in the Evangelistic Witness," by Paul Barton, director of Hispanic Church Studies at Seminary of the Southwest. Also presenting will be Bishop Joel Martinez, about the Latino Oral History Project, and Michelene Pesantubbe, a professor of Native American Religions at the University of Iowa. The convocation will be preceded by the annual meeting of the General Commission on Archives & History. Oklahoma Conference’s commission chairman, Jerry Gill of Stillwater, hopes Oklahomans take advantage this opportunity to learn about their history. "It is a great honor to share hosting the meeting and convocation with the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference," he said. To register, contact archivist Christina Wolf at the OCU library, 405-208-5919, cwolf@okcu.edu. Any meal reservations must be made through her by July 15. |
