Briefly
| Wanted: a banner from each church
Every church is encouraged to provide a banner for Area Night next July at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. The Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conferences will host UM delegates at the Cox convention center in Oklahoma City. On Area Night, July 20, festivities will showcase the two conferences. Planners want to display banners from all the churches. "If your church does not have a banner that says something about who you are, this is a great time to create one," said coordinator Jeannie Himes. Watch for future information about delivering your church’s banner. Contact Rev. Himes at 405-732-3035.
Smith is Distinguished Young Alumnus Boston University School of Theology selected Jeremy Smith of Oklahoma as the Distinguished Young Alumnus for 2011. Rev. Smith graduated from the seminary in 2006. He serves as associate minister of Student Ministries at Checotah-First UMC. The UM-affiliated school in Boston honored Smith primarily for his ministry in social media. His blog, HackingChristianity, has been featured by the United Methodist Reporter, United Methodist News Service, and on the denomination’s website. Smith also initiated the "Pastor’s 24" educational project, in which 72 pastors used Twitter to send more than 1,000 updates about a typical day in their ministry contexts. He was honored at the Matriculation ceremony on Sept. 21, and took part in a panel discussion on Sept. 22 titled "Three Challenges for the Next Decade." OU special day is Dec. 10 The Wesley Foundation will host "United Methodist Day at OU" on Dec. 10 in Norman. Open to all ages, the event begins at noon at the UM campus ministry center, 428 W. Lindsey St. Schedule includes lunch and attendance at the Arkansas-OU men’s basketball game. Deadline to register is noon Nov. 28. Call Pam at 405-321-6266. Cost, $18, includes lunch, T-shirt, and game ticket.
It’s that time of year when people focus on what’s inside the box—gifts given and received. But "Outside the Box," a new sermon series and multimedia bundle produced by United Methodist Communications (UMCOM), explores Advent and Christmas in another way. The four-week sermon series is available as a free download and includes content for small groups, various age levels, worship ideas, and more. The multimedia package, $25, has even more features. Find both at www.UMCOM.org/outside. A DVD with some of the resources can be borrowed from the Media Library. Contact Amelia Ballew, aballew@okumc.org, 405-530-2075. Historical Society welcomes interest Are you interested in the history of your church? The Oklahoma Conference? Do you like to study Methodist historical figures? Ever recorded an oral history? Participation in the Oklahoma United Methodist Historical Society is open to all United Methodists. New members joining before May 1, 2012, will receive a half-price coupon for a ticket to the Society’s luncheon at the 2012 Annual Conference. The Society also works to identify historical sites and is helping write a history of each church in our Conference. Join with us! Membership fee is $10. Send a check with your name, address, phone, and email address to: Christina Wolf, Archives, Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder, Oklahoma City, OK 73106.
November is the month to register your church for Project Noel. The distribution center, in Oklahoma City, will be open from Dec. 12 through Dec. 23. Sign up and find details at: Through the Oklahoma UM connection, this holiday gift system delivers items from anonymous national donors to families in need. Churches build community links as they embody Christian love at Christmas. Project Noel is sponsored by the Commission on the Small Membership Church. Mission updates
GBGM photo by Cassandra Zampini |
UMCOM resources for Advent
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Kristen Brown of Oklahoma, kneeling, is blessed during a commissioning ritual for missionaries assigned by the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). Ten missionaries were sent out from the joyful ceremony in New York, on Oct. 11. From left, surrounding Rev. Brown are Bishop Bruce R. Ough of Ohio; Thomas Kemper, GBGM general secretary; Sara Dunlap; and Sam Aguirre of Oklahoma, a GBGM director and member of OKC-St. Andrew’s UMC. Rev. Brown is assigned to service in Jerusalem.