Briefly
December retreat for young adults On Dec. 13-14, young adults will focus on "Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus Christ" during an overnight retreat at Camp Egan. Designed for people ages 18 to 35, the event opens at 7 p.m. Friday and concludes Saturday evening. A mission opportunity and times of worship are planned in addition to three discussion sessions. Host group is the Conference’s Young Adult Council. To sign up, contact Matt Franks of Norman, council co-chairperson, justfranks@gmail.com, 405-919-8567. Cost is $25. Register by Nov. 25 and receive a special T-shirt. Year-end deadlines for churches, etc. The Conference Treasurer’s Office listed these key dates to fulfill the Church’s work during 2013: • Nov. 30 — Open enrollment ends for the Conference Health Benefits Plan • Dec. 2 through 16 — Must enter all 2014 local-church officer information into the Conference online database (Brick River). Important: include full, correct information (phone, email, postal address). This is crucial to effectively communicate between local churches, districts, and the Conference. • Dec. 13 — Deadline to submit any changes in 2014 budget proposals by Conference committees and agencies • Dec. 16 — Deadline to submit all 2014 clergy compensation forms to the district offices. Project Noel ends The Conference’s Small Membership Church Commission will not sponsor Project Noel this holiday season, due to distribution challenges. "But local churches are encouraged to continue their own ministry efforts to share the joy of Christmas, especially reaching out to families with children in these economically challenging times," said Chairperson Marsha Purtell, pastor at Mangum UMC, in mid-October. "This program has sparked some churches to engage in new ways within their communities." The commission applauded the success of the program in past years. Project Noel began in 2007 and connected Oklahoma churches with anonymous national sources that provided items for gift-giving. Ramirez writes Advent liturgy Now available is a new Advent resource that includes liturgy by Carlos Ramirez, the Conference’s coordinator of Hispanic/Latino Ministries. You can download "Four Sundays in Advent and Christmas Eve" from the General Board of Global Ministries website. The free liturgy series is designed for use in the Advent wreath lighting ritual. Rev. Ramirez wrote for the Second Sunday of Advent. He serves in the Conference Office of Mission. You can support this missionary through Advance No. 3021528. Save the date Muntz/Myers Lectureship featuring Jim Ozier Nov. 10-12, Ada-First UMC Free admission and dinner, 6 p.m. Contact: 580-332-1398, office@fumcada.org.
Tellabration Concert by storytellers Molly Lemmons, Kathryn Thurman, Sally Riffey Nov. 23, 6 p.m., OKC-Wesley UMC Admission $10 Benefit to preserve Wesley’s 1928 gothic sanctuary Mayfair Heights VBS reaches out At the beginning of the summer, OKC-Mayfair Heights church had no children or youth on Sundays. The members of the church and pastors Marvin Nelson and Jeff Mildren planned a VBS and canvassed the local neighborhood. The result: 19 children showed up, including a teenager, on Aug. 1-2. Also, help poured in from two other churches and the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation. A total of 43 volunteers prepared activities, supplies, and snacks for the "Adventures on Promise Island" program. Four children and one of their parents joined the church. "We have been rewarded from our efforts by having children show up every week (since)," said Marsha Davis, a member who serves as the church secretary. She commented that the church is in "gracious gratitude" because of this effort. —By Amelia Ballew |
