AC 2021 returns to virtual format

In August, the conference wrote to the members of the Oklahoma Annual Conference with information about our upcoming session of conference. Since then, we have closely monitored the rise in COVID cases due to the Delta variant and understand that many of you are concerned about this.

In light of the current conditions, we have made the decision to hold the Saturday, Oct. 9 business session in a virtual only format, just as we did last year.

Hybrid Schedule

The schedule for the conference will be as follows:

• 25th anniversary of the Order of Deacon and conference Memorial Service : Sept. 19, 6 p.m. at St. Luke’s UMC, OKC
• Clergy Executive Session: Oct. 8, 9 a.m., online only
• Laity Session: Friday, Oct. 8, noon, online only
• Commissioning and Ordination Worship Service: Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s UMC, OKC with a reception following for 2020 and 2021 ordinands and commissioned persons.
• Business Session: Oct. 9, 9 a.m. online only

Voting Information

All portions of the annual conference session will be live-streamed. Voting will take place via the Good News Television voting platform as we did last year.  There are some changes to the voting platform to make it easier to use. There will be two training sessions to acquaint you with the system:

• Sunday, October 3 at 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 5 at 7 p.m.

Links for these sessions can be found on our conference website at the annual conference hub.

Each member of the Annual Conference will need a personal device for voting. A desktop, laptop or mobile device will work, as long as it can connect to the internet.

Your voting number is unique to you and is issued to you as a member of the conference. If you are not able to attend and your church will be utilizing a previously elected alternate lay member, that needs to be reported to the conference office and a unique voter identification number will be assigned to that person. These numbers are not to be shared.

If you have served as an Equalization Lay Member in the past, please check with your church and/or district office prior to registering unless you have already been elected during a special  charge conference at your church.  

Voter identification numbers issued last year are not valid this year. You will receive a new number in a separate email from the annual conference closer to the event.

Links to the live streaming of the worship services, vote training, clergy executive session and business session will be sent to you closer to each date. They will also be available on the Conference web site.  

Offering

In light of our theme as well as the 100th observance of the Tulsa Race Massacre, we encourage cheerful giving to this year’s annual conference offering which will be used to benefit the ongoing work of planting new faith communities and reaching the needs of the Greenwood area of Tulsa.  A letter from Bishop Nunn’s office will arrive soon.

Registration

The registration link is open and you are invited to complete that process at your earliest convenience.  The registration link is here: Annual Conference Registration

The deadline to register is September 30.  No changes can be made after that date.

Pre-Conference Materials

The Pre-Conference Workbook will be available on the conference website with all other materials needed for this year’s session by mid-September. A notice will be sent when it is available.

Questions

Should you have questions or concerns regarding this year’s session of Annual Conference, please direct them to this email: ac2021@okumc.org.

May God continue to bless and keep you,

Rev. Dr. Joe Harris, conference secretary

Rev. Derrek Belase, agenda secretary

Mary Myers, conference registrar