OIMC Gala to be held at First Americans Museum
The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference Gala and Silent Auction will be held at the First Americans Museum on April 21, six months after the museum’s grand opening.
“We wanted to highlight the FAM to those in attendance,” said Rev. David Wilson, assistant to the bishop. “I think hosting our gala at the museum will be great. Many can see the beautiful facility and exhibits themselves and be proud of how the museum tells our story.”
The gala raises funds for the OIMC Permanent Endowment Fund for Pastoral Support. Since 2011, the OIMC has raised $2.8 million for the endowment which includes funds raised from the gala as well as donations from individuals, local churches and tribes.
“We raised about $80,000 at the last gala,” Wilson said. “We are fortunate that the Chickasaw Nation pays for the meal for the gala, so our revenue from those attending and the silent and live auction are clear profit for us. That is a great blessing, and they have done that since the beginning of the gala in 2011.”
The benefit’s silent auction will include sculptures, jewelry, Native inspired clothing, original works, art prints and more. Brent Greenwood, a Chickasaw and Ponca artist, will do a live paint that will be auctioned at the end of the program.
The silent auction will begin at 5:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $125, and individual tables are $1,000. Sponsorships range from $1,500 to $10,000. Tickets include access to museum exhibitions. Registration is at http://www.umc-oimc.org/2022gala. The deadline to register is April 10.
“The gala is an opportunity for OIMC to say thank you to the many across the church who support OIMC and who partner with us in ministry,” Wilson said. “It will be a fun night, and it will be great to celebrate who we are.”