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The 2010 Annual Conference is here!
Just a few reminders. Registration begins at 1:00 Thursday, June 10. Laity session will begin at 3:30; all delegates are asked to be in attendance. The clergy session begins at 3:45. Opening worship is at 7:00 p.m. and will include service of Holy Communion. The conference choir has been asked to sing during the service. If anyone is interested in singing in the choir there will be a practice at 6:15 right after supper. The choir will also be singing on Sunday morning and we will practice Friday after supper and again Saturday after lunch.
Business sessions will begin Friday morning, June 11, at 9:00 a.m. with fellowship singing. Friday night evening worship will include the Memorial Service and the presentation of ministerial candidates. The United Methodist Women will have a reception at the conclusion of the services. Saturday evenings worship will once again be dedicated to the children. Eight children's choirs with a total of 114 children have registered to sing. Sunday morning will include Sunday school, Baptisms, Elder ordination, and reading of appointments. Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr., presiding Bishop, will be the conference preacher for all worships.
Patsy Eyachabbe, Northeast Region Children's Coordinator, has outlined a wonderful program for the children. The two bunkhouses on the west side of the grounds have been refurbished to house the children's program. The Northeast Region would like to thank all those who have donated time, equipment and supplies to this project.
The conference youth will again be having a silent auction in the youth building to raise funds for Youth Service Fund (YSF). If anyone would like to donate an item (or two) please have at the youth building Friday morning. They will also be selling root-beer floats Saturday afternoon. The Senior recognition banquet will be Saturday evening and tickets will be $5.
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1975 OIMC Choir to sing at Annual Conference
In the summer of 1975 Noah Long, as the conference youth coordinator, gathered 27 young people from the four districts of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference to go on a choir trip to the Alabama/North Florida Conference. Harry Dale Folsom was the director and the chaperones were Rosella Bosin, Virginia McGilbary, and Linda Macintosh. The choir traveled by chartered bus and spent two weeks performing Native American and Contemporary worship songs arranged by Harry Folsom. They sang at several churches, Conference and District events in Alabama and Florida. Staying at churches and school dormitories helped bring the choir together as an inspirational force during performances. Several performances ended with an out pouring of love expressed with tears and embraces by all.
Conference Superintendent David Wilson will include two songs, which were sung by the 1975 choir members, during Friday night worship of the 2010 Annual Conference to be held at Preston in June. The Choir will sing one Native Hymn and one contemporary hymn. The choir will sing in memory of Opal (Coachman) Harjo one of the choir members that recently passed away as well as Noah Long, Harry Dale Folsom and Rosella Bosin who are no longer with us. Anyone with pictures, programs or audio tapes are asked to bring them along.
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Preparations Are Being Made for 168th Annual Conference
Churches in the Northeast Region have been busy preparing to host the 2010 Annual Conference session of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. The Conference will be held June 10-13 at the Northeast Region Center northeast of Preston, Oklahoma. "Reclaim the future; Inform, Inspire, Engage" is the theme for the 168th session of the Conference with the scripture from Isaiah 43:19. Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr, presiding bishop, will be the preacher for all worship services.
The Worship Committee for Annual Conference has chosen Marcus Briggs-Cloud as the worship leader for the 2010 Annual Conference. Marcus is a Miccosukee person of the Muscogee nation, son of the Wind Clan people and grandson of the Bird Clan People. He is a member of Norman First American UMC and of the Tvlahvsee Wvkokiye Ceremonial Grounds.
Marcus is a steering committee member of the American Indian Boarding School Healing Project, one of six plaintiffs for the case Blackhorse Vs. Pro-football to terminate the Washington pro football team mascot and a board member of the US Ecumenical Association of the Third World Theologians. He also serves on the board of Cultural Survival - an NGO that seeks to promote and defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples globally. He has served as a steering committee member for the United Methodist Student Movement.
Marcus is a former instructor of Muscogee language at the University of Oklahoma and is passionate about the youth with whom he worked for two and a half years at Norman High School as a counselor. A documentary "When Its Gone, Its Gone" was filmed and produced by the Norman High School Native American Club under Marcus' leadership. The documentary examines the dying languages of Native Americans through the eyes of our Elders. The film received an award from the Institute on Native Languages from New Mexico and was recognized by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Norman Public Schools' Board of Education for its perspective on native language preservation and revitalization. Even now teachers are using the film as a teaching tool and resource.
Marcus just recently completed a graduate degree in theological studies from Harvard University.
This year Patsy Eyachabbe, the Northeast Region Children's Coordinator, is taking the children's program in a different direction. The children's program will begin Thursday and run from 9:00 am - to 9:00 pm Friday and Saturday. The theme for the children's is "Heavenly Treasure" based on Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." When the children arrive, they can go west and up the hill to their own children's buildings. The former bunk houses will be remodeled and fenced. The south building will house those age three and under and the north building will house those ages four through eleven.
The three and under group will have Bible stories, crafts, music and toys. The outside play area will be complete with a kiddie pool and tiny tot equipment. They will also view a DVD about Little Lambs that play soccer and take care of God's creation.
The four through eleven group, will have Bible stories, crafts, music, recreation and evening movies followed by a discussion. Recreation will include treasure hunts, soccer, the playground, and other activites. Thursday evening they will watch Night at the Museum, Friday night Treasure Planet and Saturday night Durango Kids.
Saturday noon to 2:00 pm all children are invited to the Children's Worker Appreciation Banquet. The banquet will include lunch, guest speaker, Cindy Harley speaking on Trends in Children's Ministry and entertainment by the Gospel Drill Team as well as door prizes.
Registration will begin at 1:00 pm on Thursday. The laity sessions will begin at 3:30 pm and the clergy session will begin 3:45 pm in the UMW building. The opening worship will begin at 7:00 pm. The Conference will conclude with the reading of the appointments on Sunday afternoon.
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Archivist to be at Annual Conference Seeks Your Assistance
Your conference archivist, Christina Wolf, will be coming to annual conference this year with albums of photographs needing identification. Be sure to stop by the archives table in the display room to see if you can identify some of the people and places depicted! If you have some great pictures or materials that documents your congregation, bring them by the table and we will make a digital copy to include in the Archives.
We will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about saving and celebrating your church's history. The OIMC conference archives are housed at Oklahoma City University in the Archives & Special Collections department of the Dulaney-Browne Library, the Archives Reading Room, located on the 5th floor, will be open this summer Mondays through Thursdays from 9 am - 2 pm (other times by appointment). Call or e-mail Christina at 405-208-5919, cwolf@okcu.edu