Conference Participates in Project Noel

Right before Thanksgiving the conference office had received information
concerning a holiday gift drive. Mr. Joe Tilton, a lay man from Carter First United Methodist Church had submitted a grant proposal for gifts for children of Oklahoma. The grant was approved and the Oklahoma Conference was overjoyed!

Due to the huge amount of gifts that were to be received the Oklahoma Conference included OIMC in the distribution. Site coordinators were selected and a planning meeting was held to discuss the distribution of the anticipated gifts.

As we enter 2008, let me give you three things you will need in order to make the best use of the unexplored possibilities that await us:

Upon seeing that gifts weren’t coming in as anticipated, two distribution dates were decided upon. The first was for those that would be having Christmas celebrations early and the second would be for those having them right at or around Christmas. We are happy to say we were able to make the first distribution, however due to the ice storms and other winter storms that spread throughout the nation, the rest of the gifts did not make it in time for Christmas. We received requests for over 15,600 gifts from 72 churches and 15 other entities. We were able to distribute over 3,600 gifts to 24 churches and the 15 entities. The entities were child care facilities, etc. that service low-income families. Thanks be to God for the Christmas that was provided these children!