The fiscal year for The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference was challenging in 2021, but in the end, the conference finished the year strong, thanks to local churches and financial support from many friends and allies around the denomination.
The most recent financial statements show that forty-five local churches paid 100 percent of their apportionments which was seventy percent, according to the Rev. David Wilson, assistant to the Bishop. “This is amazing, considering the challenges local churches had to overcome through the pandemic.”
The other two pieces that really helped OIMC in 2021 was a Personal Protection Payment loan from the U.S. government and an unexpected gift from the General Council on Finance and Administration, totaling more than $184,000.
“We have participated in Giving Tuesday for the last several years to help us with our end of the year budget,” said Wilson. The campaign raised $7,000.
Wilson said that he shared that OIMC would match up to $2,500 of the
contributions. He asked four OIMC churches to help provide funds for that match and they all agreed to contribute $250.00 to that match. They include Little Washita, Boiling Springs, New Hope and the Clinton Children’s ministry. The remaining funds came from others and from the Rock the Native Vote organization. OIMC also received close to $900.00 for our Native American Children’s Fund.
Rev. Wilson also reported that three churches have already paid 100 percent of their 2022 apportionments. They include, Little Washita, Seeley Chapel and Nanih Chito. “We are so thankful for these local churches and their commitment to Christ and OIMC,” said Bishop Jimmy Nunn.
The Chickasaw Nation recently contributed $100,000 to the OIMC permanent endowment. The permanent endowment produced $46,000 in 2020 to help with the OIMC budget.
Due to the latest contribution from the Chickasaw Nation and the good returns from the stock
market during 2021, the OIMC permanent endowment has grown to a little over $2.8 million dollars. The conference has used the interest from the endowment as a part of the conference budget each year. That interest has varied from $40,000 to $50,000 a year, according to Rev. Wilson.
