A record number of Native youth participated in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference’s fall youth retreat on Oct. 19, 2019 in Oklahoma City. The day began with a devotion at Mary Lee Clark United Methodist church in Midwest City and included a trip to the Frontier City theme park.
“At the time of planning, we hoped to have a few churches join us on the day,” said Jalisa Ross, Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM) coordinator. “As the deadline approached, more and more churches joined the numbers and we were thrilled to have 135 youth, children and youth workers from across the state attend the event.”
CCYM president, Jariah Eyachabbe, greeted the crowds and led the devotions with officers: Alyssa Underwood (vice-president), Serena Tulsa (secretary), and Ramona Butler (worship leader). All the churches who reserved tickets before September 30th were provided with free tickets for their youth and coordinators.
Growing youth ministries is a priority for the CCYM, according to Ross who came on board to work with Native youth on September 15, 2019. Several events have been scheduled in 2020 to engage the youth and support them in their spiritual journey, she said.
The CCYM Winter Retreat is scheduled for January 4-5, 2020 in Oklahoma City. The youth will start at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma located at 3355 S. Purdue Street in Oklahoma City at 9:15 a.m. on Jan. 4. Following the service project, they will head to downtown Oklahoma City to enjoy ice skating at the Devon Ice Rink. All attendees will be responsible for their own skate rentals which are $13.00 plus tax.
Details about the event may be found on the OIMC Youth Facebook page or by contacting Ross at jalisaross70@outlook.com. Registration is due by Dec. 30, 2019.
