In compliance with recommendations from Oklahoma state officials and the Center for Disease Control, many activities in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) have cancelled. From wild onion dinners to Sunday morning services, pastors have been advised to follow social distancing guidelines to keep church members healthy. However, ministry efforts to help Native children and reservation communities continues.
“While we first and foremost want to do what we can to stop the spread of the coronavirus, we also can’t forget about the most vulnerable among us,” said the Rev. David Wilson, OIMC conference superintendent. OIMC is answering a call from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe for food and toiletry items for tribal members. In addition to purchasing supplies, a small group took staple items of potatoes, beans, and bread on Saturday, March 21, from the Billy Hooton United Methodist Church’s food ministry program in Oklahoma City. The supplies were delivered to the Cheyenne and Arapaho emergency management team.
“Many Native peoples, particularly our elders, live paycheck to paycheck,” said Wilson. “They may not have the money or access to buy the basics they need for the coming weeks. We will continue to look for ways to support our community and tribes during this crisis.”
In addition to serving the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in the state, the OIMC has sent funds to support emergency needs on the Standing Rock and Yankton Sioux reservations in South Dakota. The issue for many tribes in the Dakotas is the access to food. They are located at least 60 to 90 miles from larger communities. Even if they have funds, the food and supplies are not available or sold out. This week, the Oglala Sioux President, Julian Bear Runner, declared a state of emergency because the tribe had still not received any testing kits from the federal government.
OIMC has supported the tribes over the past few months as they recover from extreme weather events including heavy flooding.
The Clinton Indian Church and Community Center (CICCC) is also preparing snack bags to deliver to church members. The children were supposed to have two days of fun with partners from the New Horizon United Methodist Church in Woodward, Oklahoma. Carol Bradley, Faith in Action Committee member from the northwest Oklahoma congregation, traveled more than an hour to Clinton to deliver food which was prepared for the cancelled event along with 25 snack bags for participants.
“Although I was disappointed, I knew I had to get these snack bags and food out to the children and youth of the ministry,” said the Rev. Donna Pewo, pastor at CICCC. She contacted the Southwest Oklahoma State University Wesley Foundation Campus ministry. Student volunteers prepared snack bags and stretched out the goods to make a total of 50 bags to distribute. The bags also included small crafts for the kids to put together at home.
“This is such a stressful time for parents and grandparents who are trying to meet the daily needs of their families,” said Pewo. “We want the children and youth to know that we care about them during this trying time.”
All Oklahoma public schools will be closed through April 6.
