Southern Methodist University will be hosting an upcoming event: Summit for Faith and Learning at McFarlin UMC in Norman OK, March 20-21, 2026. This event was previously held in Arkansas.
The Oklahoma Conference and OIMC are excited that this accessible seminary learning will be available to conferences, with special emphasis on laity participation. This event is scheduled at the end of Spring Break to make more accessible.
Cost: Register by March 9, 2026 Friday Morning Session only (9-11:55 am) $40 Friday Lunch and Learn Lecture only (12-1:30 pm) $25 Friday Afternoon Session only (1:45 pm-4:45 pm) $40 Saturday Morning Session only (9-11:55 am) $40 Saturday Lunch only (12-12:30 pm) $15 Attend the whole event for $120 (25% savings)
When registration is open – January 12, 2026, there will be a conference wide email, along with the discount codes that will be necessary to register for scholarships.
Scholarships: SMU will have scholarships available for OIMC members. Keynote: The keynote speaker for Friday’s lunch and a Saturday workshop is Terry Wildman, the chief translation of the First Nations version of the Bible.
Classes
| Friday Morning | Title |
| Wes Allen | Mark as Parable |
| Bryan Stone | Toward a Wesleyan Theology of Evangelism and Social Action |
| Kate Hanch | God as Our With-ness: Faith Through the Lens of Friendship |
| Friday Afternoon | |
| Wes Allen | Preaching and the Human Condition |
| Emily Nelms Chastain | She Preached Anyway: The 70 Years that Changed Methodist Ministry (1956-2026) |
| Marcell Silva Steuernagel | Multicultural Worship: Fresh Takes on Global Song |
| Saturday Morning | |
| Marcell Silva Steuernagel | Messiness: Community Singing and Congregational Identity in Worship |
| Terry Wildman | Creation’s Wisdom: Indigenous Perspectives on Psalms and Proverbs |
| Emily Nelms Chastain | From Pulpit to Policy: How Belief Becomes Church Practice |
Share with others and mark your calendars for this event. Please make plans to attend. Stay tuned, more information will follow.
