The Contact 11-13-24

THE OKLAHOMA UNITED METHODIST

Weekly

Volume 6, Number 46 • Nov.13, 2024 • www.okumc.org

A Transformative Experience 2

Albright United Methodist Church: Supporting Hope in Re-entry to Ponca City Inmates 4

Disaster Relief: Counting Another Stellar Example of the United Methodist Connection at Work 6

E HERbs, K CLIC ts, jo even for more! and

Save the Date Employment Passages Appointments

Learning From Our Ponca Nation Brothers and Sisters 8

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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact

November 13, 2024

A Transformative Experience

T

he Dream A Church Boot Camp, hosted

by New Faith Communities on Thursday, November 7, 2024, was a transformative experience that brought A group of church leaders came together for a transformative boot camp experience centered on together over church planting and revitalization.

35 passionate attendees from various churches practical takeaways. mission-driven group to propel across the conference. Held at church initiatives forward.

Connect UMC in Oklahoma City, The day began with Rev. this full-day event was filled with Dr. Mark Foster, who invited The afternoon sessions impactful learning and meaningful participants to reflect on the critical were focused on providing connections, leaving participants question, “Who is God Calling practical tools to enhance church inspired and better equipped to You to Reach?” He set the tone operations and outreach. Rev. advance church development and by encouraging church leaders to Carlos Ramirez’s presentation, outreach. embrace innovative approaches “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” to engage their communities. challenged attendees to rethink Under the theme “One Day of Following him, Revs. Drs. Elvyn how churches can intentionally Power,” the boot camp featured a and Bessie Hamilton’s session engage with their surrounding lineup of exceptional leaders and on “Uncovering Your Ride or communities. Rev. Adam Ricks presenters who shared invaluable Die of Shalom” emphasized the explored the topic, “No Office, No strategies on church growth, significance of finding a person of Problems,” underscoring the value leadership, and community peace and the power of partnership. of evangelism and the urgency of engagement. Moderated by Rev. In her session on “Building a reaching people for Christ. Creative Adam Shahan, the sessions were Launch Team,” Rev. Heather insights from Rev. Matt Austin a blend of insightful teachings, Scherer highlighted the importance and Rev. Matt Patrick on “2 Birds, interactive discussions, and of cultivating a dedicated and 1 Stone: The Alternative Income Director of Communications: Carlos Ramirez Multimedia & Web Manager: Andrew Himes Editor of Publications: Jena Barber Communications Specialist: Tabitha Beckman 1501 NW 24th, Oklahoma City, OK 73106

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November 13, 2024

Multiple speakers offered sessions on topics like “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” by Rev. Carlos Ramirez and “Managing Stress and Self Care” by Rev. Chris Dodson.

Model” offered church leaders fresh perspectives on diversifying resources to build sustainable ministries. Additionally, Rev. Chris Dodson’s talk on “Managing Stress & Self-Care” provided essential strategies for church leaders to sustain their well-being amid the demands of ministry.

The closing session by Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase, titled “Connectionally Committed,” tied

everything together by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and collective effort in fulfilling the church’s mission.

Throughout the day, the atmosphere was one of camaraderie, inspiration, and shared learning.

Attendees left with renewed vision, actionable strategies, and a deeper commitment to growing their ministries. The Dream A Church Boot Camp was more than just a

training—it was a transformative experience that empowered leaders to dream bigger, reach further, and serve their communities more effectively.

This gathering was truly a testament to the power of collective wisdom and the movement of the Spirit among those called to build vibrant and inclusive faith communities.

Watering the Earth :

S TA R T W I T H V I S I O N A N D A P U R P O S E

CONTACT US TODAY TO PROVIDE FOR THE MINISTRIES OF YOUR CHURCH AND LASTING GOOD IN YOUR COMMUNITY

OKLAHOMA

METHODIST

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405-525-6863

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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact

November 13, 2024

Albright United Methodist Church: Supporting Hope in Re-entry to Ponca City Inmates

BY VICKI WASSON

Albright United Methodist Church, Ponca City, has long been a cornerstone of the community, dedicated to outreach, service, and faith. One example of its mission in action is its ministry to Bridgeway, a contract work release and halfway house facility operated for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC). This ministry exemplifies the church’s commitment to offering hope, support, and a second chance to those reintegrating into society after incarceration.

Bridging the Gap Bridgeway is a transitional facility for up to 120 men nearing the end of their sentences. Its primary goal is to help residents reintegrate into the community, find stable employment, and rebuild their lives. The facility offers various programs and support services to equip residents with the skills and confidence needed to succeed outside the prison walls.

Reintegration is a difficult process as inmates face stigma, isolation, and the difficult task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. This is where Albright UMC steps in, providing support and creating a bridge between the facility and the wider community.

A Multifaceted Ministry The ministry of Albright UMC to Bridgeway is multifaceted, encompassing practical support and community-building activities. Several Christmas dinners were held for the Bridgeway men early in the ministry.

One Christmas dinner was held for the families and children of these men.

Recently a dinner was held for all the men and Bridgeway employees.

Because it isn’t always known how many will come, any leftovers are shared with the facility. The church also collects T-shirts, underwear, and toiletries for the men. Every Christmas, church members provide gifts, reinforcing the message that the residents are cared for and valued.

Church members have also donated clothing and coats to ensure the men have suitable attire for all seasons.

In 2016, several members became DOC volunteers when the DOC required that the men be escorted to and from church. Some volunteers have passed out the church’s welcome message (see albrightumc.org) and personally invited inmates to church.

Over time, the ministry has grown

significantly, continuing to foster a sense of belonging and purpose among Bridgeway residents.

Practical Support In 2020, Albright UMC received a Woodworth grant for a poverty program and began looking for a project. This led to two members becoming certified facilitators for “Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’By-World” (GAGW) and later “Getting Ahead While Getting Out” (GAGO), designed for incarcerated persons. The GAGW and GAGO workshops are part of the Bridges Out of Poverty initiative and GAGO began at Bridgeway in 2021. These workshops cover 12 sessions and help the men understand that poverty is a result of a lack of 11 resources, not just finances. Participants write future goals, evaluate their personal

The most recent class of Getting Ahead graduates. Submitted photos.

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November 13, 2024

The Getting Ahead group discusses building resources for success.

resources, assess the communities they will return to, and develop 72-hour plans and re-entry plans. For their participation, the men earn credits for time off their sentences. This practical support is crucial in helping residents prepare for life after incarceration. At each session, participants are given a white card on which they write prayer requests. There have been many answers to these prayers. Although GAGO is not a faith-based program, there are many opportunities to share faith and scripture and to welcome participants to church.

Church members volunteer their time to sit in and support the sessions and provide snacks and drinks. One of the inmates expressed how important these snacks are to them, not to feed their bodies, but to feed their spirits.

The inmates know the church cares for them. At the conclusion of the GAGO workshop, a graduation dinner is held to celebrate the success of the

Church members pray over graduates.

participants. Participants receive a framed certificate of completion and a gift of God’s Promises for Your Every Need.

Community-Building Activities A sense of community is crucial for the residents of Bridgeway. Albright UMC hosts social events that allow residents to connect with members of the congregation. These events range from potluck dinners to outdoor picnics.

Such interactions foster a sense of normalcy, belonging, and acceptance, which are important for individuals who have spent time isolated from society.

There has even been one “Bridgeway” wedding, showcasing the deep and lasting impact of the church’s involvement in the lives of the men and their families. Some men have been helped with finding housing and furnishings upon their release.

The support from Albright UMC extends beyond the walls of the facility,

A participant points out the 11 resources necessary for success.

ensuring that the residents have a stable and supportive environment as they transition back into society.

Looking Ahead In a world where the challenges of reintegration can seem impossible, Albright UMC offers hope, demonstrating the impact that faith, compassion, and community can have on the lives of those seeking a second chance. Through its dedicated ministry to Bridgeway, the church changes lives and inspires others to join in the mission of love and transformation.

For more information about the Bridges programs in Ponca City, visit the website. Questions can be addressed to vicwass@gmail.com.

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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact

November 13, 2024

Disaster Relief: Counting Another Stellar Example of the United Methodist Connection at Work

BY DANA PARKER

S

aturday, we had 12 participants at the Early Response Team training at Okmulgee First.

I picked up 45 kits from Okmulgee First and 10 from McAlester First on Saturday. Durant First just dropped off 95 kits.

I’m expecting 35 kits from Yukon Good Shepherd, 15 from Hennesey FUMC’s youth group, and 20 from OCU’s Youth Service Day/Wesley Foundation.

The kits were transported Wednesday morning to our UMCOR affiliated warehouse in Columbia, Missouri. The Missouri Conference Disaster Response oversees that warehouse. They will replace the kits that were sent to the southeast part of the country after Helene/Milton.

We delivered 225 buckets to the Missouri Conference’s warehouse.

Tim Hughes helped lead Early Response Team training at Okmulgee First.

Travis Pathkiller with Pryor FUMC loads kits during a break at ERT training.

Staff at the OKUMC Conference office helped load buckets from Durant-Caddo onto the truck.

Dana and Roger Parker delivered 225 buckets to the Missouri Conference warehouse, pictured here with Lucas Endicott.

That’s the power of the connection!

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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact

November 13, 2024

Members of First UMC Durant-Caddo prepared 95 flood buckets after worship, and delivered them to the conference office to be shipped to the distribution warehouse in Missouri.

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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact

November 13, 2024

Learning From Our Ponca Nation Brothers and Sisters a vital relationship with First United Methodist Church in Ponca City that One of the greatest beauties of goes back many years. Every year they relationships between different visit with our congregation, and now congregations who worship Christ is with the Presbyterian church which is the openness to learn from one another. in ecumenical partnership with us, and Ponca City First United Methodist they share music and testimonies and Church has a yearly dinner with a sister words of great wisdom!” church, Ponca Indian United Methodist There is a logistical benefit to Church, a smaller church that resides this meeting. They come and cook just outside of town with a lovely a wonderful meal at our weekly congregation.

Wednesday Night Live event one According to pastor Leon Veazey week, usually including Indian tacos of PCFUMC, “Pastor James White, that we all love. Their members serve his lovely wife, his son, his family, the meal and then sit and enjoy it with and the beautiful people of Ponca us. Our members donate for the meal Indian United Methodist Church have and the funds go to their church. In the

BY MARLYS CERVANTES

past, there have been specific major needs for their church; other times, regular upkeep. Funds are always helpful. I will tell you, they are always appreciative, but we gain so much more from their visit than they likely do from us, especially the times when they are a larger part of the evening.

Even after almost a year between the last time the members of Ponca Indian UMC had been to FUMC, Rev. James White greeted every one of our members as they came into the fellowship hall as if he sees them every week. His joy at having fellowship easily rubs off on all who enter that evening, and he has longer

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November 13, 2024

talks with many who come in as the food is finished being prepared by his church members, young and old alike.

“We feel a connection, which is a good Methodist word, when we come to your church, a brotherhood and sisterhood,” Rev. White said. “We are always welcomed into your kitchen.

Members of Ponca Indian UMC serving Indian Tacos Making ourselves at home and more at the recent Wednesday Night Live dinner. in your home is always the comfortable feeling we have.”

Sometimes, I wonder. We are Rev. James White. of Ponca Indian On some of our best evenings deprived if we don’t hold on to the UMC, greeting everyone as they together, the members from Ponca come into the Fellowship Hall. traditions of our past. - the love of Indian UMC sing hymns in the family, the faith of our Ponca language. It is beautiful and ancestors. meaningful. Last year, they even Rev. Veazey explains it brought Rev. Dr. Louis Headman, who this way, “Indigenous peoples discussed the importance of members have a greater understanding of the tribe learning the language, of spirituality than many of us which had become spoken by only a Western European Christians few until he and other elders began because they understand teaching younger members. Several the immanence of God of the tribal members who came along and experience that reality discussed the various songs they more openly and freely than would sing, what they meant, their traditional Christianity from importance. It was wonderful to see the a European paradigm of faith. different generations of tribal members The Immanence of God is the sing together. truth that God is in everything Rev. James White and FUMC member Lynn What do we learn in spending this Hopkins visiting in creation: the tree, the time together? Besides the beauty of soil, the sky, the bird, the Annual Conference. Rev. Veazey said, the language and the wonder of how child, and everything that the Creator “Rev. White and his congregation it can feel so easy to be together when originated. This is not to be confused serve to remind us of our connection we only do so about once a year, there with pantheism, which is a belief that to God, creation, and each other in is great joy in seeing this wonderful the tree, the bird, the air, etc., is god, deeply spiritual ties. I am grateful for culture thriving in our very own but rather God, who created it all is our relationship with the Ponca Indian community. A revival of a language, a connected to it, and it to all other life United Methodist Church.” growing of a people, and a sharing with through God’s immanent presence.

Remember where you came from, us that makes our spirits sing along This was a hallmark of John Wesley’s remember what they believed in, with theirs. belief, Wesley being the founder of remember wherein lies your strength. I When I am able to enjoy someone Methodism, and it connects so well do believe the treasure we have should else’s culture and traditions, I always with the Indigenous experience of God be in our relationships and how we can think about my own. I yearn for more. in this way.” build them even stronger by sharing I think about Kiowa author N. Scott We should remember our Indigenous our cultures with others. Let’s.

Momaday, who said, “I sometimes sisters and brothers preceded us in Let’s look to one another to learn. think the contemporary white Methodism in Oklahoma, in that American is more culturally deprived the Oklahoma Indian Missionary than the Indian.”

Conference is older than the Oklahoma

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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact

November 13, 2024

Ministry in a Minute

The Duncan FUMC Women of Faith renewed the over 50 year tradition of feeding the community Chicken and Noodles on Sunday, November 10. They raised $4,000 for local feeding ministries of the UWF in the Duncan community. It was a total church effort that will serve neighbors in the coming year.

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November 13, 2024

Piedmont UMC held its annual Chili Cook-off, with firefighters judging the competition. This year, two young people were among the top award winners - one in high school, one a college student.

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November 13, 2024

Call to Action Send us photos and stories about your fun Fall events!

We’d love to share your fall festivals, haunted houses, pumpkin mazes, hot chocolate bazaars, trunk-or-treats, sugaramas, or anything else you’ve been doing in this - finally! - cooler weather! Send photos and stories to editor@okumc.org.

The Ministry Center will be closed for the following holidays: Nov. 27-28 - Thanksgiving Dec. 25-26 - Christmas

Share your event or job opportunity in the Contact.

For consideration, email your listing to editor@okumc.org.