Meet Bishop Laura Merrill
FROM THE ARKANSAS CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Early Life
Bishop Merrill was born in San Antonio, Texas. Her father, Rev. J. Charles Merrill, and maternal grandfather were both Methodist pastors, and she grew up deeply affirmed by the local churches they served.
As a young adult, she was selected for the 3-year Mission Intern Program (MIP) of the General Board of Global Ministries. She served at the Centro Ecuménico de Misión Urbana-Rural de la Iglesia, in Concepción, Chile, during the final days of the Pinochet dictatorship. Her U.S. assignment was with the Desert Southwest Conference Border Ministry in Tucson, Arizona, where she continued as a National Division missionary following the MIP.
Education and Ordination
Bishop Merrill earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984 from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Following her time in Chile and Tucson, she attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University and in 1995 earned the Master of Divinity degree. She was ordained deacon in 1996 and elder in 1999 by Bishop Ray Owen in the Southwest Texas Conference.
Ordained Ministry
Merrill’s local church appointments in the Southwest Texas Conference began in 1997 and included five years as associate at First UMC Victoria, two years at Los Fresnos UMC, and six years as senior pastor of Wimberley UMC. During this time, she grew in her love of the liturgical life of the congregation.
Superintendency
In 2010, Merrill was appointed to the Cabinet and assigned as superintendent of the McAllen District, along the Texas-Mexico border. She worked to build relationships between churches and clergy in her district and those of the Rio Grande Conference (RGC), which shared many of the same communities.
She served a brief time as superintendent of the Southern District of the RGC and was instrumental in the 2015 unification of the two conferences, resulting in the new Rio Texas Conference. In 2016, Merrill was appointed to the position of Executive Director of the Mission Vitality Center for Rio Texas, following the election of Ruben Saenz to the episcopacy.
Ten months later, Bishop Robert Schnase appointed her as Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Clergy
Excellence. Finally, in July 2021, Merrill was once again appointed as district superintendent, this time of the Capital District, in Austin.
Episcopacy
At the November 2022 South Central Jurisdictional Conference, Merrill was elected to the episcopacy on the first ballot, along with Dee Williamston and David Wilson. The vote was historic, electing the first Black woman bishop in the SCJ, two women for the first time in the SCJ, and a Native American for the first time in the denomination. Bishop Merrill was assigned to serve the Arkansas Conference, beginning January 1, 2023.
Bishop Laura Merrill, who was appointed Bishop during South Central Jurisdictional Conference, speaks in Rogers, Arkansas. Photo by Todd Seifert.
Connection
Before her election, Bishop Merrill served two quadrennia on the committees that developed and implemented the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry. She also served as a member of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the Commission on General Conference. She served as a jurisdictional reserve delegate in 2008 and as first-elected clergy delegate to General Conference in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
Family
Bishop Merrill is mother to Joe Sisto, a graduate student at Boston University, and Caroline Sisto, an undergraduate at Texas State University. Merrill enjoys the theater, live music, travel, thrift shops, time
with her kids, and walks with her curious dog.
Bishop Laura Merrill presides over Holy Communion during a Native American-focused worship at Jurisdictional Conference. Photo by Todd Seifert.
South Central Jurisdiction Meets, Makes History
The sacrament of Holy Communion and powerful worship framed the three day meeting of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference July 10 to 12 in Rogers, Arkansas. The opening worship, with a Native American focus, and the closing worship both included a time to feast at the table for delegates and guests meeting at Central United Methodist Church.
All around the neighborhood were scenes of destruction from the May 26 tornados that ravaged the area, including damage to First UMC in downtown Rogers.
Episcopal Assignments
On July 3, the Interjurisdictional Episcopacy Committee announced that the South Central Jurisdiction would not have any elections for new Bishops, but would assign the six remaining Bishops to the nine areas in the jurisdiction. This decision was based on action by the General Conference in May.
Since there were no elections to be held, Rev. Amy Lippoldt, chair of the South Central Episcopal Committee, announced the assignment of Bishops to the areas during the opening business session on Thursday. They were as follows:
• Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Missionary (OIMC) – Laura Merrill
• Central Texas, North Texas
and Northwest
Texas – Ruben Saenz
• Great Plains –David Wilson
• Louisiana –Dolores “Dee” Williamston
• Missouri –Robert “Bob” Farr
• Texas and Rio Texas – Cynthia Harvey
At the time of the announcement, Lippoldt said that the New Mexico area would be covered by a bishop from another jurisdiction. On Saturday, it was announced that Carlo Rapanut of the Western Jurisdiction will provide episcopal oversight for the New Mexico annual conference.
Immediately after the announcement that Bishop Merrill would serve Oklahoma, Bishop Nunn commented on his excitement about his replacement: “Bishop Merrill loves God and people. She is a gifted preacher, offers a dynamic vision, and is a capable administrator. She forms new relationships easily and is equal to the challenges and opportunities we face today. She is the episcopal leader we need in this next chapter of our lives together.”
Creation of a new conference
Immediately following the announcement of the Episcopal
assignments, the delegates acted on a report from the Boundaries Committee of the Jurisdiction which recommended the creation of the Horizons Texas Conference, which would be a unification of the Central, North and Northwest Texas annual conferences. These conferences had all approved this merger during their spring conference sessions. Delegates unanimously approved this merger and committee chair Dr. Susan Brumbaugh said, “I just got goosebumps,” as members of the three Texas conferences greeted one another throughout the sanctuary.
Retirement Celebrations
Bishop Jimmy Nunn had announced his retirement earlier in 2024, but on July 1, Bishop Robert Schnase unexpectedly announced his retirement. Both were honored
The Cherokee Nation Choir performed at South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Rogers, Arkansas. Photo by Todd Seifert.
on Thursday during the retirement recognition service.
Bishop Nunn also preached at the closing worship service on Friday, reiterating his famous nine words for the church – Love God. Love people. Make a difference. Make disciples. To much applause, he reminded us, “God isn’t through with the United Methodist Church.”
Focused on the scriptural theme of the conference – Isaiah 55 – Nunn said, “When we go with joy, we are vessels of the healing power of God.”
LED Talks
On Thursday afternoon, ten LED (TED-style) talks were presented by leaders of the various conferences. Topics included discipleship, creation care, campus ministry, affordable housing and the history of the OIMC. One of the talks was by Oklahoma Rev. Carlos Ramirez on his work and findings regarding Hispanic and Latinx Ministry.
Quadrennial budget
SCJ delegates voted to pass the budget for the next quadrennium. The new budget of $795,000 annually represents a 30 percent decrease from the previous quadrennium. The total assumes a 100 percent payout from each annual conference.
back, at the request of the Committee on the Episcopacy, to address concerns about grants provided by the General Council on Finance and Administration for episcopal offices.
SCJ delegates approved the proposal that the six offices that currently receive grants — Arkansas, the new Horizon Texas, Great Plains, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas conferences — forward the grant amount from GCFA each year to then be divided equally among all annual conferences in the SCJ. The other conferences include Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, New Mexico, and Rio Texas.
At the current amount — $80,845 — the new amount would be $53,896, with Oklahoma and the OIMC, sharing one share of those funds since the two conferences comprise one episcopal area.
Oklahoma leaders
There were many Oklahomans who provided leadership for the conference and who were elected to Jurisdiction and General boards agencies and commissions.
Rev. Charla Gwartney and Courtney Blacksten served on the Boundaries Committee, while Kristen Harlin was on the Journal Committee.
The work of the nominations
Conference Lay Leader Sharri Hiller of Oklahoma. That group met for two days to fill all of the vacancies that would be required by the Discipline and other rules of the conference.
On Friday, the following nominations were approved related to Oklahomans:
General Conference entities:
• Rev. Dr. Sam Powers, Advisory Committee on Ecumenical Relationships and Interreligious Concerns
• Rev. Dr. James Kim, United Methodist Communications Jurisdiction Conference entities:
• Rev. Tish Malloy, Committee on Investigation
• Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase, Mission Council
• Rev. Kwan Young Kim serves as the jurisdiction’s Korean Ministry Director.
2028 Meeting
The conference concluded with an announcement that the 2028 jurisdictional conference will be hosted by the Great Plains Conference and held at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS. The dates will be set by the Council of Bishops and announced at a later
Artists use their gifts to beautify worship space
It seems churches in the OKUMC are often blessed with abundance. Sometimes that abundance is gifts or volunteers, and sometimes that abundance is talent.
Meadowcreek UMC in Collinsville is just such a blessed congregation. From painters to quilters to metal sculptors to a glass artist, Meadowcreek’s congregation is a hotbed of talented individuals putting their creative genius to work.
When Rev. Nathan Mattox arrived at Meadowcreek, he was introduced to Mary Odom, a member and hobby quilter. She loaded him up with quilts that he could take to the homebound or to hospital
visits as gifts.
Mattox also noticed that church was - well, colorless. It was a relatively new building with plain white walls and no stained glass in the windows.
He looked at Odom’s quilts, then at the walls. The quilts had a stained-glass appearance.
Then he got to work. The sanctuary
decorators hung the quilts around the sanctuary and were a beautiful blessing. Not only did the quilts add color and dimension; they also helped with acoustics.
Odom approached Mattox and offered to create a set of purpose-made banners. The two collaborated on the symbolism and inspirations they’d like to use.
Enter Randy Johnston. Johnston is a painter. One of her artworks was the inspiration for the most intricate banner, titled Psalm 23.
Johnston is also responsible for writing and creating an original VBS curriculum based on the Chronicles of Narnia.
Odom created a series of four quilted banners to bring color and beauty to the sanctuary.
“Psalm 23 is a theme at Meadowcreek,” intoned Mattox. “It was my first sermon when I came here in 2020. We worked it into our vision statement and we found some of our identity in it.”
Odom insists she was only part of a group of ladies who did the fine work, but Mattox knows she’s a true artist, working in a true artform.
“The church is a patron of artforms,” observed Mattox. “Quilting is more of a folk art, and sometimes the folks who do it might not consider themselves artists.”
Mattox and Odom also chose a cross, for obvious reasons. Of the colorful cross, Rev. Mark Whitley quipped, “The cross might be U of A, but the light it bears is LSU.” For context, Mattox hails from Arkansas, Whitley from Louisiana.
One woman in the church who is very active and loved by adults and children alike is a school superintendent named Jackie. She has a real connection to the Tree of Life, even sporting a tattoo of the tree. Mattox and Odom decided
The Bible and trefoil representing the Holy Trinity is the fourth in a series of quilted banners.
on the tree for the third banner. They intentionally hung that banner by where Jackie sits.
Of course, United Methodists are known for having unofficial assigned seats, so the banner is well placed.
The last panel is an open Bible. The two discussed whether a scripture should be included, but Mattox liked the idea of
A quilted banner illustrating Psalm 23, by quilt artist Mary Odom, a member of Meadowcreek UMC. Photos by Nathan Mattox.
The Tree of Life has symbolism for the church and special symbolism for one beloved member at Meadowcreek UMC.
allowing people’s minds to add the scripture they needed at the time.
“If you look at the blank Bible pages,”
said Mattox, “you can see the stitching is hearts. So what you find there is God’s love.”
God’s love - and Odom’s love for God - is apparent in the artistry of the creations adorning Meadowcreek UMC’s sanctuary.
Another connection
Meadowcreek UMC has a deep connection with its neighboring congregation, Owasso New UMC. In a quirky twist of fate, Mattox received a quilt pattern from his mom - a cross. He gave it to Odom, and she created a quilted piece of art and gifted it to the new church. The quilted cross hangs as a focal point behind the altar at Owasso New UMC.
“We’re looking forward to a partnership with Owasso New UMC,” said Mattox. “That sense of connection is a really good thing. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
A painting by member Randy Johnston inspired the Psalm 23 banner.
A member at Owasso New UMC makes announcments in front of the quilted cross gifted from Meadowcreek UMC.
Free haircut event at Purcell Trinity UMC
With the help of three stylists from Supercuts in Purcell, Trinity UMC was able to bless 25 students with free haircuts. Girls and boys from Pre-K to grade 12 were able to get a basic haircut for free. They were also treated to face painting and could “shop” for free toiletry items like shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash, lotions and so many more items. After receiving their haircuts, the students were beaming and ready to show their new haircuts to everyone in the room. The stylists even showed the students how to style their new hairstyles. One young lady had several inches taken off her long hair and it changed her looks tremendously. Another young lady came in for her first haircut ever. Her mother was a little reserved but loved the results. One young man had his hair cut and gelled in a faux hawk.
One mother expressed her thankfulness for the free haircuts for her children.
She said there was no way she could afford for them to get their hair cut in a salon. Team Trinity volunteers were blessed to hear the gratitude from the adults and see the incredible smiles on the students’ faces. It was such a reminder that sharing God’s love is a blessing for all concerned.
The day was such a success that Trinity UMC and Supercuts will be teaming up again in January to provide more free haircuts. Rev. Tracy Hoskins’ dream is to expand the day to include a resource fair for the families in conjunction with the free haircuts and toiletries.
Purcell Trinity UMC offered free haircuts, toiletries, and face painting, and in exchange received smiles galore. This partnership with the church and Supercuts was a great success and will be repeated. Submitted photos.
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Birds of a Feather
BY REV. TRINA BOSE NORTH
Jennifer Lark grew up in the small town of Goodwell, OK, just 10 miles southwest of Guymon. Her dad was a professor at Panhandle State University, and her family attended Panhandle Centenary United Methodist Church in Goodwell her entire life. This is the church that taught her about God’s love and what it meant to be a United Methodist. So as an adult in Oklahoma City, she made Crown Heights United Methodist Church her home.
Over the past couple of years, Panhandle Centenary UMC had to
decide whether to remain UMC or to disaffiliate. Many of the churches in the Woodward District were choosing to leave using Paragraph 2553. There was pressure from all sides to disaffiliate.
But as the congregation began to understand the issues, they wrote a letter to the bishop, saying they wanted to remain in the UMC. Member Sarah Strain Green said, “As the UMC persisted for LGBT inclusion, many churches left the UMC. We chose to stay. This tiny church in the middle of a conservative region decided that ‘the greatest of these is love.’”
Since deciding to stay UMC, PCUMC has lost some members but
found its identity. The members want their church to be a welcoming place for everyone - and since the nearest UM church to them is 62 miles away, they want to be the United Methodist presence in their area as part of the Elk City UM Hub.
Because of Jennifer Lark and her mom Sue’s visits to OKC, the people of Crown Heights UMC began to care about and support this church in Goodwell. Crown Heights UMC is a Reconciling congregation and had an affinity for what Panhandle Centenary UMC was doing. When Sue Lark made trips to OKC, I would bless the communion breads that would be used
in worship in Goodwell.
Then Crown Heights UMC’s youth group decided to drive out to Goodwell for a mission trip from July 11 to 13. They wanted to serve and show up for this sister church. These city kids got to experience small town life, like exploring a corn field at 10 p.m. The church hosted the youth group to perfection. The youth stayed in their empty parsonage, and the church cooked all their meals. The youth returned the favor by painting the exterior steps leading into the sanctuary.
On Friday evening, the youth drove to all the members’ homes to leave pink flamingos in their yards. They taped a sign to each front door saying, “Birds of a feather...we are so glad to flock together!”
By the time this mission trip ended, both churches felt the love. Crown Heights UMC and Panhandle Centenary UMC found they have much in common, including a love for each other and a mutual prayer for each church’s ministry of being God’s loving presence in the world.
Rev. Trina Bose North is the pastor at Crown Heights UMC in Oklahoma City.
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Call to Action
The Korean Ministry Plan of the General Board of Global Ministries is seeking to update information on Korean American clergy. If you are an active or retired clergy member, please click here to update your contact information.
The 2024 mentor training will take place on August 1, 2024, from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the Oklahoma Methodist Ministry Center located at 1501 N.W. 24th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106. This training is for candidacy, provisional and local pastor mentors. You can register here.
The 2024 Candidacy Summit will take place on August 2-3, 2024, at the Oklahoma Methodist Ministry Center located at 1501 N.W. 24th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106. This training is for declared candidates, certified candidates and provisional members. You can register here.
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