a publication for the OKUMC connection
All Are Welcome ...in this house where love can dwell
August 2026 Edition | Volume 8, Number 8
Sept
1
Calendar Aug
12
Aug
17
Sept
26
Join a free, practical training on Form I-9 compliance at 1:00 p.m. This session covers everything from proper completion to common mistakes so you can handle employment eligibility verification with confidence. Register here.
Scholarships to Exploration 2026 Available!
The Board of Ordained Ministry is offering up to $500 for food and travel expenses for any adult from an Oklahoma UMC church who attends Exploration 2026. Applications are due September 1. Contact nhamilton@okumc. org to apply. Fall
2026
Join the 5th Annual Arrowhead Consulting Charity Golf Tournament at Meadowbrook Country Club in Tulsa, benefiting Circle of Care. Play as an individual or team, sponsor a hole or support the silent auction. Every dollar goes directly to the mission. Learn more.
Oct
Cookson Hills Indigenous Center is re-imagining its ministry and needs your help. Join them from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for their second Re-Tool Time – a day of volunteering to help shape the future of this beloved ministry. Lunch is provided. Register here.
Nov
10
6-8
Duke Divinity School will host four fall sessions of Study Leave for Ministry Professionals are available at this fall. Registration is open now with limited spots available. The OU Wesley Foundation is facing off against Texas Wesley in the Red River Sharedown, a friendly fundraising rivalry that culminates on October 10. Donate to support campus ministry scholarships, free community meals and student programs...and help bring home the trophy! Learn more. Know someone sensing a call to ministry? Exploration 2026, hosted by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, is a national gathering for adults discerning a call to ordained or licensed ministry. Join others on the same journey in Orlando, Florida for worship, learning and community. Learn more here.
Communications Ministry Staff Rev. Carlos Ramirez
Andrew Himes
Director of Communications & Strategy
Multimedia and Web Ministry
If you have story ideas or events, send them to editor@okumc.org.
Cover photo: Crown Heights UMC float for PrideFest 2026 in Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy of Crown Heights UMC.
The Contact, a publication of the OKUMC Connection (USPS 954-500) is published monthly by The Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church, 1501 NW 24th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73106. Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “The Contact OKUMC”, 1501 NW 24th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73106.
from the editor
“Every church has a threshold – a door. Not just the door we see, but the quieter question underneath: when someone comes toward me, does the way I’ve built my life make it harder for them to get in?” I cannot think of a better way to introduce this issue than with this quote from Devon Krause’s article. Built around the hymn All Are Welcome, this month’s Contact asks us to look honestly at the thresholds of our churches – both literal and figurative – and ask whether the welcome we proclaim matches the spaces we have built and the communities we have created. Rev. Devon Krause writes about an $85,000 ramp at First UMC Enid – a project that won’t make the news or change someone’s theology, but for the person who has been worshipping from home because the stairs were too much, it changes everything. Rev. Dylan Ward tells the story of St. Paul UMC Muskogee asking one simple question about their playground: “All children?” and discovering the answer was not yet. Rev. Trina Bose shares what it looked like when Crown Heights UMC took their message of radical welcome to the streets of Oklahoma City at PrideFest. And Carlos Ramirez takes us to
what if
OKUMC CONTACT | 1
Bristol, where John Wesley reluctantly stepped outside the walls of the church and changed the world. Ramirez asks whether we might be willing to be that vile. Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase continues his series celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Order of the Deacon in the UMC by telling us the sweet story of Marilyn Williams and her lifetime of showing up for others. The hymn says: Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone to heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known. That is not a passive invitation. It is a call to action in concrete and hinges, in playgrounds and parade floats and sometimes in the willingness to go where we might not really want to go. It is a privilege of this position to see stories of UMC members doing this every day. In the words of the hymn, let us continue to build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard and loved. Jenny Herzberger Interim Editor
It Begins With Us. Follow Us on Social
whatiflove.net @whatiflove.movement
whatiflove.movement
2 | AUGUST EDITION
First United Methodist Church in Enid, where a $85,000 accessible entrance project is currently underway. Photo courtesy of First UMC Enid.
Concrete & Hinges
By Rev. Devon Krause, Senior Pastor at First UMC Church in Enid Every church has a threshold…a door. Not just the door we see, but the quieter question underneath: when someone comes toward me, does the way I’ve built my life make it harder for them to get in?
Whether you preach on Sundays, help with audio/video, wrangle toddlers or just love your church and keep showing up, you are part of the welcome. Or you are part of the obstacle course. If we’re honest, most of us are a little bit of both any given Sunday. The humbling truth is that our buildings preach sermons we never wrote. Every church has a pew that’s technically open seating but really belongs
to the Burgandy family since 1975. A newcomer knows none of our unspoken rules, and neither does the person for whom a single step might as well be a locked gate. For us at First United Methodist Church in Enid, that locked gate has been our west entrance. It’s one of our busiest entrances, but for anyone using a wheelchair, walker or stroller, it is inaccessible. About six years ago, we began asking who we really wanted to be, and the answer came not from staff but from people using that entrance. This month, after years of praying, planning and saving, we’re finally rebuilding it as a fully accessible entrance. In Mark’s Gospel, we read about a man who is paralyzed and wants to reach Jesus, but the crowd is too thick to get through the door. His friends carry him onto the roof, dig through it and lower him down in front of Jesus. Mark 2:5
says, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” First, I love that these friends were willing to vandalize the roof to get their buddy to Jesus. Now that’s a building committee! Second and more importantly, it says it was their faith. The healing begins with friends who decide a barrier will not have the last word. In churches like ours, there are other ways in, but they aren’t easy, especially for someone coming to church without the assistance of a spouse or loved one. When the effort gets high enough, people stop making it. They don’t call or complain about it. They stop coming, and we usually have no idea why. I love the story Jesus tells us of a host who won’t settle for a half-filled table and says, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:23) A full house is the whole point. So, picture whom a doorway like this is really for. It’s for the grandmother who wants to be in worship but has to be dropped at a side door while her family enters the main one. It’s for a young dad steering a stroller into preschool for drop-off. It’s for a toddler just learning to walk. It’s for someone re-entering the community after a hard season, and a church building may be the first space they’re choosing to step into.
OKUMC CONTACT | 3
12:24-25) Concern isn’t only a feeling we hold in our heart. Sometimes it has to be poured in concrete.
As church projects go, this one is small: it’s a ramp. But, it wasn’t cheap. It was $85,000. It is funded by gifts from our church together with a $40,000 grant from the conference’s Legacy Fund. It probably won’t make the news, and it changes nobody’s doctrinal beliefs, but for the person who has been worshipping from home or skipping it altogether, it changes everything. Small hinges swing large doors. Welcome is not just a feeling at the door – it’s something structural. It’s something we build and fund. I encourage you to walk through your own building this week as if you’ve never been there before. Notice the steps or the heavy door or the parking situation. Ask the people who navigate the space – the ones with canes and walkers and strollers – what they’ve never mentioned because nobody asked them. You may find, like we did, that the most Christ-like improvement isn’t always glamorous. But, if someone enters thinking “I belong here,” it’s all worth it. So let us build and rebuild a little wider, a little gentler … a little more like the kingdom we keep praying will come.
This isn’t only about permanent disabilities. It’s about every age and stage of life – the way the human body works, imperfect and changing over time. Given enough birthdays or if I stand up too fast after a long committee meeting, I think every one of us eventually needs a gentler way in. Paul reminds us that the church is a body of many members and that “God has put the body together… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (1 Cor
The future west entrance at First UMC Enid –a fully accessible entry point for all who come. Photo courtesy of First UMC Enid.
4 | AUGUST EDITION
Blooming Boldly: Crown Heights UMC Celebrates PrideFest in OKC Rev. Trina Bose, Senior Pastor at Crown Heights UMC
When we learned that the theme of PrideFest 2026 was “Community in Bloom,” this quote by Frida Kahlo immediately took root in our hearts. It became the inspiration for our float. Frida’s words speak to a bold, authentic and courageous love – a love that begins within and blossoms outward. That spirit captures what Pride means to us: a celebration of identity, dignity and the freedom to love fully and openly.
“Fall in love with yourself, with life, and then with whoever you want.” – Frida Kahlo
To bring this vision to life, we transformed our float into a garden of vibrant, oversized tissue paper flowers, each one representing the beauty and diversity of our community. At the center, we hung Frida’s quote, as a reminder that when we nurture self-love, we create space for deeper connection with others. Like a garden in full bloom, Pride is a celebration of growth, resilience and joy. At Crown Heights United Methodist Church, we believe that Pride is not separate from our faith – it is a reflection of it. Pride is about embracing who God created us to be and recognizing the sacred worth within every person. It is about
Emily Porter celebrates aboard the Crown Heights UMC float at PrideFest 2026 in Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy of Crown Heights UMC.
OKUMC CONTACT | 5
Members of Crown Heights UMC ride their flower-covered float through downtown Oklahoma City during PrideFest 2026, celebrating the theme “Community in Bloom.” Photo courtesy of Crown Heights UMC.
celebrating the boundless love God pours out on each of us, without exception.
As our float moved through the streets, surrounded by laughter, music and love, we were reminded that community truly is something In May of 2019, Crown Heights UMC became a that grows. It flourishes when it is nurtured with Reconciling congregation. For us, this was not a compassion, inclusion and understanding. It change in belief but a clear and joyful declaration blooms when people are welcomed exactly as of what we have always known to be true: that they are. God’s love is for everyone. We affirm that every person is created in the image of God, beautifully Our hope is that everyone who saw our and intentionally made. Gay or straight, float felt a glimpse of that love – God’s love transgender or cisgender, questioning or certain – unconditional and abundant – and were – we are all worthy of love, belonging and grace. reminded that they, too, belong. We strive to live out this affirmation not only within the walls of our sanctuary on Sundays, but in the world beyond it. We believe this message is too important to keep quiet. It is a message to proclaim boldly, with our words, our actions, and yes, even from a brightly colored float rolling through downtown Oklahoma City!
Because when we fall in love with ourselves, with life, and with one another, we create a world where everyone has the chance to bloom.
6 | AUGUST EDITION
“The Fun Part of Life Is Serving”
The extraordinary ministry of Marilyn Williams
Second in a series of 6 articles celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Order of Deacon in the UMC
By Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase, Director of Connectional Ministries For Marilyn Williams, a lifetime of service to older adults began when her Virginia Beach garden club was looking for volunteers to visit a local nursing home. “Six people volunteered. I ended up doing manicures and before I knew it, I was the only volunteer left.” But she persisted. Her husband, a recruiter for the US Navy, was transferred to Oklahoma in 1979. Marilyn and the children followed, settling in Edmond, “because we were told there were good schools there,” said Williams. She could not have realized then that this community would be transformed by her witness and ministry. Central State University (now University of Central Oklahoma) had just introduced their master’s degree in Gerontology. Williams enrolled and became the first graduate of the new degree program. This would not be the last time she broke ground during her ministry. At that time, she was associated with the Oklahoma Christian Home, first as a volunteer and then as their program director, serving with them for seven years. She also experienced an unexpected divorce, which deepened her faith. Praying one night about what to do as a single mother, college student and full-time employee with no family in Oklahoma, she said she felt a “sense of calm” that could only come from God. She joined First United Methodist Church of Edmond. “They were very supportive of me. They provided comfort and assurance,” said Williams.
Marilyn Williams, deacon and longtime advocate for older adults, at her home at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City.
“They were my cornerstone.” It was there someone mentioned to Marilyn that she should consider becoming a Diaconal Minister, a lay order in the UMC. From 1984 to 1987, she took the required classes and was consecrated in 1987. She still cherishes her photo of her and Bishop John Wesley Hardt marking the occasion. While studying for the diaconate, Williams became the director of the Edmond Senior Citizen’s Center, a position she held from 1986 to 2002. At the time, the Center was located in a Works Progress Administration (WPA) building in downtown Edmond. “It was at one of the busiest intersections in Edmond – not where seniors of the future needed to be.” Williams wanted to change that, so when Edmond passed a Capital Improvement Tax, she was ready! They allowed citizen input into how the tax should be spent. “I was there ... at the door,” Williams says, as soon as they started soliciting ideas. A new senior citizens center, in one of the local parks, where seniors could explore the outdoors should be a priority, she argued. It took lobbying and tenacity as the “men liked
OKUMC CONTACT | 7
where we were,” reflected Williams. “And they had the ear of the mayor. It was a struggle.” The work took many years. In fact, Williams never served as the director of the new center once it was finally built in Mitch Park on the west side of Edmond. It opened on January 8, 2005, but she retired in 2002. Afterwards, a group of citizens petitioned the Edmond City Council in 2003 to have the street designated in honor of the United Methodist pastor who had worked so diligently to get the senior center moved to this new location. If you drive to that area of Edmond today, the lasting legacy of this powerful leader is evident in the form of a green and white street sign which proclaims Marilyn Williams Drive. “It was an extraordinary thing to do for an extraordinary person. Lots of people worked hard to get that done,” said Williams. During her time at the Edmond Senior Citizen’s Center, another change was happening in the United Methodist Church. The 1996 General Conference created the Order of Deacon as a second, ordained order of ministry within the ranks of clergy. Williams and many other diaconal ministers had a choice to make – remain in the lay diaconate or transition to the new Order of Deacon. For Williams, it was an easy choice. “I was ready for this. It was an exciting time,” she remembers. She was among 24 deacons who were part of the transition class in 1997. While she officially retired from the senior center in 2002, ministry did not end for her. She served as a hospice chaplain and bereavement coordinator, as chairperson of the Older Adult Ministry Council for the annual conference and founded the Edmond Senior Community Foundation which provides scholarships for gerontology students at UCO as well as some funding for the senior center. At 88, she remains active in ministry as a resident of Epworth Villa where she sings in the
Marilyn Williams Drive in Edmond stands as a lasting testament to a life poured out in service.
choir at the weekly worship service on Thursday afternoons. In reflecting on the annual conference’s renewed focus on older adults and the creation of a new trust, Williams described the moment as “marvelous.” She reminds churches that older adults “are there and the church can be a community and a safe place where they can be fed and cared for.” In addition, there is another function that churches can serve for older adults – being a watchdog for them. “Sometimes they don’t have family close and the church can watch out for their needs, especially if they are being taken advantage of,” she said. Williams did not recognize her call to ministry until she was 50 years old. Her advice to others, regardless of age, “Go for it. Find your passion and live it.” Ministry with older adults has been a passion for Williams since that first volunteer opportunity with nursing home residents when she was a young mother, but “becoming an ordained clergy was profound,” she said. In a 2006 Edmond Sun column, Jeanne Peterson wrote, “I offer a salute to my friend and friend of all Edmond, Marilyn Williams, who saw a need and was up to the challenge of seeing the need fulfilled.” “The fun part of life is serving,” concludes Williams. Her life is a testimony to service in the name of Christ.
8 | AUGUST EDITION
What If Love Asks Us to Be Vile By Rev. Carlos Ramirez, Director of Communications & Strategy In 2025, I had the privilege to travel to England to do a Wesley Pilgrimage. We visited the most iconic places that shaped John Wesley, thus Methodism. The place that impacted me the most in answering God’s calling was Bristol. Visiting the “New Room” was, indeed, a spiritual awakening for me. The “New Room” was the first building the Methodist movement built. Bristol, at the time, was the second largest city in England. Being a port city, it saw the shipping of many products and was an important stop for slavery merchants. Bristol was considered a rough city. Even walking the streets of Bristol today, there is still this aura or feeling of a tough city. The early Methodists built this “New Room” that was a multipurpose space: the first Methodist food pantry, clinic, school, residency for traveling preachers and worship space. If you visit the “New Room” today, not much has changed since the early 1700s. Pews have been added to the space, and that’s about it! The first floor is simply a rectangular space with no windows. It was explained to us that it had
no windows because people would vandalize the space. Consequently, having no windows, added protection to those inside. The pulpit area is not accessible from the first floor. One has to go to the second floor and pass through a series of small half doors to get to it. It is elevated and has a small fence all around it. This was also by design – it added protection to the preacher, which in many cases was John Wesley himself. On April 2, 1739, Wesley described his decision to preach outside of a church as: “I submitted to be more vile.” My spiritual awakening was the realization that John Wesley did not want to “be different.” I understand that up to April 2, 1739, John Wesley was following the path that many priests had followed: go to seminary, educate and care for a parish. He did not want to preach outside and be “weird.” Yet he did. The definition of vile is something or someone “extremely unpleasant, morally bad or disgusting.” It is clear Wesley’s actions were out of the ordinary. He knew his actions were unpleasant and disgusting. Yet, this “vile act” gave way to the “New Room” and to a revival within the Church of England.
From the early conversations about the conception of the What If Love message, the essence was to give us permission to reinvent ourselves. Better yet, to let the Holy Spirit inspire us toward new creation. What If Love is not a hollow marketing campaign. It is the genuine desire to be God’s love in our local communities. The love that moves us to open food pantries or create recovery groups. The love that moves us to be a place of reconciliation, hope, healing, openness and care. Love that is not satisfied with waiting in a sanctuary for people, but one that goes out into the community to join Jesus and the Holy Spirit in what they are doing there already. It is a love that cannot sit still until ALL have heard about Jesus’ love and how that love can change their lives. This is why “What If Love” is both a question and the answer. It is an openended statement. This Contact issue is devoted to being welcoming. I invite you to, 1) watch Dr. Boggan’s teaching from Annual Conference (Morning Session – Wesleyan Vile-tality) and 2) actively seek ways in which you can incorporate the “What If Love” message into your daily ministry. What if Love was already walking in the streets of our towns and cities? What if Love was already
OKUMC CONTACT | 9
touching the lives of countless people? What if Love has been healing, spreading hope, creating opportunities for reconciliation and peace and our part in this work is to be the smiles, hugs, words of comfort or safe spaces where Jesus incarnates anew?
Don’t let What If Love be a simple marketing slogan. Instead, make it your church’s call to action. Make it an opportunity to become “more vile” and to proclaim in the highways the love that changes lives. Bristol was the place where God showed me that it is OK for me to not want to go or do what God is calling me to go or do. But it was also a great comfort to know that, if I decide to follow Him and do what I think is “vile,” God will not only be with me, but my “vile-ification” could bring the tidings of Jesus’ love to many. God makes my reluctance holy. Therefore, it is never me, but God through me. What if love is calling all of us to take the love of God to places where we might not really want to go – to places or toward people that society might say we shouldn’t? May our reluctant vile-ification be made holy and, in that, may many come to experience Jesus’ love in their lives.
Check out Dr. Ashley Boggan’s teaching from 2026 Annual Conference and her book on Wesleyan Vile-Tality! Click here to watch and here to buy her book!
10 | AUGUST EDITION
What If Love Welcomed All the Children?
St. Paul UMC Muskogee reimagines playground so “all children” actually means all children By Rev. Dylan Ward, Senior Pastor at St. Paul UMC Muskogee What if love? This is what we were asked at the Annual Conference this year. It was a timely theme because we had already been asking the same question at St. Paul United Methodist Church of Muskogee. What if love welcomed all the children? That’s the burning question we had as we looked at our well-used playground, which is used nearly year-round. The Problem Our playground plays an important role at our church. It is a place for children to burn off their seemingly endless energy, but it is also a place where they get to put their feet on grass, imagine they’re driving a firetruck, or be the captain of a pirate ship. Imagination and physical activity are both vital things for children’s development. And we’re in the business of developing children at St. Paul UMC. Our Sunday school and children’s church programs seek to develop children spiritually. Our Learning Tree Preschool does this while also preparing children for school and building social skills. For 16 years, we have sought to decrease and eventually eliminate childhood illiteracy in Muskogee through Project Transformation. And each Tuesday evening in the fall and spring,
the state of Oklahoma’s flagship Bridges Out of Poverty program takes over our building, where dozens of children are cared for while their caregivers seek a better life for them. All of these programs utilize our playground area in some way. Whether it is running around, playing tag, going down the “big slide,” or enjoying a snack with friends, this fenced and safe outdoor space is a vital part of our ministry to children. But what happens when you look around the existing space and ask the question, “All children?” And the answer is no, not all children. That’s when we knew something had to change. Our current playground consists of a fenced-in area with a pea gravel oval containing several pieces of equipment for the children to play on. It also has a decent-sized grassy area, a picnic table, and one of the most important things for summer in Oklahoma, a large sunshade covering half of it. What a blessing for a church to have! And yet, the answer to our question remained: no, not all children…yet. To get to the playground from inside the building, you have two options. The main door has a set of stairs leading down to the play area. The other option is to go out the side door, down a ramp, and around the gate. This way provides an accessible entrance to the area. However, once you get in, there remain two problems. First, the grassy area that you would walk through if you
OKUMC CONTACT | 11
The current playground at St. Paul UMC Muskogee alongside a rendering of what is coming – level turf, a new sunshade and full accessibility so that all children can navigate the space together. Phases 1 and 2 are scheduled for completion in September.
took the accessible route has multiple hills built into it – not very accessible for someone needing the use of a wheelchair, walker or with mobility issues. Second, the main play area, with the pea gravel, has a 6-inch border around it. Both present the same obstacles to full inclusion as the hills.
Then we purchased some newer toys that encourage imaginative play. This was a good start, but the main problem remained. Our space and big toy are not accessible, and that allimportant sunshade, now at least 25 years old, had a large rip in it that was one strong wind gust away from ending up in the next county.
At St. Paul, we are “Reaching People for Christ and Developing Deeply Committed Christians.” And we decided that if our mission is to reach people for Christ, then we needed to make sure children of all abilities were included in that.
We talked, dreamed, and planned. The solution? A three-phase plan to welcome all children to our space, or, their space, really. Phase 1 would be to remove all the pea gravel and border holding it in, replace it with a fall-rated padded turf, and level the grassy area.
The Solution When we recognized this problem, we got to work. We started envisioning what a space would look like that would welcome all children. We asked our teachers, ministry leaders, and church leaders to go to the playground space and dream a little. The result was a year-long process of updating and renovating the playground so that all children know they belong here. It started with removing some unsafe equipment.
This phase would accomplish the goal of making the space accessible to all. With this complete, a child with mobility issues would be able to navigate down the ramp to the gate, move across the level ground, and onto the turf play area with their friends, while never having to step up or down. Phase 2 replaces the sunshade, which, as it turns out, is no small investment itself. This is critical to prolonging the life of the turf, keeping the
12 | AUGUST EDITION
toys cool enough to be played on during the heat, and protecting children and teachers from the harmful UV rays. Phase 3 will hopefully raise funds to replace the main big toy with a fully accessible one, enabling all children to not only access the space but also join in playing together. After all, all children should get to pretend to be a pirate ship captain at some point. The Power of Connection We are thrilled that phases 1 and 2 are already scheduled to happen, and we plan to have them completed by the time our preschool starts in September. But a project of this size simply wasn’t in our budget. Thankfully, we are part of a connection as United Methodists, and the connection stepped up. Through the blessing of a Legacy Funds matching grant and the Northeast District, we
Children at play at St. Paul UMC Muskogee — a space that serves Sunday school, Learning Tree Preschool, Project Transformation and Bridges Out of Poverty programs nearly year-round.
were able to raise the funds to complete the first two phases. We have begun fundraising for the third phase, which will be a high cost as well, at least as much as the first two phases combined. But we believe it’s worth it so that all children actually means all children.
OKUMC CONTACT | 13
Serving Tulsa for 70 Years You’ve earned a life with fewer worries and more freedom. Trinity Woods offers independent living designed for those who value independence, thoughtful planning, and community. Tulsa’s trusted choice for 70 years.
LEARN MORE
TrinityWoodsTulsa.com A LIFE PLAN COMMUNITY 918-743-2565
14 | AUGUST EDITION
YOUR STORY BELONGS HERE Every issue of Contact is built on the stories of faithful people across Oklahoma. We want to hear yours. Please send photos, stories and announcements to editor@okumc.org.
“
Small hinges swing large doors.” – Rev. Devon Krause, Senior Pastor Enid First United Methodist Church
FIND MORE AT OKUMC.ORG Employment ª• Passages Appointments • Events • News Or follow us on social media: