God is doing a new thing...

The Five Dreams of the Oklahoma Conference

by Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase

It’s a new year … new daily planners, clean slates, opportunities before us that only come around because the calendar has changed from one year to the next.

Theologically, the prophet Isaiah is also clear that God is up to a new thing. In the 43rd chapter we read these profound words:

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

The Oklahoma United Methodist Church perceives what God is doing. This “new thing” that is springing up for us we called The Five Dreams.

You have heard about these dreams if you have been to Annual Conference or a meeting of a conference ministry team. They are:

Dream 1

New Churches for New People with a goal of 127 churches planted across Oklahoma in communities impacted by disaffiliation as well as new places where people are moving.

Dream 2

Revitalized and Lighthouse Congregations with a goal that all existing congregations in the Oklahoma Conference effectively engaging their mission field and making disciples who transform the world.

Dream 3

Communities Impacting Poverty with the goal that our congregations in every community across the conference making a positive impact to reduce poverty among children and youth in their communities, specifically reducing poverty in as many zip codes as possible.

Dream 4

Healthy Clergy Leading Healthy Churches with the goal of a partnership between clergy and lay leaders creating healthy environments for leadership structures and discipleship systems that allow both to flourish.

Dream 5

New Lay and Clergy Leaders for an Emerging Conference with the goal of a new generation of leaders including bi-vocational pastors and lay servants who can reach people in an ever-changing religious landscape with the good news of Jesus Christ in the Wesleyan tradition.

The entire conference is a part of making these dreams happen. It starts with each local church and extended ministry taking seriously their role in becoming a place where new things can happen, where relationships are nurtured, leaders are developed and the community is served in new and innovative ways.

The conference is structured (or being restructured, where necessary) to make these dreams a priority. Asking questions like, “Does the budget align with these dreams?” “Are we funding ministries and prioritizing programs that help us reach our goals.” When the answer is out of alignment, corrections can and are made.

You can read more about each dream or watch a very brief video at our website: https://www. okumc.org/5dreams. In addition, please watch this publication as well as our weekly OKUMC Connectionto keep up to date on how, together, we are making these dreams come true.

Paragraph 128 of our Book of Discipline summarizes the five dreams in a succinct way:

The church as the community of the new covenant has participated in Christ’s ministry of grace across the years and around the world. It stretches out to human needs wherever love and service may convey God’s love and ours. The outreach of such ministries knows no limits. Beyond the diverse forms of ministry is this ultimate concern: that all persons will be brought into a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ and be renewed after the image of their creator (Colossians 3:10).

Indeed, the dreams of the Oklahoma conference know no limits! These five dreams are intended to help each part of the conference from the smallest local church to the largest to help people connect with Jesus and to be renewed in their likeness of God, our creator.

Let’s dream together and, together, let’s make it happen!