2024 Annual Conference Planned
The 2024 session of the Oklahoma Annual Conference is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, through Saturday, June 1, in Oklahoma City. Sessions will be held at Oklahoma City University and Chapel Hill United Methodist Church.
Theme
Remembering that this year is the 240th anniversary of Methodism coming to America, our theme is based on one of John Wesley’s most famous sayings, “The World FOREVER Our Parish.” Our scripture text is Matthew 28:16-20, one of the great pillars of our faith –The Great Commission.
Online Registration
To expedite processes, registration closes May 15. Please ensure you have registered by then so that credentialing can be completed.
Schedule Overview
A schedule overview is available online here, along with much more information.
Please note: registration will close at 4 p.m., Friday, and will not be available on Saturday. All sessions will be live streamed; however, there will be no hybrid or off-site voting options.
Worship
Worship services will include the Memorial Service with Holy Communion on Thursday evening, Retirement Worship on Friday morning and the Service of Ordination and Commissioning on Saturday afternoon. There will also be a special Friday evening worship service to celebrate the current districts, and then there will be a time for the new districts to have a social hour. Special guest choirs and performers include Chapel Hill UMC, New Light Korean UMC in Lawton and Edmond First.
Preachers include Bishop Nunn, Joe Harris, Connie Gibson and Carol Cook Moore.
Bishop Nunn’s Retirement
There will be a time to greet Bishop Nunn and his wife, Mary, following the Ordination and Commissioning Service on Saturday afternoon. Please do not go home early and miss this important event!
Child Care
We are still working out details for childcare at this year’s conference session. On the registration form, you will find a place to check if you will need childcare. If you do, please mark that and we will be in touch with you once the details are finalized.
Clergy Executive Session
The Clergy Executive Session will take place on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary at Wesley UMC. All those participating in the clergy session will need to be registered before entering the sanctuary.
Laity Session
The Laity Session will take place at 9 a.m., Thursday morning, in the Freede Center at OCU. There will not be a laity luncheon this year.
Seminary Lunches
Registration for alumni lunches for Perkins School of Theology and Saint Paul School of Theology are available with conference registration.
Retirees
The annual retirement banquet will take place at Noon, Friday, in the Great Hall of the McDaniel Student Center. Registration is available during conference registration.
Special Offering
In honor of Bishop Nunn’s retirement, this year’s Conference offering will support a new STEM Makerspace at Lydia Patterson Institute. This space will be a dynamic environment where students can unleash their creativity, collaborate on projects, and solve real-world problems. Imagine library shelves, once barriers to innovation, replaced with state-of-the- art amenities: 3D printers whirring to life, computer stations humming with research and design, workshop tables buzzing with activity, and TV screens illuminating presentations and demonstrations. This is what our offering will support!
If you want to support a great project and honor Bishop Nunn, this year’s special offering is a way to do that. Churches are encouraged to take up a special offering prior to Conference and to bring those gifts to add to the offering taken during the course of Conference worship services.
Day of Learning – Wednesday, May 29
The Mission and Service Ministry Team and Let’s Do This, Oklahoma are sponsoring a Day of Learning on Wednesday, May 29, at Oklahoma City University. You can register for this event which will feature Treasure McKenzie, Director of Muskogee Bridges Out of Poverty. Lunch will be included for $15, which will also include materials from that day.
If your church is interested in future grants for impacting your communities regarding poverty, this workshop will be required. Please make plans to attend. McKenzie will focus on a framework for understanding poverty in your communities. The day begins at 9 a.m. and ends by 4 p.m.
Pre-Conference Briefing
There will not be a live preconference briefing this year. However, we will have a pre-recorded informational video online by May 10. You will be notified when that video is available and you will be free to share that with anyone who might be interested.
Questions
We know you will have questions so please direct those to the email address ac2024@okumc.org and we will get answers as quickly as we can.
Conference Information Hub
You will find every piece of information you need at our website . While the pre-conference workbook is not yet published, it will be available here when it is ready. Be sure to download the Conference materials and bring your digital device with you to Conference.