Day of Learning

BY REV. DERREK BELASE

One of the five dreams of our annual conference is the dream of Communities Impacting Poverty. This comes out of the Council of Bishops’ request that each annual conference reaffirm and work toward its commitment to the Pan Methodist Campaign for Children in Poverty. In Oklahoma, we are calling our initiative, “Let’s Do This, Oklahoma.”

Data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey shows that the poverty rate in Oklahoma is 15.7 percent, which puts us as the eighth poorest country in the US. For children, it’s even more dismal. The data show that poverty is especially concentrated for Oklahoma’s children, with 19.5 percent - or almost 1 in 5 childrenliving at or below the federal poverty level.

In many of our communities, the United Methodist Church is responding with community food banks, weekend backpack programs, and many other outreach ministries which are making a difference across Oklahoma.

The Mission and Service Ministry Team and the team working on “Let’s Do This, Oklahoma,” will host a conference-wide Day of Learning on Wednesday, May 29, the day before the annual conference begins. If you are a member of the conference, you will have a chance to register when you register for the conference session.

However, this day of learning is for ALL leaders in churches around our state. Whether you are coming to the conference or not, you are encouraged to participate in this important day. You can register here for the day, for which a $15 registration fee covers

lunch and the material for the day. The day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m., with the seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a lunch break. The workshop will be held in the Gardner Conference Room at the Meinders School of Business on the campus of Oklahoma City University.

The presenter will be Treasure McKenzie, director of Muskogee Bridges Out of Poverty. She will focus on a framework for understanding poverty in your communities. McKenzie is affiliated with the aha! Process and the Ruby Payne Organization.

A series of district workshops will be held in the fall to follow up on this important event. If your church is interested in future grants for impacting your communities regarding poverty, this workshop will be required.