Connectional Ministries 2022 Highlights
The Office of Connectional Ministries celebrates the connectional work of our United Methodist Churches and extension ministries. Here are some of the ways we have served you:
- Mission partnerships in Mexico and Chile as well as across the United States.
- Creation of a new Rose Woodworth/Oklahoma Conference, UMC endowed scholarship at Oklahoma City University for the nursing program.
- Sending 57 teams with 927 team members to perform 468 days of mission in 4 countries and 9 states providing nearly $13 million of hourly value to the work of transformation.
- 13 campus ministries serving over 250 participants in worship, 220 young adults in discipleship groups and nearly 800 people receiving food and hospitality through our ministries. 36 professions of faith and over 270 young adults gave time in mission and service to others. More importantly, these ministries were vital connections with students as campuses closed during the pandemic.
- 8 young adult residents serving through the ImpactOK2 program across the conference.
- 3 camp sites hosting 68 camps, serving over 35,000 meals to 13,000 campers and leaders during the summer 2022.
- Credentialing and background checks for clergy in the process of ordination and oversight of local pastors.
- Background checks (nearly 1,000) and sexual abuse awareness training (over 800) in 2022.
- Seven persons completed the Academy for Innovative Ministry and are launching new work in their churches.
- Cohorts for pastoral effectiveness continued through Creating a Culture of Renewal and a Women’s Leadership Cohort, in its second year.
- Seminars in the church's ministry with older adults and helping rural and small membership churches recover and move forward with ministry post-COVID were both well attended.
The Oklahoma Conference and the entire denomination have been working tirelessly with the Boy Scouts of America to keep litigation from local churches over the abuse scandals. We continue to do that!
We are starting new churches in southwest Oklahoma City and Langston while we celebrate other new faith communities like Charis Alive, Connect UMC in Edmond, the Lazarus Community in OKC, University UMC in Tulsa along with the Propel Business Event Center and the Vessel in Claremore (a satellite of First UMC, Claremore) in addition to a new church for those who wish to remain United Methodist but their church disaffiliates.
In 2022, fifty-one Oklahoma United Methodist churches gave $28,975 through the six special Sunday offerings taken throughout the year. Oklahomans attending various higher education institutions received $44,567 in scholarship assistance. That return is 1.5 to 1, which shows the power of connectional giving. We are truly the body of Christ.