15 God Squads help Altus homeowners

God Squads spark a powerful force for good  Volunteers swarm the Walnut house in Altus, refurbishing it as a Youth Force project.   Altus-First UMC hosted the mission teams for the second time. A total of 150 students and 40 adults volunteered to work, from Claremore-First, Enid-Christ, Mustang, OKC-St. Luke’s, and Owasso churches, as well as the host...

Young leaders invite Christian activist to OKC

Christian activist Shane Claiborne will speak at several United Methodist venues on Oct. 16 and 17 in the Oklahoma City area. His presentations that weekend are jointly sponsored by the Youth and Young Adult Councils of the Oklahoma Conference. Claiborne writes and travels extensively, speaking about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus. Claiborne is a founding partner of The Simple Way, an...

Connecting with groups that serve youth

Camp Fire USA is heralding its 100th year. The Camp Fire representative on the Oklahoma Conference youth-serving agencies committee is Susan Williams of OKC-Quail Springs United Methodist Church. The Heart of Oklahoma Council of Camp Fire...

Small youth group has mighty powerful witness

Shown are Derrek, Jason, and Jordann of the West Guthrie United Methodist Youth Fellowship. Usually three teens make up the West Guthrie United Methodist Youth Fellowship. The small group, formed two years ago, is having a big impact, reports sponsor...

Teens engage in dialogue on freedom

From left, Alex Smith and Kaylin Westbrook of OKC-Lakeside UMC make a new friend during a summer program in Oklahoma City. ‘The weekend was about fair treatment of faith traditions in the U.S.’—Kaylin Westbrook This...

Youth Workers Day

Thursday, Aug. 20  9 a.m.—3 p.m. All youth ministers, youth workers, and volunteers are invited to a day of fellowship, training, and fun at YOUR United Methodist university. The event will gather at OCU Meinder’s School of Business, Gardner Conference Room, N.W. 27th and McKinley This event, sponsored by OCU’s Office of Admission in coordination with the Oklahoma Conference Office of Youth Ministries,...

Amusement park fun boosts youth fund

The Conference Council on Youth Ministry (CCYM) hopes to again earn national accolades for giving to the Youth Service Fund (YSF). The council’s primary fund-raiser, St. Yootz Day at Frontier City, is set this year for Aug. 15 at the amusement park in Oklahoma City. In 2008, St. Yootz Day raised more than $11,200. Families and friends of all ages are welcome to spend the day at the park. Activities include an...

Bishop shares his call with youth members

From left, Adam Hull, Sydni Baker, Chelsea Riley, and Caleb Oakleaf plate their food at the Youth Delegate Luncheon during the conference. By Aloise McCullough Youth delegates got a chance to dialogue with Bishop Robert Hayes at the Youth...

Teen gains insight on poverty from UN/DC tour

EDITOR’S NOTE: Kellyn Brack is one of 24 youths who took part in a UN/DC educational tour. They studied "Poverty, More Than Meets the Eye," in Washington, D.C., and New York City on March 13-22. The biennial tour is a program of Oklahoma Conference Youth Ministries. By Kellynn Brack, Weatherford UMC Can you recall what you did for Spring Break during high school? Some hit the slopes; others hit the sand. We spent the break...

Confirmed in Christ

  From across the state, about 200 youths took part in Confirmation Class retreats at the Church’s three campgrounds in late Winter. These photos are from the Canyon Camp event. A Service of Ashes was led by district superintendents. All the groups played a board game, shown at left, that taught about personal financial stewardship. Camp deans were Allen Carson and Diana...

Living the Plan -Clinton District youth rally at Weatherford

Individual focused outward Tiffany Short preached to her peers during a Clinton District Youth Rally on a Sunday afternoon at Weatherford-First United Methodist Church. She is a member of the United Methodist Youth Fellowship at the Weatherford church. Her sermon theme was "Unity in Christ." Short also did primary coordination work for the event, and was assisted by Kelley Ramey, the...

Oklahoma's youths join in pilot fasting project

A pilot program to link church youth to the realities of poverty is being launched this month in six annual conferences—including the Oklahoma Area. "B1" incorporates voluntary food fasts, education, and fund-raising for anti-poverty projects. The name stands for "one being, being one" and suggests the responsibility each person has to live with a sense of connection to others. "B1 takes place...

Youth council goes to camp

  Youth council goes to camp   Get-acquainted games and Bible study provide balance at the yearly training event of the Conference Council on Youth Ministry. The council includes two youth members from each district, plus youths chosen at-large and adult leaders. Adam Hull of...

Living the Plan - Youth interpret Conference vision

"We want to reach more people, more diverse people, and more younger people."— One of the six core beliefs of the Strategic Plan for the Oklahoma Conference By Holly McCray Young United Methodists have been exploring how their...

Living the Plan - A spiritual study for youth groups

A youth version of the "40 Days" prayer guide can be downloaded at www.okumc.org.   This adaptation, by Oklahoma Conference Youth Ministries, is a free resource. Follow the "Strategic Plan" link on the Conference homepage. The guide contains readings, meditations, and prayers. A Spiritual Gifts Survey is part of it. As a weekly teaching tool for...

OKC workshop to examine emerging worship

Young Adult council hosts lab Nov. 6-8 Widening interest is reported as the date nears for an alternative-worship laboratory event in Oklahoma, according to Nathan Mattox, who chairs the Young Adult Ministry Council for Oklahoma Conference. On Nov. 6-8, "Worship in a Postmodern Accent" will be held in Oklahoma City. Leaders will be Jonny Baker of England and Ed Phillips of Atlanta. A series of hands-on workshops...

Youths get life lesson at Lydia Patterson Institute

By Holly McCray After dark on the mountain top, the youth group could see the interlacing lights of two cities: El Paso, Texas; and Juarez, Mexico. The teens and adults from Ardmore-First church were gathered there for devotions after a day of volunteer work at Lydia Patterson Institute (LPI) in El Paso. The high school that bridges the border is a ministry of The United Methodist Church. Fernando Rivera directed the group up the mountain that June night. A Lydia Patterson graduate, he is...

It takes teamwork

Photos provided by Robyn Thompson-Goggs Hennessey was one of five cities where teams of Youth Force volunteers repaired homes during the summer. Other project sites were in Tulsa, Stillwater, Lawton, and Oklahoma City. A total of 78 youths and adults served on the Youth Force Hennessey teams, called God Squads, featured in these...

Youth workers move into Track II

Participants in Track 1 are shown. Front row, from left, are: Evelyn Myers, Hobart; Kim Hardaway, Poteau; Hank Jenkins, Verdigris; and Chelsea Mize, Verdigris. Center row, from left, are: Leslie Long, dean; Katie Swan, Pawhuska; Lisa West, Sand Springs; Laura Eldridge, Tulsa-Faith; Chanci Peterson, Beaver; Debbie Gant, Tulsa-St. Matthew’s; Devon Krause, Enid-First; and Diana Northcutt, Conference director of Local Church Youth Ministries. At back are Adam Brinson of Fairview (Enid...

2 Oklahomans elected to Jurisdictional Youth Team

Two Oklahomans join the South Central Jurisdictional Youth Team (JYT) as a new quadrennium begins for United Methodists in the eight-state region. Lizzie Stafford, a youth member of Coweta UMC, was elected secretary for the team. Diana Northcutt of Oklahoma City was named co-adult JYT coordinator. Rev. Northcutt is director of Local Church Youth Ministries for Oklahoma Conference. JYT consists of two youths and the annual conference youth coordinator, who is an adult, from each of the 15...