• Teen can’t wait to be pastor – 6

• 6-year-old cooks up feast – 14

• Visits with grandpa and grandma – 16

Contact The Magazine

Winter 2011

First
steps
in faith

• Tulsa kids set

example for all
–4

a publication of the
Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church
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 First steps in faith
Winter 2011
Features
4 Go ahead, act like a child
T
he phrase is often recited: “Youth and children are the
future of the Church.” If ever there was a misconcep-
tion, that is one.
6 ‘I can’t wait’ To relegate youth and children to a role as persons who
Teen confident of God’s call only will find their rightful places in the Church when older
members are no longer available is to ignore the many contri-
8 Happy birthday, UMCOR butions the youngest generations are making now.
This issue of Contact, the Magazine is focused on the “now”
10 Message from a young contributions of the youngest among us. The stories you will
Lay Speaker read are meant to remind us that all God’s children make
significant contributions to the work of the Kingdom, regard-
11 Paws to consider less of age.
Children and youth are part of the body of Christ. We find
12 Unlocking God’s love affirmation of this in the words of the apostle Paul:
Ministry nurtures children “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are
many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit
of inmates
into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one
14 Hungry to help
Spirit to drink.
“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say,
Loaves-and-fish story begins ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason
with boy cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do
not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If
16 Visits with grandpa the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body
and grandma were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
Nursing home houses “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he
preschool program wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there
are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And
18 Heart language unites the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’
multicultural youths “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the
20 Doors open to parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable
safe wonderland parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and
has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division
22 Parenthood revisited in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part
suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now
Native American grandparents
you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
embrace return to role It is our hope that, as you read these stories, you will realize that those viewed by
25 A pattern for living
some people as the future of the Church are, in fact, our present. Their contributions to
the Kingdom are invaluable now.
Quilters connect with teens Rev. Dr. Joseph Harris
Director of Communications
27 Pray it forward
ON THE COVER: Youngsters declare they are “Kids Against Hunger” by rallying to
assemble packages of food during a children’s camp-in at Asbury United Methodist
Church in Tulsa. Story, page 4.

CONTACT The Magazine

is a publication of the Department of Communications –Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church
Dr. Joseph Harris Holly McCray
Director of Communications Editor
jharris@okumc.org editor@okumc.org

1501 N.W. 24th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73106

www.okumc.org All contents copyright © 2011
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CONTACT, 1501 N.W. 24th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73106-3635.
Go ahead,
act like a child
By Stephanie Hurd
T he Book of Acts captures
the conversion stories of
Cornelius, Lydia, and the Philippian
jailer—each of them were converted,
along with their entire household.
These were the first families to raise
children in “a Christian home” and “a
church.”
The first generation of believers
grew up without Larry the Cucumber
and Bob the Tomato, characters in
the Veggie Tales animated film series,
adding clarity to Bible stories. And
the First Church of Philippi probably
didn’t have a children’s ministry with
sock-puppet Sunday school lessons.
The kids probably never learned the
words or hand motions to the song
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the
Bible tells me so.”
Yet, despite these deficiencies,
the first Christian parents in
the first-century Church raised
their children in such a way that
the Gospel continued to increase
and spread beyond the original
eyewitnesses, through the centuries
and across the globe.
The beautiful thing about God’s
methodology is that every believer
in Christ is also a minister—even a
child. The Almighty is not limited
by size, age, acceptability, or even
species. He seems to get a kick
from employing the most unlikely
4
At Asbury UMC in Tulsa, children respond to Christ’s call to feed the hungry.
characters. In the Bible, God worked His plan using babies, donkeys, prostitutes,
adulterers, murderers, an unwed mother, a giant fish—and a kid with a sack lunch.
In Tulsa, Asbury United Methodist Church’s Faith Zone is providing on-the-job
training for some of God’s youngest ministers. In the Children’s Ministry, we work
alongside parents to help kids put their faith into action.
We recognize children have unique ministry opportunities with extended family,
neighbors, classmates, teammates, and fellow bus riders. We want to equip them for
ministry and educate them on missions at home and abroad. Therefore, every sermon
series that we teach on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights has a mission project to
go with it.
Asbury’s children have ministered in many ways this year:
• Partnered with “big” church to collect canned goods for Restore Hope Ministries,
the United Methodist agency in Tulsa that assists people in need. (“I Am” Series)
• Made sandwiches and prepared sack lunches for homeless clients at John 3:16
Mission. (Stewardship Series)
• Wrote and decorated hundreds of encouraging notes for community leaders, such
as firefighters, coaches, teachers, and pastors. (Leadership Series)
• Partnered with the youths who participated in Spring Break mission trips by
praying for each student missionary by name. (Now What Series)
• Collected more than 900 children’s books for Project Transformation, Tulsa-Wesley
UMC, Restore Hope, and Walt Whitman School, among others. (Summer Series)
• Collected Bibles and prayed for inmates of Moss Correctional Facility and their
families. (Jonah Series)
• Partnered with Agape UMC in Parnu, Estonia. (Acts Series)
• Adopted missionary Sarah Adams, who works with orphans in Tanzania, Africa.
If we, as parents and teachers, train our kids to sit still in church and do nothing but
listen, then they will grow into adults who sit still in church and do nothing but listen.
If we teach and expect the children to use their gifts and abilities to serve the Lord, then
they will grow into adults who automatically do the same.
It will be part of their nature—their Christ-like nature.
At Asbury, we are providing opportunities, education, and expectations for the
children to minister. We should be proud of them and their unique ability to share God’s
love generously with others.
Because of them, the good news will continue to spread until the work is done.
(Reprinted with permission. Asbury Tidings magazine, October 2010.)
 Jeff and Sharri Hiller, left
and right, are the parents
of teens Monica and John,
at center. Leadership at
summer church camps is
only one of many ways
all the members of this
Ringling family live out
their faith.

‘I can’t wait’
Teen confident of God’s call

By Holly McCray “I am going to be a pastor, a servant of God, and a mentor

“G od shouted at me.”
From the church balcony, John Hiller of Ringling
was watching a clergy ordination ceremony. He was one of two
to the next generation of leaders in the Church.”
John’s parents, Jeff and Sharri Hiller, also were sitting in
the church balcony that night. John and Jeff were swapping cell-
Ardmore District youth delegates attending the 2009 Oklahoma phone text messages. When the words monster trucks appeared
United Methodist Annual Conference, in Oklahoma City. on Jeff’s phone, Sharri knew it was an extraordinary night.
He had welcomed delegate duty; his mother already That expression, from a TV cartoon, is father-son code for
participated as district lay leader. John expected to learn about an emotional moment.
how the Church operates. He had no idea he also would learn Sharri said she is not surprised about John’s call to
God’s clear call for his life. ministry. “When John was born, the first Sunday we took him
Seated in the balcony at St. Luke’s Church, John was not to church—he was 2 weeks old—my husband took him up to the
only observing the sacred church ritual but also pondering the kneeling rail during the last song. I’ve never asked him exactly
words of Everisto Chikanga. When he had met the pastor, at what he said, what he was praying for. I’ve always felt he was
the conference, the clergyman asked him what he wanted to be dedicating John then.”
“when you grow up.” Jeff and Sharri grew up in church, too. When the couple
“I don’t know, but sometimes I think I want to be a pastor,” moved to Ringling and visited the United Methodist church,
replied the high-school sophomore, surprising himself. He had “we were so overwhelmed by the hospitality of the people there,
never before shared that thought. we knew right away it was our home,” Sharri said. She was
Rev. Chikanga responded, “There is nothing more already wearing a choir robe on the Sunday they joined.
pleasurable on this earth than serving God.” The Hillers, both engineers, also have a daughter, Monica.
That statement was replaying in John’s mind as he sat in Both teens are leaders in church as well as active in school. Both
the balcony. He later wrote down what happened: have toured United Methodist-related Oklahoma City University.
“God shouted at me. The speaker for the night was Bishop Monica is contemplating missionary service as her future career.
Robert Hayes Jr. Now the bishop is a very strong, very seasoned “How am I so blessed with these two children?” Sharri
man, but, while recalling an experience of his in Africa, he was wondered. “Two kids going into ministry? Wow, God’s hand.”
brought to his knees in tears, overwhelmed by the presence of Summers draw all the family into service at multiple
God. There was not a dry eye in the congregation. church camps. John is a trained ropes course facilitator at
“All I could think about were the words of Everisto. This is Cross Point Camp. And all the Hillers traveled to the 2008
for me, I thought. Then the candidates for ordained ministry General Conference at Fort Worth, Texas.
came forward, and that is when I knew what I wanted to do. I “John really wanted to see the committee process, and
knew (one day) that would be me coming forward to the altar watched it on live streaming when he got back home,” said his
while the bishop laid hands on me. mother.
6
 First steps in faith
The son said, “It’s nice to see how global our Church is. Edmond church
When you put that money in the offering plate, it’s not just planter Adam Ricks
buying curriculum for your Sunday school class. It’s building are two clergy whose
churches around the world. God is bigger.” input he values.
He wants more young people to take interest in Church. Everisto Chikanga
“I’ve never seen a youth get turned down for wanting to is moving from the
be active in my church,” John said. “I’ve gotten nothing but Ardmore District to
support in everything I do in my community and church—just his native country
like every other kid in my community.” in Africa, but John
The Ringling High School junior is a multi-sport athlete expects to maintain
and plays saxophone in the school band. He is captain of the a connection with John Hiller, 17, plans to become a
preacher. He met Rev. Dr. Mouzon
academic team and practices his public speaking skills through that pastor, too, via Biggs Jr., right, at the 2010 Oklahoma
FFA (Future Farmers of America). District Superintendent Internet. Annual Conference. At age 18, Biggs
Guy Ames has authorized John as a pulpit speaker, and he has “Maybe someday began his career as a pastor.
preached at Courtney and Healdton churches. I will be the Everisto
John, 17, said most of his school peers know about and in another person’s life,” John wrote. “Perhaps I will spark
support his goal to become a pastor. an interest in another young man or woman’s life. These are
“I would say to any other young person who has a feeling thrilling yet nerve-wracking prospects, but I pray to God that,
they’re being called to serve God in any way: Listen to God.” if called to speak to anyone, I will listen and act as called.”
He continued, “Be willing to do what God would want you He continues to relish service as a youth delegate at
to do with the talents He gave you, and don’t let the world tell Annual Conference, and he wouldn’t miss the Ordination
you that you can’t. With God, all things are possible.” Matthew Service. “I can’t wait to be there at the altar,” John said.
19:26 is one of his favorite verses.
Now John seeks out “any pastor that wants to talk to
me” about career ministry. Ringling pastor Alex Costea and

Our BishOps:
Leading. respOnding. nurTuring.
“As a bishop, I want whatever God wants for our pastors and our churches. I am learning to
practice ministry in new ways, leaning on the collective wisdom of the body of Christ, even
more so than when I was in the local church. [Being a bishop] is more about ministry than
about meetings. It’s helping pastors lead so their lives can be filled with spiritual overflow.”

— Bishop Richard J. Wills Jr., Nashville Area

When your congregation pays the Episcopal Fund apportionment 100 percent, you help to
Photos courtesy of UMNS

ensure excellent leadership for The United Methodist Church. Thank you!

To learn more, read additional stories and order resources, go to umcgiving.org/intef0510.

7
Happy birthday, uMCOr
A ge 6, Alex surely is one of
the youngest ambassadors
for UMCOR (the United Methodist
Committee on Relief). For his April So the mother offered her son a choice for his birthday party, and he decided to ask
birthday party in Jenks, he asked for
gifts for UMCOR instead of himself.
Alex had watched TV news
reports on the earthquake in Haiti. “I
was aware he saw people who had
no homes, no water, and no medical
care,” said Alex’s mom, Katy Beck.
“He said he wanted to help people.”
She knew United Methodists
were responding to the crisis. Katy
8
coordinates missions and evangelism at Jenks-First United Methodist Church. She has
volunteered at UMCOR’s regional supply depot in Louisiana. Jenks’ United Methodist
Women annually carry out a mission project.
guests to bring items for UMCOR health kits.
“I could not be more proud of Alex,” Katy said. “He never once seemed sad about
not receiving toys at the party. For the next few weeks, anytime there was a tragedy
reported on TV, Alex would comment, ‘Look! My stuff can go help them, too.’”
The party invitations listed items needed to create the health kits. And the party
guests—Alex’s kindergarten classmates, friends from Sunday school, and neighbors—
were generous. Katy tallied the gifts. Among them: 74 washcloths, 102 bars of soap, 48
toothbrushes, 16 hand towels, 60 bandages, and cash.
Alex and his mom loaded and delivered the items to the Jenks church. And
Pastor David Karges delivered them to Oklahoma City, where the birthday gifts were
transferred to a supply truck bound for the UMCOR depot.
“I am hoping we started a trend,” Katy said. She
learned that, after attending Alex’s party, another family
collected baby formula and diapers for an agency that aids
infants and children in need in Jenks.
Alex makes a Christian difference in other personal
ways, too. On a fall Sunday at church, he eagerly
introduced himself to a visiting family. “Come get
doughnuts … You can go to Sunday school with me,” he
told a youngster, clasping the child’s hand to lead her. The
parents said no one had ever welcomed them all so warmly.
Alex is looking ahead to his seventh birthday. “Maybe
we can have food” for gifts, he told his mother, to resupply
the area’s Food Bank.—Holly McCray
One Great Hour of Sharing will
be observed April 3, 2011. The
special offering supports UMCOR,
the United Methodist Committee
on Relief that responds to people in
crisis around the world.
AB
C’s
First steps in faith

9
Message from a young Lay speaker
By Holly McCray The initial appeal was to meet other young United

T he youngest children gather around James Pollock,

19, on a Sunday morning at Hooker United Methodist
Church. He tells them that God’s kingdom is just like a football
Methodists from across the state. James had attended district
youth camps. Liz said her son also relished the ropes course; he
is a multi-sport school athlete and band member.
team. Each Christian has a different job to do, as does each James said, “I have devout faith. At church camp,
player on the Hooker High School team that includes James, a everybody accepted me, and that helps me face things every
senior. He asks the kids what they can do for God. day.” His school peers question him “a lot” about his faith, he
The Children’s Sermon is James’ favorite job as a trained said.
UM Lay Speaker. A bonus was the Lay Speakers training. Gilpin urged the
He first attended a class in Lay Speaking Ministry when, teen to take part. James reasoned, “I’m here; I might as well
as a freshman, he ventured from the Oklahoma Panhandle do it.” He met Pat Parvin, the Oklahoma Conference director of
to Lake Texoma for CYME Camp. That annual church youth Lay Speaking Ministries; “she knows what she’s talking about,”
leadership event is held at Cross Point Camp, overlooking the he said. During class, he made his first public speech.
lake on the Oklahoma-Texas border. That lengthy round-trip between Hooker and southern
James knew two certified Lay Speakers: his mother, Liz Oklahoma added fuel to the growth of a young church leader.
Pollock, and Hooker church member Gary Gilpin. Yet the class James said his mom has always been a strong Christian
was not what first snagged his interest in CYME Camp. influence in his life. “If you raise them up right as little kids …”
he paraphrased. His brothers are Curtis, 16,
and Matthew, 13.
In the Oklahoma Panhandle, James Pollock plays in the “I’m going to teach them now how I
Hooker High School Band—and seeks to keep in step with expect them to live and how God expects
Christ’s model for life. them to live,” Liz said.
Some lessons have been hard ones for
the Pollock family, which moved to Hooker
in 1992. James’ parents divorced; Liz had “no
job, no income, and three kids.” She recalled her
mother’s teaching: “When you think you have
nothing, you still have God.”
Liz held onto her faith. She secured
restaurant work. She kept praying. At a low
point, she received an anonymous card with
$50 enclosed.
God continues to provide for the family
in unexpected ways. And Liz continues to
teach her sons that “God is good, and why.”
She emphasized, “God always provides
enough—something we need, not want—in
accordance with His desires.”
Her favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah
29:11, “I know the plans I have for you …
When his parents separated, James
said, he wondered “why God would let that
happen to our family, a good family.” Today
he considers his potential relationships “more
carefully.”

10
 First steps in faith

Paws to consider
T he gifts Rose received for her 11th birthday were
purr-fect.
When the Stillwater fifth-grader began preparing
for her special day in June, she decided she didn’t need
presents. Rose Kenkel invited her tea-party guests to
bring practical gifts for Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue.
“Rose realized she had so much already,” said her
mom, Evelyn Quillen. “We talked about things she loves,
and she loves cats and kittens. Where your heart is,
there is your treasure.”
Rose said, “I am thankful for everything I have, and
I don’t want more. I love kittens, and I want to make
them happy.”
A neighbor pointed her to the cat shelter directed
by Holly Chapples. The center specializes in rescuing
the tiniest of kittens, those orphaned before they are Karel Payne. “Rose found out it’s not all just playing
weaned. Because of the high level of care required for with kittens. She cleaned a lot of cat boxes,” said Evelyn.
neonatal kittens, they are euthanized at most shelters, “She was most thrilled to bottle-feed a kitten.”
Chapples explained. The family joined Stillwater-First United Methodist
Rose and her mom talked about Jesus helping the Church in 2004. Phil Kenkel and Evelyn Quillen also
least and the forgotten. “I did the party because the have a son, Chad, who is 15. They have a variety of
kittens are forgotten and on the bottom of the list from pets: fish, frogs, a gecko, two dogs, and “our recycled
people. They need help,” Rose said. Party-goers donated cat Timera.” Perhaps big brother provided a model for
food, toys, and cat litter. Rose’s effort. On some birthdays, Chad has opted to ask
Before the party, mom and daughter also for gifts of food for people and supplies for dogs.
volunteered at Tiny Paws, along with church friend —Holly McCray

James works part-time in Guymon and looks ahead to He also has filled the pulpit at Hooker and other
college and a career teaching math and coaching. He has Panhandle churches. But he names working with children as
returned to CYME Camp and remains connected to friendships his most rewarding role among the many layers of leadership
formed there. He, too, names a favorite Scripture: “I can do all as a Lay Speaker. James even helped with a regional camp for
things through Christ …” (Philippians 4:13). children, ages 5-12, from Amarillo, Texas.
“I don’t want Him to feel He has to help me. I want to do on “Little kids—they’re always watching you,” he said. “I feel
my own for Him,” James said, “but if I can’t handle something, I’m teaching them something I know” through the Children’s
He’s there for me.” Sermon.
The Hooker church family also has empowered James for His brothers certainly are following James’ example.
Christian leadership. Worship attendance there is about 100. A Curtis attended Woodward District Lay Speakers training in
church spaghetti luncheon raised funds for James to take part August. And Matthew “can’t wait until he can be big enough to
in the Conference’s UN/DC Youth Tour in 2009. James returned do the Children’s Sermon,” said their mother.
with knowledge about global poverty, and shared with his peers.
11
 Joy Block-Wright stands with young participants in Redemption Kids, an
Oklahoma United Methodist ministry with children of incarcerated parents.

unlocking God’s love

Ministry nurtures children of inmates

By Barbara Dunlap-Berg Her time behind bars, Block-Wright said, had been a wake-

J oy Block-Wright spent 18 months in federal prison for

forgery. During her incarceration, her children lived
with their grandparents.
up call. She had attended a United Methodist church in Tulsa,
so she thought church involvement would be a good opportunity
“to start building my life back again.”
“When you’re incarcerated,” she recalled, “the whole time She heard of Redemption Kids, a ministry for children
you’re there, every day, all your thoughts are about your and youths, ages 6 to 18, whose parents are incarcerated.
children. I’ve always had Christ in my life, but I backslid very The Oklahoma City program is an outreach of Penn Avenue
badly.” Redemption United Methodist Church, a congregation
When Block-Wright was released from prison, she and partnered with CJAMM that for 15 years has supported
her children went to live at Exodus House in Oklahoma City, inmates and their families.
a re-entry program sponsored by Criminal Justice & Mercy Each week a van picks up more than 150 inmates
Ministries (CJAMM) of the Oklahoma Conference. Having for worship and classes at Redemption Church. And the
Anthony and Antonia with her in an apartment “was exactly Redemption Kids program, along with the summer New Day
what I wanted and needed to keep me grounded,” she said. camps, reaches out to prisoners’ children.

12
 First steps in faith
Block-Wright felt God’s nudge to help others in similar Oklahoma statistics indicate that half of the children of
situations. incarcerated parents also end up in prison. Pastor Steve Byrd
“I wanted to give back in some way, and God put it on my said Redemption Church is working to counteract that outcome.
heart to start visiting in the youth department.” When the Teenager Equandre Wofford spent several years as a
Redemption Church youth director left, Block-Wright was Redemption Kids participant. Today he is a leader.
invited to take the position. Both of his parents were incarcerated. He wished they had
She said, “I was more than happy” to direct Redemption considered the consequences of their behavior, especially how it
Kids. (She later moved to Tulsa for a new job.) might affect their children. Wofford warns his brother against
“I’ve always had a heart for children. I worked with the criminal activity: “That’s going to get you killed, locked up,
youth program at Wesley United Methodist Church in Tulsa. dead somewhere. Somebody (is) going to throw you away.”
That’s my gift—to be able to work with children. But I can’t Rev. Byrd echoes the importance of early intervention.
even explain the emotions when you’re away from them.” “Systemic incarceration is a real problem,” he said. “That
Twelve-year-old Anthony thrived in Redemption Kids. means two and three generations are in prison. We’re always
“It’s helped me stay out of trouble,” he said. “I hear a lot optimistic that if we can show (children and youth) some
of stories from these inmates. I don’t want to talk to somebody alternative lifestyle, some alternative decision-making skills,
that doesn’t know what I’m going through. Some kids want to then perhaps they don’t have to be one of those statistics.”
be cool. But doing stuff like drugs or stealing or anything like Block-Wright said, “I want them to follow God first. That’s
that, that’s not cool.” number one because that’s going to be their strength, always,
Along with fun things like liturgical mime dancing, in life.”
Antonia, 10, said Redemption Kids teaches life lessons. “I
like the church,” she said. “I want to follow in (the leaders’)
(United Methodist News Service, September 2010. Dunlap-Berg writes for United
footsteps, and I won’t go to prison.” Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.)

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13
 Photos by Michael Huff
Hungry to help
Loaves-and-fish story begins with boy
John Anderson and son David

J ohn Anderson was losing sleep. During dinner one

evening, son David had asked his parents about
helping hungry people.
find a way for you to have it. I think he knew all along what
was supposed to take place.”
Faith in action is important to the Andersons. “My wife
OK, they had assured the 6-year-old. They assumed and I feel very strongly for mission outreach. We find the
“Davo” remembered a past time when the Andersons helped means to help out,” John said.
supply a Christmas feast for another Ada family. We’ll find Their children Grace, Matthew, and David receive
another family to help this Christmas, the father had decided. allowance money and allocate it as Save, Spend, and Give.
But then the boy had visited in Madill with They participate in the church offering.
grandparents—and returned with an unexpected $40. He had “They know where Give goes,” their father said. “They
given it to his parents and said the money was to be used to know it’s God’s money.”
feed people. David took full part in Davo’s Christmas Dinner—“as
And now John could not sleep soundly. much as a 6-year-old can,” his father said.
Something was interrupting his rest several times a “He came to meetings. I always kept him informed of
night, waking him on multiple nights. “It was like someone what was going on. He was there on Christmas Day—he was
was talking to me,” John said. “For me to be woken up, to helping pass out desserts, not chopping onions!”
sit up straight in bed and ask what are you saying…” He is —Holly McCray
confident God was speaking to him.
Finally he told his wife, Kiah. “She said maybe we should
feed some people.” She urged him to talk with their pastors at
First United Methodist Church in Ada.
The church acted. Other people from other churches
joined the unprecedented effort. On Christmas Day 2009, at
least 500 people in Ada were fed “the way we eat a Christmas
dinner—no frozen, pre-sliced meat,” John said.
Oklahomans will remember a blizzard struck the state
that holiday. “I know a family of four walked a few miles just
to come and get something to eat,” John recalled.
The church planned to feed 1,500 people on Christmas
Day 2010.
And all because of a child. David helps create a
Emotion welling, John struggles to speak. “His heart is a Christmas welcome
very tender heart. If you asked David for anything, he would sign at Ada-First UMC.

14
 The Black College Fund Lina H. McCord Ambassadors
Preaching, Teaching, Learning
Making a Difference

Jessica B
aker, Gradu artt Sears, The Rev. Darlene Mo
Claflin Uni ate, The Rev. Denise Sm ore, Graduate,
versity Dil lar d Un iversity Dillard University
Graduate,

Education Empowerment Excellence

“Before I joined the Claflin family, I was
very shy and allowed others to make
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“Dillard’s small, family-like community
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at Dillard broadened my perspective of
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challenging me all the way.”
“My academic advisor and my
professors, taught me that to be a good
leader means to be a good listener,
hardworking student and selective
follower. My education prepared me to
be a leader in the church.”

- Jessica Baker - The Rev. Denise Smartt Sears - The Rev. Darlene Moore
Assistant Youth Leader, Senior Pastor, Senior Pastor,
Trinity UMC, Orangeburg. S.C. New Rochelle (N.Y.) UMC Camphor Memorial UMC, Baton Rouge, La

The Black College Fund Schools:

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Learn More:
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The United Methodist Church
bcfumc@gbhem.org (e-mail)
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For free resources to promote the Black College Fund, visit www.umcgiving.org/bcf
 Photos by Bonnie G. Vculek

Visits with grandpa and grandma

Nursing home houses preschool program

By Robert Barron the Inasmuch Foundation,” said Amber Fitzgerald, public

A n uncommon mixture seems to be working well in

Enid, where a school program for 4-year-olds is taking
place at The Commons, a United Methodist-related nursing
information director for Enid schools.
Nursing home residents come to the preschool classroom
and volunteer their time to help students learn. They assist
home. Both the children and the residents are experiencing love with reading and small-group instruction. They play games
from people outside their families, making a richer life for all. together and share stories. A group of students also regularly
“With all the benefits of the program, including an Enid visits residents unable to come to the classroom.
Public Schools Every school morning, the students gather in the lobby of
teacher, The Commons and parade to their classroom. Their “grandma
this unique and grandpa” friends often meet them to say good morning. The
collaboration children’s playground, positioned in the building’s courtyard, is
allows visible from the dining room, so residents at lunch can watch
students to the students at play. And the preschool classroom shares a
have ‘grandma windowed wall with the seniors’ activity room.
and grandpa’ The Commons hosted a Halloween carnival for the
buddies. The students and their families, and the children and residents
program is have performed together in two holiday concerts.
made possible The seniors have found additional ways to enrich the lives
through a of the preschoolers. They provide goody bags of activities to
partnership sick children who have to miss school. They help make school
that includes lessons extra-special; as an example, they made gelatin molds
Enid Schools, for students when the children were learning about shapes.
Smart Start Brenda Reinschmiedt, who teaches 21 students in two half-
of Northwest day classes, said the children work well with the older people.
Oklahoma, “They listen to the grandmas and grandpas, pay attention and
The Commons respect what they tell them,” she said. At The Commons, the
Retirement older generation is being given another chance to pass along its
Center, and wisdom.
16
 First steps in faith
The program hopes to develop empathy, consideration, and from grandparents, those parents like having the program
caring for others by showing the students what other people are at the retirement home, Rev. Edmisson said. They welcome
like. Some of the residents are in wheelchairs; some use oxygen the opportunity for their children to associate with the older
tanks. Reinschmiedt said the students are learning compassion. generation.
“It’s working great. They go visit daily and, everywhere She said the program also creates a better life for the
they walk, they see smiles. The residents love to see the kids,” residents. Some have no one to visit them, and they especially love
she said. the companionship when the children are there, Edmisson said.
Ten years ago, a similar preschool program began in Jenks, When the children’s choir sings, residents often gather and sing
and one operates in Kansas. In Enid, the Greenbriar Nursing with them. Sometimes hymns from their childhood remain in
Home also hosts a program. their minds when other words fail.
“There should be one in every nursing home,” Reinschmiedt “I see real joy in the adults as they wait for the kids to
said. come out of the classroom and during their exercise time, music,
The effect on the retirement home residents has been and parties together,” she said.
profound, she said. One woman never left her room until the Julie Torson, recreation director at The Commons, seeks to
children started visiting her. At the next birthday party for a meet residents’ spiritual needs by scheduling Bible studies and
student, she asked if she could attend. worship services. She also started a Commons Chorus for the
“The program is successful. When the grandmas and residents who want to sing.
grandpas are here, the kids get one-on-one attention while they She recently purchased a karaoke machine, programmed
are playing reading or math games,” Reinschmiedt said. with hundreds of hymns. “Singing gives them a spiritual
Gail Edmisson, the United Methodist chaplain at The connection,” she said.
Commons, said both residents and students benefit spiritually Torson added, “Performance is good for the seniors because
and emotionally. The children gain confidence and learn to deal it keeps them sharp.”
with other generations. “These grandparents are stability to the kids,” Torson said.
“Our culture depends on the older people passing it on to “They see the same ones all the time. If a kid has an unstable
the younger generations,” Edmisson said. home life, they find stability.”
Vance Air Force Base is located at Enid, and many military
(Robert Barron attends Willow View UMC and is a reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.)
families live in the city. Because they are usually far away

A resident of The Commons,

in Enid, helps a preschooler
practice the number “3.”

17
Heart language unites
multicultural youths
By Holly McCray
O nce upon a time, two churches struggled to develop
relevant youth ministries in the same Oklahoma town.
A mere three young people, two of them siblings, attended
Heavener’s Hispanic United Methodist Church. At Heavener’s
First UMC, the total membership was only five.
18
At the Hispanic church, Eunice Alba wanted more for
the young trio. She had treasured her days as a youth group
member. She had learned a lot and found Christian love and
caring therein.
“That pushed me to help these kids grow in their faith,” she
said. “I wanted an opportunity for them to have fun and learn
with kids of their age and the same beliefs. I kept saying we need
to do something with our youth or we are going to lose them.”
Yet the youngsters complained; they already saw each
other “all the time.”
Then Alba, wife of Hispanic pastor Obed Alba, and Pam
Cottrill, pastor at First Church, talked about working together.
The result: a story with a happy ending. The combined
youth group even won the “It Worked for Us” award from the
Oklahoma Conference Board of Laity in 2010.
On Sunday evenings, 13-17 young people regularly gather
in the upstairs youth room at First Church, which has the
larger space. The room includes game tables and three couches.
Adult leader Leslea Abshire happily declared, “Sometimes we’re
too full. We may actually have to buy another couch!”
The group ranges from sixth-graders to seniors, from five
school districts. Special events have drawn 25-35 students.
Three adults—Alba, from the Hispanic congregation, and
sisters Stephanie Shadwick and Abshire, from First Church—
volunteer as leaders, and teaching responsibilities rotate every
six weeks. The women said they received valuable training
through the Oklahoma Conference Youth Workers Academy.
“It helped get momentum going in the youth group to have
numbers,” said Rev. Cottrill.
Alba said, “Some of them are shy. By getting involved with
other kids, they are more open. It’s a big opportunity to know
some new things.”
 First steps in faith

“The group has grown; that’s a joy,” Abshire said, “and we Church, at 1 p.m. for the Hispanic congregation, and then eat
still have some we started with. They’re staying!” together.
Ethnicity and language seem immaterial in the youth Alba said Maite Vazquez, 15, from the Hispanic church,
group. Initially, leaders helped students connect through preached at both Heavener-First and Hogdon UMC.
icebreakers during mealtimes. Youths ate at one large table “For her, it was a neat experience. She’s not an expert, but
and, each week, sorted their seating according to a different she tried hard. She said she was glad to try to explain about her
standard: height, shoe size, middle initial, favorite color, etc. faith to others,” Alba said.
As at school, English is spoken in the group. When The combined youth group has spurred other ministries,
needed, Alba is the primary translator. But Abshire assists; too, reported Cottrill. Other age groups now meet also on
she draws from two years of college Spanish classes and past Sunday nights. Among them is a combined children’s class,
work experience, including 11 years of courthouse employment, taught by her. And a combined Confirmation Class was being
which included translation duties. planned for 2011.
The Anglo youths are learning some Spanish, too. Alba
said, “They keep asking how do you say this and that.”
By pooling resources, the group has recruited a full team
from Heavener to take part in Youth Force three times, Cottrill
said. Heavener has even co-hosted the summer mission service
program.
“You have to go to meetings the first day; learn safety rules,
how to treat your tools and your homeowners. It’s classes and
it’s wearing on the kids. It’s not what they come to do,” Abshire
said.
Attending Youth Force for the first time, one Hispanic
youth said the first day was boring.
Abshire countered, “Give me until tomorrow.” Soon the boy
was saying, “Ya’ll were right. I want to do this every year from
now on.”
Abshire said, “We’re planting seeds. Look how we planted
seeds in Youth Force, and they grew fast. That’s why we keep
doing this.”
Leadership and discipleship growth also are visible on A holiday lights tour dazzles members of the combined youth
Youth Sunday. The young people lead at 11 a.m. in First group from Heavener-First and Heavener Hispanic Churches.
19
Doors open to safe wonderland
By Holly McCray which was being used infrequently. Perhaps the church could

T he large, concrete-block building sits anonymously on

a corner lot in Morrison. The only allusion to what’s
inside is a small but bright-blue sign on one door.
sponsor a youth activity night there once a week.
The church embraced the opportunity. How long to get
something going?
Every Friday night, doors open to reveal an extensive March 8, 2008, was opening night. Pool and ping-pong tables,
playscape, where the fun quotient should appeal to any school- electronic and board games beckoned.
age child or youth. C.R. told his wife, “If we have 10 or 12 kids, we’re probably
Welcome to Funny Farm Youth Recreation Center, off to a pretty good start.” That night they handed out red “charter
established by Morrison United Methodist Church. Since member” T-shirts to 25 young people and nine adult volunteers.
opening day in 2008, the center has served 932 distinct In March 2010, there were 137 children/youths and 36 adults,
youngsters, C.R. Frank reported in late October. including 24 adult volunteers, celebrating the program’s second
The population of Morrison is 636. anniversary. (And the commemorative T-shirts were lime green.)
A church council discussion triggered action that led to On a football night last fall, attendance was 71 youngsters and 14
the creation of Funny Farm. Morrison’s size limited social adults.
opportunities for youths, the council mourned in January 2008. “This has turned out to be more of a ministry than I ever
Young people often traveled to Stillwater, 15 miles to the south, thought could be possible,” C.R. said.
for movies, bowling, etc. Expenses could add up quickly. But “God has had a hand in it all the way,” said Reta. “It would
what could they do in tiny Morrison? not have been the success it has if it was not meant to be.”
The question vexed C.R., a former teacher. His uncle, a Funny Farm Youth Recreation Center operates from 7 to 11 p.m.
pastor, founded the Morrison church. every Friday. The lament I’m bored collapses utterly when you cross
When the council met a month later, C.R. pitched an idea. the threshold. An abundance of activities beckons—add basketball,
He and his wife, Reta, manage the nonprofit community center, karaoke, DVD movies, foosball, UNO, Guitar Hero and, yes, more
20

to those named earlier in this story. Door
prizes are awarded throughout the evening.
Low-cost snacks are available. Admission
is $2.
Arron Grantz became the pastor at
Morrison UMC in June. When he first
walked into Funny Farm, “probably 110 to other donors—within the church,
kids were there,” he said.
“My kids were immediately
welcomed by the others; they weren’t
treated as outsiders. There’s lots of
activities and hugging and laughing
going on. I call them all—even the kids—
people of Jesus’ heart.”
He continued, “Kids have a place
to go that’s safe and welcomes them in
without prejudice.”
The bedrock for that welcome is
the Franks, who are in their 60s. They among the supporters.
serve joyfully “for the kids,” decorating
generously and carefully prepping the
center, personally welcoming youngsters
and volunteers, announcing prize
winners, tweaking game equipment. They
arrive early and may not get home until
midnight.
Both of them work full-time in
Stillwater, too. In October, their blended up,” C.R. said.
family totaled seven adult children,
18 grandchildren, and six great-
grandchildren. They have been married
21 years.
The extent of the couple’s
dedication to the youth program is
clearly documented in one section of the
building: furnishings for movie-watching
came from their living room.
But the Franks deflect any praise
the community, and beyond. Almost
every item in the building has been
donated, and givers are honored
by commemorative tags and signs
throughout the center. The local
Ministerial Alliance gave the center’s
first Wii game unit. The Morrison
United Methodist Women’s Thrift Shop
provides some door prizes. A business
foundation donated $2,500 last year. The adults certainly model Christian
Civic clubs and other churches are
C.R. also points out the list of After C.R. supervised one apology, the
volunteers, most from the United
Methodist church. Various pastors have
led special prayers.
Everyone signs in and out at the boy agreed. On the next Friday night, the
entrance. Beside the sign-in sheets is
a small stack of New Testament Bibles.
“Usually two or three a week get picked
The youngsters themselves provide
the biggest Christian witness on Friday
nights. Interaction with their peers
seems to trump the plethora of games.
First steps in faith
“I’ve had 12 teenagers playing board
games, all at the same time, even with all
the electronic games in here,” C.R. noted.
“Actions speak louder than words,”
Reta said. Rules are posted, and respect
is required. “The older kids are so good
with the little kids. I’ve seen them lift the
little kids up to score a basket.”
One child was noticeably reserved,
Reta said. Learning the girl had autism,
“other kids looked out for her. She
didn’t have to stay home because of her
disability while her brothers and sisters
were there.” C.R. recalled a group of girls
comforting a crying foster child whose
mother had died.
caring, too—even when mediating the
predictable squabbles.
offender wanted a soda. But the boy had no
money. C.R. suggested 30 minutes serving
concessions in exchange for the drink. The
boy offered to work again in the snack
stand, to earn a Funny Farm T-shirt.
“He hustled for an hour, got his
T-shirt, put it right on, and went back out
to play,” C.R. said. “He’s been no problem
since then. He still offers to help.”
“Kids are not perfect,” Reta
commented, “but they need to be loved.”
Friendship and fun fill the youth
recreation center at Morrison
every Friday night, because United
Methodists wanted to help kids.
21

Parenthood revisited
Native American grandparents embrace return to role
By Paul Jeffrey
J osephine Deere was attending the 2002 United
Methodist Women’s Assembly in Philadelphia, Pa.,
when her husband Jerry called from their home in Muskogee
and left a message.
“I called him, and he said we’d been given a baby,”
Josephine said. “When I got home from Assembly, there was a
4-day-old baby waiting for me.”
It had been more than a decade since the Native American
couple had a child at home. But when Creek tribal authorities
decided the newborn couldn’t return to his home, the parents
looked to the grandparents for help. The Deeres accepted
without hesitation.
“There’s no question about taking in your family,” said
Josephine, director of interpretation and programs for the
Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
“With Native people, it’s like that. Your family will be there
if you need them. They’ll be there for you. It’s part of our DNA.”
It’s increasingly common in the United States for
22
Josephine Deere and Jacoby play chess.
grandparents to raise their grandchildren. According to a
U.S. Census report, in 1970 some 2.2 million children lived
in grandparent-headed households. By 1997 the number had
risen to almost 5.5 million, or some 7.7 percent of all children
in the United States. With the economic crisis of recent years,
estimates today place the total at more than 6 million children.
Raising Jacoby, now 8 years old, has been a learning
experience for the Deeres, who now live in Norman.
“I realize now what a father often misses out on: seeing
their child grow up and make progress through the years,”
said Jerry, who didn’t get to see much of a daughter from a
previous marriage after he and the mother divorced when the
child was 2.
“I wish all fathers could experience what I’m living today.
Today I’m taking Jacoby to school and picking him up. It means
even more to me now that I know what I missed in the past.
“I’ve learned that a father can be with a child from
morning to evening, doing activities. He keeps me on my toes
all day long, but I’m blessed to be with him.”
 First steps in faith
Josephine Deere’s first husband died, leaving her with neither one of us can speak our language. We know words, but
four children, so she had plenty of child-rearing experience. we can’t converse.”
That, she said, has given her much more patience this time. They have taught Jacoby a few Creek words. At times he
“Having raised four kids, I knew about the ‘terrible twos’ sings a Creek lullaby that Josephine sang to him when he was
and everything else, and I was able to put up with more from younger.
him,” she said. “If my other children had behaved like Jacoby,
(Reprinted with permission from Response, the official magazine of United Methodist
I would have spanked them and put them to bed. With Jacoby Women. Rev. Paul Jeffrey is a missionary and Response senior correspondent.)
I’m more tolerant.”
Jacoby, now legally adopted, doesn’t consider the couple
his grandparents. They are his parents, Mommy and Daddy.
As a toddler, Jacoby once got separated from them
in a large store. Jerry tracked him down in the game
section with a store employee who’d found him. Asked by
the employee if Jerry was his grandfather, Jacoby simply
answered, “No,” not elaborating further.
The Deeres are raising Jacoby within the religious
framework of their own lives. “The church gives us stability
and helps keep us together, and we’re raising him in the
environment we were raised in,” Josephine said.
“Every Sunday he knows he’s going to church. Every
other Sunday we go to a church I pastor. He’s always ready
to go. The church I serve is a little bitty church, way out in
the country, and Jacoby takes the offering. He knows the
routine so well that he reminds me if I forget something.”

Photos by Paul Jeffrey

The couple also is raising Jacoby to be a proud member
of the Creek people. “He knows he’s Indian,” Josephine
said. “When we go to church, we sing our tribal hymns. We
don’t pound it into him. It’s just part of our culture, part of
who we are. Unfortunately, part of that—our language—is
getting lost. Our parents talked Creek all the time, but Jerry Deere and young Jacoby go for a ride.

• Listen to Josephine Deere sing Jacoby a Creek lullaby at:

http://www.kairosphotos.com/response/deeresong.mp3

• In 2011, Native American Ministries Sunday is May 15.

AB
• The Oklahoma Conference and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary
Conference form the Oklahoma Area of The United Methodist
Church. Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. leads both groups.

C’s
23
 United Methodist Seminaries
and the Ministerial Education Fund
Preparing Men and Women for Effective Ministry
The men and women supported by the Ministerial Education Fund—learners, leaders and servants—are the
future of The United Methodist Church.
They will follow the people to the concrete corners of the city, to crowded villages in lands afar, to rural pastures
of the countryside. They will serve churches large and small, traditional and contemporary, newly born and
reborn. They will preach to the immigrant, the imprisoned, the young, the old, the learned and the lost.
No place will be beyond their reach, no cause beyond their concern, and no person beyond their compassion.

To learn more about the work of the Ministerial Education Fund, visit www.umcgiving.org or contact:
Division of Ordained Ministry, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, P.O. Box 340007,
Nashville, TN 37203-0007, dom@gbhem.org or www.gbhem.org.
• Boston University School of Theology, Boston, Mass. • Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. • Claremont School of Theology,
Claremont, Calif. • Drew University, The Theological School, Madison, N.J. • Duke University, The Divinity School, Durham, N.C. • Gammon Theological
Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Ga. • Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill. • Iliff School of Theology,
Denver, Colo. • Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware, Ohio • Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
• Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo. • United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio • Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C.

a pattern for living
Quilters connect with teens
A new generation is finding
value in an age-old
homespun craft. Young people are
sewing alongside longtime quilters
in a class that pairs Chouteau
United Methodist Church and
Pryor Alternative School.
Sabrina Montgomery’s sewing
experience was minimal—minor
clothing repairs—before she joined
the Monday afternoon class, launched
last spring. The group collectively
completed three “nine-patch”
quilts, and Montgomery made an
additional one for a family member.
At semester’s end, she organized a
cookout at the school to honor the
quilting guild that mentored the
teens. Seven women of the Chouteau
Community Piecemakers attended,
as well as the school superintendent.
Now a high-school graduate,
Montgomery continues to use
her sewing skills. She made
quilts as Christmas gifts. She
plans a career as a nurse.
“It builds your self-esteem to
know you have something you
can work on that other people
can’t do,” said Montgomery, 19.
By joining forces, students from Pryor and quilters at Chouteau UMC made three quilts for nursing home residents.
First steps in faith
Guild members and teens, including three boys, worked together. “Everybody
seemed to enjoy it, to get into it, even the boys,” Montgomery said. “It was really fun.”
She treasures her friendship formed with one of the oldest women. “She
was always by my side and would help me if I needed it, with anything.”
Donita Smith is the counselor at Pryor Alternative School and attends
Chouteau UMC. “The one-on-one these ladies spent, the patience and
kindness they had” affected the students, she said. “It’s more than making
the quilts. They looked at them like normal kids with potential.”
“They didn’t judge,” agreed Montgomery, a working mother.
Leadership and community service are part of the school’s curriculum. The
quilting class is an option for students with passing grades. Smith said one teen
quickly caught up on weeks of schoolwork to attend the class in Fall 2010.
Church member Donna Goble is a founding member of Piecemakers. She
and Smith pooled their ideas to establish the class. Donations, from fabric to
sewing machines, were received from people in both Chouteau and Pryor.
Goble said the quilting guild has met for years at the church and
draws members from the wider community. The women always give away
their creations, sewn collectively. Pastor Bill Buttram said recipients
have been people confined to home, chronically ill, and fire victims, among
others. Before the gifts are given, they are prayerfully dedicated.
Goble said, “We’re all older, and we have not really been around young people,
but they seem to want to talk, and they’re willing to learn. All the women are
so enthused about it. The kids do such a good job. They’re really interested.”
Students delivered the quilts made in spring to nursing home residents in Pryor.
“Here I am, 81 years old, with grandchildren and one great-grandson,” Goble
said. “I think about the things I’ve done for them. I taught my grandchildren
to sew. I relate to these kids like I would to my own grandchildren.”
She continued, “It speaks well for our church that we can all meet and do
something for the good. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”—Holly McCray
25
26
Pray it forward
By Kristin E. Van Nort to look for ways to give to

N ancy Lombard calls

her husband Elvan a
medical miracle. Sixteen years
express their gratitude,
and the church seemed the
natural place to do that.
have passed since he was told he Elvan and Nancy,
had only a few months to live. longtime United Methodists,
Elvan’s hospital stays, attend United Methodist
treatments, and numerous Church of the Servant
medications once were his in Oklahoma City and are former members of Grace UMC, also in Oklahoma City.
way of life. He suffered from Over the years, Elvan has taught youth and children’s Sunday school, always
kidney disease, Hepatitis B, committed to give of his time and talents. Nancy has found she loves women’s ministries.
and a failing liver. Then Elvan Elvan and Nancy wanted to help with church facility upkeep needs and
received a new kidney and liver decided to set up a fund to support building maintenance. With help from
through a double transplant the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, they created an endowment
in 2003 at the University of that will be funded through a tithe of their estate after their deaths.
Minnesota in Minneapolis. Elvan and Nancy recently have updated their wills and also changed their
With renewed will to endowment. Now the fund will support summer youth camp scholarships and
live and through advances college scholarships for “B” students, in addition to Church of the Servant.
in medicine, Elvan “B-average students are great students, too,” says
overcame ill health. Elvan. “They just may not be at the top of their class.”
“I told God I wasn’t finished “A ‘B’ student may have a gift to give; they may not test well but, like
with him yet,” Nancy jokes. the ‘A’ students, are very deserving of scholarships,” says Nancy.
“There were people all over the “We also thought it was important to include summer camp scholarships,” she
world praying for Elvan, and we continued. “I don’t ever want to see a kid not fit in, and camps mean a lot to kids.”
believe in the power of prayer.” Elvan is also passionate about youth camps. He recalled attending summer
During that time, Elvan church camps at Turner Falls during his time as a member of MYF (Methodist
and Nancy’s lives were forever Youth Fellowship). Those summer programs made a large impact on him during
changed by the prayers and adolescence, and he hopes other children have the same opportunities.
faithfulness of people, many When setting up the endowment, the Lombards were very clear on
they will never know or meet. one point: their fund will not last forever. They want current needs to be
Each of these individuals met with their fund, and they encourage younger families to take the lead
left a permanent mark on in establishing their own endowment funds when they are older.
their hearts and lives. At the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, we will work with you to make sure
“We have been very blessed your giving desires and passions are carried
and given more than we could through. Whether you want your fund to
ever give back,” Elvan and last forever or for a definite number of
Nancy both say. They want to years, to support one or various ministries
share that blessing with others. and causes, we will honor your wishes.
Many times during Elvan’s For more information about including
illnesses, the Lombards were your church or a
not sure he would survive United Methodist 4201 Classen Boulevard
beyond a few weeks. However, cause in your will, Oklahoma City, OK 73118
after his transplant they began call the Foundation. (405)525-6863; 1-(800)259-6863

27
 the
Answer
Call
Council on Ministries NON-PROFIT ORG.
Oklahoma Conference United Methodist Church U.S. POSTAGE PAID
DALLAS TX
1501 N.W. 24th St. UMR COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Oklahoma City, OK 73106