contact august 20, 2010

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Contact, an edition ofThe United Methodist ReporterTwo Sections, Section A 039000 Volume 157, Number 16 August 20, 2010

THE OKLAHOMA UNITED METHODIST

www.okumc.org

The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500) is published weekly by UMR Communications, 1221 Prot Drive, Dallas, TX 75247. Periodicals Postage Paid at Dallas.

Postmaster: Send address changes to The United Methodist Reporter, PO Box 660275, Dallas, TX 75266-0275.

n OCU renames dorm, 2An New scouting coordinator, 7A

Two new awards hang at theChurchs headquarters in Oklaho-ma City. Thats a suitable central location

for mission honors that deserve wall space

in the home of every Oklahoma United

Methodist. You certainly have made space

for mission in your hearts.

Those plaques prove the point. They

say thank-you from the Advance, the

denominations ministry of second-mile,

designated giving to mission projects and

missionaries throughout the world.

Mission for Oklahomans has many

facets, of which the Advance is one. A few

more also are sampled in this issue ofCon-

tact; specically, works in Bolivia, Liberia,

Russia and McAlester and Oklahoma

City.

And a brand-new Oklahoma Confer-

ence mission award can claim wall space

in your church. This is the inaugural year

for The All-Star Church Recognitions

and Awards Program. It is sponsored by

the Mission & Service Ministry Team.

The rst honorees will be named at the

2011 Annual Conference. Details online:

www.okumc.org/All_Star.

For more information about mission

resources and education, contact Karen

Distefano of Bartlesville, Conference sec-

retary of global ministries, 918-336-0351,

[email protected].

By the way, the two Advance awards

thank the Oklahoma Conference for:

n The highest church participation in

designated giving in 2009 in The United

Methodist Church; and

n The highest total amount of mission-

ary support and highest church participa-

tion in 2009 the South Central Jurisdiction

of The United Methodist Church.

Holly McCray

Mission possible

MISSION FROM RUSSIAAt OKC-St. Andrews, two Oklahoma youngsters join

a Praise Team from Resurrection UMC, Voronezh, Russia, for a humorous musi-

cal skit during a concert in late June. As directed, Kevin Glover is pinching the

nose of the teams music director while the man sings. During its U.S. tour, the

Russian ensemble visited ve Oklahoma UM churches: Tulsa-Christ, Ardmore-First, Edmond-New Covenant, Enid-First, and St. Andrews. Resurrection receives

mission support from churches in this state. Story about Pastor Irina Mitinas

transformation from atheism, Page 8A.

Photos by Holly McCray

GIFTS FROM BOLIVIAN

CHILDRENGreeting cards

surround Cathy Childers,

left, and Ardell Graner during

a mission program in July

at OKC-Chapel Hill . Young

Methodists in Bolivia created

the cards as gifts for Graner,

a UM missionary, to deliver

as she visited Oklahoma

churches this summer.

Childers is from Yukons

Church of the Good Shep-

herd. A mission covenant

connects Oklahomans and

Bolivians, Page 5A.

GLOBAL RITUALIn Liberia, clergy wait to be ordained during the 2010 Annual

Conference in their nation. They provide their own red stoles for the ceremony.

A mission team of eight Oklahomans, including Bishop Hayes, served in Liberia

earlier this year, and one-half of the 2009 Oklahoma Annual Conference Offering

was donated to support the Church there. Bishop Hayes was guest preacher for

that Annual Conference. Interview with our bishop, Page 4A.

Photo by Bob Hayes
http://www.okumc.org/http://www.okumc.org/Allmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.okumc.org/Allhttp://www.okumc.org/


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http://www.okumc.org/registrations/register/4mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.okumc.org/mailto:[email protected]


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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact Aug. 20, 2010

Bishop Hayes

Page 3A

Strength for the journey: Ideas and thoughts from our bishop

Back to work we go!Why do you spend your money for that which is not

bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen,and Ill tell you where to get good food that fattens up the

soul! Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the

life of your soul is at stake (Isaiah 55:2-3a).

By BISHOP ROBERT HAYES JR.

As I glance at my calendar today, I realize another

summer of lofty plans is fading

quickly, gone before those plans

had a chance to bloom. What became of the

day-long shing trips I meant to take? And I see

on a shelf those ve books I had hoped to read.

Where did the time go? I had such goodexpectations for carefree moments this season.

Looking at my calendar today, I feel a sense

of loss and, yes, I am even glum about the

workweeks to come.

Sometimes we dread returning to the famil-

iar tasks that await us. Perhaps sometimes you

ask yourself, as I do, questions such as these.

Is there anything that can ease the pain or

numbness when I dont feel like returning yet

again to those tasks?

Is there any word that can give my weary soul a li ft?

Yes, there is such a word for today. In the Bible I nd theencouragement I need at such a time. I commend the words

to you also.

That word comes from the pages of one of the greatest

prophets of the Old TestamentIsaiah. This man of God

discovered a great truth when he observed how we get spiri-

tually tired and depleted in our daily tasks.

When we work for the food that does not ll us up, and we

labor for that which does not satisfy us, we are working for allthe wrong reasons. Life is more than food and money. If there

is no point, no meaning, and no direction to our labor, then we

are caught in an endless cycle; our efforts lead us nowhere.

Isaiah found there is a direct correlation between God and

how we spend our time and what we do for a living. Unless

we bring God into our daily routines, regardless of what we

do, nothing will be accomplished.

We commit a grievous error if we conne

God to our sanctuaries and houses of worship,

thinking God is only interested in matters of

the spirit.

God is a working God! After six days oflabor, God had designed a world that must be

cared for and looked after, and that is where

we come in!

Read Gods great commissions and revela-

tions in the Bible. God was made known to the

working people of that daythe shepherds, the

farmers, the soldiers, the shermen, and tax

collectors of that time. In fact, Gods greatest

commission was given to a carpenter!

God still is made known today through our labor. God

comes to us in our elds and factories, schools and shops,

homes and ofceswherever we toil and work. Accordingto the writer Elton Trueblood: God may care more about

factories and ofces than about church buildings, because

more people are in them more of the time.

It is unthinkable that God would care little or nothing

about that which occupies most of your days time and at-

tention.

There should be no conict at all between your vocation

and your allegiance to God. Today I urge you to see that what-ever work you doas long as it is honorable and construc-

tivecan be viewed as ministry. For if you are performing

your job with the God-given talents and energies endowed

by your Creator, then you are at work in Gods vineyard.

Every Christian should know, with the deepest conviction,

that the work in which you are engaged is Gods purposeful

will for your life. We are partners with God in those now-

dear familiar tasks, and what an exciting perspective it is to

see ourselves laboring alongside God in the creative works

of earth!

Picture yourself as a laborer with God, giving your best,

and you will realize the holy purpose and meaning of yourwork. You will see what you do as benecial not only to hu-

mankind, but also in cooperation with the Divine scheme of

the universe. Thus the work that you perform will be known

truly as work done unto Christ (Ephesians 6:5)and the

attitude and aptitude that follow will enable you to become

procient and proud in your vocation.

Isaiah reminds me that my routine work is lled every day

with holy purpose. I will follow his advice because, when I

sense Gods presence, my weariness leaves me and I again

take up my work, with a renewed sense of the splendor in

ordinary living, and with a renewed conviction that God is

with me every day of the week.Here, then, is the cure for the fatigue and boredom of

routine labor: Understand that whatever you do, you will

nd God in it! God makes Himself known in so many ways.

All you need to do in those weary moments is open yourself

to take notice of the wonders that God so often sends your

way every day.

A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one astrong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.

- Isaiah 60:22Will You Become One of the

1000

?Coming Soon


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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact Aug. 20, 2010Page 4A

Mission possible

By HOllY McCRAY

As an episcopal leader of the Church,

Bishop Robert Hayes Jr. ministers both within

and far beyond this states borders. Oklahoma

congregations properly receive most of his

devotion but, as specied in the UM Book of

Discipline, he also is to travel through the

connection at large as the Council of Bishops.

That expanded role has engaged him most

recently in mission with Methodists in Liberia,

Israel, and Mexico. In an interview, he spoke

of how such journeys impact his faith.

Q: Where did you sense God?A: In every place I have been, I have ob-

served Gods presence. I go to places where I

run into unbelievable poverty and deprivation;

even though we consider these people lacking,

they dont seem as affected by it as we are. I

sense God in their spirit.

Liberia is one of the most impoverished

nations. With 85 percent unemployment, mostfolks are hustling to eke out a meal for that

day, let alone tomorrow. But when you start

talking about Christ and the Church, their

eyes light up. People are overcome with joy.

They have an intense passion for what you

are talking about.

In the midst of poverty, here is a person

who is on re for Christ, and that has to be

God, because theres nothing else but God

in that persons life. The Scriptures say a lot

about the poor; Jesus ministry was among the

poor; the Old Testament tells us God alignswith the poor, the downcast.

Youve never seen people so connected to

God and Christ as people who are in poverty,

because thats all they have. Everything we

long for in this country, in terms of a deep,

abiding relationship with God, they have.

We have all the necessities of life and are

impoverished in spirit. They have none of the

necessities and are rich in spirit.

Q: Bishop Hayes, how can they be sojoyu amid unreenting poverty?

A: I will try to describe this with thewords redemptive suffering. People suffer-

ing the consequences of natural disasters, the

brutality of dictatorships and political systems,

can identify so closely with the biblical stories,

the narrative of Gods promises being fullledand Gods attention being given to persons

who are down and out.

They understand there is a Savior who will

one day make it right. It may not be right in

this life, but its not always going to be this

way. Gods promises never go unfullled.

They are certain of that.

Thats why they can celebrate.

Q: How does seeing them aect you?A: What they know in the midst of such

suffering is redemptive to me. Thats why I go

to these places. It restores my faith.

You cant be around these people and not

be positively affected by their zeal for Christ.

You look at your own faith commitment, and

you come up woefully short of where they are.

The beauty of mission is that its a two-way

street. We, who are supposed to be bringing

help or addressing need, are in the midst of

folks with nothing and yet, as the Scriptures

say, with everything. We end up being helped

and enabled.

Q: Have you worried about saety onjourneys outside the United States?

A:There is misguided hatred even now inthe land where Jesus walked. Thats sad. They

have prepared. We had to go through check-

points to get into Bethlehem. Even school

students on eld trips were accompanied by

armed guards. In Liberia there was a heavy

U.N. presence.

These people know what war is. They

know upheaval. They still praise God.

Q: Have your experiences changedyou?

A: Every time I come home, I want todivest myself of things I have put so much

trust in that dont really mean a hill of beans.What I need now is a lot less. Stuff gets in the

way of a natural, pure relationship with Christ.

I dont need to eat that much. Why do I

need to load up my icebox? What I want a lot

more of is closeness to my faith and to Christ.

It has always impressed me that I went

to make a difference, and the difference was

made in me.

And I bring back with me the need for us

to get more people involved in missions. If I

had the opportunity to take every person in

this Conference to even glimpse what I haveseen, I have no doubt it would move people.

I particularly appreciate young people get-

ting involved in mission. Their lives will be

changed forever.

Q: Are there simiarities between usand Methodists in other countries?

A: Communion is a high, holy momenteverywhere you gonot what ritual and

words you use, just the expression of thanks-

giving and gladness that we are able to do this.In Liberia, the women are dressed in white and

bring the elements into the service with such a

sense of reverence. It is a love feast around the

Lords Supper, with singing and praise every

time. I grew up like that.

Ordination was a high moment at the An-

nual Conference for the Liberian Methodist

Church. The candidates stood in the sun for

an hour or more before entering the service.

For stoles, they brought whatever they could

afford that had red in it. One guy came with

a piece of fabric printed with Washington

Redskins football logos. It was red!

Church choirs had sewn matching outts

for themselves. The auditorium probably holds

300, but at least 600 people were in there

for the hours-long service. There was no air

conditioning.In Liberia, we had electricity for maybe

two or three hours a day. It was common for

us to eat in the dark, with a lantern, because

of the outages. In Mexico, we had electricity.

There were better living standards in Israel,

but people are suffering there, too.

In Israel, Communion was taken in a gar-

den by a tomb; we were 50 feet from where we

believe Jesus was laid. At the tomb I came

out of there weeping and had to sit down and

just take it all in.

Q: In Juy 2011, you wi ead an educa-tiona tour, especiay or recenty ordained

cergy, to the Hoy land. What ese woud

you have Okahomans do?

A: Let me be practical: You dont have togo halfway around the world. People in our

own communities are impoverished; there are

possibilities for mission right here in our state.

You dont have to offer things to people.

Just offer them the gifts of friendship and hos-

pitality. Identify with them as human beings.Theres dignity in that. Thats how the Church

needs to reach out.

I know systems are hard to change. Rules

and regulations are things you can struggle

against for the rest of your life. When you offer

people Christ, you know the kind of change

that can bring. You cant go wrong with that.

Christ is the change agent.

Bishop offers worldview

Wearing matching scarves,

left, a youth choir waits to

perform at the 2010 Liberia

Annual Conference, where

Bishop Hayes was guest

preacher. Below, BishopArthur Kulah of Nigeria leads

the ordination ritual.Photos by Bob Hayes


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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact Aug. 20, 2010Page 8A

The Okahoma United Methodist foundation Inc., 4201 Cassen Bvd., Okahoma City 73118; www.okum.org; 800-259-6863

Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation insights

Grant helps new Moore church to growChris Dodson, pastor of newly

planted CrossTimbers United Meth-

odist Church, in the southeast Moore

area, knows the importance of keeping

church members and visitors con-

nected.

Through its Christian education

programs, CrossTimbers provides

a place for many who are new to

the church to feel comfortable shar-

ing their experiences and faith withfriends, neighbors, and fellow church-

goers. All the while, they are learning

more about Christ.

Through a Petree Grant from the

Foundation, CrossTimbers was able to

expand that educational programming

through new curriculum offerings for

small groups and Bible studies.

The grant allowed us to offer

quality programming for adults andkids, said Rev. Dodson. Christian

education is a great source of growthfor our church. People are more likely

to invite someone new to a casual

small-group setting than to worship

on Sundays.

CrossTimbers pre-

viously had received

a grant from the Foun-

dation to provide

Bibles for its adults,

youths, and children,and Dodson reported

the supply is nearly depleted.

It did not take long for us to give

out 200 Bibles, said Dodson. For

many of these families and individu-

als, this is the rst and only Bible they

have owned.

During 2009, the year the church

first opened its doors, more than

100 children, youths, and adults par-ticipated in small groups and Bible

studies. That number exceeded thechurchs goal and afrmed the need

for additional offerings.

Small groups allow us to em-

phasize that church is

more than one hour

per week and allow

participants to grow

in their faith to bet-

ter understand who

they are and what theyare doing here, said

Dodson.

Our Christian education offerings

have changed everyday thinking and

challenge us to live life differently.

Its a way to get beyond words and a

song. It is life-changing and critical

to CrossTimbers and our growth, he

continued.

Applications for the FoundationsPetree Grant are being accepted

through Sept. 15. The applicationform can be found on our website

at www.okum.org and must be

hand-delivered to the Foundation of-

ces or postmarked by the September

deadline.

Grants are awarded to Oklahoma

United Methodist churches, agencies,

and institutions for a ministry or pro-

gram specically beneting children,

youths, the aging, or persons in needand disadvantaged.

The Petree Committee has awarded

more than 200 grants, totaling more

than $1 million, to United Methodist

agencies and churches across our state.

The committee encourages agencies

and churches with innovative projects,

programs, and ministries to apply.

Contact Barbara Gayle at the

Foundation for more information:800-259-6863.

By BIll SHERMAN

The Tusa WordIrina Mitina was an atheist in 1993 when

she worked as a translator for a group from

Tulsas Christ United Methodist Church.

They were visiting her Russian homeland.

Now she pastors Resurrection United

Methodist Church in Voronezh, 300 miles

south of Moscow in the Black Soil District,

known for its rich earth.

Most young people I knew were athe-

ists. We were brought up that way, she said.

Mitina was involved in a Communist

childrens movement from age 7, wearing abadge with a red star and an image of Lenin.

At age 14, she graduated into the Pioneers, a

Communist youth movement similar to the

Boy Scouts but politically based.

The ethics were good, she said. We

were taught to help people and to respect

adults, and to serve our country. The orga-

nization was involved in recycling and other

good works.

After Perestroika, a restructuring of

Russian society under President Mikhail

Gorbachev, Mitina lost interest in the Com-munist Party. She dropped out of the youth

organization while she was a university

student.

By age 33, when Pastor Bob Pierson led

the Tulsa team to Voronezh, Mitina was mar-

ried, had one child, held a good university

position as an English teacher, and sang in a

jazz and rock musical group.

My life was good, but I felt dissatised,

she said. I was lonely and had no meaning

in my life. I thought about suicide.

She was caring for a sick uncle at night

and translating for the Tulsa team during

the days.

They asked me, Why are you so tired?

Why are you sad? I told them about my

uncle.

Later, the Tulsans formed a circle and

prayed for her uncle by name.That touched my heart, she said.

Each night of their visit, she interpreted as

team members preached. By the third night,

she told herself, Ive tried everything else,

and Im not satised. Why not take this step?

So I prayed, OK, Lord, lets try this.

That night, not knowing she had just

made a commitment to Christ, the Tulsa team

invited her to America.

That was the dream of my life, she said.

That was a sign for me.

After the team left, she formed a smallBible study group that met in a caf and sang

and studied the Bible.

A year later, she and two others in her

group came to Oklahoma. They visited Tulsa

and studied for 40 days at Oklahoma City

University.

I fell in love with Sunday school and

with the children, she said.

Back in her hometown of Voronezh, she

started a Sunday school with 30 children.

Some of the parents began to attend. Two of

those fathers are now pastors.That group became a church and called

a pastor. Later, Mitina left that church and

became the founding pastor of Resurrection

Churchjust three years after becoming

a Christian. The church worked originally

with children suffering from leukemia and

their families.

Through the years, the Russian church

has maintained a close relationship with

Christ UMC. The Tulsa church has helpedwith building projects, and teams have gone

back and forth between the churches.

Resurrection Church has grown to about

60 members in a Russian Orthodox-dominat-

ed society that generally views Protestants

with suspicion.

Last year, Bob Feist, who succeeded Pier-

son as pastor of Christ Church, made his rst

trip to Voronezh, to connect with the work

the church had supported for years.

I was impressed, he said. I saw a lot of

the same dynamics that I see here, the sameconcerns and struggles. They dont have

nearly the afuence that we have.

The Tulsa team helped the Russian

church with a summer camp for handicapped

children. Mitina said the camp was the only

one of its kind in all of Eurasia.

This spring Mitina, now 49, led a wor-

ship team from her church to the United

States. They sang and she preached at several

Oklahoma churches, among stops in several

states.

Looking back, Mitina said, she can seethe hand of God preparing her to be a pastor,

including her language and musical training.

She has written several songs that appear in

the Russian Methodist hymnal.

Im happy. Ive found what I was look-

ing for. I was looking for God, she said.

(Reprinted with permission from the

Tulsa World, June 26)

Love transforms Russian atheist

Ive found what Iwas looking for. I waslooking for God.

Pastor Irina Mitina
http://www.okumf.org/http://www.okumf.org/http://www.okumf.org/http://www.okumf.org/

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