Full Explanation & Details about 2023 Immersion Experience
RE: 2023 OIMC Immersion Experience, Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference
We are looking forward to hosting our Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) Immersion, March 8-12, 2023. The experience provides history, context, and unique perspectives on Native peoples in The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and our involvement with The United Methodist Church. In addition, our Native communities proudly share our traditions and culture throughout the event.
We concentrate the immersion experience on tribal areas which are within a two-and-a-half-hour radius of Oklahoma City. We will stay at the Best Western Plus Saddleback Inn and Conference Center, 4300 SW 3rd in Oklahoma City, OK. The hotel has recently renovated their lobby and dining area and it looks great.
We will begin on Wednesday afternoon with an orientation to OIMC. We will meet at the host hotel the first day. We are very excited that First American Museum (FAM) is now open! We will spend one entire day at FAM on Thursday. https://famok.org/
We will visit the Washita “massacre” Battlefield Site at Cheyenne, Oklahoma on Friday. This is the place where General George Armstrong Custer massacred 30-60 Cheyenne, mostly women and children. This event happened a few years after the massacre at Sand Creek. It has a wonderful cultural center and a guided walk through the area where the massacre took place, which is about 1.5 miles. We will visit the Clinton Indian Church and Community Center to visit with Dr. Henrietta Mann, Cheyenne Prayer woman, about the massacre site.
We will go to Ponca City on Saturday to visit the Standing Bear Park, which includes a 22-foot bronze statue of the Ponca leader. We will learn about Standing Bear’s role in determining the “humanity” of his people and Native peoples. We will have lunch at the church and we will also hear from tribal leaders regarding current issues among the tribe. We will do our debriefing session and closing worship on Sunday morning.
We will have a chartered bus for the event. The hotel cost includes breakfast. There is a block of rooms reserved at the hotel and you will need to call in your own reservation. The number to the hotel is 405-947-7000. The rate is $90.00 for a single and $95.00 for double occupancy. Ask for the “OIMC Immersion event.” The deadline to reserve rooms at this rate is February 28, 2023.
The hotel is about three miles from the airport and they have a shuttle service. There will be several opportunities to purchase native arts and crafts at the FAM and other sites that we visit.
The registration information is included. The cost for the event is $275.00 per person which will cover all of the meals and entry fees for sites that we visit. If the cost is prohibitive for any, please contact me and we can work this out. The costs can be mailed to the office or can be paid on our website, www.umc-oimc.org. The cost of the hotel is separate from the fee. Please contact me at 405-632-2006 or via email at Dpewo@oimc.org for more information. The mailing address for the office is Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, 602 SW 35th Street, OKC OK 73109.
https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.37078.html?groupId=D31MU9J0
We have had a wide variety of participants including both lay and clergy, women and men, volunteers, and United Methodists who just have a heart for Native ministries. We will be glad to provide a certificate for CEU’s if needed. Everyone is welcome. Please help us spread the word!
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Donna Pewo
Director Connectional Ministries of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, United Methodist Church
January 22, 2023
