Five United Methodist Churches will join together to strengthen their ministry in Southeastern Oklahoma. This September Durant, Tishomingo, Kingston, Colbert and Calera will launch the Texoma Parish. The five churches will share two full-time pastors and a part-time lay preacher to preach, provide pastoral care and leadership, and administer the sacraments of baptism and holy communion.
Each of these churches is doing vibrant ministry in its community. Kingston is a distribution site for the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank and hosts a community clothes closet. Colbert is a faithful partner with the public school who knows it can reach out to the church to meet students’ needs. Calera is a Reconciling congregation who proudly welcomes anyone regardless of age, race, or sexual orientation. Tishomingo is committed to sharing God’s love through various outreach programs including food drives to support local families in need. And Durant is a thriving congregation that supports many community organizations through the use of its facilities including Scouts, Girl Scouts and FCA.
This shared ministry approach harkens back to the early days of Methodism in North America when circuit riders would ride on horseback from congregation to congregation to preach and provide the sacraments. While the circuit riding elder was away at other congregations, each congregation would rely on its laity to lead the worship, ministry and mission of the church. The United Methodist Church is a connectional denomination which means that each local church is an extension of our broader shared ministry. The churches of the Texoma Parish will live out this connectionalism by supporting one another. Each church will continue to operate as its own local church with its own leadership and finances, but they will share the cost of the pastors who lead them.
The Texoma Parish will be led by the senior pastor the Rev. John Hiller who has served as the pastor of Durant First UMC for one year. Hiller grew up as a United Methodist in Ringling, Oklahoma, and spent most of his summers at Crosspoint Camp, a United Methodist camp on Lake Texoma. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Hannah, and their two-year-old son Wesley. Hiller is also a runner, chess player and disc golfer.
The Rev. Carmen Stafford will serve as the associate pastor. She too grew up as a United Methodist and before entering full time ministry retired as a special education teacher after 34 years in public education. Stafford previously served as the pastor of Cheyene Valley and Aline in northwestern Oklahoma. She loves singing, camping, hiking and spending time with close friends and family including her husband Britt.
Terri Greer will serve as a lay supply pastor in the Texoma Parish. She will preach in rotation with the other pastors of the Parish at the various churches. Terri is the Library Director at Murry State College. Greer is a member of Lighthouse United Methodist Church in Kingston, but she has been preaching at Colbert since the passing of her father the Rev. Paul McDowell. Next year, she will begin the process to become a Licensed Local Pastor, a title that will allow her to provide the sacraments in the congregations she is serving.
Texoma Parish Worship Times and Locations Calera: Sundays 9:30 a.m. 111 S. McKinley Ave. Calera, OK Colbert: Sundays 11 a.m. 302 N Burney St. Colbert, OK Durant: Sundays 10 a.m. 5400 W. Main St. Durant, OK Kingston: Sundays 9:30 a.m. 100 Willis St. Kingston, OK Tishomingo: Sundays 11:15 a.m. 202 N. Neshoba St. Tishomingo, OK
