wfn.org | Native American Plan Director

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3425 notes).

Note 3424 by UMNS on Feb. 10, 1997 at 16:31 Eastern (4788 characters).

SEARCH: Native American, plan, United Methodist, development
 Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency
of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn.,
New York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Linda Green                           70(10-34-71B){3424}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             Feb. 10. 1997

Native American Plan names Oklahoma 
school teacher as executive director

     
     YUMA, Ariz. (UMNS) -- Ann Saunkeah, a Cherokee from Tulsa,
Okla., was elected executive director of the United Methodist
Church's Native American Comprehensive Plan, here Feb. 7 during
the annual meeting of the plan's governing body. 
     Saunkeah, an elementary school teacher, begins her duties May
20 as the first full-time lay person to coordinate and lead the
plan, mandated by the 1992 General Conference and continued by the
1996 General Conference. Offices will be located in Tulsa. 
     The plan emphasizes congregational and leadership
development, Native American spirituality and involvement of
Native Americans in the total life of the United Methodist Church.
All programs within the plan aim to be self-supporting, self-
governing and specifically designed to enhance Native American
ministries. 
     The part-time coordinator of the plan has been the Rev.
Marvin Abrams, pastor of the Native American United Methodist
Church, Anaheim, Calif.
     The mission of the 22-member task force is to help United
Methodists no longer view Native Americans as a mission of the
church but as partners in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
     Saunkeah, an active member of the Tulsa Indian United
Methodist Church is no stranger to advocacy for the Native
American cause in the church. She is the past chairwoman of the
comprehensive plan's leadership committee and is also a member of
the Native American International Caucus. She has been involved in
the life of the United Methodist Church at local, district, annual
conference and jurisdictional levels. 
     The Rev. Sam Wynn, chairman of the plan, said, "Ann Saunkeah
is a person who senses that this is a call to service ministry in
the United Methodist Church. Now we can go full steam ahead."
     After her election, Saunkeah told the task force that "I have
been called to this place where I can do good work." She said that
even though the plan has made accomplishments in the life of the
church, "there is still a lot of work to do." She invited the task
force to join "in the mission of the church, which is to make
disciples of Jesus Christ." 
     Saunkeah is taking a sabbatical from teaching elementary
school. She said, "I will never completely get out of education
because I hope to continue educating United Methodists of all ages
and locations." She said she hopes to continue working with youth
through her role as the churchwide Board of Discipleship's
representative to the National Youth Ministry Organization (NYMO).
"I feel that I have numerous resources to bring to them," she
said.
     In addition to electing Saunkeah, the task force looked back
to 1968 when denominational leaders first consulted Native
Americans about their future in the church. The task force
affirmed the three people who began those discussions, paving the
way for the 12 Native Americans employed by churchwide agencies
and celebrated the 20 Native Americans serving as members of
agency boards of directors. They also recognized the 32 Native
Americans enrolled in seminaries.
     The task force members re-elected Wynn as chairman. Others
elected were Josephine Deere, Coweta, Okla., vice president; David
Wilson, Oklahoma City, Okla., secretary; and Betty Admussen,
Kansas City, Mo., finance chairwoman.
     In other actions, the task force recommended that top staff
executives of United Methodist boards and agencies be sent a
letter encouraging them to send Native Americans serving on their
boards of directors or staffs to Native American Family Camp, July
14-18, 1997, in Albion, Mich. Task force members said they believe
those individuals need to network with each other, gain a better
understanding of their role in the church, and become interpreters
of the Native American Comprehensive Plan and Native American
ministries.
     The task force is encouraging the church to respond to the
1996 General Conference resolution about the use of stereotypes
and derogatory language for Native Americans, African-Americans
and other ethnic groups.
     Task force members affirmed "Building Bridges with Hawaii,"
an Oct. 31-Nov. 1 where Native Hawaiian sovereignty issues will be
addressed.
     The next meeting of the Native American Comprehensive Plan
task force is Sept. 19-21 in Phoenix, Ariz. 
                              #  #  #

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