Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will be the site of the International Conference for Sending and Hosting Volunteers for national and international persons who serve in partnership with Volunteers in Mission. Scheduled for November 9-11, 1998, the event will follow the Oklahoma Volunteers in Mission Celebration of November 6-7 and will take place at Oklahoma City University.

The purpose of the conference is to improve the relationships and effectiveness of volunteer mission teams through clarification of shared experiences, values, objectives, and guidelines; and to share information that will facilitate exchange between cultures and nations.

"To Send-To Host-To Be One" is the theme of this unique event where leadership will come from the participants themselves. Among attendees will be ten United Methodist bishops, seven General Board of Global Ministries directors, and Volunteers in Mission from 35 countries and 42 U.S. annual conferences. Daily worship will focus on a segment of the theme:

• To Send, "Here Am I, Lord, Send Me";
• To Host, "The Gift of Hospitality";
• To Be One, "One Bread, One Body, One Lord of All."

Dr. Robert Walton, assistant general secretary for Volunteers in Mission, said that volunteers feel the timing is right time for such a meeting. "The program has been designed to allow input from everyone present," he added. "It is our plan to leave the conference with a document which contains: `Statements on Our Theological Foundation for Mission Volunteers'; `Our Vision for the Future'; `Guidelines for Sending'; and `Guidelines for Hosting.'"

A General Board of Global Ministries initiative that has been in place for several years, the Volunteers in Mission program currently has tens of thousands of persons serving in the U.S. and abroad. It is anticipated that the conference will further expand the mission volunteer movement.

Further information may be obtained from Dr. Walton , 475 Riverside Dr., Rm. 330, New York, NY 10115, phone (212) 870-3825, e-mail rwalton@gbgm-umc.org.

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