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Cookson Hills Center Ministry With American Indians to Expand

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 Rev. Meri Whitaker, assigned by the General Board of Ministries as missionary as director of Cookson Hills Center announces plans for expansion of ministry to seniors and children at Cookson Hills Center in Oklahoma.

The Cookson Hills Center is a mission outreach of the united Methodist Church, jointly funded by the Oklahoma Conference, the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Concerns, and the General Board of Global Ministries. Founded in 1948 as a rural health center, it has evolved into a ministry that meets the needs of low-income people in the tri-county area in eastern Oklahoma. Cherokee, Adair, and Sequoyah are the three poorest counties in the state. One of every three children and one of every three seniors live below poverty in this area. By nature of the location, the primary target group is American Indians, predominantly Cherokee.

While the Cherokees have assisted one another through their own tribal government, there are many who need the assistance and support that the Cookson Hills Center provides. In the midst of poverty, poor educational experiences, cultural differences, and rural styles of living, the programs of the Center offer social, educational , physical, and spiritual support to those in need.

The elderly in rural America are often forgotten or left out of services provided for those who live in more densely populated areas. Many have worked their entire lives depending on seasonal jobs to survive. These jobs do not make contributions to Social security or pension plans; consequently, their future is not secure. Many of the participants in the Senior Citizen's Program at Cookson Hills Center live on less than $2,000 a year.

Childcare is not available in this community. Mothers often have to drive many miles out of their way to seek childcare if there is not a family member to provide care. There are a large number of working individuals who are barely making ends meet. They live in substandard housing and often must commute twenty miles one way to work, driving old, fuel-inefficient cars. Rural children are often isolated.

A project is underway to build a new facility to expand the current mission outreach to senior citizens and children in this region which include:
  • Providing nutritious meals for those suffering from hunger, diabetes and high blood pressure.
  • Providing quality and affordable child care to working families.
  • Supplying a warm welcoming place for seniors and children to come for fellowship.
  • Expanding medical services to include a parish nurse.
  • Encouraging the use of tribal language, story telling and the preservation of traditions.
  • Developing ecumenical connections in the community.
  • Affirming and strengthening the value American Indian people place on children and seniors.
  • Developing a program that is inter-generational between seniors and children.
  • Providing the facilities to encourage crafting that will supplement incomes.
General Board of Global Ministries
United Methodist Church
475 Riverside Drive - New York, New York 10115
1-800-UMC-GBGM