Cookson Hills Center
Making Disciples of Christ
Cookson Hills Center
60 years of service
The Cookson Hills Center has been a very significant part of the mission work of the United Methodist Women in Oklahoma since 1948. The presence of the United Methodist among rural, low-income people in Northeastern Oklahoma has shown an important aspect of the way we care for others as concerned Christian people. The primary target groups of the center's services are Native American people, most being of the Cherokee tribe.
It is important for those of us who have little understanding of the way Native American people are helped through government and church systems to understand that each tribe is unique. While the Cherokee's have many ways of assisting one another through their own tribal government, there are many who need the presence of programs and support that such outreach centers as 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 services to those who are in need of such services.
Ongoing programs include such things as a thrift store, food pantry, craft co-op, home repair, counseling, emergency assistance for housing and employment, a Christmas store, children, youth, adult education programs, and a Health Information Center. The Center also provides an opportunity for families to plant gardens by providing seeds and assistance with planting.
The Cookson Hills Center is a project of the United Methodist Church. It is the only rural mission program in the Oklahoma area and the only mission program that is a joint effort of the Oklahoma Conference, the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, the United Methodist Women, and the General Board of Global Ministries. All of the above groups are the means of financial support of the program provided by the Center.
The Cookson Hills Center has grown from a single building medical clinic to a Community Center with twelve buildings on the original grounds. It has increased in land from 1 acre to 20 acres. We have increased the staff from one single nurse to a staff of eighteen. The growth has enabled us to serve many more people than originally imagined. The increased facilities, staff and programs have greatly increased our financial needs.
We are a drug free, alcohol
free and weapons free
facility.
CHEROKEE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S CHOIR
Cherokee National Children's Choir featuring Rita Coolidge
Cherokee Nation P.O. Box 948, Tahlequah, Ok 74465 , 918-456-0671 http://www.cherokee.org/ - CNCRC003
SONG: "ON THE ROAD WHERE THEY CRIED"