Bishop’s Appeal

In 2020, for our annual Bishop’s Appeal, Episcopalians in Oklahoma raised over $164,108.97 in support of Historic Vernon A.M.E. Church in Tulsa. This church has been a beacon of hope, particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, where it provided over 200,000 meals to the community along with bags of groceries, since March 2020. Of the total funds raised, approximately half were allocated towards the renovation of the church’s kitchen facilities. The remaining half of the donations went towards fulfilling Pastor Dr. Robert Turner’s visionary project, a prayer wall adorning the church’s exterior. This prayer wall serves as a sacred space and pilgrimage site where individuals from all walks of life can come together to pray for global racial healing. Historic Vernon A.M.E. Church holds a unique place in history as the sole black-owned building to survive the devastating 1921 Race Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 2021, for our annual Bishop's Appeal, Episcopalians in Oklahoma raised over $90,000 to help form Magdalene House OKC. Magdalene OKC serves women who have experienced abuse, sexual exploitation, addiction, or incarceration as they rebuild their lives and focus on healing and wholeness through trauma-informed therapy, physical, mental, and dental health care, self-care, life skills training, and job training, all within the context of restorative relationships, professional support, accountability, and the safety of a home.

In 2022, for the annual Bishop's Appeal, Oklahoma Episcopalians raised over $26,000 for 20+ local congregations’ feeding ministries. Experts had called the year 2022’s combination of record inflation and lower donations to food pantries a “perfect storm” for the vulnerable. Our diocese was able to provide not only food but compassion at a difficult time in one of the hungriest states in the nation, by following the teachings of Jesus.

In 2023, the Diocese raised over $32,000, for five worthy non-profits and agencies making a difference in the lives of those facing addiction and substance abuse in our communities. In 2022, nearly 49 million Americans aged 12 or older had a substance abuse disorder (more than 1 in 6 people). Over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, and the most recent statistics showed Oklahoma ranked 15th per capita in overdose deaths. And yet, those who seek treatment for addiction are often unable to access it, because of limited availability and resources. We distributed the proceeds to five organizations around our state: Neighbors Building Neighborhoods in Muskogee, H O W Foundation in Tulsa, Jesus House, Inc in Oklahoma City, Country Road Addiction Treatment in Tecumseh, and Youth and Family Services of North Central Oklahoma in Enid.