Owanah Anderson to be keynote speaker at conference

Owanah Anderson, senior warden of All Saints Wichita Falls and one of the prime matriarchs of the reorganized Diocese of Fort Worth, will be the keynote speaker at the Oklahoma IV 2010 Consultation hosted by the School of Theology at Sewanee, the University of the South, from Thursday, May 27 to Monday, May 31, 2010. The consultation is being sponsored in part by the School of Theology in collaboration with the Indigenous Theological Training Institute (ITTI), The Episcopal Church office of Native Ministry, and the Executive Council’s Committee on Indigenous Ministry (ECCIM).

Anderson, a Choctaw, is the author of 400 Years: Anglican/Episcopal mission among American Indian [1998 Forward Movement Publications]. She was the longtime head of the Episcopal Church's office of Indian Ministry. In this book she traces the history of the American Indian/Native Alaskan communities as they encountered the Anglican Communion. Some of the photographs in the book have never been published before.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori also will attend the conference.

The news release from Sewanee said, "This gathering of lay and ordained Native American leaders in the Episcopal Church will focus on the recognition of Indigenous peoples and their traditions while furthering the cause for reconciliation. As we host these consultations, we will have opportunities to listen and learn about Indigenous people’s concerns and hopes for ministry within the Episcopal Church. Decisions made here at Sewanee could create a new chapter in the history and direction of Indigenous ministries."

For more information about the Oklahoma IV Consultation and previous Consultations, please visit http://www.okiv2010.com/

For information regarding the event at Sewanee or possible participation, please contact Mary Ann Patterson, director of communications and church relations, at mapatter@sewanee.edu.