Karns honored at FUMC

June 20, 2008 09:56 am

— Thirty-five United Methodist Men and their sweethearts gathered in First United Methodist Church of Stillwater recently and honored Theron Karns. He was awarded a membership as a Fellow of “The Society of John Wesley” as he exemplified other Fellows who are known by their witness, vision and stewardship that enhance and strengthen the mission and ministry of the church.
The Society was created to promote greater awareness of the Christina principles and practices embodied in the church. A gift of $1,000 to the UMM Foundation given by Karns’s friends, enabled him to become a Fellow in “The Society of John Wesley.”
Karns began service to others in 1936 as president of the Epworth League in Watonga. He has taught Sunday school most of his adult life. He has been part of church choirs, chair of finance, chair of trustees and chair of administrative board. He has painted classrooms, cleaned up church camps after fire, floods and tornadoes, baked cookies, made hospital visits and counted money week in and week out.
He was one of the men that arranged for the construction and erection of the cross at Crosspoint Camp on Lake Texoma. Karns has a heart for Missions, as in the 40s he was asked to be on a board for the Oklahoma Indian Mission Club which was formed to provide financial assistance to pastors of the Methodist Indian Churches. He currently is the treasurer of the First United Methodist Men of Stillwater.
He and Nelma, his wife of 64 years, have four children: Mary Ann Karns, an OCU alum and attorney living in Edmond; Ruth Atterberry, a graduate of Perkins School of Theology and currently pastor in Stephens UMC in Duncan; Monty Karns, an engineer for Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and Kelly Karns, a Bartlesville banker.