Last Sunday, Emma received her Christian baptism AND joined our church. Give her a warm Stillwater First UMC welcome next time you see her!

Set your clocks forward an hour before you go to bed on Saturday night -- and join us for worship the next morning! It may feel like you've lost an hour of sleep so we'll be sure to have the coffee pot ready when you arrive.

PARENTS OF GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS, please attend this brief informative meeting regarding this year’s SENIOR SUNDAY! March 8th, 7:00pm, Upstairs FLC. Senior Sunday is May 17th, when we will honor our graduating seniors during morning worship. We want to honor all FUMC's graduating seniors, regardless of their current level of participation in youth activities. If you have any questions, please contact Janelda Lane at jlane@fumcstw.org

A big thank you begins this month's financial update. We turned around the deficit from January and ended February with a surplus. As of Feb. 28, our YTD income is $37,336 ahead of expenses. No doubt about it, February was a month to celebrate!

I learned several years ago not project financial trends based on a month, or even two. Instead, I try to look at quarterly comparisons and we haven't even finished the first quarter of 2026 yet. I also look at where we were at this time last year. This year, our first two months of income was $63,149 higher than last year in 2025. If you would like to see a full copy of our February Financial Statement, please reach out to Daniel Guthrie, our Business Administrator at dguthrie@fumcstw.org.

In recent days, Daniel and I have been preparing for our 2026/27 Fiscal Year budget which will begin on July 1 of this year. As a part of this preparation, I asked him to establish a rolling calculation of our annual revenue between Oct 2024 and Feb 2026. To give you an idea of some of the swings that we see, depending on which months are included in our calculation, this number varies from $1,642,664 to $1,722,769. The average is $1,671,736. This projection of our likely revenue for the 12 months of our budget is smoothed and helps us account for the wide swings of income from month to month.

Our staff and committees will be planning their budgets as March continues. We'll work with those requests and our projections during the month of April and present our final budget for approval to the Church Council in late May. I am grateful for the generosity of our congregation and ask that you consider a special gift to our Lenten offering this year supporting Rise Against Hunger, our spring food packing project.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Charla

Pastor Charla is recruiting worship assistants for the second quarter of 2026 (April, May & June.) Specifically, she is seeking Lay Readers who assist by leading from the front -- and Communion Servers, offering the elements of bread and juice to the congregation. If you would like to step forward as a Lay Reader, please fill out this form. If you would like to step forward as a Communion Server, please fill out this form. Thank you for your willingness to serve! If you have questions, please reach out to Pastor Charla, cgwartney@fumcstw.org.

In ancient Israel, the heart was not just a physical organ but the center of human emotion, thought, will, and moral character. It was considered the seat of wisdom and understanding. A person’s heart was integral to the inner life, encompassing feelings, desires, intellect, and decision-making processes. Because the heart controlled who, what, and how one loved, it was crucial in determining one's relationship with God and others.

For these days of retreat in April, we’ll return to the heart as the place where change becomes possible. Our retreat will be held at Camp Egan, a beautiful location along the Baron Fork Creek, east of Tahlequah, OK on Hwy 62. We’ll be staying in the lodge which has hotel style room accommodations and a large gathering area in the entry way. The camp staff will serve us four meals during our stay: breakfast on Saturday through breakfast on Sunday. You are welcome to eat your Friday evening meal on the way to camp. You may also reserve a sack supper to eat upon arrival at no additional charge. Retreatants must be 18 years or older.

Reserve your spot with this registration form.

Cost:
$125 double occupancy
$250 single occupancy

Our retreat time will include a nice mix of time together and time in solitude. We’ll have three teaching sessions with our retreat leader, Dr. Escamilla and three worship services led by Pastor Charla and Dr. Escamilla together.

This retreat is designed as an intentional time away to pay attention to God’s voice in your life. “Come away to a quiet place and rest . . .” Mark 6:31

Throughout the season of Lent, we are once again partnering with other United Methodist Congregations to support "Rise Against Hunger." This global ministry works to end hunger by providing nutritious meals and sustainable food solutions to communities facing food insecurity around the world.

Lent invites us into prayer, fasting, and generosity. As you consider what sacrifice you might make during this season (like that daily coffee, a weekly meal out, that streaming subscription you keep forgetting about, or some other small sacrifice) we encourage you to use those funds to support this life-changing mission.

Our community goal is to raise $10,000 by Easter Sunday. These gifts will fund our May 3rd meal packaging event: 21,000 meals to be shared with communities around the world facing food insecurity. Let us meet this need together!

Palm Sunday, March 29 -- our children will lead us with a palm processional at each service. We'll receive Holy Communion together. As we enter Holy Week, we'll remember that the Last Supper led to Gethsemane, a long night of prayer and betrayal, and the cross.

Maundy Thursday, April 2 -- come as you can between Noon and 2:00 pm. Prayer stations will be set up around the Sanctuary. You'll receive a pamphlet/guide when you arrive and can engage the prayer stations at your own pace. Holy Communion will be served when you are ready to receive.

Good Friday, April 3 -- come for worship in the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm. Our choir will provide special music for this special observance and we'll focus on devotions from the cross. As the service concludes, we'll strip the altar as the lights dim and we'll end in silence.

Holy Saturday, April 4 -- it is time for Easter Eggstravaganza, 10am to Noon, on our north parking lot. There will be Easter Egg hunts, the Easter bunny, and plenty of fun for all.

Easter Sunrise @ Block 34, April 5 -- we are partnering with First Baptist Church and First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for a sunrise service at Block 34, 7:00 am on Easter morning. You are invited to join this community-wide worship service.

Easter Worship, April 5 -- we'll celebrate the resurrection with three worship services following our usual Sunday morning schedule: 8:30, 10:00 and 11:10 am.

Easter Monday, April 6 -- your staff takes a much needed rest. The office is closed as we make room for the beautiful exhale of Sabbath after such a powerful week.

The North Central District Lay Servant training is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at Tonkawa First UMC. There is no cost for the training, but participants are asked to purchase books assigned for their training class and read them ahead of the training date.

Rev. Leon Veazey will be teaching the basic course
Rev. Joey Simpson will be teaching the preaching/speaking course
Rev. Michael Carpenter will be teaching a course on his book, "We Believe: How the Nicene Creed Can Deepen Your Faith"

Use this link for more information.
Use this link to register.