Join us for Promotion Sunday -- August 16 -- as we celebrate a new year of learning and growth for all ages! During all three worship services, we will bless the backpacks. Anyone who takes part in educating or being educated, bring an item you carry each day (backpack, bag, keys, etc.)  We'll invite you to bring this forward for a blessing and send you forth with a special gift as a blessing reminder.

All students and parents (Pre-K-12) are invited to breakfast this Sunday at 9:45am in the north end of the Social Hall. Parents will have an opportunity to complete registration paperwork and ask questions. At 10am, we will send every age group to their new Sunday School classes, from preschool through youth.

We'll wrap up the day with Jump Time at Ultimate Air from 4:00pm - 6:00pm, dinner provided.
Parents of preschool through 5th-grade children are asked to stay during the event. 
Parents of youth are invited to meet briefly with Pastor Corey at drop-off before returning to pick up their students at 6:00pm. 

All jumpers must have waivers completed before they can jump. Complete this waiver ahead of time by CLICKING HERE or bring a paper copy. (Irene and Corey will have these in Children's and Youth's spaces.) Please email Pastor Corey at cshirey@fumcstw.org or Irene at iupson@fumcstw.org with any questions you may have.  We are excited to start our new school year with your family!

We are one month into our new budget year. We ended our 6-month budget (January through June) with a surplus of $117,000. This was a tremendous blessing, considering we’d planned to spend $40,000 of our reserves because the first six months of the calendar year are not typically as strong as the last six months. After the first month of our budget year, we are $52,000 behind, income to expense. We finished July $20,000 behind in projected contributions and $32,000 over in projected expenses.

We had several large one-time expenditures: replacing one of our main electrical distribution panels, paying our annual subscription to the service that hosts our website and livestream platform, to name two. Both our Finance Committee and our Church Council will meet this coming week to review our financial reports. If you’d like to have a copy of those, please reach out to Daniel Guthrie. We’re always happy to provide these reports. What you’ll notice is that our undesignated reserve fund received a deposit after ending the first six months with a surplus, bringing the balance to $642,000. We are able to cover months like this past one because of the faithful generosity of our members and friends throughout the other twelve months.

Truly, your church is grateful for the generous ways you support our congregational life together and all the ministry we offer to our community. We’ll start packing food sacks for the 26/27 School Year this week. Every Thursday, we are providing showers and a free meal to our neighbors. The Hope House continues to distribute much needed items to support foster families. This all happens because you give. Thank you for your generosity!

It is time to sign up for Lay Servant Training this fall. The training location is Kingfisher United Methodist Church. The date is Saturday, Sept. 19. If you’ve never taken any of the Lay Servant courses, start with the Basic course being taught by Rev. Charles Durant, pastor at Cushing UMC. There are two advanced courses being taught this time: The Social Principles and Ministry with those affected by Dementia. Participants must purchase the books for each course, but there is no other charge to participate. A donation is requested to cover the cost of food. CLICK HERE to sign up.

We have opened the position of nursery coordinator for hire. You can find more information on our website by CLICKING HERE. If you know someone who is interested, they should contact Irene Upson via email by CLICKING HERE.

On Monday, several from our church and the community gathered to celebrate the butterfly reveal in front of our annex. Thanks to Roger and Martha McMillian, the honorees for this butterfly. Thanks to Julie Norris for excellent coordination. A very special thanks for Bill Miller for painting this beautiful butterfly that highlights the ministry of our congregation to the community. The butterflies that you see around town are an outreach of Wings of Hope, Family Crisis Services. Each butterfly raises money for this vital community service. We are proud to partner with Wings of Hope and proud to receive such a lovely gift.

Our musical ensembles return! Whether you are a lifelong singer, an aspiring bell ringer, or looking for a wonderful community for your children, there is a place for you to make music with us.

Here is everything you need to know about our upcoming ensemble schedules and kick-off events:

Revelation (Youth Choir)
Open to 5th graders through early college. We are kicking off the season with a special Revelation Retreat! Friday, August 14 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm (dinner is included.) Saturday, August 15 - 9:30am - 1:00pm. We will then meet back up at 4:00pm for an afternoon of bowling. This retreat will launch our regular rehearsal schedule.

Regular Schedule: Sundays from 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: The Music Suite

Jubilee Ringers
We have exciting news for our handbell ministry: Jubilee Ringers will now include youth bell ringers!
Start Date: Wednesday, August 19
Regular Schedule: Wednesdays from 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Room 108

Children's Choir
Our youngest singers are getting ready to start a fantastic new year of music!
Launch Date: Sunday, August 23
Regular Schedule: Sundays from 9:30am – 10:00am
Location: The Music Suite

Adult Choir
Our Adult Choir is officially back in session, and we are always accepting new members! Join us at any time during the year.
Regular Schedule: Wednesdays from 6:30pm - 8:00pm

We cannot wait to make music together this year! If you have any questions, please contact Keegan Rose at krose@fumcstw.org

This special small group experience for college students will return on Sunday, August 16. We meet at the back of the sanctuary after late service is finished to decide where we will go to eat. All college students are invited and welcome! 

Hope House would like to extend a heartfelt thank‑you to Lauren for bringing a large number of “Birthday Bags” for our foster kiddos. She lovingly puts these together several times a year as part of her 4‑H Citizenship project, and each one is filled with care, creativity, and joy. This is a new program for us in 2026, and it has already been a tremendous success. Lauren, we are so grateful for the thought and time you pour into every single bag! Your dedication brings smiles, celebrates milestones, and reminds our kiddos that they are seen and valued.

Thank you for making birthdays a little brighter!

After more than 50 years of faithful ministry, Rev. Richard Ayers is officially retiring from active pastoral service in the Oklahoma Methodist Conference! Richard began his ministry in 1974 as a youth pastor while attending Phillips Seminary in Enid. His decades of dedication have touched countless lives along the way. Join friends and family in celebrating this incredible milestone at a come-and-go reception:

Saturday, August 15
2:00 - 4:00pm
Yale United Methodist Church
108 South C Street, Yale, OK 74085

Enjoy punch, cake, and cookies as we honor Richard's years of faithful service! No gifts, please - cards are welcome if you'd like to share your congratulations and well wishes!

We are looking for folks who have a heart and passion to serve our youth. There are lots of ways you can support this important ministry. Note: all youth volunteers must go through a background check and meet our volunteer guidelines. If you are interested in serving but have questions, reach out to Pastor Corey.
The button below will get you to the sign-up sheet.