We grieve the loss of Dave Hessel who passed away on October 17, 2026. A memorial service celebrating his life was held on October 22 at Legacy Village where Dave was a resident. Let us hold Dave's family and friends in prayer.

Thank you so much to the Stillwater FUMC family for your grace and patience as we undergo a period of transition and change in our Music and Worship Staff. When Keegan Rose submitted his letter of resignation to pursue a wonderful opportunity in OKC, we took a deep breath and approached several talented folks who call our church home. We asked them to lead in this period of transition until decisions can be made by SPRC regarding the future of our music and worship programs. We are grateful for their willingness to be interim leaders for us through the end of 2026.

A Stillwater native and 2009 Stillwater High School graduate, Sarah DeYong has always had a love for music and the joy it brings to others. She earned her Bachelor of Music from Oklahoma City University and her MFA in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. In 2023, Sarah returned home to Stillwater to raise her son and share her passion for music as a voice instructor at OCU. An experienced soprano in both sacred and secular choirs, she founded and directs Raising Voices, a dementia-friendly community chorus that brings people together through the power of music.

Adam, his wife, Carissa, and their five kids, returned to Stillwater last year. Adam was a part of the orignial launch team for Closer Walk when he was a student at OSU. Music has been a part of Adam’s faith journey since he first picked up a guitar in his youth praise band. He has served on praise teams for the last 20 years. An OSU graduate, Adam works in communications and sports broadcasting. He loves bringing people closer to Jesus through music and is excited to continue serving as he leads the worship team.

Dana has been a member of FUMC since her family moved to Stillwater in 2008. A noted music educator, director and conductor, she has 100+ and major works to her credit. Dana started with the Closer Walk Praise Team in 2009 and became our organist in 2011. She has worked professionally as a “church musician” since she turned twelve and loves it all! Her greatest joys in life are worshipping through music, musical theatre and her family.

When the sidelines of the Friday night Pryor High School football games cleared for the halftime show, a young Kurt Gwartney wanted to be as close as he could to the band, dreaming of the day he would be old enough to march and maybe lead as drum major. That vision came true his senior year. As a student at Oklahoma State, he continued his musical involvement, performing in the OSU Madrigal Singers, select choir, and a community choir. Kurt also sang in Heart Song at Stillwater First United Methodist Church. Kurt has led several handbell choirs in churches where Charla was appointed and he's glad to have a chance to be back with the ringers!

We are very close to launching our new church directory. We'll be opening the directory with an app called, "Instant Church Directory," on Tuesday, October 27. If you are listed in the church directory, you should be able to set up your account and have access to the directory on this day. We expect there will be some adjustments and corrections needed, so we'll focus on access through the app until mid-November. Once we feel necessary corrections have been made, we'll send the directory to print and provide copies at cost for our printing.

If you are a directory participant, expect an email from Pastor Charla on Tuesday morning with instructions about accessing the directory. Please note that this directory will be continually updated, so if you'd like to participate after our launch, we can add you at any point.

Everyone is invited to come together as a whole church community to watch the OSU homecoming parade on Saturday, October 24, at 9am! We will gather in front of Simmons Bank on the corner of 6th Ave and Main Street to enjoy the event. We hope to see you there!

Thank you for all the candy donations. Baskets will remain through the event. Keep that candy coming!

Our Trunk or Treat will take place on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, from 5pm-7pm in the northwest parking lot. This event gives our community a chance for a low key, safe space to gather goodies to celebrate Halloween. If you're able to help, park your car about 30 minutes before the event in this lot. You can go wild decorating your trunk or keep it simple! More trunks mean more fun! We will provide extra candy to keep you stocked through the evening. See you there!

Wear your favorite costume, Sunday, October 25, just in time for spooky season.
For all kids and kids at heart - it's your time to shine!

On Sunday, November 1, we will be partnering with several other churches in our community to host an event titled "Longest Table." The idea is simple: to share a meal together. We live in a time where there is so much divisiveness and hostility that we often forget that our neighbor is, in fact, our neighbor. One way for us to combat this is to come together at a table and share a meal, as one community. It will be at Block 34 from 5-7pm on Sunday, November 1.