First Church E-News | Vol. 4, Issue 5 | Tuesday, March 1, 2022 
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”
-Psalms 51:10 NRSV
Communion Element Pick-up
Monday, February 28 through Friday, March 4, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Atrium lobby
We are having communion in the Sunday, March 6 worship services. If you are staying at home and watching online or on Cox Cable Ch. 3, you can participate by picking up communion elements in advance. We can have your packets ready for you if you call the church at 918-584-4701 in advance and let us know the number in your family.
Ash Wednesday dinner and worship
Wednesday, March 2
Soup dinner at 5:30 p.m.; Stephenson Hall
Worship service at 6:30 p.m.; Sanctuary
Join us for this meaningful service on the first day of Lent and holy day of prayer. During the service you can elect to have ashes placed on your forehead which is a sign of our humanity and a reminder of our mortality. A soup dinner will be held before the service and is $5 per adult and free for children 12 and under. Learn more here and purchase your dinner online. Note – there will be no childcare during the worship service but the Family Room will be available to you and your children in Patterson Lounge in the Children’s Ministry area.
The Word in Art – Bible exhibition
Opens Sunday, March 6 in the Atrium
The Word in Art is a Lenten exhibition focusing on the life of Jesus as portrayed in Biblical art. It features a mid-1800 edition noted for black and white engravings, the John Brown Bible published in 1859, and The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, published in 1899 with engravings by French painter, J. James Tissot. For docent tour information, call the church office, 918-584-4701.
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Join a Lenten Small Group (K-Group)
Encountering the great “I AM”
Meets weekly between Sunday, March 6 and Saturday, April 16; various locations
Join a small group for this six-week Lenten series discussing the great “I AM,” how Jesus described himself. To join or lead a group, contact Phillip Bowman at 918-630-1786. Learn more here.
Wednesday Lenten Conversations
Wednesdays, March 9 – April 13, 6:15 p.m.; Stephenson Hall
Meet in Stephenson Hall on Wednesday evenings during Lent to hear the personal testimonies of our ministers on how God appeared in their lives, and for a discussion about the great “I AM." Please see the updated speaker schedule online.
Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, March 20; 9:30 a.m.; Stephenson Hall
Please join us for the Annual Congregational Meeting and the Year-in-Pictures. There will be no adult Sunday school on this day.
All-Church Retreat
Friday, March 25, 6 p.m. through Saturday, March 26, 7 p.m.
New Life Ranch – Frontier Cove
Make plans now to attend the All-Church Retreat where Dr. Ryan Moore will be our keynote speaker. We will stay over one night with three meals plus fun activities for the entire family. You can also purchase a day-pass only for Saturday. Contact Hannah Elliott at the church with questions or register online here.
Join the Pray-ers Ministry
Did you know that someone has been praying for you throughout the year? The Pray-ers Ministry is a group of 70+ First Church members who engage in daily prayer for our members. Every year, each pray-er is assigned seven individuals and/or families to pray for by name daily for the period of one year. If you would like to join this quiet ministry, please contact Hannah Elliott at 918-301-1019. 
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Choosing the Best
Biblically based sexual education course for mid-high students & parents
Saturday, April 2, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.; Powerhouse
Fifth through eighth grade students and their parents are invited to join us for this Bible-based sexual education course on anatomy, sex, contraceptives, STIs and pornography. Because our culture is flooded with confusing information about sex, this course presents a Christian perspective to help us better understand this gift from God and be equipped with knowledge to combat misinformation. Students must attend to participate in the balance of the education classes scheduled for Wednesday evenings April 6-May 4. All students and parents must register in advance and the fee is $20 per student. If you have a 5th grade student that you would like to go through this class, please contact Jackson Seibert in advance.
H2O Project – Sponsor a well
Sundays, April 3 – 17; Give at the Atrium table
During the last two weeks of Lent, the congregation can participate in the H2O Project by fasting from all beverages but water and give the money saved from purchasing other drinks to our partners in the H2O Project, Marion Medical Mission. The mission works with local villagers in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia by digging wells for their villages and teaching them how to maintain them. The cost per well is $450 which will serve 150 people. First Church members have donated funds to the mission since 2009 resulting in 216 wells. Our goal for this year is $6,300 for 14 wells making our new total 230 wells.
Keith & Kristyn Getty Concert - Christ Our Hope Spring 2022 Tour
Friday, April 8, 7:30 p.m.; Sanctuary
Modern hymn writers, Keith & Kristyn Getty, are returning to First Presbyterian to perform as part of their Christ Our Hope tour. Tickets are $35 each for general admission seating. Purchase them online or in the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings. If the Gettys are new to you, watch them here performing “Lift High the Name of Jesus.”
Spring Festival
Saturday, April 9, 10 a.m. - noon; Camp Loughridge
Bring your kiddos and their own Easter baskets and join us for Spring Festival at Camp Loughridge. There will be an egg hunt (bring your own basket), a petting zoo and fun activities! No registration is required. 
First Church scholarships deadline approaching
Apply here by April 15
First Church offers a number of scholarships for First Church members who are enrolled in college courses. Read more about these resources and apply before April 15.
Annual Musicians Easter Brunch
Sign up now to bring food Easter morning, Sunday, April 17, 2022
Parishioners show members of the Music Ministry how much we sincerely appreciate them by signing up to bring a breakfast dish. To volunteer, contact Kathy Wilson at 918-301-1029 or sign up online.
Heather Davis Internship
Apply online here
This three-month internship is designed for those who desire to explore gifts for ministry and strengthen his or her spiritual life. The intern ministers to the Middle School and High School communities and seeks to fulfill the purpose of Youth Ministries in its efforts to fulfill the vision as we are, “Called to make fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ who are inwardly strong and outwardly focused.” Contact Steve Wilson for additional information.
Holy Week Prayer Vigil
Thursday, April 14 at 9 p.m. through Easter Sunday, April 17 at 7 a.m.
The Prayer Vigil is a continuous chain of prayer that begins on Maundy Thursday and continues until sunrise on Easter Sunday. Sign ups for time slots are forthcoming and we will share the link with you soon. More information here.
Morning Marriage Retreat with Rev. James Estes
Saturday, April 23, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Church
Married couples, join us for a half-day retreat led by Rev. James Estes. Childcare will be provided. Learn more here. The sign-up link and additional information is forthcoming.
Pastor's Study with Dr. Jim Miller on C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”
Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and Wednesdays 11:30 a.m.; Stephenson Hall
Lunch is available for the Wednesday class, and you can prepay here.
Old Testament Survey
Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in E104
The class will be walking through the books of the Old Testament.
Monday School with Dr. Wes Vander Lugt
Slow Faith: A Study in the Psalms
Mondays at noon through May 16, lunch at 11:30 a.m.; Room E104
Lunch is available for purchase online.
Little Lambs
For caregivers and children birth to pre-school
Mondays, 10 a.m.; Playground (if over 40 degrees) or Bernsen Gym (if cold or rainy)
For questions, contact Phillip Bowman at 918-630-1786.
Precepts with Denise Rounds
Tuesdays through April 12 at 9:30 a.m.; E100
Precepts is studying the book of Titus. For more information, contact Hannah Elliott at 918-301-1019.
UKirk "Gather" and "Grow" for adults 18-24
Led by Julia Metcalf, follow UKirk on Instagram @ukirktulsa
  • “Gather” meets Tuesdays at 5 p.m.; Sharp Chapel on TU's campus
  • “Grow” meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m.; Kirkland Library Bernsen Building
Downtown Theological Roundtable (DTR)
Wednesdays through May 11, 11:30 a.m. -12:20 p.m.; Room 206
Interested in discussion theology? Please join us for a discussion of G.K. Chesterton’s book “Orthodoxy.” Contact Phillip Bowman at 918-630-1786.
Pathways to Hope with Rev. Wally Johnson
Wednesdays March 2-30, noon - 1 p.m.; Miller Library
This five-week class taught by Rev. Wally Johnson explores how the Psalms of Lament can help Christians deal with grief of all kinds. Lunch will be available, or participants may bring their own. Register online or contact Kathy Wilson at the church.
Wednesday Night Downtown
Dinner 5:15 p.m. and classes 6:15 p.m.*
Pay online or in person at the door.
*Note: On Ash Wednesday, March 2, we are offering a $5 soup dinner followed by a worship service in the Sanctuary at 6:30 p.m. There will be no evening programming except the worship service that evening.
AWANA at 6:15 p.m.; Children's Center
Wednesday evening activities. No classes or childcare Wednesday, March 2.
Pathfinders, AMASS Exodus, Confirmation at 6:15 p.m.; Powerhouse
No classes Wednesday, March 2.
Classes will resume on Wednesday, April 20 after Easter. In the meantime, please join us for Lenten Conversations 2022 - Encountering the Great "I AM" in Stephenson Hall on Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m.
Ash Wednesday worship
Wednesday, March 2, 6:30 p.m., Sanctuary
Regular weekly worship services
 
Saturdays at 10:30 a.m., TIF Prayer meeting in the Great Hall
Sundays at 8 a.m., Traditional worship in the Chapel
Sundays at 8:30 a.m., Contemporary worship in Stephenson Hall
Sundays at 11 a.m.:
  • Traditional worship in the Sanctuary*
  • Contemporary worship in Stephenson Hall
  • TIF in the Great Hall
 
*Watch Sunday 11 a.m. worship live:
Coming up …

Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 10
Join us on Palm Sunday for worship. All five services will be in session.

Maundy Thursday
Thursday, April 14, 7:30 p.m.; Sanctuary
A moving Tenebrae service of darkness with communion. 

Good Friday
Friday, April 15, noon; Sanctuary
Join us for the Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross. “Good” Friday is the day Christians intentionally remember Jesus’ crucifixion and the sacrifice he made on our behalf.

Easter
Sunday, April 17, services beginning at 6:30 a.m. through 11 a.m.
Join us for our Sunrise Service at Camp Loughridge at 6:30 a.m. or attend one of our five regularly scheduled worship services at the church including traditional, contemporary and Tulsa International Fellowship.
Join First Friends – an informal group of greeters
Would you like to make an important contribution to the church and provide a warm welcome to newcomers sitting in and around your pew? Then join us to become informal greeters for each service. Contact Patricia Hall at the church.
Births, marriages & hospitalizations
Call or email Kathy Wilson at 918-301-1029.
Prayer requests & afterhours emergencies
Call the church at 918-584-4701. Send prayer requests to Kathy Wilson at 918-301-1029 or contact the Guild of Intercessors at 918-296-5548.
Realm app
Learn more about our Realm app and directory here.
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FirstChurchTulsa.org • Do you have questions? Call us at 918-584-4701