​On Saturday, January we will celebrate the 100th birthday of Hazel Chambers.  A reception, in her honor, will beheld in the Fellowship Hall at 2:00pm and will end at 4:00pm. This is a come and go card reception. Hazel has been a faithful member of our congregation since 1960. and until recently was an active member of the Crusaders Sunday School class.  With the recent passing of Katheryn Aston,  hazel is now the oldest living member of Sapulpa 1st UMC.

​We are so thankful for all your continued support over the busy Holiday season! Our Toys for Friends drive was a great success and we made some children very happy! Our Children’s focused service on the 8th went very well, we are so blessed to have a great group of children. They were very eager to get the chance to sing that song for all of you!
 
We want to say a special thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Children’s Christmas Party and help make that a special time for the Children. The magic show by Mike Platten, at Spotlite Magic and Costumes, was a true treat! I appreciate everyone and everything that came together to make that a success!
 
​As we roll into January we will continue to have our children’s Wednesday night program for children 1st through 5th grade, please join us at 6:15 P.M.-7:15 P.M. on Wednesday nights after Cross & Flame Cafe! Checkout our FUMC Sapulpa Children’s Ministry Facebook Page for all the details on each night’s theme or any cancellation information. As  always we are looking for volunteers for all of our programs! Very flexible opportunities to serve, we have a blessed group of children! If you feel led to volunteer please don’t hesitate getting in touch! Any questions please feel free to reach out to Keri Bunting.

January 16, 17, and 18 (scheduled times will be listed below), are the dates that have been set for our new pictorial directory.  It has been four years since our last directory and significant changes in our membership have occurred during this period of time.  A pictorial directory is a good way to keep in touch with and  learn about new member in our church. You may sign up for photo sessions online, on Sunday morning, or with Sarah in the Office. Spots are filling up fast! Sign up today to reserve a spot for you and your family. There are also Military & Senior Discounts for purchasing additional photo packages.
 
Photography Dates:
Thursday & Friday 1:00pm-7:40pm
Saturday 10:00am-4:40pm
 
Photography Sign Up Options:
Sunday: In person in the Narthex
Office: Call Sarah at 918-224-3006
Online: https://booknow-lifetouch.appointment-plus.com/b38b92zc/
 

Our morning Praise Service, held in the Family Life Center, will begin once again on Sunday morning January 5.   This service begins at 10:45 and is held  parallel to the Sanctuary Traditional service.  The announcements and morning message are brought to this service by means of video so participants in both services hear the same announcements an message each Sunday.  If contemporary music is the style you prefer, then the Family Life service will probably be the service you want to attend.  All are welcome!

On Christmas Eve, December 24, we will have a service of Communion and Candle Lighting, from 5:00—6:00 p.m.  The service will include:  hymns, scripture readings, special music, and a brief message by Pastor Schneider and a meaningful time of sharing in Holy Communion.  The service will conclude with a beautiful candle lighting ceremony.   All are invited

Greetings from Missions!  Thank you so much for your support of the Backpack Program and the Blessing Box!  The gift of food and the love represented help children and families in our community with hunger and food insecurities, especially at this time of year.  Please be praying for our Mission Team of 11 church members who will be travelling to Baldwin Louisiana January 18-25, 2020 to serve at UMCOR Sager Brown.  To know we have people supporting us and praying for us back home is appreciated more than you may know!  We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and joyous celebration of our Lord’s birth!

​At present our search for a new director of youth ministries is ongoing.  We’ve had a number of inquiries and several interviews, but no decisions have been made to date.  We want to thank all of the volunteers who have kept our UMYF active. Our next major event will be our youth ski trip. This trip will take place during Spring Break of 2020—Skiing Angel Fire, New Mexico– March 15th—20th, 2020. For further questions regarding the Ski Trip please contact Matthew Lawson (918) 807– 1471. This past month on Wednesday nights we’ve completed a video driven study, “What’s Next?” by Chris Hodges.  The youth did some soul searching about their personal journeys to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. We took the verse from II Timothy 1:6 as our theme, “Stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you.”  The last couple evenings we spent time reading the story of Christ’s birth from the 2nd chapter of Luke, and Christmas shopping at WalMart for 3 sets of siblings from our church Angel Tree.  Sunday morning youth have been studying the book of Romans. We wish everyone very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
 

During the season of Epiphany, we invite each of our members to join in seasonal prayer emphasis in which we will systematically prayer for the leaders and various members of our church.  Each day  a recommendation will be made for you to lift up the ministry of a specific group:  choir, SS teachers, missions team, etc.  It is a wonderful way to support our church leaders and ministry groups.

An Epiphany Prayer Guide is available with January's Newsletter and will be available throughout the church.  Please pick up one (or more) of this and keep them with your Bible or by the chair where you do your morning/evening prayers.

​Let’s Begin The New Year In The Spirit Of Prayer!
 

 Our Cross and Flame Café, along with Wednesday evening programs will reconvene on Wednesday January 8.  However, we do have a concern:  For the year 2019 we actually lost $2,621.91 on this program.  This is not a program in which we are trying to raise money, but it is not a part of our general budget so we are striving to “break even.”  In the past we have not only been able to break even but have actually carried a balance each month which has been used to purchase kitchen equipment and a variety of things for the church.  So our main goal is simply to “makes ends meet each month.  If we are unable to do that we will have to reconsider either our approach or whether or not we should continue this program.  Hopefully, as we begin a new year the giving will increase.  We operate solely by donations so please be generous each Wednesday evening.

​A new beginning…  That is what every January 1st is.  We all make resolutions to do this and do that better every year, but we are all human!  Are you going on a diet?  Are you going to read your Bible more?  Are you going to pray more?  Are you going to get more involved with your church family?  Our church has so many opportunities to be part of the community of God and one of the ways is to come to a UMW Circle.   Circles are a great way to meet women in our church!  Don’t miss out on Women’s fellowship, Bible lessons and good food. 
 
The Joy Circle meets the 1st Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm in the Parlor. 
 
The United Methodist Men meet in the Fellowship Hall at the same time as the Joy Circle.  They will provide a meal and usually a speaker.  All are invited to both gatherings! 
 
The Esther Circle meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 9:30 am in the Parlor. 
 
 “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord”
(Lamentations 3:40).