Welcome to our church! We are located in Bixby, OK and our mission is to be a community where people pursue a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and are equipped in the power of the Holy Spirit to go and make disciples. Feel free to browse around our site at your convenience. Below are some frequently asked questions that will hopefully be of help to you. If you'd like more information about our church, please click here to send an email to someone on staff at our church who will respond to you as soon as possible. Thanks and God Bless!
Worship Times
We have 2 worship services at First UMC. Both services are led by our senior pastor, Rev. Randy Mitchell, and associate pastor, Rev. Chris Ruddell, and the same sermon is preached at both.
Our Praise and Worship service is at 8:30am. This is our more contemporary service with a heavy emphasis on song and prayer. The music is led by our praise band, complete with keyboard and drums! If you're looking for a relaxed worship style or you are a morning person, then this is the service for you!
Our traditional service is at 11:00am. This is our main service and has more emphasis on liturgy (containing a call to worship, hymns from the Methodist Hymnal supported by our fantastic choir, and occasionally reciting church creeds).
Directions
We are located at 15502 S Memorial Dr. in Bixby, OK. Whether you are coming from the North or the South, just find your way to Memorial Dr and head to the intersection at 151st Street, just south of the QuickTrip gas station. It's hard to miss us as we're the big church on the side of the road! If you would like to see it on Google Maps, click here.
What to Expect
When you arrive on Sunday morning you'll find the parking lot filling up with cars and people heading into and out of the church. Because we have a worship service at 8:30, Sunday School at 10:00, and a worship service at 11:00, there will probably be people coming and going no matter when you show up. There are two entrances to the church from the main parking lot. The one closest to Memorial Drive will have you enter the Narthex (like a lobby), which connects directly to our sanctuary. The other entrance (in the middle of the building) will have you enter near our gymnasium and church offices. We have a very friendly church, so don't be surprised if people come up to you and say hello or even shake your hand. We normally have greeters standing in the Narthex ready to answer questions and make you feel comfortable.
As you enter the sanctuary an usher will hand you a program/bulletin. Feel free to find any open seat, as we have no reserved seats at First UMC. Most people enter the sanctuary between 5-10 minutes before the service starts. Our services normally last one hour, although sometimes they are a little shorter or longer.
What Should I Wear?
Whatever you want! (well, within reason!) Seriously, though, we have some people show up in jeans or shorts and others that show up in a suit and tie. Most people, however, wear "business casual".
Is Your Church Too Big for Me?
Not at all! Although the church is big from the outside, it is really not as intimidating as it might look. We have several ways to meet people and make friends, and most people who have been coming for at least a month or two begin to feel like the church is "home". If you're looking for a way to meet great people like you right away, we encourage you to check out one of our Sunday School classes which meet at 10:00am on Sunday mornings, or come to our Wednesday evening dinner and Bible Study at 5:30pm every week.
How Will I Know When to Sing, Stand, and Sit?
This is where the program/bulletin comes in handy! You'll notice a star on the left of several items. This indicates where people are to stand. For instance, in our 11:00 service everyone stand during the Call to Worship. You'll notice a star next to "Call to Worship" in the bulletin indicating this.
The bulletin also tells you when and what to sing. In the 8:30 service we begin with a series of 4 or 5 songs, led by our Praise Band. The words to these songs are displayed on the large screen at the front of the sanctuary. In the 11:00 service our songs are called "hymns" and are listed in the bulletin. The words to these songs are also displayed on the large screen, but if you prefer to sing to sheet music you will find in the bulletin page numbers that correspond to pages in the hymnal (found on the back of each pew/seat).
Other than that, we try our best to guide you when to sit and when to stand.
Should I Take Communion?
Communion (also called the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper) is one of two sacraments in the United Methodist Church (the other is Baptism). Communion is when we eat bread and drink juice and remember the love and grace God offered us through Jesus Christ. We offer Communion once a month, on the first Sunday of every month. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. You do not have to be a member of First UMC, or even a United Methodist. You only need a heart that is open to experiencing God. (And that is on the honors policy!)
Am I Expected to Give Money?
We take up an offering at every worship service. This is primarily for our members and regular attenders, who give freely of themselves to help other people. If you feel moved, you are certainly welcome to give money during this time, but it is not required of you as a new visitor. We want you to relax and not feel pressured in any way. If you do choose to give money, rest assured that it will be going to help support the church in important ways. Our offerings support missions both locally in Bixby as well as nationally and internationally through mission teams and projects. Also, we use the weekly offerings to pay for our staff and pastors which provide the Bible studies, worship experiences, counseling and care that makes First UMC such a wonderful place.
Where Should I Park?
You may park in any spot that is open, provided it is not marked as handicapped accessible (unless, of course, that applies to you!). We do have some special parking spots just for you, though. They are located near the main entrance and are marked with a sign that says "visitors".
What About My Kids?
At FIrst UMC we love kids! What you do with your kids is up to you, but we have excellent an children's ministry and youth ministry at the church. For children under the age of 12 we have "children's time" in the middle of each worship service where all the children come forward to talk with Pastor Chris for a couple of minutes. Afterward, most children go with our Children's Director, Lauri Pratt, for "children's church". If you'd feel better having your child by your side during the remainder of the service, though, we certainly understand! Going somewhere new for the first time, even a church, puts many people on their guard. We want you to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible so you can worship and experience God. If your child is crying, however, we do ask that you take him or her to the Narthex so the rest of our guests and members can continue to worship. We have a television in the Narthex that broadcasts everything going on in the sanctuary so you don't have to miss a thing.
What Happens if I Sign My Name?
In every worship service we pass the attendance clipboards down the rows of each aisle. We hope you will sign it and let us know you were here. If you do, your contact information will never be sold to any third party and we will not use it to later hit you up for money. If you give us your email address, it will simply be used to send out the church newsletter and an occasional all-church announcement. If you give us your physical address, it will be used to mail out a paper copy of the newsletter (if you don't have email). Also, we'd like to send a note in the mail welcoming you to the church. What we promise NOT to do, though, is to abuse your privacy by sending spam email or pressuring you to give money. If at any time you'd like to remove your email address from our mailing list, all you have to do is send an email to fumcbix@olp.net or call the church office at 918-366-4463.
