Care & Service
We have plenty of ways to make a difference through our church. Either click the navigation links below or scroll to view all.
For questions or to get involved, contact the church office.
Our Initiatives
Programs Housed at FPC
Our Partners
About Deacons
Growing Families
Our Daily Bread
Pioneer Pantry
Little Free Pantry
The deacons of the church are ordained to their office to minister to the sick, brokenhearted, lonely and hurting people in the church and community.
Click on the tabs to learn about some of the current Deacon ministry-supported projects. Please note this is not an exhaustive list of all the works deacons do.
If you would like to learn more or become involved in Deacon projects, please reach out to the church office.
New parents at FPC and Presbyterian Preschool receive Growing Family Baskets for the birth or adoption of a baby/young child. Baskets contain flannel receiving blankets, burp clothes sewn and embroidered by our Second Mile Sewers, knit or crochet baby blankets, a stuffed toy and book from our Fair Trade Store, and, depending on the need, some clothes. Each family also receives a year-long Splash! newsletter subscription, which is mailed monthly and provides bite-sized ways to incorporate prayer and seeing God in the life of new parents and children alike.
If you would like to provide items for the Growing Family Baskets,
please get in touch with Deacons Holly Chermack
hchermack@gmx.com or Debby Schoenecke
debbyschoenecke49@gmail.com
The Deacons organize an all-church volunteer Saturday at Our Daily Bread Food & Resource Center on a quarterly basis. We help sort food deliveries, stock shelves, assist with grocery shopping, and help provide a warm welcome to all. All ages are invited to come volunteer, including children 5 and older accompanied by an adult.
Keep an eye on our First Things email and bulletin announcements for the next volunteer day, or give ODB a call and go on your own! They are always glad to have extra hands to sort, shelve, and assist with shopping.
For more information on ODB, please visit their website:
https://www.ourdailybreadstillwater.org
Stillwater Public Schools’ Pioneer Pantry aims to help students in grades K-12 get the items they need, from hygiene or household products to a haircut or a coat. Items are provided directly to students, as well as to families, when a need is identified. Students can go to the health room or nurse’s office at each school site to acquire items, or teachers can make requests on behalf of students. Students can get products confidentially; there are no “rules” on how much somebody can take. Some students grab a stick of deodorant, and some fill up an entire bag with products they need.
Twice a year, in January and in August, the Deacons collect donated items and monetary funds for Pioneer Pantry and deliver everything to Stillwater High School. Over the last several years, this supported ministry has reached many students within SPS.
First Presbyterian Church’s Little Free Pantry is located in the alley between the main building and the Fellowship Hall. Our Deacons oversee and encourage others to help keep our Little Free Pantry stocked with food and our Little Red Pantry stocked with menstrual products. Modeled after the Little Free Library program, Little Free Pantries provide access to shelf-stable food items for those who are food insecure. Church members and community members both help stock the shelves and replenish items as needed.
Stop by the church to learn more and to pick up a suggested shopping list.
Extended Communion, a ministry of the Board of Deacons of First Presbyterian Church, is available on the first Sunday of every month and by appointment. If you would like to be added to the list to receive Extended Communion in your home, or if you are an ordained Deacon or Elder who would like to serve, please contact Debby Schoenecke, Deacon moderator, via the Church Office at (405) 372-5580.
“In this meal the Church celebrates the joyful feast of the people of God, and anticipates the great banquet and marriage supper of the Lamb. Brought by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s presence, the Church eagerly expects and prays for the day when Christ shall come in glory and God be all in all. Nourished by this hope, the Church rises from the Table and is sent by the power of the Holy Spirit to participate in God’s mission to the world, to proclaim the gospel, to exercise compassion, to work for justice and peace until Christ’s Kingdom shall come at last.” (Book of Order, W-2.4007)
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in growing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. Members of the fair trade movement add the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and environmental standards.
Some of the principles of Fair trade include:
- Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
- Paying a fair price for goods
- Ensuring no child labor and/or forced labor is used
- Committing to non-discrimination and gender equality
- Ensuring good working conditions
- Respecting the environment
The Fair Trade Store is usually open each Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and by appointment. The store is located on the first floor in room 103 by the library and restrooms, and is stocked with jewelry, folk art, coffee, tea, chocolate, household goods, and much more!
A group of volunteers helps run the FTS each Sunday, and Julie Bills is the manager who orders products. Please join the Fair Trade Store’s Facebook page to see what new merchandise is available at Stillwater FPC Fair Trade Store.
If you would like to volunteer to work in the Fair Trade Store or if you would like to set up an appointment to shop outside of Sunday hours, contact Julie Bills or call 405-880-4072.
We look forward to welcoming you to the FPC Fair Trade Store!
With the help of our Communications & Missions Committee, the Mission Team at First Presbyterian plans an intergenerational mission trip every year. We work very hard to make our mission trips intentionally intergenerational to include youth in 7th-12th grades through adults of all ages.
Currently, there is not an Intergenerational Mission Trip planned for 2026. However, please check back as those plans may change in the coming months.
Members of the congregation, primarily composed of our Second Mile Sewers, knit and crochet prayer shawls which are given to individuals experiencing crisis, illness, or transition in their life. Prayer Squares can be sent to service men and women serving our country overseas or given to anyone who would appreciate carrying one in their pocket or purse.
Prayer Shawls that have been blessed in worship are located in the glass-fronted wall closet in the Hospitality Area. If you would like a prayer shawl for yourself or would like to give one to a friend or family member, please look there for a shawl of your liking. The yellow prayer card stays with the shawl, and the smaller white card that names the shawl’s maker should be filled out to include the name of the recipient and left in the wall closet or left in the Church Office.
Contact the
Church Office if you would like to come by and select a prayer shawl to give to someone in need or for any questions about our Prayer Shawl Ministry. These shawls are available for anyone to select and give, not just pastoral staff, so please feel free to pick one out and give it to someone in your life who has need of prayer.
About Saturday Brunch
Sock Ministry
Volunteering
Each Saturday morning, members and friends of FPC gather in our Fellowship Hall to prepare and serve a meal to anyone in the Stillwater community who has need. The Saturday Brunch provides a hot, nutritious meal to anyone in the community faced with food insecurity or simply looking to connect with others. All are welcome to come in, share a meal, fellowship with others, or simply sit and rest. No ID or other documentation is required to receive a meal.
Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to noon. Leftovers are distributed beginning at 12:00 pm for those who wish to take a meal home (You can eat in person and get a ‘to-go’ meal). The FPC Fellowship Hall is located on 5th and Duck, to the west of our main building. We also make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for those who require a meal alternative, and often have bread and other food items available for guests to take home.
There are numerous ways to volunteer and support this ministry. Navigate to the Volunteering tab and contact the church office to get in touch with someone.
In 2024, volunteers prepared and served 2376 meals, sent home 1170 take-out meals, and distributed 210 bags filled with healthy snacks for children. We receive generous weekly bread donations from Panera Bread and prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and package bags of bread for guests to take with them. We utilize resources from the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank to help offset the rising cost of food.
New parents at FPC and Presbyterian Preschool receive Growing Family Baskets for the birth or adoption of a baby/young child. Baskets contain flannel receiving blankets, burp clothes sewn and embroidered by our Second Mile Sewers, knit or crochet baby blankets, a stuffed toy and book from our Fair Trade Store, and, depending on the need, some clothes. Each family also receives a year-long Splash! newsletter subscription, which is mailed monthly and provides bite-sized ways to incorporate prayer and seeing God in the life of new parents and children alike.
If you would like to provide items for the Growing Family Baskets, please contact Deacons Holly Chermack (hchermack@gmx.com) or Debby Schoenecke (debbyschoenecke49@gmail.com)
We acquire a significant amount of the food used for Saturday Brunch through the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Monthly orders are placed by our Kitchen Manager, and we usually need help picking up the order at Our Daily Bread Food & Resource Center, unloading it at the church and putting it away.
There are a number of ways to volunteer to support the Saturday Brunch Ministry. If you are interested in volunteering with a team on Saturday mornings, helping with our food bank order, or have questions, please contact the
Church Office, and you will be connected with our current Kitchen Co-Managers.
First Presbyterian Church has sponsored Scouting America Troop 820 for over 100 years and, in the last few years, has expanded to sponsor Cub Pack 3842 and a Scouting America Girl’s Troop, Troop 888. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the scouting opportunities available, please contact Troop 820, Troop 888, or Cub Pack 3842 for more information.
Second Mile Sewing meets on the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of each month, 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Fellowship Hall. This fellowship is warm, and the mission projects are relevant. A project can be found to fit each individual – knitting, quilting, sewing, and more. Currently, our Second Mile Sewers are staying busy cutting and sewing buttons on aprons for a project for OKTEP (Oklahoma Tribal Engagement Partners). Past projects have included face masks, walker bibs, felt Christmas stockings for toiletries, and pillows for mastectomy patients to use during recovery.
One of the ongoing projects that Second Mile Sewers oversees is our Prayer Shawl and Prayer Square Ministry. Prayer shawls are crocheted and knitted by members and can be given to individuals experiencing a crisis, illness, or a life transition, such as the death of a loved one or the birth of a new child. Prayer Shawls and Squares are prayed over and blessed in worship. Then they are kept in the glass-fronted wall cupboards in the Hospitality Area, where they are available to anyone who would like to give one to a friend or family member in need of prayer. Each shawl has two cards: one yellow card that explains the Prayer Shawl ministry and one white card that gives the name of the shawl’s maker. Please write the name of the intended recipient on the white card and leave it in the cupboard, but take the yellow card with the shawl.
All are welcome to join the Second Milers, so grab your unfinished fiber project and come on down! For more information, please contact Barb Henderson at
405-377-6391 or Rosetta Silver at
405-372-6915.
First Presbyterian Church supports the Synod of the Sun’s mission project Solar Under the Sun. Teams are trained to work with global partners to install and to maintain solar energy systems to meet particular needs in places where electricity is scarce.
Solar Under the Sun hosts Solar School twice every year, in the spring and in the fall. For information on the next Solar School, please click here.
For more information or if you have questions, contact
info@solarunderthesun.org or
Solar Under the Sun, PO Box 5004, Jacksonville, AR 72078.
Stephen Ministry is a confidential, one-on-one, listening ministry that is designed to help people through the ups and downs of life: grief, life changes, loss, and physical and spiritual setbacks. Stephen Ministers are available for times of loss or life transition. Stephen Ministers are not clergy, but have had 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving.
Our congregation works with other congregations in Stillwater to train new Stephen Ministers. These ecumenical trainings are a bridge among our different faith communities, strengthening our common witness to the healing and reconciling love of Jesus Christ. Training for new Stephen Ministers usually begins in October each year. Participating churches include First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, St. Francis Catholic Parishes, Sunnybrook Christian Church, Zion Lutheran Church and Lost Creek Methodist Church.
You may wonder, “What happens during that hour?” There is listening. And sharing thoughts, feelings, and worries, all in a confidential setting. When I first became a Stephen Minister, I thought, “How can talking help so much? How do time and listening make such a change?” My Care Receiver was equally astonished and is so grateful that the process does work, that she has given her permission for us to share her thoughts with you:
“I was so hurt by my loss, so full of grief, that I knew I needed help or I might not make it. So, I asked for a Stephen Minister. I remember walking into the church, seeing her sitting there and thinking, “What are we going to talk about for an hour?” But I did talk: we introduced ourselves and then I talked about myself, my spirituality, and my grief. She asked if she could pray and what I needed that prayer to sound like, to be about. Then we did the same thing the next week and the next. Sometimes, when we meet, I just talk about anything. Then after a while, I get around to painful feelings. Sometimes, as I talk, I find out what’s really hurting me. And I found out from my Stephen Minister that I am not alone—others have felt like I do and made it. It is frustrating, though, because you can’t manipulate time, you just have to live through it. But I had someone to go through it with me who never judged my emotions and never talked about them with anyone else. That was important to me. Grief used to be the first thought of my day. Now I can remember my loved one without also feeling deep loss. I tell everyone, if you are hurting, just talk! You don’t have to be eloquent or even use full sentences. Just say, “I feel this.””
By Denise Rex, Stephen Minister
If you are interested in having a Stephen Minister, please contact Stephen Leader Linda Burks.
The Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program is an ecumenical, faith-based year of service for young people (ages 19–30) in sites across the United States and around the world. YAVs accompany local agencies working to address root causes of poverty and reconciliation. Alongside this work, volunteers explore the meaning of their Christian faith and accountability to their neighbors in the community with peers and mentors.
The YAV year occurs from August to August.
For more information and to apply, visit the link.
