COVID 19 Update

March 26, 2020

Dear Members and Friends,

This is an update on the Coronavirus and how the impact effects First United Methodist Church of Thomas, Oklahoma.

Center for Disease Control, State of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church now recommend that all gatherings of 10 people or above are expected to be cancelled for 21 days. Please know that we have the health and safety of all of our congregation members and visitors at the heart of any decision we make concerning worship and church activities.

At this time, the Administrative Board of First United Methodist Church of Thomas, Oklahoma has come to a very hard decision that in person Worship will now be suspended and we will move to online worship through Facebook and our website at www.fumcthomas.org.

Here are a few things we think you should know.

  1. No activities or groups are allowed to meet on the church campus at this time. The Terrier Top to Tail Care Closet will remain open by appointment only. You may call the church office at 580-661-3884 or go online at terriertoptotail.youcanbook.me to book an appointment
  2. The church has purchased a Streaming License to allow us to conduct online worship services. Worship will now be pre-recorded and uploaded to the church Facebook page and the church website at fumcthomas.org. Click on the “Sunday Worship” tab to view past and present worship services.
  3. Tithes and Offerings: We understand the need to feel connected to the church through your tithes and offerings. Because of this, we have now set up an Online Giving option on our website. This service will allow you to set up a onetime gift or a recurring gift. You may also still mail your donation to P.O. Box 189, Thomas, OK 73669. Another option is to set a Bill Payment through your local bank with FUMC Thomas as the payee.
  4. If you do not have access to the internet, one option for worship is to watch Rev. Bob Long with St. Luke’s UMC in Oklahoma City at 10:30am on t.v.

Please know that this was a difficult decision to make but the Administrative Board feels that these measures are the best way to protect members and guests while still offering the Love of Christ to all. We hope that these measures will not be in place for very long and we hope to return to our regular schedule as soon as it is safe to do so.

If you have any questions, you may contact the church office at 580-661-3884.

Sincerely,

Jet Tharp

Thomas UMC

Administrative Council Chairperson

March 18, 2020

Dear Members and Friends,

As we experience what is happening in the world around us through the pandemic of the Coronavirus, there have been many cancellations of churches across the State and country as a precaution. The Center for Disease Control, State of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church now recommend that all gatherings of 10 people or above should be cancel until March 31, 2020. Please know that we have the health and safety of all of our congregation members and visitors at the heart of any decision we make concerning worship and church activities.

At this time, the Administrative Board of First United Methodist Church of Thomas, OK has a plan to implement Pandemic Policies and Procedures. We plan to keep all Worship services open for a long as possible in light of CDC recommendations.

This implementation of procedures includes the following:

  1. Postpone all small group meetings until further notice from the Board. This decision includes but is not limited to: Sunday School, Women’s Ministry, Quilters Group, Fellowship Dinners, 5th Sunday Breakfast, etc. Only limited staff and volunteers will be allowed access to the buildings during the week so that cleaning and operations can continue.
  2. Be open and available for Sunday Worship at 11am with the following modifications:
    1. Encourage all persons who are ill to stay home and engage in worship online through the various churches who offer livestreaming.
    1. Encourage persons to wave, air hug, etc. rather than shaking hands.
    1. Place offering plates at the back of the Sanctuary and encourage persons to put their tithe and offering in the plate on the way out rather than passing the plate. Online giving has also been added to our website.
    1. Eliminate the receiving line for the Pastor at the end of the service to allow for limited contact.
    1. All in person visits will be suspended while this procedure is in place.
  3. The Terrier Top to Tail Care closet will suspend Open Shopping hours, but will remain open and available by appointment only as we seek to serve our community.

Please know that this was a difficult decision to make but the Administrative Board feels that these measures are the best way to protect members and guests while still offering the Love of Christ to all. As many of you know the CDC recommendations are always changing and Administrative Board will be in contact with the Oklahoma State Health Department and other area agencies to adjust our policies as needed.

If you have any questions, you may contact the church office at 580-661-3884.

Sincerely,

Jet Tharp

Thomas UMC

Administrative Council Chairperson