Planning Your Visit
Sunday Mornings
Wednesday Evenings
Meet Our Team

Welcome!

At First Methodist, we LOVE kids! Our staff and volunteers believe that kids are uniquely called and equipped to grow in their faith and serve the Lord. We'd love to have your family be part of our church and part of our high energy, Jesus-focused children's ministry.
Our church’s mission is to make (develop?) fully committed followers of Jesus Christ who are grounded in the word, alive in the spirit, and sent on mission. At First Kids, we apply our mission statement to our youngest friends by developing our kids to:
  • LEARN God (Word)
  • KNOW God (Spirit)
  • And LOVE God’s People (Mission)
First Kids is open for babies as young as six weeks in our nursery, all the way to 5th grade. Keep reading for more information about the First Kids strategy, environment, staff, and upcoming events, or email our Director, Sarah Johnson.

Our Schedule 

At FMC Tulsa, we have a Traditional Worship service at 8:30 a.m., a Sunday School hour from 9:50-10:50 a.m., and a Modern Worship service at 11:00 a.m.
First Kids is open for nursery and preschool, ages six weeks to PreK, for all three service hours (Traditional, Sunday School, and Modern).
First Kids is open for elementary children, ages K-5th grade, for our elementary worship and small groups during the Sunday School hour only, 9:50-10:50 a.m.
We encourage elementary-aged children to worship with their families! Stop by Worship Kit Central, located on the upper concourse between the First Kids wing and the sanctuary, where your elementary child can make their own “worship kit”. Each week, we have a selection of snacks, crafts, and fidgets, as well as themed coloring pages and games that will be cohesive with the day’s sermon!

Meet the First Kids Team

Sarah Johnson

First Kids Assistant Director
Read Sarah's Bio
Sarah has been with First Methodist since 2021 and loves her role leading the First Kids ministry.

Sarah holds a BFA from the University of Tulsa and received her seminary training from Asbury Theological Seminary where she earned an M.A. in Leadership, with a primary focus in family ministry. Sarah is passionate about faith formation in children and loves getting to be part of the lives of so many kids and families at First. She is a huge nerd about child development and loves helping parents learn to leverage each development phase of their child’s life toward their spiritual formation.

Sarah is married to Colt, and they welcomed their daughter Amelia in the fall of 2023.  

Kyler Duvall

First Kids Assistant Director
Read Kyler's Bio
Kyler joined the staff of First Methodist in 2023 and is passionate about leading the First Kids ministry to elementary children. He is a Tulsa native and graduate of the University of Tulsa, where he received a B.A. in Business Management.

Kyler is passionate about teaching and loves to craft creative “kid” sermons and associated small group lessons that teach kids the love of Jesus and the foundations of the biblical story.  

 Kyler is currently attending seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary, working towards an M.A. in Leadership. He is married to Anna, a second-grade teacher at Jenks Northwest. He is an avid Chiefs fan and says his favorite book of the Bible is John.   

Samantha Grant

Early Learning Academy Director
Read Samantha's Bio
Samantha Grant grew up at First Methodist and is in her tenth school year with the Early Learning Academy, and her second year as the Director.

Samantha graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in family sciences and child development, and her career has spanned education, social, and children’s ministry. She is passionate about discipling kids, supporting parents, and making the ELA the best early childhood center in Tulsa!

Samantha is married to Jake, and together they have two children, Abbie and Lucas. They are a proud puppy foster home and always have at least a few dogs running around. Samantha is a dedicated soccer mom and avid traveler!

Christa Henson

Assistant Director of Preschool Programming
Read Christa's Bio
Christa Henson studied at Oral Roberts University and has been on staff at First Methodist since 2021. She began as the High School minister but discerned a different calling to younger children, and thus became the Assistant Director of Preschool Programming!

Christa serves both the First Kids ministry and the Early Learning Academy, where she helps to cultivate a missional atmosphere, and hopes to connect families from both areas to the other.

Christa is married to fellow FMC staff member Grant Henson, and together they welcomed their son, Atticus, in 2024.

What We Teach

Everything at our church is centered around Word, Spirit, and Mission. At First Kids, we’ve used our mission to shape a culture and strategy in our kids ministry that prioritizes the following key ideas:
  • Preach the Gospel: We preach the good news of Jesus' love and the gift of salvation. We want our kids to be formed in the biblical story and to know that they are deeply loved and known by God.
  • Teach our Values: We want our kids to learn that the values we live by as Christians, like kindness, patience, perseverance, honesty, creativity, and love, as taught by the scriptures. Our goal is for our First Kids to not only know the word, but understand what it means to live a life of faith and light.
  • Create Positive Associations with Church: Ultimately, we hope that our First Kids know church as a place where they are happy, loved, and have lots of fun. We believe that this is the ultimate way for us to instill a love of church and a deep love for Jesus. We show them that they are surrounded by adults who are happy to see them and want them to have a great experience every single week. We divide our children up by age/grade in small group settings to allow us to individually cater to each age group's interests, learning styles, and ability to interpret and live scripture.
Using Think Orange’s First Look preschool curriculum and 252 Kids elementary/preteen curriculum as a base, we shape each monthly theme and individual week’s lesson, activities, and small groups as we feel led, just as any good pastor does! This allows us to create a highly individualized, high quality, and Spirit-led approach to discipling your child.
Each week, every preschooler and elementary child in our ministry area will sing songs and worship, hear a story from the Bible, and unpack what they’ve heard on their level. Each month also includes a monthly memory verse, cementing the importance of scripture in each child’s life.

Planning Your Visit

We’d love to meet you and your children. Feel free to contact director Sarah Johnson at [email protected] or by calling the church at 918.592.3862 before your visit to ask any specific questions. Otherwise, we’re happy to see you when you arrive! You’ll be asked to fill out a short form that gives us the vital information about your child, as well as any medical or behavioral concerns. Once we’ve got that, we’ll print a nametag and pick-up sticker for your child, and then we’ll help you get each of your children to the correct place and show you were to pick them up.  
We’ll be able to help you get where you’re headed no matter what, but we do recommend that families arrive 10 minutes before the service you’re attending so we have plenty of time to get you checked in. Most of our families park in the parking lot south of 12th Street between Boulder and Main, right outside our kids ministry entrance.   
A Note on Safety: Safety is always our first priority. All children will receive a nametag upon check-in with a unique 3-digit pick-up code. The parent receives a matching tag with that same code, and only recognized adults carrying their child’s matching pick-up tag will be allowed to remove a child from the First Kids ministry area. In addition, all of our staff and volunteers have cleared background checks, and our ministry area has a designated security guard. We’ve never had a safety issue, and we don’t plan to!

Sunday Mornings

Nursery: Ages 6 Weeks - 24 Months

We provide safe, nurturing care to all of our children ages 6 weeks to 24 months. Our babies are cared for by experienced First Kids staff members with at least two years of experience caring for infants and young toddlers in our ministry.
Please note that we are happy for you to send formula or a pre-made bottle with your child, we do not otherwise permit outside food or drink in the nursery for the safety of all of our babies.

Preschool: Ages 2-PreK 

Our toddlers and preschoolers receive their first look at Jesus and the biblical story through stories, crafts, and plenty of play. Beginning at age 2 in their very first “Babies Bible” class, all the way up to our big preschoolers, everyone will enjoy their Sunday in a safe and loving environment! The preschool ministry of First Kids is staffed by a combination of volunteer leaders, parents, and part-time staff members, and is overseen by our Assistant Director of Preschool Programming, Christa Henson. 

Elementary: Kindergarten-5th Grade 

Our Elementary kids experience both large group worship and their very own small group on Sunday mornings at 9:50 a.m. They begin by gathering for elementary worship in our auditorium, where they’ll hear a Bible story, presented kid-sermon style, and worship Jesus through song! It's high energy, kid friendly, and kid focused. After that they'll break into small groups with their age and gender to dive deeper into the lesson and to grow closer with their friends and their trained small group leader. The elementary ministry is overseen by the Assistant Director of First Kids, Kyler Duvall. 

Wednesday Nights

For Parents Attending a Midweek Course...

6 Weeks through Pre-K

Children ages 6 weeks-PreK will participate in safe, fun, and age-appropriate care on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Please note that childcare is only available by registration; we are unable to accommodate walk-ins at this time. Please pre-register your child using your class registration form.

Kindergarten through 5th Grade

Children ages K-5th grade are invited to become Blasters and join us at Bible Blast! Bible Blast is a longstanding tradition here at First Methodist, where kids are invited to engage with the entire Bible in a year, learn scripture, worship, and earn awesome prizes. Bible Blast is a family-discipleship program, but our Blast families and leadership are excited to welcome elementary kids whose parents are attending a class on Wednesday evenings.
Please note that while all elementary Blasters are welcome to engage with the weekly curriculum and participate in quizzing while at Blast, our First Kids staff will provide an alternate option for kids who prefer not to quiz or to do the weekly homework. All are welcome at Blast! Please pre-register your child using your class registration form.

Wednesday Nights

Programming for the Entire Family...

Bible Blast

Seasonal (August-May) | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | First Kids Auditorium (12th & Boulder)
Bible Blast is a fun and exciting Bible memory program that teaches God’s Word to children ages four through fifth grade. There are two components to Bible Blast: Bible Reading and Bible memory work. This is a family program and parents participate with their kids.
Click here to email the Bible Blast leaders!

Join the First Kids Team!

First Kids is a team effort comprised of full and part-time staff, student leaders, parent and adult volunteers, and college interns. Our kids benefit greatly from a team of diverse ages and personalities and we would love for you to join the fun!   
If you're interested in volunteering with First Kids, click on the appropriate form link below to get started!
Adult Volunteers
Student Volunteers