Phase two is completed. After two rainstorms, the basement is dry. We are moving forward into phase three. This will consist of a complete basement remodel. Holley Sanders, Kevin Readnour and I met Thomas Small from Space Design. Space Design is an architectural firm that specializes in church design. The session has entered into a contract with them for preliminary drawings. Construction is expected to begin sometime after the first of next year. -- Lenny

This November our church youth will be participating in Operation Christmas Child, packing shoeboxes filled with gifts for children around the world who may not otherwise receive a Christmas present. We have ordered 10 plastic shoeboxes and hope to fill every one to share God’s love and the joy of Christmas with these special children. The party to assemble the packages is Wednesday, November 11, at 6:30pm in the Annex. Pizza and drinks will be served. All church members are

Starting Sunday, November 8, the Adult Sunday School group will return to The Present Word with a 3-week series called "The Church and Its Teachings." This may be like a refresher study for some, but many will learn new insights about the church as the functioning Body of Christ, spiritually gifted for ministry and mission. Through the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, the church is nourished and empowered to live as Christ's body in the world, calling all people t

We will be continuing the League of Questioneers with a possible date and time change. Stay tuned for updates to come.

Humans--and probably many other animals--have a remarkable capacity: memory. Of course, prior to memory is that billions-of-years-old capacity, perception. We perceive things and bring them into our minds, that is, we bring representations of them into our minds. Then when those things are not present, we can remember them by accessing that representation of those things. Memory can be useful to help us avoid bad things or to seek out good things that we've encountered be

Remember to set your clock back 1 hour before you go to bed on Saturday night as Daylight Saving Time ends. This way you won't be out of step with Sunday's worship service and other events of the day. See you Sunday!

Active-duty U.S. troops are the recipients of contents for our Narthex Box in November. We will provide toiletries, snacks and some clothing items through an annual campaign headed by Hinkle Printing & Supplies. The list of requested donations includes deodorant, disposable razors, toothbrushes and paste, soap, snacks (non-melting like pre-packaged beef jerky and trail mix), boot socks, chapstick, bandages, moleskin foot pads, hand warmers, gloves and toboggan hats (black or

Advent is a season of preparation and reflection of the coming of Christ. It also marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. As we prepare to prepare in Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas, look for some topical reading options on the seasonal shelf in the library. Check out a book to use in your home studies for this exciting part of the year! --Amber

The very word, Presbyterian, means that we choose to organize ourselves by electing representatives to governing bodies, most generally referred to as councils, and abiding by the decisions of those councils. The Council for the local congregation is the session, and the geographical region that holds a collection of congregations is called a Presbytery. The council for the denomination as a whole is called the General Assembly. The documentation for how this is all set up

This Sunday, our adult Sunday School group will meet at the table in the Annex (next to the sanctuary). Everything else will be unchanged, so come with a learning quest and a neighborly spirit. The start time is 9:50am. Please stay tuned for future location announcements.

A Celebration of Service for Chas and Mary Gowing With grateful hearts, the congregation of First Presbyterian Church Pauls Valley, Oklahoma invites you to join us for a special gathering honoring Chas and Mary and celebrating their faithful service, leadership, and love for our church. Sunday, October 25, 2026 from 12:30 pm until 2:00 pm First Presbyterian Church 215 North Walnut Pauls Valley, Oklahoma Join us in saying Good-bye as they embark on a new adventure!

The League of Questioneers is all about asking deep questions of the Bible. We call ourselves "Questioneers" because we're engineers of good questions. For instance, if the book of Ruth is set in the time of David's grandfather, but was written in the time of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple after exile, how does that change our interpretation of what the book means? The League is continuing to meet and study "Prediction, Prophecy, and Predestination" through October, bu

Church friends and families are invited to the annual Pattonville Hayride and Weiner Roast this Saturday, October 17, 5:00pm and on into the night. Come sit around the campfire and enjoy a fall evening. Kids are invited to wear their Halloween costumes and be prepared for unexpected jump scares in the Happy Forest which has been invaded by all kinds of creepy ghosts, ghouls and monsters. Our hosts are Peggy and Ronnie Patton. For directions, contact the church office.

With the library relaunch, the books are well organized with dividers and shelf labels. If you haven't already, check it out. While you're perusing the great books in our library, if you find one that you like, try out the chair in the back corner reading nook. It's a really cozy place to sit and read and study and pray. --Amber, your friendly Librarian.

Brighten your world and support a worthy youth ministry at the same time! The cute, colorful and perhaps chilling pumpkins that are created by our youth go on sale in a silent auction on Sunday, October 11. This popular event starts with our kids turning creative and producing a full range of painted pumpkins. Adults can bid on the decorated creatures after viewing the pumpkins after church on that Sunday. High bidders will take home the decorated prizes. Proceeds go to our s

On Sunday, October 11, we will begin a new series titled “Comfort Those Who Mourn.” Our lessons for the next four weeks will explore what it means to comfort those who are grieving and hurting. Through Scripture and the example of Jesus, we'll discover how simply being present, listening, and walking alongside someone can be a powerful expression of God's love. We'll reflect on God's promise that we are never alone — in life, in grief, or in death — and that love ultimately c

Congregants may not know what all goes into effective planning for music support during worship. One key aspect of it is simply the week-to-week commitment from Steven Kennedy and the singers. Another aspect is the planning that goes into supporting the weekly worship service. The recent choir retreat set in motion a series of offertory selection and other music to be heard between now and Christmas, especially Advent. If you haven't noticed, Steven has added the keyboard to

Yes, it's true that Mary and I are leaving Pauls Valley. The official announcement can be found here: https://www.fpcpvok.com/post/a-new-season-for-our-community Yes, this will be the beginning of a new season for this congregation, but the old season still has a couple more weeks in it. There will be time enough to work out the new ways of doing things during the interregnum, and to form a Pastor Nominating Committee, and get to know your new pastor later. These last week

Our youth will paint pumpkins in this fun annual effort. The fanciful pumpkins will then be auctioned off and the money raised will support the youth we sponsor in Haiti. The fun starts Wednesday, October 7, at 6:00pm. The youth will meet at the manse to decorate each orange orb with colorful paint. Then, after worship on Sunday, October 11, people can bid on the pumpkins to decorate for the Fall season.

In November, our youth will come together to prepare Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes through the ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. To help them in this endeavor, during the month of October, please donate items to the Narthex Box. A suggested list of needed items can be found in the Narthex. Thank you for helping our youth share the joy of Christmas and God’s love with children around the world. Our goal is to provide at least eight boxes.