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Upward Basketball & Cheer

Our host facility, First United Methodist Church, is also a host for Upward Basketball and Cheerleading. Established in 1995, Upward Sports is the world’s largest Christian youth sports provider, with the mission of: “Promoting the Discovery of Jesus Through Sports.” (Read more about Upward here.)

Registration for Upward Basketball and Cheer is now open, and ends soon. Details are below. Use the button at the bottom of this post to register.

League Information

Upward Basketball

K5 – 5th Grade Boys & Girls

Recreational divisions will be determined by number of participants in each grade.

Jersey, t-shirt, shorts, and player box included.

Upward Plus Basketball

for 6th & 7th Grade Boys & Girls (Born after 4/1/03)

Advanced skills & rules division for 6th-7th grade

Jersey, t-shirt, shorts, and player box included.

Additional $10 charge for Upward Certified Refs.

Upward Cheerleading

for K5 – 7th Grade Girls (Born before 9/1/12)

Cheerleading uniform, poms, and megaphone included.

Mandatory Evaluations (K-5th)

Players must attend a Mandatory Evaluation on Tuesday, October 24th at First United Methodist Church YFC (11th & Main). Times are as follows:

6:00-7:00 p.m. (A-L)
7:00-8:00 p.m. (M-Z)

Mandatory Evaluations (6th-7th)

Players must attend a Mandatory Evaluation on Thursday, October 26th, from 6:00-8:00 PM, at First Baptist Church.

Fees

Registration after October 8th – $95 per child
Late Registration after October 24th – $115 child

More Details

One practice & one game per week.
Unique substitution system that ensures every young athlete plays.
Quality game day uniform and other sport-related gear.
Age-appropriate character and skill development both on and off the court.
Coaches who are focused on your athlete’s development.
Practices Begin the week of November 27th.
Games Begin January 6th.
Awards Celebration on March 1, 2018.
All games are held at First United Methodist Church’s Youth and Family Complex, First Baptist Church, or West Tulsa Free Will Baptist Church. Practices are also held at all three sites.

Scholarships

For Information about Scholarships, contact Tom Knorr:

sportsministry@fumctulsa.org or 918.556.8849

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Essentials: “A Tea Party for the King”

Throughout the school year, we will be using the blog to showcase some of the writing efforts of our Essentials students.

Essentials is a comprehensive language arts program for students 9-12 years of age. In addition to an intensive study of English grammar and math drills, Essentials students will tackle Institute for Excellence in Writing‘s (IEW) curriculum for history-based writing assignments.

Below is a paper on the Boston Tea Party, written by a third-year Essentials student (age 12).

Griffin Prescott
Essentials – Lesson 6
September 28, 2017

A Tea Party for the King

On a freezing December evening in the year 1773, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, were filled with people. Among them was Paul, who was ten years old. His older brother, who belonged to the Sons of Liberty, announced that something exciting was about to happen. Three ships loaded with British tea were docked in Boston Harbor. Paul could scarcely wait to find out what was about to happen.

As Paul stood in the streets, he thought about what his brother had told him. The colonists were refusing to buy British goods because the British were charging harsh taxes on them. The colonists didn’t think the British had any right to tax them, so they tried to send the tea back to England. Unfortunately, the Royal Governor of Boston steadfastly refused to let them return the tea, and told them the King’s orders must be obeyed. The tea must be unloaded by December 16^th — that very day.

The crowd began to stir restlessly. Pushing through the throngs of people, almost one hundred Indians appeared on the dock — but they weren’t Indians at all! They were the Sons of Liberty, cleverly disguised as Mohawk Indians. Their cheeks were painted with red and blue stripes, and their faces were covered with soot. Wham! The brave Bostonians boldly busted open each box, and poured the tea into the harbor. The crowd shouted approvingly: “Let’s tell King George we will not pay his taxes anymore.” Even as the Indians disappeared into the night, Paul knew that King George would hear of the Boston Tea Party, and he feared the King would be furious.

Meet Our Sponsored Children: Deborah and Aaron

…but Jesus said,
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 19:14

This year, the families and students of Classical Conversations Downtown Tulsa (CCDT) will be sponsoring two Ugandan orphans through Bless the Children Ministries (BTCM). Our donations will help provide food, shelter, and most of all, a safe place for these precious children to be nurtured, and to learn about God’s love.

Meet Our Sponsored Children

[one_half padding=”0 10px 0 0″]

Deborah

Deborah Namukwasa was born December 25, 2015, and is 1.5 years old.

Deborah’s mother died in childbirth and her father abandoned her. An aunt was trying to care for Deborah and her two siblings.[/one_half]

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Aaron

Aaron Manzi was born approximately January 1, 2016, and is 1.5 years old.

Aaron was found outside a school gate, completely alone, abandoned, and starving. At 16 months, he could barely crawl.[/one_half_last]

How can I get involved?

The cost to sponsor one child through BTCM is $44 per month. CCDT families and students are encouraged to participate in this project in the following ways:

Donate toward the monthly costs of sponsoring Deborah and Aaron.
Make a donation to help send our sponsored children a care package at Christmas time.
As a family, pray for our two sponsored children, Uganda’s 2.5 million orphans, and the work of orphan outreach ministries like BTCM.
Write letters to our sponsored children (details available soon).

Our Uganda Giving Box will be available to receive donations on each Community Day. Look for the Giving Box in Room 203 during Foundations & Essentials. (If you need to make a contribution at another time, please contact Abigail Prescott.)

We will also collect funds to apply toward the sponsorship costs through different fundraising opportunities, such as our Community Day Marketplace, and Moms’ Networking Night. More details on these events will be shared soon.

Other Ways You Can Help

Visit Bless the Children Ministries online and sponsor another child, or a member of the Ugandan staff.
Volunteer your time to support BTCM’s US operations by helping with fundraising, marketing, or other activities.
Join a mission trip! Each year, several Tulsa-area churches sponsor mission trips to serve at the BTCM campus in Mabaale, Uganda. Areas of need may include: medical outreach, educational services, construction projects, and more. BTCM also offers summer internships for college students who have a heart for serving orphans.

Why Uganda?

Uganda is a nation of children with a history of poverty, corruption, and war that is ripe for investment and hope.

Half of Uganda’s 38 million people are under the age of 15.
45% of Ugandans are Protestant, 39% are Roman Catholic, 14% are Muslim.
The total fertility rate is 5.8 children per woman, one of the highest in the world.
Uganda’s maternal mortality rate is 16 times that of the United States.
Over 1.4 million Ugandans are living with HIV/AIDS — the 10th highest rate in the world.
14% of children under the age of 5 are underweight.
Uganda has 2.5 million orphans.

What is Bless the Children Ministries?

Founded in 2008, BTCM’s mission is to care for orphans and vulnerable children through discipleship, Christian education, and health care. As part of its ministry, BTCM provides: a Children’s Home for orphaned and vulnerable children; a Sponsorship Program to meet ongoing needs; and a Christian school to provide Christ-centered education and relational discipleship. BTCM strives to help these children grow to be Godly leaders that will impact their communities.

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Six Flags Read to Succeed Program

Did you know your children (K-6th grade) can get free tickets to a Six Flags theme park just by reading?

Homeschool families who signup for Six Flags’ Read to Succeed Program by March 1st are eligible for free tickets for each Kindergarten through 6th grade student who reads a minimum of six hours total. (Adult tickets are not included, unless you have eight or more children signed up.)

Click here to signup online and enter your students’ reading hours. Hurry — the program ends March 1, 2017!

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Service Project: Laura Dester Children’s Shelter

As some of you may already be aware, the OK Department of Human Services (DHS) has been working to close Oklahoma’s two emergency children’s shelters in order to move toward foster care placement for every child in state custody. The shelter in Oklahoma City has been closed for more than a year, but Tulsa’s Laura Dester Shelter remains in operation due to the long-term needs of the children living there. Most of these kids are teenagers, with serious medical or emotional needs that make finding a permanent foster home a special challenge.

Unfortunately, the publicity behind the scheduled closure of the Laura Dester Shelter has led much of the public — and many volunteer organizations — to believe the shelter is already closed, so donations, volunteers, and other support have dried up to almost nothing. Luckily, some amazing local citizens have stepped in to spread the word about these needs and help bring these special kids a wonderful Christmas!Each child at the shelter has already been sponsored for Christmas gifts (praise God!) but there are ongoing needs we are asking our community families to help address. (See the list below.)

Please bring some of the following items with you to community day THIS THURSDAY. The donated items will be collected and delivered to the Shelter next week. (If you aren’t able to make it to the store, but would like to donate money, we will use any donated funds to purchase items on your behalf.)

Thanks so much!

Needs for Laura Dester Shelter:

Shampoo
Men’s Deodorant
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Towels
Wash Cloths
Soap
Pillows
Flame resistant twin sheets
Sweatshirts
Jackets
Men’s shoes
Men’s Belts
Blankets
School uniforms

STAR Store: (A rewards “store” where the kiddos can turn in their points for good behavior for toys and other fun things!)

Playing cards
Uno cards
Candy
Hot Wheels
Axe products (no aerosol)
Wallets
Sunglasses
Reusable water bottles
Legos
Rubik’s cube
Hats
Hacky Sac
$5 gift cards to QT

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Classical Conversations Downtown Tulsa

To Know God & To Make Him Known

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