At 1010 North Florence Avenue in Claremore, Oklahoma, First Christian Church of Claremore is an Open and Affirming congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It is known as Claremore's only Open and Affirming congregation and places full participation at the center of worship, community life, and public witness. Sunday worship begins at 10:45 a.m. at the church's North Florence home, where blended music and a relaxed welcome accompany serious engagement with Scripture and an open table for Communion.
Sunday at 10:45: Band-Led Songs and Piano-Led Hymns
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:45 a.m. at 1010 North Florence Ave. The service brings together contemporary and traditional elements rather than choosing one over the other. Modern worship music is led by a band, while hymns are led on piano. That combination gives the service a distinctly blended character and reflects the music ministry led by worship director Sean Robinson.
The Sunday rhythm is intentionally straightforward. Worshipers of every age are welcome in the sanctuary, with band-led music and piano-led hymns forming a familiar part of the gathering. Welcomers are present to help visitors settle into the room, and the congregation characterizes the church as a welcoming, relaxed place to worship.
For those unable to be present in person, the church welcomes participation through its Facebook service. Online participation extends the same commitment to belonging that shapes the in-person gathering.
A Children's Corner at the Back of the Sanctuary
Children remain with the whole church rather than being treated as an addition to worship. A children's corner is set in the back of the sanctuary with toys and books, while crayons and coloring sheets are available for younger children. This arrangement gives children ways to participate while their families remain in the service, and the explicit welcome of all ages helps families feel at ease.
The church building has a wheelchair-accessible ramp on its side. A visitor who needs assistance can ask a Welcomer when arriving, and Welcomers are prepared to help make the visit as comfortable as possible. These access details are practical parts of the congregation's wider practice of hospitality.
Welcoming is also shared ministry. People serve as Welcomers and members of a hospitality team, while name tags help make introductions easier. The congregation has also studied resources about microaggressions in ministry and ministry with LGBTQIA youth. These efforts treat hospitality as something that can be learned, discussed, and practiced together.
Open and Affirming at the Center of Claremore's Witness
The church's Open and Affirming identity is grounded in the full humanity, equality, and dignity of all people, including LGBTQIA+ individuals. Its welcome extends across differences in:
- race, ethnicity, and national origin;
- gender, gender identity, and gender expression;
- sexual orientation;
- age and economic or marital status;
- political ideology;
- mental and physical ability; and
- other identities that have brought exclusion or discrimination.
For this congregation, affirming means going beyond tolerance. Every person is entitled to decency and respect as an equal made and loved by God. No one needs to fear judgment or exclusion because of who they are. All persons who live respectfully and responsibly and want to follow Christ are welcome.
The public commitment also carries a specific understanding of inclusion. The church says it will not prejudge anyone on the basis of color, national origin, age, economic or marital status, physical or mental condition, gender, or sexual orientation. It understands sexual orientation and identity as aspects of God's good gift of sexuality and affirms that each person is created in the divine image.
This conviction shapes the congregation's mission as well as its welcome. The church describes itself as a movement toward wholeness in a fragmented world and seeks to be a strong public voice for justice, dignity, and equality. It also wants to provide space for people to explore important questions together and to offer belonging to those who have often felt unwelcome in a church.
Critical Reading and the Open Table
Scripture in Historical and Literary Context
First Christian Church takes the Bible seriously without treating it as a collection of literal, ahistorical statements. Instead of relying on tests of faith and creedal formulas, the congregation reads Scripture critically and thoughtfully. Historical background, the circumstances surrounding a text, and its literary genre are all taken into account. This approach creates room for serious inquiry, changing perspectives, and the theological variety associated with the Disciples of Christ tradition.
Communion for the Whole Community
The Disciples of Christ tradition includes an Open Table. At Communion, all people are welcome to participate, with no membership requirement or test of faith. Because the congregation makes room for different theologies, people may understand the bread and cup in different ways. The congregation is united in using the Table as a place of welcome and of remembering and following the life and teachings of Jesus.
Honest Questions and Embodied Prayer
The same spirit of welcome shapes Christian education. People returning to church and longtime attenders alike are invited to bring honest questions and a critical lens. The congregation's recurring theme of seeking has included curiosity about calling, the sacred, justice, and how to live as a disciple. Its seasonal worship has also used prayer stations, art, and a Wonder Wall to involve people in prayer through different forms of participation.
Learning, Discernment, and Shared Governance
The church has developed a rhythm of pairing Sunday teaching with book-centered small groups. These groups have met in person and through Zoom, and all seekers are welcome. The approach leaves room for participants to bring their questions and experiences rather than requiring them to arrive with settled answers. Learning is treated as a shared practice that can deepen Scripture study and help people think carefully about faith in public and personal life.
Mission work is also approached through collective discernment. The congregation has used surveys, facilitated conversations, strategic intentions, timelines, and success benchmarks as it considered how it can serve its community. This process reflects the church's desire to involve many people in shaping ministry rather than leaving direction to only a few leaders.
Disciples of Christ congregational polity gives the laity a decisive role. Lay people are decision-makers who facilitate the church's work, and their input and direction guide the staff, including the minister. Collaboration, shared wisdom, and willingness to cooperate are central to this form of governance. The same impulse appears in hospitality, learning, worship, and the continuing work of understanding what the church is called to do in Claremore.
Music Ministry and the Seasons of the Church
Sean Robinson leads the praise band, bell choir, and choir on Sunday mornings, while piano-led hymns remain part of the blended service. Seasonal worship teams also join in creative ways of supporting particular seasons of the church year. The music ministry has included space for new musicians, vocalists, singers, and ringers, allowing participation to extend beyond the people already serving in leadership roles.
The congregation's seasonal worship has included music, Scripture, prayer, and distinct practices for different parts of the Christian year. Ash Wednesday has featured songs, scripture, prayer, the imposition of ashes, and Communion. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter have also formed part of the worship rhythm. During the Advent and Epiphany season, the church has incorporated readings, music, creative prayer, and practices such as Star Words for reflection throughout the year. Art, embodied prayer, and congregational singing continue to complement the spoken and musical parts of worship.
Care That Reaches Beyond the Sanctuary
One expression of pastoral care has been a card ministry for people who are homebound because of illness or grief. The congregation has sought volunteers who could brighten birthdays, offer get-well wishes, and extend support to people dealing with hospitalization or loss. This ministry reflects the church's understanding that presence and connection can be expressed through simple acts of remembrance and care.
The church has also supported Kairos Prison Ministries with cookies for an event at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center. That practical act of preparation accompanied a message that every person within the correctional center is a beloved child of God. It joined food, preparation, and direct concern for people confined away from their own communities.
Volunteer pathways connected with Compassus Hospice have included friendly visits, letters, reading, listening, companionship, sitting vigil, and relief for caregivers. Other possibilities have included emotional and spiritual support, assistance with grief groups, health fairs, and community education. By making these needs known, the church has connected its concern for belonging with service to people facing illness, isolation, loss, and end-of-life concerns.
The congregation's public welcome has also reached LGBTQIA+ community life through participation in Tulsa Pride, where it has described its presence as an expression of God's love and care. Financial support remains another central form of participation. Offerings may be placed in the Sunday collection basket or submitted through online giving, supporting the congregation's work as a public voice for justice, dignity, equality, and wholeness.
Shared Ministry on North Florence Avenue
Rev. Elizabeth Grasham is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and serves as shared minister for the congregations in Claremore and Nowata, Oklahoma. Sean Robinson leads worship as the congregation's worship director, overseeing the praise band, bell choir, choir, and seasonal worship teams.
The church's address is 1010 North Florence Ave in Claremore, Oklahoma. Its phone number is 918-341-1199, and its general contact addresses include fccclaremore@gmail.com, pastor@fccclaremore.org, and fccaa@sbcglobal.net.
First Christian Church of Claremore brings together blended worship, contextual Scripture study, open Communion, hospitality for children and families, and a wheelchair-accessible entrance. Its identity as a Disciples of Christ congregation is expressed through welcome, justice, dignity, equality, shared discernment, and room for honest questions. At North Florence Avenue, the church gathers as a community marked by openness and a desire to move toward wholeness in a fragmented world.