United Methodist Church at Shrub Oak is a United Methodist congregation at 1176 East Main Street in Shrub Oak, New York. Its defining rhythm is Sunday family worship at 10:30 a.m., available both in person and by livestream. Around that gathering are Sunday school for all ages, weekday Bible studies, prayer, several small groups, youth mission, and opportunities to serve. The church expresses its welcome in three lines: “Open hearts... Open minds... Open doors...”
A 10:30 Family Gathering on East Main Street
The regular Sunday service is called Family Worship. It begins at 10:30 a.m. at 1176 East Main Street and is offered both in person and through the church’s YouTube livestream. The same Sunday gathering and service time apply to both forms of participation.
Children are part of the normal Sunday flow rather than a separate event. They remain with the congregation for the first half of worship, take part in a special moment at the front, and then move to Sunday school in the adjoining building. This gives families a clear sequence to follow throughout the morning service.
The church’s public identity joins its United Methodist name with an invitation to celebrate the love of Christ. Its welcome is expressed simply as “Welcoming all to celebrate the love of Christ,” followed by the themes of open hearts, open minds, and open doors.
Children’s Moments, Then Sunday School Next Door
For younger worshippers, the morning has two distinct stages. Children first join the service for its initial portion. They then gather at the front of the church for Children’s Moments. After that special time, they are dismissed to Sunday school in the adjoining building.
Sunday school is offered for all ages and runs from September through June. The adjoining building keeps children’s Sunday school connected to the main worship service while giving the children’s portion of the morning its own space. Adult Sunday School is also part of the church’s educational life.
This arrangement makes the church’s family emphasis visible in the rhythm of Sunday morning: shared worship comes first, followed by a distinct children’s moment and age-inclusive Sunday school.
Tuesday Study and Thursday Prayer
Morning Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in the GP Room. Thursday has a fuller schedule, beginning with prayer and continuing through two group meetings and an evening Bible study.
- Prayer Meeting, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Group prayer takes place in the Chapel, and all are welcome.
- Small Group 1, 1:00-2:00 p.m. The group meets virtually by phone or Zoom.
- Pastor’s Bible Study, 7:30-8:30 p.m. The weekly meeting is held through Zoom.
The Thursday pattern moves from an in-person half-hour prayer gathering to virtual fellowship and online study. The prayer meeting is explicitly open to everyone, while both Bible-study options give participants regular opportunities to gather around faith.
Small Groups by Phone, Zoom, and Conference Call
Small-group life extends across most of the week. The groups use several meeting formats, allowing participants to gather in person or join remotely.
- Women’s Small Group meets Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Zoom.
- Small Group 2 meets Fridays from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. by conference call.
- Crafts for a Cause meets Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to noon in a participant’s home.
- Men’s Group meets on the first and third Saturdays from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. on Zoom.
- Leaders of Small Groups meets virtually on the first and third Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
These gatherings complement the two small groups that meet during the workweek. Thursday’s Small Group 1 uses phone or Zoom, while Friday’s Small Group 2 uses a conference call. The first and third Saturdays include both the Men’s Group and a gathering for people who lead the church’s small groups.
The Friday sequence continues from Small Group 2 into Crafts for a Cause. Together, the entries show a varied rhythm of conversation, shared activity, fellowship, and leadership support without requiring every gathering to take place in the church building.
Mission Possible and Wider Mission Connections
Youth: Mission Possible is the church’s youth ministry, with MissionPossible.UMCSO@gmail.com serving as its ministry contact. The church also connects its mission and outreach life with organizations associated with relief, children, food, breakfasts, education, and care.
National and international mission connections include UMCOR and Operation Christmas Child. Additional names associated with mission and outreach include:
- St. Mary’s Food Pantry
- Midnight Run breakfast runs
- Head Start
- Hoving Home
Mission Possible gives the church a named channel for youth participation, while the wider network places that youth emphasis alongside relief, childhood, food, education, breakfast, and care-related connections.
Membership, Milestones, and Church Conversations
Membership is an organized part of church life, with a defined process for people who become members. The church’s responsibilities also include weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Committees and a church directory support the practical life of the congregation alongside worship, education, missions, and small groups.
The church maintains a Safe Sanctuaries Policy and supports conversations addressing marriage, divorce, sexuality, race, and privilege. These subjects sit alongside the regular educational and relational ministries, showing that church life includes both group participation and discussion of matters affecting members and the wider community.
Adult education, youth mission, children’s Sunday school, men’s and women’s groups, prayer, and Bible study each have a distinct place in the church’s regular life. The same broad structure also surrounds major church milestones, with weddings, baptisms, and funerals treated as responsibilities of the congregation.
Worship Archive, Giving, and Serving
Past worship services are available through the church’s online worship archive. The Sunday gathering is also carried live on YouTube, while in-person worship remains centered at the East Main Street church.
Online giving is available, and the church organizes opportunities to serve into upcoming and ongoing categories. Its service life therefore includes both recurring group commitments and additional ways for people to contribute time or effort.
An events calendar brings together the recurring meetings that shape the week: women’s fellowship, weekday Bible studies, prayer, men’s and women’s groups, small groups, and gatherings for small-group leaders. Together with Sunday worship and Sunday school, these activities form a regular weekly pattern.
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
At 1176 East Main Street, United Methodist Church at Shrub Oak is organized around family worship at 10:30, children moving from the sanctuary to Sunday school, and a week filled with prayer, study, fellowship, and mission. Some gatherings happen in the GP Room, Chapel, adjoining building, or a participant’s home, while others use Zoom, phone, or conference call.
Its identity is both particular and welcoming: a United Methodist church in Shrub Oak, centered on the love of Christ, with room for children, adults, youth, small groups, remote participation, and mission connections. The church summarizes that welcome with the words, “Open hearts... Open minds... Open doors...”