"Building fellowship at Summer Swim"

Building fellowship at Summer Swim

Katie Williams and Louann Buhlinger

Swim-ship … it’s a new way of building fellowship and kinship through gathering every Sunday for Summer Swim at Camp Loughridge.

Summer Swim is one of the longest running activities conducted by First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa. For more than 50 years, people of all ages have filled their tote bags packed with sunscreen, water wings, beach towels and goggles, and made their way to the pool on Sunday afternoons to have some fun in the sun with other church families.

The act of fellowship is one of the major ways we connect at the church. The goal of First Church Kids, who coordinates Summer Swim, is to create an amazing community beginning with our children and carrying through all ages.

According to Acts 2:46-47, “Every day they continued to gather by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.”

This time of fellowship and coming together as common believers is part of how the early church developed and grew. Taking time beyond teaching by surrounding ourselves with other followers is the core of how we support, love and grow our church community.

“Summer Swim a great way for our children and families to be in community with each other,” said Sarah Savage, director of Children’s Ministries. “It’s also a great way for church families to stay in touch over a very busy summer.” This year, Sarah and her team have several surprises in store. And the fun isn’t just for the kiddos because people of all ages and stages in life are invited to share this time together.