Week 30 - Oakdale Baptist Church

Oakdale Baptist (formerly Witcher Baptist) is a small church on the corner of Hefner and Sooner Road. We passed by this church hundreds of times while our kids attended Oakdale School across the street, but had never been inside except for the occasional recital and to vote. There are two services, both contemporary, with a praise band led, the morning we visited, by the pastor’s wife. There were a few familiar faces there from Oakdale. There was also a sense of community and intimacy that comes with a small congregation. Honestly, it was a last minute decision to attend here and I really wasn’t expecting much from such a small church. What we found was a gem that had been right in front of us for years. The sermon was scriptural, inspiring and delivered enthusiastically. The people were very friendly and inviting and made us feel welcome in their family. I learned that morning that I wasn’t eagerly anticipating what God wanted to show me the way I was when I started this project. He reminded me that that He still has exciting things to show us and that we can still become complacent in our worship even if we are attending a different church every week. I had lost some of the enthusiasm we first experienced when we started on this journey, but I think God, in His mercy, has reignited it.

Week 29 - Faith Bible Church

Well to say I have had writer’s block is an understatement. Today I am catching up on the last three churches we have visited. It’s not that I didn’t learn anything these weeks or feel inspired; I just haven’t been able to get things onto paper. I’m not sure my writer’s block is over, but I feel compelled to update the project so here goes. Faith Bible is a church we have visited many times. It is a medium sized church, but rapidly growing. There are many things we like about this church. The instrumental music is very well done and you can still hear the congregation singing. The preacher sends you digging through your Bible throughout the sermon, which is something I really like. There’s just something great about hearing everyone turning pages and not just reading the scriptures up on a screen. The sermons are always thought provoking and there is no guessing about what they believe and why. Their “theme” if you will is “One Bible Verse at a Time” and this describes exactly how they work through even difficult subject matters. I always learn something from a different perspective every time I visit. The primary thing I learned this week was that I want to have that same kind of conviction about what I believe and the knowledge and courage to defend those beleifs. This requires a good deal of study which sometimes seems overwhelming, but it can be done “one Bible verse at a time.”

Week 27 - First Church OKC (downtown)

First Church sits at 4th and Robinson in Oklahoma City and was greatly affected by the Oklahoma City bombing. Today it is a beautifully restored historic church that serves the downtown Oklahoma City area. We attended the early, traditional service. There is a later, contemporary, service each week as well. Attendance was light, maybe due to the holiday or maybe due to the early time, but the people there were very friendly and inviting. Worship was led by an older woman who you could tell loved what she did and I’m guessing that’s been her job for many years. Instruments consisted of a single organ. The sermon was entitled “Can I Pass God’s Test” but focused on the subject of giving/tithing. Of all the sermons I’ve heard on this subject, this one was well delivered, without guilt and with insight that was new to me at least. There were the familiar verses that cover the subject of giving, but he also presented a verse from the New Testament that affirms the practice of tithing that I’ve never picked up on before. I have always balked at the idea of an exact percentage and preferred to apply the “God loves a cheerful giver” verse to giving. However, the verse in Matthew 23:23 has given us something new to think about regarding that subject. We left with a new coffee cup and a couple of candy bars and have discovered that we are really enjoying our tour of the downtown churches.

Week 26 - First Baptist Church OKC

First Baptist Church of OKC is a downtown church at 12th & Robinson. It is an old building with lots of character. Older wooden pews, huge organ pipes and beautiful stained glass adorn this church and give it a certain traditional charm. There was a single service and we followed a printed program, which included the words to the hymns. The church was filled with people from all walks of life and all ages. This church is very active in the community life of downtown and seems to view its own neighborhood as a mission field. The topic of the sermon was the freedom we have in Christ with the verses referenced being Galatians 3:23-29. They see all as equal under Christ, including male and female. They have a female worship leader and have a pastor that fills in for the lead pastor who is female. Coming from a church that only allows men in these roles, again we have something else to consider and study for ourselves. At the end of the service a new member, who lives close to the church, was introduced and told of her struggles and the warm reception she received in this place. It was the love of these people that compelled her to place her membership here after just one week. That says a lot.

Week 25 - Church on the Rock

We visited Church on the Rock this week. This is another church we’ve passed by for years and we’ve also watched them grow during that time. We were greeted warmly and immediately recognized as visitors. We were then directed to the new visitor greeter who was very nice and introduced us to their church and just made us feel welcome. After we sat down, we were approached by several people who introduced themselves and took the time to visit with us and find out some things about us. I have to say it was the most interest a church has shown in visitors of anywhere we have attended so far. They have two services and we attended the early one. It was very full and a big mix of people and ages. They are set up in much the same way as the other non-denominational churches, with a large worship group including the standard instruments as well as some winds and strings. The worship was lively and most members danced, sang, raised hands and were very expressive in their worship. This church is very focused on evangelizing the state of Oklahoma. It seems they see Oklahoma as a missions field in much the same way we tend to see foreign countries. They call their pastor “apostle” which was interesting. I would be curious to know more about that. The sermon was very interesting and entertaining and we really enjoyed listening to “apostle John.” The handout was filled with scripture and he incorporated a lot of scripture into the sermon on “How to Live a Happy Life.” One of the ways he emphasized for living a happy life was “praying in tongues.” Not “speaking in tongues”, but “praying in tongues.” They very much see this as an important element of their identity as Christians. His explanation about tongues was not what I expected. He said it was the way we pray through the Holy Spirit when we don’t know what to pray. I’ve never heard that viewpoint before so that was definitely something new to think about. There was a lot of congregational reading/repeating during the sermon, including a rather loud session of congregational speaking in tongues. If anyone was looking around, I’m guessing we really stood out as visitors! I’m still not why that makes me a little uncomfortable, but God definitely had something for us to experience this morning! After all, that’s what this journey is all about.

Week 24 - Bridgeway Church

Bridgeway Church was our choice for worship this week. Immediately upon entering we noticed a congregation very engaged with each other. There were a lot of lively conversations going on between people. There was also a lot going on in the foyer. First off, a café serving coffee and such, a bookstore, a table with information promoting an outreach project they were promoting today, greeters and quite a few people just talking and catching up. Inside the lively conversations continued. They seem to be really excited about being there and seeing each other. The worship area had a relaxing, comfortable feeling with rows of chairs, rather than pews, scattered with Bibles for use during worship or to take home if anyone needed a Bible. A wide variety of people were in attendance and the atmosphere was casual. From dress clothes to jeans and shorts, it was all ok. There was a stage with an instrumental worship band, that performed a variety of songs, some traditional, some contemporary. One thing we noticed was that the congregation was really singing. We could actually hear singing over the band. In addition, the band toned down the music from time to time so the singing could stand out. Also, there seemed to be great freedom to worship however you felt led, with some sitting, some standing, some with hands raised, some not. The pastor had a great, well presented message about God using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He used the example from Mark 3:13-19 where Jesus chose the apostles. It was a diverse, ordinary group indeed. As diverse as the churches we’re visiting, but united by one thing—the authority of Jesus Christ—as are we all, regardless of the denomination we affiliate with.

Week 23 - Quail Springs Baptist

We attended Quail Springs Baptist contemporary service this morning, which is sandwiched in between two traditional services. I’m not sure what their total attendance is, but this service was pretty full. It is a beautiful building inside and out. The décor is light and inviting with light streaming through beautiful stained glass windows. We sat off to the side a little towards the back and ended up right next to the pastor’s wife. It was interesting that she was sitting there in the middle of the church and not down front and center. I don’t know the reason for this, but she was very nice and welcoming. The message this morning was from Proverbs, one of my favorite books of the Bible. This was one of those sermons, it seemed, where the pastor had been dealing with a number of people involved in infidelity and decided it was time for a firm reminder to everyone of how God feels about that. He presented it in the context of “correction and protection—not condemnation.” But make no mistake, as he said “infidelity is stupid.” We’ve had those kinds of sermons before and while they may seem harsh initially, there was truth in what he was saying. It seems fidelity these days is a dying characteristic, not just fidelity in marriage, but in work, our friendships, with God. While I’ve never personally dealt with marital infidelity, I am sure I have been guilty of it in other areas of my life. God has something for everyone to hear even in sermons that we don’t particularly relate to. That in itself is an important lesson.