My wife and I moved to Tulsa from Siloam Spring Arkansas after finishing at John Brown University in the Spring of 1974.  For those that remember the Yellow Pages, we looked for a church to visit and found Tulsa Bible Church on 7th street.  Our first Sunday was in April 1974 and we have been there for 49 years this spring.

These writings are my knowledge and history of Tulsa Bible Church, a place where God has reached the nations from my perspective for almost 75 years.

In 1955 the call goes out to Willard Heck. “It’s time for another church in Tulsa and your heart and your home is where it will begin.” “Trust me as I lead you down a journey to impact not only the local community, but we will see that sending out missionaries to the uttermost parts of the world will be a result of this new ministry.

Pastor Heck, will you lead this body till I bring in others to take the reins?  Are you ready young Man?

After a season of church in your home you will be moving to a dance studio for the expansion and growth that you will have as I bless this new church.

A short time later the move will take you to Lynnwood elementary school where you will experience more growth and more missionaries including Bill and Maxine Eddie who will go to Ecuador as missionaries to the people.  I have prepared them, and others will follow the call very soon to go throughout the world as the Scriptures instructs them to go.

Willard there is a need for youth camp to prepare young people to hear the gospel, invite Christ into their lives and they too will go on to reach their communities and the world. Just follow me and trust me to provide as this will be a story that will go on to reach 1,000s of youth and young people.

1958 New Life Ranch was founded and launched as a Valley set apart 11 Corinthians 5;17. You will be amazed at what I will do over the next 60 years plus, hang on for a marvelous ride to glory.

Soon your church will move into its own building on 7th street in Tulsa, and I will bring a pastor from DTS to lead you in reaching your community with gospel outreach including the Biggs boys and of course our beloved Charley Biggs.  I will bring teachers and seasoned men and women to train up these boys and others to reach their community for the gospel  for years to come.

I will bring Bud Peterson, a student from Tulsa University to help lead the youth for a season and then launch him to the uttermost parts of the world.  He will be a part of the legacy of Tulsa Bible Church.

In 1973 I will bring another new graduate from DTS to lead the ministry of Tulsa Bible church and grow the church to reach the community with the gospel and to train up the body of Christ with deep spiritual truths.  His name was Hardin Boyer and his wife Meredith and three children.

Young couples will come to be taught, discipled, and launched into ministry and a band of brothers and sisters in Christ will see the truth that is taught and join the TBC body. Elder and deacons will launch and invest in moving the church to South 61st St in Tulsa where the city is expanding and build a new much larger facility to reach more people with theological teaching and a deeper walk and trust in God.  This facility was an act of faith and we purchased land and built the new building debt free.  God is faithful.

Young couples’ classes exploded, and new groups developed a deeper walk with God, youth ministries grew to new levels, singles ministries lead by Curt and Marion Shacklett took off like a rocket, Awana children’s ministries grew to one of the largest in the state and outreach efforts were reaching the community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  New missionaries were being launched to reach the nations with the gospel across the globe. One third of our budget was giving to missions and God was blessing the nations through this small church in Tulsa.

After 14 years, Pastor Boyer felt it was time for him to move on to a new calling.  Leaving is hard for the body, but for close to a year our elders preached the word faithfully till God brought a new pastor to continue what God began back in Pastor Willard’s home in 1955.  God was faithful to provide just the right man for Tulsa Bible Church.

In all our years at TBC we saw God bring great pastors and teachers with Expository preaching style, building up the body of Christ to reach the nations with the gospel.

To be Continued next week…