iNsPirAtioN through church

BARTLESVILLE CHURCHES Providing Inspiration to Many

Bartlesville First Church

by glenn minnis

Early on in their interaction, members at Bartlesville First Baptist Church face a soul-searching question from its leaders.

“First Baptist is a launching pad for all kinds of service to Christ: Innovative ministries that reach out to our communities and far-reaching around the world,” reads a passage on the church’s website. “How will God use you?”

The church, whose roots date all the way back to 1867, continues to grow in size and stature, including adding an adjoining medical center at the corner of Fifth Street and Cherokee in the 1970s that was purchased and remodeled for use as a preschool building.

With that, Bartlesville First Baptist Church, under the tutelage of Senior Pastor James Biesiadecki, became the largest church presence in downtown Bartlesville. Now in the lead for nearly a decade, Biesiadecki continues to set the tone in cementing First Baptist as an institution actively working to expand the diversity of programs it offers in support of church members’ and community needs.

Down the road at nearby Bartlesville First Church United Methodist, the scene is much the same, with the church continuing to grow under a motto of “make disciples for the transformation of the world.”

“Every time hope is reborn in a hopeless life, every time there is a glimmer of mercy in the oppressive darkness, every time someone learns that Jesus loves them; transformation begins,” the church adds on its website. “First Church leaves footprints of hope and encouragement throughout the Bartlesville area. We feed the hungry with the food grown in our Garden of Eatin’ and through our support of the CONCERN food pantry. We support the needy through Lighthouse Mission, Agape Mission, and the Angel Tree project”

For the last four years, Rev. Dr. Greg Tener has served as the primary voice of the house of worship that held its very first formal organization

BARTLESVILLE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

405 SOUTH CHEROKEE AVENUE BARTLESVILLE, OK 74003 INFO@BFBC.NET 918-336-6172 MYBFBC.ORG

ServiceS:

SUNDAY:

SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:15 A.M.

WORSHIP SERVICE: 10:30 A.M.

WEDNESDAY:

ACTIVITIES: 6 P.M.

OFFICE HOURS: 9 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M.

BARTLESVILLE FIRST CHURCH

4715 PRICE ROAD BARTLESVILLE, OK 74006 INFO@BARTLESVILLEFIRSTCHURCH.COM 918-336-3361 BARTLESVILLEFIRSTCHURCH.COM

ServiceS:

TRADITIONAL WORSHIP: 8:45 A.M. SUNDAY SMALL GROUPS: 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY MODERN WORSHIP: 11 A.M. SUNDAY SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY

well over a century ago in 1895. Over the years, the church has experienced several spurts of membership growth, including in 1983 revolving around the church’s “Vision 2000” plan put forth by then-pastor Dr. Ray Owen.

As part of the plan, downtown Bartlesville became home to a pre-school children weekday care program designed to meet the needs of young families with both parents working. With mission outreach also being big parts of what Bartlesville First Methodist strives to do, the church recently provided support for building a M.E. Church in Kenya, Africa.

Through it all, leaders at the church have stayed consistent in their message and in expressing gratitude to those it feels has aided them in achieving their mission.

“One fact remains: We cannot achieve great things without the devout, forward thinking, hardworking lay people serving as the backbone and heart of the church,” the church’s website reads.

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“Keep your face always towards the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you..”

– Walt Whitman