PABC 90th Anniversary Celebration Video:
History of the Portland Avenue Baptist Church 1934-2024
Written by Dr. Walter L. Mullican
Oklahoma City rose from the prairie on a single spring day during the Land Run of 1889. Eighteen years later in 1907 the Unassigned Lands known as Oklahoma became the 46th state in the union. At statehood the young city had a population of 32,452, and by 1930 the population had exploded to 185,389.
In 1934 the flamboyant “Alfalfa Bill” Murray was governor, and Oklahoma like the rest of the nation was caught in the grip of the Great Depression. Unemployment was 22% and Franklin Roosevelt rolled out his New Deal program. Oklahoma was still reeling from the effects of the Dust Bowl. In the summer of 1934 temperatures reached 117 degrees in Oklahoma. The drought brought about the destruction of some 35 million acres of farmland. In March of 1930 the Mary Sudik Number One oil well came in, and by 1935 the Oklahoma City oilfield had produced 409 million barrels of oil.
In 1934 the average cost of a new house was $5,970.00 and average wages per year were $1,600.00. Gasoline was 10 cents a gallon. A loaf of bread was 8 cents, and a pound of hamburger meat was 12 cents. $625.00 would buy a brand-new Studebaker pickup, and $2.50 would purchase an Arrow men’s shirt.
As the redbuds blossomed in the Oklahoma spring of 1934, a new church was about to be planted on the fringes of Oklahoma City. A small group of Baptist people began to meet for prayer, and out of this prayer meeting was born the vision for a new church on the growing northwest edge of Oklahoma City. Portland Avenue was a dirt road, and livestock dotted the landscape of the new neighborhood. Houses were sparse, but the growing city was beginning its march to the country.
This group of God’s people believed that a new work was needed in the community. They first met in the home of Fred W. Plummer located at NW 13th and St. Clair, just east of the present location. The group continued to meet for several weeks in the Plummers’ home and the homes of others in the area, and soon it became apparent that a new church was to be planted. On April 25, 1934, a prayer meeting was held at the home of Mr. F. W. Lynn, and Mr. C. W. Myers was authorized to find a suitable location for the erection of a church building. On April 29, Sunday School was held at the home of Plummer with 48 present and on May 6 at the home of Mr. D. W. Vay with 55 present.
As the group grew there was a need for a place to gather and worship. Work began on the first building, which was a wood-frame structure measuring 28’ x 44’. The seating in the new building was made from materials later used in the building. The group met in the building every Sunday while it was being constructed. On May 20, 1934, the building was completed and 148 people were in Sunday School.
In 1934 the flamboyant “Alfalfa Bill” Murray was governor, and Oklahoma like the rest of the nation was caught in the grip of the Great Depression. Unemployment was 22% and Franklin Roosevelt rolled out his New Deal program. Oklahoma was still reeling from the effects of the Dust Bowl. In the summer of 1934 temperatures reached 117 degrees in Oklahoma. The drought brought about the destruction of some 35 million acres of farmland. In March of 1930 the Mary Sudik Number One oil well came in, and by 1935 the Oklahoma City oilfield had produced 409 million barrels of oil.
In 1934 the average cost of a new house was $5,970.00 and average wages per year were $1,600.00. Gasoline was 10 cents a gallon. A loaf of bread was 8 cents, and a pound of hamburger meat was 12 cents. $625.00 would buy a brand-new Studebaker pickup, and $2.50 would purchase an Arrow men’s shirt.
As the redbuds blossomed in the Oklahoma spring of 1934, a new church was about to be planted on the fringes of Oklahoma City. A small group of Baptist people began to meet for prayer, and out of this prayer meeting was born the vision for a new church on the growing northwest edge of Oklahoma City. Portland Avenue was a dirt road, and livestock dotted the landscape of the new neighborhood. Houses were sparse, but the growing city was beginning its march to the country.
This group of God’s people believed that a new work was needed in the community. They first met in the home of Fred W. Plummer located at NW 13th and St. Clair, just east of the present location. The group continued to meet for several weeks in the Plummers’ home and the homes of others in the area, and soon it became apparent that a new church was to be planted. On April 25, 1934, a prayer meeting was held at the home of Mr. F. W. Lynn, and Mr. C. W. Myers was authorized to find a suitable location for the erection of a church building. On April 29, Sunday School was held at the home of Plummer with 48 present and on May 6 at the home of Mr. D. W. Vay with 55 present.
As the group grew there was a need for a place to gather and worship. Work began on the first building, which was a wood-frame structure measuring 28’ x 44’. The seating in the new building was made from materials later used in the building. The group met in the building every Sunday while it was being constructed. On May 20, 1934, the building was completed and 148 people were in Sunday School.

On May 27, 1934, a group of invited ministers met for the purpose of assisting in the organization of a new church. Rev. R.D. Howard, pastor of the Kelham Avenue Baptist Church, was elected moderator of the meeting and preached the sermon. Bro. John Kelly acted as clerk of the council. The church was organized with a total charter membership of 38.
The newly organized church called its first pastor in July when Rev. J. A. Pennington came from the First Baptist Church of Valliant, Oklahoma. The church grew, and an 18’ x 44’ addition was built on the north side of the original building; sawdust covered the dirt floors of both buildings. Funding for the new addition came from an $800 loan from a Rev. Dodd, a Baptist pastor, with repayment to be made in five years. The church repaid the loan ahead of time. It had been quite a first year for the new church.
The newly organized church called its first pastor in July when Rev. J. A. Pennington came from the First Baptist Church of Valliant, Oklahoma. The church grew, and an 18’ x 44’ addition was built on the north side of the original building; sawdust covered the dirt floors of both buildings. Funding for the new addition came from an $800 loan from a Rev. Dodd, a Baptist pastor, with repayment to be made in five years. The church repaid the loan ahead of time. It had been quite a first year for the new church.

In its second year the church built a third addition measuring 20’ x 44’ to the rear of the original building. As Portland Avenue Baptist began to grow, it gathered attention through an article in the Sunday School Builder magazine replete with pictures. The church enrolled every member in Sunday School. A 50’ x 80’ basement was dug on the northwest corner of Portland and 13th Street right by the side of the frame structure on the north. As the basement walls were coming above ground, Pastor Pennington was called as a District Missionary with the Home Mission Board at Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was now April of 1939.

By August, Rev. Joseph B. Head of Kentucky was called as pastor. There was a great wave of interest in his coming, and the church increased dramatically in attendance and ministry. In the fall of 1939, the church was completely redecorated, and auditorium chairs were installed. The church voted on plans for a new church auditorium, and subscriptions were received to cover cost of construction. However, Bro. Head’s tenure as pastor came to an end in June of 1940. Several loyal, dedicated preachers supplied the pulpit as the church prepared to call a new pastor.
Rev. Bailey Sewell was called as pastor in August of 1940. Things began to move again and soon the basement was covered and put in use as an educational building. The building and other accumulated debts were paid in the next two years. As the church moved forward with a vision to build a permanent auditorium over the basement, the priorities of World War II closed the door of possibility. The church was continuing to grow needed additional educational space, so another 24’ addition was built across the entire back of the original frame building. The addition housed the Intermediate Department, kitchen, and bathrooms with flush toilets—the church’s very first! This space also served as the Fellowship Hall with the classroom partitions doubling as dining tables. The front halves of the two buildings were joined together to provide an additional classroom and a pastor’s study.

The church then began putting its building fund money into War Bonds and looked forward to the day the auditorium could be built. The vacant five-acre block south of the church was eyed by Pastor Sewell and some of the leaders as a very desirable building place for the future church. After much prayer, planning, and counsel, the church purchased the block. Some $12,000–$13,000 was raised in cash and pledges toward the start of a new building on the newly acquired property by the time Bro. Sewell left in May of 1948 to go into denominational work.
Rev. B. D. Vanderslice was almost immediately called as pastor. He had in recent years served the Britton Baptist Church as pastor and the Trinity Baptist Church as Assistant Pastor. In the summer of 1948, the church had a tent revival on its newly acquired land and continued plans for the construction of a new church facility. Two brick educational buildings were constructed, and the old buildings across the street were disposed of to the contractor who had built the new education buildings. The old frame building burned down soon after the church disposed of it.
Rev. B. D. Vanderslice was almost immediately called as pastor. He had in recent years served the Britton Baptist Church as pastor and the Trinity Baptist Church as Assistant Pastor. In the summer of 1948, the church had a tent revival on its newly acquired land and continued plans for the construction of a new church facility. Two brick educational buildings were constructed, and the old buildings across the street were disposed of to the contractor who had built the new education buildings. The old frame building burned down soon after the church disposed of it.
The move to the new property and building marked a new chapter in the life of the church. There was continued growth both numerically and financially. The infant church was now maturing into adulthood and beginning to fulfill the vision God had impressed upon that little group back in 1934. Bro. B. D. Vanderslice left to serve in Texas in 1953.
Rev. Bill Kersh who was pastor of First Baptist Church in Heavener, Oklahoma, was called to become the next pastor. During Rev. Kersh’s three years of leadership as pastor, the church enjoyed a period of growth and development that greatly matured the church. Two former military barracks were moved onto the property at the back of the original five acres. The buildings were remodeled for use as educational space. In 1956, Bro. Kersh left the church to go into denominational work.

Rev. Ralph Longshore was soon called as the next pastor. He was serving at the Sunday School Board in Nashville, Tennessee, when he accepted the call to Portland Avenue. Rev. Longshore had preached for the church in a revival meeting and felt the wonderful challenge of opportunity. Bro. Longshore was an evangelist at heart and led the church to new heights in baptisms and numeric growth. He will be remembered as the pastor who led the church to build its present auditorium. A two-year bond program was entered into to provide funding for the shell of the auditorium. The growing church felt the future possibilities to be so great that the vacant five-acre block at the back of the property was purchased for future growth. Construction began on the long-anticipated auditorium on July 13 of 1958. In the fall of 1959, Bro. Longshore accepted the call as Superintendent of the Department of Evangelism for the Baptist Convention of Alabama. Once again, the church was looking for another pastor to lead them to fulfill the vision of the original founders.

On January 21, 1959, the church called Rev. Frank Elkins as pastor with a unanimous vote on the first ballot. Bro. Elkins came to Portland Avenue from the First Baptist Church of Wewoka, Oklahoma. During Bro. Elkins’ four-and-a-half-year pastorate the church was able to finish the new auditorium, which seated 1,100, by May of 1959, which coincided with the church’s 25th anniversary. Bro. Elkins was a strong leader who strengthened the church in Bible teaching and evangelism. There were many additions to the church family during his pastorate, and many believers were strengthened in their own spiritual walk because of his ministry. Bro. Elkins left Portland Avenue to enter private business in 1962, but it was clear he was God’s man for the time he was with the church.
In August of 1963, the church called Dr. J. P. Dane as pastor. He came from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, where he was a professor in the Bible Department. His conservative teaching at OBU marked him as a staunch champion of the truth of God’s Word in an era when that belief put him in the minority.
The 1960s were a turbulent time in the United States. The assassinations of JFK and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were just symptoms of a chaotic time. Many American cities experienced “white flight” and “urban blight” in the 1960s, and Oklahoma City was no exception. City dwellers were moving to the suburbs, and Portland Avenue felt the effects. Dr. Dane told the writer that Portland Avenue was the only church he pastored that did not grow under his leadership, and he believed this was due to the aforementioned reasons. During his pastorate Dr. Dane led the church to bring a young man on the church staff by the name of Bill Green. These two formed a dynamic duo of ministry. Bill Green’s music ministry had more than 400 enrolled. Dr. Dane once remarked that the church was the “Portland Avenue Choral Club!” Dr. Dane and Bill Green touched the lives of countless people through their giftedness and personal ministry. Dr. Dane was a prince of Bible teachers and preachers leading the church to a new spiritual depth under his leadership. He was a pastor at heart and loved the people. Mildred, Dr. Dane’s wife and partner in ministry, was a radiant Christian who was deeply involved in the life and ministry of the church.
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Dr. Dane further distinguished himself while at Portland Avenue by serving two terms as President of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma in the early 1970s. In fact, he was the first person to serve two consecutive terms as convention president. Dr. Dane was one of the key leaders in Baptist life in Oklahoma during his tenure as pastor.
In August of 1972, Dr. Dane made the difficult decision to leave Portland Avenue as pastor and become the Chair of the Bible Department at Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Dane’s nine-year tenure as pastor was the longest of any previous pastor. This endeared him in the hearts and lives of the people as did his wonderful preaching, teaching, and pastoral heart.
In August of 1972, Dr. Dane made the difficult decision to leave Portland Avenue as pastor and become the Chair of the Bible Department at Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Dane’s nine-year tenure as pastor was the longest of any previous pastor. This endeared him in the hearts and lives of the people as did his wonderful preaching, teaching, and pastoral heart.

Dr. Jack Robbins followed Dr. Dane as pastor in 1973. Dr. Robbins came from the First Baptist Church of Velma, Oklahoma, where he had served for three and a half years. Bro. Jack was a graduate of Samford University with B.D. and Th.D. degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Bro. Jack came to a church in a changing community. He was a visionary with an evangelistic heart. He helped lead the church to build the Children’s Building and Family Life Center that replaced the two barracks that had been educational space for years. Bro. Jack led in reorganizing the deacon ministry and putting into place a committee structure. In 1976 Bro. Jack resigned to take another pastorate.

Rev. Lawrence Matlock served as pastor from 1977 to 1982. His ministry led the church to reach young adults in the community. During his tenure as pastor, Derle and Janis Hatchett began a ministry to people with special needs, which was simply called Special Ministries. The Hatchetts directed this ministry for 30 years, from 1982 until 2012, when they stepped away because of health issues. However, Special Ministries continues to this day, 42 years later, with long-time Portland Avenue member Linda Cassady Pelton as director. This ministry has made an impact upon hundreds of special needs people and their families. The ministry provides Sunday School, and during its long history it has had a choir called the Sonshine Choir, annual retreats at Falls Creek, and annual banquets for the special needs people and their families. This ministry has been a tremendous blessing to Portland Avenue and the special needs community over the years.

After the departure of Bro. Matlock, the church extended a call to Dr. Steve McKown to serve as pastor. Bro. Steve had a lengthy ministry of nine years. One of the things that Bro. Steve accomplished while serving at Portland Avenue was the renovation of the Falls Creek cabin. A second story dorm and bathroom were added, which greatly expanded the use of the cabin. This work was done by men from the church who lived at Falls Creek for a few months while they completed the work. In 1991 Dr. McKown accepted a call to a church in the Phoenix area.
In June of 1992, Dr. Walter Mullican began his ministry as pastor. He moved from the First Baptist Church of Eufaula, Oklahoma. Pastor Mullican grew up in Shawnee as did his wife, Kathy. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1982 with a B.A. in Religion. He is a 1986 graduate of Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, earning the M.Div. degree. In May of 2002 he graduated from the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City with a Doctor of Ministry degree. While at Portland Avenue he has served the Baptist General Convention as its First and Second Vice-President and as President of the State Pastor’s Conference.
One of the most significant ministries of the last twenty years has been the Upward Sports Program started by Bob Miller, who served as Minister of Students and Families from 1993 to 2003. This ministry had a huge impact upon many families and students in the community.
In 1998 the church began the Touching Tomorrow Today campaign. The purpose of this $799,000 renovation campaign was to bring much-needed renovations and improvements to an aging facility. It started with the addition of the metal roofs over two of our buildings. The new burgundy-colored roofs fixed some significant roof problems but also added an updated look to the buildings. Next came the much-awaited renovation of the old auditorium in the south building that had served the church until the new auditorium was built around 1960. It was in quite a state of disrepair, but in July of 2001 it was completed renovated and was renamed Dane Chapel in honor of Dr. and Mrs. J. P. Dane. This wonderful facility now has six classrooms and seating for about 110 with its own sound system and multimedia capabilities. Touching Tomorrow Today was also going to bring renovations to the auditorium and church offices along with adding two new vehicles for transportation, but that plan was altered rather dramatically on a sunny spring morning in April of 2002.
April 3, 2002, was to be a rather typical Wednesday. The weekly staff meeting would take place that morning, and preparations for the mid-week service would keep the office staff busy with their tasks. However, all that changed a little after eight o’clock in the morning. A couple looking for rental property in the neighborhood were heading east on 13th Street when they noticed smoke curling up from the eaves of the north education building. A quick call to 911 brought the fire department, which turned in more alarms until the fire became a four-alarm fire. In a couple of hours, the fire was contained and put out, and then began the process of determining the extent of the damage to the building. When the staff was allowed back into the building, it quickly became apparent that the extent of the damage was far worse than any could have imagined. The entire north building was a loss inside as the fire began in the old Sunday School office and had burned so hot that the metal joists had melted and twisted, allowing the upper floor to buckle and drop about four inches. Smoke and water damaged in varying degrees the rest of the facility. It was learned that smoke can be just as damaging or more so than the actual fire. Major work would be required to bring the building back into a state of use by the church.
The church met that evening for a prayer and information service in the Family Life Center. The Children’s Building and Family Life Center were left undamaged by the fire. A larger than usual crowd for a Wednesday evening service gathered, along with a good number of reporters from the local media covering the fire. It was in this meeting that Portland Avenue Baptist Church showed her true character. It is a characteristic of faith and determination that has allowed this church to survive well beyond many other urban churches. A little fire would not stop us from our mission and vision. This thought was conveyed on a large bright yellow banner that hung from the front of the fire-damaged education building. The church, led by her staff, was determined to keep moving forward. Nothing on our calendar or schedule was changed. We would continue to be the church and do the ministry of the church even if our building was damaged.
The Family Life Center was converted into a temporary auditorium that would serve us beautifully for around 15 months. The staff members did an incredible job of seeing that facilities came together during this time. They must be mentioned by name. Rick Brown came to PABC in 2000 as our Minister of Education and Outreach. Bro. Rick was an invaluable asset during the whole process of restoration of our facilities. He was heavily involved in the redesign of the building and coordinated many of the day-to-day activities of the major renovation project. In 2004 Bro. Rick left our staff due to budget cutbacks, but his service at PABC was not unlike that of Queen Esther, who was called for “such a time as this.” Bob Miller, longtime Student Minister at PABC, brought invaluable skills and resources to bear during this time. He helped coordinate the building of the awesome stage used during our time in the Family Life Center. Jason Henson, Minister of Music, was a trooper as well. He was able to keep our ministry of music and worship at a high level during the renovation, even conducting several musicals with both children and adults. The office staff of Gina McKean, Teddy Graham, and Dee Hood were an incredible help during this time. Everyone learned much about flexibility and patience.
The renovation of the main building was done by Diversified Construction of Edmond, OK. Mr. Mark Latham was the owner and president. Mr. Russell Baker, a member of Crestwood Baptist, was the architect for the project. The main building dated back to the 1950s and 1960s and had to be brought up to current building codes, including ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). This meant that an elevator would be required along with several other code upgrades.
The entire facility was redesigned to meet the needs of the church family as it was currently ministering and as it looked to the future. The total cost of all renovations was $2.8 million. The church took on $861,000 of this cost in indebtedness to complete the project. This step of faith would pay dividends for the future generations who would serve the Lord at Portland Avenue.
Fifteen months after the fire, on September 7, 2003, the newly renovated facility was dedicated again to God’s glory and service. We were honored to have Mr. Kirk Humphreys, then mayor of Oklahoma City, as our special guest, along with Mr. Larry McAtee, our city councilman. A full house gathered for a wonderful morning of worship and dedication.
The church made the decision to remain planted in the neighborhood where it had been ministering since 1934. It would have been easy to take the insurance money and rebuild or replant in another part of town, but the church believed it was called to minister to the community around the church.
After all insurance monies had been paid toward the fire, the church retained an indebtedness of around $860,000. Pastor Mullican led the church into the 777 Days plan to eliminate the indebtedness in 777 Days. It was an audacious plan that the church adopted wholeheartedly. Pledges were made and monies began to come that were above and beyond regular budget giving. While the insurance company had paid all it said it was going to pay, there was a sense that maybe the insurance company owed us additional funds. Pastor Mullican was reading the insurance policy one day and noticed a section in the policy that would allow the church to enter in arbitration with the insurance company. He called the company and invoked that process. The church hired a local independent insurance adjuster who reconstructed the entire fire claim! The insurance company would have their adjusters review the claim, and a third independent adjuster would serve as an umpire. Whichever party he sided with would win the arbitration. The umpire chose to side with the church’s independent adjuster, and the church received some $250,000 in additional claims funds!
During the 777 Days campaign, a good and faithful member named Leta Hover passed away. She and her husband, Bob, had been longtime faithful members of Portland Avenue. Bob had died several years before Leta. They had no children. Bob had served as a merchant marine for many years. They lived a simple lifestyle but were faithful in service and giving. After Leta’s death, Pastor Mullican received a call from an attorney in Kingfisher, OK, who informed him that the entire Hover estate would be coming to the church. At the time of the call the amount of the estate was still being calculated. When the funds of the Hover estate were received, it amounted to $550,000! These funds along with the additional funds received from the insurance company and the monies given in the 777 Days campaign allowed Portland Avenue to pay off the $860,000 indebtedness in just about a year! God was faithful to allow the church to move into a new season of ministry without any indebtedness.
God preserved the church during those days of the fire and rebuilding. We did not lose any families but rather gained people and families, many of whom are now the active base of ministry at Portland Avenue. We saw people saved and baptized in a makeshift baptistery in the gym. The season during the fire and rebuilding was preparing the church for a new season of challenge and ministry.
In October of 2002, just seven months after the fire, the church experienced the death of three key leaders and deacons in a span of seven days. Bill Koonce, Dean Calavan, and Frank Simonton were fine men who loved the Lord and were key leaders at Portland Avenue. Reflecting on that time, Pastor Mullican remembers how difficult it was. He preached the funerals of these three key men in the span of seven days. These men were not only key leaders but friends to him. Pastor Mullican said that these deaths coming right during rebuilding after the fire were probably some of the most difficult days of his 29 and a half years as pastor. However, God saw the church through it.
Those deaths began a season of transition of our older faithful members at Portland Avenue. Our seniors were part of the Builder Generation that Tom Brokaw wrote about in his book The Greatest Generation. Pastor Mullican went through his records and discovered that from October 2002 through his final year as pastor in 2021, he had conducted the funerals of 213 faithful Portland Avenue members. These were men and women who had moved to Oklahoma City after World War II seeking to build their families and their futures. Many of these men who had fought in the war had an indomitable and can-do spirit that would take on big challenges and see them through. These women were the foundation of our children’s ministry as wonderful preschool and children’s teachers.
The church continued to see new members being baptized and people joining the church, but their numbers were often dwarfed by the sheer number of those who were dying. It began a season of new beginnings and new ministries that continue to make a difference in our community.
The years after the fire and restoration were years of Portland Avenue becoming more missionally involved in the community through different ministries both inside and outside the church.
In 2003, Tony Mullican, Pastor Walter Mullican’s oldest son, came on the PABC Staff as Student and Community Ministry Pastor. Tony served for 16 years before leaving to become Program Director for First Serve, OKC. A significant outreach ministry that began in his early days of ministry was the Beast Feast. It was an outreach event geared to men and boys. The first dinner featured wild game dishes prepared by the men and a speaker who challenged the men and boys about salvation. The Beast Feast grew each year with attendance reaching about 175, and the format changed as it grew over the years with different activities. It continued until around 2015.
Sometime in 2004 Pastor Mullican was approached by Pastor Jose Cifuentes about a group of Guatemalan believers meeting for a Sunday evening Bible Study. Pastor Cifuentes had gone to Minco to begin a Hispanic congregation, but that work was not taking off as anticipated. He had started the Rios de Agua Viva church which met at Crestwood Baptist Church in OKC, but some internal strife led to his departure. A group from Rios de Agua Viva wanted to start meeting with Pastor Cifuentes in OKC again. PABC allowed the group to meet in the Dane Chapel on Sunday evenings. After a few months the Bible study group grew and began to meet for worship on Sunday evenings. In 2005 this congregation was ready to launch as a new church plant. Funding came through the North American Mission Board, then Capital Baptist Association, Portland Avenue Baptist Church, and the church itself. Pastor Cifuentes was elected pastor. He was in this ministry with his wife, Yolanda, and three children. Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida (New Life Baptist Church) was chosen as the name of the new congregation. They continued to meet in the Dane Chapel with the church providing space and utilities. The church then began to meet Sunday mornings in the Dane Chapel while services were taking place in the main PABC auditorium. Sunday School and evening worship were added to their schedule. One could stand in the south lobby and hear worship in English and Spanish. The church grew to around 125. The church is now in its 19th year under the leadership of Pastor Cifuentes. Portland Avenue and Nueva Vida have partnered in numerous outreach events and have shared in joint worship and fellowship numerous times over the years. The planting of Nueva Vida was used of God to bring a more diverse ethnicity to Portland Avenue as the church sought to become a more multiethnic church to match its community.
In 2006, the church saw the need for a full-time Children’s Director to be added to the staff. Gina McKean, who had grown up attending Portland Avenue and lived right across the street from the church, had been serving as a full-time secretary since 1989. She had served as a paid Nursery Coordinator and worked with children in Sunday School and Mission Friends alongside those wonderful Builder Generation teachers. She came to Pastor Mullican and wanted to be considered for the new Children’s Director staff position. She was the only person interviewed for the position and thus began her years as our Children’s Director. In 2004, her long-time fiancée had suddenly passed away, and Gina was seeking a new direction in her life and ministry.
Almost immediately she had the church aligned with Whiz Kids, a literacy ministry connected with City Care. Portland Avenue would connect with Buchanan Elementary School, where Gina had attended, to provide a once-a-week tutoring program in reading on Thursday afternoons. Thus began a ministry that continues to this day, almost two decades later. Each student would receive one-on-one reading tutoring each week along with Bible Club, snacks, and other fun activities. There have been as many as 35 tutors and students in the program. We were partnered with Heritage Baptist Church, who provided a wonderful coordinator in Joy Fisher and many wonderful tutors. We had other tutors from the community and many from Portland Avenue. Gina led Portland Avenue to become the sponsor of the student-of-month program. The church has provided many luncheons for the teachers at the school and at Portland Avenue, and this partnership continues to this day. The church has been able to partner with the school in Neighbors Night Out and for numerous block parties. It has been one of the cornerstone ministries of the church for almost two decades.
Portland Avenue began a renewed vision to involve its members in missions by sending individuals and teams on mission trip locally, across the United States, and internationally in the late 1990s. There are flags displayed in the auditorium for over 25 different countries and states where Portland Avenue has been involved in missions. In 2007 Pastor Mullican took his first mission trip to Moldova in Eastern Europe to teach English with Michael Gott International. This trip began a missions partnership that continues to this day. Pastor Mullican has traveled 15–18 times to Ukraine teaching English and traveling with the Singing Men of Texas and the Texas Country Boys, reaching thousands with the gospel. He continues to be involved with MGI with online English courses in Ukraine, which he helped develop during Covid and continues now during the two-year war with Russia.
In April of 2009, the church launched the Faith Riders Motorcycle Ministry. It was birthed out of the Men Rewired Men’s Retreats at Falls Creek under the direction of Keith Burkhart. Faith Riders was born in Florida and spread across the nation. Under the direction of Bernie Martens, PABC member, the ministry was chartered and started on April 25, 2009, with a large group gathered for the service to charter the ministry. Faith Riders were involved in many different PABC outreach events and participated in the Perfect Wings retreat at Falls Creek for people with special needs. By 2015 the interest in motorcycles had waned, and a good number of those involved in Faith Riders had sold their bikes. It was a wonderful ministry for the season that it lasted.
The church continued to look for ways to missionally impact the community and explored turning an old locker room into a free community clinic. The space was renovated, but staffing the ministry proved to be challenging, so it never got off the ground. In 2013, Kathy Mullican, Pastor Mullican’s wife, had a dental visit with the family’s dentist, Dr. Michael Cheng, of Dental Depot in Edmond. Dr. Cheng was telling Kathy of his desire to do dental ministry in Oklahoma City. Kathy told Dr. Cheng about the space that had been renovated for a clinic and how it might be available. Out of that dental visit the vision for the dental clinic was born. Work began to renovate the space to accommodate a dental clinic, and the name Open Wide Dental Clinic was chosen. Tony Mullican, Community Pastor, oversaw the dental clinic outreach. The equipment needed to begin the dental clinic was donated, and the clinic launched in 2014. It has now been operating for ten years. Cleanings, exams, and extractions are the services offered by the clinic, and it has met a huge need in the community and city along with other free dental clinics across the metro. The dental clinic has seen not only local patients but international patients who came to Oklahoma City as immigrants.
Around 2014, Pastor Mullican was approached by Pastor Ryan Abernathy, who worked at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, about a new food outreach service called the Fresh Food Mobile Market. It was conceived to help the senior populations in choice locations across the metro obtain fruits and vegetables. It seemed that the senior adult populations were foregoing buying these items to purchase medicines and other needed items. The Food Bank would come once a month on a Tuesday morning with a large truck full of fruits and vegetables for the community. It was not limited to senior adults. Portland Avenue would provide volunteers to help, as did the Food Bank. At the peak of the ministry fruits and vegetables were being delivered to more than 200 people a month. Tony Mullican was coordinator of this ministry. The ministry stopped in 2020 when Covid shut everything down. It was restarted after Covid but never got going again, and after just a few months the Food Bank shut it down. However, it was another way that Portland Avenue made a huge missional impact in our community.
One of the dreams shared in the summer of 1992 at a “Share the Dream” service was repaving the parking lots at Portland Avenue. It would cost around $100,000 to repave and replace sidewalks as needed around the Children’s Building, but those funds were not available and a fund-raising campaign was not feasible. The church experienced a hailstorm with large hail and the church insurance paid a large claim on the metal roofs on both the auditorium and Children’s Building. However, the damage to the roof could not be seen and did not impede the functionally of the roofs, so the roofs were not replaced, and these funds were put into a general reserve fund. It was out of these monies that the sidewalks and paving project was finally accomplished, and that dream from so many years ago came to fruition. In August of 2019 the sidewalks primarily on the south side of the Children’s Building were replaced and the columns rebricked. In October the south and north parking lots were repaved and restriped. Sometimes dreams are a long time in coming. In this case it was almost 30 years, but God provided, which is part of Portland Avenue’s history.
2020 began with Americans hearing of the Coronavirus in China, and soon Coronavirus made its way to the United States. On March11, 2020, an NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder was getting ready to tip off, but the Thunder team doctor called off the game when Utah player Rudy Gobert tested positive for Coronavirus.
The 2019-20 NBA season was shut down as was every other facet of life. In the next few weeks, schools, restaurants, and churches were closed. Masks became mandatory everywhere. Life changed as we knew it.
The 2019-20 NBA season was shut down as was every other facet of life. In the next few weeks, schools, restaurants, and churches were closed. Masks became mandatory everywhere. Life changed as we knew it.
Portland Avenue pivoted to meet the challenges of Covid. Even though in-person services were suspended, the worship services were either recorded or livestreamed to the congregation. Sunday School lessons were recorded each week for both adults and children. Gina McKean, Children’s Director, would record both a preschool and children’s lesson each week. Staff would help each other in recording lessons. Wednesday night Bible Studies and prayer time were livestreamed on Facebook. The staff looked for ways to connect with the congregation. One afternoon the staff offered a drive-through meet and greet for members. On another occasion, the buses were decorated and driven by the Dale Rogers Center so we could wave at the members of our Special Ministries and give a goodie bag to them. In the summer of 2020 under the direction of Gina McKean, the church managed to pull off a virtual VBS, which was well received by the families of the church with children. Cody Boyer, Worship Leader, recorded a special time of hymns and songs for the congregation. While many churches experienced conflict because of decisions made about Covid (such as whether to meet or to wear masks), the people of Portland Avenue were gracious about following the leadership decisions of the church. While we may not all have agreed at times, we prioritized love and unity over personal preferences. Covid was hard on everyone, but the staff especially felt the strain of those months. We did not want to become television evangelists. We wanted to see and minister to our people in person.
On August 24, 2020, after 5–6 months of Covid restrictions on gathering as a church, the leadership decided that the situation had changed enough for in-person services and Sunday School to begin with certain guidelines such as wearing masks, but this was not mandatory. We exchanged elbow bumps instead of handshakes. By the end of the summer and beginning of the fall, things were beginning to normalize as far as activities and restrictions. After reopening, attendance was slow to pick up, but in a matter of weeks more and more people started returning to worship and activities. Portland survived the Covid season and has now rebounded in a wonderful way. Once again, God provided and protected his church at NW 12th and Portland.
As 2020 began to wind down, Pastor Mullican began to sense God’s leading in transitioning from being pastor of Portland Avenue after almost 30 years. Late in the fall of 2020 he spoke to the deacons, personnel committee, and his family about his thoughts and plans, and all were very supportive.
It was agreed with the deacons that Pastor Mullican would preach a message called “Passing the Baton” on Sunday, March 7, 2021, and explain to the church what God had placed on his heart. In that message he shared how God had led him to this point. He also shared that our deacons would bring a recommendation in the next few weeks to move forward with a succession/transition plan. Our Constitution/Bylaws did not cover this situation. In fact, it was discovered that our Constitution/Bylaws were very vague about what to do when a pastor search team needed to be elected. To move forward with a succession/transition plan the church would need to adopt this plan since it was not in our Constitution/Bylaws.
On Sunday, March 21, 2021, the following recommendation by the deacon body was brought before the church and overwhelmingly approved:
Joint Recommendation from the Deacons and Personnel Committee:
The Deacons and Personnel Committee recommend to the church that a Succession Team be formed to begin the search and call process of a new pastor. The Succession Team would be made of 2 members from the Deacons, 2 members of the Personnel Committee and 3 members at large from the church body elected by the church by ballot.
Those nominated to serve on the Succession Team must be active members of the church in attendance, stewardship, and ministry. They should be people who are spiritually mature and respected by others.
Joint Recommendation from the Deacons and Personnel Committee:
The Deacons and Personnel Committee recommend to the church that a Succession Team be formed to begin the search and call process of a new pastor. The Succession Team would be made of 2 members from the Deacons, 2 members of the Personnel Committee and 3 members at large from the church body elected by the church by ballot.
Those nominated to serve on the Succession Team must be active members of the church in attendance, stewardship, and ministry. They should be people who are spiritually mature and respected by others.
The following week a ballot was made available to the church to be returned no later than Monday, May 3, 2021. The ballot showed the makeup of the team as stated in the recommendation from the church along with the qualifications to serve. The ballot presented the names of seven deacons of whom two were to be chosen and the names of the five members of the personnel committee of whom two were to be chosen. The ballot included a space to nominate three church members at large to serve on the team. The ballots were processed by the deacon body and the results brought before the church for approval. The Succession/Transition Team was made up of seven individuals: Harry Black, Chair, John Brandon, Katie Brooke, Judy Hughes, Josh Kinney, Randy Reeves, and Phil Tritten.
May 16, 2021, was the first Succession/Transition Team meeting. Pastor Mullican met with the team that night and presented them an outline that he had developed. The Succession/Transition Team took the outline provided by Pastor Mullican and made it their own. He met with the Succession/Transition Team one more time, then stepped away from meeting with the team, which was his recommendation.
The team began to meet almost weekly on Sunday afternoons to move forward with their plan. Once the team got to the pastor search part of their work, Pastor Mullican had no more contact with the team or knew of any candidates or interviews.
The Succession/Transition Team did a Study and Prayer Retreat on Saturday, June 12, 2021, which focused on each component of the above plan with each section being led by a different team member followed by a guided prayer time. This event was about 4 hours in length.
The Succession/Transition Team also conducted a church-wide Special Time of Prayer on Sunday evening, July 11, 2021. The meeting was well attended. Each segment of the Succession/Transition plan was prayed over and led by a different person from the team. Pastor Mullican was included in this to lead the concluding prayer.
The Succession/Transition Team was marked by prayer. A good amount of time was spent in each meeting in prayer. When the team began to function as the search team, they often spent half of their meeting in earnest prayer.
The team continued to meet through the summer and into the early fall as they looked at resumes and prayed through the process. They did not listen to messages from a candidate unless they agreed that it was someone they wanted to pursue and interview.
On Sunday, October 10, 2021, the Succession/Transition Team brought Rev. Harvey Lee Sparks III before the church in view of a call as Lead Pastor. The church voted overwhelmingly to extend a call to him as their pastor.
Pastor Harvey grew up in Portland Avenue Baptist until 1991 when his family moved to another church. His wife is Jenifer, who grew up in OKC and works for Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, and they have five children. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, and he is currently working on his Ph.D. from Midwestern Baptist Seminary in Kansas City. He and Jenifer were serving in Pemba, Mozambique, as IMB missionaries when God began to work on their hearts about returning stateside. They had previously served in Mozambique. Harvey had also served on the staffs of Congressmen Jim Bridenstine and Steve Russell in Washington, D.C., for several years and had pastored Calvary Baptist Church in Tulsa.
Pastor Mullican preached his last message as pastor of Portland Avenue on Sunday, November 7, 2021, ending his pastorate of 29 and a half years. At the end of the message a baton was symbolically passed to Pastor Harvey, picturing the transfer of leadership.
Under Pastor Harvey’s leadership the church has revised its Constitution/Bylaws. A new member’s class was added through these revisions along with addition of two elders to serve alongside Pastor Harvey.
In 2022, the church launched a new missions and ministry paradigm. Recognizing that we have been called as a church to be witnesses to our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth, we began to align our missions and ministry efforts using Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8--"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The church already had a rich history of doing ministry within the local community (Jerusalem). With a renewed sense of purpose, the church continued our ongoing partnerships with Buchanan Elementary and the Whiz Kids tutoring program. It also included our continuing commitment to serving our community through our Open Wide Dental Clinic. The church has continued to faithfully serve our community through these ministries.
To engage our city and state (Judea) we began working with a group to launch a brand-new church in northeast Oklahoma City. Lone Star Baptist Church was a legacy church that was close to closing her doors. When leadership at Portland Avenue approached them about the possibility of working with them to plant a new church in their facility, they agreed to shut their doors and begin the long and challenging process of beginning something new. Those few remaining members of Lone Star Baptist Church began attending Portland Avenue as we worked together to identify the man whom God was calling to lead the new work. Over the course of 18 months, several other churches ended up joining the effort and a young man was identified and called to lead what would now be called Northeast Fellowship. On March 17, 2024, with much rejoicing, Northeast Fellowship was launched as a brand-new church.
Our church planting efforts were not just limited to a new church in our city. In an effort to engage our nation (Samaria), Portland Avenue also committed to helping plant a new church in Kansas City, MO. Through a connection with the SEND Network of the North American Mission Board, Portland Avenue was connected to a young church planter from Oklahoma who was looking to plant a new church in urban Kansas City. Through a vision trip to Kansas City, we began praying for this church planter as he established a small-group bible study. On March 10, 2024, with much rejoicing, The Way Church Kansas City was launched as a brand-new church.
Recognizing that we are called to be a witness both across the street and around the world, Portland Avenue has continued to faithfully send church members to the nations. Over the last several years, through our GO Missions Fund, we have helped send faithful church members to Canada, England, Mozambique, Senegal, and the Ukraine.
On October 14, 2023, the church under Pastor Harvey’s leadership dedicated the hallway connecting the two lobbies behind the auditorium as a Missions Hall reflecting the church’s new mission and ministry paradigm and to serve as a constant reminder to the congregation of this vision. The hallway was named in honor of former Pastor Walter Mullican for leadership in missions during his tenure as pastor of Portland Avenue.
In the early spring of 2023, the Children’s Building underwent a much-needed remodel of the main entry hallway to provide a safe and secure environment for the children which was a priority. Under the leadership of Gina McKean, Children’s Director, the entryway was redesigned to provide a secure entry into the children’s area with a check-in desk, new storage area, and remodeled area for babies. Installation of new carpet and fresh paint along with updated décor in the children’s area completed the remodel. The brick wall in the hallway by the Fellowship Hall was painted, and large bright photographic posters of PABC children were hung on the wall. In 2024 the Fellowship Hall received a makeover with new flooring and paint and soon to be new dining chairs. Portland Avenue continues to look forward to reaching young families with children.
Early on Easter Sunday morning, March 31, 2024, Gina Darlene McKean went home to be with Jesus after a brief but valiant battle with liver cancer. Gina or Ms. Gina as she was known to children and adults, served on the Portland Avenue staff for 35 years. She came on the church staff in 1989 in the role of church secretary. She literally grew up at Portland Avenue. She lived right across the street from the church until her death. She served in many volunteer roles at the church. She taught in Mission Friends and was a Nursery Coordinator for Portland Avenue. In 2006 she became full-time Children’s Director. It was in this role that she blossomed into one of the outstanding children’s directors in the state of Oklahoma. She was passionately devoted to Portland Avenue and to the children in the church and in the community. She loved VBS and became a sought-after trainer for VBS events in Oklahoma and Texas. She wrote and developed materials for Lifeway Christian Resources. Her VBS décor and planning for VBS were epic at Portland Avenue. She was director of the Whiz Kids program for 18 years which provided reading tutoring for children at the church on Thursday afternoons. She led the church to sponsor the student-of-the-month program at Buchanan Elementary, a school she attended as a child. She provided many teacher appreciation luncheons and events at Buchanan with a wonderful group of volunteers from Portland Avenue. She loved and cared deeply for everyone and was known as a trusted prayer warrior. She leaves a beautiful legacy of what it means to serve others in Jesus’ name. She also leaves a big hole in our hearts and in our ministry. However, she was looking forward to the children’s ministry growing and reaching more children and families. The Lord will provide a person to lead children’s ministry in the days ahead. Although Ms. Gina can’t be replaced, we know that God will raise up a new leader for children’s ministry to lead the church into a new season.
This is the not the complete history of Portland Avenue Baptist Church. Her history is a work in progress and will continue to be as the church continues to glorify God and make disciples as it serves and reaches its Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth as it has done continuously since 1934. Soli Deo Gloria!