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One of the most striking, and surprising, things about this journey I’m on are the raw, powerful “moments” or emotions that hit hard and out of nowhere. Many times, it’s little things that trigger these emotions. Sometimes they’re painful and sometimes they’re joyful.
Recently, Jamy and I started talking about hanging the Christmas lights on the house. She found a video where I am describing to myself for future reference how to hang the lights. When she showed me the video, I saw my legs and feet. A stark reminder of the irreparable damage that has been done to my body. I also realized I would never climb that tall ladder again to hang the lights—something I loved to do. The emotion unexpectedly overwhelmed me. I grabbed on to Jamy and shed some hard tears.
Conversely, when I pulled up to the office the other day, I thought to myself, “My ankle is feeling good and strong,” so I parked across the canal in the lot furthest from the building. And I didn’t use a handicap spot! As I got out of the truck, I took one step forward and it hit me hard—parking here, in a regular spot, was the first time I’d ever done that since we moved to the new office. I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude at how far the Lord had brought me and all the wonderful things He’s done the last year and a half to get me to this point.
These moments of both pain and joy have helped me make sense of 1 Thess. 5:16-18 on a difficult journey. How can I “rejoice always” with what I’m going through? How can I “give thanks in all circumstances” when my circumstances are so hard? How is all of this “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you?”
I can rejoice and give thanks in the really hard moments because of God’s compassion and care for me in those moments (Matt. 11:28, 1 Pet. 5:7). In the pain, I have His presence. In the joyful moments, I see His goodness. In all the moments, I see His will unfolding to make me more like Christ using both pain and joy. I have learned to always look for how God is using both pain and joy to point me to Himself.
For those in a hard season—grief, illness, deep difficulties, extended discouragement—accept the fact there will be painful moments that hit you out of the blue. And it’s OK in those moments to feel frustration, sadness and even despair. But don’t let those moments consume you or turn your outlook to bleakness. Know that moments of blessing, healing and growth are intermingled with the pain on your journey.
If you are a follower of Christ, know that every season, even the hardest ones, are being used by God for His glory and to build your testimony of His goodness and faithfulness every step along the way.
2 Cor. 9:8—“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
I pray that you and yours have a truly blessed Christmas!
At Christmas, we celebrate birth. To be specific, we celebrate THE Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The first celebration of Christ’s birth, of course, happened on that Holy night in Bethlehem, as recorded in the Gospels.
According to historians, “The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no (specific) clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date.”
The actual birth date of Jesus should not matter most— what matters is that He truly was born and truly came to save us—He is “Immanuel, God with us” (Matt. 1:23).
This wonderful historical, faith-filled holiday of Christmas has given rise to some of the most beautiful music, moments and worship in Christian churches throughout the centuries. We ought to take full advantage of these opportunities every year, to uplift believers and to share the Good News with those who do not yet know Him.
Another time churches celebrate birth and children is through the annual Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, a time when Christians and others honor and recognize the sanctity of all human life—from womb to tomb.
In 2026, Sanctity of Human Life (SOHL) Sunday will be observed on Sun., Jan. 18. To help churches highlight the day, Oklahoma Baptists and Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children have teamed up to produce resources for pastors and churches. These resources help teach and reinforce a Biblical respect for life.
When you go to oklahomabaptists.org/life, you will find life-affirming sermon outlines, prayer points, powerful videos and more.
A new resource for this year’s emphasis includes training videos designed for small groups, student ministries and Sunday School classes. The content of this video curriculum originated at Falls Creek, where leaders with Hope Pregnancy Ministries offered a breakout session for students. The video curriculum goes over the biblical teaching to uphold life and warns about the danger of abortion. This curriculum is life-changing and life-saving.
Another opportunity to celebrate birth and life will take place at the 2026 Rose Day Pro-Life Indoor Rally, inside the Oklahoma State Capitol on Feb. 4. The keynote speaker will be author and actress Mia Armstrong, a teenager who has Down syndrome. Mia is a proponent of life and has spoken out against abortion and those who would push the idea that unborn children with Down syndrome should be abortion. Mia and her mother Cara will make a powerful speech you won’t want to miss (for more information, go to roseday.life).
While abortion is now unlawful in Oklahoma, the rise in access to chemical abortion has created a scenario in which abortions are happening in our state at an alarming rate. Christians, therefore, must redouble our efforts to pray, to contend for the unborn and to provide help to abortion vulnerable women.
This Christmas, as we celebrate the Incarnation of our Savior, let’s take time to pray for those who are working every day to help women who are abortion vulnerable and unborn children. And let’s take full advantage of this season to point people to the Hope that is found in the Baby in a manger (Luke 2:11-14).
Brian Hobbs
Oklahoma Baptists Editor
January
Februray 2, 2026 Priority of Preaching Conference Moore, First oklahomabaptists. org/event/preachingconference/
March 2-3, 2026 Advance Conference Moore, First oklahomabaptists.org / evangelism/advanceconference/
A Surprise Visitor
I was born and raised in rural Oklahoma. I have spent my life in what I affectionately call the “hinterlands.” Although I work in Oklahoma City—sometimes four days a week—my heart is always in our small towns and rural churches. Those people are my people.
For some reason that has spilled over into my preaching opportunities. For the last five-plus years I have been blessed to preach in countless Oklahoma churches. Included in that bunch is the likes of First Baptist Lawton, First Baptist Enid and First Baptist McAlester. But the rest of them were small towns—or no towns. And I have loved every minute of it.
A while back, I was asked to preach in a church that I was warned neither Google maps nor Siri could find. So, I was given directions. I thought it was a joke. It was not. I was told when the blacktop turned into a gravel road I was just supposed to keep going and eventually I would find the church.
I did, but I confess there were a couple of times I was tempted to turn around because I thought I must have passed the church. But I kept going. Maybe it was the promise of lunch after church that motivated me. After all, I was told there would be fried chicken and coconut cream pie.
I found the church, and in that church, I found a great group of folks. Church started almost on time. We had singing. Some of the young ones took up the offerings. And then it was time for me to preach. Maybe it had to do with the promise of fried chicken and coconut cream pie, but I found myself preaching at a pretty good clip. All the folks in the congregation were attentive, which made me wonder if they were really a Southern Baptist Church. And then it happened.
I noticed a couple of young ones that were sitting near the front began to have big eyes. Soon, a couple of them put their hands over their mouths.
I just kept on preaching. But when they started pointing, I lost a little bit of my concentration. I looked over my right shoulder and there it was.
A rather huge tarantula was making his way across the platform. He was taking rather big, orange and black spider steps. I am not necessarily afraid of tarantulas, but they sure make me squirmy particularly when I am not sure what their intentions are. And I am pretty sure tarantulas seldom have good intentions. If that thing had got up my pants leg and into my boot top, I would have broken out in a way that would have shamed Ray Stephen’s Mississippi Squirrel Revival. It was all I could do not to break out in a Baptist high step.
I have been told many times those kinds of spiders won’t bite you. And that is probably the truth. I was just not in the mood to take the chance. In fact, when I prayed at the end of the service, I had my head up and both eyes open. I didn’t want that thing flying through the air and biting me on the face or something while I was in the prayer position.
But I have to admit that some real fried chicken (still on the bone - not those counterfeit boneless strips or nuggets), and a big old hunk of coconut cream pie at lunch calmed me right down.
Here are a couple of things for you to consider. One, occasionally it is OK to pray with your head up and your eyes open regardless of what the guy on the platform is telling you. Two, it is possible that even Peter and Paul might have been a little scared of huge spiders. Three, fried chicken and coconut cream pie have a most unique way of taking care of what ails you. Four, you might want to look over your shoulder every once in a while. You never know what might be sneaking up on you.
Joe Ligon
Oklahoma Baptists Sr. Associate Executive Director
RAISING REDEMPTION
Boys Ranch Town Leader Helps Troubled Youth through Livestock Program
EDMOND—Just outside of Edmond, nestled next to Arcadia Lake, is the 145-acre Boys Ranch Town (BRT), a Christian home and care ministry operated by Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC).
At Boys Ranch Town, boys age 8 to 18 from troubled backgrounds can find a place of stability, identity and hope.
Bo Blakey, BRT’s executive director, has made it his mission to help these youth overcome their trauma and find who God has made them to be.
“All of our boys have some kind of trauma,” said Blakey. “They’ve all lost a piece of their family in some way or another, so the ministry we’re engaged in is tough.”
Blakey, like all the boys who live at BRT, grew up in a broken home.
He didn’t know who his father was, and his mother had a lot of brokenness within her life.
From the age of 10 to 16, Blakey bounced around living with relatives and friends, even being homeless for a while.
When he was 16, Blakey’s life turned around. A friend invited Blakey to a church revival where he heard the Gospel. At first, he was unsure that Christ could change a life as broken as his, but Blakey was compelled to follow through and trust in Christ.
So, he did. “I was saved when I was 16, and within just a couple of months I was placed in foster home,” said Blakey.
The foster parents Blakey received were devoted Christians and remain a part of Blakey’s life today. He began attending church and school regularly. After graduating high school, Blakey went to play football at Oklahoma State University (OSU) then joined the U.S. Army after. He served with the 95th Division for eight years, working as a drill sergeant for six of them.
In college, Blakey met his wife, Holly, and married her after college before the two moved to Fort Worth and attended seminary. For 24 years, Blakey served the Lord in ministry as a pastor. The Blakey family has also been involved in raising and showing cattle.
After he served in Stillwater for two years as the northern region director for Habitat for Humanity and eight years at Stillwater, Countryside Church, Blakey was offered the executive director position at BRT.
Blakey and his wife have been serving at BRT since then, helping countless boys overcome their trauma and giving them skills they need for their futures.
On the ranch, they boys are taught responsibility, patience and compassion through various activities. They also have daily Bible studies and devotions within their cottage-style homes under a godly husband and wife, who serve as houseparents.
“God has just been in the middle of everything that we’ve been doing,” Blakey said.
A major program at BRT is livestock showing. The boys are involved in every aspect of raising their show animals, which are most often young, female cattle, or heifers. However, this past year, BRT raised a male calf, or steer, that earned the title of champion steer at the National Junior Angus Show. While reflecting on the win, Blakey was quick to share that this type of success is not typical and was not something he planned for.
“We raise heifers,” he responded. “You need to know that (steer) is purely a God thing. For us to raise a national champion steer and not even be trying, that is just God.”
Whether it be through agriculture, sports, mechanics or rodeos, BRT’s main mission is bringing hope and healing to boys who need it.
According to Blakey, they are seeing life changes in many of the boys. One of them, who came to BRT from a broken home and had frequent exposure to drug houses, has now found renewed purpose and hope through the cattle program. He is one of many boys who has a testimony of the positive impact of BRT and its unique opportunities.
“God is really moving in the lives of these young men, and it’s a joy to see it,” said Blakey.
Throughout its years, Boys Ranch Town has seen, time and time again, lives being changed through the Good News of Jesus.
Through the ministry of BRT, Blakey and others at BRT are raising more than cattle—they are raising redeemed young men.
Since 1903, OBHC, which is an affiliate ministry of Oklahoma Baptists, has provided a place for children in need of a home, among its other ministries. Boys Ranch Town began in 1953. For more information, visit obhc.org/ministries/campuses/brt/.
2025 ANNUAL MEETING
OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS MARK 100TH ANNIVERSARIES OF CP, BAPTIST FAITH & MESSAGE
Nearly 1,000 Oklahoma Baptists from churches across the state gathered at Oklahoma City, Southern Hills Nov. 10-11 for the 119th Annual Meeting. The theme was “Prevail,” based on Matt. 16:13-19.
During the opening session of Annual Meeting on Monday evening, Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher shared his annual address, where he commemorated the 100th anniversaries of the Cooperative Program (CP) and the Baptist Faith and Message.
“As we gather this evening in our annual meeting as Oklahoma Baptists, we do so in remembrance and celebration of a long and rich history of obedience to God’s Word and faithfulness to the mission he has given the church,” Fisher said. “Our cause for gratefully looking back at our heritage are the 100th anniversaries of both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message. In light of these milestones, we would do well to do as these examples from history have done and learn from our history to help us in our today and our future.”
Tuesday featured ministry reports, key business, worship through music, prayer and more. All four Oklahoma Baptists’ affiliates delivered ministry reports.
Baptist Village Communities (BVC) President Bill Pierce emphasized the strategic ministry impact of BVC in Oklahoma and all of its locations. OBU President Heath Thomas highlighted the work OBU and shared about remodeling projects across the OBU campus. Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC) President James Swain reported on the 2025 OBHC strategic plan and talked about the people served on its campuses and at Hope Pregnancy Centers. WatersEdge Chief Executive Officer Robert Kellogg highlighted the “25 by 25” campaign, which began in 2013 and has met
and exceeded its goal of distributing $25 million to “Kingdom causes” by the end of 2025.
During the business session of Annual Meeting, messengers approved the 2026 Financial Plan, which said that “The 2026 Cooperative Program allocation be distributed 40 percent Southern Baptist Convention / 45 percent Oklahoma Baptists / 15 percent (Oklahoma Baptists) affiliates. The plan, which featured the same CP allocation as prior year, has a giving objective of $24.5 million. Messengers also elected new officers for Oklahoma Baptists. Owen Nease, pastor of Oklahoma City, Emmaus, will serve as president. Pastor Kevin Moss of Spencer, Antioch Fellowship was elected as first-vice president; and D.J. Carney, pastor of Bristow, First, was elected as second-vice president.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma Baptists President Michael Butler, who is pastor at Chickasha, First, delivered the President’s Address which was based on 1 Cor. 4. Butler emphasized how unique and amazing the unity amongst Oklahoma Baptists is, but how we must still work to keep that unity for the sake of the Gospel.
David Wallace, lead pastor at Roosevelt, First, delivered the Annual Sermon. Wallace is a military veteran and Green Beret who was honorably discharged after sustaining a major injury. His message focused on standing strong in the faith when the world stands against us.
The annual Pastors’ Conference was held on Nov. 10 in conjunction with Oklahoma Baptists Annual Meeting. The theme for the event was “Dig Deep, Reach Wide,” based on Matt. 28:18-20. The 120th Annual Meeting of Oklahoma Baptists is set for Nov. 9-10, 2026 at Tulsa, South Tulsa. For more information, visit oklahomabaptists.org.
ACROSS
1 “Hallowed be thy __”
5 Mimicked
9 In prayer, worries lessen and __
14 Incense producer
15 Choir director’s concern
16 Zodiac sign
17 “In thy majesty __ prosperously” (Psa. 45:4)
18 “My __ is exceeding sorrowful” (Matt. 26:38)
19 Monastery figure
20 Ball holder
21 “Come ye...into a desert place, and rest __” (Mark 6:31) (2 words)
WORDSEARCH
23 In Christmas skits, Baby Jesus __ in a manger
24 “__ yourselves in the sight of the Lord” (James 4:10)
26 Compete
28 “__ Father”
29 “Excuse me”
31 “Take your __ and go home” (Matt. 9:6 niv)
34 Awkwardly
37 Spiritual result of prayer, often
39 Psalmist, for one
40 Financial review sheet letters
41 Twin Cities state (Abbr.)
42 Accumulate
44 God’s presence means you’ll never be this
47 “If ye be __ of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18)
48 Kitty-cat
50 Crackpot
51 “Stand in the __” (Ezek. 22:30)
52 Puts up
56 Biblical idol
59 Bun topping seed
63 “Gotcha!”
64 Nettle
DOWN
1 “They shall come from the east... from the __” (Luke 13:29)
2 Bye-bye (Fr.)
3 Desktop need
4 Before (poet.)
5 You pray, God __
6 Winnie-the-__ 7 Decorative needle case 8 Glade 9 Chicken __ king (2 words) 10 Where the Lord’s Prayer is found 11 What you may call God 12 Helen of __ 13 Jesus __ with sinners 21 College grad, for short 22 First lady 25 Spells 27 Mischievous tot 29 Some choir members
30 Sunday song
31 Injure seriously
32 Facial blemish
33 __ Commandments
34 “__ unto me...and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28)
35 “__ us not into temptation”
36 We may ask God to heal ours
38 Express feelings
Buddy
Resting place
Pray for your __
66 Cartoon bear
67 Biblical calendar month
68 “Laying up in __ for themselves a good foundation” (1 Tim. 6:19)
69 Great Lake
70 KJV cows
71 African nation
72 They “hid...in the __ and in the rocks” (Rev. 6:15)
73 Brews
Note:
46 Be __ that God will answer your prayers
49 Package deliverer (Abbr.)
51 With 54 Down: “For __ is the kingdom, and the __” (Matt. 6:13)
53 Carp
54 See 51 Down
55 Jesus __
56 Lie in the sun
57 Stake
58 Later
60 Ogled
61 Tender
62 Opposed to (dial.)
65 “__ rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God” (Luke 11:28)
67 Paul __ Saul (Abbr.)
WORDS
AGRICULTURE
ARCADIA LAKE
BO
BOYS
CATTLE
CHRISTIAN
GOOD
LIFE CHANGE
MECHANICS
MINISTRY
INDUCTION OF HALL OF FAME MEMBERS
HIGHLIGHT HISTORICAL COMMISSION LUNCHEON
The induction of three more outstanding deceased Oklahoma Baptist servants into the Oklahoma Baptist Hall of Fame highlighted the annual Oklahoma Baptist Historical Commission (OBHC) luncheon on Tues., Nov. 11 at Oklahoma City, Southern Hills.
This year’s honorees included preacher and evangelist John R. Bisagno; writer and speaker Willa Ruth Garlow and collegiate ministry leader Deborah Jo Inda Lipscomb.
Certificates of induction were presented to members of the honorees’ families who were at the luncheon— which was attended by about 40 people—and featured the presentation of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award to Walter Mullican, former longtime pastor of Oklahoma City, Portland Ave., and recognition of Bethel Acres, Blackburn Chapel, which was awarded the Gaskin Church History Award for 2024.
TRIBUTES
Ruby Gail Miller Wynn died Sept. 9. She was a longtime ministry assistant for Oklahoma Baptists.
Aimee Chapman died Sept. 22. She was a program assistant at CrossTimbers.
Randel Joe Byers, brother of Oklahoma Baptists’ Regional Ministry Partner Buddy Hunt, died Sept. 21.
Sharon Gail (McCord) Doughty died Nov. 8. She was the wife of Bryan Doughty, pastor at Gracemont, First.
PASTOR In Focus
MATT KELLY
Pastor, Letitia Church
Lawton, Oklahoma
LAWTON—It was the Fall Festival at Lawton, Letitia. Kids and parents ran around dressed in costumes, enjoying food and fun.
Pastor Matt Kelly was dressed as an “antique clock,” with one arm pointing straight up at the twelve-oclock position and the other—much shorter—at the three-o-clock. His wife, Kristan, completed the outfit dressed as a cuckoo bird with bright green feathers, chirping at those passing by whenever the “clock” struck three.
Kelly was born with only one arm, but that hasn’t stopped him from walking the path God has set for him.
“My goal in preaching is to go beyond that one arm,” he said. “But it’s always an elephant in the room.
Kelly’s parents were very supportive of him and did everything they could to help him overcome challenges he faced. God led them to Kae Dee Daycare in Lawton where Kelley would learn how to live with one arm from a teacher there, Betty Wolford. She was known for being tough on her students, and that didn’t change with Kelly.
“She taught me how to be tough,” Kelly said. “She taught me how to rebound a basketball, how to throw a football, ride a bike, how to swim. All these things that the doctors said I wasn’t going to be able to do.”
Wolford taught Kelly how to read Scripture which grew his love for God’s Word.
“I placed my faith in Christ at a young age and I was baptized at Lawton, Immanuel,” he said.
Everything he was taught at Kae Dee Daycare gave Kelly a can-do attitude, not letting anything that he wasn’t supposed to be able to do deter him from doing it.
“People ask me, ‘well what can’t you do?” Kelly said. “I just say, ‘The Monkey Bars.’”
Kelly didn’t know it at the time, but God was preparing him to help connect with those who could relate with him. In high school, Kelly was able to help a girl who had lost her arm work through the changes in her life.
“God can use people in any and all situations,” said Kelly.
After graduating college, Kelly went into teaching. He taught agriculture in Pawhuska for two years and then continued his education career in Elgin for five more years. Kelly loved to teach but felt like God was leading him in a different direction. Acting on this, Kelly began assisting with the youth program at Elgin, Crossroads.
At the time, Crossroad’s pastor, Curtis Erwin, was bi-vocational. Kelly offered to preach sermons in his place anytime Erwin would be unavailable. In response, Erwin asked Kelly if he’d be available to preach on an upcoming Sunday morning. Kelly agreed and Erwin began to mentor Kelly as he found his pastoral voice. After a few years, Erwin offered Kelly a position at Elgin, Crossroads as the youth minister. Two years after that, Kelly was asked to submit his resume to Lawton, Letitia which is where he currently serves as pastor.
“From the first day we came to interview, it was just like sitting down with family,” Kelly said.
For the past 10-and-a-half years, Kelly has been faithfully serving the church with his family who all help behind the scenes in various ways. Lawton, Letitia is in rural Oklahoma, about 10 miles outside of Lawton city limits.
Its location provides numerous ministry opportunities. Kelly said the church has been described as “not a cowboy church, but a country church.” Many school zones overlap where Lawton, Letitia sits, meaning that the church can reach youth from many different schools. They also provide for the community through various ministries.
Throughout his entire life, Kelly has remained faithful to God’s calling. His determination and can-do attitude through all things show the power of God and the incredible things He can do when we put our trust in Him.
From left: Pastor Matt Kelly, Evangelist Daniel Ritchie and Oklahoma Baptists Todd Fisher connect at Falls Creek.
For more than six decades, Raley Chapel has stood as the heart of Oklahoma Baptist University—a landmark of faith, education and community. Since its dedication in 1961, generations of students have gathered on Bison Hill beneath its spire to worship, pray and discern God’s call on their lives.
From weekly chapel services to Super Summer camps and campus revivals, Raley Chapel has hosted countless moments of transformation. Just weeks before the April 2023 tornado, students and guests filled Potter Auditorium during Focus Week, where dozens committed to follow Christ. The revival that began there rippled across Bison Hill, strengthening a community soon to be tested.
On April 19, 2023, an EF2 tornado tore through the OBU campus, leaving behind the most severe destruction in the university’s 113-year history. The storm’s 135-mph winds peeled back the roof of Raley Chapel, shattered its tower windows and scattered debris through the auditorium. Water soaked the floors and walls, destroying every seat and fixture. Restoration crews were forced to remove the interior entirely before repairs could begin.
While the physical damage was devastating, the emotional loss cut even deeper. For alumni, pastors and missionaries who trace their callings to that sacred space, Raley Chapel represents far more than brick and mortar—it is a symbol of spiritual awakening and purpose.
“Raley Chapel has been the worksite for life change for more than sixty years,” said OBU President Heath A. Thomas. “It’s where countless students have heard God’s call to ministry, missions and service. We believe God still desires that Raley Chapel remain a place where students can encounter Him and be shaped for His purpose.”
Thomas added, “On the steps of Welcome Week, our incoming freshmen become Bison, and then at graduation, we send them out to fulfill the Master Plan purpose God has for their life that OBU has equipped them for. Raley is where their journey begins and where we commission them to live all of life, all for Jesus.”
Churches invited to Partner in Restoring Historic Raley Chapel, the Heart of Bison Hill
In June 2025, Alton Fannin, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ardmore, met with Thomas to discuss “his heart for Raley Chapel.” Thomas shared that the tornado had severely damaged the building. What Fannin heard that day is something he wants others to understand.
“His desire is not only to restore Raley to usability but to move it to an up-to-date facility that can serve students for decades to come,” Fannin said. “He honestly shared that the insurance money alone could never accomplish this. He laid out a hope and prayer that the churches of Oklahoma Baptists would pick up this ball and run with it. I immediately said that FBC of Ardmore would be a part of that effort and that we would try to be a pace-setting church that others could follow.”
Fannin said the effort reflects the church’s strong support for OBU and its mission. Many members and staff are OBU alumni, and Fannin had nearly a decade of service on the university’s board. Since August, the church and its congregation have given close to $230,000.
“It is my conviction that OBU is OUR, ‘Oklahoma Baptists’ University,” Fannin said. “Paul writes to Timothy in I Timothy 5:8, ‘But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.’ ‘Our own’ is a good concept for the things we do together as Oklahoma Baptists. They are ours collectively. That means we rejoice together in successes and share together in needs.”
He emphasized that Raley Chapel is “the spiritual heartbeat of OBU” and vital to ministries such as Super Summer, which has been affected by its closure.
“Raley Chapel must not just be rebuilt,” Fannin said. “It must be restored and renewed to serve students for the next 50 years.”
Donations toward the Raley Chapel restoration can be made through the Shape the Future campaign, okbu.edu/giving/shape-the-future.
Join us throughout the year in praying for our missionaries, serving locally and around the world!
2025 MISSIONARY Prayer Guide
Who & Where Why How to Pray
Ryan and Brea McMillan and their five children live and serve among the German people in Berlin, Germany. Berlin is a spiritually dark place and is historically known as the atheist capital of Europe. The McMillans seek to push back the darkness by proclaiming the Gospel and discipling local believers. Using passions like sports and hospitality, they build deep relationships with East Germans, pointing them to hope in Jesus. They are also part of a new church plant called Pilgergemeinde.
Doug and Angela Burnett oversee a team of support missionaries, who provide logistical support to 823 International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries and field workers in 42 countries throughout Europe. They feel privileged to be sent out to the nations by Oklahoma Baptists to share the love of Christ with the lost in the Czech Republic and throughout Europe. They find joy that their work enables other missionaries to focus on their task of taking the Gospel to those who don’t know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Pray for Oklahoma Baptists who are serving the Deaf around the world. An estimated 80 million culturally deaf people have almost no access to God’s Word in their heart language and few of them have ever been exposed to the Gospel. Most of the Deaf around the world have never seen Jesus’ name signed in their language. Often ignored and oppressed, the Deaf are some of the least evangelized people on earth.
Benjamin Kelly works as a Project 3000 explorer in Madagascar. He goes around the island, focusing on reaching unreached, unengaged people groups (UUPGs). He also shares the Gospel in places that have never experienced Christ and researches the people groups and regions. The point of the research is to equip future missionaries and Malagasy believers in reaching these UUPGs with the Gospel. He finds it incredibly exciting when a person responds in faith and that he is fulfilling the promise of Revelation 7:9.
Pray that the McMillan children would come to know Jesus personally and would grow in wisdom and godliness.
Pray the local churches in Berlin will treasure God’s Word, love one another, and serve the lost around them faithfully.
Pray East Germans will have eyes to see and ears to hear their need for a Savior and courage to repent and respond in faith to the Gospel.
Pray one national worker’s heart will soften to receive Jesus as her Savior and Lord.
Pray the Burnetts will lead their Euro Logistics Team with wisdom and discernment, as they strive to ensure that IMB missionaries can transition smoothly into their field.
Pray God will help Oklahoma Baptists reach this global population of 80 million people who need to know about the love and sacrifice of Jesus.
Pray missionaries to the Deaf will have the resources they need to reach them.
Pray more workers will be sent out into the ready harvest among the Deaf worldwide.
Pray for Benjamin as he tries to learn the 18 languages dialects across the island.
Pray for Benjamin as he travels off the main roads during the rainy season.
Pray God would guard God over Benjamin’s health and wellness and protect him from sickness and injury.
Ryan & Brea McMillan
Oklahoma Baptists serving Deaf Peoples
Benjamin Kelly
Doug & Angela Burnett
PREACHING THAT GIVES LIFE
By Brett Selby, Regional Ministry Partner, Oklahoma Baptists
Life is a gift. We can’t create it; we can only receive it. Life comes to us through God’s power. This is true in the physical realm, but it is also true in the spiritual realm.
Churches can do a lot of things. They can gather for worship, run ministries, show God’s love to people in their communities. All of this can and should be done.
But here’s what a church can’t do. It can’t live on its own. It can’t create life independently of God. And a church that isn’t spiritually alive will eventually cease to matter and then finally to exist.
Only God gives life. And He has gone on record to state that His life-giving power to His people comes through the proclamation of His Word. What every church needs on a weekly basis is preaching that gives life.
In Ezekiel 37, the prophet has a vision of a valley that is marked by death and despair. When you read—and please do read it—you are profoundly impressed with a sense that this valley is beyond hope of renewal.
For the valley is full of bones, and they are very dry (v.2). Where there were once life and function and productivity, Ezekiel saw only death. And the bones represented the people of God in captivity (v.11)
End of story, right?
Not so. God instructed the prophet to “preach” to these bones and to the breath of life they needed (vv.4,9). And the result was that this preaching gave life to God’s people who had been dead and dormant. A church can do lots of things. It can be known by its activity and busyness. But apart from biblical and Spiritfilled preaching, all our activities will basically just be the rattling of bones, noise without life.
This is why Oklahoma Baptists value preaching. And beyond that, they value equipping opportunities that helps pastors preach in a way that gives life. So, every year in February, preachers from across the state gather for the Priority of Preaching Conference. Since 2012, this annual event is designed to help pastors make progress in their preaching ministries.
This year’s theme is Preaching That Gives Life, and the conference will be held on February 2, 2026 from 10 am to 4 pm at Moore, First, located at 301 NE 27th Street.
Our instructors/speakers this year will be Greg Gilbert, senior pastor of Third Avenue Baptist Church, Louisville, KY, and author of multiple books, including “What Is The Gospel?” and “Preach: Theology Meets Practice” with Mark Dever. We will also hear from Ben Panner, Director of Workshops for the Charles Simeon Trust, a ministry designed to raise up the next generation of expositional preachers.
There is no cost for the event, but those who register by December 31 will receive a free copy of Greg Gilbert’s book, “The Epic Story of the Bible.” You can register online at oklahomabaptists.org/pop.
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