I Love My Church Sunday 2022

I Love My Church Sunday at Eastland Baptist Church here in Tulsa, OK, is always an event. You are guaranteed to have fun and fellowship while building memories with your family and friends. But this year, was something special. You might even say, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done!

You see, fourteen years ago, our church was quite literally bursting at the seams of our current building. We filled the pews, and then added chairs in the back, and then added chairs in the foyer, until there just wasn’t room for any more chairs. And so we embarked on a journey of faith to expand our auditorium, adding space so our family could continue to grow.

Today, we celebrate the end of a journey as we were able, through God’s great faithfulness, to pay off the multi-million-dollar loan for our beautiful facilities. 

We kicked off the morning service with our combined adult and children’s choirs singing one of our favorites, We Are More Than Conquerors. Pastor Dorrell’s message out of II Corinthians was a celebration of God’s faithfulness to us as we chose to spend and be spent for him during this season. A symbolic shredding of the note was the highlight of the morning, punctuated with streamers and a massive balloon drop. Between the balloons, the streamers, and the kazoos (Oh, the kazoos!) you couldn’t help but join in the celebration!  After church, families grabbed pizzas from a table outside the foyer and gathered on the lawn to eat and visit while kids played on the playground, chased each other in circles, and even flew a few kites. 

Just a few hours later, we all returned for the evening service. Kids arrived to find a carboard village made from moving boxes with rooms full of balloons and candy filling half of the foyer. During the service, we turned our eyes to the future and began Moving Forward! Families and individuals purchased items like packing peanuts (M&Ms), hand trucks, and sharpies to raise funds towards our next project of completing payments on a property next door in order to add more parking. Purchase cards were read aloud around the building as music played and teenagers delivered the items around the auditorium. We even held an impromptu auction for a few extra items, and, at one point, Pastor Dorell had a mullet. In the end we exceeded our goal and raised $135,400 towards our goal. Church family, thank you for your joyful and generous participation!

While we certainly enjoyed the chance to make memories as a church family today, we recognize that the heart of this celebration is God’s faithfulness and grace. We appreciate our beautiful facilities, but more importantly we know that when we make more room for people to sit or even park, we are making space that invites them to meet Jesus.  If you are looking for an Independent Baptist church to call home, we would love for you to visit!