OUR STORY
In 2012 a group people came together who cared deeply about God, the church, and our city and we began praying on NW 23rd Street for the new work God was starting. The diverse nature of the community surrounding what is known as Uptown23rd in Oklahoma City creates a unique place to carry out ministry. It's eclectic, it's diverse, it’s fun, and it's brimming with renewal and a story of restoration. We are excited to be a part of this story with our neighbors and our community. In those early days, God used the words of Isaiah 61 to help shape the dream of who we could be. This passage is a picture of the ministry Jesus would come and fulfill — we long to join Jesus in this ministry.
OKC Community Church began having core gatherings and meetings in the fall of 2012 and officially began weekly worship services on March 31, 2013. Since then God has been bringing a group of people together to be the church the best way we know how. Our story of planting a new church has been a journey of prayer, figuring things out along the way, learning how to depend on God, and learning how to live for Jesus! Our first two and a half years we rented space at the Civic Center Music Hall in downtown OKC for Sunday services and also had a space on 23rd Street that we called our Community House. The Community House served as an amazing place to build community and establish the presence and proximity we needed to help build our foundation as a church in the Uptown23rd community we felt called. Through an amazing journey of God opening doors and providing in miraculous ways OKC Community purchased and renovated the building at 421 NW 23rd Street. In fact, the picture at the top of this page is from 2012 and is the alley behind our building (the bricks on the right are the back wall of our building and the Tower Theater). The picture was used as the main image on the home page of our website for almost three years. God was planting us "here", even before we were "here." We began meeting in our new home on December 13, 2015.
The story of this church has just begun. It's exciting. It's overwhelming. It even seems a little crazy. Thankfully, it's not an entirely new story -- OKC Community Church is gladly joining the story of the Church that has been happening for centuries. We are joining the ranks as a local church in the body of Christ, united with churches and believers around the world. It’s such a privilege to be a part oft the good work God is doing in and through his people.
MORE ABOUT OUR HOME AT 421 NW 23rd Street
Our church home was built in the early 1940’s as a C.R. Anthony’s department store. For decades NW 23rd Street served as one of OKC’s premier shopping, eating, and entertainment districts. In recent years the area has undergone a renewal and now Uptown23rd is enjoying a return to historic roots. Until our renovation the building was in its original condition. The renovation required a complete overhaul of the entire building and a new layout design. We ensured that key features of the building were restored and maintained. Original features of the store including, the terrazzo flooring at the front entry, the grand staircase, the architecture of the front exterior, the balcony railing, and the exposed brick help share the story of the past 75 years. (our non-profit entity OKC Community officially owns the building. It also serves as an event center).
In addition to our building we have a partnership with our neighbors at the Tower Theatre to utilize the theatre space as our worship auditorium on Sundays.