'God goes with us': Historic Tulsa church holds final service downtown

The First Christian Church of Tulsa held its last service at its downtown location Sunday morning. This comes after a local developer bought the historic building.

The Historic Church

The historic building on 9th and Boulder in downtown Tulsa is more than a century old and has been the First Christian Church of Tulsa's home since the beginning. For Jim Baird, it holds memories spanning 40 years. 

“I grew up in the church, my parents were members here...I just remember sitting here and looking up and feeling really close to God, it's just such a special place here," he said. 

A New Home

But just like how life changes, the places that shape it change too. The property has been sold, and the congregation is moving. The Sharp Development group bought the building in May, after years of it being on the market. The group says it doesn't have plans for the building just yet.

Pastor Will Smith says the church will hold its services at Circle Cinema until its new building in the Kendall Whittier neighborhood is complete. He says the church's numbers aren't what they used to be. 

“The congregation has gotten older and smaller, and while we could stay in the building, that wouldn’t be good stewardship of the funds that we have,” he said. 

More Than 4 Walls

As the church transitions, Pastor Will says the congregation remains hopeful, because even though the building is changing hands, the church will carry its faith with them wherever they go next.

“What we don’t want to do is be tied to a specific structure because the church is the people and God is sending us to new and exciting places,” he said. 

The church has to be out of its building by July 15th, but its services at Circle Cinema will begin Sunday, June 15.