God is callingour church to do.

I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do – yes, they will do even GREATER TH!NGS...

John 14:12

1960s

1963Southern Hills was blessed with tremendous growth and outstanding pastoral leadership. In 1963, 807 members voted on a pulpit committee who called an outspoken young preacher, Doug Manning, to the church.

Over the next ten years, he led the church through our nation’s most turbulent era. While the world around it often seemed on the verge of chaos, Southern Hills Baptist Church gained a reputation for having a positive, dynamic and Christ-centered fellowship. What were considered radical practices, such as applauding in church and women wearing slacks, were the norm at SHBC.

1930s – 1950s

1944Bethel Baptist celebrated becoming debt free with a mortgage burning. Freedom from that debt allowed the church, over the next decade, to purchase an organ, build a parsonage, purchase a bus and create a library for its growing congregation.

1952God’s grace allowed Bethel Baptist to continue growing. Church leaders recognized the imminent need for more space and a committee was appointed to seek a new location for the church.  Stepping out in faith, the church purchased five acres at 56th and Lewis for $44,000 and prepared to spend up to $125,000 to build a new sanctuary and education wing. The church sold its current property to Fikes Food Stores and changed its name to Southern Hills Baptist Church. For a year, members worshipped in a canvas tent until the new sanctuary and educational space were built.

1910s – 1920s

1915Our story began nearly 100 years ago, when on January 17, 1915, visionary members of First Baptist of Tulsa planted a new church “way south” near 51st and Lewis, an area expected to grow in the next few decades. Twenty-one families became members of the newly chartered Bethel Baptist Church.

1924Bethel Church’s growing congregation committed $3,100 to purchasing 2 1/2 acres on the southeast corner of 51st and Lewis and built a two-story building that served as Bethel Baptist church for the next 32 years.

1970s – 1980sIn 1974, another dynamic pastor, Dr. Clyde Lee Herring, was called to serve the church. As the church family continued to grow, church members began searching for strategies to accommodate the needs. In 1977, church members pledged $290,000 toward the “Together We Build” campaign for the building of a new Family Life Center. A planning committee determined the center was necessary considering the growth of the church and the need for more fellowship space. Under continued strong pastoral leadership from Dr. Herring, followed by Pastors Charlie Baker and Dr. Peter McLeod, the SHBC family’s growth continued.

In 1988, the congregation approved another capital campaign titled “Together in Faith” to raise $2.4 million for a new sanctuary. The new sanctuary was dedicated three years later.

1990s – TODAYThe new sanctuary opened in 1991 and the debt retired in 2003. Since then, the church has continued to grow – both in size and in its courageous faith in stepping forward to meet God’s plan. In 1997, Dr. William “Hess” Hester, Jr. accepted the call as Senior Pastor to Southern Hills Baptist Church. During his tenure, the church has continued to be a compelling force for God in our city, with a shared vision of being a place of healing grace where lives are transformed in Christ. 

In 2007, the church stepped out in faith yet again and undertook a $4 million campaign to modernize and update church facilities. The church took advantage of a unique opportunity to purchase the adjacent property to the north. We created new and expanded space for our growing children’s areas while renovating our youth area and expanding the lobby and other common spaces to enhance fellowship. We also increased safety and modernized utilities. These God-led changes have made SHBC better able to serve Him, serve each other and enhance stewardship of our resources.

2015 and BEYONDOver the last 97 years, the men and women of SHBC have created a legacy of Christ-centered innovation and courage. When God places a vision on our hearts, we respond with faith – creating model ministries that meet both worldly and spiritual needs.

As we approach the end of our first century, God is again calling you, one of the people of Southern Hills Baptist Church, to step out in faith. He asks us to boldly embrace His plan and, yes, to be generous in blessing SHBC for a second century that will be even greater than the first.

Our debt threatens to hold us back.But we are a people of hope and faith in action.

For nearly a century, Southern Hills Baptist Church has responded to God’s call.

Great things have already been done in His name – in our church, in our city and around the world.Now is the time to do even GREATER TH!NGS!

With more than $3.2 million in pledges, the church body voted during the Sunday morning service on November 11, 2007 to proceed with the renovation of the facilities and enter into debt for the remainder of the estimated cost. When Southern Hills Baptist Church began its latest construction project in 2007, the $4 million goal seemed more than enough. However, we soon learned the church needed a new sprinkler system priced at more than $600,000 – a system that is required by code and ensures the safety of our members and property.IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

During this time, construction costs skyrocketed, making our initial estimates far less than what was needed. At the same time, God presented several unique and time-sensitive opportunities – such as moving all administrative offices across 56th Place – thus creating more fellowship, ministry and educational space in the church building. IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

The church family voted and approved taking loans of $2.9 million at historically low interest rates. This allowed us to be responsible with our debt – creating growth in ways we could not have otherwise achieved at a time when God was asking us to put our faith into action.WE RESPONDED AND IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

The term of the new loan is for five years with payment of $22,917 per month. That is more than $275 thousand of debt payments annually. Today, we are faced with making a choice: continue to make the minimum payments through our church budget and use our resources to pay interest to a bank or to focus as a church body on resolving our debt and use our resources to continue to change the world for Christ. God has given us the vision of a third choice: this campaign which will terminate our debt and free our church to do GREATER TH!NGS.IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. 2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”

This campaign is NOT just about debt reduction...

Loving God...

As a member of Southern Hills Baptist Church, you know worship is our human response to the great divinity and wondrous mystery of our God.

You have experienced worship in the quiet place in your heart and in the noisy celebration of fellowship with others.

The SHBC family worships in celebrative, engaging and relevant ways.

Your support of the GREATER TH!NGS campaign will ensure that Southern Hills has the capacity to continue creating opportunities for compelling and authentic worship that engages all people who seek Him.

Loving Others...

Christ made it clear that when we serve others in his name, we are also serving him.

Over the past century, SHBC has responded to hurting individuals with compassionate ministries that meet both earthly and eternal needs. We are seeking to be internally strong, but externally focused. God has shaped many of the ministries of SHBC into models for others throughout our city, state, nation and around the globe.

With your support, SHBC can continue to be a compelling force for God in the city of Tulsa and far beyond.

Making Disciples…

Members of SHBC take the Great Commission to heart every day.

Our church family seeks opportunities to make and grow new disciples in innovative and energetic ways – from designing a life group for children with special needs to supporting in-depth Bible study groups, from supporting Christ-centered recovery to sharing the Gospel in foreign lands – you’ve shown your commitment to spiritual growth time and time again.

With your support, you continue showing your commitment to Christ’s Great Commission.

It’s about the freedom to fulfill our mission:To be a people who increasingly love God, love others, and make disciples.

The spiritual math is simple: Every dollar of debt we eliminate can be used to fulfill our mission.

GREATER TH!NGS... You may be wondering, “What will eliminating the debt mean for the future of our church?” Here’s the spiritual math: every dollar of debt and interest payment we eliminate can be used for ministry instead. Our potential and opportunities for ministry are greater than ever before; both internally and externally. Internally, as our Children and Preschool area grows, we will be able to make facility improvements that will enable us to minister to them more effectively. As our Worship ministry continues to weekly reach people both in-house and over the internet we will be able to update our sanctuary with new carpeting, lighting, and multi-media improvements. Beyond those immediate needs we’ll be able to annually set aside funds for future facility needs.

Externally, our opportunities are exponential as more and more of our members step out in faith to follow God’s calling on their lives to impact our world for Christ. We can prepare space that is currently available and provide a first class Ministry

Center for our community that would provide much needed life skills training, food, furniture/appliances, and medical and dental care. We will be able to be early responders to many opportunities to help plant churches here in the United States in areas where they are desperately needed. We will be able to expand our partnership with Marshall and McClure Elementary Schools, providing vital ministry and educational assistance with children and single parents in our immediate community. We’ll be able to dramatically expand our foster care and adoption ministry. Internationally, through our partnership with Bishop Odai in Ghana, West Africa, we will be able to help plant more churches in hundreds of the 38,000 villages in that country, as well as continuing to provide life-saving water wells, mosquito nets and medications. We can provide bicycles and motorbikes for village pastors which will save hundreds of hours spent walking that can be used for evangelism and ministry instead.

Eliminating the debt means all of that and more...

If we had no debt it would free us to dream about the following ministry opportunities and more.

• Children/Preschool area update needs and “bells and whistles”

• Worship Center renovation

• Mission/ministry center, medical/dental clinic in Southern Village or Chevy Chase or both

• Assist with new church plants

• New parking

• Ghana projects – water wells, schools, funding for village pastors, churches, mosquito nets, housing, etc.

• Church satellite campus

• New church transportation

• Halfway/rehab houses

• Dayspring Villa (Women’s & Children’s Shelter) trafficking project

• Funding for adoption/foster care families

• Intern ministry

• Many local mission ideas

Our people unleashed in the power of Christ’s Spirit to do GREATER TH!NGS... Here is just one example of the ripples created when one person, led and empowered by the Spirit, steps out in faith to do GREATER TH!NGS...

A first step... In 2004, a church member stepped out to fulfill his mission and began a micro-financing ministry in the West African country of Ghana, providing loans to help people make a living when there was none to make. While there, he connected with a pastor in the capital city of Accra named Francis Odai and his church, Maranatha Power Ministries.

A ripple... Our youth were scheduled to go to Kenya for a summer mission trip in 2008 when widespread political unrest broke out. Because a relationship had been established with Pastor Odai, our youth were invited to come to Ghana. The trip was a great success.

A ripple... To date, seven water wells have been drilled with an eighth soon to come, providing water and an opportunity to share the gospel with thousands and thousands of Ghanaians.

A ripple... SHBC has sponsored 18 medical clinics where hundreds have been examined and served with life-saving medication.

A ripple... After seeing how many people were suffering from malaria, the idea for a non-profit ministry called Kairos 10 was birthed. Through Kairos 10, Ghanaian women are provided a means to make a living manufacturing beautiful, beaded jewelry and for every piece sold, a lifesaving mosquito net is purchased – so far, more than 7,000 life-saving nets have been provided!

A ripple... A new building for a church plant along the coast has been constructed called Lauren’s Light House.

A ripple... 150 village pastors have been trained in church planting skills to help Pastor Odai reach his goal of starting churches in 1000 villages by 2020. Eighty-five has been planted so far!

A ripple... The SHBC Celebrate Recovery team led an introductory workshop at Pastor Odai’s church for 197 Ghanaian pastors interested in starting Celebrate Recovery in Ghana.

A ripple... A connection was made in northeastern Ghana with a home for girls who have been rescued from Voodoo sex slavery. A church member’s jewelry ministry is providing a means for many of the girls to make a living and providing funds for at least twenty additional girls to be freed from voodoo priests.

A ripple... God provided a vision to rescue girls on the streets of Accra and provide a new home and training center for them. When the idea was shared with Pastor Odai, he said, “This is an answer to my prayers, and you can build it on our land!” It will be called The Pearl House and one of our own church members has been called to be its first house mom – a calling she first received at age 13 and made possible by the ripple effect of one believer’s step of faith.

What Ripple Effect Will YOUR Faith Create?

What is GREATER TH!NGS?In late 2011, upon recommendation from the Finance Committee and the Decon body, the church family voted to undertake a capital campaign to eliminate our current debt of $2.9 million plus projected interest.

GREATER TH!NGS is that campaign.

How did we get into debt?In 2006, the church body approved a master plan, which included the purchase of the Chevy Chase building for $1 million and an upgrade of the current facilities for $3 million.

In 2007, the church began its Imagine campaign, which successfully raised nearly $3 million toward the project.

While the estimated cost of the Imagine plan was $4 million, unanticipated construction requirements increased the final cost to $5.6 million, resulting in the current debt. Is the church struggling financially?No. Recently the church refinanced this debt at historically low interest rates available right now.

Unless we undertake this campaign, we will have to provide $23,000 from our monthly budget resulting in less dollars for ministry opportunities! So why eliminate the debt now?After paying the $23,000 monthly payments over the five year term of the current loan, we can expect to pay $567,000 in interest alone! We will have about $2.1 million of debt remaining at the end of the five years that will have to be refinanced at a higher rate.

By paying off the debt in the next three years at the current low interest rate, we will pay less than half the amount of interest and keep our budget focused on impacting lives for God’s glory.

How does the giving work?Between April 15 and May 27th, each SHBC member will be asked to:

1. Give an initial first-fruits gift – the more money we give up front, the less interest the church will pay.

2. Commit to giving a regular amount over the course of three years. It may be a monthly gift, a weekly gift or an annual gift.

How much should I commit?Only God can answer that question. As a church family, we must each ask His guidance and give according to what we have been given by Him. What about my regular tithe?Because the church’s normal budget must still be met throughout the campaign, your generous gift to GREATER TH!NGS should be in addition to your regular tithe and offering.

Can I change my commitment?Yes, you may do so at any time during the three-year campaign.

Can we do this?No. As individual, weak human beings, we cannot hope to accomplish this goal. But TOGETHER – with God’s divine hand upon our work – we can accomplish this and even GREATER TH!NGS! More Questions?See the full list of Frequently Asked Question at www.shbctulsa.org.

Answering Your Questions

PRAY

Pray for what God would have you do. Pray that others would respond to our call. Pray for all the people that will be reached for Christ in the months and years to come.

GIVE 

Give to our effort with the most generous one-time gift you can make as God leads and guides you. Pledge at whatever monthly amount you feel led to give over the next 36 months.

BELIEVE

Believe that God truly is calling you and all of those in our church family to do GREATER TH!NGS.

What is Your Role?The spiritual math is simple. Every dollar of debt we eliminate can be used instead to fulfill the ministry and mission of our church family...

This campaign will bring us to the starting line of a new era.

The first hundred years was just the beginning...

To be a people who increasing love God, love others and make disciples.

2218 East 56th Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74105 918.743.8897 www.shbctulsa.org