St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church celebrates 75 years of serving the community

When Rev. Davison A. Virgil arrived in Lawton almost four decades ago, it was its focus on service that attracted him to St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. Now, 37 years later, the now-pastor is leading his church into its 75th year of existence.

With several anniversary and memorial services and many more events, St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate its 75th anniversary from Monday, Sept. 11, to Sunday, Sept. 17 (see box for schedule).

“He had a vision to serve the community,” Virgil said about the church’s first pastor Rev. Theo Oscar Mitchell.

Little has changed over the years in that regard. In the beginning, Virgil said, it was only a small congregation, and although it started small, the church has persisted in giving back to the community. For example, the church provides clothing for those in need, and the Feeding Ministry has been providing food for the hungry for over 40 years, with currently over 3,000 meals cooked every month. That includes feeding prisoners of the pre-release detention facility at the southern outskirts of Lawton every fourth Sunday.

Virgil, who’s been pastor for two years, takes his church’s mission of being “the church of service” very seriously, and he feels his church is “growing in our uniqueness” because of that.

“There are more things we want to do, but the pandemic has hurt us a lot,” he said. Some people left or passed away, and Virgil reports that the average age of his fellow church members is now about 60. Although there are some elementary and middle-school children in his church, there is a big gap between them and the older generations. On top of that, the church is currently paying of a mortgage, but once that’s done, Virgil said, the church can start focusing more on the other ministries.

One top priority for Virgil for the years to come is the fight against homelessness in the Lawton area. To combat the problem, Virgil said, the church is trying to work out arrangement with local hotels and the City of Lawton to provide for tax breaks to make room for homeless people. Another idea Virgil had was using old school buildings that aren’t used anymore, retrofit them and transforming them into space for the homeless. The church has also been collaborating with Councilwoman Onreka Johnson to provide snacks and food items to the homeless youth.

“We try to go the people where they are,” Virgil said. “If we do what we are supposed to, people will come. That’s living out the faith.”

The current efforts of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church wouldn’t be possible without outside help, Virgil emphasized, saying that the celebration of his church’s anniversary was in truth a celebration of the community.

“Just this morning, I received a check for $500 from a local dentist,” Virgil said. Many local businesses, such as Golden Corral, have supported the church, he said, making many efforts to support the community possible in the first place.

“It’s really the community we celebrate, who contribute time, energy and talent to help us,” Virgil said. “We’re appreciative of everyone.”