Beyond BattleCreek

In this episode, we sit down with the one and only Lonita Beaty, who started serving at Gracemont Baptist Church in 1973 and has watched the Lord slowly transform a small Baptist church on the edge of Tulsa into a thriving multi-campus church that reaches thousands every week known as BattleCreek Church.

In our final full-length episode of this season of Beyond BattleCreek, we sit down with Pastor Alex and his wife Meredith. In this all-encompassing conversation, we covered everything from Alex and Meredith meeting at a small Christian college, their years in youth ministry in Northwest Arkansas, how BattleCreek Church was almost launched in Manhattan, and being called to a dying church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

One thing in particular struck me from my conversation from this conversation. As Alex was recounting taking a non-paying ministry job right after he married Meredith, he told me "you have to be willing to go anywhere, before God will call you somewhere."

In calling Alex and Meredith to BattleCreek Church, God has helped turned Broken Arrow into the place to be.

Join us as we sit down with Cade and Mary Catherine Corbell as they discuss their journey from a (relatively) late-in-life marriage to finding out that getting and staying pregnant was extremely difficult for them. Facing down the monster that is infertility and pregnancy loss, Cade and Mary faced a choice: try to endure alone, or open themselves to vulnerability in community.

If you're involved in the foster care world in Tulsa, there's a good chance you know Brennan and Miranda. There's an even better chance that they're the ones that helped you get involved. In the last 14 years, Brennan and Miranda have personally fostered dozens of children, but also spear-headed a movement of community at BattleCreek Church and throughout Tulsa that has completely changed the landscape of foster care in Tulsa.

Brennan and Miranda's story is a modern view of caring for the fatherless– what the book of James calls pure and undefiled religion. Let their story equip, encourage, and inspire you to jump into the foster care ministry.

Join us in welcoming Caitlin (Cole) Crow and her mother Fonda Cole to the podcast! The Cole family joined Gracemont Baptist Church in the 1990s, and immediately noticed that God was primed to do something amazing in the Tulsa metro.

When Gracemont faced challenges and divisions, the Lord told the Coles to stay, promising that he would show them things unseen in the years to come. 20 years later, the Fonda has served the church in various capacities and roles, and now her youngest daughter Caitlin has recently joined the staff.

In this episode, hear how the Lord prepared the way for 120 congregants and a young pastor from Northwest Arkansas to make a global impact for the Gospel.

To honor our 20th anniversary coming up in August, we had the pleasure of speaking with Tony and Vanda from TC Egypt. This episode we offers a deep dive into how our dedicated team at BattleCreek Church conducts global outreach efforts in places like TC Egypt, and the Middle East.

In this episode we sit down with Nate Hale from our Midtown campus to discuss what it mean to be a Christian man. Nate grew up in North Texas and found himself surrounded by successful, God-fearing men, especially his father and grandfather. When an seemingly God-ordained opportunity fell through for Nate when he was in high school, he grew embittered toward God and, in Nate's words, said "I'm going to go my own way now." Instead of following in the steps of his father and grandfather, he began to seek his identity in sports, particularly football.

When the bottom fell out on his football dreams, he again found new ways to run from Jesus. In his grace, though, Jesus stepped into Nate's life, showing him that a true man follows Jesus with all that he has-- a reality that Nate has lived out since that day.

Being part of Gracemont Baptist in the 90s and 3 different BattleCreek campuses across Tulsa, Shane has a unique view of what goes on here at BattleCreek. And for Shane, Community Groups are what set BattleCreek apart from other churches like it, and in this episode he talks about the beauty of seeing how the Lord operates and moves within community.

Join us as we sit down with my wife, Karis Johnson, as she shares her experiences growing up at the brand new BattleCreek Church.