Since 1977, Grace Baptist Church has provided the city of Pampa with a traditional, small hometown approach to teaching the Word of God.
Kyle Ohsfeldt has been the pastor for Grace Baptist since November of 2000 after moving to Pampa from Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife, Suzie who is the music teacher at Community Christian School.
Ohsfeldt had just completed an internship with Eastland Baptist in Tulsa when he got a call from his father-in-law to pastor Grace Baptist after the previous pastor had retired.
Coming from an enormous city, the small town of Pampa isn’t exactly what the Ohsfeldts had expected, but like for most citizens who come here, it didn’t take long for them to call it home.
“We knew this was the Lord’s will for us to come out here and almost 24 years later, it’s now home and we’ve raised our kids here,” Ohsfeldt said.
While Grace Baptist Church sits on the south side of the railroad tracks and may not garner the attention like some of the other churches in Pampa do, Ohsfeldt believes that no matter where the church is located, it’s the message that’s important.
“I think there are several good churches in town filled with people who love the Lord and try to follow the Lord and try to do what’s right and be the people they’re supposed to be, so I think to an extent that’s what our church is trying to be,” he said.
“We’re just a smaller congregation of about 60 and we identify ourselves as being traditional in our approach. We still use the hymns and things like that. It’s more of what you would call the old-style approach to church life.”
Although the congregation may seem small compared to others, it’s not about how many people can be counted in the pews that should be taken into consideration, but how many ears the message is reaching.
For the last ten years, Grace Baptist Church has broadcasted their sermons every Sunday morning at 8, 9 and 10 AM on the local Pampa stations, spoken by Ohsfeldt himself, resulting in his voice being recognized in public.
“We invest in that primarily because feedback tells us that it’s been a blessing to people. About a year or so ago, I walked into a local business and I didn’t know any of the guys in there and when I spoke, one of the guys said man, I’d know that voice anywhere! I listen to you every Sunday morning! One day we were out at Ollie’s and the lady at the cash register asked me if I was the preacher on the radio. We’ve heard good feedback from people over the years that have said I listen to you when I’m getting ready for church service or whatever the case might be.”
“It has not generated one person in the pew, but that’s not the point. That’s why we continue it-we really do believe that it’s making an impact.”
With the number of church attendants in decline throughout the years all over the country, it’s hard to imagine for a pastor, whose purpose in life is to spread the Word of God and help bring salvation to others, to not think about throwing up their hands and just walking away. But Kyle Ohsfeldt knows that it’s not about him.
“First and foremost, I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Have I entertained the idea of quitting a thousand times? You better believe it. But I know this is where I’m supposed to be. Second is, I’ve got a family who’s looking to me for leadership and if I quit, what kind of signal would that send to my wife, my kids and to my granddaughter? If I quit in frustration, why shouldn’t they quit? And the third thing is because of those people you do help.”
“We get our encouragement from the individual who is finally getting excited about the things of God or this family that is finally having their marriage restored and put back together. It’s those things that keep us motivated.”
“Let’s teach them the bible and teach them the principle and show them something that will hopefully help them in their every day lives and if we’ve done that, then it’s been a success.”
Ohsfeldt also knows that the most important work is done in the walls of one’s own home and although people can come and worship for a couple of hours two days out of the week, being a Christian doesn’t stop once service is over.
“When it stopped being important to moms and dads, how can we expect it to be important to kids and grandkids? Even if parents were here every time the doors are opened, if they don’t live it in the home and the kids see a double life, at some point the kids are going to wonder.”
Grace Baptist Church is located at 824 S. Barnes in Pampa and has Sunday morning services at 10 AM and 11 AM with evening service at 6 PM, and service on Wednesdays at 7 PM. Their sermons can be viewed live on their Facebook page, Grace Baptist Church; Pampa, TX.
Tune into KOMX FM 100.3, KDRL FM 103.3, or KGRO AM 1230 to listen to the Sunday services at 8, 9, and 10 AM.
