Twenty-five years ago, Kyle Ohsfeldt and his wife Suzie, slipped into Pampa after the sun had gone down and darkness had settled over the sleepy little town. Road-weary and tired, the couple decided to check out their new home nestled in the heart of the Texas panhandle in the morning and called it a night.
Coming from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the two weren’t exactly sure what to expect, but when daylight hit the town, they quickly realized they were a long way from home.
Kyle had been called to serve at Grace Baptist Church as pastor, and at the time, he didn’t realize how close he was to the church as he and his wife pulled into town that night.
Grace Baptist Church, located at 824 S. Barnes, sits on the south side of Pampa, and asking anyone who has lived here for a number of years, including myself, they’ll tell you that the south side is the more...neglected part of Pampa.
While most churches in Pampa stand tall and grand on streets and corners that have plenty of traffic, Grace Baptist is tucked away along a smaller side street overlooking a bit of a bleak neighborhood.
With no kicking or screaming, fighting or fussing, Kyle and Suzie settled in and made Pampa their home, with Kyle taking on the role as pastor at Grace Baptist and Suzie becoming the music instructor at Community Christian School.
They established roots and started a family, all the while making friends and becoming beloved members of the community. But Kyle doesn’t count the years in milestones. In fact, he doesn’t count the years at all.
I had the pleasure of meeting Kyle a couple of years ago to feature Grace Baptist Church in our annual Pampa Pride edition, and although he wasn’t reluctant to speak with me, he wasn’t thrilled about being in the spotlight.
For a man who is only doing what God has called him to do, Kyle was adamant that he didn’t want any sort of accolades nor recognition, so we talked mostly about the church and of course, the radio.
Grace Baptist has a much smaller congregation than most churches in Pampa, but growing the number of attendants that could be seen in the pews every Sunday morning isn’t what Kyle’s focus was ever on. He didn’t want to attract new members through bright lights or flashy entertainment because he wanted any potential new members to stay for the same reason they came-to hear the Word.
HEAR the Word..
A little over ten years ago, Kyle decided to partner with Pampa’s local radio stations and broadcast his Sunday sermons over the airwaves. While he admits that the broadcast didn’t bring any new members to the church, his voiced was recognized by many people he had never met. Even speaking just a few words in public would result in a, “I’d know that voice anywhere! I listen to you every Sunday morning!”
I’ll even admit, I knew his voice before I ever saw his face.
The broadcast has since surpassed the Texas border, reaching listeners in Oklahoma, Virginia, Missouri, and Tennessee. Did he need to know exactly who was tuned in and listening? No. Did he need to see their faces every Sunday? No. He didn’t need to know anything because what he had was hope-hope that somebody out there was listening.
If you ask him about what his proudest accomplishments have been in these 25 years, the radio broadcast is at the top. He is absolutely thankful for his devoted congregation that still make it through the doors for every service because it’s those faces he can meet with a smile and those people he can comfortably converse with outside of church as if they were family. It is those people who he can celebrate this milestone with.
And whether he believes it or not, it is something worth celebrating.
Grace Baptist Church has Sunday morning services at 10 AM and 11 AM with evening service at 5 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 at 8 AM, KDRL FM 103.3 at 9 AM, or KGRO AM 1230 at 10 AM to listen to the Sunday services.
