06/19/2026
We prayed the Lord’s Prayer in preparation for our day in court. Slowly, deliberately- we prayed and allowed each line to prompt more specific prayers about our church, our future, the neighborhood around our church. We also prayed about the case brought against us, their attorneys, our attorneys, about an uncertain future.
Facing an uncertain outcome, we asked, “can we trust God if we lose?” and “can God trust us if we win?”
Speaking only for myself, I was growing more comfortable with the “worst-case scenario”- believing as I do 1) that we’d made these difficult decisions following the lead of the God of Grace, and 2) that God was not yet finished with OKC First.
But on Thursday, the judge ruled in our favor. We are so grateful!
We are so grateful for skilled, hard-working attorneys who were good and faithful representatives of the people and the message of OKC First.
I am grateful for our ministry team; they never wavered. Each pastor trusted, worked, and served with an inspiring, abiding trust. I regularly looked to them for confidence and energy, and they delivered every time.
I am grateful for our church board(s), people who bathed every decision in prayer and soaked a few in tears. These men and women were (and are) steadfast visionaries who know and rely on the steadfast love and mercy of God. They have led, organized, and served, and we are where we are because of them.
And we are grateful for you OKC First. So many of you joined us for prayer and praise on Wednesday evening; so many packed the courtroom on Thursday morning, and so many more sent messages of love and support, pledging to pray for God’s will to be done.
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We believe God’s will was done. We believe we caught a glimpse of the Kingdom coming (again) to OKC.
Our focus is now on God’s future- for our church, our community, and our city. With malice toward none and with deep wells of gratitude for all God continues to do in and through us, we are ready to get back to our best preoccupation and highest calling- to be the Church God calls us to be.
We’ve got work to do and stories to tell. And, as usual, all the work and every story begins like this, “God’s mind about you is made up, and the news is good.”
Jon Middendorf, pastor
Please send all questions and requests for information to [email protected]. We are happy to continue the conversation.
