We were blessed to receive the following note from a former member!

Dear Portland Avenue Baptist Church,

Thank you for the invitation to the 75th Anniversary Celebration. I have such wonderful memories of the years we were members of Portland Avenue [1950 - 1954]. My husband Sam Rudd was ordained a Deacon at Portland and taught a men's Sunday School class there. I taught in the pre-school department. My oldest daughter Judy was baptized there by Dr. Vanderslice. Sam passed away 11 years ago. He continued teaching a men's Bible class throughout his life.

I still have wonderful friends there and am very sorry that I will not be able to attend the celebration. I have a prior commitment to be in San Antonio for the Senior Olympics that weekend. At 92 I'm the oldest member of our 80+ women's basketball team.

God bless you all.

Mrs. S. J. Rudd [Lillian]

75th Anniversary Schedule

Schedule of Events:

Saturday, March 28

8:00 AM 75th Anniversary Golf Tourney

Hefner North Course. $40 per person
Includes: green fee, cart, lunch, prizes
Contact Roger Burns at (405) 946-0453 to sign up!

3:00 PM Anniversary Choir Rehearsal

Bro. Mike Branson wants at least 75 in the choir for
our anniversary weekend. All current and former
members are invited to join us for rehearsal. (Auditorium)

5:00 PM Music Ministry Reunion Fellowship

Current and former members come together for a great
time of fellowship celebrating the wonderful musical
heritage of Portland Avenue. Light supper served. (FH)



Sunday, March 29

9:30 AM Coffee Fellowship

Join with current and former as we reminiscence about
days gone by! (FH) NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

9:30 AM Special Children's Activity (Children's Bldg)

10:45 AM Morning Celebration Service (Auditorium)

NOON Catered Luncheon (Family Life Center)
Tickets are $7.50 per person

1:30 PM 75th Anniversary Celebration (Auditorium)

3:30 PM Anniversary Reception (FH)

Join former members and guests for a great time of
fellowship. Light refreshements served.

Early Days 1930s

1950s in what is now Dane Chapel

Cover from 1960s church directory

Here are some pictures from our history. Can anyone more closely date these pictures?

PABC Memories from Mark Garner

I came to Portland Avenue Baptist Church in the fall of 1985, my senior year at Oklahoma Baptist University to serve as Music associate with Jerry Billingsley. Ginger and I were married at Portland Avenue on June 14th, 1986. I then served as music associate and youth pastor till Jerry left and then I served as Music and Youth pastor through May of 1991, when I moved to the First Baptist Church of Pryor, Oklahoma. My memories of PABC are fond, Ginger and I started our home in a trailer park on South McArthur then moved to a rental house at 1736 Warren Avenue. The church family of PABC walked with us through the birth and death of our first son Garrett who only lived 3 days. It was a low valley for us, but the family of PABC surrounded us with love and support during those difficult days. I remember taking the youth on a youth choir tour to Florida with the youth of FBC Yukon, Oklahoma. We also remember trips to Falls Creek, and Six Flags over Texas. Ginger and I served FBC Pryor for 6 years, then Alamo City Christian Fellowship in San Antonio, and now we serve First Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas for the past seven years. God blessed us while in Pryor with a daughter Jordan who is 17 and a junior in high school, and our son John Mark who is a seventh grader. Portland Avenue will always have a special place in our heart and when we are in the City we always drive by and check out what’s happening at PABC. We celebrate with PABC it’s seventy five years of history and know that the best is yet to come!

Blessings, Mark, Ginger, Jordan & John Mark

Welcome to the Portland Avenue Baptist 75th Anniversary Blog!

The Annivesary Weekend is planned for March 27-28, 2009.

Complete details of the weekend are available at http://www.portlandavenue.org/. Just click on the 75th Anniversary tab of our homepage.

We would love to hear your stories and remembrances about Portland Avenue. For 75 years this church has reached out to community around it touching many hearts and lives for Christ. Did you come to trust Christ while attending Portland Avenue? Who led you to Christ? Were you baptized here? By which pastor or staff member? Have a remembrance of a special Sunday School teacher or someone who discipled you? Who at Portland Avenue influenced your life? The list of remembrances is almost endless, but we look forward to you sharing them.

Here are some old pictures from history of Portland Avenue. Receognize someone? Know something about these pictures? Let us know. Share your thoughts on this blog.

I hope you join the weekend of March 27-28, 2009 for the 75th Anniversary of Portland Avenue Baptist Church.

Till then,

Walter Mullican

Pastor