• October 1, 1951, The First Baptist Church of Armstrong was organized with 34 charter members. Bro. I.L Collier was called as pastor and served until September of 1952. The first sanctuary was built and dedicated on July 20, 1952. The first revival was also held in July of 1952. From organization until September 30, 1952, we had twenty-six members added, eight of those by baptism.
• October 15, 1952, to February 26, 1956, Rev. Joe Portman was pastor. New classrooms were built and dedicated on November 8, 1953. We had our first Vacation Bible School in 1953. A Training Union, WMU and Brotherhood were also formed during this time. There were one-hundred twenty-one new members added, seventy-three of those by baptism.
• April 29, 1956, to October 6, 1957, Rev. Carl T. Whittaker was pastor. The first church Census was taken and the youth went to Falls Creek Assembly for the first time. There were seventy-two new members added, thirty-one of those by baptism.
• November 10, 1957, to November 8, 1959, Rev. Robert Mills was pastor. During this time, a Fellowship Hall was built which is now our Nursery and Children’s classrooms. There were sixty new members added, thirty-one of those by baptism.
• January 10, 1960, to May 5, 1963, Rev. Joe Portman returned as pastor. We began having a Homecoming celebration on the second Sunday in October for the first time in 1960. This was also the first year the church decided to follow a budget. There were forty new members added, twenty-one of those by baptism.
• August 25, 1963, to January 10, 1965, Rev. Boyd Ray Townsend was pastor. A new parsonage was built. There were fourteen new members added, ten of those by baptism.
• January 17, 1965, to March 21, 1965, Rev. P.H. Kanton was interim pastor.
• March 21, 1965, to September 19, 1965, Rev. Tommy Shelton was pastor. A Young Married class started during this time. There were nineteen new members, eight of those by baptism.
• November 21, 1965, to March 16, 1969, Rev. John Binkley was pastor. During this time the parsonage was paid off. We took a group to Junior Falls Creek for the first time in the summer of 1966. There were seventy-five new members added, forty-four of those by baptism.
• June 8, 1969, to January 23, 1972, Rev. M.T. Vance was pastor. There were forty new members added, twenty-three of those by baptism.
• April 9, 1972, to August 15, 1976, Rev. Dan Bowers was pastor. During this time the new church building was built and dedicated on October 14, 1973. A steeple was donated by Betty Colclazier in memory of her son, Roger Burns. There were fifty new members added, thirty-one of those by baptism.
• August 29, 1976, to December 8, 1976, Rev. John A. Woods served as interim pastor.
• December 12, 1976, to August 21, 1977, Rev. John Branch was pastor. The note on the building was paid off and a “Note Burning” was held on July 31, 1977. There were twenty- three new members added, ten of those by baptism.
• October 5, 1977, to January 1978, Rev. John Heath was interim pastor.
• February 5, 1978, to September 1980, Rev. J.W. Pippin was pastor. During this time additions were made to the Parsonage and air conditioning was added. That note was paid off in May of 1979 and it was decided to remodel the fellowship hall at a cost of $22,000. There were seventy-six new members added, thirty-three of those by baptism.
• September 1980 to July 1981, Rev. John Health was interim pastor.
• July 14, 1981, to May 25, 1986, Rev. C.P. Floyd was pastor. The church ordained its first three deacons during this time. There were ninety-seven new members added, forty-two of those by baptism.
• June 4, 1986, to September 1986, Rev. Greg Idell served as interim pastor.
• September 22, 1986, to August 5, 1991, Rev. Ronnie Harris was pastor. During this time the parking lot was paved, and a Children’s Church was started. There were thirty-one people baptized.
• December 8, 1991, to December 3, 1995, Rev. Michael Calhoun was pastor. The property across the street from the sanctuary was purchased with the plans to build a new Fellowship Hall. A van was also purchased. There were forty-one people baptized.
• April 22, 1996, to December 14, 1997, Rev. Dane Hill was pastor. Construction on the Fellowship Hall began. A 23-passenger bus was purchased. There were fifty-seven people baptized.
• May 3, 1998, to May 26, 2002, Rev. Russell Fincher was pastor. The Fellowship Hall was Completed. There were fifty-three people baptized.
• May 2002 to July 2003, Rev. Norman Ford served as interim pastor.
• July 2003 to January 2005, Rev. Jodi Shires was pastor. There were eight people baptized.
• January 2005 to December 2005, Rev. Norman Ford served as interim pastor.
• December 2005 to May 2019, Rev. Monty Wood was pastor. During that time many updates took place. A pavilion was erected next to the Fellowship Hall. A fence was built around the Fellowship Hall grounds by the Brotherhood and painted by the youth. New signs were added to the church, fellowship hall, nursery and highway. The sanctuary was updated with new carpet, paint, chairs, sound system, projector and screen. A new piano was also purchased. The women’s Sunday School classroom was expanded to accommodate their growth.
The Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Ministry became an important part of WMU’s annual ministry. A tent revival was held on the grounds in May of 2018, with a great turnout each night. A bus was donated by The Choctaw Nation.
There were ninety-three people baptized, and 23 new members joined by letter.
• November 3, 2019, to May 24, 2024, Rev. Shane Meshaya was pastor. During that time
several changes took place, the first of which was the pandemic. Covid struck in the beginning of 2020. During that time, we witnessed first-hand what it was like to live through a pandemic. We were all affected in one way or another. Services were live streamed for the first time via Facebook until the shelter in place order was eased. Despite the fear that followed during that time, two new members were added that year.
In November of 2021, Michael Campo became Youth Minister.
In October of 2023, the Fellowship Hall underwent a $40,000 renovation.
On May 24, 2024, we had to say, “We’ll see you soon!” to our beloved pastor, Shane Meshaya. It wasn’t goodbye, because we know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We rejoice in knowing that Bro. Shane has received his fully restored heavenly body. We know he’s without pain and he wouldn’t come back even if he could. That’s alright, because we wouldn’t ask him to.
In II Timothy 4:7-8, Paul tells us, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” If there’s one thing we know for certain, Bro. Shane fought the good fight, finished his race, and never lost faith! Although our time together on this earth is far too short, we’ll have an eternity together soon enough, but we’ve got to finish our race and always, always keep the faith!
There were seventeen people baptized, and 5 new members joined by letter.
• June 2024 to present, Rev. Darel Bunch is serving as transitional pastor. There have been ten people baptized, and two new members joined by letter to date.
