The first steps into Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida could not have been anything short of a miracle for Pastor Raul Bermudez or for the church itself. From the outside, Nueva Vida, which in Spanish means “new life,” had its fair share of glitches.

Looking at it, one would not know that is was the first Hispanic mission in Tulsa under the wing of Immanuel Baptist Church of Tulsa or that it was, and still is, the only Hispanic congregation to own its property rather than rent it.

In March 2011 when Raul stepped in to fill the role of lead pastor, Nueva Vida had only 15 members, a small property on Atlanta Boulevard purchased after the church had ventured out on its own from Immanuel Baptist Church in Tulsa, and the remnants of a rich history to work with. But, Raul saw the potential.

Within months of Raul’s arrival, church membership had increased from 15 to 90 members made up of 60 adults and 30 children. Tulsa’s oldest congregation was increasing, and with this type of growth, the church was again forced to start looking for another property. It was then that Raul stumbled upon the Catholic Charities building, circa 1910, inside the Brady Heights District of Tulsa. The building had all of the historical attributes appealing to the congregation and was situated in a neighborhood that reflected these same qualities.

Because the Atlanta property had been purchased with cash and the church had not built up much in reserves since, Raul called the Tulsa Metro Baptist Association to get advice on how to proceed. Raul was introduced to the Foundation’s Church Building Loan program and said he didn’t have to think twice.

“The money goes toward the work of the Gospel, why would I look anywhere else?” he said.

Securing a loan through the Foundation has allowed the church to move into a larger building that will allow for more educational space which is important to Nueva Vida primarily because of the size of a typical Hispanic family. Some members at Nueva Vida have up to 11 children. The new building also has a larger worship space that will permit for the growing congregation, as Raul is now preaching two services; one in Spanish and one in English.

One of the most important aspects of the loan was that it allowed Raul to not only purchase the new property but also purchase three adjacent houses as well. These houses are being fixed up as rental properties to generate additional income for the church, though the mission to restore these homes goes deeper than the extra money.

Raul is using the remodeling of the Catholic Charities building and the homes as a way to reach out to a fallen community where he can not only help restore the neighborhood, ultimately driving prices of homes upward, but also give these community members, who are newly reformed Baptists, a place to worship.

Raul describes it best; “I attend a community prayer breakfast every first Saturday of the month so that I can meet the neighbors and get them interested and excited about the potential revamp of the neighborhood as well as the convenience of worshiping in their backyard.”

All because of a simple loan, Raul and his extraordinary church have been able to perform God’s work and breathe nueva vida into the congregation as well as the surrounding community.

For more information about church building loans, contact Jerry Vaughan, Senior Vice President of Church Services, at 800.949.9988, ext. 108.

    Greeters welcomed old-timers as well as many new faces into the new church, a culmination of years of discussions, planning, and hard work. Choir members, with a clear view of people filing into an already full sanctuary, wiped tears from their eyes as they sang before the congregation.

     Some members will say that talk about a new church building has been going on for more than 20 years, said Pastor Fisher.

    “The decision does have a long history to it,” he said, “because we knew for a long time that we were out of space. And as our church continued to grow, space became even more of an issue. Our vision is to reach people and you can’t do that with physical limitations.”

    In 1999 the church purchased 32 acres on 45^th Street in north Shawnee at a “God-thing price,” Pastor Fisher said.  But the church stayed in a “fund-raising holding pattern” because it was without a pastor for more than a year.

    “Being without a pastor is tough on a building program. Momentum is lost,” Pastor Fisher explained.

Fisher was called as Immanuel’s pastor in July 2003 and helped revive the lost momentum, which included revamping the original plans. Instead of building the church in its entirety, an expensive endeavor, the building committee agreed on phasing the construction. The completed Phase I allowed the church to make the move from its Main Street location to 1451 45^th Street. It is a 60,000-square-foot facility that includes education space and a temporary worship center. Phase II will be the permanent worship center and a gym.

    “When we broke ground we had about half the money raised,” Pastor Fisher said. “We knew we could raise $1 million as we built. Then we planned to borrow $2 million to finish. Our goal is to pay off the loan within five years and then turn our focus to Phase II.”

    As Immanuel raised money, it opened a Church Building Loan Investment Fund with The Foundation, where the money grew until the church needed it. “We had incredible returns on our account. With the Foundation, you know that your money is going to be invested professionally, you will have a nice return, and it will be invested with standards,” Pastor Fisher said.

    When it was time to borrow the remainder of the money to complete Phase I, Immanuel chose the Foundation for its loan. All interest paid on a church building loan is returned to Southern Baptist causes.

    “I think the hardest thing for a church in borrowing money is the thought of paying interest,” Pastor Fisher said. “If you have to borrow money, it takes a little bit of the sting away when you know that the interest you pay is going back to ministry.”

    Although the past years have been filled with a concentrated effort on raising money for the building and completing Phase I, Pastor Fisher is quick to remind his congregation, “This church is not a monument to us and is more than brick and mortar. It’s about people and we are here to welcome people and see people’s lives transformed.”

       Sitting in the gas station coffee shop, where Highways 48 and 51 cross in Mannford, Pastor Manuel Parker counts as approximately 14 cars pass per minute. he is encouraged by this number. New Hope Baptist, the church where he is a bi-vocational pastor, recently purchased 3.2 acres across the road from the gas station.

    “There’s not anywhere else New Hope could get more exposure than this piece of land,” Parker said.

New Hope has outgrown its current facility, which before it was a church served as the community’s flea market, kick boxing studio, and local honky tonk, Old Lake Country Ballroom.

    “I used to come here and drink and dance before I became a Christian,” Parker said.

    After he became a Christian, Parker and his wife, Kerry, worked with youth at Fisher Baptist Church, Sand Springs, but soon felt that God was leading him to start a church.

    Fisher Baptist was supportive and helped the Parkers, who initially started New Hope in the Lion’s Club Bingo Hall, hauling a heavy lectern and hymnals out of the back of their truck every Sunday morning. The church grew until children and senior adults shared the same Sunday school class. The woman who owned Lake Country Ballroom, which had since closed, also had accepted Christ. She approached Parker and said, “I want you to buy this building. I’ve been praying that it would become a church.”

    The Parkers told her they could not even afford the utilities.

    She put her arm around Parker and said, “Manuel. How big is your God?” he recalled.

    That was 14 years ago.

     The New Hope congregation, which is made up of members from five surrounding communities and school systems, moved into the ballroom and put up walls for Sunday School classes, created a sanctuary, a fellowship hall, laid flooring, installed bathrooms, and began welcoming visitors.

    “It makes us so happy to hear people say that they were drawn here because of the love the congregation offers,” Kerry Parker said.

    Ed Carriger, a deacon, and his wife, Linda, had been out of church a long time when New Hope opened its doors in its current location.

    “This is a church that provides comfort and meets needs and if you come here wanting to work for God, it’s the place,” Ed said.

    It’s also a church that has seen a lot of growth. When the members noticed there was no more room to grow, the congregation began praying about a new location. The pastor and deacons found the land across the street from the gas station but it was not for sale. However, when the congregation approached the owner, he was willing to sell it. They then contacted The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma for a loan to buy the land.

    “Every time we’ve stepped out in faith we’ve grown,” Parker said. “How are we going to build this church? I don’t know, but God will come through.”