The Believers - FBC Heavener, Oklahoma


The Believers Living Wall (Please e-mail the webservant@fbcheavener.com to add your 2 cents worth!) The Believers 1977 - 1990 by Ralph Perdue Jr. - Charter Member
Sometime in late 1977, as a freshman in high school and a member of the First Baptist Church of Heavener, I was summoned to a meeting at the church about forming a youth choir. This was the brainchild of our then pastor Dr. Gerald Cox, Education Minister Dan Stinchcomb and local florist and long time church member Ira Bullard. They had enlisted the incredibly talented Mary Ford to work with the kids in our church from the seventh through twelfth grades. Mary had never worked with kids and walked into the meeting with fear in her eyes. Twenty-six young adults stared back at her when she started talking. She explained that Brother Cox and Mr. Bullard had approached her with the idea of forming the choir and occasionally singing for the church. She had that “deer in the headlight look” as if she was going to bolt out the door at any moment. This was the beginning of the Believers Youth Choir, a phenomenon that grew to 60+ in subsequent years, encompassing kids not only from the First Baptist Church, but several other churches in the area including other Heavener churches, and youth from Big Creek, Hodgen, Fanshawe and Wister.
Believers - 1981
The choir first started to perform live in early 1978. The first musical that the choir tackled was called “Believer”, based on music by Dallas Holm and Praise ( http://www.dallasholm.org/ ). The selection "Hey! I'm a Believer" inspired the choir’s name. Our first musical-drama was a production called “Joy”. Mary’s nature was to be somewhat of a workaholic as far as her practices went, but she was soon to change her attitude as she figured out that original bunch of kids weren’t just there for the singing, but the fellowship of their fellow vocalists. On one occasion, she very firmly told the somewhat rowdy bunch of kids if they would work hard for 45 minutes they could then go about their way, or if they kept it up they would be there for two hours. Then she took a vote. Two hours later, the practice was over, everyone with a smile on their face. The first outing for the Believers away from the church was to the Shields Boulevard Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. Our former pastor, John Murphy, had invited us to come and sing our production of Joy for his congregation. Of course, the bus broke down causing us to be several hours late. This was the first of many bus breakdowns that would change the lives of many people. The first extended tour for the choir came in the summer of 1980 and centered around our production of “Lightshine”. I had to miss this tour because I had been selected by the Heavener Lions Club to attend Boys State at NSU in Tahlequah and had accepted this invitation to go before I knew when the tour would take place. By this time, the church owned two Blue Bird school buses, which were repainted a bird's egg blue, one considerably newer than the other. The choir had accumulated quite a bit of sound equipment from donations, which occupied part of one of the buses. Elmer Nixon was our resident traveling sound technician and several parents and church members as well as Brother Cox volunteered to go as sponsors.
Believers - 1983
The plan was to go to Ruidoso, New Mexico, making stops at different places and singing along the way. Brother Cox loaded the choir up and took off toward the panhandle of Texas on the way to Ruidoso. Somewhere near Matador, Texas, one of the buses broke down, just outside of town. The local druggist was a member of the local Baptist Church and rallied their membership to feed the hungry bunch and put them up for the night. The choir took off the next day and the bus once again broke down. They rented a trailer to load the equipment and went on with the tour, assured by the Matador people that the bus would be fixed when we returned. The bus still in operation was cram-packed with kids and adults, but no one seemed to mind. After the tour returned to Matador, the choir performed the music for the church to show appreciation for their unselfish giving and help. Mary learned later that the church had been split for several years, with neither side giving up the building. Two churches worshiped separately but simultaneously in one place. The unexpected visit by the Believers started a healing process that allowed the church to meld back into one congregation.
Believers - 1985
The second tour in the summer of 1981 took the choir to Carlsbad Caverns and eventually to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. This was the first tour in which I was able to take part. The production that year was a musical called “Special Delivery.” A return to Matador was made on this trip too. The last stop on our way home was at Six Flags over Texas, which was a treat after all of the intense work of the tour.
Heavener Ledger News Clip, 1982
The third tour in the summer of 1982 was to be my last and most memorable as a member of the Believers and it took us to the World’s Fair at Knoxville, Tennessee, the Burning Bush Baptist Church at Ringgold, Georgia and the Park Avenue Baptist Church at Nashville. On the way, I remember that we stayed and sang in a Sunday morning service at the First Baptist Church in Portland, Tennessee. The next day, we moved on to a place called Camp Ba-Yo-Ca near Townsend, Tennessee. We stayed for five days in the “Jett Lodge” which was huge and homey and enjoyable. A lot of practice and good food and fellowship was the main agenda, although the camp had fishing, swimming and canoes.
1982 World's Fair Ticket and Boarding Pass - Knoxville TN
The World’s Fair was an unbelievable sight. On the first day, we sang two sets in the Southern Baptist Pavilion to a packed house which listened to our production of “Natural High.” We were able to enjoy the following full day at the World’s fair and then spent the next sight-seeing in Gatlinberg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which boasted the world’s longest water slide of over 500 feet. We sang at the Smoky Mountain Campground that evening. In Ringgold, we stayed at an old summer camp called Camp Patterson that had no hot water for the showers, but did have a marvelous swimming pool. Many friends were made at Ringgold and the Burning Bush Baptist Church. Some of the youth of the church practiced and sang with us. A trip just across the border to Chattanooga allowed us a ride on the famous “Chattanooga Choo-Choo”. Eventually as a result of this mission, Burning Bush Baptist Church started their own youth choir, which visited our church in Heavener a couple of years later and performed their own rendition of “Hey I’m a Believer.”
Opryland Ticket, Nashville TN
Our last stop on this tour was in Nashville, which included a trip to Opryland. We sang Natural High at the Park Avenue Baptist Church. This tour lasted fourteen days from start to finish, probably the longest amount of time that of us had ever spent away from our families. In the years that followed, the choir made a mission trip to the World’s fair at New Orleans and many other places that I do not recall. The last year that the Believers toured was in 1990, when our current Worship Leader, Lance Ford was a junior at OBU.
Believers - 1987
Sometime later in the mid to late 1990’s, the choir reunited one last time with several of the charter members present to sing in the church. I do not remember the exact date or time, but it was a special event that brought back a flood of memories that will be with me for the rest of my life. I wish everyone could have experienced the closeness and Christian spirit that this choir and the adults that were a part of it showed us. In a town that at the time had virtually nothing socially significant to offer its youth, it was a true blessing. Not only did it teach us how to sing, it taught us teamwork and responsibility. Many of the members were led to Christ through this ministry, not to mention the countless number of listeners that also found Christ through the message of the music. There is no way that we, the former members of the choir, can ever tell Mary Ford how much her patience and love affected us. She mothered each and every one of us and never did we see her as anything but a Christian in all of her actions and words. She and the other adults that stuck with us took on an awesome responsibility that in today’s world would be unthinkable. In many ways you could say that this was a miracle that lasted over thirteen years… Any member that would wish to continue this story or add details to the one told above, please e-mail your thoughts and memories and I will add it to this. I hope this grows into a great history of the Believers. Ralph Perdue Jr. As I have finally had a moment with no noise at work, I would also like to speak of the memories of the Believers. Little did we know at the time that being a member of the Believers would have such impact on our lives as we have now grown into adults with children of our own. Mary Ford, Anna Lee Duncan, Marty Wisdom, Jana Baker, Betty and Giladean Robinson and so many others dedicated their time and love to each of us on those trips. Each contributed to my life in ways that they probably don't even know. They believed in us. They taught us to believe in ourselves and our abilities. They put up with us when we were tired and uncooperative. I believe that each trips taught us something different. Patience - when the buses broke down. Kindness - to others who reached out to us Teamwork - to load and unload those buses Understanding - when things did not go as planned, and Love - to love our brothers and sisters in Christ So, THANK YOU, to all the sponsors and church members who helped us to grow each time we were privileged to represent First Baptist Church. The memories of those trips are with me still today. Leslie (Haynes) Browand Even though I no longer live in Heavener my mother notified me of the website. I now live in Missouri with my wife and 5 children and we love our church but I have found myself wishing over the years that our church had a group like the Believers. It was a time and a place I will never forget. I remember singing in the Music Makers, Andy Perdue and Todd Baker tossing myself and Gary David Ollie down the balcony stairs. But now as an adult I respect even more the leaders. Gilly, Carolyn, Dee, Marty, Carlos, Mike Hungerford and Dee Dee, Mary and of course Betty. These people gave so much more then just their time. I just wanted to let you know that we do believe and we do care. Dale Cranfield It was so great to hear about this website. I have often thought about my time in the Believers and had always wanted something to show my daughters exactly what we did back in the day. LOL. Anyway, I know I have the bulletin's from several of the productions that we did during the time I was in it. I also have one of the workbooks that showed who was going to do what at each stop. Remember those? How in the world did they get those tours together? Mary and the adults were truly amazing and I feel blessed to have had the opportunities that the provided for us. Not sure how many pictures I have but I'd be glad to send you whatever I have. Tell me what format you would like and I'll try to scan some of that in. Funny you mentioned the Alpine ride, I still have my stub from that as well. HA HA. Hope all is well in Heavener. God Bless--Michelle (Ollar) Woods (graduating class of '87) I can pick up the story from the web page beginning fall of 1987. I was in 8th grade and had been in Music Makers for 3 years and could hardly wait to join Believers and “go on tour.” By now Mary was on “old hand” at dealing with teenagers. We never failed to have our social time together, even if it was a dress rehearsal night. She even went so far as to roll a TV into the choir room during practice on Super Bowl Sunday! (She did mute the sound, but was kind enough to stop practice when ever a big play was made.) We learned the signature “Hey! I’m a Believer” song and presented two musicals that year; “Light Brigade” and “The New Connection;” as well as our yearly performance at the town Christmas tree lighting. (Anyone remember the song “There’s Only Three Days Left Till Christmas?”) For New Connection, we tried something new and performed at the old City Hall Theater rather than at the church. We took both musicals and the faithful old blue bus on the summer 1988 tour to the panhandle of Florida with stops in New Orleans and a couple of small towns whose names I can’t recall. We slept in Sunday school rooms and strangers homes all along the way. Touring was unlike anything I have experienced before that time or since. Looking back I realize it wasn’t just about learning some songs and memorizing lines. We learned to work together and live together. We learned that it wasn’t all about us. Each kid had assigned jobs every day in every aspect of the tour. Some prepared meals while others unloaded luggage and equipment. Some swept floors while others cleaned bathrooms. Tour wasn’t a vacation where we were waited on hand and foot while soaking up the spotlight. Tour was about us waiting on the Lord and being ready to do his bidding; whether that meant eating caviar at a 5 star restaurant and performing in world famous venues or smiling politely while we ate spaghetti in the fellowship hall for the 5th night in a row and performing on flatbed trailers in the parking lot of the local Piggly Wiggly. (All of which we did on this tour by the way.) Even the bus itself was an experience. Their was a hierarchy of seating with the Seniors at the back and the ages decreasing as the seats moved forward. And no matter what age, Britt Ford was always in the last seat with his boom box taking requests. By far the most requested song was “Time Warp” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen a big blue bus literally rocking down the road while 50 teenagers jump up and down on the inside doing the Time Warp! While in New Orleans, we performed in Jackson Square. We set up all of our sound equipment and were ready to begin the performance when a massive thunderstorm hit. We rushed to move the equipment to safety, but Mary would not miss an opportunity to share God’s love through music, so we stood in the gazebo and sang hymns acapella. As we were singing, a naked and drunk homeless man wandered up and sang with us. (This was quite a shock to a group of kids from the bustling metropolis of Heavener!) But my memory of that isn’t nearly as vivid as the memory of us singing “How Great Thou Art,” and just as we sang the line, “…I hear the mighty thunder…” The ground shook with a giant peal of thunder. There wasn’t a person, teenager or adult, standing in that gazebo that wasn’t covered with chill bumps because we knew we had just heard God speak. In Florida we had the privilege of staying in an actual hotel! We were ecstatic - until bed time. Turns out we had arrived on the last day of school in Florida and our hotel was party central. The sponsors spent the night keeping us off the balconies (where we could witness all manner of indiscretions taking place on the beach) and calling management to complain about the noise from the beer filled saxophone being played outside the door. Management responded by declaring that whoever had booked a church group in the hotel for the last night of school should be fired! We checked out the next morning. I’m out of time right now, but I’ll get back in touch with you about the Colorado and Texas tours in 89 and 90. I also have video of New Connection, Elijah, Live It to the Max, and Christmas performances at Central Mall if you’d like. I’d love to have copies of the videos of Friends, Light Brigade and Surrender if anyone has any of those. Janna Wells (Quade) - Believer 1987-1990 - Music Maker 1983-1986 I have really enjoyed sitting here reading about everyones memories!! I have many many cherished memories of my time in Believers (1987-90). My first tour was the one going to New Orleans and Florida. We were staying the night at a church in Marero(?) outside of New Orleans and Natalie Wallice walked thru a plate glass window right next to the door and came out unharmed! All she could do was laugh! I was able to keep up with the people I stayed with in Crestview, Florida for several years. The next tour (89) I was on went to Colorado, I will neve forget how lucky those people were to have such beautiful surroundings to worship in. Do you all remember the Agape Pathway Baptist Church? It had a river flowing right out back, it was an awesome sight! My third tour was to Amarillo to Cal Farleys Boys Ranch. I was so impressed at how nice, polite and well mannered all those young guys were. We ended that tour with a trip to Six Flags! Of course spending my childhood in Texas it was nice to point out different things to the other kids about the area. There are no words to express the way Believers made us feel! It was some of the best times in my life, we had to work really really hard but it was all worth it to see so many people respond to the call of Jesus. It wasn't just kids, even adults, so we were just merely the instrument God used to bring people to him. All of our sponsors will never really know how much we love them and appreciate all that they have done for us, they were more than sponsors, they were family. They were always there for us, if we needed a shoulder they gave it to us, or advice if we needed it and good old wholesome Godly advice and direction. I have taken all this and tried to instill it in my children. I'm sure I seem a little old fashioned to them at times but they will see when they have their own children. I just want to say thank you to all of you for all the good memories!! I will never ever forget that time in my life! I hope to see you all at the reunion! P.S. I hope everyone read Jana's comments: I think Brit cranking up the time warp was one of those things that will always stick out in my mind! Donna (Bandy) (Bowles) Calhoun