Tulsa Second Presbyterian Church

From 1915-1917 the Tulsa First Presbyterian Church had grown substantially in numbers. Talks of opening up a second church came at the perfect time when large tracts of land just southeast of downtown were being put on the market for development. By the fall of 1916 plans for what would become the Tulsa Second Presbyterian Church had flourished and the First Presbyterian Church had purchased an existing building on the corner of Zunis and Barton Streets. A sign was quickly put out that a new church would soon replace the current building.

The founding members of the Second Presbyterian organized officially on May 16, 1917, including Mr. Ellis Astor Robinson with wife Laura (Brown) Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. James Rea Stockton, Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Edwards, Minnie Jackman, R.M. Nickol and Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Mead. All members would meet in the home of C.J. Mead located at 18 South Victor. This would not suffice for long as the congregation and neighborhood continued to grow and a temporary 16×24 foot structure was erected on the corner lot for a temporary place of worship and dubbed “the Cathedral”. It wasn’t long before fundraising began for the construction of the new building, this would have been primarily received through donations from the congregation and canvasing the neighborhood. Sunday services and Sunday school were already in full swing in the temporary building so it was a celebration for all to see the construction of the new church coming to fruition after raising ~$8,000.

A ceremony was held on October 21, 1917, with a laying of the cornerstone at 3 pm. The new ‘White Church’ was dedicated on November 4, 1917. Given the size and stature, it was a building to be proud of for the up-and-coming area. Something that would carry pride for generations to come. The first pastor was Rev. A. E. Weston, although he was never officially installed. He did not keep the position long leaving that fall due to declining health.

In 1918 Rev. Wilkins (Pat) Harper Murphy Jr. was a student at Auburn Seminary in New York. He was selected to be the first officially instated pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma after a six-month wait. He arrived in Tulsa on May 19, 1918, to begin preaching but it wasn’t until November 18th that he was officially installed. During his reign he grew the congregation quickly from around 35 to reaching roughly 300 members by 1920, this would increase by 200 in just two years. The Sunday School on the other hand, had surpassed regular Sunday services with 500 enrolled but a regular attendance averaging around 350. During this time the church published an illustrated booklet titled “Directory of Membership and Activities”. This booklet detailed the policies of the church as well as how community service plays an integral role.

Programs

Second Presbyterian shared many firsts with the surrounding community during its early years of practice. In the latter months of 1917, when the congregation was without a pastor, this had no effect on their outreach efforts. Under the direction of Scoutmaster Archie Goodman the boys of Second Presbyterian had formed not one but two Boy Scouts troops No. 24 and No. 4. In the magazine ‘Boys Life – For all Boys’ published in March 1933 by the Boy Scouts of America tells the story of two scouts. “Frank Blair and his brother Albert (Pat) Blair are Scouts in Tulsa. Frank being an Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop No. 24 and Pat a Junior Officer in Troop 4, both Troops of the Second Presbyterian Church. Each Scout has been an Eagle for more than three years, evidence that they are boys of efficiency and proficiency. So it is not surprising that the two boys respectively Junior and Sophomore at the University of Tulsa have found an unusual way to pay a part of their college expenses by collecting grasshoppers, snakes, “mountain boomers”, frogs and insects and selling them to biological supply houses….”

Other early programs started within the first year included Missionary Societies, Junior-Intermediate-Senior Christian Endeavor Society, Camp Fire Girls & Girl Scouts, Cherokee Heights Unit of the Red Cross and Ladies Aid. Also, an important program created was the Cherokee Heights Men’s Club which met once a month on the first Thursday for a dinner gathering. This allowed for lots of businessmen to come together and brainstorm ideas on how to make Tulsa continue to grow and improve as well as promote memberships. E.A. Robinson, a founding member of the congregation was the President of the club. It would occasionally have guest speakers attend as well, one of those guest speakers was Philander Priestley Claxton. Claxton came to the church and gave a speech on “Can the People Afford the Expense of Education?” and another at a Father and Son banquet in 1923. Claxton would go on to become a prominent figure in American education not only in Tulsa but all over the South.

In November 1918, a committee of six men representing the Cherokee Heights Men’s Club met with city commissioners to present a proposition for paving North Wheeling Street and others in the neighborhood as well as the addition of sidewalks. The committee was decided upon during a meeting just the night before at their monthly meeting in the Second Presbyterian Church. The 30 men or so that were members continued to fight for improving their neighborhood including advocating for better street lighting near the church and Whittier School through a campaign in the first month of 1919.

Second Presbyterian Church was the first church in Tulsa to implement films into its teachings. The congregation would put on a free film every Friday night to entice the community to come together for entertainment. One of the films featured for two days in January 1921 was called “From the Manger to the Cross”. Also being the first church in the city to have a daily vacation bible school. It has over the years stayed true to its roots of being a church that has a primary focus on helping the surrounding community.

The church celebrated its second birthday in 1919 noting its quickly growing congregation and even quicker connection with the surrounding community. The celebration included a telling of the history by J.R. Stockton who was a founding congregation member and moved his way up to Secretary of the church. Another great contribution the church made to the neighborhood was the continued partnership with the Y.M.C.A. Pastor Murphy had helped form a great relationship which had then morphed into the Y.M.C.A. helping not only the Presbyterian church but many other churches in the area.

Tulsa Race Massacre

But the surrounding neighborhood just a stone’s throw away from Second Presbyterian Church experienced the hell that was the Tulsa Race Massacre in May 1921. The exact stance that the Presbyterian churches of Tulsa took has been one that is unclear. Numerous accounts depict a story something like this. A young African American man by the name of Dick Rowland was accused of assaulting a young white girl. This greatly angered the Caucasian community and a handful of men marched to the Tulsa County Courthouse demanding that standing Sheriff William McCullough hand over the alleged criminal. He refused to do so angering the growing mob more. This is around the time that Reverend Charles Kerr of the First Presbyterian Church allegedly arrived on scene. He then proceeded to make a handful of attempts to deter the crowd and send them home to no avail.

Both Black Wall Street 100 and Divided Hearts: the Presbyterian Journey Through Oklahoma History (Michael Cassity and Danney Goble, 2009) recall that Rev. Charles Kerr then opened the basement of First Presbyterian Church to minister to Black Tulsans fleeing the carnage. During the bloodshed, Tulsa’s Mayor evacuated some 6,000 African Americans to the fairgrounds. It is noted that Rev. Kerr preached to the displaced as well as offered food and clothing. He is quoted as saying “For 22 years I have been boosting Tulsa, and we have all been boosters and boasters about our buildings, bank accounts and other assets but the events of the past week will put a stop to the bragging for awhile.”

It would seem as though the Presbyterian churches of Tulsa had made their stance known, that they did not support the heinous acts against the African American community in Tulsa. But other accounts of the church’s action depict something different. One’s that I found easier to actually corroborate. A Phoenix Tribune newspaper dated June 18, 1921, quotes this, “Bishop Mouzen of the Methodist Church, Rev. Charles Kerr of the First Presbyterian Church, and Rev. Harry Cooke of the Centenary M.E. Church last Sunday declared from the pulpits that the colored people were wholly responsible for the horrors of the riot…..Cooke and Kerr were no less outspoken in their denunciations of the Tulsa Negro’s aspirations to approach the social and economic levels of the Tulsa whites.

That December Rev. Kerr would speak at the funeral of Klansman Harry Aurandt. This is what he had to say, “The persons chiefly responsible for the death of our brother are those of us who have done nothing to suppress the wave of crime sweeping Tulsa. Human life is being held too lightly in Tulsa and in Tulsa County. No city life can be any better than the sum total of the individual lives of its citizens…..”

If this is the stance the Presbyterian Churches of Tulsa took behind closed doors then this makes the next pieces of information less shocking. In April 1922 a donation of $25 was received by Pastor W.H. Murphy Jr. of the Second Presbyterian Church to be applied to the building fund and used whenever the need arose. The envelope with the donation was left on his doorstep at 2116 East Archer Street. The donator? The Tulsa Chapter 2 Knights of the Klu Klux Klan. The letter enclosed with the donation read as follows, “Please accept the enclosed as a donation to the building fund of your good church. Trusting that your building campaign will soon be brought to a successful conclusion.”

Lots of changes happened over time in the area, partially thanks to the work of the Men’s Club and the church. Around 1923-24 the street name Barton was changed to Archer. One of those changes was an entirely new church building being built on the same corner for the congregation.

Current Building

Due to its substantial and rapid growth of membership in the community, planning for a bigger building was started years before it was needed. In 1924 they ranked 14th in new members received out of 10,000 churches within the denomination. A massive $160,000 structure with a Colonial look was designed by Horace Wright Hollingsworth a prominent architect in the Tulsa area. The construction contract was let to R.E. Mangrum of Mangrum Construction in December 1926. The contract called for a 1-3 story structure along with a balcony and basement. The building was notably small in comparison to other churches in the area.

The dedication ceremony was held on October 23, 1927, almost ten years to the date of the dedication of their first building. Rev. Harry C. Rogers of Kansas City gave the dedication sermon. While being governed by the Presbytery they advertised themselves as a community church drawing membership from every denomination in the neighborhood. This was very influential in the design of the structure with heavy consideration on the gymnasium and office spaces to allow the community to utilize the spaces. The auditorium had a capacity for 1,000 persons as well as an assembly room to accommodate around 300 more. Also included on the first level were offices for the church, pastor, adult classrooms, and ladies parlor.

The second floor provided 13 classrooms for the Sunday School/Daily Vacation Bible School. Two very prominent programs in the church that had skyrocketed in attendance over the last few years. The third floor contains more classrooms for the junior and young persons of the congregation. The basement was where the community hall and stage were stationed. This was where Friday night films were featured, social gatherings, and banquets. Upon its construction, the address was changed from ‘74 N Zunis Ave’ to ‘76 N Zunis Ave”.

Social gatherings were a huge part of bringing in new members and helping the community. As previously mentioned, there were Father, Son dinners that would bring in hundreds of attendees. One such dinner held in November 1928 and while it was held at the First Presbyterian Church Rev. Pat Murphy was the principal speaker. During his speech, he talked about the responsibility of a father to his son and vice versa.

Rev. Pat Murphy and his wife were sent on a trip to Europe to visit the Holy Land with funds obtained through the church to strengthen his teachings. During his absence, Rev. Russell Grady Snuggs, a professor at the University of Tulsa took over as pastor. He would make frequent visits back to the church as a guest pastor and for inductions of new staff to the church. Upon Rev. Murphy’s return, he gave many sermons detailing his time in the Holy Land and his strengthened connection with the one above. He would appear as a guest pastor to other area churches showing them color photos he took of the Holy Land to enhance his message.

The church although small in comparison to other area churches did well keeping up with modern times and sometimes even ahead of most others. Opening its doors to the community as a whole they were persistent about sharing their message to as many as possible. This included the start of broadcasting the sermons on local WBT radio in the 10 a.m. spot starting in the 1930s. This would be an indicator as to just how quickly the church was progressing reaching a peak in the coming years. Starting in 1941 the Second Presbyterian Church would begin releasing its own newspaper called ‘The Broadcaster’. Every Thursday news of the church and its members would be detailed in ink on the page and delivered to doorsteps for 50 cents per year.

These Broadcaster newspapers were very personal including happenings amongst individuals of the congregation, weddings, illnesses, new members and church news. Also stressed heavily in these newspapers, especially the early pages were the Building Debt Liquidation campaign to get members and those of the neighborhood to donate and pay off the building debt. This made tremendous headway given that the community understood that the church had done things for them and should they donate it would be given back to them in other ways tenfold.

Towards the end of his reign, Pastor Murphy Jr. instated the Rev. Forrest R. Smithson as associate pastor in 1940. He had come to fill the position after a call was put out by Second Church. During his beginning years, it seems he ordained mostly weddings and funerals of the community members before moving on to teaching sermons and educating the youth. He practiced for a short time before setting sail for India on August 1, 1941. He would go to Miraj Mission Hospital in India to preach the word of God to an area with low income. He would transfer into a Minister Abroad position within the church until 1946.

Inducted into the church as Associate Pastor was Rev. Robert D. Swanson in May. He was to replace Rev. Forrest R. Smith. Rev. Swanson had given a previous lecture at the church just a few months before so they were already familiar and welcomed him into the church.

However due to declining health and with the advice of his physicians after twenty-four years of service Dr. Murphy submitted his letter of resignation in March 1942. His resignation was officially accepted on April 15, 1942. With a well send off and deepest expressions of gratitude he retired from the position and associate pastor Rev. Robert D. Swanson was inducted as head pastor after a congressional vote. During this time it was also voted that Rev. E. Hoyt Kerr Jr., a senior at the Presbyterian Seminary in Chicago would take up the place of associate pastor after his graduation and ordaining. He would be officially installed on July 26, 1942 by Re. Charles W. Kerr, Rev. Roy M. Smith, Rev. R. Grady Snuggs and Rev. Robert D. Swanson. He would leave the church in September 1943.

Rev. Robert D. Swanson served the congregation wholeheartedly and thoroughly bringing a new vision to the church and spearheading alot of its modernism to reach as many people as possible. On May 20, 1945 he would deliver a speech to the congregation during morning worship that would signify the end of his pastorate and his resignation from the pulpit. Swanson was called to serve as the Navy Chaplain Lieutenant along with orders to report to the Chaplain’s School at the College of William and Mary.

For months after the church would be represented only by its personnel committee of 26 members as they searched for a new pastor. Many guest preachers stepped in to fill the voids during Sunday service including one Sunday led by former pastor W. H. Murphy Jr. A Dr. Jackson E. Smith, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati Ohio would visit in September to be a guest speaker to the congregation. The Personnel Committee immediately felt that he was to become a permanent installation in Second Church and the rest of the congregation unanimously agreed calling him to their pulpit to which he accepted. He would be officially installed in January 1946.

Later that year Kenneth G. McCollough and his family moved to Tulsa so that he could fill the Associate Pastor position. His first message to the congregation was the following, “The tradition of southern hospitality has been nobly upheld here in Second Church. We want to express our gratitude for the warm welcome we have received here in the few days we have spent here in Tulsa. We have come to feel that this is one of the friendliest churches we have ever known.

Our first Sunday morning was spent accompanying Mr. Landrith from one department to another, meeting some of the staff and getting a birdseye view of the work you are doing in the Church School. We have not met all of the teachers because we did not want to interrupt the classes that were in session. However, we hope to meet all of the workers very soon and to become acquainted with each of the pupils. On Sunday evening we had the opportunity of seeing the various youth groups in action both in their discussion groups, at ‘Maudie’s Inn’ and in the recreation program. It is encouraging to see the caliber of youth active in these various groups.

Let us assure you of our desire to serve you in every way possible. You will have to help in many ways for no person can “put on a program” for you. It must be a cooperative experience. But as we work together we are convinced that we can do much for the Kingdom of God through our fellowship together in Second Church.” – The McColloughs

Racial Disagreements

But the once beloved pastor had caused a great divide within the congregation, threatening to tear the church apart from the inside out. It started with the publication of petitioner signatures to US Senators urging the rejection of President Truman’s Arms Program. Rev. Smith along with two other Tulsa pastors were amongst 847 signatures revealed by the Conference on Peaceful Alternatives to the Atlantic Pact. He is quoted saying he did not sign as a “political matter but because I am opposed to an international armament race.”

Newspapers depicted this as the reason a feud amongst the congregation ensued with almost half sending a petition to the Tulsa Presbytery seeking to replace the “overly liberal” pastor. But other oral accounts detailed that an African American couple came to the congregation wanting to join, Pastor Smith was all for the integration of the church and accepting the couple into the congregation while other members were not. Regardless of the real reason for the uproar the Presbytery realizing this situation could become much bigger had agreed that the only way to mend relations was to find a new pastor. Three elders, three deacons and three trustees signed the petition and confirmed the decision to oust the pastor.

The situation then began to escalate saying that followers of Pastor Smith would quit the church if he left and form their own church. Rev. H.R. Hooten a clerk for the Presbytery said the Rev. Jackson Smith would still submit his resignation. Rev. Smith did move forward with submitting his resignation which the congregation initially didn’t accept in a 358-262 vote. It was overridden and accepted by the Presbytery. He said “a minority of disaffected church members of resenting his statements from the pulpit “in favor of racial tolerance, the rights of labor and other related social issues.”

After the removal of Rev. Jackson E. Smith an interim pastor had been filling in for the church. As for his supporters, they followed through with leaving the church. Led by layman and long-time Church School cabinet member R.O. Landrith they created a six-man committee to arrange a meeting to form Tulsa’s first Congregational denomination. They had planned to extend the call for the pastorate position to Smith as his dismissal by the Presbytery had come in exchange for a formal transfer to the Oklahoma Association of Congregational Churches.

For a few years after Dr. H. Grant Mason had taken over as head pastor but had resigned in 1955 and left to become Assistant Director of Ministerial Relations in Columbus Ohio. The call for a new pastor came quickly and close to home as associate pastor Rev. Robert J. Rodisch was installed into the position. He had been associate pastor of the Second Church for two years upon his promotion.

The church had experienced some decline in membership throughout the 1950s due to the end of the Korean War when people felt it was not “as important” to worship every single Sunday as well as the break from alot of its members to create the Fellowship Congregational Church. Rev. Rodisch had appointed a committee in 1961 to reassess the needs of Second Church. They were still holding on to being the third largest Presbyterian Church in the South Middle West just below two other Oklahoma churches and were looking into ways they could maintain that status.

This was a “rebirth” of an expansion program from 1956 and 1957 when the church underwent a redecorating of the sanctuary, HVAC installed, remodeling of the kitchen, and enlargement of the offices, and parking lot space. These improvements were made with money from the congregation and made from the sale of land the church had near 21st Street and Sheridan Avenue. For the first time in eight years (aside from mortgage on the manse) the church was debt-free and in a very good place to continue its growth.

Crosstown Expressway and Programs

The growth and prospective growth would encounter a major roadblock in 1967 with the construction of the Crosstown Expressway and Highway 412 effectively isolating the congregation from a large portion of their congregation. With no easily accessible way to cross the interstate and get to the church, many had to find a different congregation to serve leaving numbers diminished at Second Presbyterian. The church continued to push on and make the best out of their situation embracing their lasting members and finding new ways to serve the neighborhood.

Kendall Whittier Ministry

Kendall Whittier Ministry was first established by a coalition of neighborhood churches in 1968 as a response to the deterioration of the neighborhood. At the time it consisted of Grace Lutheran, University Methodist, St. Francis Catholic, College Hill Presbyterian and Second Presbyterian churches. Determined to address the growing needs of the residents in the neighborhoods, each church housed a social services program to assist neighbors in need. For the Second Church, their service was Emergency Aid provided on behalf of all of the churches.

Crosstown Child Care Center

As a way to combat dwindling attendance and bring in other new programs to the neighborhood Crosstown Child Care Center was established in September 1969 with seven children and four teachers. It was to provide care to the low-income families in the neighborhood and North Tulsa allowing parents to work without worry of making arrangements to have someone take care of their children. It took off, it quickly became one of the face organizations of the Second Presbyterian Church and drew more interest in the congregation. A board of directors was formed to handle all matters involving the daycare.

But the Expressway continued to take its toll and throughout the 1970s and ’80s, the neighborhood continued to deteriorate at a more rapid pace. The Crosstown Child Care Center became reliant on families that utilized childcare subsidies through DHS. It became essential for them to become accredited and in the late 1990s they began the process. Following the church’s morals of helping not for profit the Board of Directors for the center filed the paperwork with the State to become a registered 501 (3)c Nonprofit Organization in 2000. A year later Crosstown Day Care became the first child care center in the North Tulsa area to earn national accreditation and 3-star status through the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of the Young Child).

Upon the church’s closure in 2004, the Crosstown Child Care Center stayed in the facility during the sale of the building. A few months after the transfer of ownership the new owners of the church asked Crosstown to find a new home. Within a few months, they were able to purchase a building and move in June 2005 where they still reside and thrive.

Emergency Infant Services

Emergency Infant Services (EIS) was established at this church in January 1, 1977 upon the closing of the Babies Milk Fund. Through the care, foresight, and commitment of Linda Watts and other Tulsa leaders, the idea of EIS was conceived and brought to reality. EIS began in the balcony of Second Presbyterian Church. The EIS would become a functioning ministry program of the Presbyterian Urban Ministry Council. A year later they would establish a board of directors for the program given that it was growing so fast.

By 1981 it had been embraced by the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery and by the entire community of Tulsa. Running mostly off volunteer labor to keep the EIS organization surviving, the church building had become a shared space of worship and business. The church had for decades stood true to one mission, helping its people and neighborhood. “Second Presbyterian is seen as a safe place for people of lower income. People are familiar with the church,” said a co-pastor.

Just two years later the program was serving over 350 families in the Tulsa area. Camp Fire Girl Scouts would often hold a toy drive around Christmas time donating toys, food and baby items to be collected by EIS for families and children in need. Around 1991 EIS had outgrown the church and become a massive organization in Tulsa relocating to an office downtown.

Closing of the Tulsa Second Presbyterian Church

The last pastor of the church was Rev. Patricia J. Sibley. In June 2003, Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery (EOP) appointed an Administrative Commission to look into and make recommendations regarding the future viability of Second Church. Attendance was at an all-time low, and isolation of the church within the neighborhood had progressed. In the six-month period that the AC was in session, it met with Second on two occasions.

During a meeting of the EOP held on December 2, 2003, the AC made a recommendation that the building should be closed and it would work with Second and EOP Trustees to negotiate a sale of the church property. The recommendation also stated that if no contract of sale was approved by February 5, 2004, the AC would reconvene and make other recommendations.

This deeply upset the congregation, and they felt as if everything they had accomplished in the building, everything they had worked for was not being considered. They argued that not enough solutions had been looked to maintain the congregation in the building and a legal battle ensued. A remedial case of Session of Second Presbyterian Church of Tulsa v. Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery was filed with James Kerr representing the church and Robbie Emery Burke representing the EOP.
Continuing their fight, Second’s congregation held a meeting on February 15, 2004, and did not approve the sale of the property. In a pushback effort, the EOP held a meeting on March 2, 2004, that approved the Administrative Commission to assume original jurisdiction for Second Church, Tulsa and to consult with the Board of Trustees of the Presbytery to sell the property.

The Presbytery then authorized the Administrative Commission to dissolve the congregation of Second Church pending consultation with the church members. The congregation was ordered to consult with the AC and Board of Trustees on a recommendation to the Presbytery as to a meaningful use of the assets resulting from the sale of the property by June 9, 2004.

Losing the battle the effort to close the church moved forward and the congregation was then dispersed to other congregations in the area, a handful going to the First Presbyterian Church nearby. A service of celebration for the ministry and mission of Second Church was conducted to bid the building and congregation farewell. Emotions were high and the members had still not accepted that this was the end.

The AC and Trustees entered into a contract for the sale of Second’s property on March 17, 2004. On the same date, March 17, 2004, Second’s congregation filed a complaint against EOP with the Synod of the Sun and requested a Stay of Enforcement in a last-ditch effort. A Stay of Enforcement was originally granted by the Synod Permanent Judicial Commission (SPJC) on March 26, 2004. A win finally, but that win was shortlived, less than a month later that Stay of Enforcement was terminated after a hearing on April 16, 2004. Second requested another Stay of Enforcement from the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission which was granted on May 5, 2004. That same day the Moderator and Clerk of the SPJC dismissed the Complaint filed by Second against the EOP noting the Complaint did not state a claim upon which relief could be granted. In another loss, their Stay was vacated by GAJPC on May 15, 2004, due to lack of jurisdiction. On May 28, 2004, Second’s property was conveyed to the buyer.

On June 18, 2004, after an appeal, the SPJC ruled to uphold the decision of the Moderator and Clerk to dismiss the Complaint. Again, desperately fighting to keep their church the congregation filed a Notice of Appeal and Request for Stay of Enforcement on August 6, 2004, with the GAPJC. A Stay of Enforcement was granted two days later. The Stay was modified after an oral argument on EOP’s Motion to Dismiss and Objections to Stay of Enforcement on October 15, 2004. The Motion to Dismiss was denied and the case was set for hearing. Ultimately the decision to sell the property and disperse of the congregation was held firm, marking the end of an era.

Gallery Below of Tulsa Second Presbyterian Church

If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Any and all donations are appreciated.

Donate to our cause Check out our books!