Sunday Mornings in Lawton
First Baptist West anchors the west side of Lawton, Oklahoma, with a full day of Christian formation centered on three Sunday morning touchpoints. The doors open for an 8:30 AM worship service in the sanctuary, followed by Sunday School for everyone from infants to senior adults at 9:45 AM. The 11:00 AM hour doubles up: the same music-and-teaching worship service runs in person and is livestreamed, so families can attend either way. Kids Church is offered during both morning services for kindergarten through sixth grade, giving children a Bible-based lesson of their own while parents remain in the sanctuary.
For a first-time visitor, the practicalities are straightforward. The church sits at 7302 NW Cache Road in Lawton, and the office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 5 PM and Fridays from 9 AM to noon. Prayer requests can be submitted through the church's contact form. Giving is available online, by texting the word "Give" to (580) 297-7302, by cash or check placed in the boxes at the rear of the sanctuary, or by mail to the church address.
A Mission That Became a Church
The congregation now known as First Baptist West began in 1954 as Brockland Mission, a Gospel outreach on the growing west side of the city. On February 25, 1968, Brockland Mission was renamed First Baptist West and became a satellite of First Baptist Church, gathering at 61st and Ferris Avenue. In 1973 the satellite was constituted into an independent church, and in 1982 it moved to its current home on NW Cache Road. A 2014 building expansion doubled the usable space.
First Baptist West is a participating congregation in the Southern Baptist Convention. The vision statement is repeated throughout the church: Love God, Love People, See Lives Change.
What FBW Believes
First Baptist West affirms the Baptist Faith and Message. The published statement of belief names six anchors.
The Scriptures are the inerrant Word of God, written by men divinely inspired and serving as a perfect treasure of divine instruction. Man was created by a special act of God in His own image and, through his free choice, brought sin into the human race; only the grace of God restores that fellowship. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, crucified, raised, and now seated at the right hand of the Father as Mediator. Salvation is the free gift of God, received by faith in Jesus Christ alone, secure because God begins and finishes the work, and thorough enough to make the believer a new creation called to holy living.
Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, an act of obedience that symbolizes faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. The church accepts immersion baptism from other denominations when it shares those Biblical qualifications. The Lord's Supper is a memorial meal in which Christians, sharing bread and the fruit of the vine, remember the Redeemer's death and anticipate His return.
Preschool and Kids: From Babies to Sixth Grade
The preschool ministry, led by Plashiel Rojas, partners with parents to nurture the spiritual growth of children from babies through kindergarten. Programs run in the preschool wing of the building across three weekly rhythms.
Sunday School meets at 9:45 AM for infants through kindergarten. Preschool Worship Hour runs during both Sunday morning services at 8:30 and 11 AM. World Adventure Club gathers on Sundays at 5 PM for a monthly journey through a different country, with Bible stories, missionary lessons, crafts, music, and a passport stamped each time the children "travel." Preschool Music Makers meets Wednesdays at 6 PM, introducing little ones to rhythm, melody, and the love of Jesus through singing and movement.
For elementary-age children in kindergarten through sixth grade, the Kids department is led by Morgan Sharkey. Sunday morning check-in stations sit outside the sanctuary and at the top of the stairs by the Kids Hallway. Children are released to Kids Church after the worship music in either morning service and meet parents in the Fellowship Hall afterward. Wednesday night brings TeamKID, a discipleship program of Bible stories, Scripture memory, mission activities, and recreation games. Fine Art Fundays pairs kids with adult mentors who help them grow in visual and performing arts. Kids Music and Missions meets on Sunday evenings at 5 PM and teaches recorder, missionary stories, and a global-mission project that culminates in a semester performance.
Two scouting-style programs reach beyond the building. American Heritage Girls Troop OK8601 is a Christ-centered character and leadership program for girls ages 5 to 18, meeting Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM. Trail Life Troop OK-1619 is the parallel boy-focused mentoring and outdoor adventure program for kindergarten through twelfth grade, meeting Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM as well.
Students: Wednesday Recharge and Sunday Faith Talks
The student ministry serves sixth grade through college, with Keith Sahr as Student and Family Pastor. Sunday School gathers in the youth room at 9:30 AM for a brief time of announcements and prayer before breaking into age-based groups: sixth through eighth grade, ninth through tenth, and eleventh through twelfth. Wednesday Night Recharge serves a meal at 5:30 PM, then moves into worship, games, and Bible study at 6 PM. Sunday evenings at 5 PM bring Faith Talks, a study that gives students a simple way to share the Gospel with their friends, anchored in 1 Peter 3:15.
The student ministry also sponsors an annual See You at the Pole rally with other area youth ministries and takes seasonal trips. Students register for events through Church Center.
Adults: Bible Studies, Prayer, and Grief Share
The adult discipleship schedule builds out the week. Sunday School at 9:45 AM offers graded classes for college-age, young adults, men, women, senior adults, and visitors. Adult Bible Study meets on Sunday evenings at 5 PM, walking through a study called "Why Jews Say They Don't Believe in Jesus," led by Jerry Wood. Women's Bible Study meets Tuesday mornings at 10 AM in the Fellowship Hall, with Carol Leaming leading a study of The 52 Names of God Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson, working through four to seven Hebrew names each session. A Wednesday evening prayer meeting at 6 PM gathers the congregation to pray for the concerns of the church.
Grief Share, led by Craig and Lorrie Shelton, meets Sundays at 3 PM upstairs in Room 244. The group is a support ministry for those who have experienced the death of someone they love.
The Men's Ministry is built around A.C.T., Accountability Centered in Truth, drawing on Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Bible studies, ministry, intentional discipleship, and fellowship events all flow from that core verse.
The Women's Ministry, called Women In Touch, brings women of every stage together for Bible studies on Tuesday mornings, fellowship dinners hosted in different homes on the last Thursday of each month at 6 PM, and seasonal retreats and conferences.
Worship, Choir, and Handbells
The worship ministry exists to glorify God through singing and instruments and to encourage the whole church to join in the praise. Jeremy Welborn, a Lawton native and former FBW staff member, serves as Interim Worship Pastor.
Worship music is supported by a choir and a handbell choir. Choir rehearsals meet on Wednesdays at 6 PM, with the choir open to all ages and all skill levels: readers of music and non-readers, trained singers and anyone willing to serve. Handbell Choir Rehearsals meet on Sunday afternoons at 3:30 PM for music basics and 4 PM for bell rehearsal, in Room 235 upstairs.
Iglesia Bautista Sobre La Roca: The Spanish Campus
First Baptist West operates a Spanish-language congregation called Iglesia Bautista Sobre La Roca, "Baptist Church on the Rock," led by Pastor Bruno Rojas. The Spanish congregation functions as a campus of FBW in partnership with the local Baptist association. Rojas came to faith in Christ in Venezuela at 18, trained as an architect at the Central University of Venezuela, moved to the United States in 2017, and completed a Master of Theological Studies through the North American Mission Board before planting the Spanish-speaking work.
Local and Global Missions
The Missions Committee oversees a Global Impact Plan through which the church collects and distributes missions support. Local mission involvement runs through three regular partnerships.
First Baptist West serves at The Bridge House, the local ministry of M28 Ministries located at 2001 SW D Avenue in Lawton, on the fourth Saturday of each month from 9 AM to noon. Volunteers help set out clothing, serve lunch, and lead a brief worship service. Operation Christmas Child fills gift-filled shoeboxes year-round, with packing parties and boxes available to take home as a family. Kairos Prison Ministry is supported through cookies, prayer chains, and encouragement for church members who serve inside prisons.
Mid-Week Family Rhythm
Wednesdays are the church's mid-week connective rhythm. The Family Meal at 5 PM gathers everyone in the Fellowship Hall: adults pay $5, kindergarten through sixth grade pay $3, and families of four or more pay $20; first-time guests eat free. From 5:30 PM, students sit down to their own meal before Recharge. At 6 PM the Wednesday evening offerings run simultaneously: Preschool Music Makers in the preschool wing, God's Kids for first through sixth grade in the Kids Hallway, choir rehearsal, and the church-wide prayer meeting.
Leadership
Bill Langley serves as Interim Pastor. A Mobilization Strategist with the International Mission Board, he held Senior Pastor seats at Severns Valley Baptist Church, Harvest Church, and First Baptist Church before his current role. He holds a Master's in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Bachelor's in Education from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Bible and Biblical Studies from Louisiana Baptist University.
Jeremy Welborn is Interim Worship Pastor. A Lawton native, he surrendered his life to Christ at age eight and served on staff at First Baptist West for five years before pastorates in Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. He returned to First Baptist West in an interim capacity while working full time in church insurance and risk management.
Keith Sahr has been Student and Family Ministries Pastor since December 2023. A Lawton native, Eisenhower High School graduate, and Cameron University alum, he and his wife Kaylee have a daughter. He surrendered his life to the Lord in December 2015 and answered a call to ministry in May 2018.
Bruno Rojas serves as Spanish Church Pastor and Associate Pastor. Originally from Venezuela, he is married to Plashiel Rojas and is the father of two daughters.
Morgan Sharkey leads the Kids ministry. Born and raised in Lawton, she grew up at First Baptist West and teaches kindergarten in Lawton schools as well.
Plashiel Rojas leads the Preschool ministry and is married to Pastor Bruno Rojas.
Giving and Staying Connected
Giving supports everything from the preschool ministry to senior adult ministry and from local Lawton missions to overseas outreach. Online giving runs through Ministry Brands Amplify; text-to-give by sending "Give" to (580) 297-7302; and checks can be mailed to 7302 NW Cache Road, Lawton, OK 73505.
The church's YouTube channel hosts the livestream of the 11 AM service and a library of past services for anyone who wants to catch up on a missed week. The student ministry runs its own social accounts, including an Instagram presence at @fbw.students.
First Baptist West describes itself with a simple refrain: Love God, Love People, See Lives Change.