The History of the Church
Bethel Baptist Church was organized in 1952 when certain farmers from Southwest Oklahoma moved to Choctaw, Oklahoma. These faithful families desired to begin a new church and were assisted by two missionaries from the Baptist General Assembly of Oklahoma (ABA). A small building was erected shortly after the organization under the leadership of Brother Melvin DeHass, who has served as a deacon of the church since the 1950’s. The church went through many trials through the years and had fallen into a low estate. In November of 1989, our present pastor, Royce Smith, began to minister to the church, and the church has prospered spiritually and materially since that time.
In the early 90’s, the men of the church began an extensive remodeling program of the church facilities, beginning in the basement and converting it into a most needed fellowship hall. The following year, these few men literally turned the sanctuary of the church around, removing the entrance from the front and putting new entrances in the middle of the building. A new baptistery was installed, and the auditorium was made much more attractive.
Several phases of remodeling followed this initial stage to give the church the appearance it has today. All of the work, with the exception of the installation of the new vinyl siding, was done freely by the men of the church under the leadership of Brother Melvin DeHass. During this extensive work, not one word of strife was ever heard among any of these men who worked long hours Saturday after Saturday to complete this vast remodeling
The fellowship and brotherly love that developed among these men continues to this day in the church. In fact, Bethel has enjoyed unbroken fellowship and spiritual unity all these years. All business actions have been and still are adopted with unanimity. While the early history of Bethel was characterized by many trials, the latter years of the church have been marked by manifold blessings.