In a rare and deeply meaningful step toward community unity, Eastside Baptist Church and Second Baptist Church will come together for a joint worship service on Sunday, Nov. 23, beginning with a 9:30 a.m. breakfast, followed by a 10:30 a.m. worship service at Second Baptist Church.
The collaboration, led by Pastor Marcus Jeffrey of Eastside Baptist and Pastor Adam Hiett of Second Baptist, marks what the pastors hope will be a turning point-both for their congregations and for Okmulgee as a whole.
“This came about because heaven is not going to be segregated,” Pastor Jeffrey said. “We’ve got to learn how to fellowship down here together … We just thought it’d be good if the two churches got together and fellowship.”
Pastor Hiett echoed that conviction, emphasizing that churches are partners, not competitors. “I’ve always told them here that we’re not franchises. We’re not competing against one another. We are God’s church, and we are God’s people,” he said. “I’ve heard it said that Sunday is the most segregated day in Okmulgee, and that’s never made sense to me … Why doesn’t the church look like the neighborhood?”
Both churches will merge their worship teams and choirs for the service, bringing together different musical styles, traditions and voices. Each pastor will preach a 20-minute message – Pastor Jeffrey on unity and Pastor Hiett on thankfulness.
Pastor Hiett said the differences between congregations should not divide believers.
“Our churches are different stylistically or demographically, but different is not bad,” he said. “When you come through the doors of the church, it doesn’t matter where you came from or how you got here. What matters is how you respond when Christ asks, ‘Do you love me?’” Pastor Jeffrey agreed, adding that the goal is to “try to change the mindset of people today” and to “break down the barriers within our community.”
The morning will begin with a full breakfast at 9:30 a.m., designed to help members from both congregations meet, mingle and connect before worship.
Both pastors are asking their congregations to mix together intentionally.
“We are encouraging everybody to mix up. You don’t have a spot,” Pastor Jeffrey said with a smile. “There will be no Eastside section.”
The worship service at 10:30 a.m. will feature blended music and dual sermons. The pastors hope that by worshiping side by side, the community will see the power of unity in action. For Pastor Jeffrey-who has led Eastside Baptist for 15 years-this event is about healing longstanding divides. “There won’t be Black and white in heaven … just children of God worshiping together,” he said. “We want to make it happen here because I believe He’s directing us to get together.”
Pastor Hiett, now in his second year at Second Baptist, believes the event reflects what Okmulgee needs most.
“I really believe our town needs a move of God,” he said. “Schools aren’t going to fix it, programs aren’t going to fix it … It’ll have to be Jesus and God’s people moving out of the way so He can reach out there and be the church beyond the walls.”
Both pastors say this unified service is just the beginning. If the event is successful, they hope to expand it, involving more churches and hosting future gatherings at Eastside and other congregations across town.
“It takes just a different viewpoint, or some kind of event, to say, ‘Oh, I forgot it could be like that,’” Pastor Hiett said. “That’s nice.”
Both churches represent more than a century of Christian presence in Okmulgee – Eastside Baptist reaching back nearly 130 years and Second Baptist more than 100. Their shared history, the pastors noted, makes this collaboration even more meaningful.
“We hope the community can see our effort,” Pastor Jeffrey said. “We’re trying to come together in unity, unify our community, and break down barriers.”
