Church hires Wally Johnson

Have you ever prayed for something specifically or worked on something for a long time and then, suddenly, when you least expect it, things simply fall into place? Then, after reflection, we realize that this is not happenstance, but instead God at work in our lives. First Church has seen God at work in many ways this year, especially with gifts of the humankind!

When I last wrote in Tidings, we were searching for a theologian who could teach, preach and support our pastors across multiple areas. Simultaneously, Janie Long, our parish visitor, moved from Tulsa leaving a vacancy in another critical role.

Then, unsolicited, Dr. Miller received a phone call from a pastor he knew saying that he was moving back to Tulsa following his retirement from his Church in Florida. Was he looking for a job? No. Had Jim reached out to him to see if he was interested in one of the two roles we had? No. Simply a random phone call between two Presbyterian pastors that had known each other for years. Or was it?

The pastor, Wally Johnson, just retired from his senior pastor role at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida. Prior to moving to Sarasota, Wally was the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Sapulpa. He is a reformed theologian, perfectly aligned with First Church’s belief and practice, and is joining First Church as our parish associate March 1, filling parts of both open roles in which we were searching. Things simply “fell into place.”

In Wally’s words, his heart sings as he teaches and preaches the gospel, and watches people connect with God. He is an outstanding theologian, gifted preacher and his heart is in caring for others. He and his wife, Joyce, have five children and six grandchildren and are looking forward to returning to Tulsa to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. “I love this journey of faith we are on and the joy of daily finding out more and more about the greatness of God and his loving heart in Jesus Christ.”