The Beginning Years - 1948 to 1961

Cora and S. C. Hamilton

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit." (John 15:16)

A small community grew up in far south Oklahoma City in 1948. Middle income wage earners built two and three-room frame houses on lots newly platted from wheat fields and pasture land.  The people didn't have much money, but they had an optimistic attitude and a strong work ethic. They needed a church in their area and set out to build one.

They wanted their church to be organized Biblically, so 31 of the neighborhood folks joined Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. That church sent them out to form a new congregation. They named it Sherwood Baptist Church after the main street in the area, Sherwood Street.

The people called Brother S.C. Hamilton to be the first pastor. He had no formal training, but had a heart for the Lord and believed the Bible without reservation. He left his job on the oilfield, which paid well by the standards of the day, and accepted a much-reduced salary of $35 a week to serve as full-time pastor. His wife, Cora, a quiet lady, kept much in the background.  Although she didn't take an active role in the church, she loved her husband and the church people.

Sherwood held her first services in the home of Brother and Mrs. Hamilton. The tiny house on Sherwood Street couldn't accommodate everyone, so Herbert and Elzavan Clay opened their small home down the block for Sunday School classes. Brother Hamilton loaned the church $100 to buy two lots across the street on what is now S.W. 38 and Ross. The members donated both money and labor and began to build a building. The members took pride in their work and willingly sacrificed to make the church a pleasant place to worship. The membership soon grew. By Sherwood's first anniversary in 1949, the members numbered 110.

Betty and Lee Brown with  Patti, Terry, and Paul

In 1954, another event occurred which would have a long-reaching impact on Sherwood. Brother Al Harmon preached a revival meeting in February. A young couple, the Browns, visited with their three small children. Betty Brown was saved during the revival and she and her husband, Lee, joined the church. They were active from the start in all of the church programs and brought their children to every service. No one guessed that their second son, three-year-old Paul, would one day become the third pastor of Sherwood. Paul was saved under Brother Hamilton's ministry and joined the church by baptism shortly before his tenth birthday.

By 1956, the church had outgrown her first building and purchased the property on S.W. 39 and May Avenue. The members dug a basement for the auditorium and moved an old two-story army barracks building from Will Rogers Field onto it for Sunday School classes.

Brother Hamilton served as pastor for 13 years, but heart trouble forced him to retire in 1961. The members grieved the loss of this faithful man who had been so instrumental in the founding of Sherwood Baptist Church.