Annual Report 2023

Letter From Pastor

A Year of Growth…

SpiritCHURCH Family!

What a year we experienced together at SpiritCHURCH!

In 2023, God gave us reasons to celebrate, moments to reflect, and opportunities to grow. We could use many terms to describe the past 12 months, but 2023 is most appropriately defined by four thoughts: inspire, invite, invest, and increase.

As our lives and calendars have turned, we remind ourselves that God's steadfast and faithful love has remained constant. We are also confident that regardless of what this new year may bring, His promises will never fail, and His mercies will remain new every morning.

Inspire

Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us, “..these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

Our goal was to inspire faith, courage, and unity in our church family. 

The year started fast with a POWERFUL prayer conference in early January, and the emphasis on God’s presence and power permeated the entire year. Other events like a massive Easter Sunday, exciting youth and kids camps, and Vacation Bible School were vital in inspiring all generations to live like Jesus.

Our Next Generation ministries continued to thrive! I am so proud that SpiritKIDSJr, SpiritKIDS, SpiritYTH, and SpiritYoungAdults inspire our succeeding generations to wholeheartedly know, love, and pursue God. Through weekly worship experiences, small groups, giving and serving opportunities, and fun activities, our children, youth, and young adults are developing into life-long followers of Jesus Christ! We are excited to watch their continued maturation, and we pray God will empower us to continue inspiring Christ-centered greatness in the next generation.

In addition, dynamic guest speakers such as Gary Davidson, Dr. Darryl Wootton, Brad Rosenberg, Chris Dow, JT & Rachel Espejo, and Steven Pavek inspired us with timely, Spirit-led messages that reminded us of God’s greatness!

Invite

Beginning in 2023, we embraced the call to Reach One More! 

In Luke 19:10, Jesus told us, “…the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost." In response, we invited our community to participate in special events such as grocery giveaways, Kiddie Park Day, and the Family Fall Bash. 

In 2023, we strengthened our SpiritGroups by launching new groups such as Spirit Young Professionals, Dig Deeper, and a brand-new young married couples’ group.

Thanks to your invitations, we also saw over 300 first-time guests and over 4,900 online viewers (an average of 122 each week), 162 guests attended a New People Party, and 97 completed our Growth Track course. 

A special thank you to our volunteers who help provide such a warm and inviting environment each week. There is nothing better than walking through the Commons on a Sunday morning in between worship experiences, feeling the warmth of the sun, smelling fresh coffee brewing, hearing laughter and conversation, and exchanging hugs, handshakes, smiles, and prayers with people who are so near and dear to our hearts.

Invest

For almost 100 years, SpiritCHURCH has invested in Kingdom work in Bartlesville and worldwide. As we pray each time we join, “Let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Some of our church’s primary ministry investments are biblical literacy, healthy marriages and families, and missions. In 2023, God empowered us to invest strategically in these and many other areas.

SpiritCHURCH prioritizes the Word of God! Each month of 2023, members of our church family worked to memorize our In The Vault text. Encouraging reports have emerged as several people memorized all 12 verses! Wow…what a terrific testimony of people placing the Word of God in the vault of their hearts.

Relational health is paramount in the church. Our married couples’ date nights (Famous Couples, Love and Lumberjacks) and online parenting classes enabled us to make profound investments in marriages and families. We believe that strengthening families will powerfully impact the church’s overall health.

We also invested outside of our community through two missions trips. In July, 22 men, women, and students went to Bethel, Alaska, to conduct a Vacation Bible School program. They also worked to renovate a building that will serve as a church and training center for missionaries living in remote villages along the Kuskokwim River.

In September, a team of 13 traveled to Catamayo, Ecuador, to work at Timothy’s Abode, a missionary training center that prepares young men and women for ministry in remote jungle villages. The team completed much-needed electrical, landscaping, and general construction work. 

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to invest by sending $25,000 worth of vital supplies and materials to each location ahead of our team’s arrival.

Because of your faithful giving in 2023, lives were powerfully impacted for eternity. We now support around 122 missionaries, missions organizations, and outreach partners in over 37 countries and throughout most of the United States. Our children and youth embraced this passion for missions and gave in excess of $14,000 to Speed The Light and BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge). These organizations provide our missionaries with much-needed communication tools and resources.

In 2023, we helped scholarship a nursing student at the Mission of Mercy in Calcutta, India, and feed people around the world through Convoy of Hope. God enabled us to provide Fire Bibles in Vietnam, support a soup kitchen in Israel, and donate backpacks for children in foster care and Christmas gifts for the Gingerbread Kids at Jane Phillips Elementary School. In December we raised funds which will develop a curriculum for emerging leaders in the Arab world.

Because of you, we also invested in community organizations like Agape Mission, Hope Clinic, Heart Matters, The Journey Home, The Cottage, Lighthouse Outreach Center, B the Light Mission, and numerous others in the Bartlesville area. 

Your extravagant giving to Israel humbled me! In accordance with the Bible, SpiritCHURCH prioritizes praying for and supporting the nation of Israel. Your giving enabled us to send over $51,000 to bless an elementary school, and provide essential supplies to those impacted by the conflict that began on October 7. Thank you for enabling us to make kingdom investments that will yield a great return!

Increase

In John 9:4, Jesus says, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.” God honored the diligent efforts of the SpiritCHURCH family in 2023. We saw an increase in weekly attendance at our Worship Experiences. On average, 887 people attended each Sunday morning. That represents a 18.11% increase from 2022. Missions giving increased to almost $425,000, and total giving for 2023 exceeded $3,000,000, an increase of over 31% from 2022.

We saw an increase in the spiritual hunger of the church as well.

Worship experiences were life-giving, exciting, and challenging. SpiritGroups forged deep connections and SpiritTeams released our church into ministry opportunities. Thank you for being people of prayer, for believing in the Miracle Worker, and for expecting God to move in our midst.

The best news is that we saw an increase in the number of people who said “YES” to Jesus. I am overjoyed to share that 581 people committed and recommitted themselves to Christ last year at SpiritCHURCH.

You are a vital part of the SpiritCHURCH family! In Mark 16:15, Jesus told us to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” 

In our pursuit of that mission, we know that strategic days of ministry await us in 2024. Thank you for your passionate commitment to share the love, joy, and peace of Jesus Christ with the least, last, and lost. 

Most of all, thanks be to God for His faithfulness and provision. The purpose of SpiritCHURCH remains to please God, and we believe that our best days are yet to come!

Together let’s keep Reaching One More!

To God be the glory,

Dr. Jason & Robyn Fullerton

Lead Pastors