May 1 Today in OPC History

On May 1, 1970, members of the First Presbyterian Church of Abilene, Texas, wrote to the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension asking what the Orthodox Presbyterian Church stood for, what it thought about the Bible, and whether it was a member of the National or World Council of Churches. In response, CHMCE General Secretary LeRoy Oliver asked the Rev. John Thompson, OPC missionary-at-large, to visit Abilene personally to answer these questions.

Mr. Thompson made several trips to Abilene, and on July 19, 1970 a group interested in the OPC held its first worship service. On September 5, four men from the Presbytery of the Dakotas came to Abilene to interview prospective members, and two days later, on September 7, Covenant OPC was established as an OPC mission work.

In 1971, the Rev. Jonathan Male was called as the organizing pastor and served until 1981. At that time, he was succeeded by his brother-in-law, Neil Lodge, who pastored Covenant Church from 1981–1998. Robert Lotzer served from 2000 – 2018 and was followed by Todd Dole from 2018 to the present.

Picture: John Thompson (seated) in 1968 at the Presbytery of South meeting with Neil Tolsma moderating.