1104 - Old First Congregational Church

In the early days of Lawton, Oklahoma, the vast majority of buildings were not buildings at all. Homes, businesses, and even churches humbly began inside tents, essentially springing up overnight. One of those tents was home to the old First Congregational Church. It was founded in 1901 by the Reverend G.H. Benke of Seneca, Kansas. By 1903, the tent had been replaced by a wood-frame building.

Over the next several decades, the First Congregational Church would go through many changes. Everything from leadership to the building to programming was evolving to serve the needs of the community. In 1924, the Reverend Anthony Mark Wallock began his discipleship as pastor of the church and would soon start something extra-special for the folks in and around Lawton, an outdoor Easter Pageant.

Reverend Wallock scoured the plains of Oklahoma looking for the perfect spot to host the pageant. He chose a hilly site, located in the Wichita Mountains because of its similarities to the land of Judea and so, the Holy City of the Wichita’s was born. The first pageant was held on Easter morning in 1926 and a beloved tradition was started. The current structures were built in 1935 and 1936 by the Works Progress Administration. The temple court, Lord’s Supper building, Herod’s Court, Pilate’s Judgement Hall, Calvary’s Mount and the Garden of Gethsemane, transport you to Biblical times

Before the end of Reverend Wallocks dedicated service to the First Congregational Church and Easter Pageant, he was able to touch the lives of many, including German prisoners of war who helped with the pageant in 1944, and were welcomed and accepted just like all the other workers. This performance was unique because it was held in a valley on Fort Sill referred to as the “Punch Bowl”. After the pageant, a huge cross needed to be returned to the Holy City. So moved by the performance and community, the POWS insisted on carrying the cross up Audience Hill, an act of reverence that was certainly an unforgettable sight.

To this day, the Easter Pageant is still performed and was the inspiration behind a 1949 Hollywood Musical, The Prince of Peace. The current church building was constructed in 1940, a flagstone and mortar church with stone from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, not far from the Holy City. It is currently home to the Triangle or York Rite Masonic Temple who purchased the building in 1968. In honor of the Reverend Wallock, who was a master Mason, the temple is sometimes referred to as the Wallock Memorial Rite Temple, in remembrance of a man who gave so much not only to the church, but to the community as well.