Staff
Pastor Dave is serving in his sixteenth year as the senior pastor at Highland. He met his wife Dena at Oklahoma Baptist University where she was majoring in Dramatic Arts. They recently celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary.
Dave completed his Bachelors degree at OBU, and then, after pursuing a career with AT&T for nine years, the Lord rearranged Dave's career goals. He resigned to begin preparing for full time ministry through Seminary studies and service in the local church. Dave and Dena moved, along with their children, to begin study at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. While serving a church in Louisville, Dave completed a Master of Divinity degree in Biblical studies with an emphasis in missions and evangelism.
He has served churches in Colorado, Kentucky, Iowa and Oklahoma and participated in approximately thirty short-term mission trips both internationally, and around the U.S. over the past 35 years, starting in youth group. Dave has served as Board member of the Metro South Hope Clinic (Crisis Pregnancy Center), the Oklahoma Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), Moderator and Vice-Moderator of the Union Baptist Association and President of UBA Pastor's Conference. He is also serving as UBA Strengthening Churches Team Co-Captain and the UBA Missions Coordinator in conjunction with the Oklahoma-Utah partnership working with the churches of the Golden Spike Baptist Association in Utah.
Dena enjoys leading the Highland drama team ministry, helping with the Welcome Center ministry, helping out in Pre-school as well as helping with the Wednesday night supper ministry. She also REALLY enjoys her six grandchildren! Dave also enjoys the grandkids along with regular trips to the mountains with family and friends, camping and winter snow skiing adventures. He's also an avid reader, a mediocre golfer and enjoys excursions with the Highland Highriders motorcycle club. He sings baritone in the Highland Vocal Band (men's quartet). Dave and Dena have three children (two married), and six grandchildren, age seven and under.
Dave's Blogspot...
Articles by Pastor Dave appearing in the statewide Oklahoma Baptist Messenger:
I continue to be greatful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who called me to be His at the ripe old age of 7. I have to admit that throughout the journey it has definately been a roller coaster. However, the one remaining constant ........ my Lord is always there!
It was during a children's musical at church, (The Boy Who Caught the Fish), that Jesus became real to me. I understood that I could never do enough or be good enough on my own to live for the purpose I was made for. I knew that only by surrending my wants and desires could I really accomplish the purpose He had for my life. In essence, I knew God was the only one who could rescue me through His Son, Jesus Christ, and use me just like He did with that boy, in John 6:9-13, who gave all he had to Jesus, and believed. What an awesome God I serve!
Along life's journey He has blessed me with my wife, Selynda, who is my best friend and loves our Lord with all that she is. It is my privilege to go through life as her husband. She is also my active partner in ministry here at Highland. Together, we have been allowed the responsibilty and blessing of our children, Christin, Gabriel and Jonah. As a family we strive to honor and bring blessing to our Lord.
We look forward to meeting and serving you and especially your children. Please feel free to email, call and discuss with me anything you may wish.
Curtis
It doesn’t seem very long ago that I was going to run a Sonic Drive-In. Then, as He often does, God stepped in.
I had asked Jesus Christ into my life under an East Texas pine late one evening after a VBS during the summer of 1988. Never having really been “plugged into” a church I just “went about my business." Shortly thereafter, in the summer of 1992, my family moved to Moore, Oklahoma to open up a Sonic Drive-In.
Through a series of events throughout my teenage years God showed me His patience and providence as He called me back to Himself. (Pretty long story... so if you really want to know ask me about it. I’m happy to tell it.)
In the summer of 1998 God saw fit to lead my wife (thought not at the time) Lindsay and I to join Highland Baptist Church. That fall God joined Lindsay and I together in marriage and blessed us with our first child Dawson Isaac Mata.
Through a loving church family God discipled us and began to point our lives in the direction that would lead me away from hamburgers and french fries and toward one of community and teaching the love of Christ.
God changed everything when He told me that I not only could be, but SHOULD be a Student Minister.
It’s not an easy thing to “laugh off” when God tells you what you should do... but I tried! After much fearful resisting and finally joyful embracing I accepted God's calling to the ministry of the gospel. God then opened the door for me to serve here at Highland.
Lindsay and I were voted to come as Interim Student Ministers on September 29, 2001. Our daughter Kyleigh Christine Mata was delivered to us in December of that same year.
A short year later the Lord led the church to call us as the full time Student Ministers of Highland Baptist Church.
Needless to say Jesus Christ has changed my life.
The years since coming to Highland have been incredible times of laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, ups and downs. Basically life. Yet the difference is Christ has always been there.
I’ve seen students come to know Jesus and be baptized. Next to finding Jesus myself there is nothing greater than that.
This story has no end as it is still “growing in the telling” but I can emphatically say it is all do to the will of God the Father, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and a dead life that is now alive in Jesus the Son. May God continue to get the glory!
Amen
Randy Whittern - Worship Minister
Randy was saved as a young boy at First Baptist Church in Ada, Oklahoma and has been growing and serving the Lord since that time. Randy has served as worship leader, praise team coordinator and Sunday School teacher, and he has been actively involved in the music ministry at several local Oklahoma City metro area churches including Eagle Heights Church, NewChurch and Knob Hill Baptist Church. He has led worship, revivals and banquets at dozens of churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado and Tennessee over the past 20+ years. Randy has written and recorded four CDs and has been given numerous awards in the field of Christian music including receiving the Grand Prize Vocalist award at the annual Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado in 1999. He has a wide variety of experience and a love for all styles of music and worship. He received formal training in music at OBU and OSU.
Randy and his wife Donna love singing together as they worship the Lord. Donna has sung in the choir, helped with Children's Choir and VBS as well as serving in many ways throughout their ministry together. They have four children including a daughter and son-in-law who are serving as missionaries in a country in the far East. Randy leads and directs all aspects of our worship ministry, coordinates the choirs and ensembles, directs the Highland praise band and sings as part of the Highland Vocal Band.
In October of 1994, I asked Jesus if he would become Lord over my life. Jesus said yes.
Since that moment, things have been different. Not perfect, but different for sure. I became a follower of Christ just before my twelfth birthday. Even at that point in my life, there were things Jesus needed to take control of. He began teaching me to love others and to love Him with everything I was made of. He was getting me ready for the rest of my life.
In September of 1997, Jesus asked me if I would devote my life to show students my changed life. I said yes.
When I was in the eighth grade, I heard God asking me to commit my life to do his work. But I also knew that he wanted me to focus on students. I was living the turmoil that being a student could bring. Being a kid is rough. So God began to work in me to develop those things He saw I needed to do my best work for Him. In a show of their prayerful support, my family at First Baptist Church of Okmulgee licensed me as a minister. There I served as an Intern in the Student Ministry. After spending a year as intern, First Baptist Church of Henryetta called and asked me to pray about coming to lead their student ministry. After God and I had discussed it for a while, I knew He was sending me away from my home church to start something in Henryetta for Him. I spent a year and half there before I graduated with my Associates Degree and had to move to continue school. During that summer between schools, I worked at Camp Hudgens as the camp worship leader and a counselor. It is a children’s adventure camp in Southeast Oklahoma.
That move was to Oklahoma City where I started school and took a job at Arvest Bank. There I met Amanda Wilson and through her, the Highland Family. My wife Heidi and I joined Highland in February of 2005. Since then I have served in the Student and Worship Ministries and currently lead the College Ministry.
In late November, Heidi and I, our families and our Highland Family, welcomed the birth of our first son, Ephraim Daniel. We are beyond grateful that he will experience such love and community growing up in our church.
E-mail Dave
