Elders

  • Jim Gray

    Jim and his wife Linda were both baptized on February 8, 1977 at the Ridgecrest Church of Christ by Kirk Castleman. They have remained members since that date. Jim graduated from UCO (then Central State) in 1967 with a degree in education and later got his masters degree from UCO in administration. Jim taught school at Eastside and Soldier Creek Elementary Schools in Midwest City for 43 years. Jim and Linda have been married since 1967 and have three sons; Jimmie, Jeff, and Jason and beautiful daughter-in-law Heather, and two adorable grandsons in Noah and Carson. Jim started his service as a Ridgecrest elder on May 31, 2015. 

  • SCOTT MAHNKE

    Scott and Sara met while in college at Oklahoma Christian University and were married in December 1995. Scott has a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration Management and has been a Civil Servant at Tinker AFB for over 30 years. Scott and Sara have two grown daughters, a son-in-law and a handsome grandson. Scott was installed as an elder on March 1, 2026

  • Ernie Miller

    Ernie and Kathy have been Ridgecrest members since 2001. Ernie has served as an elder since 2007.

  • David Rutledge

    David and Kathleen have been members since 1993 and David started serving as an elder in 1999. He grew up in Hennessey, OK, and received degrees from Oklahoma Panhandle State and North Texas State Universities. He served three years in the U.S. Army and is currently retired after working for 31 years in education with 22 years as high school principal. David and Kathleen have always enjoyed spending time with six grandkids, visiting the Colorado mountains and most sporting events. What David loves most about Ridgecrest is the friendly atmosphere that makes people feel comfortable. David really enjoyed working with the Whiz Kids reading tutoring program and our mission efforts. He is well known for quoting "The prayer of a righteous man availeth much" as he encouraged all of us to tend to our prayer lives. He has been an incredible blessing to this congregation.


  • MIKE WEST

    Mike has been a member of Ridgecrest Church of Christ since July 1985. He served nine years in the U.S. Air Force and 28 years Civil Service at Tinker AFB. Mike and Shaelyn have been married since 2000. They are the parents of five grown children (Kristopher, Kasey, Kyle, Brooklynn and Britney), and also have seven grandchildren. "We enjoy every precious moment God allows us to have with them." Mike was installed as an elder on March 1, 2026.

Staff

  • Steve Chisholm

    minister

    Steve and Sharon have been serving Ridgecrest since 1996. Steve grew up in Arkansas and has degrees from Southern Arkansas University, Harding University and the University of Tennessee. Although he has been known to proclaim himself as the best looking preacher in Oklahoma (opinions vary widely on the validity of this claim), what the congregation really appreciates is his ability to take complex biblical concepts and make them understandable and applicable to everyday life. He is truly gifted in this area. In addition to his teaching and preaching, he also provides counseling services to those looking for biblical answers to relationship challenges. In his spare time Steve enjoys playing golf, reading science fiction, and traveling. Steve and Sharon have three grown children, all married, and have been blessed with four handsome grandsons who have brought more than a little bit of sparkle into their lives.       (Written by Marsha)

  • Marsha Wood

    Office Manager

    Marsha & Richard started attending Ridgecrest in 1987, where Richard became a member and Marsha a perpetual visitor for the first three years of their marriage. She was baptized by Kirk Castleman very late one night in 1990 after a series of studies and much discussion. Marsha worked for many years in the corporate world in the accounting field, became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of their second daughter, and then a few years later a part-time job-share Ridgecrest secretary with Sharon Hoover, until Sharon's retirement in 2014. Now she's in the office every day working for the Ridgecrest church, trying to be helpful in whatever comes up day to day. She finds it WAY more fulfilling than working in the accounting field. :-)

  • Richard Wood

    Treasurer

    Richard worked in the non-profit sector for over 30 years with most of that occurring in the financial accounting area.  He has served as the Ridgecrest treasurer since 1995 and is responsible for all accounting at the church.  Unlike Marsha, Richard has found working in the accounting field to be quite satisfying.

  • Charlotte Wood

    HouseKeeping

    Charlotte took over housekeeping duties in the latter part of 2023.

Deacons & Wives

  • LLOYD HAGGERTY

    Type content here...

  • Lonnie Ison

    Type content here...

  • KIM MORPHIS

    Type content here...

  • Palmer Wheeler

    Type content here...

Our History

In July of 1943, the first worship service was conducted by the Midwest City Church of Christ. During the first few months after the congregation began, various homes were used as meeting places. Growth necessitated seeking larger accommodations. The Jarman Junior High School building served the purpose for a time. When the decision came to build a permanent meeting house, financial assistance was given by the Culbertson Heights congregation (now Mayfair). July 1944 marked the first meeting in the new building on Marshall Street.


The ensuing years were good ones for the church in Midwest City. Rapid growth enabled the establishment of two new congregations (Del City and Eastside) from the original group of saints.


In April 1963, the decision was made to move from the Marshall Street location to a new building to be built on a six and one-half acre site on North Air Depot. The congregation met for worship in the Country Estates School gymnasium during the latter part of 1968 and the early part of 1969 while the new building was under construction. The move occurred in May 1969, when the congregation moved into the long-awaited new facility. In four years, the congregation had seen considerable growth, and plans to build additional classroom facilities became a reality when construction began in late May 1973. The 9,000 square foot, two-story classroom addition, consisting of four restrooms, kitchen, large fellowship area, and eleven classrooms was completed in April 1974.


Improvements were made to the facility in late 2004: ADA accessible restrooms were added to the foyer; existing wainscot paneling in the auditorium was replaced with gypsum board which was textured and painted; new carpeting was installed in the foyer and auditorium; the auditorium was repainted; pews were refinished and reupholstered; 6 ceiling fans were installed; the audio/visual system was upgraded. Later in 2004, a cry room was added to the auditorium. In 2008 the kitchen was remodeled with all new cabinetry, appliances, and flooring.  In 2016 ADA accessible restrooms replaced the old fellowship hall restrooms and an elevator was installed. In 2024 new carpet was installed in the auditorium and luxury vinyl flooring was installed in the foyer and hallway. The existing accordion style folding doors at the back of the auditorium were replaced with gypsum board walls which were textured and painted. The foyer and hallway were repainted and wood trim was installed.