But many who knew and loved the McPhails believe Shelvy’s greatest contribution came after OKC First moved away from the 6th and Francis location to NW Expressway and Meridian in the late 1960’s.  The decision to move away from the downtown location caused a painful rift in the congregation.  Many, maybe even half of the congregation, refused to leave and ultimately left the church. 

This wounded congregation, without a building of their own, and now struggling to gather the resources or the courage to move forward, was meeting at Messiah Lutheran for worship services, Sunday School and even board meetings. 

Things were slowly going from bad to worse, so bad that in one board meeting in 1969, one exasperated member made the motion that the church be disbanded and the resources distributed appropriately.  The remaining members of the board sat in stunned silence. 

The next voice to be heard belonged to Shelvy McPhail.  Through tears he said, “I just don’t think that’s what the Lord would have us do.”  He then followed with an impassioned speech that spoke of a faithful God and a dynamic congregation that had both a storied past and a promising future.  The speech must have worked; the motion never came to a vote- in fact there wasn’t even a second!

Shelvy and Ruby McPhail embodied so many of the core values and characteristics of this congregation: loyal, faithful, hopeful, aware of difficult circumstances but not bound by them, stubborn and passionate. 

Above the center door on the western entrance to the sanctuary is a plaque commemorating the leadership and vision of Shelvy McPhail, a man who believed our best days were ahead of us.  He was right.