The Oklahoma Bible Academy (OBA) is an

interdenominational Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

located in

Enid, Oklahoma Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County, Oklahoma, Garfield County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the openin ...

. OBA is the oldest coeducational private school in the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

History

In 1911 a group headed by J.B. Epp of the New Hopedale Mennonite Church, located in Meno, Oklahoma financed the construction of the Meno Preparatory School. In its early years the school served the local community by teaching elementary level courses, primarily focusing on the Bible and German language. In the spring of 1917 at the Oklahoma Mennonite Convention, leaders formulated a plan for a two-year Bible academy and high school to serve all local churches. It was resolved, "that a committee of three be created to take in hand the matter of starting an academy." On March 27, 1918, through a special session of Oklahoma Convention, the

General Conference Mennonite Church The General Conference Mennonite Church (GCMC) was a mainline association of Mennonite congregations based in North America from 1860 to 2002. The conference was formed in 1860 when congregations in Iowa invited North American Mennonites to join ...

es adopted the school as its field of service and the Meno Preparatory School became the Oklahoma Bible Academy, using the original buildings and an expanded curriculum. In 1924–1925 with the help of Adam Ratzlaff a new dormitory was built. Later a larger school was built including two dormitories. The 1960s brought additional changes to the Oklahoma Bible Academy campus, including: a new industrial arts building, a music-lunchroom, and a gymnasium. By 1953, the school became a full four-year high school and received accreditation by the State of Oklahoma Department of Education. Enrollment in 1951-1952 was 58 students. The school added both seventh and eighth grades in 1977 and became a member of the

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an international organization of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It offers tiers of oversight, from school accredit ...

in 1978. In the 2009–2010 school year OBA added sixth grade to its student body. With the growth of Christian elementary schools in the nearby community of

came the need for a Christian high school, and in 1982 the OBA Corporation voted to move the school to Enid, Oklahoma. Campus expansion across the past two decades has included an auditorium with seating for over 400 people was built in 1995, a football field in 2001, the Advance Learning Center in 2003, and a track in 2006.

Notable students

Melissa Dell Melissa Dell (born ) is an American economist who is the Andrew E. Furer Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Her research interests include development economics, political economy, and economic history. Early life and education Del ...

Professor * Theodore H. Epp Radio host *

Jerry Regier Jerry Regier was the deputy assistant secretary for human services policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2005 to 2007. He provides leadership on policy analysis and development in human services and on research under th ...

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy * Dylan Moser Playwright

References

External links

* Private middle schools in Oklahoma Private high schools in Oklahoma Schools in Enid, Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-school-stub

History

Notable students

See also

References

External links