St. Aidan's was born from a merger of two older Episcopal churches, St. Mark's and St. Thomas, both located on Tulsa's north side. St. Thomas was established in 1926 by Father James J.H. Reedy. Only five years after the devastating race massacre in Tulsa, St. Thomas served as a segregated Episcopal parish for the African American community. St. Mark's was founded as a mission of Trinity Parish to serve the white blue-collar community of Tulsa's north side. It was 1952 and "Jim Crow" laws were widely accepted by the Tulsa community. 

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St. Mark's originally met at the Blue Moon nightclub on north Cincinnati, across from what is now St. Simeon's Senior Living Community.  The Rev. E. L. Hoover, a young assistant at Trinity, was put in charge of St. Mark's, and became its first Vicar. St. Mark's first few years are chronicled in an article entitled, "Blue Moon and a Pink Piano," in an article published in The Living Church. St. Mark's members arrived at the popular nightclub every Sunday morning and proceeded to unload the altar, crosses, candlesticks, Hymnals and Prayer Books, as well as clean the restrooms, which were always in dreadful condition after the Saturday night revelry!  The altar was set up on the dais where the band performed at night, and vied for space with a grand piano painted a shocking pink and covered with pink sparkles. By 1959. St. Mark's had moved into it's new home, the site of what is now St. Aidan's parish hall. 

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The fact that there were two northside churches - St. Mark's and St. Thomas's– was representative of Tulsa's racial segregation and the artificial mode of living in the first sixty years of the twentieth century, enforced by the Jim Crow laws of Tulsa, and all the South.  But a change was coming: it was a time of cultural, political, and social upheaval that would sweep the nation and find its way to a still racially divided Tulsa. 

 

Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, St. Mark's was still principally a Caucasian, predominantly blue-collar congregation. At that same time, St. Thomas's was still principally an African American, predominantly white-collar and academic congregation. By 1968 both congregations were faced with dwindling membership and finances.  Oklahoman Diocesan Bishop Chilton Powell suggested that in order for both congregations to survive, they should consider a merger.  Difficult decisions would need to be made. 

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The Rev. Arthur D. Tripp was by then Rector of St. Mark's, and the Assistant Rector was the Rev. Donald L. Jackson.  The Rev. P. Richard Whiteside and the Rev. David Landholt shared responsibility for St. Thomas's Church. When the idea of a proposed merger began brewing, clergy from both churches worked together, along with several lay representatives. There were meetings to talk about the idea of a merger. There was, understandably, some reluctance, some hostility, and a certain amount of fear on the part of both churches' members. There was consensus that this should not be something that was, as the marriage liturgy says, "entered into lightly or unadvisedly." Everyone wanted very much to proceed slowly, carefully, and thoughtfully . .. and with fervent prayer that the Holy Spirit might guide them to make wise decisions.

 

The two congregations met periodically to establish a plan and to set rules for the merger attempt. The decision was made that we would meet for Sunday worship alternately - one month at St. Mark's and the next month at St. Thomas's. This plan was followed for about one year and it gave each congregation a chance to evaluate one of two major decisions - which church building would be the eventual home of our merged congregation?

 

Loyalties, of course, were strong in each church, and it was a painful time of decision-making. St. Thomas's, with its English-style small church, was aesthetically more appealing to many people. St. Mark's, with its somewhat stark, 1950's modern architecture, was less appealing to some. But land and parish house space had to be considered too. By this time, St. Mark's had converted the original church to a parish hall and had built the present church we worship in today. The lot at St. Thomas's was modest in size and there was no chance for expansion. St. Mark's, on the other hand, had a large amount of land, a vicarage, parish hall, and office space, plus an ample parking lot.  Eventually, the decision was painfully arrived at - the permanent home of the new congregation should be at the St. Mark's property.

 

Now came the second major decision - what to call the new church?  Should it be a hyphenated name? And if so, should it be St. Mark's and St. Thomas's or St. Thomas's and St. Mark's? After much discernment (and debate!), the decision was made that there would be less dissension if a new name were chosen.  So then...what would be the new name?  Every member was invited to submit a name suggestion. Several names were submitted. Ultimately, at the suggestion of founding member Joyce Anderson Jackson and with agreement from both congregations, the newly merged church would be named for Saint Aidan.

 

St. Aidan was a missionary in the north of England, born in the year 590. He was a monk at the monastery in lona (founded in 563 by St. Columba), off the west coast of Scotland. One of his fellow monks had gone to Northumbria in the north of England and had met with total failure in bringing Christianity to the people there. When he came back to Iona and reported the lack of response, Aidan showed wisdom and compassion about how to evangelize "the heathen people of the north of England." As a result, Aidan was chosen by the Saxon king to go to Northumbria himself and become a missionary there. He was released from the monastery and was consecrated Bishop in 633. He brought his helpers from Iona, and King Oswald gave him the Island of Lindisfarne to establish a center for converting and civilizing the people of the north. St. Aidan died in 651 and is buried at Lindisfarne, which is off the northeast coast where England and Scotland meet. St. Aidan's day is observed on August 31.

 

As was becoming the tradition in the Diocese of Oklahoma at that time, St. Aidan’s seemed a rightful choice for the newly merged congregation.  St. Dunstan’s and what was St. Columba’s were named after Anglican Saints.      

 

Like any merger in life, the joining of the two congregations was not without some difficulty.  Both original congregations each lost some members who did not agree with the course of the merger.  Many who were there state that the process of becoming a new church family was slow at best.  Still, there was a spirit of mutual acceptance by those who remained steadfast and a feeling that, despite some difficult times, the new church would emerge as a stronger, more effective Christian witness on Tulsa's north side. Eventually, St. Thomas's property was sold to another church. The building is still there and is now the home of New Life Family Church.  If you go to that location, you will still see the St. Thomas cornerstone to this day.

 

The diversity at St. Aidan's has been one of its strong points from the very beginning and remains so today. Now at St. Aidan's, members come from all parts of Tulsa and surrounding towns, as well as from all walks of life.  With a healthy appreciation for the past, St. Aidan's is dedicated to its mission of faithfully seeking to be a diverse Christian community centering its life on the worship of God, love for all people, and outreach to the community.

 

Many wonderful clergy have served St. Aidan’s since 1973, including the Rev. Richard E. Brewer, the Rev. Frankie Easter, the Rev. Carl Robohm, the Rev. Massud Syedullah, the Rev. Neil MacIntosh, the Rev. Holly Ratcliffe, the Rev. Edie Bird, the Rev. John C. Powers, the Rev. Mary Alexander Davis, the Rev. Gail Keeney-Mulligan, and the Rev. William Holly.  Fr. Holly served as both Vicar of St. Aidan’s and as Chaplain at St. Simeon’s Senior Living Community. 

 

After Fr. Holly’s retirement and following the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bishop’s Committee of St. Aidan’s called the Rev. William “Skip” Eller, III to serve as the next Vicar of St. Aidan’s in February 2022.  A graduate of the Iona School of Formation, Fr. Skip serves as a bi-vocational priest, both the Vicar of St. Aidan’s and the Director of Education and Development for Manhattan Construction Company.  While Fr. Skip, along with Deacon Steve Lewis and Deacon Nancy Brown, share their pastoral gifts with St. Aidan’s, it is truly the dedication and ministry of its congregants who continue to nurture and grow the community and allow St. Aidan’s to thrive 50 years after the merger.  

 

As it was written in 2003 for the 30th Anniversary of St. Aidan’s, it is still meaningful and relevant for the 50th Anniversary of St. Aidan’s: “the spirit of St. Aidan’s remains very true to its origins – a place of unity, open to all people, no matter their background, where love abounds to and for the Glory of God!” ​​​