Small Lawton Church Makes Big Health Impac

LAWTON, OKLA. – On the bustling fairgrounds in Lawton,  a small Hispanic church is making a big impact, one child at a time. The Lawton Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Group has worshipped anywhere from a café shop to its current church building during its 14 years of ministry. Its leaders, Eduardo Javier, lay-pastor and his wife, Hitzel, started the church with just two members. In the official books, this church may seem to be struggling, but to its leaders, it is a place where people come to meet God and carry His message around the world.

Those who move to Lawton don’t usually set down roots for more than a couple of years. That has meant little growth for this church—new members come, then move away. The church starts again—disciples new members, then they move away. “We see ourselves as seed planters,” said Hitzel. “God sends people here and then transplants them to bear fruit all over the world! We have members who have moved to Texas, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and even Puerto Rico! God’s word is being spread.”

So how does a church with 16 members on the books make an impact in its community? They pray and trust God. “God, I know this is for You and that You’re not going to let Your Church have a bad name,” Hitzel prayed. “We have a small group who honors You and is willing to help. We just want to show Your love to other people, so You’re going to bring the right people that we need to help.” 

Seeing few resources for children, the church felt called to fill the gap, but with few people and little funds, they knew they needed help. They wanted to do something that was multigenerational and reached out to Sonia Canó, Southwestern Union’s children’s ministries director, for ideas. That’s when the idea for “Healthy You,” a free health expo for kids and adults, was born. God opened doors in a big way for this little church to make a big impact. More than 100 people attended the three-hour health fair, with many asking, “When’s the next one?”

The event took more than a year to plan. The church worked with several partners, including the Lions Club to bring all the medical tests; the Southwestern Union, which provided brand-new clothing and all the banners and supplies for the “Healthy You” program; Yuleidy López from Midwest City Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in Del City, Okla., who brought equipment for the adult stations; a local beauty shop, Impressions of Beauty Academy, which provided free haircuts; the New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church from the Southwest Region Conference and the Lawton Seventh-day Adventist Church, which provided water and healthy snacks for guests; and Julia Shires, the Oklahoma Conference president’s wife, and Damaris and Luis Prieto, Oklahoma Conference hispanic ministries directors, who helped find more volunteers from Oklahoma Adventist churches. With a total of 57 volunteers—including many pastors—this event made a powerful impression in the community.

The children’s portion of the health expo was made just for them, with puppets, crafts and interactive booths to help kids understand big concepts. The church emphasized the importance of starting healthy habits early in life.

Though the trials were many and the stress overwhelming, the team never gave up hope, even when a whole team of doctors and nurses backed out three days before the event. The volunteers prayed even harder—and their prayers were answered! 

“It really surprised me how many people said, ‘Yes! We would love to help!’” commented Hitzel. “The volunteers loved it. We can’t wait to do this program again next year. In fact, we are partnering with the Lions Club to bring ‘Healthy You’ to the military base in September 2025!” 

Best of all, the small church wasn’t left with a big bill. The volunteers, organizations and businesses that they partnered with covered all the costs.

“We want the community to know that we are here and that we care,” Hitzel said. “We want them to know that there is a God who loves them and is ready to save them physically, emotionally and spiritually! We just really want to do what Jesus did for people: care for them and meet their needs. Lord willing, we’ll do this again next year!” 

With prayers and a willing spirit, this small church is proof there is no limit to what God can do in your town.

By Ashley Alipoon

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