About Us

OWBC is a multicultural body of believers for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We stand firm on the belief that "Your way is not the way, until you have tried God's way which is the only way." As we press forward in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we strive to impact the community through Outreach, Worship, Biblical Education, and Christian Fellowship which represents our call letters OWBC.

History

The impact of OWBC on the community was evident in the steady growth of her membership. Individuals and families travel from the Austin, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander and Round Rock communities to share in this new work. By September 1996, the Lord led OWBC to team up with the Fellowship at Forest Creek, formerly named Trinity Baptist Church, as they adopted this new work and became our mother church. With this newly established relationship OWBC joined the Williamson Baptist Association (WBA) and the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). This move directed by the Lord afforded the One Way Baptist Church to begin accomplishing even greater things for the glory of God. Despite renovations, the rapid growth in membership exceeded the 75 member capacity of the carport. On October 10, 1996 OWBC began having two Sunday Morning Worship services which took place until February 1997. Over that short period of time God continued to add to His church, “such as that shall be saved” (Acts 2:47).

It was quite certain the Lord had His hand on this small congregation of believers in that the next move was to find a larger facility to accommodate the additional growth of the church. After much prayer and seeking God’s guidance and direction, the Pastor along with one of the current members, pursued opportunities for a new church home. A door was opened through the St. Richard’s Episcopal Church and their pastor, Father Seth Deleery. St. Richard’s was preparing to move into their new edifice further east on Highway 79. The two churches held a meeting and as a result, OWBC was able to lease the property of St. Richard’s. By February 23, 1997, the new home of OWBC became 655 E. Palm Valley Blvd., Round Rock, Texas.

However, as we look back to where our church started, we can see that God was directing every move. The Palm Valley location was certainly a reflection of the OWBC name. East of Interstate 35, located in a cul-de-sac accessible by a single bridge, the campus provided only “one way in, one way out.” This did not happen by incident, accident, luck or chance. We see this as the providence of God at work. It was through God’s sovereignty that he directed and allowed the door to open through St. Richard’s Episcopal Church. The “one way in, one way out” entrance to this location became a testimony and a pleasant reminder of how God has made provisions to endorse our church efforts to represent Him. It’s all about God, who has provided a way to reconcile mankind unto Himself. Salvation was made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is one way into God’s holy presence, one way to spend eternal life with the Father through His son Jesus Christ.

In four years and eight months the Lord allowed OWBC to grow at this location. In October of 1999, we were also able to phase out all outside financial support and was officially recognized through the WBA as a full-fledge operating church. Growth was eminent that a second service was needed. Therefore, as of April 2000 OWBC went to a two service format. In every facet of our church the Lord was blessing our congregation. New ministries were added, more leaders were needed and God developed new people to help this church meet the needs of those He was sending to partake in this work. No longer identified as a mission, OWBC was growing numerically, financially, and spiritually. It was definitely time to begin thinking about a permanent place to call home. A prayer team was established to seek God’s direction once again. Also a project committee team was assembled to find potential real-estate opportunities within the Williamson County area because of our growth and the need to secure a permanent location. After many months of praying and planning meetings, eight acres of land was considered as the future home for OWBC.

Plans were being made on how this land would be utilized and what would actually be necessary for the first phase of our church. However, God saw it necessary to navigate the direction of OWBC in a different way. A church in the Round Rock area placed their facility up for sale. OWBC diligently believed God for what He had already made available – eight acres of land east of Interstate 35, but the church facility that was for sale was west of Interstate 35. “Cast your net on the other side” (John 21:6) just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. Therefore we cast our net on the other side of Interstate 35 and followed the Lord’s direction. The One Way Baptist Church as of September 30, 2001 was blessed with 2.7 acres of land; 10,000 sq. ft. fully furnished facility in Round Rock on 2107 Hairy Man Road with a 2000 sq. ft. church parsonage. Obedience to the Holy Spirit brought results beyond our expectations.

By prioritizing God and diligently seeking Him in all that we do, “The Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). OWBC continues to grow, spiritually and numerically to make a difference for the glory of God. As we moved toward our first year anniversary in our new facility, many accomplishments were made since God placed us in a new community to make a difference. As of September 1, 2002 we have added a Youth Worship to an already power-packed Youth Ministry. This addition has provided our youth with an atmosphere to worship God in a setting that’s conducive to their learning. As a result of a growing church new to the community, plans for expanding the youth area were necessary to prepare for the future of One Way and the Youth Ministry.

In October 2003 some positive and necessary modifications to the church foyer and extensions to our parking lot were made by the end of the year. As we exited the old to embrace the new, we began the New Year looking to “achieve more in 2004” with renovations in the main sanctuary. Four beautiful stain glass windows that were visible from the exterior and internally covered with sheet rock by the previous owner were uncovered to welcome natural light and add character to the sanctuary. Chandeliers and ceiling fans were installed as a touch of elegance and additional cooling in the sanctuary. Due to the growth of our choirs, the platforms were extended and rails were installed. One hundred new chairs were purchased to seat additional choir members and congregational overflow. Pastor’s office was also included in this phase of modifications with new paint, plants, railing on the stairway, reupholstered chairs, and other furniture items. In addition, a new computer for the administrative office, network server and 6 computers for the finance room were purchased. All modifications took place during the first quarter of 2004. What a blessing to see the enhancements that have taken place here at our facility. It is exciting as we continue to transform our place of worship in a way that contributes to the “One Way.” The transformations of the OWBC facility truly magnify the goodness of God and how He continues to “enlarge our territory.”

As the year progressed, in June of 2004 construction began for the 1,750 sq. ft. multipurpose center. On Sunday, August 8, 2004 an official dedication service was held to celebrate our new OWBC Center. The primary purpose of the center was to provide our youth with a larger facility for their worship service which fulfilled our long-term goal to expand our youth area. It provides and creates more classroom space, remedies our drainage problem of accumulating water in the parking area and opens more opportunities for future activities. As we continue to step out on faith to do even greater work for the glory of God, it is imperative that we expand our efforts in fulfilling the vision. With expansion comes growth and the need for additional administrative support. A portion of the foyer was converted to create a secretarial office to accommodate the increasing needs of a growing body for Christ. In our efforts to secure this secretarial position, an appeal was made to the congregation for applicants. Many other projects were also fulfilled during the second quarter.

The year 2006 marks 10 years of service in the Lord, and we can’t take any credit for what has happen other than, we are God’s instrumentality working to make a difference where He has placed us. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).