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Church History
Dr. Donald O'Neil Tyler became the pastor of what was then Grace Apostolic Temple, Inc. on October 2, 1998.
On June 18, 2000, Dr. Tyler was elevated to the office of District Elder in the Oklahoma State Council, Inc., and in June 2001, he was elevated to the office of Suffragan Bishop in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. Dr. Tyler served as 2nd Vise Chairman of the Oklahoma State Council and he is currently the Auxiliary Director for the Minister's, Deacon's, Trustee's, Wives and Evangelist Auxiliary.
As Dr. Tyler began to preach the Gospel of Salvation via radio and television broadcasts, people from surrounding communities were drawn by the preached word. As the Lord gave him the vision to minister to neighboring communities, he began to send forth the Grace Outreach Ministry Team with flyers of upcoming services in Bartlesville, and Muskogee. Those in nearby in Coweta, Oklahoma were affected and the entire CME church was baptized in Jesus name.
The church rapidly grew from about 30 members to over 300 in less than two years. It was at that time the Lord came to Dr. Tyler, “If you build it, they will come”. Construction of Greater Grace Temple began in December 2001, now located at 1010 East 56th Street North. The late Senior District Elder W. H. Black had purchased over 13 acres of land located behind the current church. The Board and members of Grace took on the task of building a new church. They hired a fellow Christian and friend Charlie Daniels to build “Greater Grace”. After applying at several banks and being rejected over a half of dozen times, Dr. Tyler did not give up. The church finally was granted a loan from the Oklahoma National Bank of Tulsa for half the cost of the construction. Dr. Tyler and First Lady Marcia Tyler then donated the remaining half of the money need to complete the construction of Greater Grace. It was officially completed in February 2003 after numerous battles and sacrifices. The first service at Greater Grace was February 23, 2003 and since that date many souls have been baptized “In Jesus Name” and filled with the Holy Ghost.
Dr. Tyler has baptized over a thousand souls and the congregation has continued to rapidly grow. Within the forty thousand square foot building, is a ministry of outreach to Tulsa. What is within comes out to meet the needs of the people of God.
Due to rapid church growth, Dr. Tyler was forced to retire from the United Parcel Service in April of 2003, and is now a full-time pastor. Dr. Tyler continues to work tirelessly for the ministry, and partners with several organizations in the community, extending beyond the norm of a religious mandate through the following:
- Homeownership Education
- Shining Star Christmas Toys
- Refuge Groups
- Immunization Coalition
- Fall Flu Shot Event
- “Out of the Bottle” Addiction Program
- H.E.A.T. (Highly Energized Anointed Teens)
- EMBRACE Senior Ministry
Dr. Tyler founded the Greater Grace Foundation which impacts the community through the computer lab for students, tutoring, elementary school mentorship, as well as a food program. In addition, accredited Bible courses are offered each week under the instruction of Dr. Tyler.
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