The History of Oneighty

To fully appreciate the brief but exciting history of Oneighty, we must journey back in time to its foundations. It began with Willie George, pastor of Church on the Move, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pastor George is a man who has always had a heart for young people. As a youth pastor in the early 1970s, he was instrumental in leading hundreds of teenagers to Christ during the “Jesus Movement” which swept through the Texas panhandle.

In the 1980s, he was responsible for launching Fire By Nite, a television program which blazed a new trail in Christian television and youth ministry. Blaine Bartel, trained under Pastor George’s ministry, hosted this dynamic program, and helped develop materials, curriculum and conferences for youth leaders and teenagers. During this process, Fire By Nite helped give birth to many other wonderful youth ministries, including Teen Mania Ministries.

In 1987, Pastor George founded Church on the Move which reached over 16,000 people in attendance before its 12th birthday. Having seen tremendous success in reaching thousands of young people on a national scale, Pastor George longed to see the same kind of results in his own youth group and surrounding area.

It was out of this desire that on October 18, 1995, Oneighty was born. With a deep, personal commitment of time, energy and finances, Pastor George began to develop a program and facility which blended strong spiritual development with an attractive teenage environment. The results have been outstanding. Within a matter of months, the youth group mushroomed from 250 to 500 teenagers every Wednesday night.

November 6, 2002, saw the grand opening of a brand new, 92,000 square foot facility. Nearly 2,500 students attended this historic event. Each service is designed to meet the specific spiritual needs of students in their current stages of life.