REV. DR. WILLIAM MASON

Rev. Dr. William Mason began his ministry with the United Methodist Church in June of 1964, and has been dedicated ever since. His first assignment was the Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and under his leadership, the church grew from 118 members to 5,250 members by 1993. Along with the population growth, the budget also grew from $10,000 to an excess of $2.5 million.

Rev. Mason has been quite active during his years of service. In the 1980’s, he led a drive to petition the Quik-Trip fast food stores in Tulsa to remove all pornographic materials from their shelves. They agreed to his request and to this day, none of their 61 stores carry these items. In addition to his petition to that chain, Rev. Mason has spoken from the pulpit against sexually explicit movies and television programs. He encourages his congregation to write letters of protest to this type of entertainment. He feels very strongly about the moral decline in our country and never hesitates to speak out about its effects on our young people and the adults.

Rev. Mason also served as a member of the Alcoholism Advisory Council l of the State Department Board of Mental Health, and was a member of the Mayor’s Council on Alcoholism of Tulsa. He opened the church doors in 1965 to AA, Al-Anon, and Alateen meetings. The church also provided office space from 1984 to 1989 for Destination Discovery, an organization that provides programs for latchkey children in three large apartment complexes. Through his encouragement, a tutoring program has been ongoing every week for these youth at his church. In addition, the Meals on Wheels operates out of the church kitchen three days per week to serve south Tulsa.

In 1977, Rev. Mason was instrumental in getting Tulsa to host a citywide Leighton Ford Crusade and in bringing the Bill Gothard Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts to Tulsa. He also served on the Governor’s Committee on Ethics in Government, the Board of Tulsans for Community Values, and the Board of the American Red Cross of Tulsa. This seems to be quite a resume of service, but it does not end here. Rev. Mason was also very active in the Southeast Rotary Club of Tulsa, and upon his retirement from the full-time ministry was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by his fellow Rotarians. Rev. Mason is also highly involved in hospital visitation; it is one of his highest priorities. Each day, he goes to several Tulsa area hospitals visiting with anyone who asks for a Protestant minister.

Oral Roberts University honored Rev. Mason on May 1, 1977 with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity, and on May 15, 1982 he was honored with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from Oklahoma City University in recognition of his many contributions to his church, the city of Tulsa, and the state of Oklahoma. Rev. Mason retired in June of 1993, but he continues to be an integral part of the Tulsa community. He was named Pastor Emeritus of Asbury United Methodist Church in 1995 because of his outstanding service.