Bailey Delivered Chapel Address Nov. 29

Wayne Bailey, pastor of the Grace Indian Baptist Church in Calera, Oklahoma, delivered the chapel address Nov. 29 in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium. His message continued the chapel series “Following Jesus: Understanding and Responding to the Call of Christ.”

Bailey used Hebrews 11: 24-26 to illustrate the joy found in obedience to Christ. According to Bailey, this passage shows that Moses was willing to sacrifice his royalty to become a slave in obedience to God. Moses considered the value of God to be greater than all of the treasures in Egypt. Bailey claimed that Moses saw his sacrifice as a promotion, and not as punishment.

Bailey was born and raised in Los Angeles. When he was 17 years old, Bailey responded to the call of Christ and accepted Him as his savior. After completing high school, Bailey attended Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. While at Bacone, Bailey met his wife, Susi, and the two were married in May of 1963.

At Bacone, Bailey received an “All-American” award as a pitcher. His success landed him an offer from Oklahoma Baptist University to attend on an athletic scholarship. While at OBU, Bailey was called to the ministry and began serving as the pastor for the Sallateeska Indian Mission. He was ordained to the ministry in 1964.

In 1964, Bailey was completing an English final in Shawnee Hall when a pilot flew an airplane into one of the few empty classrooms. Though the pilot was killed, no OBU students or employees suffered an injury. Bailey joked that he is back on campus now, 50 years later, to complete his English final.

Bailey previously pastored the American Indian Baptist Church of San Francisco and the First Indian Baptist Church of South Gate, California. While in California, he was afforded the opportunity to witness and preach on “The Rock,” during the Native American occupation of Alcatraz. In 1983, he started the Gracemont Indian Mission in Tulsa.

Bailey and his wife moved to Alaska to pastor the First Native Baptist Church in Anchorage in 1987, and Susi passed away in March of 1999. Bailey and his wife had four children: two boys and two girls. He currently serves as the pastor of Grace Indian Baptist Church in Calera, Oklahoma and as the director of the Choctaw/Chickasaw Family Camp in Talihina, Oklahoma.

Bailey left OBU students with a challenge to pursue Christ above all else.

“Remember,” he said. “He who loses his life for [Jesus’s] sake shall find it.”