Capturing Our Faith: A Historical Photo Gallery

For more than 40 years, ONEMOVEMENT BIBLE CHURCH (OMBC) has been under the faithful leadership of Dr. Ivory L. Varner.  At OMBC, the Body of Christ  is continuously taught  to live their lives according to the divine principles taught in the  Word of God—the Holy Bible.

Our story began in December 1979,  when a young and spirit-filled Reverend Ivory L. Varner set out to  organize a Bible teaching, Bible believing church founded on love and fellowship.  The church was originally named
Bible Way Baptist Church with “Fellowship” subsequently included in its name (BWFBC).

On Sunday, December 2, 1979, the church held its first service in the modular home of Pastor Varner and his wife, Mary Polk-Varner, in Dickinson, Texas.  In addition to Pastor Varner, Sister Varner and their two children, Catina and Ivory Lemont, the following founding members also were in  attendance:  the late Genevieve Turner; the late Jean Anderson; Mary  Perryman; Mary Pitts; Helen Smith; Donna Smith; Melvin (Mann) Smith III;  Eura Charles, and Yolanda Stepney.  Gladys Moses was the first member  to join our fellowship that month. 

Our membership grew, and on the first Sunday in January 1980, our church services moved from the  living room of the Varner’s home to McWhirter Elementary School in  Webster, Texas.  Henry Moses was the first male to join our church.   Melvin Smith became the second male to join BWFBC, and he became our first Deacon. 

For several years, BWFBC church services were held  at schools, community centers, recreation centers, a Jr. Achievement  Building, and hotels. In 1994, we purchased our own property at 9000 Frey Road, Houston, Texas, which became the first church home for BWFBC.

BWFBC grew rapidly, and Pastor Varner was hired on a full-time basis. Reverend Alton Ivory was hired as Assistant Pastor to carry out the work  of the ministry.  

In the years since the vision of BWFBC came into fruition, the Reverend Ivory L. Varner became Dr. Ivory L. Varner.  God has blessed BWFBC with the resources to plant several churches, to  expand its role in conducting outreach within the community it serves,  and to conduct mission work abroad in Kazakhstan, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Honduras, Ethiopia, and Israel. 

In 2001, BWFBC acquired its current Worship and Ministry Center at 10120 Hartsook Road, Houston, Texas. The Ministry Center is dedicated in honor of the late Dr. Ronald E. McNair, NASA Astronaut. 

God  has uniquely blessed our church with the awesome vision of “Oneness”. We have coined the phrase “One Church, One Sound, One Powerful  Movement.”  That is God’s desire for His Church. Philippians 2:2 says,  “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same  love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”   We believe that when  we become “One” with God, we will have “Power” from the Holy Spirit and  experience “Movement” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The charge to grow  God’s people from “spiritual infancy” to “spiritual maturity” has been a  priority for the Leadership of BWFBC.  We are committed to “making  disciples of Christ” according to God’s plan.