Former Muskogee High School Assistant Principal Glenn Gardner recalls several teachers who inspired him to commit his life to education.

However, it took the death of his best friend to lead him to a new commitment. Gardner, who retired from MHS in 2009, now is founding pastor of Faith Love Baptist Church, which meets in a two-story house at 527 N. Sixth St.

Gardner, 59, said he probably first felt the call to church work in the 1990s.

“But I accepted the call when something tragic happened,” he said. “My best friend, the best man at my wedding, was killed.”

He said the friend, George McCain of Greenville, Miss., had planned to visit him on his way to Wichita, Kan.

“Then his brother-in-law called and said he was killed instantly,” Gardner said. “I was sad. He was someone so close to me. I began to seek the Lord.”

The answers came through a book written by Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes someone had given him.

“Exactly the questions I asked were in this book,” he said.

He said Derrick Reed, who has a “Joy in the Morning” radio ministry, also helped influence his decision to preach.

As Gardner looks back, though, he recalls many things that influenced him.

 “Every person I met, every disappointment I’ve had prepared me to be a pastor,” he said.

Growing up

in a small town

Glenn Gardner’s first desire was to play left field for the New York Yankees.

“When I was growing up in Summit, we all had ambitions to be professional athletes,” Gardner said. “I loved the game of baseball.”

He said he particularly liked Yankee All-Star switch hitter Tom Tresh. Gardner admitted he, himself, was not as versatile.

“I couldn’t hit a curveball, but a fastball, I could hit,” he said.

Gardner recalled his parents directing his path toward school. He said he was one of six kids in the family; five went on to college.

“We had no running water or indoor restroom, just a well outside. And we did not even have a phone,” he said. “But I appreciate my younger days. They taught me responsibility.”

He said a fourth-grade teacher he recalled as Mrs. Dailey at DuBois Elementary School was the first teacher who influenced him.

“She was a person I grew to respect,” he said. “She put my head on right and gave me direction. And a lot of teachers at Manual Training influenced me to go into education.”



Furthering education

in more ways than one

In 1969, Gardner turned his attention to serving his country, and, like most of his uncles, went into the U.S. Air Force.

“I loved the sky blue color,” he said.

Gardner said he missed having to go to Vietnam because it was mostly fought with “field troopers” in the Army and Marines.

He did face battles of another nature. While serving in Europe, he had a racist sergeant from Mississippi.

“I had not been exposed to what racism was,” Gardner said. “The sergeant gave blacks the roughest detail, the hardest work, like picking up cigarette butts on the sidewalk. That was the first inclination I had that some people didn’t like my skin color.”

After his time in the service, he went to school under the GI Bill. After graduating from Northeastern State University, he got his first teaching job at Checotah High School. He came to Muskogee in 1980 and taught physical education at Pershing Elementary School until 1987. At that time, he applied to be a school administrator. He was moved to Muskogee High School to fill in for a driver’s education instructor who was sick.

He said he was hesitant to go to MHS because of its “rough” reputation.

“I found out that all the things I’d been reading weren’t true at all,” he said. “MHS was one of the top-notch high schools in the area.”

He said he asked to stay at MHS. The position for assistant principal came open in 1991. At MHS, he was in charge of the activity calendar and baccalaureate program.



Faith finds a

home for church

Gardner said he was comfortable being assistant principal. He also was an associate minister at an area Baptist Church from 2003 to 2007.

That was when he “took a step of faith” and got involved with a prison ministry, he said.

Faith Love Baptist Church was established Sept. 5, 2009.

When Gardner was looking for a home for the church, he found a house that had been in his family for years. The church is located in a two-story house with a sweeping front porch, offering a grand view of Arrowhead Mall and downtown Muskogee.

“My aunt had the house and she first used it as an antique shop,” Gardner said. “My aunt said it’s 100 years old.

He said the congregation had been looking for a church home for several months.

“We’d been having meetings at my house, and we prayed about it,” he said. “Other church buildings cost too much and were out of our church budget.”

When the house became available, it was well within the church budget. That was the first of several miraculous bargains.

While shopping for church pews, he found some at a church in south Muskogee and  was quoted a price of “seven-fifty,” which he thought was reasonable, he recalled.

However, what he thought was $750 turned out to be $7.50, he said. “We bought the pews for $65.

Gardner said he got a free pulpit from the pastor of another church. A church member donated air conditioners.

He said his vision for the church includes an after-school program and starting a missionary ministry.

As for the name, Faith Love, Gardner said, “It took faith to step out. With the ‘love,’ my grandmother’s named Lovey Gardner, and we have a lot of love.”

Meet Glenn Gardner

AGE: 59

HOMETOWN: Summit.

EDUCATION: Manual Training High School, 1969; Bachelor’s degree in physical education, Northeastern State University, 1976; Master’s degree in education, 1978.

OCCUPATION: Retired as assistant Muskogee High School principal, 2009; claims examiner, Veteran’s Administration; pastor, Faith Love Baptist Church.

FAMILY: Wife, Virginia Gardner; three grown children, Glenn Jr.; Mykel, Ruth Ann and Nicole.

CHURCH: Faith Love Baptist Church.

HOBBIES: “It used to be playing golf until I hurt my back. Now it’s reading the Bible, serving the Lord and being with family.