An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. ~ Titus 1:6-9
Elders
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Gary Dilworth
Gary has served Wilshire as an elder since 2002. His wife, Ruby, coordinates and serves on the Sonshine Ministry at Wilshire providing a family meal for those in our congregation who have lost loved ones.
Gary's roots are in Hobbs, New Mexico and Ruby is from Mexia, Texas. They met on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University (then OCC). They have been married for 39 years and have one son, Robert.
Preaching the word of God for a span of 44 years, Gary has served churches in a variety of cities including: Memphis, Tennessee, Byhalia, Mississippi, Oklahoma City (36th &Prospect and 48th & Eastern) and Ada, OK (Hammond Heights).
Following a 31 year career at Farmers Insurance Company, Gary retired in 2017.
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Larry Jurney
Larry is Wilshire's longest serving elder, having been appointed in 1997. He is from Detroit, Michigan and his wife, Nancy, is from Florence, Alabama. Larry and Nancy met in Greek class at Lipscomb University and have two children and two grand-children, all of whom worship at Wilshire.
Although Larry's carrier has focused on Christian higher education, he also served churches in Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan and Oklahoma. At Rochester College, he taught for several years and then served as chief academic officer for a decade. In 1985, the family moved to Oklahoma City where Larry now serves as professor at Oklahoma Christian University leading the Communication and Interdisciplinary Studies departments. Until Nancy took early retirement to enjoy grand-children, she was a librarian, primarily serving in public university and city libraries. She loves teaching the two-year old Bible class at Wilshire.
Larry enjoys college football, especially Michigan. He also enjoys trains.
Ever Since Marilyn Dobson put fresh bread on their doorstep during a house-hunting trip and JIm and Anna Wilson made them feel at home, Larry and Nancy have been a part of the Wilshire Family.
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Ryan Newell
Ryan Newell has served as an elder since 2004. Originally from Ohio, he and his wife, Tammy, met at Ohio Valley College in Parkersburg, WV. In 1992, they found their way to Oklahoma Christian where Ryan serves as a psychology professor. He has served as chair of the Psychology and Family Studies Department for the past 13 years.
Ryan also enjoys watching the sports he used to play and is a Cleveland Browns Fan. He also enjoys being an amateru magician and mechanic.
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Bill Rice
Bill is Wilshire's newest elder having been appointed in 2016. He is originally from Rush Springs, Oklahoma and his wife, Mary, is from Lawton, Oklahoma. They married after their second year of college and have been married over 40 years. Bill and Mary have five children and ten grandchildren. Three of their children live in Oklahoma and are members of Wilshire. Two of Bill and Mary's children live in Arkansas.
Bill has worked in the field of software development for 30 years. Mary has a degree in Education and has enjoyed teaching piano lessons since she was in high school.
He's a Sooner football fan and strongly believes the best seats are in his very own family room.
Bill has been blessed to serve as a deacon for six churches. He and Mary became members of Wilshire in 2004 after moving from the Dallas area.
