This will be the first of articles that will appear on a semi-regular basis, permitting readers a glimpse of residential life within Cordell’s Baptist Village. I became acquainted with The Village in 1983 when I heard that the pastor of the local Baptist church was generating some interest in raising a bit of local financial donations to encourage the building of a local Baptist Village.
By the middle of 1984, The Baptist Village Dream had become a fact and reality. My mother had become one of its first residents. My family and I became regular visitors with Mama during the next twenty-four-plus years. In all that time, I never once considered that I would someday become a resident here myself. Things do happen! My wife, Linda, and I made the move to Cordell Baptist Village in 2013.
This article and future ones will obviously be colored by my own residential experience of the last ten years, but I will attempt to remain objective about it. Initially, the first idea that took some getting used to for the community was that the Village didn’t belong to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. It was the property and under the management of Integris Healthcare. It soon became home to about fifty citizens of western Oklahoma.
Over the years, the number of residents has fluctuated, and several managers have come and gone.
Through all of the moves and changes, the Baptist Village has been home to a large number of people.
One latest change the Village experienced occurred a few years ago when the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) assumed its ownership and management. We were assured that it would be a seamless transition; however, I do not think that the new operators realized that Integris Healthcare had utilized a hands-off management system.
The residents are still adjusting to that change and others of the last few years. One of the worst adjustments in our lives to come along was the pandemic caused by the Covid 19 viral situation.
No one, including our government or the BGCO management of Baptist Villages, understood what was happening nor what to do or what not to do, but most of us survived in spite of all of that. The residents of the Baptist Village of Cordell are settled in, comfortable, and pretty well content. Currently, there are fifty-plus residents and some available apartments. I can testify that this is a good place to live, and it is economical. Rent is fair in price, and utilities are very reasonable.
This evening we all attended a scheduled meeting for the residents with our manager. She shared several concerns and some plans for changes in the future. We will have to wait and see what is in our future. My hope is that the changes will be more beneficial for the residents rather than a public demonstration of activity by ownership and administration.
That is all for this week.
- Charlie (CSap) Sappington