In Memoriam: Five years later, the David Emigh legacy

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

David Wayne Emigh was born on October 2, 1952 to Clyde Nelson Emigh and Eula Mae (Walker) Emigh and passed away June 15, 2011.

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, David had six siblings in Nina, Clyde, Janet, Brenda, Ralph, and Teresa. He graduated Tulsa Central High School and enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, he attended Rhema Bible Training Center and graduated in 1977.

He first entered into the ministry at Calvary Temple Assembly of God in Tulsa, serving in the bus ministry and street evangelism outreach. He briefly pastored a church in Missouri, but God called him to “go to Sand Springs, start a New Testament church, and from there you'll touch the world.”

Word of Life Fellowship started out in a storefront with fourteen people, including my mother Teri, and her late husband Steve. The old church building at 10th and Adams is now the home of the church’s youth ministry, Forward.

The current Word of Life location at 1402 North 81st West Avenue was built about seven years after the start of the church and has since had extra space added on to the building. The church celebrated thirty-five years this February and September 11th will mark five years since current pastor Chad Stewart was voted in after David’s untimely death.

In David’s thirty years of ministry, he built a church of more than 800 members and helped start hundreds of churches across the world.

For decades David authored a magazine that the church published and sent to followers in 80 nations. He also wrote three books: “Knowing The Father,” “The Holy Spirit: Two Occurrences,” and “The Fourfold Blessing of the Tithe,” while maintaining a daily radio broadcast for more than twenty years that reached thousands of people across the state.

Word of Life has helped start hundreds of churches in Africa, Burma, and the Philippines and financially supports nearly a hundred churches worldwide.

He also founded the nonprofit Life Ministerial Fellowship International, which provided leadership and counsel to pastors and church leaders worldwide.

He was married to Sharon Maxey Emigh and had two children, Amanda and Phillip, and one granddaughter, Macy. In his spare time he enjoyed fishing, riding his motorcycle, and spending time with his granddaughter.