BIXBY, Okla. — Transformation Church is a staple in the Bixby community.
It attracts nearly 5,000 people to its services every Sunday and thousands more online — but it's also giving nearby neighbors headaches.
2 News spoke to some of those neighbors – and they said the church band members are making loud bass sounds at all hours of the week. After nearly a month of news gathering, the city got back to us over the weekend with new information about sound remediation efforts happening at the church.
Hope could be on the horizon.
After nearly a month of trying to get information, Bixby's Public Information Officer Bryan Toney emailed 2 News saying Transformation Church agreed to modify weekday rehearsals, use in-ear speakers, and minimize facility speakers. He said the church is also considering the feasibility of moving the stage.
Joshua Williamson's home is directly behind Transformation Church. He's lived there for 11 years — long before the church was there.
The land was home to SpiritBank Event Center, which held concerts every few months. Once Transformation Church was built in 2019, he said their sound system made concerts he used to hear seem quiet.
"I ended up buying noise-canceling headphones. I can feel it. I can't drown out the noise. It sits there in bed with me," Williamson said.
Williamson said he's been listening to loud bass from band members practicing at Transformation Church at random times. He said it rattles his windows and shakes his dishes when he's working from home — eating dinner with his family — or trying to sleep.
He said everyday sound technology, such as a cell phone recording, won't pick up the bass sounds. His neighbor, Jeremy Price, said he hired sound engineers from Tulsa-based Liberty OHM in 2020 to do a study. 2 News contacted them twice but has yet to hear back.
However, Williamson did have a clear video of countless cars constantly honking while leaving the church garage at 10:30 at night after a conference. It's another problem he's been facing since he lives close to the church.
Williamson's neighbor, Karl Shultze, is in the same boat.
"The pastor won't meet with us, the sound people won't meet with us. They'll simply take the tickets, and as soon as the police leave, boom, here it comes again," Schultze said.
2 News made an open records request to Bixby City Attorney Phil Frazier for every ticket and citation Transformation Church received since 2019. He confirmed officers issued 150 citations between September 2019 and October 2023, which resulted in about $12,000 worth of fines and court costs.
We also reached out to Bixby Mayor Brian Guthrie. He said the church underwent extensive sound remediation work in the past, but it didn't produce the results they hoped.
A few weeks ago, he also said, "The city is in a difficult position trying to balance their role in protecting church rights while also protecting nearby residents' quality of life."
Through all of this – Transformation Church has been silent. We've called their main number four times and left voicemails on October 25, 27, 30, and November 7 and 13. In addition, we messaged Lead Pastor Michael Todd on Instagram and called his executive office director twice. We never got a response.
Since their website states they're open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, we also went to Transformation Church - at 1 p.m. last week - to see if they'd talk in person. A security guard said security personnel were the only individuals on-site.
Williamson and Schultz hope what the city says is true so they can return to their lives - stress and sound-free.
Transformation Church purchased the Unit Corporation building for $35 million in 2021. It's where their offices are. As a last resort, we went inside two times and spoke with a woman at the front desk for any staff comment regarding the noise at Transformation Church. She said she received our calls and to leave a business card. We never received a response.
We are waiting on additional details from the city of Bixby regarding the new sound remediation efforts announced.
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