The Turlock Free Will Baptist Church is the oldest of its kind in the state, and is preparing to celebrate 75 years of rich history and outreach within the city. The first time the church convened was March 22, 1942 with Reverend John Waltman, who moved his family to Turlock from Oklahoma after feeling the need for more churches to be started in the San Joaquin Valley. The church originally met at the Assyrian Hall on East Canal Drive with 19 members, and since it was the first Free Will Baptist church in Northern California, people drove from miles away to attend.