Rev. R. D. Whalen

On May 2, 1930, Robert Daniel was born to Martin and Josephine Whalen at their home in Columbus, Ohio. His father was a staunch Roman Catholic and his mother simply a Protestant with no religious affiliation.

When “Bobby” was three months old, his mother received the Acts 2:38 experience, much to his father’s dismay. However, a year and a half later, his father was baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking with other tongues. They attended the Apostolic Gospel Church pastored by W.T. Witherspoon.

Robert Whalen was privileged to grow up under the dynamic teaching and preaching of his much loved and respected Pop Witherspoon. When he was eleven years old, he gave his first Bible study during a daily Vacation Bible School. At the age of twelve, he was baptized in water and at the age of fourteen was baptized with the Holy Ghost.

In October 1948 Brother Whalen enrolled in the Apostolic Bible Institute, where he again sat under a master teacher, Brother S. G. Norris. It was here he met Gerry Kelly, the love of his life, and they were married by Brother Norris on August 5, 1950. They graduated together in 1951 but remained in St. Paul another year for Brother Whalen to take a post-graduate course. During that year their first child, Sally Jean, was born on December 16, 1951.

In the fall of 1951, he received his first license with the UPC, a general license through the Ohio District, signed by General Superintendent Howard Goss, Assistant General Superintendent Oscar Vouga, General Secretary Stanley Chambers, and Ohio Superintendent Ralph G. Cook.

In the spring of 1952, after much prayer, he moved his little family to Ohio, while waiting on God to open a door—but every door closed. After preaching a few revivals and weekend services and doing odd jobs, he attended the General Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. There, he was introduced to Brother C. A. Nelson, Oklahoma District Superintendent, who immediately said, I have a church for you in Oklahoma. Very reluctantly, Brother Whalen agreed to preach for the little Home Missions church in Ardmore. That weekend the Lord miraculously let him know without a shadow of a doubt that this was to be his field of labor. The Whalens moved to Ardmore in November 1952. He was ordained into the ministry at the Oklahoma District Conference in Claremore in March 1954 by Assistant General Superintendent Oliver F. Fauss.

While in Ardmore, two more children were born to the Whalens: Patricia Lea on December 5, l954, and Robert Stuart on July 2, 1958. When their baby boy was just four days old, Oklahoma Superintendent M. D. Deal called to tell Brother Whalen he had been unanimously elected pastor of the Southeast UPC in Oklahoma City. Having the assurance that this was the will of God, they began their pastorate in Oklahoma City in August 1958, and continued there until retiring January 1, 1996.

At their first sectional conference R.D. Whalen was elected to a sectional office and thereafter almost continually held an office. He served as sectional youth secretary and youth leader, then district youth secretary. In 1962 he was elected district presbyter, continuing in this office until elected district superintendent in 1983. He remained superintendent for eighteen years until he retired in 2001.

Before becoming district superintendent, Brother Whalen was the first elected executive presbyter of the South Central Region in 1977, at the General Conference in Indianapolis.

Since 1983, he had been on the Tupelo Children’s Mansion Board of Directors, serving as vice-chairman of the board during Brother James Lumpkin’s tenure as chairman. After retiring from most positions, he was honored and humbled to be pastor emeritus of his former congregation, now the Southern Oaks UPC of Oklahoma City, and to be an honorary member of both the Oklahoma District Board and the General Board of the UPCI.

He passed from this life on July 12, 2020.