About Us
OUR HISTORY
THE HISTORY OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
BIXBY, OKLAHOMA
1899 Thirty-one church members first began meeting together, probably in a schoolroom. H.P. Lasley was assigned to the Bixby circuit by the Okmulgee District.
1900 The Church building was erected where Brassfield Elementary School now stands.
1905 The Bixby and Haskell churches, which were on the same circuit, joined together. There were two Methodist Episcopal churches in Bixby, one in the north part of town and one in the south part. The North Church, as it was called, was located in a little white building at 77 East Breckenridge Street.
1908 The South Church moved into a new brick schoolhouse on the land where C. E. Gray Elementary School now stands.
1909 A new concrete block church was built at 107 North Stanley, east of the railroad tracks in downtown Bixby.
1925 The Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church urged the two churches to combine. The conference ordered the South Church to sell its building, and members were asked to attend the North Church. The building was sold to the Assembly of God congregation, which still uses the building today.
1939 The North and South Methodist Churches came together with the former Methodist Protestant Church. The new church was simply called the Methodist Church.
1955 A new church building was erected. Church members made many sacrifices to build this new church. Many hours were spent on bended knees, not only in prayer, but also sanding, painting and varnishing.
1960 The fellowship hall was added to the church building.
1962 A new brick parsonage was built where the little white building of the North Church once stood.
1968 Methodists and Evangelical United Brethren Churches merged to form the present denomination, the United Methodist Church.
1970 The second floor of the educational wing was added.
1986 A new parsonage was purchased at 118th and Mingo.
1988 The Daily family donated half of an office building located north of the church.
The Ellard family gave the old post office building to the church for further expansion. It was enlarged and remodeled and was named Ellard Fellowship Hall.
Bill Ramsey and his wife, Donna, donated a building to the north of the church which became the home for the scouts and Mission Center.
1991 The other side of the Daily office was purchased from Lynn Jones. The building was remodeled to become a youth building and became named the Daily/Guthrie Youth building.
1996 God provided, a leading church growth expert, to help us assess our needs. God communincated hopes, dreams, needs and stirred passion for His work, through His Church Body at Cottage Meetings.
1997 The Parsonage at 118th and Mingo was sold because it was no longer needed. God directed us to a church-wide model for prayer and discerment. God communicated with us and we communicated with Him through daily prayer calendars, prayer nights and prayer vigils.
1998 The Congregation was given 40 acres by Dr. J.C. Devine with the purchase of an additional 32 acres and homesite adjacent to the gift. This land is approximately three blocks east of the church location at that time. The residence on this property was remodeled and is now the parsonage.
Bill Ramsey offered to donate an additional 50 acres between 151st an 161st on Memorial Drive for a new Sanctuary.
1999 A Master’s Plan Committee was established to study the needs of the church and make recommendations for utilization of the new property. God continued to communicate with us and we communicated with Him through daily prayer calendars and through prayers in the sanctuary during all meetings of The Master's Plan Committee and during all church-wide discussions.
2004 Ground was broken for the new church on the Memorial location. The old church building and the Youth building were sold to the county to become a new library.
2006 The membership moved into the new facility, with the first service on August 28, 2006.
2007 The Ellard location was sold to Cookie Advantage.
2008 The choir loft was expanded, airlock doors were added to the north entrances, and a football field was added to the west to accommodate the Upward flag football program.
