Holdenville (OK) Methodist Church Pastors

The first Methodist work in the area of Holdenville, Hughes Co., Oklahoma is thought to have begun in 1896.  That is when it is thought the first church was organized in that community. 

According to Turner’s History of the Methodist Church in Holdenville, 1897-1952, the first church organized in Holdenville was the Methodist Episcopal (1896-1910).  A retrospective article in the Holdenville Times of Jan.23,1903 indicated that in March of 1896 they first met in the Choctaw Depot (Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad)  in service with a Rev. King or Fling.  They were formally organized in the same place a year later with a Rev. Woodson. Charter members were listed as the family (wife and daughter) of J. Smith, Mrs. Joe Northrup, Mrs. Frank Lowe, and Mrs. D. Lowe.

A wooden frame building on East 8th Street was dedicated in February of 1897.  In 1913 the building was sold to the Episcopal Church (see photos here) as the Methodist Episcopal Church withdrew its work in Holdenville. The 'northern' church did so with sadness as they had desire to do so much work in the state but were hindered by lack of resources.  The so-called Methodist Episcopal North would come back into the area in 1921.

 

In 1923, however, the two Methodist groups proactively decided to unite with some joining the other Methodist church and some deciding to go elsewhere. This merger reflected the  groundswell desires among many Oklahoma Methodists that there should be just one church. It was a feeling not to be reflected in denominational structures until 1939 when the three largest Methodist groups in America were the Methodist Episcopal (M.E.), the Methodist Episcopal, South (M.E.,S) and the Protestant (M.P.) united to form the new Methodist Episcopal Church (M.E.C.).

 

Names Found for the Methodist Episcopal Church:

Founded: March 1896

1896 - Rev. King or Fling

1896 -Rev. Woodson

1897 (ca.)- Rev. Weems

1921 - J.A. Lanning

? - R.A. Bingham

Names Found for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South:

Founded: Spring 1897

1897 - A.S.J. Haygood [Charter members are believed to be: James L. Adair, L.B. Henderson and family, Mrs. Robert (Ida Barnard) McFarlin, Mrs. W.J. Red, Mrs. Thomas E. (Laura Larue) Neal, and Mrs. C.W. Polk]

1898-S.M. Bryce

1899- T.O. Shanks

1901- A.C. Pickens

1902 - J.H. Granville or Glanville

1903 - J.I. Bray [In 1903 Trustees rec'd patent for parts of lots 1-6 in Block 44 to build a church. The paperwork was filed in Muskogee, I.T. according to Turner's work. Names included James L. Adair, James B. Lusk, Harry D. Holman, Samuel Checote, and Motie (sic) Tiger]

1904- Robert Hodgson

1905 -C.F. Mitchell

1906 - E.L. Massey

1907 - T.I. Mellon

1908- C.S. Walker

1911- R.K. Triplett

1913 - E.T. Campbell

1914-Luther Roberts

1915- Luther Roberts

1915-L.B. Ellis

1916-D.H. Aston

1919-1921 - Sidney H. Babcock

1922 -J.E. McConnell

1923- J.C. Curry

1926 -W.S. Vanderpool

1928 - Hugh Kelso

1930- T.R. Morehead

1931-1934 - Sidney Babcock

1936-1939 - John D. Salter

1940-1943- John A. Callan

1944- C.L. Crippin

1945-1947 - H.H. Cody

1948- 1950- W.L. Blackburn

1951- 1954- J.C. Harris

1955 -N. Grady Ross