CATHEDRAL OF THE SOUTH: The First United Methodist Church became known as the “Cathedral of the South??? when it was constructed in 1928. It is located at 11th Street and Boulder Avenue in Tulsa.
First United Methodist Church, a three building complex located at 1115 S. Boulder Avenue in Tulsa, has a long and interesting history. In December 1886 the church was organized in Tulsey Town, Creek Nation, Indian Territory. The church’s original location was in a red brick building at Fifth Street and Boulder Avenue. Ground was broken for the construction of the present day Sanctuary in 1921. Construction of the building’s basement took nearly a year, and at the end of 1921 its completion was celebrated with a parade from the original building to the new one.
According to Dr. Connie Cole Jeske, executive minister and community ministries, “The parade line was so long that people were entering the new building before everyone had left the old one. We have church members today whose ancestors participated in that parade.”
Church sanctuary construction took several years to complete and until its completion church members met in the building’s basement. The Sanctuary was designed by a Philadelphia architecture firm in the gothic style and upon completion in 1928 it was hailed as the “protestant cathedral of the south.” Another moniker that was attached, and has stayed attached to First United Methodist, is “the best wedding church in Tulsa.”
First United Methodist’s membership has steadily increased over the years and currently stands at about 8,000 congregants.“We have a large membership and generally about 2,000 members attend church on Sundays,” says Jeske. The church offers four different Sunday services including a traditional liturgical service and an emerging worship service which, according to Jeske, is part historical traditional and part modern in terms of its music and the more casual atmosphere of the gym where it is located. Jeske says that the emerging worship service is appealing to the church’s younger members who appreciate the more modern style, music and subdued candlelight. Jeske describes the congregation as “a suburban congregation in an urban setting” with members driving in from Jenks and south Tulsa to attend services on Sundays.
First United Methodist’s downtown location offers a spectrum of ministry opportunities. The youth and family center located at Eleventh and Main has been an outreach to the downtown Tulsa business community. It offers a full basketball court, aerobics room and weight room. According to Jeske, “It’s an effective ministry as it draws people who may not ordinarily attend church. It offers them an opportunity to get to know us and our facilities.” Along with the fitness facilities, the church provides meeting space for various civic groups such as the Rotary Club of Tulsa.
In addition to the outreach to Tulsa’s downtown business community, First United Methodist has been successful reaching out to the underserved in the community. Jeske mentions Eugene Field Elementary School in West Tulsa as an example. “In the last 15 years we’ve seen incredible change and progress at Eugene Field,” she says. “We are committed to transforming that community and have worked towards this in a variety of ways.” The ministry’s efforts include a program that provides a church member friend for every child. Ministry members visit their student friends, eat lunch with them, help them with schoolwork and take an active, participatory interest in the children’s lives. The students are given birthday parties at the church’s youth and family center. Jeske estimates that there are between 60 to 90 birthday parties every quarter. “We have skate and cake parties, and the children receive presents. For many, it is the first birthday party they have ever had.” The ministry also offers a bike club, and recently two buildings were purchased in the area with plans to open a grocery store.
Jeske says, “Our congregation is very active and involved in our ministries. As a church it’s our responsibility to expose our members to needs in the community and empower them to make a difference. We also ask our members to identify needs. This is how our car ministry began, a member identified a need.” Jeske adds, “We try to match up people’s skills with their passions.”
In addition to community ministries, First United Methodist focuses on missions in general. Jeski says, “We have a program called Faith Promise. It’s a pledge separate from our budget and we support 24 missionary families over five continents.” Jeske describes First United Methodist as a missions-oriented church and says that most members associate the church with mission work.“We have an active congregation. We really ask our members to get involved and they do a good job of doing so,” says Jeske.
About First United Methodist: Senior Pastor Dr. R. Wade Paschal Jr., address: 1115 S. Boulder Ave, Tulsa, phone: 918-592-3862, Web site: www.fumctulsa.org.
