Tulsa was a rowdy frontier cattle town in Indian Territory when a hardy group of settlers started a Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886. Twenty-one charter members gathered for worship in a downtown open-air brush arbor. Within 35 years, the congregation had built and outgrown two church buildings. In 1921 the congregation moved to its present location. In 1928 the Cathedral Sanctuary building was dedicated.
There would be good times and hard times ahead—oil booms and oil busts, world outreach and world wars, great revivals and the Great Depression. United as a congregation the people of First Methodist grew stronger and deeper in their faith as they weathered the hard times together. The good times helped energize growth with an active committed membership under strong Godly leaders.
First United Methodist is grateful for a rich heritage rooted in a faithful God and His faithful people. Passionately engaged in life transformation in the church, in the community and around the world, we are excited about the future as we follow Christ where He leads on this faith-filled adventure.
Mission:
First United Methodist Church of Tulsa seeks to help all people experience life transformation through worship, relationships, and mission.
Vision:
First United Methodist Church of Tulsa desires to bring people into life-transforming relationships with Christ and other people.
Our Community:
First United Methodist Church is a community of loving people who are fully committed to following Jesus Christ and empowered by his Holy Spirit to change their world for Him.
What We Believe:
- We are called as a people to worship God the Father, Christ the Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We are a Biblical church and acknowledge the Bible as the primary foundation and final authority of our faith and action.
- In continuity with Christians through the ages and the historic church, we affirm the Apostle's Creed and The Nicene Creed as faithful declarations of Biblical truth.
- We believe in the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Savior and Lord of all.
- We believe God offers grace and unconditional love to all, providing forgiveness of sins through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
- We affirm the active work of the Holy Spirit, who cleanses and heals the life of the believer, gifts us for ministry, empowers us in prayer, and leads us in understanding the Word of God.
- We believe every Christian is called into an intimate relationship with God, faithful relationships with other Christians, and a Christ-like service in the world.
