Our History

The First United Methodist Church of Sallisaw has a long and varied history. Its roots can be traced back to the late l830’s when circuit riding ministers served several Indian tribes, including the Cherokees who had recently been uprooted from other Southern states. These circuit riders, who held no definite assignment, performed sacraments and held services whenever in the area, often times in a brush arbor.

This Salusaw circuit, which was then a part of the Cherokee District, existed in this form until l892. It was made a part of the Muskogee District in l901. By this time, the name of the community had been changed to Sallisaw. A post office had been established in l879. Argyle Quesenbury and W.W. Wheeler platted a portion of their land into town lots, helping to create the town of Sallisaw which was incorporated in l888.

Link to a Record of Ministers

The first Union Sunday School was held in Sallisaw in l886 in a small building located on the grounds of Mr. W.W. Wheeler’s cotton gin. At this time the settlement was small, consisting of a cotton gin, a grist mill, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and a few dwellings. As the community grew, more homes and businesses were constructed. A new building, a 26 x 50 foot structure, was built in l888 to house the growing Sunday School; however, this building burned soon after construction. It was rebuilt in l889. In l893, John McElhannan, a Methodist, was assigned to the charge of the Sallisaw church.

In l902, Sallisaw opened its first public school in a frame building on Locust Street. About the same time, a new Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was erected across from what is now the Sallisaw Civic Center . This was the site of the l909 Muskogee District Conference. Unfortunately, this building also burned. From l924 until l930, Methodist services were held in the Wheeler-Stevenson building and in the county courthouse which had been erected in l9l4.

During the early thirties, the corner of Wheeler and Creek became the home of the
Methodist Church . A frame building was erected. The front portion of the church was reconstructed with stone in l939.The pastor who led this construction project was the Reverend Ocie L. Peek.

The year l939 was also the year that three Methodist churches--Methodist Episcopal; Methodist Protestant; and Methodist Episcopal, South, came together to form the
Methodist Church . This ended the splits in the church that had come about over the slavery issue before the Civil War. (It was not until l968 that we became the First United Methodist Church when we joined forces with the United Brethren.)

In l947, plans were made for an annex to the stone structure; however, once again, fire destroyed much of the building including the roof and the upper floor of the rear portion as well as the pews and the organ. Undaunted, the congregation rebuilt and restored the church adding a parlor and upstairs classrooms.

In l960, under the pastorate of L.D. Thomas, the church added an annex which provided a nursery and classrooms for children. Then in l971, another annex was built providing a kitchen, a fellowship hall, five new classrooms, a chapel, and offices for the pastor and a church secretary. The sanctuary was remodeled, eliminating the upstairs portion of the building and enlarging the sanctuary’s height.

Church parsonages have taken many forms. During the fifties and sixties, a small house next door, north of the church, served as the home of the various pastors and their families. Then for several years, the parsonage was located at 521 Lucy Street.

In l974 the church purchased property on Mulberry Street adjacent to the church to be used as a parsonage. In l986, FUMC purchased property at 104 Lillard Lane for this purpose. However, in 2003, this property was sold; it was decided that the minister would be provided a housing allowance in lieu of a parsonage. In 2010, with the assignment of our present pastor, Dr. Trevor Smith, FUMC has once again purchased a parsonage to accommodate him and his family.

In the late l990’s, communities and churches began to plan for the new millennium. The FUMC Sallisaw formed a Strategic Planning Committee in l997, to consider the possibility of building a new church or perhaps adding on to the existing facility. In l999, the committee report resulted in the commission to build a new church. A building committee was named to locate the new site and proceed with preliminary building plans. The new site, located next to the city walking trail behind KFC, was donated by Gilbert and Reba Green. Under the pastorship of the Reverend Dr. David Clewell , construction began at 2100 McGee Drive in January of 2005. The first services in the new building were conducted on December 4, 2005, and the Consecration Service was held January 8, 2006.