Church History
The congregation of Grace began in 1978, when Bishop Millhouse asked a retired minister, Rev. Edgar Tims, to start a church in the McAlester area. Rev. Tims had retired in 1977, and moved to Hartshorne to live closer to his daughters. On August 6, 1978, the McKenzie family opened their residence for services to be held in McAlester. The Eyachabbe family also opened their home for services until a vacant residence was rented in 1979, for church services in Alderson just a few miles east of McAlester. The congregation contiued moving in the eastern direction, and they began using the old Higgins Community School house 8 miles east of Hartshorne on Hwy 1, in Latimer county for services. The Ministry was then known as the McAlester Mission.
The congregation continued to look for a permanent place to build their own church. Five acres of land was purchased 1/2 mile west of Jones Academy just 4 miles north of Hartshorne. A mission group from the Louisiana Conference built a white frame church, and on August 10, 1980 Grace Indian United Methodist Church was dedicated as part of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. This church has 3 class rooms, a utility room, and a pastors study as well as a large sanctuary and foyer. In the early stages the church only had folding chairs and old theater style seating. In 1981, news came that a Catholic church in Coweta, Oklahoma, was being remodeled and had pews it would no longer need. If the congregation could move them, they could have them. These pews are still used in the church today. in 1983 a mission group from the Texas Conference came and built a brick 3 bedroom parsonage and bricked the church to match. The members of Grace built a fellowship hall next to the church in 1991.
Above, Grace Indian UMC in 2010, Below is the old Higgins School House 8 miles east of Hartshorne on hwy 1, where services were held in the spring and summer of 1980.
McAlester Mission 1979 Alderson, Oklahoma pictured left-right : Nelson Parish held by Elijah Parish, Aline Ward, Steven Ward, Agnes Ward, Rosie Parish, Steven J. Parish, Undine Parish, Darren Tobey, Rev. Edgar Tims, Ramona Eyachubbe, Tammy Eyachubbe, Jason Eyachubbe-back turned, Ann Tobey, Dana Tobey-sitting, Verna Tims, Elizabeth McKinzie, Leo McKinzie and Rufus Eyachubbe. Photo curtesy of Ray Tobey
Grace Indian UMC about 1981 still had its original white wood sidding and didn't have a steeple yet.
Grace Indian UMC about 1985 after it was bricked. The steeple is there on the roof but this was a slide and when transfered to a photo the steeple got washed out in the clouds.
