Quayle United Methodist Church has stood on the northeast side of Oklahoma City for more than a century, answering God's call to discipleship and servant ministry. The congregation gathers each Sunday at 5001 North Everest Avenue, where a sanctuary completed in 1997 anchors a campus that includes a fellowship hall, education wing, hoop house, and the parking lots that fill with families for the 10:00 am worship service.
A Heritage of Service Since 1890
Quayle's story begins in 1890, when a small group of spiritually minded people organized a new Methodist church in downtown Oklahoma City at the corner of 4th and Robinson. Before that, they met as a prayer band at 320 East Grand Street. Formally organized by Reverend A. G. Murry and Reverend Towns, the young congregation weathered early hardship before laying its first cornerstone in 1903 on a frame structure at Second and Lindsay.
In 1908 the church was named Quayle after Bishop William Alfred Quayle, who gave the first donation toward a permanent building. A larger brick sanctuary replaced the frame structure and became a gathering place for religious and cultural life across the neighborhood, complete with stained-glass windows donated by members and a new organ. From 1945 to 1952, Quayle hosted the original Bethlehem Center, the forerunner of today's Neighborhood Services Organization.
The congregation moved to 309 North Lindsay, then to 2801 North Missouri in July 1962, before arriving at its current home on June 15, 1980. A new sanctuary was completed in 1997, and a three-year Lifestyle Stewardship Capital Campaign that began in April 2013 retired the mortgage on September 27, 2013, completed a fellowship hall remodel in 2023, and is now moving toward renovation of the education wing.
Sunday Mornings at Quayle
The rhythm of the week centers on Sunday morning. Christian Education meets at 9:00 am with classes for children, youth, and adults. At 10:00 am the congregation gathers for weekly worship, a service that runs through noon and includes prayers, scripture, sermon, and music from the volunteer choir under the direction of Minister of Music Jessie Wesley. The Children's Music Ministry, led by Kamelia Williams, joins on special Sundays alongside the Children's Choir, Men's Choir, and Women's Choir.
Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube page and Facebook feed so that members at home can worship alongside those in the pews.
Interim Pastor Erica C. Thomas
Rev. Erica C. Thomas, an ordained United Methodist deacon, became Quayle's Interim Pastor in July 2025 after sixteen years as Associate Pastor of Communications and Worship. A native of Spencer, Oklahoma, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Music in Opera and Music Theatre from Southern Illinois University. Her performing career included seasons with the Santa Fe Opera as an apprentice artist, the Milwaukee Bel Canto Chorus, the Oklahoma Youth Symphony, and the Cimarron Circuit Opera Company in Norman, where she served as executive and artistic director.
Rev. Thomas remains an adjunct music instructor at Langston University and chairs the board of the Wesley Foundation at Langston. Across the Oklahoma Annual Conference she has served on COSROW, the Ethnic Local Church Concerns Committee, the District Committee on Ministry, and the Board of Ordained Ministry.
Manna Ministries and the Weekly Food Giveaway
Among the most visible expressions of Quayle's servant ministry is Manna Ministries, which provides weekly nourishment for the mind, body, and soul of neighbors in northeast Oklahoma City. Working alongside Skyline Urban Ministry, Quayle distributes food products each week to sustain families in the surrounding community. The Greenhouse Ministry grows fresh vegetables in an on-site hoop house, supplements the food giveaway with produce, and also has a presence at the Eastside Fresh Market in partnership with the Oklahoma State Extension Master Gardeners program, the Oklahoma County Conservation District, Fertile Ground compost, and Restore OKC's Restore Farms.
Discipleship and Christian Education
Christian Education at Quayle is built around three commitments: connecting scattered people with Christ through worship and hospitality, growing the gathered as spiritually mature disciples through teaching and fellowship groups, and sending spirit-filled disciples into the world as agents of hope, healing, and transformation.
The Prayer Connect Ministry sponsors a Wednesday morning prayer call at 7:30 am central (dial 1-978-990-5000, passcode 900830#) where members and friends lift up requests together, echoing the Pauline charge to pray without ceasing. Health and Wellness initiatives round out the week with programming that nurtures mind, body, and soul.
Music, Children, and Youth
The Music Ministry is built on a corps of volunteer singers who rehearse each week to enhance worship. Jessie Wesley directs the sanctuary choir, and on special Sundays the Children's Choir, Men's Choir, and Women's Choir all take part. The Children and Youth Ministry uses Bible study, fellowship, and hands-on service to connect young people with God, then sends them out into the community. Kamelia Williams leads the children's music component, weaving songs into Sunday School and family services.
United Women in Faith and Men's Ministry
United Women in Faith meets the fourth Saturday of each month to nurture women through Christian spiritual formation, leadership development, creative fellowship, and education so that they can inspire, influence, and impact local and global communities. The Men's Ministry gathers monthly for spiritual growth and projects that beautify the house of God, including ongoing renovations of the facilities.
Community Partnerships Across the Neighborhood
Quayle's ministry extends beyond its walls through long-running partnerships with neighbors. The congregation supports Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary with Thanksgiving pies for staff, reading and academic support for students, teacher appreciation activities, and serves as a drop-off site during school emergencies. Quayle also hosts the Langston University Wesley Foundation, providing board members and volunteers for campus ministry.
Skyline Urban Ministry works in partnership with Quayle to provide food products that sustain the northeast Oklahoma City community during the weekly food giveaway. The Green Project Urban Garden ties together the Eastside Fresh Market, the Oklahoma County Conservation District, Fertile Ground compost, and Restore Farms into a network that produces vegetables, composts food waste, and teaches gardening skills.
A Mission That Continues
The mission statement that frames Quayle's life together reads, "Answering God's call to Discipleship and Servant Ministry, Quayle United Methodist Church is a community of Christian Disciples committed to advancing Christ's purposes in the world." The slogan - Connecting to God, Growing in Faith, Sending to Serve - captures the rhythm of a congregation that has been making disciples for 134 years and continues to serve as a beacon of light on the northeast side of Oklahoma City.