With the help of God and some devoted Christians from Central and University Place Christian Churches, Davis Park Christian Church began serving the needs of Northeast Enid on the corner of 11th & Chestnut Street late in 1926. Mr. C.D. Marsh and Mr. S.P. Burchfield from Central, along with D.V. Donaldson and Harry D. Smith from University Place, together with Roy Snodgrass the Minister of Central Christian were appointed to work out the details of the project. A committee was elected and, in turn contacted Mr. Harry Davis, owner of the desired lots. Mr. Davis quoted the price of $600 for three of the lots and, being generous, offered to donate the fourth lot. His offer was accepted and the lots were purchased. It seemed as though God has smiled on the effort to carry on the business of the birth of Davis Park Christian Church.
The lots secured were 18 inches lower than the street when it was graded; the nearest sidewalk was a block away; and if it happened to rain before Church Services, mud became a problem to be dealt with. Nevertheless in late August, 1926, construction on the tabernacle began, with Roy Norris as contractor and Bill Kingston as foreman and carpenter. The 42 by 66 foot building was structurally tied together with 4 one-inch rods, complete with turnbuckles, fastened into 2 x 6’s. Outside siding was 1x12 planks, stripped inside and lined with fiber-board; roofing was rubberoid. From time to time the Church Board had numerous loads of dirt hauled in and, finally, the church grounds in front were given some loads of sand and gravel to greatly help with the mud problem. It could also be said that the building was as hot in the summer as if Brother M.M. Moss, the first preacher, had hell-fire simmering underneath every pew; and as cold and drafty in the winter as if there were nothing between Davis Park and the North Pole but a barbed-wire fence, and it was down. Nevertheless Bro. Moss was also a good carpenter and completed a communion-table, a pulpit, and baptistery. He also helped construct the Church pews which were made from 1x4’s of soft pine wood. The wood may have been “soft” but the pews did not live up to their name. However, Bro. Moss preached his first sermon October 10, 1926 and continued preaching nightly for four week.
Finally, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, November 7, 1926, the tabernacle was dedicated, with Dr. I. N. McCash bringing the dedication sermon, assisted by the University Place Christian Church choir. The dream of a House of Worship in this area was at last a reality to the 400 present for the memorable occasion.
The dedication yielded a liberal offering – enough to justify the launching out by faith – yet just short of enough to clear the indebtedness. Prayer was offered that this would come at a later date, as the Lord willed it.
The church basement was in its final stages of completion, and on Sunday, April 13, 1947, the dedication service was held. All prior ministers were invited to attend this important service. The building of the Sanctuary was begun immediately afterward; and in December, 1948 Davis Park moved into a new building. When the new Baldwin Organ was placed in the Sanctuary, Mrs. Lela Stewart became the organist. Lela came into the church while the charter was still open during the four weeks of revival at the time of the organization of the church. The organ was a gift of love to the church. It was installed in December, 1948.
On October 25, 1953, the Educational building was dedicated. It was a great day for Davis Park. The new structure was 44 feet wide and 86 feet long and two stories high. It was equipped with 4 large assembly rooms with 5 classes adjacent to each department assembly room. It was absolutely fire proof except for the doors and would accommodate 500 children. This new building took the place of the old frame building which was originally the old Tabernacle.
For the dedication service of the third addition to Davis Park, Bro. Orval Morgan was the speaker. Over 2000 people attended throughout all the services of the day. Both men and women worked diligently to get every nook and cranny ready for this great event. The total offering for the day was $1,502.15. This new addition gave us 16 new class rooms, 3 office rooms, new kitchen, 5 rest rooms, a banquet room, church parlor, and the Chapel. Our new Chapel proved to be a most usable room for small weddings, Wednesday night Bible Study, as well as an overflow for the Sanctuary. The carpeting had been installed less than an hour when it was used for the first wedding.
Our new parsonage wasn’t quite finished, but on September 1, 1966 the new parsonage was ready for occupancy. Open house was held the first Sunday afternoon in September with many of the church members and friends attending.
