No matter what the activity or location, three particular women were instrumental in carrying out the work started by Uncle Bud.  These three energetic deaconesses defined our congregation in our early years.  The early Church of the Nazarene celebrated and relied on dedicated women called to ministry, called deaconesses, who visited the sick, prayed and fasted and worked with all who needed their assistance. 

At OKC 1st, Mother Wallace did pastoral care, which included encouraging and caring for the marriages of our young couples.  Sister Welch was responsible for Sunday School, and was a paid staff member for a portion of her time with us.  Mother Jones was even an ordained minister.  Filled with the Spirit, these precious ladies were known to shout, clap, and skip up and down the aisles, hairpins and bonnets falling as they went.

In 1917, led by Pastor Joseph Speakes, OKC 1st was now able to purchase the church building that stood on our original meeting place at Reno and Shartel.  The purchase price was $7,500.  The roof leaked and the building was in great need of repair.  The real estate agent who handled the transaction must have felt sorry for the struggling congregation, or else God laid it on his heart, for he donated his commission of $500.00, making it possible to re-roof the building.

OKC 1st was definitely off and running.  Though times were hard, seeds were planted that would later bloom.  It was during these days that some of our faithful leaders were born and grown.  What a heritage!  Uncle Bud, a stuttering illiterate itinerant preacher, three deaconesses (Mother Jones, Mother Wallace and Sister Welch), and a handful of children who grew into legendary leaders.  Our very presence in this sanctuary is a testimony to the faithfulness of these and others who have called OKC First Church of the Nazarene – their church – for the past 95 years.