Oak Chapel United Methodist Church has been serving the Wooster/Jefferson area since 1812. It is the oldest Methodist group organized in Wayne County, being first organized by the Nathan Warner family. A blockhouse on the Warner farm (2 miles west of Wooster on West Old Lincoln Way) served as a meeting place for the first 15 years.
In 1833, a log church was erected at the present site at 4203 West Old Lincoln Way. This building served until 1862, then was replaced with a frame building that served the community until 1991.
It was in 1862 that the church was renamed “OAK CHAPEL” because there was a large oak tree standing at the front door. (This tree stood until late 2019.)
In 1967, a new brick sanctuary and a fellowship hall were added next to the frame church. The frame church was converted to an educational wing and youth center.
In 1991, the frame structure was razed and the present brick educational wing was built. This provided classrooms, a nursery, a lounge, a library and conference room, spacious church office, Pastor’s study, and a room for Scouts to meet. The church is fully accessible with ramps and an elevator.