About Us

We are a United Methodist congregation. The Methodist tradition is Christ centered and follows structures and teachings of John Wesley. There is on overwhelming amount of information you can find on John Wesley and the United Methodist Church. We can provide you with some of that information or point in the right direction--click here to visit the United Methodist Church website.

Our church believes in and learns from the life of Jesus, the Son of God, found and revealed in the New Testament of the Bible. However, we also acknowledge and assert the value of the Old Testament as God’s Word as well. Therefore, our church teaches from both and considers both to be sacred. We profess a belief in the work and presence of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus.


Oak Haven UMC has a strong history in the Irving community. For many years this congregation has served a positive role. Below you will find sections of a document entitled “A Brief History” from our church records:

In 1905 a Mrs. Matthews …donated (1/2) acre of land on the west banks of the Trinity River, some 7 or 8 miles west of Dallas, TX for the use of a church to service the Union Bower Community. Under the leadership of the Rev.W.E. Hawks of Dallas a building was soon erected thereon. The Rev. Mr.Hawks had been conducting services for the Union Sunday that had been in operation since 1887. In April of 1907 the building was dedicated as the Hawks Chapel Methodist Church, and Brother Hawks names as its pastor.

In the early 1930s the Church changed the name to Union Bower Methodist Church. The old frame building was torn down in the late 1940s and a new Stucco Building was erected under the pastoral leadership of Rev. J. L. Hyde. In 1954, a new education building was added to the rear of the Church building.

During the 1950s the Church enjoyed a steady and marked growth in attendance and membership due to the growing population of the Union Bower and Irving communities. The Rev. Maxi Burch was appointed as the first full-time pastor of the church in 1958…On April 12, 1959 the Church voted to sell the property at Easy Grauwyler and Quillan Road and move to a new site in the eastern part of Dallas…a 3.4 acre tract at East Grauwyler and North Irving Heights—which was later given to the Church.

On February 28, 1960 the Union Bower Methodist Church voted to change the name to the Oak Haven Methodist Church of Irving,TX. The new named church was incorporated as the Oak Haven Methodist Church on July 15, 1960.

Now, we are a church learning more and more what it means to love God, to love others and to love ourselves. We are blessed to have families that were a part of the early years of our church's history and and those families that have recently joined us in ministry. We would love to be able to welcome you as well.