Church History

Wilson Temple United Methodist Church was founded in the historically Black community of Oberlin Road in 1865 and stands in its original location. Approximately 146 years ago a tiny seed was planted in the Oberlin Community. That seed was known as Wilson Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. The State Department of Archives and History has on record information given by Reverend W. S. McLeod in 1937 that Wilson Temple was organized in 1865 as a Methodist Episcopal Church. The cornerstone denotes the date as being 1873. The seven years that elapsed between these two dates in attributed to the amount of time it actually took to complete the building of the physical structure. The late Mr. Wilson W. Morgan contributed the land that the church was constructed on, hence the church was named, Wilson Chapel.

The first wedding was recorded on December 17, 1885. The first recorded death was June 1, 1887. The first documented baptism was on August 7, 1887. The earliest date of an official membership list was 1890. At that time, approximately fifty-five persons belonged to the church. The first structure had a wood exterior and housed a sanctuary with a balcony and a basement. It was torn down and remodeled in 1910. In 1914, it was again remodeled and enlarged. Damages caused by Hurricane Hazel in 1954 also caused some extensive repairs.

In 1972 additional renovations to the church were made. Since that time the annex has been added and the sanctuary upgraded. In 1993, the late Mr. Edward G. Haywood (Nat) bequeath to the church the pew coverings and pulpit cushions. In 2010 there were significant structural renovations costing the church $300,000. Wilson Temple began as a Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1968, the Black Methodist of the Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Episcopal Church merged with the Methodist Church and United Brethren Church to become the United Methodist Church. The church building has been deemed a church historic site by the city of Raleigh. In August 2011, the church celebrated its 146th church anniversary.

