A decision that was made ot start a new church in the East St. Paul area at the 1959 Annual Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church culminated in the St. Paul Minnehaha Avenue Wesleyan Methodist Church. In September 1959, a small group started meeting at the Beaver Lake Elementary School. By December 1959, Rev. William Hotchkiss accepted the call to be the first pastor. In January 1960, the group bought a five-acre wooded lot on East Minnehaha Avenue. The construction of a church building commenced, and the first service held in the new building was on March 1, 1961. Organization of the church was held a month later on April 12, 1961, with 24 charter members on the roll. A dedication service for the new buildign was held on April 7, 1963. Under the leadership of Rev. James Slye, Sunday School attendance began averaging over 100 in the late 1960's. Later, under the leadership of Rev. James Doll, a parsonage was built on the property in 1975. A couple of acres of the original five-acre lot were sold to the high school behind the property which allowed for the financing of he parsonage. Also during Rev. Doll's pastorate, the name of the church was changed from "Minnehaha Avenue Wesleyan Church" to "Oakdale Wesleyan Church." On June 1, 1986, the mortgage for the original church debt was burned. Eight years later, on June 5, 1994, under the leadership of Rev. John Zimmer, ground was broken for a new educational and office wing. A year later, on April 23, 1995, the mortgage on the parsonage was burned. On August 18, 1996, the ocnstruction of the new wing was completed and a dedication service was held. Currently under the leadership of Rev. John Baker, vital Children's and Youth ministries are thriving. Many improvements have been made to the church and to the parsonage as well. Since 2002, the church has organized a live drive-through Nativity on the property that is well attended by the community. A professional counseling center opened within the church in January 2004.