Rev. and Mrs. Cecil A. Palm and family moved to the Camp Hill area in late June 1959 for the purpose of starting a new evangelical Church. They began a survey of the area on July 1, 1959. On August 12 the first Prayer Meeting was held with 11 persons present. The first Sunday services were held in Gorgas Hall on August 30, 1959, with 43 people in attendance. 

On September 29, 1959, the "Camp Hill Conservative Baptist Church" was organized with 17 charter members. The church was incorporated on November 12,1959.

On April 10, 1960 the church started holding their services in the "Roost Motel". On April 26, 1960, the church was received into the fellowship of the Conservative Baptist Association of Pennsylvania. The first baptismal service, held in the Conodoguinet Creek, was on July 17, 1960. 

Settlement was made for the purchase of our current lot on December 5, 1960, and the first service held on our own property was May 7, 1961. We met in a tent borrowed from the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities. On May 9, 1961, ground breaking began and we were able to begin meeting in the basement on June 25, 1961; although the heating system was not ready for use until December 3, 1961.

On March 14, 1962, the church auditorium was used for the first time. January 13, 1963, was Dedication Day for the completed building.

Rev. Cecil Palm was the Founding Pastor, and Rev. Lynn Green was the second Pastor. On April 12, 1967, the church voted to call Rev. Robert Conrad as Pastor. He began to minister at the church in June 1967. 

In September 1968, a Day School was begun by Mrs. Carol Conrad with four students. Within a few weeks the enrollment increased to 20 students. 

In 1971 a decision was made to change the name of the church and on June 2, 1971, the church membership voted to change the name from "Camp Hill Conservative Baptist Church" to "Oakwood Baptist Church". At the same time the school name was changed to Oakwood Baptist Day School. 

In June 1973, ground breaking for the present auditorium was begun. On January 27, 1974, a dedication service for the present auditorium was held. On January 9, 1989, the mortgage was paid off, and a short time later a mortgage burning service was celebrated.

Recent improvements to our church building have been made through memorial gifts. A sound system was installed in memory of Abe Hoover. A covering for the basement steps was added in memory of Bill Kitzmiller. The narthex and powder room were redecorated in memory of Ann Goll. A picture was placed in the narthex in memory of Dennis Krah. The latest building to be added was our new garage, completed in March 1997.

On Sunday, January 11, 2004 a new chapter in the history of our church was begun as we held a Retirement Service and Reception for Rev. Robert and Carol Conrad, thanking them for their 36 years of faithful service in the Pastorate of our Church.  Friends from several states joined us in the celebration, all expressing their appreciation for the way in which God used Pastor and Carol in our lives.

Over the past several years the Conrad's son, Robert D. Conrad, had been serving in the church as Assistant Pastor, coming to that position after a period as a Missionary in Belize, Central America. Robert D. Conrad is a graduate of "Bethel Seminary of the East", and he and his wife Gayleah are the parents of 3 children. On January 11, 2004, Rev. Robert D. Conrad was installed as the fourth Pastor of Oakwood Baptist Church in it's 44 years of existence. We anticipate the continued blessing of God upon his ministry.

Over the years we have seen several individuals and families from our church go into - the Christian ministry: the Campbells, the Balstons, Mark Melhorn, the Farleys, the Wojciechowskis, the Mellards, the Waltons, the Conrads. To God be praise that our church is represented all over the world.