The Elim Church in Broadstairs began when a former member of the then Bolton Elim church, a teacher called Evelyn Makin, moved into Ranelagh Grove to retire with her sister who happened to be a Methodist.
The Methodist Church building in the grove, built in 1871, became vacant at a time when the Elim movement were looking to re-open redundant church buildings. Elim purchased the building in 1972.
Brian Grist was a 22 year-old fresh out of Elim’s Bible College. He was sent to Broadstairs to pioneer the church and become its first minister. The church originally opened as the Elim Pentecostal Church.
Sometime later the church was renamed to Oasis Pentecostal Church, because Elim is a place mentioned in the Bible as an oasis or a place of refreshing. Over time it become known locally as simply Oasis Church.
To better identify with the wider Elim movement (which is a Pentecostal denomination) the church was renamed in 2015 to once again include the Elim name, whilst still retaining the locally known Oasis Church – becoming Elim Oasis Church.