Lincoln First United Methodist Church Hosting an Open House June 3rd

[May 29, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

The Lincoln First United Methodist Church, 302 Broadway Street, will be hosting an Open House Sunday, June 3rd from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The church recently completed a $2 million building project to improve the accessibility, and usability, of its facilities to better serve the Lincoln and Logan County communities. Tours of the new building and renovated sanctuary will be conducted, light refreshments will be served, and information about church programs for all ages will be provided.

The new building project and sanctuary renovation involved many central Illinois businesses, including the State Bank of Lincoln, BLDD Architects, and general contractor P.J. Hoerr. The project was approved by church members in November 2016, ground was broken in May 2017, and the project was completed by April 2018. Church members and supporters have committed to giving more than $600,000 above their usual offerings through the end of 2019 to fund the project.

"I give a huge amount of credit to the people of this congregation. They made the decision to shoulder the cost so that we could better serve the Lincoln and Logan County community that we love" said Rev. Michael Paulson, Lead Pastor of the Lincoln First United Methodist Church. "The church had a devastating fire in 1970, and at that time rebuilding a bi-level style of church was popular. However, almost 50 years later we realized our building was difficult to navigate for wheelchairs, strollers and walkers" said Paulson. "We have heard the people of our church say that the Lincoln community has a vital future, and that they want to help bless the area where they live and worship. The building project is just an outward sign of an inward transformation that has been taking place in our congregation over the past several years. It is an exciting time to be here!" Paulson said.

"Our church has long sought to support our local communities through our Kid's Club day care and after school program, and by providing space to the Lincoln/Logan Food Pantry. " said Rev. Brad Curtis, Associate Pastor. "Our congregation is increasingly living out their belief that every person you see in Lincoln is a child of God and therefore a person of worth. We have a new initiative to help the children and families of Logan County that we will be unveiling soon, so we hope that the community will attend our Open House to get more information about this, and tour our new building." said Curtis.

The church traces its roots in the Lincoln area to the Methodist Society, established in 1839 in the Postville Courthouse. Two years after the city of Lincoln was established, a Methodist Church was built on the corner of Pekin and McLean Streets in 1858, where the Lincoln Public Library now stands. The church outgrew its quarters by the end of the Civil War, so a new church was built at the corner of Broadway and Logan Streets in 1868. The church continued to grow and a new building was dedicated in 1926 at 302 Broadway Street, where the current First United Methodist church building stands today.

The Mission of the First United Methodist Church in Lincoln is "Transforming lives and Lincoln by following Jesus together." All are invited to attend worship services on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. (traditional service in the sanctuary) and at 10:30 a.m. (country, casual service in the gym). Numerous Bible study groups meet at convenient times throughout the week. For more information visit our Facebook page, web page at lincolnfirstumc.org , or call [phone].

[Chris Miller
Administrative Team Lead
First United Methodist Church]