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 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.
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"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 (217) 732-2204.
[Chris Miller
Administrative Team Lead
First United Methodist Church]
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