Our Mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

We, the people of the First United Methodist Church of Cuyahoga Falls, are loyal to Jesus Christ and express our faithfulness through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.

Prayers
We are a people who seek God in prayer throughout our everyday lives. While we strive to connect with God during the week through spiritual disciplines (like personal prayer and reading the Bible,) we also meet together weekly to worship God with passion. Our Sunday worship service is a unique, musical, joyous, and sobering experience that binds us both to God and to one another.

Presence
We are a people who are simply “there” for one another. We show this by meeting together on Sunday mornings, by gathering with small groups of people, by spending time with our families, and by building community relationships. And whenever we gather, we constantly ask one another questions like “Where did we see God today?”, “What have we heard God saying to us?”, and the classical Methodist question: “How is it with your soul?”

Gifts/Generosity
We are a people who practice extravagant generosity because each one of us has experienced life as a gift, generously given to us through God’s grace. We believe that generosity is a virtue and strive to practice it in every aspect of our individual and corporate lives.

Service
Our service to the world is expressed in two ways: hospitality and missions. We strive to be a place of comfort and welcome for all God’s children who come through our doors. But we also aren’t content to simply stay in our own building. Through our missions work, we acknowledge the brokenness of our world and do our best to reach out to those who struggle with poverty, homelessness, disease, and loneliness.

Witness
We are a people who are bound together by stories, stories in the Bible, stories from the past, and stories from our own lives. So whenever we have the chance, we share the stories of all the great things God has done, whether it be with our friends and family, with folks in our community, with “those people” who have been forgotten by the rest of the world, or even with the global village, We believe that our stories are a witness to God’s love in the world and we believe God wants us to share them freely and without fear.

HISTORY OF FIRST CHURCH
Founded 1830

A regional church serving Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Tallmadge, Silver Lake, Munroe Falls, Hudson, Bath, Northfield, Norton, Kent, Akron, Fairlawn, Uniontown and Streetsboro

The ministry and outreach of First United Methodist Church reaches local, national and world needs, with support for Christian missions in sixty-one foreign countries as well as aid for people in our own area.  We minister to a large geographical region in our area serving people as close as next door, and throughout all of the communities listed above.  Preaching has always been an important part of our worship life at First Church.  All our clergy strive to communicate contemporary and relevant messages which encourage persons in their faith journey.

We have an outstanding youth ministry, offering three summer camps, choirs, weekly fellowship meetings and social activities.  A two year Confirmation program prepares youth for a lifetime of Christian faith and living.

Music has always been a vital part of the life and worship of the congregation and we have a rich musical tradition.  The first small pipe organ was purchased in 1864 and an interesting note tell us that remodeling in 1885-87 made room for a “chorus choir” of 30 people.  Today there are over 150 persons involved in our music program, a four manual pipe organ in the sanctuary and a two manual pipe organ in our chapel.

Sunday School, Sunday Youth Fellowship meetings, Confirmation classes, retreats and camps continue to be a large part of our program ministry.  Several Bible studies are offered each year.

Serving our community in the name of Christ is an ongoing priority at First Church.  We have always believed that God calls us into the world to assist those in need.  The community of faith here at First Church feels privileged to serve with Jesus wherever the cry of the needy is heard.

Our Weekday Christian Preschool is part of our Ministry, serving ninety children each year from September through May.  The church has been the home for active Scouting programs for over 100 years.  A large Al-Anon group meets here regularly, as do CODA, and an Alzheimers Support Group for Caregivers.

This congregation was founded in 1830 in a school building on the corner of Front Street and Wadsworth Avenue where a Methodist circuit rider would preach.  The town “fathers” planned for three churches on the square where the present church building now stands.  The town plat was dedicated in 1837, and our congregation’s first building was erected in 1840.  In 1920, that building was replaced by another on the same site.  In 1952 the education building, which still stands as part of our present building, was added.  The present sanctuary was built in 1965 and the 1920 building interior has been changed and is kept updated as times demand.  A major capital improvement program occurred in 1984-85, creating improvements with the heating system, improvements and changes to the central offices, improved accessibility for the elderly and handicapped, major roof replacements and renovation of the lower level of the education building.  Two parking lots were added in 1993.  Major improvements and renovations were also completed in the later part of 1987, 1991 and 1997.  Currently we are overhauling the organ, including replace of the pneumatic system with a modern electronic system and the cleaning and repair of more than 2,200 pipes. In addition we are refurbishing the sanctuary which includes new flooring.

We at First United Methodist Church invite all without a church home to unite with us and become an active part of a vital and growing church for Christ!