A Century on Highway 119
First United Methodist Church of Alabaster sits on Highway 119 in Alabaster, Alabama, a city that took its name from the white rock early settlers found protruding from the ground. Though that rock later turned out to be limestone, the name stuck, and so did the Methodist presence in town. The oldest document in the church's files is a letter dated December 22, 1890, transferring the membership of Mrs. M. M. Smith from a church in North Georgia, putting more than a century of continuous ministry behind the present-day congregation.
The church began life as Bethlehem Methodist Church near the Alabaster lime quarry behind what is now City Hall. In 1903 it relocated to the community of Siluria, and a new building was constructed in the side of a hill about 300 yards south of the intersection of Montevallo Road and 11th Avenue South. During those early years, the Siluria Methodist Church was on a circuit with Camp Branch, Ebenezer, and Saginaw, and the local Baptists shared the Methodist facilities until they built their own. In 1950 the congregation moved to its present site on Highway 119 and took the name Central United Methodist Church. By the early 1960s an educational building had been added, and in 1983 a new five-hundred-seat sanctuary was built. The name was changed to First United Methodist Church, and a Service of Consecration was held on December 23, 1983.
Thirteen years later, on July 23, 1996, a fire destroyed the old sanctuary and education building. Under the banner "Rebuilding and Rebirth," the congregation pressed forward, and on August 2, 1998, the new Fellowship Hall and Education Building were consecrated. The church still carries that resurrection spirit in its motto: Seek God, Love People, Live in Hope.
Two Sunday Mornings in One Sanctuary
Sunday morning at FUMC Alabaster centers on a recently renovated sanctuary that holds two distinct services back to back. At 8:30 a.m. the Modern service offers a contemporary expression of Christian worship. At 11:00 a.m. the Traditional service traces Christian spirituality from the ancient church to the present, with liturgical roots and a more hymn-centered feel. Both services are led by the pastoral team and feature music by a dedicated group of musicians, with William Harper directing the Traditional Music program and Bradley Wilson leading the Modern service.
Between the two services, Sunday school groups of all ages gather at roughly 9:45 a.m. Adults choose from a long list of classes, including Christians in Action (Room 209) with rotating weekly leaders, Faithbook Friends led by Tommy Candler (Room 207), a brand-new hymn study called The Faith We Sing led by Jim Billings (Room 105, the Choir Room), the Gleason Class for adults sixty-five and older led by Pete Peterson (Room 104, the Parlor), Open Door led by Mike Whisonant (Room 114, the Small Dining Room), the Pathfinders class for empty nesters, working adults, and retirees led by Cliff Myers, and Salt & Light, a group of early retirees using Adam Hamilton's Making Sense of the Bible, led by Kathy Clements (Room 116 A).
A Place for Kids from Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Children are woven into the life of the church at every level. Nursery care is offered on Sunday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to noon for children two and under, staffed by paid nursery professionals and church volunteers. Parents are given pagers so the staff can reach them during worship or Sunday School, and the nursery sits in the long hallway between the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall.
For three- and four-year-olds, Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. with age-appropriate Bible lessons, music, and crafts. Children ages three through third grade are invited to come forward for the Children's Moment during worship and then head to Children's Church, where they have their own Bible lesson, music time, and craft in Room 106. Older children worship with their families; coloring pages and fidget toys are provided in the pew for those who want them.
On Wednesday nights, the children's program, led by William Harper and the children's team, picks up where the week left off. Kids sing a couple of songs, dig into a study called Big God, Big Life through games, a Bible story, group discussion, and a lesson-related craft, and finish up with playground time or fellowship-hall play. The annual Vacation Bible School runs in early summer and brings the church and surrounding community together around a week of Bible stories, worship, games, and hands-on activities for children who are three (and potty trained) through completed fifth grade.
Students in Sixth Through Twelfth Grade
FUMCA Students, the church's youth ministry, exists to support the spiritual and developmental growth of middle and high schoolers in Alabaster and to send them out to reach others for Christ. The weekly rhythm centers on three touchpoints.
Sunday nights are the main gathering, an evening built around hanging out, games, snack supper, and time in God's word through lessons that engage the questions students are actually asking. Once a month the group heads off campus for an outing such as an arcade or laser tag. On Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., the format slows down: girls meet in a small-group setting while guys hang out, play games, and take in a short devotional. Sunday mornings offer a parallel Sunday School program that begins with donuts and fellowship in the Youth Room, then breaks into Step Up for younger students and the Youth Sunday School, which uses the GROW Curriculum, a thirteen-series bundle built for middle and high schoolers with weekly big ideas, Bible passages, and small-group discussion guides.
Confirmation is a significant milestone for sixth graders. Each class begins in August and concludes the following spring on Confirmation Sunday, when students may be confirmed, baptized if they have not been already, and formally join the church.
Adults Growing Together
Beyond Sunday School, the church's Discipleship ministry gathers adults in smaller circles throughout the week. JOY (Just Older Youth) brings senior adults together on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Room 114 to discuss current topics. Keenagers, the church's senior members, meet the second Tuesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall for food, faith, and friendship. Woven Threads is a Wednesday-morning group for women sixty and older, meeting from 10:00 a.m. to noon in Room 114 to study books together, most recently Max Lucado's Life Lessons from John.
Men of the Word meets Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Restore (Fishbowl) room for Bible study and fellowship, and is open to men of any age. Millennial Crisis is the church's young-adult gathering, meeting Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. for shared meals and conversation about faith and life. United Women in Faith, a diverse group dedicated to love in action, improving lives, and transforming communities, meets the third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. in Room 114.
For those who want to go deeper on their own, supplemental resources include The Bible Project's animated walk-through of every book of scripture, the Armchair Theology podcast led by Pastor Clay Farrington and Ross Furio, and a Bible-in-a-Year schedule with weekly scripture notes.
FUMCA Preschool and Summer Camp
FUMCA Preschool is the church's weekday ministry to families in Alabaster and the surrounding area. The preschool runs August through May on a schedule that follows Alabaster City Schools, with school hours from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and early care beginning at 8:00 a.m. Tuition is $300 a month with a $100 registration fee, and early care is $5 per day. The preschool is guided by a simple set of signpost words, Worshiping, Learning, Serving, Healing, that frame the week as a small expression of God's love lived out in the community.
A separate eight-week Summer Camp runs Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with water days, bouncy houses, ice cream truck visits, and movies, at $80 for registration and $570 due the first week of June. Director Tasha Henderson leads a teaching staff that includes Sheila Marcus, Morgan Tucker, Michelle McMullen, and Regina Harris.
Safety, Communication, and Online Connection
Every volunteer who works with anyone under the age of eighteen is required to complete Safe Sanctuary training, the United Methodist child protection policy that the church has adapted for its own setting. The policy covers staff, volunteers, and ministries and is reviewed in training sessions offered throughout the year.
Parents can stay in the loop through monthly emails from both the Kids Ministry and the Student Ministry, and a weekly newsletter plus specialized lists for children and youth are available. The church also maintains active Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube presences, with the FUMCA Students ministry running its own Facebook page and Instagram account as well. Both Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook so that members and visitors who are traveling or homebound can join in.
What to Expect on a First Visit
First United Methodist Church of Alabaster is located at 10903 Highway 119, Alabaster, Alabama 35007. The campus includes a sanctuary, an education building, and a fellowship hall, with three main parking areas, the Sanctuary lot, the Office lot, and the Fellowship Hall lot, plus overflow parking to handle busier Sundays. Visitors are invited to come as they are, in whatever is most comfortable; the congregation's posture is simply welcoming and authentic.
Nursery care is available for every Sunday morning worship service, and Children's Church is offered during worship for children ages three through six. Families who want their children with them in the pew will find coloring pages and fidget toys waiting. Visitors interested in getting more connected can fill out a profile form, browse upcoming events on Church Center, or reach out through the contact form. The church's motto, Seek God, Love People, Live in Hope, captures the heart of a congregation that has been gathered in this stretch of Shelby County for more than a hundred years and continues to welcome the next one in.