Auburn United Methodist Church sits at the corner of Gay Street and Magnolia Avenue in downtown Auburn, Alabama, where its Founder's Chapel, its 1955 sanctuary, and a constellation of education and fellowship buildings form a single historic campus that has anchored the town since 1837. Two Sunday services draw families from across Lee County to worship in the United Methodist tradition, and a robust slate of programs for children, youth, college students, adults, and seniors fills the rest of the week. The congregation's mission - to love God, love neighbor, and make passionate disciples of Jesus Christ - shows up in everything from the Wednesday Night Supper to the food pantry and clothes closet run out of the Good News Center next door.
A 200-Year Legacy on Gay Street
The Auburn Methodist Church was organized in 1837, a year after Judge John Jackson Harper and thirty-three other settlers, all of them Methodists, arrived in the area. Their first minister was the Reverend Morgan Turrentine, a circuit-riding preacher. The first building was a log structure on the site of the present playground that doubled as Auburn's first school building.
In 1850 a white frame church was built on the site of today's Founder's Chapel. That building was remodeled and encased in brick in 1899, with a Henry Pilcher's Sons pipe organ installed during the work. It served as the home of Auburn Methodist Church until 1955, when the present sanctuary was completed at a cost of $383,500. The library, former office complex, the educational wing, and the arcade connecting the buildings facing East Magnolia Avenue were added between 1971 and 1975 under the leadership of Reverend Charles Britt, and the Children's Educational Wing was named in honor of Charles and Blanch Britt.
In 1992 a major restoration transformed Founder's Chapel into the warm, wood-toned worship space the congregation still uses today. A 47-rank Holtkamp Organ was installed in the sanctuary in 1996, and the Mathison Education Building, which connects Epworth Center to the sanctuary, was completed in 2000 and dedicated to Dr. George Mathison and his wife Monteigne. Dr. Mathison served as Senior Minister from 1990 to 2016. In July 2016, Dr. Cory Smith was appointed by Bishop Leeland to serve as Senior Minister. In 2007 the church purchased St. Michael's Catholic Church, taking possession of the chapel and rectory in 2010. Those buildings now house adult Sunday School classes, the food pantry, and children, youth, and college ministries.
Sunday Mornings at Auburn UMC
Sunday worship takes place in two distinct settings. The 8:30 a.m. service in Founder's Chapel is a smaller, traditional service with regular Holy Communion. The 11:00 a.m. service in the sanctuary is also traditional in style, with the Chancel Choir leading music from the choir loft. Nursery care is provided for children four and under at both services, and Children's Church is offered at the 11:00 a.m. service following the Children's Moment for children in third grade and younger, with pick-up in the upstairs gym. The worship services are always open to all ages.
Between services, coffee and fellowship fill Hamill Court while Sunday School classes meet at 9:30 or 9:45 a.m. Children can be dropped off at Children's Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., and adult classes run until 10:45 a.m. On any given Sunday, visitors can choose from more than a dozen adult classes, a children's program with rooms for under-twos through sixth grade, a youth Sunday School, and a college Sunday School that meets in the Wesley Fireside Room. The dress code is, simply, come as you are - while some people dress up, others wear jeans and sneakers.
Parking is available in the Gay Street and Magnolia Street lots. The small Magnolia Street lot is reserved for handicapped parking on Sunday mornings, and handicap entrances are available at the Hamill Court entrance and the Magnolia Street entrance to the Mathison Building. The 11:00 a.m. service is livestreamed every Sunday on the church's Vimeo channel, with past services archived for later viewing. The weekly worship bulletin is posted online so members and friends can follow along from wherever they are.
Wednesday Nights: Supper, Choir, and Bible Study
Wednesday nights at Auburn UMC revolve around a shared meal and an evening of programming for every age. The Wednesday Night Supper is served at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall inside the Epworth Center. Supper is $7 per adult, $5 for kids and youth, $3 for college students, and the first visit is free. Visitors are asked to park in the lot off South Gay Street and enter through Epworth Center.
While families eat, the Chancel Choir rehearses from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. in the Choir Room, and at 6:00 p.m. the Kids Bible Study begins in the Mathison Lobby for children ages four through sixth grade. From 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., the Children's Choir gathers in Room A219 to learn music for occasional worship leadership. Adult Bible Studies meet at 6:30 p.m., and Youth Midweek runs from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Youth Center with dinner at 5:30 p.m., worship, and an evening activity. On a few Wednesdays each year, Wednesday Night Supper gives way to a fellowship meal plus bingo or another special gathering.
Thursday Communion and Prayer
For those who want a quiet pause in the middle of the week, Thursday Communion takes place at 12:15 p.m. in Founder's Chapel. The brief service of Holy Communion and prayer is open to all, with parking available in the South Gay Street lot and entrance through the covered Hamill Court doors.
Children from Birth Through Sixth Grade
Auburn UMC takes seriously the United Methodist baptismal promise to order the congregation's life after the example of Christ so that children surrounded by steadfast love may be established in the faith. Dee Adkins directs the Children's Ministry, and the programming reaches children from birth through sixth grade.
On Sunday mornings, nursery care is offered from birth through age five during both worship services. Children's Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. with separate rooms for under-twos, two-year-olds, three- and four-year-olds, and a combined K through sixth-grade class that meets in the upstairs gym. On Wednesday evenings, Children's Choir rehearses at 5:00 p.m., and after supper the Children's Midweek program runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with supper in the Kids Only section of the Fellowship Hall, followed by a Bible study and activity in the Mathison Building.
Children's Church is offered for children in third grade and younger at the 11:00 a.m. service, following the Children's Moment, with pick-up in the upstairs gym. The church also runs a Vacation Bible School each summer, fall kickoff parties, playdates in the park, the Bible Basics class for third graders, and Confirmation for sixth graders in the spring.
Youth in Grades 7 Through 12
Jackson Smith directs Youth Ministry out of the Youth Center in the Epworth Building, and the ministry's motto is simple: Everyone is always invited. Auburn UMC Youth welcomes all students in grades 7 through 12, and students are encouraged to bring a friend.
On Sundays, the youth meet for Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. with breakfast and a Bible lesson, greet together in the Sanctuary before the 11:00 a.m. service, and return to the Youth Center for an evening Bible Study at 5:00 p.m. that starts with dinner. Every Monday afternoon, the Youth Center opens from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. for Youth Study Hall, a time to work on homework and hang out with snacks. On Tuesday mornings, students meet at 7:00 a.m. at the Chick-fil-A on West Magnolia Avenue for breakfast and a student-led devotion, with transportation to East Samford School, Auburn Junior High, and Auburn High School provided afterward. Wednesday Midweek runs from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. with dinner at 5:30 p.m., worship, fellowship, and a fun activity to close the evening.
College Students and Young Adults
Auburn UMC's College and Young Adult Ministry, led by Rev. Lindsey Middleton, welcomes students and young professionals from Auburn University and beyond. College Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Wesley Fireside Room, and a Young Adults Sunday School for graduate students and young professionals meets at 9:45 a.m. in the Hospitality Room that faces Magnolia Avenue between the Sanctuary and the Chapel.
During the week, the ministry hosts Hey Day Market lunches on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and maintains a GroupMe for connection between events. Free College Lunches follow the 11:00 a.m. Sanctuary service several times a year in the Fellowship Hall, and small groups form throughout the semester. The church also partners with the Auburn Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist campus ministry, directed by Rev. Tony Jeck.
Adult Sunday School and Small Groups
The Adult Sunday School Hour offers more than a dozen classes, from small multigenerational groups like Charles Britt, Cornerstone, and Living Stones, to large lecture- and discussion-based classes like Heart, Mind, Soul; McGehee-Lacy; Renew; and Nick Holler Food for the Soul. Some classes start at 9:30 a.m. to give choir members more time in class, while others start at 9:45 a.m.
Prayer Ministry, the Prayer Chain, and the Prayer Vigil - in which participants pray in half-hour time slots on Sunday mornings for the worship services, ministers, teachers, and ministries of the church - are other ways adults engage. Two long-standing United Methodist groups also call Auburn UMC home. United Methodist Men gather for breakfast on the fourth Sunday of each month at 7:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, and United Women in Faith, including the Hannah Circle that meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in Room A115, organizes women for service and fellowship.
Senior Adult Jubilee Ministry
The Senior Adult Jubilee Ministry serves adults age 55 and older, as well as younger retirees, with a calendar of fellowship, learning, travel, and service. Harvesters meet the first Wednesday of each month at 10:45 a.m. for a guest speaker and a meal. Book Club meets the fourth Monday at 1:30 p.m., and Dominoes gathers the second and fourth Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Healing Yarns, a knitting fellowship, meets the second and fourth Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., and Threads of Love, a sewing group that makes items for newborn and stillborn babies and for missions, meets the second Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Other senior adult groups include Jubilee at the Movies, Just For Fun Games, a monthly Fellowship Lunch at Chappy's Deli, and outings organized by the Jubilee group. Care ministries include a Community Care Partner Support Group for those caring for loved ones with memory loss, a Ministry to the Homebound that sends volunteers to visit members who can no longer attend in person, a Widows and Widowers Support Group, and a Veteran Ministry that brings gentle, friendly visitors to those in elderly care facilities.
Music Ministry
Joey Wilkinson directs Music Ministries at Auburn UMC. The Chancel Choir, the largest musical group in the church, leads worship each Sunday at the 11:00 a.m. service from the choir loft in the sanctuary. Sarah Cater serves as organist, playing the 47-rank Holtkamp Organ installed in 1996, and Emily Bigler directs the Sanctuary Handbells, a multigenerational ensemble that leads worship several times each year. Other choral and instrumental ensembles form seasonally, with opportunities to share in worship throughout the year.
Children's Creative Worship Arts meets Wednesdays from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. for children in PreK4 through sixth grade. The program rotates through music, choir, chimes, chalk art, and pottery art, and the children share their music in worship several times a year. Music is part of how the whole church prays: "Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts" (Ephesians 5:18b-20) is the scriptural heart of the ministry.
The Good News Center and Local Outreach
The Good News Center, located on the downtown campus, is the church's main outreach hub. It houses a community food pantry, a clothes closet, and other resources for neighbors in need. The food pantry welcomes volunteers several Saturdays each month, and the Good News Partners program connects individuals and small groups to ongoing service.
Joe Davis directs both the church's Mission and Outreach work and the Good News Rapid Re-Housing program, which is staffed by Outreach Specialist Amy Bullington and Case Manager Cynthia Prince. Sarah Jones leads the REACH Respite program. Other outreach ministries include the Home Repair Ministry, which helps homeowners with repairs they cannot afford or do themselves; the Loachapoka Elementary Partnership, in which volunteers serve the nearby elementary school; Threads of Love, the sewing ministry; and Worship and Fellowship at Auburn Assisted Living. The church also hosts seasonal events such as blood drives and flu shot clinics.
Preschool, Children's Day Out, and Discovery Club
Auburn UMC Preschool, directed by Beth Bedsole, serves children ages two through four with classes meeting 8:15 to 11:45 a.m. three or five days a week. The curriculum weaves developmentally appropriate themes with Christian education, and the program includes indoor and outdoor play areas, weekly music classes, weekly chapel, and class art projects with a low pupil-to-teacher ratio.
Children's Day Out, directed by Amy Wolters, is a mission of the church open to children six weeks through age five. It runs Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon during the school year, following the Auburn City Schools calendar, and the summer session is open to children six weeks old through completed first graders. Fees are $25 per child with $15 for each additional child in the same family.
Discovery Club is an after-school care program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Discovery Club buses pick students up at Auburn City Schools and transport them to the church, where the children are divided into age groups for the afternoon. The schedule includes directed homework time, daily snacks, gym activities, outdoor fun, crafts, special events, and mission projects. Pickup is no later than 5:30 p.m., and tuition includes transportation and a daily snack of fruit, a salty, and a sweet.
Mission Beyond Auburn
Auburn UMC partners with mission teams abroad, with trips to Costa Rica and Honduras planned in 2027, and the church has welcomed everyone from youth to senior adults into global service trips over the years. The church also offers Mission 101: Serving Like Jesus, a four-session class exploring the Biblical and theological foundations of hospitality, relationship, justice, and discipleship, offered multiple times each year to help newcomers connect with the mission and outreach ministries.
The Heart of the Church
Auburn United Methodist Church exists to love God, love neighbor, and make passionate disciples of Jesus Christ. The congregation strives to reflect Christ-likeness and maintain its Wesleyan tradition by loving and accepting all people and extending the same grace to others that God extends to us. Discipleship, in the church's vision, is a lifelong journey pursued together across generations - growing in God's grace and love, bearing one another's burdens, and facing life's challenges alongside one another. Joyful generosity and service, embodied in the Wednesday Night Supper, the food pantry, the clothes closet, the choir loft, and the mission field, are the marks by which the church measures its life.