A Church at the Heart of Forney
First Methodist of Forney sits on West Broad Street in the heart of Forney, Texas, a few blocks off the town's historic square. From that location the congregation serves not only Forney itself but a wider ring of communities including Heartland, Terrell, Talty, Crandall, Seagoville, Sunnyvale, Heath, Mesquite, and McLendon-Chisholm. The church is aligned with the Global Methodist Church and belongs to its Mid-Texas Conference, identifying with the same Wesleyan tradition that grew out of the small group of Oxford students who, in the 1720s, were mockingly called "Methodists" for their methodical habits of Bible study and mutual accountability.
The church building complex includes a Sanctuary where Sunday worship is held, a Student Building that houses the nursery, children's programs, and youth meeting spaces, and a Family Life Center (FLC) that hosts dinners, adult classes, and the JOY Mission Group. The mailing address is P.O. Box 3208, Forney, Texas 75126, and the physical address is 414 W Broad Street, Forney, TX 75126. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the office number is (972) 564-0500.
What the Church Believes
The congregation's stated mission is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly." Worship at First Methodist is understood as surrender to and devotion to one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Love of God and love of neighbor are described as the twin commands that shape Christian community. Witness is described as "bold, compelling and fearless," with the understanding that the church's mission advances when individuals become disciples and join in making more disciples.
First Methodist of Forney holds to the doctrinal standards of the Global Methodist Church, including its Book of Doctrines and Discipline and an accompanying Catechism. The church offers the full Catechism Powerpoint and a written summary. The Wesleyan thread also shapes how members are invited to grow: through small groups, mutual encouragement, and the practices of accountability that John Wesley once called the "class meeting." Pastor Hayley Shotts has taught and written about Wesley's class meetings as a model for the contemporary congregation.
Sunday Worship in the Sanctuary
Sunday is built around three main touchstones. Worship begins at 8:30 a.m. with a Contemporary service. A fellowship time follows at 9:30 a.m. Sunday School and Bible study classes meet at 9:45 a.m. for all ages, and the Traditional service begins at 11:00 a.m. Services are also streamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person. The Sunday morning rhythm is intentionally layered so that families can worship, study, and connect in the same morning.
Visitors are welcomed without pressure. The congregation makes the point plainly: "Come as you are." Some worshipers come in suits and dresses; others come in shorts and a T-shirt. The church explicitly states that first-time guests will not be asked to stand, speak, or be singled out, although friendly greeters will try to meet them before and after the service. Anyone who wants to meet with the pastor can reach Rev. Hayley Shotts through the church office.
Children are woven into Sunday morning rather than shunted off. Babies and toddlers are welcomed in worship, and the staff notes that the sound of crying babies is a welcome sign of growth. A nursery for children up to age four is available in the Student Building (Building SB), with a simple sign-in and sign-out procedure. Children in kindergarten through second grade are invited forward for a children's sermon during worship and then escorted to Children's Church in the Student Building, where parents can pick them up afterward.
Sunday School for Every Age
At 9:45 a.m., the church's education wing and the Family Life Center fill with a wide range of adult classes, plus children's and youth Sunday School. Adult offerings include the Covenant Class, a group of active adults focused on applying God's Word to everyday life; the Disciple Class, which gathers mostly adults sixty and older for Bible study and conversation about Christian discipleship; and Wing and a Prayer Class, a mission-minded group that has been described as "the backbone" of the church's outreach. Younger adults in their twenties and thirties can join a class called Connected in Christ, which focuses on building a personal relationship with Christ in family and work life.
Other classes include The Forge, a mixed group of adults walking through faith together; Trinity, a Bible-based class that meets on the FLC stage; and the Harmony Class, which is designed around the rehearsal schedule of the adult music program and meets from 9:45 to roughly 10:15 or 10:30 a.m. Children's Sunday School for kindergarten through sixth grade meets in the Worship Center in the left hall of the Student Building, where the children share joys and concerns before dividing into age-specific groups for Bible stories taught through games, art, drama, cooking, science, and film. Youth Sunday School for grades seven through twelve also meets at 9:45 a.m. in the Student Building.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
From September through April, Wednesday evenings draw a wide cross-section of the congregation back to the campus. The evening opens with a family meal in the Family Life Center from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. ($7 adults, $5 children, $21 per family). The choir for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, called Kids of the Kingdom, meets in the Sanctuary from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m., before dinner, and sings in the Traditional service several times a year.
At 6:30 p.m. the programming splits by age. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade gather for Bible study and activities in the Student Building. Youth meet on the second floor of the Student Building for Wednesday Night Fellowship, with teaching and small groups designed to build community. Adults attend an in-depth Bible study in the Family Life Center. Methodist Men gathers earlier in the morning at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and a meeting in the FLC, and a Ladies' Bible Study meets Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. in the FLC Parlor. A midday prayer gathering is held at noon in the Sanctuary on Wednesdays.
Children's Ministry, Birth Through Sixth Grade
The Children's Ministry serves children from birth through sixth grade and is led by Gina McNeal. Its stated mission is to guide children along their spiritual path by helping them know Jesus, learn to serve others, and learn to use and read their Bibles. In addition to nursery care and Children's Church on Sunday mornings, the ministry offers children's Sunday School and a robust midweek program of choir, dinner, and Bible study.
A particular highlight is The Lord's Army, a kid-driven mission group for kindergarten through sixth grade that meets on the fourth Sunday of each month during Sunday School. Children have made and sold Manna bags, collected items for the local food pantry, made scarves and blankets for people experiencing homelessness, and volunteered in the wider community. During the summer, the ministry offers Vacation Bible School, typically held over several days in early July for children entering first through sixth grade, and a Summer Camp for children entering fourth through sixth grade. Every staff member and volunteer working with children has cleared a background check and completed Ministry Safe training.
Ignite Youth Ministry
Young people in grades seven through twelve are served by the Ignite Youth Ministry. Youth Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays in the Student Building. On Sunday evenings from September through April, Ignite Youth Fellowship gathers from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. for small groups, teaching, and worship, with the stated mission of building disciples and experiencing the presence of God while taking Christ's love into the community. On Wednesday nights, youth join the broader church for dinner and then meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Building. The youth director is Jeremiah Byous, and Jamie Weaver is listed as a contact for more information.
A Preschool on the Church Campus
First Methodist Forney Preschool is a Christ-centered early childhood program located on the church campus at 414 W. Broad Street. It serves children from age one through five, using the Wee Learn curriculum to teach letters, numbers, shapes, colors, basic math, and science, with a weekly Bible story woven into the unit of the week. The school year runs September through May, with classes meeting two days, three days, or four days a week from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The preschool follows the same holiday and teacher in-service schedule as the Forney Independent School District.
Tours are available by appointment in late February through March each year, and the program offers both a four-day enrollment at $460 per month and a two-day enrollment at $230 per month, along with a $250 family registration fee and a $75 to $150 supply fee. The preschool is directed by Amy Madrid and can be reached at (972) 552-3015 or at amadrid@firstmethodistforney.org.
Music Ministry
Music is woven into almost every part of the church's life. Melissa McElhannon leads the program as Music Director. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Sundays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary choir loft and sings anthems most weeks in the Traditional service, along with larger works at various points in the church year. The Harmony Ringers handbell choir rehearses on Sundays from 3:15 to 4:00 p.m. and shares music in the Traditional service, as well as during the Christmas and Easter seasons.
For younger singers, Kids of the Kingdom (grades K-6) rehearses on Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. and presents music to the congregation several times during the school year. Youth music opportunities are also available. All groups are open to newcomers who want to join the music ministry.
JOY Mission Group and Community Outreach
One of the most active outreach arms of the church is the JOY Mission Group, whose members describe themselves as "Just Older Youth." The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center, September through June, and welcomes anyone who would like to join. Their work has included sewing walker bags and port pillows (many in honor of a member receiving cancer treatment), making fidget pads for memory-care residents, filling hygiene bags for the Kaufman Genesis Center for Women and for people experiencing homelessness in Dallas, clipping military commissary coupons, and collecting clothing and hygiene items for homeless veterans. The group also fills Easter eggs for the church's Easter egg hunt, supports youth milestones like Bibles and back-to-school blessings, and supplies the Norville Children's Center in Kaufman.
The JOY group's best-known ministry is its fleece prayer blankets. Congregation members tie individual knots on each blanket while praying over it, and more than seventy-five such blankets have been delivered to people who are sick or going through hard times. The children's counterpart, The Lord's Army, runs monthly mission projects during Sunday School that connect kids to local needs. Stephen Ministry provides one-to-one, confidential, Christ-centered care through trained lay caregivers within the congregation. The church also helps host the Care Van Program, a mobile immunization clinic coordinated through the Caring for Children Foundation of Texas with lead sponsorship from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which provides free childhood immunizations and health screenings to medically underserved families.
Giving, Online Tools, and Prayer
The church supports its ministries through the classic Methodist triad of prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Online giving is available through a secure electronic giving platform, with options to give one time, weekly, or monthly from a checking account, savings account, or credit card. Smartphone apps for both Apple and Android are available for those who prefer to give by phone. Checks may also be mailed to the P.O. Box 3208 address.
A weekly e-newsletter keeps the congregation informed, and back issues are archived. The "Ask the Pastor" feature invites questions about God, the church, or the wider Christian life, with the assurance that both questions and answers will be kept private. A prayer request form allows members and friends to share concerns and celebrations with the pastors and staff. Rev. Hayley Shotts shares regular reflections on the church's life and direction, often pointing to the midweek schedule, upcoming sermon series, and recent pastoral moments such as baptisms.
Pastors and Staff
The Senior Pastor is Rev. Hayley Shotts, who grew up attending Methodist churches in Cleburne, Texas, studied at Baylor University and Asbury Theological Seminary, and served at First Methodist Waco before being ordained and moving to Forney with her husband Andrew and their daughter Elizabeth. Her husband Andrew Shotts also preaches in the Sunday services and shares in the pastoral work of the church. The staff includes Gina McNeal as Children's Ministry Director, Amy Madrid as Preschool Director, Melissa McElhannon as Music Director, and Jeremiah Byous as Youth Director. The church office can be reached at (972) 564-0500 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday, or by email at info@firstmethodistforney.org. A campus map is available to help first-time visitors find their way around the Sanctuary, Family Life Center, and Student Building.