Des Moines' First Church, Still on 10th Street
First United Methodist Church sits at the corner of 10th and Pleasant in downtown Des Moines, just east of Iowa Methodist Medical Center. The congregation traces its roots to 1845, when settlers along the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers gathered for Bible study in the cabin of the Rathburn family. Three years later, in 1848, the Fort Des Moines town commissioners voted to donate a lot to the Methodist group for a church, making the congregation the first church established in Des Moines. The original meetinghouse on 5th Street doubled as a public hall, courtroom, and general utility auditorium for a town that had few other public buildings.
The little 5th Street church was soon outgrown. It was moved across the street, and a larger building was constructed on the original site. In 1866, that building's rented basement rooms opened Des Moines' first public library, with 2,300 books. By 1880 the membership had again outgrown the space, and the congregation sold the property and built at 9th and Pleasant. As membership swelled past 1,000, the church sold the 9th Street building to the Shrine Temple Company and purchased the current lot at 10th and Pleasant. The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1906, and the building was completed in 1908.
The congregation has now served its community and the world for over 175 years. A land acknowledgment is posted at the front of the building, recognizing that the ground beneath it was once home to the oBaakiiwaki-hina-ki (Sauk), the Meskawaki-asa-hina (Fox), and the Baxoje Maya (Ioway), and the congregation honors those nations.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
Sunday worship is held at 10:30 a.m. in the historic sanctuary. The service is rooted in the best of traditional United Methodist worship, with weekly readings drawn from the Revised Common Lectionary, which means the same scripture texts are heard in churches around the world on any given Sunday. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and the table is open to everyone, in keeping with United Methodist practice.
After worship, the congregation gathers in Kenyon Hall, just west of the sanctuary, for a time of fellowship over coffee, juice, and treats. It is a long-standing moment to meet one another after the service.
Services are also offered online, with a livestream available for those who cannot attend in person.
Music That Fills the Sanctuary
Music is a centerpiece of life at First Church. The Chancel Choir and the White Chapel Bell Choir both rehearse on Wednesday evenings, with the Chancel Choir from 6 to 7:15 p.m. and the Bell Choir from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., and child care is provided during rehearsals as well as on Sunday morning. The Chancel Choir is led by Music Director Jennifer Shide, with a team of section leaders covering soprano, tenor, and baritone parts. The section leaders are James Tener as head section leader and baritone, J.D. Martin as baritone, Nancy Thompson as soprano, and Isaac Lodwick and Jacob Suresh as tenors.
A Praise Band supports more contemporary music, with David Solis on sound, Sidney Shide on keyboard, Josh Gorman on guitar, Kaylee Statler on vocals and percussion, Jordan Gould on drums, and Sharon Free and Luke Lavelle rounding out the ensemble. Sidney Shide serves as the church's organist. He began piano in kindergarten, took up organ in sixth grade, and added harpsichord in high school, going on to win music scholarships and earn #1 ratings in several piano and organ competitions. His teachers have included organists at the University of Iowa, Oberlin Conservatory, and St. Olaf, and he will be majoring in organ studies in college.
Free organ recitals are offered open to the public, with pre-recital music starting forty-five minutes before each event and a free-will offering collected to feed hungry people in the neighborhood. A reception follows each recital.
A Place Where All Means All
First Church is a Reconciling Congregation, a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. The congregation welcomes and affirms people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, races, ethnicities, family configurations, and physical and mental capabilities, inviting everyone into full participation in worship and the life of the church. The vision statement is short and direct: "To be a Church that demonstrates justice, love and inclusion for all. All means all."
The mission statement spells out the work behind that vision: to connect people with God, to build a welcoming and inclusive community that serves neighbors through actions of justice and love, and to develop disciples of Jesus Christ. In practice, that takes shape through the use and sale of Fair Trade products, support for A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS), the Alternative Christmas gifts program, Bread for the World's Offering of Letters, and participation in the Middle East Peace Education Coalition.
Children, Families, and the Creative Center
Children are part of the community from the earliest weeks. A nursery is available on the lower level in Room 111 for children from birth through age three, with pagers so nursery staff can reach parents during the service. After the children's message during worship, children ages three through grade five are invited to Children's Church in Room 112 on the lower level, or they may return to their families in the pew.
Children's Sunday School meets on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., September through May, and follows the same lectionary as the worship service, so children and adults explore the same texts in age-appropriate ways.
The Creative Center for Young Children, a ministry of the church, is described as Des Moines' only fine arts focused preschool and child care center. Housed in the historic downtown building, the program introduces children to visual artists, poets, musicians, and dancers at an age-appropriate level and weaves imagination and innovation into the daily routine. The center is directed by Amanda Claussen, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Iowa State University and has worked in the child care field since 2007. She began at First Church as assistant director in 2016 and moved into the director role in 2022.
Hands-On Service in the Neighborhood
Service to neighbors is woven into the rhythm of the congregation. Members prepare and serve meals at Central Iowa Shelter on the first Thursday of every month and at The Connection Cafe on the fourth Monday of the month. The church supports the DMARC Food Pantry and participates in The Bridge, a ministry that reaches people in need across central Iowa. A "Mats for the Homeless" project turns donated plastic grocery bags, about 500 per mat, into sleeping mats for the unhoused, and the Gardening for Good program puts volunteers to work growing produce for the community.
GriefShare, a 13-week course and support group for people grieving the death of a loved one, meets at the church on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Conference Room. The program combines video teaching from grief experts with small-group discussion and a personal workbook. A participant describes the experience this way: "Going to GriefShare feels like having warm, caring arms wrapped around you."
Financial giving supports all of this work, from monthly meal service, with more than 300 meals prepared each month, to UMCOR disaster relief, the Hawthorn Hill women and children's shelter, and missionary Patrick Booth, who serves in Cambodia through the United Methodist Church.
Growing in Faith Together
Discipleship is a four-part rhythm at First Church: connecting people with God, building a welcoming and inclusive community, serving neighbors, and developing disciples of Jesus Christ. Sunday morning offerings beyond the 10:30 worship service include the Pacesetters Adult Class, which meets on the lower level in Room 4 with coffee and treats at 9:00 a.m. and a program beginning at 9:15, and the Adult Bible Study, which gathers in Fellowship Hall from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. and typically works through a book by Adam Hamilton. Both groups are open to anyone who wants to join.
Other discipleship practices include Adopt-a-Saint, a program of praying for members of the congregation, and the chance to assist in worship as a lay reader, usher, or in other roles. Children are also invited into the rhythms of faith through Sunday School and Children's Church.
What to Know Before You Visit
First United Methodist Church is located at 1001 Pleasant Street, just east of Iowa Methodist Medical Center. Free parking for Sunday worship is available on the north side of the church, and the building can be entered without climbing steps. The church is handicap accessible. DART bus route 16, the Douglas line, stops at 8th or 9th and Pleasant, depending on direction. Non-members may park in the lot Monday through Saturday by making a donation for a parking permit through the church office.
Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Holy Communion is served on the first Sunday of every month, and the table is open to everyone. A nursery is available for the youngest children during worship, and Children's Church is offered for ages three through grade five. Fellowship follows the service in Kenyon Hall. Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The church can be reached at (515) 244-6209.
Senior Pastor LaTonya Calderon has served in the Iowa United Methodist Conference for 21 years in seven appointments. She holds a Master of Divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology and serves the wider church on the Board of Ordained Ministry, as a co-instructor in preaching and worship and cultural competency for the Iowa Licensing School, and as a 2019 General Conference delegate.