Three Sunday Gatherings in Downtown Dunedin
First United Methodist Church sits at the corner of Main Street and Douglas Avenue, in the heart of downtown Dunedin, Florida. The church is known in its neighborhood for something rare among congregations of its size: three very different Sunday worship experiences gathered under one roof on the same campus. Members of the surrounding community, Micronesian families from across the Tampa Bay area, and online viewers across the country all meet the same Sunday morning, drawn by a simple promise that the church calls its organizing idea: love is redemptive, and new people and new places are what the body is for.
Three Sunday Services, Three Expressions of Worship
At 9:30 a.m., the Traditional Worship Gathering fills the main sanctuary. It runs about an hour, pairs a weekly message with a full choir, and is accompanied by what the church describes as the town's oldest pipe organ. The service carries the ancient practices of the church but presents them in a fresh and relevant way.
At 11:00 a.m., the Modern Worship Gathering takes the same hour in a different key. A worship band leads the music, the arts are woven into the flow, and the atmosphere is relaxed. The goal, the church says, is to engage the spirit through creativity while still holding on to Christian tradition.
At 1:30 p.m., the Micronesian Worship Gathering comes together in Friendship Hall. The primary language spoken is Pohnpeian, making the campus a gathering point for the Micronesian community in Pinellas County and beyond.
Both English services are also livestreamed, and a worship archive is kept on Vimeo for anyone who misses a Sunday. A podcast of messages is available through Apple Podcasts for listening on the go.
What the Downtown Campus Looks Like
The building occupies a full block in downtown Dunedin, with Friendship Hall and three parking lots arranged around it. From the street, the address is 421 Main Street (SR 580). For drivers, the church suggests using 411 Wood Street in a map app to land directly at the parking. Church lots are on the east, south, and west sides of Friendship Hall, all reachable from Wood Street or Douglas Avenue, and free public parking is also available throughout downtown.
Hospitality volunteers are posted around the campus to help first-time visitors find their way, and the church provides a campus map. Office hours run Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the main phone line is (727) 733-4139.
Children and Students on Sunday Morning
Children are welcome in any of the worship gatherings. For families who would like a staffed option, the church provides a nursery for infants through age 2 and First Dunedin Kids for ages 3 through 8th grade, during both the 9:30 and 11:00 hours. Both programs use an electronic check-in system for safety, and a hospitality volunteer can point parents to the right room.
For middle and high school students, the church runs a separate youth ministry under the direction of Leslie Goodell. The youth program is part of the church's broader ministry to families in downtown Dunedin.
A Leadership Team Around Each Service
Jason Knott serves as Lead Pastor for the congregation. Each Sunday service has its own dedicated worship leader: John Koch leads the Traditional Worship Gathering, and Dave Nyland directs the Modern Worship Gathering. Mary Kis serves as Director of Micronesian Ministry, stewarding the Pohnpeian-language service and the community it gathers.
Emma Klotz directs children's ministry, Leslie Goodell directs youth ministries, Bella Coleman serves as Director of Connections, and Heather Gross serves as Director of Administration. The team approach is intentional: each service has both a pastor and a worship leader, and the ministries that surround the services are led by people focused on them full time.
Beliefs Rooted in Redemptive Love
The church's stated core values are short and conversational. Christianity, the congregation says, is a way of life, a way of being in the world, and a way of love. Three convictions frame the rest:
- We are here to help, not judge. The Christian faith teaches, at its core, that God's love is redemptive. Members are not perfect, and are not yet what they will one day be, and yet God loves each person into a better life.
- The church is not a building. It is a people. The Spirit of God is already at work in everyone's life, inside and outside the church, and the congregation needs one another to lean on through the journey of faith.
- We are a church not just in the community, but a church for the community. Following Jesus means being with people in their day-to-day lives and seeking to make a significant impact in downtown Dunedin by way of God's goodness.
First Dunedin is part of the global United Methodist movement and points visitors to the wider United Methodist Church for a fuller doctrinal picture.
Missions from Dunedin to Cuba, Germany, and Beyond
Mission work is woven into the church's identity. Five partnerships are featured prominently:
Residing Hope. Formerly the United Methodist Children's Home, Residing Hope provides holistic healing and care for children who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. The church supports the organization and its Director of Church Relations, Rev. Brian Carr.
FAST (Faith and Action for Strength Together). A Pinellas County-based interfaith justice ministry network of roughly 50 congregations. FAST trains county residents to identify the root causes of community problems and advocate with city and county officials. Lynda Mifsud serves as the First Dunedin liaison.
Iglesia Methodista in Jaguey Grande, Cuba. A covenant sister church relationship that is more than financial; it includes prayer and mutual support, and is connected through the Florida United Methodist Church's Cuba partnership.
Zoe Empowers. A program that walks alongside vulnerable youth and families impacted by the global orphan crisis, helping them become safe, healthy, skilled, and rooted in community over a three-year, locally-led process.
Ray and Dori Pieratt. Missionaries with YWAM Hurlach in Germany, where Ray teaches at the YWAM Training School. The Pieratts are sent out from First Dunedin and supported by the congregation.
Staying Connected During the Week
Small groups are a major part of how the church lives out its faith between Sundays. The congregation points back to the early church, where followers of Jesus shared meals, studied scripture, prayed for one another, and simply lived life together, as the model for its groups. A directory of small groups is hosted on the church's online connection hub, alongside a church calendar, volunteer sign-ups, an e-newsletter, a digital connect card, and a prayer request form.
Giving is available online through the church's connection platform, and financial support goes toward growing as disciples of Jesus, gathering new people into the life of the church, and serving in the local community and the wider world.
A Word on Sunday Mornings
First Dunedin is a church that takes the long view of Dunedin's downtown and the wider Pinellas County community. From the oldest pipe organ in town to the Pohnpeian hymns in Friendship Hall on Sunday afternoons, the campus holds three different worshiping communities together under one address. For visitors, the easiest way in is simply to show up on a Sunday morning, follow a hospitality volunteer to a seat, and let the rest unfold.