Three Sunday Services, Three Different Settings
On Bower Street in Howell, Michigan, First United Methodist Church opens its doors three times each Sunday morning to a community that meets in three very different rooms. In one corner of the building, a small group gathers at 8:00 AM in a stained-glass chapel for an early traditional service. Down the hall, coffee and tea are poured at 9:00 AM in a well-lit Fellowship Hall as a contemporary praise band leads a relaxed, family-friendly service with a children's table in the back. And upstairs, at 10:30 AM, the largest crowd of the week fills a traditional Sanctuary where the choir, the organ, and the hymnbook still lead the way.
The 8:00 AM chapel service is the smallest and most intimate. Set inside the building's old stained-glass chapel, it offers an unhurried traditional liturgy for early risers. Coffee hour follows across the hall in the parlor. The 9:00 AM service in Fellowship Hall trades formality for warmth: the praise band and pastor are easily visible on the well-lit stage, song lyrics and other visuals appear on two large screens in the front corners of the room, and a children's table with activities for ages three and up lets parents stay engaged while little ones play. Both the 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM services are streamed live on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch, and past recordings remain available on all three platforms. The 10:30 AM service in the Sanctuary is the largest and most traditional of the three, with the full choir, the organ, congregational hymns, and a large screen for liturgy and lyrics; coffee, tea, and snacks are served afterward in the Fellowship Hall downstairs.
A Sloth, Slow and Loving, for the Family Ministry
The church's Children and Family Ministry has an unusual mascot: a friendly, wide-eyed sloth named Sydney (the ministry's podcast is even called the Sydney Sloth Pod). The sloth is meant to embody a particular kind of slowness - not apathy, but the patient, attentive, unhurried rhythm that early Christians called the opposite of acedía. The early Christian idea of acedia was resistance to the demands of love, the fog that keeps people from caring, praying, or reaching out. Howell FUMC's sloth stands for the slowness of someone who stops long enough to notice the person beside them - the kind of pace, the church teaches, that Jesus himself practiced when he refused to rush past children, paused to heal, and stopped to bless.
The image extends to the sloth's long arms that wrap gently around a branch. The ministry describes this as a perfect picture of patient care: love that reaches out without hurrying, holds without demanding, and includes those who feel left out, scared, or unsure. Children in the ministry learn that the slowness of love can be stronger than the speed of activity.
That philosophy shapes a great deal of the church's family programming, including sensory supports and worship kits for children and disabled worshipers, dedicated children's church during Sunday services, and a small library of short blog practices that families can try at home.
Family Discipleship Practices
Director of Family and Children's Ministry Chris Hooton (known to the congregation simply as Pastor Chris) writes a steady stream of short practices on the church's Family Discipleship Practices blog. Each post is a self-contained invitation a household can try in a few minutes, rooted in the church's wider conviction that spiritual growth happens in the rhythms of ordinary life.
Practices already published include a safe pre-meal "hunger body scan" that helps families notice physical hunger and then bring their deeper longings - for rest, friendship, courage, comfort, justice, or God's nearness - into prayer; a recipe and ritual for blessing balm (a coconut-oil-and-beeswax salve, optionally scented with a single drop of frankincense) used to trace a cross, heart, or circle on a child's hand while speaking a brief blessing; a one-page worksheet for writing a small family "rule of life" - a single intentional rhythm attached to an ordinary anchor like the morning coffee, the ride to school, or bedtime; a guide to building a sensory worship kit with quiet, safe objects that help children and adults regulate their bodies during church; instructions for a worship bag filled with tactile prayer and Scripture tools; practices for celebrating the church year at home; and prayers that connect mealtime gratitude, the sign of the cross, and the praying of the Psalms to family life.
Other posts tackle humility, hospitality, creation care, spiritual direction, the Prayer of Examen, and how to talk with children about forgiveness without ignoring boundaries. The same longings recur as tags across the blog - Worship, Open myself to God, Relinquish the false self, Share myself with others, Hear God's word, Incarnate love, Pray - and a Spiritual Longings Quiz, adapted from Adele Ahlberg Calhoun's Spiritual Growth Planner, invites visitors to notice which of those expressions of desire for God resonates most strongly in their own lives.
Minecraft Church Online and In Real Life
Howell FUMC runs a Minecraft Church that meets every Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00 PM on a private server and on Zoom, with Pastor Chris and other players gathering to build, talk, and explore faith together. Players on PC Java can add the server directly (server name: Minecraft Church, address hfumc.mc.gg); Bedrock players on phones, consoles, and tablets can connect through the gamertag HowellFUMC or by adding the same server address. A family-friendly account on the server is available for Nintendo Switch players who ask Pastor Chris for access.
Once a month, on the second Wednesday Weekly of the month, the Minecraft world comes out of the screen: dinner is served, and families gather at the church for "Minecraft Church IRL," hearing a Bible story and then responding by building in Minecraft or Lego. Pastor Chris also offers one-on-one Zoom times with children - for a craft, a show-and-tell, a shared story, or a game - set up in ways that follow the church's safe sanctuary policies.
Youth, Tweens, and Confirmation
For older students, the church runs a Youth Praise Band for middle school and high schoolers, a Tweens and Teens Group for fifth graders and middle schoolers that helps bridge the gap between children's ministry and youth ministry, and a Confirmation class for middle schoolers. Confirmation is described as a period of discipleship in which students learn about God, the church, the congregation's beliefs, and ways to put their faith into action, ending with the personal decision to accept Christ and move into full membership in the church. Trips and mission work are also planned for youth.
Children's ministry itself serves children from birth through fifth grade, with the stated goal of sharing the love and grace of Jesus Christ in a safe, caring, and fun environment. Children's church is offered during Sunday morning services, and special events run throughout the year for children and their families.
Wednesday Evenings: Meals, Music, and Bible Study
From September through May, the church's Wednesday fellowship and learn hours bring adults, children, and youth back to the building. The night begins with dinner - the long-running Wednesday Weekly Meals program - and continues with adult Bible study options (including the Wednesday Bible Study and "Study w/ Sue" at 4:00 PM), Family Blast with Pastor Chris at 6:15 PM, and a full slate of music rehearsals: hand bells at 6:00 PM, praise band at 7:00 PM, and choir at 7:15 PM. Al Anon also meets at the church during the week.
The Wednesday-night rhythm is meant to gather the whole household in one place: kids at Family Blast, teens in their own groups, adults in study, and musicians preparing for the next Sunday's services.
United Methodist Men, United Women in Faith, and Faithfully Fit
Two long-standing United Methodist organizations continue to shape life at the church. United Methodist Men supports the congregation through fellowship opportunities - sports and sporting events, work missions, the sponsorship of a Boy Scout troop, hosting the Wednesday Weekly meals, and bringing in gospel groups for entertainment. United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women) turns faith, hope, and love into action on behalf of women, youth, and children around the world. Five small Circles meet monthly for study and fellowship: Dorcas/Mary-Martha on the third Wednesday at 10:00 AM in the church parlor; Faith on the fourth Monday at 10:00 AM in the parlor; Grace on the second Thursday in the church café; Mary-Elizabeth on the fourth Thursday at 7:00 PM off-site; and Ruth on the third Wednesday at 1:00 PM in the parlor. There are no Circle meetings in July or August, and women of any age are welcome to drop in.
Faithfully Fit rounds out the adult programming with classes that engage mind, body, and soul. Drumming, yoga, cardio, online sessions, and dance are among the offerings, with any experience or fitness level welcome.
First Discoveries Learning Center Preschool
Housed in the same building at 1230 Bower Street, First Discoveries Learning Center is the church's preschool for three- and four-year-olds. The philosophy aims to create a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment that supports curiosity, creativity, social-emotional growth, spiritual formation, and school readiness.
The three-year-old class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM; the four-year-old class meets Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM (with a short quiet time of books and puzzles rather than an afternoon nap). The program runs Labor Day through Memorial Day. Staff are trained in CPR, first aid, security awareness, and early childhood education; the four-year-old classroom uses the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum used by Howell public schools. Children enjoy music, yoga, community helpers, nature trails, bird feeding, gardening, and an indoor large-motor play area, plus classroom holiday parties, family social events, field trips, multicultural visitors, and a graduation ceremony for the four-year-olds.
A distinctive feature of the curriculum is Godly Play, a story-centered approach that honors children as capable spiritual meaning-makers. Using hands-on materials, sacred stories, and spacious wondering questions, Godly Play invites children to enter stories rather than simply hear them. There are no right or wrong answers; children are encouraged to reflect, ask deep questions, and respond creatively through play, art, or quiet contemplation. The preschool team includes Director Jan Gardynik, Lead Teacher Sarah Lask, and Pastor Chris Hooton as spiritual director.
The Giving Garden and Serving Howell
On the church property sits a large produce garden tended by a dedicated group of volunteers. Each season it produces more than a thousand pounds of food. Some of the harvest is sold to the congregation, but most of it is donated to Gleaners, a local food bank that serves vulnerable families in the community. The funds raised from congregational sales are also donated to Gleaners annually. Anyone - whether or not they belong to the church - is welcome to help with planting, weeding, and harvesting.
Other service touchpoints include Wednesday Weekly Meals, the Giving Garden partnership, sponsorship of a Boy Scout troop through United Methodist Men, and the service projects that rotate through Family Blast nights on Wednesdays.
Lead Pastor, Staff, and Mission
Reverend Doug McMunn has been lead pastor of First United Methodist Church since 2023. He has been a United Methodist pastor in Michigan since 1986 and lives with his wife, Marianne, in the church parsonage near M-59 and Eager Road. The pastoral staff is joined by Director of Family and Children's Ministry Chris Hooton, Organist Ellen Paige, Choir Director Jan Clay, Contemporary Worship Director Crys Bazan, Preschool Director Jan Gardynik, and Lead Preschool Teacher Sarah Lask. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and closed Fridays; the office phone is 517-546-2730 and the office email is office@howellfumc.com.
The congregation's mission is straightforward: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and to be a caring, serving community growing in faith, hope, and love for all. It belongs to the United Methodist Church, a worldwide connection of more than twelve million members in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. Within that connection, Howell FUMC is part of the Michigan Conference, Heritage District. Visitors who want to attend can book a Sunday online in advance, or simply show up; the doors at 1230 Bower Street are open three times every Sunday morning.