At Eighth and Center in downtown Little Rock, First United Methodist Church is a historic urban congregation known for two distinct Sunday worship traditions and for treating hospitality as part of city ministry. First Word, its contemporary service, meets at 9:00 a.m. in the streetside Cokesbury Center. First Tradition, its classic service, meets at 11:00 a.m. in the historic sanctuary. A third gathering at 5:30 p.m. takes worship to Canvas Community with unhoused neighbors. The congregation began in 1831 and remains focused on being good neighbors so that all children of God can thrive.
Two Services with Distinct Characters
First Word begins at 9:00 a.m. in Cokesbury Center, where contemporary praise and modern worship meet in a family friendly setting. Rocking chairs, toys, books, and simple snacks help families settle in. The First Word Band provides acoustic music, helps lead the congregation through readings and embodied elements, and continually introduces songs and artistic expressions into the service.
First Tradition gathers at 11:00 a.m. in the historic sanctuary for a classic worship experience. The Chancel Choir, organ, responsive readings, and acolytes have long been part of this service. Children and adults are invited to train as acolytes, learning to serve in worship and taking part in the church's musical and liturgical life.
Both Sunday services are livestreamed at fumclr.org/live and through Facebook Live, allowing people to worship from home as well as in person.
At 5:30 p.m. Sunday, worship continues at Canvas Community, 1111 W 7th Street. This gathering places unhoused neighbors at the center of the worshiping community and extends First Church's downtown presence beyond its historic buildings at Center Street.
A First Sunday at Eighth and Center
Parking is readily available around the church. Visitors may use the lot directly across from the church on Center Street or the lot at the southwest corner of Eighth and Center. The two main worship destinations are marked with signs: First Word attendees enter the Cokesbury Center, while First Tradition attendees follow signs to the Sanctuary.
No particular outfit is required. First Church welcomes people to come as they are, and both services include a wide range of clothing. The traditional service may include more suits, ties, and heels, but jeans and casual clothing are equally welcome. The church describes its members as bringing vitality, warmth, friendliness, and energy to worship.
Pastors and members of the Hospitality Team greet people after services. For families, ushers help with directions to the nursery, children's rooms, and worship spaces. These details make it possible for a first visit to center on joining the congregation rather than navigating a large building alone.
Children Are Part of the Worshiping Community
First Church considers children essential members of its church family. The nursery serves babies and toddlers from birth through age two and opens from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Sundays. Babies have their own room, while toddlers have an adjoining classroom with age appropriate activities, Bible stories, leaflets, and stickers. Caregivers provide playtime, social time, music, stories, and books. A private nursing room is available, and parents are welcome to visit the nursery or stay while a child adjusts to being apart.
Sunday School begins with an overall hour from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. Children gather for their own classes at 10:00, and youth in grades 7 through 12 meet in the Youth Studio from 9:55 to 10:45. A greeter helps families check in, shows them to the appropriate rooms, and makes it possible for parents to remain as long as needed. Volunteers serving children submit to background checks, and families are notified promptly if a child needs them during worship.
First YOUth meets weekly for fellowship, service, games, discussion, and rotating attention to missions and worship. Camps and retreats extend that learning beyond the church. Confirmation is a yearlong school program in which students explore the Trinity, the Bible, John Wesley, grace, free will, United Methodism, worship in different settings, and service.
The church also operates the Gertrude Remmel Butler Child Development Center, a ministry serving children from infancy through age 12. Its preschool is open five days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. throughout the year. An afterschool program serves children from prekindergarten through fifth grade, with transportation available from area public and private schools. Full day care is offered when school is closed for teacher work days, holidays, or inclement weather. Vacation Sensation fills the summer with field trips, recreation, educational activities, and professional counselors. The center is a Three Star Better Beginnings Center, Arkansas's highest child care rating.
From a Small 1831 Society to a Downtown Landmark
First United Methodist Church traces its roots to the first Methodist society formed in Little Rock in 1831. Its first location, established in 1833, was a small brick building between Main and Louisiana Streets on what is now West Second Street. In 1836, the year Arkansas became a state, the congregation received the designation of station and appointed William P. Ratcliffe as its first full time pastor. During the Civil War, that original building served as a hospital for two years before being sold in 1878.
Women whose mission work had earned money bought one and a half lots at the corner of Eighth and Center, then deeded the property to the church trustees. A brick structure begun in 1879 was completed in 1880. Fire destroyed it on Sunday morning, December 15, 1895. Only the Board of Stewards' records and the silver communion set survived. Within hours, the Board voted to rebuild, and the oldest part of the present structure was completed in 1896. It initially served as chapel, offices, and classrooms until the sanctuary was finished in 1900.
Growth in church membership led to two new classroom floors in 1924. Today those rooms include the kitchen and fellowship hall below and children's classrooms above. The congregation marked its centennial in 1931 with worship, social gatherings, a new Moller organ, improved lighting, and sanctuary redecoration. Membership stabilized at slightly more than 3,000 between 1940 and 1960.
In 1951, as many churches moved toward newer areas of Little Rock, First Methodist made a deliberate choice to remain downtown. That decision led to enlargement of the church, including an education building and Riggs Chapel. A 1970s expansion created space for activities, a gymnasium, and more classrooms. The building also housed United Methodist offices for Arkansas and a Cokesbury Bookstore. Historical records were placed in the Robert E. L. Bearden History Room in 1974.
The purchase of a building at Eighth and Spring in the early 1980s broadened the church's community role. Its daycare expanded into the Gertrude Remmel Butler Child Development Center, which serves more than 300 children through full time and afterschool care. The long history has not been a retreat from urban ministry. Instead, it has shaped a downtown church committed to education, care, worship, and service in the heart of Little Rock.
THRIVE as a Definition of Neighborliness
First Church defines its mission as seeking to be good neighbors so Little Rock becomes a place where all children of God thrive. Its six core values form the word THRIVE:
- Trust is essential to faith and community. Honesty, vulnerability, and compassion create space for people to be authentic.
- Health means wholeness of spirit, mind, and body. Reflecting Jesus' healing ministry, the church connects spiritual health with emotional and physical well being.
- Relationships are foundational to faith. The church understands God as a relationship within the Trinity and sees life giving relationships as essential to good neighborliness and community.
- Imagination helps people engage the mystery of God. Creativity, the arts, play, and room for discovery complement knowledge and deepen spiritual understanding.
- Value does not come from money, position, ethnicity, sexuality, or social status. Every person is a child of God created in the Divine Image.
- Education goes beyond facts. It empowers people to seek wisdom, understand more deeply, and participate in the work of building God's kingdom.
This understanding shapes an explicit welcome. People are welcomed, affirmed, and included because of their age, ability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. First Church is a supporting member of the Reconciling Ministries Network and commits to intersectional LGBTQ justice, the celebration of diverse bodies and identities, and solidarity with people who are marginalized or oppressed.
As a United Methodist congregation, First Church also understands itself as part of a worldwide connection of Methodist Christians. It connects the denomination's emphasis on scriptural holiness with its local practice of gathering, love, service, spiritual friendship, and care for people throughout downtown Little Rock.
Learning and Music for Every Generation
Adult learning at First Church is built around curiosity rather than a single approach. Five classes gather at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday. Anderson Sherman in Room 212 offers short term Bible studies for married couples and singles. Bowen Cabe in Room 203 favors lively lectures and discussion on religious issues, civic concerns, and other topics, welcoming all ages. Koinonia in Room 301 uses rotating presenters and mutual support to examine Bible studies and current subjects.
The Choate Class in Room 210 explores Christianity and spirituality through a non traditional approach, considering current social issues and historical events while encouraging participant led reflection. Unity in Room 204 brings together singles and married adults who explore ways to apply biblical principles to daily life. Parents Sunday School meets at 10:00 a.m. in First Cup Cafe and considers Bible lessons, podcasts, and current life events.
Other gatherings extend learning beyond Sunday morning. The Tuesday Morning Study Group meets at 7:00 a.m. and reads substantial works on theology, ethics, church history, and the Bible. A meditation group meets on the fourth Monday at 6:00 p.m., while a caregiver support group meets on the second Thursday at noon. Young adults, especially those in their twenties and early thirties, gather for dinner, fellowship, and conversational lessons. Young families meet monthly around a meal with activities for their children. The Faulkner Circle of United Women in Faith meets on the fourth Monday at noon and supports local mission work as well as wider mission giving.
Music has roles for children and adults, beginners and experienced musicians. The Chancel Choir is open without audition, rehearses on Wednesday evenings, and sings in the 11:00 service. Center Street Ringers welcomes youth and adults whether or not they read music. Adults may join the First Word Praise Team as singers or instrumentalists, and the First Word Band rehearses before the contemporary service.
Other musical opportunities include Beginning Taiko Japanese Drumming on Sunday afternoons, which welcomes participants of any age and physical ability. Free voice lessons are available to church members, whether or not they plan to join the choir. Children can also participate in the First Arts program, where volunteers assist with music, crafts, and a kid friendly lunch.
Good Neighbors at Canvas and Across Little Rock
Canvas Community is both a worship location and the setting for a monthly supper on the first Wednesday. Volunteers join local partners to serve a meal to unhoused neighbors in downtown Little Rock. The church also partners with the Friends and Neighbors Network, or FANN, which meets twice each month to provide fresh produce and nutritious food to families facing food insecurity. Participants sort and distribute the food and share in community conversation. FANN describes its approach as a hand up rather than a handout, with dignity and shared ownership at its center.
The Pantry at Washington Elementary addresses weekend hunger among students and families. Volunteers pack take home bags with child friendly, easy open foods during the school year, and families can take a bag on Sunday. The $5 Pantry program reflects the wider $5 theme that also supports youth service and mission projects.
At Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, volunteers cook and serve a nutritious breakfast to people who are homeless or working poor. Another partnership with Our House Shelter brings church groups to prepare and serve supper for its residents. Volunteers begin food preparation together and are invited to remain for the meal. At Lil' Rock 'n Roll Wash, neighbors can have laundry done in a church laundry van on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday while relaxing over coffee in the Community Cafe.
First Church also takes part in mission work beyond its own buildings. The youth Ozark Mission Project hosts a weeklong camp, gathers tools and materials, and supports campers as they share worship and work together. Church wide mission projects include meal packing, UMCOR hygiene kits, collecting food for the Arkansas Food Bank, gathering donations for local ministries, and assembling kits for people affected by disaster.
FLAME, Funding Loans as Ministry to Entrepreneurs, uses a Kiva partnership to make small loans to working poor entrepreneurs around the world. Sew & SERVE meets at First Church to prepare items for UMCOR projects and at St. Andrew United Methodist Church to help Hispanic women develop sewing skills, sell their products, and build fellowship. Together these efforts reflect First Church's conviction that faith becomes visible through relationships, practical assistance, and sustained work alongside neighbors.
Faith & Film gathers in the church's Movie Room on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. Participants bring dinner while the church provides popcorn. Each film introduces an important community or global issue for conversation and shared reflection.
Sacraments, Music, and the Historic Building
First Church treats a wedding as a worship service and sacred celebration of the Gospel. A church wedding is understood as a couple's commitment to God, to one another, and to a community of faith, with the marriage ritual declaring relationship both to God and between the couple. The church also hosts funerals and memorial services as part of its work of comforting those who mourn. Membership is not required for these services.
Space can be rented throughout the church, depending on the date, time, and availability. The historic sanctuary serves worship, weddings, memorials, and musical occasions. The gym, fellowship hall, classrooms, First Cup Cafe, chapel areas, and meeting rooms support ministry and community gatherings.
The sanctuary's Casavant Freres organ was built in 1986 and revoiced in 2000. It contains 57 ranks with a wide range of expressions. The chapel has a seven rank Zimmer organs instrument built in 1973. These instruments, along with the Chancel Choir, handbell ensemble, historic windows, and the sanctuary itself, form the musical and architectural center of worship at First Church.
Leadership for Gathering and Service
David Freeman, Senior Pastor, previously served as Director of Ministries to Youth and Families at First Church and as Executive Pastor in Springdale, Arkansas. He has a Little Rock background and emphasizes spiritual friendship, energetic worship, and service to neighbors near and far.
Heather Rose, Pastor of Care and Belonging, is a licensed local pastor working toward ordination. Her ministry focuses on helping people feel seen, valued, and nurtured within and beyond the church walls.
Haley Jones Wells, Pastor of Community Engagement and Social Worker, is a licensed master social worker whose work centers reconciliation, mental health access, and relationships with people at the margins, including neighbors who are unhoused, poor, or struggling with substance abuse.
Mary Jane Cole, Spiritual Director in Residence, serves in a contemplative ministry role within the church.
Sean Dunbar, Director of Ministries for Kids, Youth, and Families, brings experience in children's ministry, education, recreation, and family life. His approach is relational, local, and intended for the long term.
James Stanley, Director of Music and Worship Arts, serves as organist and administrator of First Arts. He has studied organ performance and organ pedagogy and has led choirs, praise teams, and congregations in both traditional and contemporary music settings.
Shannon Webb, Associate Director of Music and Worship Arts, combines vocal performance training with experience on stage and in church choirs. She helps direct worship and also offers free voice lessons.
Keeping the Historic Home Strong for the Next 200
Maintaining a large historic downtown church requires substantial resources. The Next 200 campaign seeks to grow the Perpetual Endowment Fund to $7.5 million by the congregation's 200th anniversary in 2031. Income from the fund supports building maintenance and improvements so that tithes and offerings can remain available for ministry and service.
Gifts can also support stained glass preservation, landscaping, college scholarships, a social change internship, and lecture programs. The church accepts planned gifts, including charitable bequests, life income gifts, stocks, bonds, real estate, and other assets. Online and mailed giving options support both annual commitments and endowed funds.
From its roots in a small 1831 society to its work with worshipers, students, families, musicians, and neighbors across Little Rock, First United Methodist Church continues to hold two kinds of Sunday worship close together at Eighth and Center. Its history, music, learning, childcare, urban partnerships, and service all point to the same promise: to be good neighbors so that all of God's children can thrive.