At 310 N. Main Street in Mocksville, First United Methodist Church is a congregation founded in 1833 and known for two distinct Sunday worship gatherings: a relaxed Family Life Service with contemporary music and a traditional service in the historic Sanctuary. Its ministry spans Sunday school, youth and adult discipleship, music, weekday preschool, and service in Mocksville, Davie County, and beyond.
Believe, Receive, and Respond on N. Main Street
First UMC states its mission plainly: to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and to respond to the needs of others with the love of God the Father. The mission is repeated during Sunday worship, and the three verbs are a way of understanding the membership vows of serving Christ through the United Methodist Church and at First UMC specifically. The church says the Holy Spirit empowers people to draw closer to Christ, become disciples, and participate in the transformation of the world.
That outward movement is important to the congregation. First UMC describes itself as learning and living its mission as it moves from the church building into the community to serve neighbors with active love. Its understanding of the gospel centers on humanity being restored to God's community, with fellowship, friendship, forgiveness, justice and love becoming visible in the lives of people. Missional groups provide deeper fellowship and mutual support, reflecting a blend of worship in larger gatherings and community in smaller settings.
Two Ways to Gather for Worship
The 8:45 a.m. Family Life Service takes place in the Family Life Center. Its atmosphere is relaxed and casual, its music is contemporary, and children are intentionally included in worship. It offers an early gathering for families and others who prefer the contemporary style.
The 10:55 a.m. Traditional Service is held in the Sanctuary. It uses more traditional liturgy and hymns, giving worshippers a distinct service within the same Sunday rhythm. Between the two services, Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. with adult, youth and children's classes in various places across the campus.
From June through August, the congregation combines services for worship at 10:30 a.m. and moves Sunday School to 9:30 a.m. Scripture is central to Sunday worship, and the church describes reading and studying it together as a means of grace that brings people closer to one another and to God.
Worship at First UMC includes singing, speaking, proclaiming and prayer as the church gathers in praise to God. The congregation emphasizes both authenticity and variety: people worship in different ways, so two services offer distinct musical and liturgical approaches. Worship is also livestreamed through the church's YouTube channel, with updates also shared on Facebook.
A Historic Sanctuary and Two Sides of Main Street
First UMC's address of 310 N. Main Street is divided by the road. The offices and Family Life Center sit across from the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall and Preschool. A large green space beside the Family Life Center is used for Community Prayer services. The arrangement lets the church's worship, education, music and childcare activities occupy distinct spaces while remaining part of one Main Street ministry.
Founded in 1833, the congregation has spent nearly two centuries in Mocksville and Davie County. The historic Sanctuary anchors the traditional service, while the Family Life Center anchors the more contemporary gathering. Together they express the church's broad idea of worship: one congregation with room for different musical styles, generations and forms of participation.
Faith Carried Into Life
First UMC says it holds the historic faith of the church and shares a Christian belief in salvation in and through Jesus Christ. It understands God's redemptive love as active through the Holy Spirit in personal experience and in the community of believers, recognizes Scripture's authority, affirms the ministry of all baptized Christians, and understands itself as part of Christ's universal church. It also affirms justification by grace through faith and says the church needs continual reformation and renewal.
Its Wesleyan heritage gives practical shape to those beliefs. The church emphasizes Scripture, tradition, personal experience and reason, along with God's unmerited grace. Prevenient grace calls people to God before they are aware of God; justifying grace brings pardon and forgiveness; and sanctifying grace grows people in knowledge and love of God and love for neighbors. Faith and good works belong together, because salvation is to be evidenced in service, mission and justice.
First UMC practices Holy Baptism and Holy Communion as the two sacraments ordained by Jesus. Baptism is an outward sign of repentance and cleansing and a mark of discipleship; the church welcomes children for baptism and does not repeat it for someone already baptized. Communion is a spiritual memorial of Christ's redemptive death. The table is open to all, including people who are not members or professed Christians.
The congregation also names prayer, Scripture study, worship, fasting, service to people in need, generous giving, justice and care for the poor among its means of grace. Its stated mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, with local churches and extension ministries serving as important places where discipleship takes shape.
Children Learn Through Scripture, Stories and Music
Children's Ministry teaches children about God and how Scripture applies to daily life through creative lessons, supportive environments and close-knit small groups. The church emphasizes that children's Bible stories connect with life today, that games are welcome, and that worship can include loud music and silly dancing. Sunday School classes for children are part of the 9:45 a.m. gathering, and Music Makers and other children's activities add to the Sunday schedule. Adults are described as partners in helping children build a relationship with Jesus.
Music and the arts are central to worship at First UMC. Its music department includes the Chancel Choir, Children's Choirs, Choir Chimes and Handbell Choirs. Handbell rehearsals and the variety of ensembles give congregants ways to serve through music, while the Sanctuary service continues to make room for hymns and traditional liturgical worship.
Youth Learning to Love, Study and Serve
United Methodist Youth at FUMC is for students in grades 6 through 12. Sunday Night Youth meets each Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. for dinner, discipleship, fellowship and fun, led by Pastor Stephen and friends. The youth Sunday School class meets at 9:45 a.m. and encourages students to ask major questions about God and the Bible.
The youth curriculum is organized around five areas: fellowship, outreach, service, study and worship. Dinner and shared activities help the group build relationships, while Scripture study asks how to live as a disciple and a United Methodist. The church describes students as future world changers and seeks to draw them closer to God, one another and the wider community. Worship remains a shared part of this life, with the whole church gathering on Sunday morning.
Adult Fellowship, Breakfast and Day Trips
Adult Discipleship welcomes people across age, relationship status and levels of faith experience. United Women in Faith has a local unit with two circles. The Hannah Circle meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., while the Evening Circle meets on the third Tuesday; both pause from June through August. The unit supports church and community missions through financial gifts, time and service, and its broader purpose includes developing supportive fellowship and participating in global ministry.
The United Methodist Men meet on the second Sunday of each month at 7:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast and fellowship and help with projects for the church. Young At Heart gathers monthly for a day trip with lunch or dinner, using the church bus for transportation. The group is primarily for people age 60 and older, though everyone is welcome.
A Preschool Rooted in the 1960s
FUMC Preschool Ministry offers weekday classes for children ages 2, 3 and 4 from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with schedules varying by class. Two-year-olds can attend Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, or four days from Monday through Thursday. Three-year-olds may attend Tuesday through Thursday or Monday through Thursday, and four-year-olds attend Monday through Thursday. Registration first opens for current students in February and then opens to the community.
The preschool's roots reach to the 1960s, when First UMC began weekday education with a kindergarten class. After the state established its own kindergarten program, the church started a weekday preschool. It began with 18 children in one class, served 30 students in two classes during the 1980s, and now serves more than 60 children from the church and community. Its Childcare Ministries also provides several options for children, and Katie Roberts serves as Director of Childcare Ministries.
A 10-week Preschool Summer Camp runs Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for two-year-olds through rising kindergarteners. Weekly themes connect activities to Bible stories and easy-to-understand verses. Registration opens in March for current students and by April for the community.
From the Church Building into the Community
First UMC describes community connections as service that carries God's call beyond the church walls. Stephen Ministry connects people with a Stephen Minister, and Childcare Ministries serves children in the church and surrounding community. The youth ministry also gives students settings for fellowship, outreach and service as they learn to care for neighbors.
Giving supports specific ministries and local church initiatives, while portions of tithes and offerings also support mission work in the United States and internationally. The church's stated reason for giving is gratitude and love, and it says generosity helps create a place where people feel welcomed, led and loved. Gifts can be made securely through online giving.
Together, the two Sunday services, Sunday School, music, youth and adult groups, preschool, and neighborhood-facing service form the life of First United Methodist Church. The congregation's own summary is simple: believe in Jesus Christ, receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and respond to others with the love of God the Father.