On West Cloverdale Park in Montgomery, First United Methodist Church is known for the sanctuary members call the Cathedral in the Pines and for a church life reaching from worship and education to mission service and support for people living with memory loss. Begun in 1829, the congregation has spent nearly two centuries building a community around study, service, prayer and hospitality. Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary, with a Children's Minute and Children's Church included in the service, while classes for every age meet across the campus at 9 a.m.
From Montgomery Station to the Cathedral in the Pines
The congregation began on September 15, 1829, when a Methodist Society was organized at Union Church under the Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church. A bishop appointed a preacher in charge, and the society became Montgomery Station, the first organized church in Montgomery. The Methodists bought the Union Church interests from the Baptists and Presbyterians for $50 each, built a larger church and dedicated it on March 1, 1835. That building was later given to its Black members, moved to Holcombe Street and became Old Ship Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church; a portion remains visible. A larger brick church opened on Court Street in 1855.
After the final Court Street service in April 1931, the congregation moved its worship temporarily to the chapel at Huntingdon College. A gas explosion destroyed the Cloverdale Education Building on November 29, 1932, killing one person and severely injuring another, but rebuilding continued. The present chapel held its first service a year later. Under Dr. Oscar Rice, construction of the sanctuary began in 1935. By July 1938, worshipers were seated on gravel floors and homemade benches in a sanctuary without windows or heat. Dr. Gaston Foote made completion and furnishing a priority, and Bishop Harrell dedicated the sanctuary in late 1947. The mortgage papers were burned during that service.
Further expansion shaped the present campus. Fellowship Hall grew in two phases from 1951 to 1961; chancel carvings were dedicated in 1965, a television ministry began, and a $75,000 organ was dedicated in 1969. A capital campaign funded major work in 1985 and 1987. Wesley Hall, a $4.5 million facility, opened in the 1990s, and Maxey House became a Sunday school class. In 2003, the columbarium, limestone cross and memorial garden were dedicated. The church's 175th anniversary was celebrated in 2004, when membership reached 3,500.
Outreach expanded under Dr. Lawson Bryan, Respite Ministry began in 2013, and the church helped unite Montgomery's AME, AME Zion, CME and United Methodist bodies in an annual Pan-Methodist Pentecost Service. Renovation work from 2020 through early 2022 installed a custom Schoenstein pipe organ and renewed major parts of the campus, followed by a grand reopening in February 2022.
Sunday at Ten in the Sanctuary
Sunday worship is at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The service includes all ages, beginning with a Children's Minute and continuing with Children's Church. It follows the liturgical calendar of the Christian Year, including Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost, and also observes World Communion Sunday, All Saints Sunday, a Longest Night Healing Service and a Joint Thanksgiving Service. Clergy, the music staff, worship leaders, ushers, greeters and acolytes help guide worship. The 10 a.m. service is carried on WSFA at 11 a.m. and can be watched on YouTube.
Holy Communion is part of United Methodist worship and is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, at the 5:30 p.m. Wednesday service in Duffey Chapel and at other seasonal services. The Sanctuary and Chapel host Christian marriages, memorial services and Celebrations of Resurrection. The Sanctuary is open for prayer each Wednesday afternoon, and a Prayer Room in the narthex is available to everyone. The worship pattern is rooted in the Wesleyan tradition of reverent worship, with God's Word read, sung, proclaimed and lived.
Sunday School Across the Campus
Sunday school classes meet at 9 a.m. throughout the church. Nursery care is divided into age groups from birth through 36 months, with children age 3 and older gathering in the Worship Room at 8:45 before class. Children's classes cover ages 3 to 5, kindergarten and first grade, second and third grade, and fourth and fifth grade. Bible study, discussion, prayer and fellowship are built into the children's teaching. Sixth through 12th graders meet for breakfast and a Scripture-based lesson in Wesley Hall.
Adults can choose classes shaped around particular interests and stages. Connexions welcomes people in their twenties and thirties and often extends fellowship through young adult events. Farmers serves singles and couples in their thirties and forties. Forester offers active study, guest speakers and support for mission initiatives. Journey examines Scripture, church history, theology and culture. New Room and Novus welcome discussion and fellowship, Tower Seekers studies Cokesbury Adult Bible Studies, and Trinity combines interactive Bible lessons with mission involvement.
Classes meet in Wesley Hall and the Children's Building, with adults also represented in classes for singles, couples and people interested in issues affecting those over 50. The shared emphasis is Scripture, spiritual growth and relationships, and guests are always welcome.
Children's Church and a Full Youth Week
Children's Ministry seeks to make disciples of Jesus through worship, study, service and friendship. It teaches the Word of God, guides children in prayer and surrounds them with a community of love. Children can participate in weekly Children's Church, choirs and other activities, as well as Vacation Bible School. A nursery is available during Sunday morning and Wednesday evening activities, and Summit Kids meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
The youth schedule begins Sunday at 9 a.m. with breakfast, fellowship and a Scripture lesson for grades 6 through 12 in the Youth Lounge. A sixth-grade confirmation class meets from 4 to 5 p.m. in Wesley Hall, followed by MYF from 5 to 7 p.m. Middle and high school students share dinner, games, worship, biblical teaching and breakout groups. Wednesday breakfast runs from 7 to 7:45 a.m. at Chappy's Deli and includes student-led devotion; transportation to school is provided. The youth lounge also hosts a low pressure Wednesday hangout from 6 to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Bible Study and Wednesday Prayer
On Tuesday mornings, women and men gather for separate 7 to 7:45 a.m. fellowship breakfasts and lectionary Bible studies, with coffee and a biscuit. Rotating lay teachers and clergy lead the conversations. The church also offers a wide range of Bible study topics, teachers, days and times. Alongside these classes, Wednesday's 5:30 p.m. Duffey Chapel service includes Holy Communion, and the sanctuary remains open for prayer that afternoon.
Learning From Six Weeks Through K5
Early Childhood Development Center opened in 1997 to meet the needs of families and children in a safe, nurturing and developmentally appropriate Christian environment. It serves children from 6 weeks through 5 years and emphasizes parent involvement and regular communication about each child's progress. Curriculum includes ABC Jesus Loves Me, Handwriting Without Tears and Horizons, with activities such as mobile gymnastics, dance and soccer. Children attend chapel regularly, and the licensed program follows Alabama Department of Human Resources standards and teacher-to-child ratios.
First School, the church's weekday infant, toddler and preschool ministry, serves children from 2 months through K5. Its regular day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with an early room from 8 to 9 and extended day until 2:30 p.m. for an additional fee.
Music for Worship and the Community
The Cathedral Choir is the Music Ministry's flagship ensemble and a non-auditioned group with singers from professional musicians to those with little formal singing experience. It leads Sunday worship year-round and rehearses Wednesdays at 6 p.m. from August through June. The choir also sings for ordination, Holy Week, Christmas Eve and other special services, performing music by composers including Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Faure and Rutter. Members of the Cathedral Choir form the Adult Ensemble, which sings Choral Evensong, Good Friday Tenebrae, ordination, weddings and community events.
Two adult handbell choirs rehearse on Tuesdays, the Cathedral Bell Choir at noon and Allegro at 5:45 p.m., from September through early May. They play in worship, schools and community settings. The youth choir rehearses on selected Sundays from 4 to 5 p.m. First Kids' Choir, for 3-year-olds through first grade, and Kids' Cathedral Choir, for grades 2 through 5, rehearse Wednesdays from 6 to 6:30 p.m. before taking part in worship throughout the year.
50 Plus Fellowship and Activity
50 Plus engages adults 50 and older through care for one another, community service, outings and fellowship. It seeks to meet people where they are, whether they are in retirement, later-in-life parenting, empty nesting, widowhood or isolation. Recurring activities include games on the first and third Tuesdays at noon, senior exercise Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m., Mahjong on the first and third Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m., and Fiber Friends for sewing, knitting or crochet on the last Tuesday at 7 p.m. The 50 Plus Lounge also offers puzzles to borrow and a bookshelf for shared reading.
Respite Ministry for Friends and Caregivers
Respite Ministry creates a place of love, fellowship and stimulating activity for people living with memory loss, including Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's and stroke. Participants are treated as known for who they are, and activities emphasize abilities, humor, creativity, movement and meaningful contribution. Visual art, music, storytelling and games help stimulate cognition and provide purpose. The program also supports caregivers by giving them time to run errands, handle personal business or enjoy time alone.
Respite meets Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants may enroll at an affordable cost and choose one or more days. Activities include music and dance, exercise, optional chapel, arts and crafts, intergenerational events, pet therapy and service projects. Participants must be able to move with a cane, walker or wheelchair, eat and toilet independently, and function cooperatively in a group.
Side by Side Choir offers a ten-week music session for people with dementia and related conditions, meeting on designated Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. There are no auditions. Volunteers, caregivers and participants sing familiar and new songs, rehearse weekly and finish with a performance for family and friends. The ministry was established in 2013 to care for people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia while giving caregivers a meaningful break.
Service Across Montgomery and Beyond
The Missions Ministry proclaims and demonstrates the good news of God's love in the United States and globally. Volunteers support medical, construction and Vacation Bible School trips, mission efforts inside the church and service in the community. Domestic trips match projects with the skills of participants, from construction to teaching children, and youth take a domestic mission trip every other year.
- Construction Ministry builds Habitat for Humanity houses and takes on other missional construction opportunities.
- Disaster Relief volunteers train for debris cleanup and service after hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters.
- The Fix-It Shop repairs broken objects, and Fix-It team members use their practical skills alongside those who bring items in.
- Tutoring is a long-term partnership with local schools and community organizations.
- Rise Against Hunger brings together people of all ages to package meals for people facing hunger.
- Gift Hope and the Fall Bazaar direct funds to local nonprofit organizations, with families, women and men helping through giving, cooking, baking and selling.
Baptism, Marriage, Memorials and Christian Care
Church membership includes preparation for baptism and confirmation. Infant baptism is understood as God's freely given gift and the beginning of a child's life in the Christian family; parents promise to establish the child in faith, and the congregation agrees to sustain that faith. Confirmation classes begin in seventh grade when young people make a personal profession before the church. The church also provides wedding ministry for ceremonies that join couples in the presence of God and establish a Christian home.
The Joseph Ministry assists with services of death and resurrection, memorial services and graveside services. A columbarium, limestone cross and memorial garden are part of the campus. Stephen Ministry provides one-to-one Christian care through volunteers who receive at least 50 hours of training; Stephen Ministers offer listening and caring rather than serving as counselors or therapists.
Safe Sanctuaries policies establish boundaries for the physical, emotional and sexual safety of children, youth, vulnerable adults, volunteers and employees. The church's mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Its vision describes a caring community of believers faithfully sharing Christ's transforming love through worship, witness and service. Core values include biblical spiritual growth, radical hospitality, faithful stewardship, mission and service, prayer and reverent worship.
First United Methodist Church's life joins its historic sanctuary to an active network of worship, learning, music, care and service. In the Cloverdale setting of its West Cloverdale Park campus, that mission is lived through Sunday school for every age, weekday education, weekly fellowship, support for families, respite for people with memory challenges and hands-on work for neighbors and communities beyond Montgomery.