A Church on Eight Mile Road with an Open Door
First United Methodist Church of Northville sits along West Eight Mile Road, just west of Taft Road, in Northville, Michigan. The congregation's stated purpose is helping people find, experience, and share God's love through Jesus Christ. Its welcome statement is posted plainly: "We aspire to live and love as Jesus commanded. All are created in the image of God, all are beloved children of God, and all are individuals of sacred worth. Love means loving all. All means all."
The building rises on a wooded lot with two parking lots and a sanctuary entrance that opens onto a prayer garden called The Path. Inside, the walls are anchored by a sanctuary with a hearing loop, a fellowship hall large enough for weekly community dinners, and classrooms for nursery through high school. The atmosphere is described by the church as one of warmth, encouragement, and acceptance, an atmosphere shaped less by what is offered and more by how it is offered.
Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m.
The whole congregation gathers at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday for worship that blends traditional and contemporary music, with an organ, a praise band, and several choirs leading the singing. A large screen displays words and liturgy while hymnals remain in the pew racks for those who prefer them. The service includes music, an offering, and a message aimed at everyday life.
Dress ranges from dresses and suits to shirts and jeans. There is no dress code. Guests are asked to wear whatever makes them comfortable as they worship God.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. All Christians are welcome at the table, whatever their denomination, and you need not be a member of the United Methodist Church or even a baptized Christian to receive it. Children are welcome at their parents' discretion. Communion is usually served by intinction, with communicants tearing off a piece of bread and dipping it in a cup of grape juice. Gluten-free bread is available. For those watching online, pre-blessed communion kits are kept on a labeled shelf across from Pastor Margie's office, above the prayer shawls.
After worship, the Connections Hour gathers everyone in the Fellowship Hall for coffee, cookies, donuts, and conversation. It is the place to find out what is happening in the church and to meet new people. Hospitality volunteers sell donuts and donut holes each week to raise money for a different mission partner each month.
Children, Youth, and Families
FUMC Northville takes seriously the call to walk with children and their families at every stage. The church's mission for children and youth is to be a community in which they can find, experience, and share their purpose in life through God's unconditional love and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Nursery and Sunday School. The paid nursery staff and a volunteer care for infants through age 3 every Sunday morning during worship. The nursery is just at the top of the staircase and elevator, near the sanctuary, and includes a calm space for nursing mothers. Preschool children can be dropped off up to ten minutes before the service begins, while kindergarteners through twelfth graders start in worship with their families and are released together to their classrooms after the announcements. In the summer, only the nursery is open; children preschool and up stay in worship, where worship bags are available. Every child or youth must have an updated health and release form on file to participate.
KidsConnect on Wednesdays. After the Wednesday Midweek Dinner, children preschool through fifth grade gather at 6:10 p.m. for KidsConnect. Through games, story time, and activities, they learn more about God, the Bible, and worship, and how to apply these ideas to everyday life. KidsConnect is also when the Cherub Choir (PreK-K) and the Children's Choir (grades 1-5) rehearse, and a new movement and dance group called God's Kids is part of the same hour. Nursery is available for younger siblings.
Mom's Morning Out. This daytime program runs Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 a.m. to noon, September through May, for children from birth through age 5. It provides snacks, Bible stories, gross motor activities, and crafts in a caring Christian setting for at-home parents who need a break. The monthly fee is $67 and registration is required.
Sunday Night Live. Youth in grades 6 through 12 meet in the Chapel every Sunday evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. during the school year, with dinner served at 6:00. Friends are welcome. The format is built around food, fellowship, and a little time for reflection.
Young Adults. Young adults from age 18 through the mid-twenties gather monthly for fellowship, refreshments, and conversation prompts designed to spark faith thinking. First Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. are reserved for Pub Theology, an evening of questions about life, philosophy, faith, and meaning that moves from pub to public space each month. The church also stays in touch with college students, sending care packages in the fall through its CONNECTOR program.
Music That Welcomes Every Voice
Music at FUMC Northville is woven through every age group. The Music Ministry welcomes anyone who wants to share their gifts, regardless of experience.
For adults and high schoolers, the Sanctuary Choir rehearses weekly from September through May and prepares anthems for worship. No audition is required. The Spirit Ensemble is a smaller a cappella group that leads worship about once a month. Celebration Bells, the handbell choir, rehearses weekly from September through April and plays about once a month; any skill level is welcome and techniques are taught in rehearsal. Instrumental music opportunities range from solo pieces to small ensembles, depending on who is available. Seasonal special choirs, including an Advent Songfest and a Lent Cantata, are open to anyone who wants a shorter rehearsal commitment.
For youth in grades 6 through 12, the Youth Choir rehearses weekly during the school year after worship. The Praise Dancers group focuses on movement and liturgical dance.
For children preschool through fifth grade, both the Cherub Choir (PreK-K) and the Children's Choir (grades 1-5) rehearse on Wednesdays during KidsConnect. God's Kids is a new addition for movement and dance.
Adult Groups for Every Season of Life
The church runs a wide and varied lineup of adult small groups, Bible studies, and fellowship circles. Some are short studies; others have been gathering for years.
Before worship each Sunday morning from 9:15 to 9:45, the Circle Time group gathers for dialogue around the upcoming scripture passage. The Women's Good Book Group meets Mondays at 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel from October through May. Rather than scripture, the group reads novels, from bestsellers to classics, and connects the themes to life and faith. The Sharing Hearts group for women meets every other Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. for fellowship, prayer, and Bible and book studies. The Restored Book Study meets by Zoom on Fridays at 8:30 a.m. (and Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. on a second schedule) for year-round faith development study and conversation.
Several groups are designed for particular communities within the church. The Gay Spiritual Support Group has met on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom for more than fifteen years. It is a confidential space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people to share their faith journeys, whether or not they have a church home. The Faith Community Circle meets Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. as a multi-faith group that explores global wisdom traditions alongside the Christian story. The Men's Book Study meets Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel, in person and on Zoom. On the third Wednesday of each month, the Community at Allen Terrace group visits a local senior residence for reflection and Holy Communion.
Older adults have their own rhythms. The Amazing Grays senior group plans trips around metro Detroit and occasionally farther afield, carpooling from the lower lobby when needed. The Senior Lunch Bunch meets on the second Monday of each month at a local restaurant, and the Joy Potluck & Program Luncheons for adults 55 and older gather quarterly around shared food and a program.
The Open Studio meets on the third Wednesday in the Chapel for anyone who wants to sew, quilt, knit, make cards, paint, or bring their own handwork. It alternates afternoon and morning hours.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
One of the strongest midweek rhythms at FUMC Northville is the Midweek Dinner. Each Wednesday during the school year, a team of volunteers prepares a home-cooked meal open to anyone in the community. First-time guests eat free; afterward the suggested price is $5 per person. RSVPs are appreciated but not required, and a single online form covers both the dinner reservation and the volunteer sign-up, with the weekly menu listed.
After dinner, the church moves into Connect programming for all ages. There are groups for children (KidsConnect), youth, parents, and adults covering a variety of Bible study topics. The dinner itself, the church notes, is one of the simplest ways to recognize that the congregation cares.
Caring for One Another
Caring Ministries centers on the church's commitment to walk with members through every season of life. Pastors are available to visit at home, in care facilities, or over coffee, and the church trains and sends lay care ministers to extend that work.
Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one Christian caregiving program. Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained to listen, encourage, pray, and provide emotional and spiritual support to people facing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or other life crises. Meetings happen weekly and continue for as long as the need is there. The program also invites new people to become Stephen Ministers themselves.
Lay Visiting volunteers make calls and visits to homebound members, working alongside the pastors to keep people connected to the life of the church. The Prayer Shawl ministry stitches shawls from start to finish and presents them to people who need to feel wrapped in prayer; finished shawls are hung on a rack in the corridor between Fellowship Hall and the elevator. An Email Prayer Chain circulates prayer requests, typically once a week, to anyone who joins.
Outreach to Detroit and the World
The church's commitment to outreach runs both local and global. Locally, the first Sunday of every month is the Northville Civic Concern Food Bag collection: paper bags are picked up the prior Sunday, filled with groceries, and returned on Collection Sunday, with monetary donations also welcome. The church supports the NOAH Project in Detroit, helping to pack bag lunches four times a year that become part of the 29,635 lunches the center serves annually to neighbors experiencing homelessness. Four times a year, the church hosts an American Red Cross blood drive on a Sunday morning, open to the community. The HIV/AIDS Easter Basket ministry brings joy to people living with HIV/AIDS during the Lenten season. Each winter the church hosts the Cass Community Interfaith Rotating Shelter for one week, providing meals and shelter for fifty-four homeless guests. The Saturday in the D team offers handy-person labor to organizations in Detroit, building offices at the Day Use Drop-in Center, assembling beds in housing units, and maintaining the Tiny Homes project.
Globally, the church supports Temba Nkomozepi, a missionary with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries who serves as an agriculturalist at the Mujila Falls Agriculture Center in Kanyama, Zambia. It also supports the Immigration Law & Justice Network, UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief), the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Illinois, Joy Southfield CDC, and several other ministry partners. The hospitality team's weekly donut fundraiser rotates through a dozen of these partners across the year.
The Path and the Garden
Behind the upper parking lot, accessed from the sanctuary side, the church maintains a wooded walking path called The Path. It is open from dawn to dusk, year round. Visitors are invited to unplug, stroll, and wander, to find a bench for meditation, prayer, journaling, or reading. Inside the small Welcome Center structure facing uphill are meditation guides, poetry, gardening books, and other resources, and a small notebook where visitors can leave a thought or poem for those who come after. Benches and quiet corners are scattered along the way.
Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals
The church hosts baptisms at Sunday morning services. United Methodists baptize babies, children, and adults. Weddings and funerals are offered to members and non-members, with policies and fees available for review. A wedding coordinator or pastor will set up an initial meeting to reserve the date.
Becoming a Member
Several times a year, FUMC Northville offers new member exploration classes that cover the Christian faith, what it means to be Methodist, the pastoral and lay staff, the church's ministries and serving opportunities, and the membership vows. Classes meet to learn about United Methodism and the local church, serve together, and build relationships with new and existing members. Once the class is complete, people may join by Confession of Faith or by transfer of membership from another United Methodist Church or another Christian denomination, or they may choose to wait.
Pastors and Staff
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Dr. Margie Crawford as Lead Pastor and Rev. Sarah Wheatley as Associate Pastor. Rachel Lunning directs Children & Family Ministry; Kendall Farnum directs Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Elizabeth Mitchell is Director of Music, with Soonghee Ha serving as Instrumental Director and Accompanist and Scott Brown leading Children and Youth Music. Erik Lunning is the Technical Director for worship and streaming.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The church uses the MinistryOne app, available on Apple and Android, for the member directory, event sign-ups, online worship videos, giving, and prayer requests. Worship is livestreamed each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. on YouTube, and recorded services remain available afterward for anyone who missed the morning.